《The Harvester》 Chapter Glossary Glossary A/N: Obviously, theres spoilers in here. Dont read it if you just started reading the novel. ? ? Terminology ? C Hosts: Living beings of all races taken in from countless different Worlds and Realities by the System to nurture. They are each assigned a Potential Value ranging from F- to S+ the moment they join and are made to participate in an Initiation and a Tutorial before being allowed to climb the teaus. They all possess a Status Window, the ability to level up, and distribute Attribute and Skill Points to grow stronger. ? C Local: Living beings that were created by the System or were born in it. They do not possess the ability to manipte their status like Hosts do and can only train to achieve proficiencies and skills. Children born from Locals and Hosts are called Descendants and share a Hosts privileges. Additionally, Hosts have the special privilege to hand out Quests to Hosts of which the rewards will be provided by them; Skills, Items, Money, Titles, Experience. ? C Wilden: The name used to address the monsters birthed by the System. They all possess the ability to grow stronger with limited control over their status. They also are required to learn their abilities on their own but they can be fostered to higher stages by bing a Hosts Pet. ? C teaus: Pocket worlds that make the structure of the System. Each teau has different characteristics but it is only at every 5 teaus that thendscape changes drastically, ranging from the inest of meadows to the most barren of deserts. ? C Talys: Currency used within the System by both Locals and Hosts. There exist two variations to it called Teilys and Tur. The former is the currency used in the Shops made exclusively for Pet Creatures and thetter is the physical version of Talys, employed during special trades and when a Local or Host wishes to carry or stash their money. ? C Trials: Tests that Hosts must go through to promote from one teau to another. These trials require to bepleted within three years or else the Host will be severely punished. ? C Ordeals: Challenges randomly generated by the System. They include all sorts of tasks of which thepletion will offer rewards depending on the Hosts performance. ? C Dungeons: Structures with a varying number of floors, with each floor generally harder than the previous one. Thest Floor is where the Boss awaits and it is known that each Dungeon has special hidden conditions to trigger a Hidden Boss. Bear in mind that monsters within are not considered Wilden and can only vary in strength thanks to the difficulty chosen upon entry. Every time a Dungeon ispleted, it will resurrect every monster it held. ? C Dungeon Tears: asionally, Dungeons do not have a physical presence in a teau and are located within a locked dimension. In which case, it can only be essed through a Dungeon Tear; an oval dimensional portal. ? C Reset: Every month, the System will conduct a Reset on every teau. Dungeons will change locations and parameters, Ordeals will disappear and then be generated again, damages to thendscape will be fixed, corpses will be cleaned, Wilden will be repopted if the count turns out to be too low, and other things might get deleted by the System due to theirck of usefulness for the Hosts growth. The only way to evade the Reset is to imnd with rare Items and if a society is created, the Reset will go through several criteria before deeming that ce resourceful enough to be preserved. Dungeons, Ordeals, Trials that do not change after a Reset arebeled as Recurring. ? C Pavilion: The most powerful organization in the System, originally founded by Locals but eventually co-managed with Hosts. They possess valuable members that made it an essential ce for Hosts to exchange their goods, buy or sell equipment, take on Quests, and indirectlymunicate with the Systems core program on special asions. It is also the only ry point to travel from one teau to another. In the past, before its creation, only Locals were able to ferry Hosts across teaus and that became the main reason why the Pavilion was created. Pavilions exist on every teau and most towns and cities. However, on each teau, there is a main Pavilion built around a Terminal, the ess point of the Systems inner workings. It can be essed from any teau through a dimensional link that connects them all. ? ? Item Rarities ? Gray < Green < Blue < Orange < Purple < Red < Gold Special Cases: Exotic / Unique ? ? Path Rarities ? Common < Rare < Epic < Legendary < Unique Special Cases: Exotic ? ? Skill Ranks ? C Normal (Lv.1~10) C Ascended Skill (Lv.11~20) C Demi-God Skill (Lv.21~30) C Divine Skill (Lv.31~??) ? ? Dungeon Difficulties (not all Dungeons have the full selection) ? Easy < Normal < Hard < Fiend < Hell < Fatal ? ? Pavilions Honor Ranks ? Bronze < Steel < Silver < Gold < tinum < Emerald < Ruby < Jade < Diamond < Ebene Diare ? ? Special Wilden Threat Ranks ? Executioner < Destroyer < Cmity < Disaster < Annihtor < Fatality ? ? Chimera Ranks ? Dread < Lurid < Nightmare < Naraka < Revtion < End ? ? Attribute Descriptions ? (STR) Strength: The representation of muscle potency. Increasing strength can make you go faster on certain actions, strike harder, jump higher, and take hits a bit more easily. (END) Endurance: The representation of the genes evolution. Increasing endurance greatly boosts stamina, healing factors, and defense. (SPD) Speed: The representation of movement speed. Increasing speed acuminates the mind to allow faster thought-process to match the bodys increased motor capabilities. (DEX) Dexterity: The representation of body control. Dexterity is the pir of agility but also allows significant stamina consumption reduction and uracy. (INT) Intelligence: The representation of ones mental capacity. Increasing intelligence does not affect IQ but improves memory and minorprehension abilities. It also reflects the base size of the mana pool and is the main focus of every mage. (LCK) Luck: The wild variable that cannot be predicted and increased by normal means. It has the power to bend Fate and Laws. ? ? Statistic Descriptions ? C (STA) Stamina: Hosts ability to retain and regain energy. [STR + SPD + 2*END + DEX] ? C (MP) Mana Pool: The Hosts reserves of mana. [10*INT] ? C (SWI) Swiftness: Hosts thought-processing speed. [2*SPD + 2*INT] ? C (AGI) Agility: Hosts ability to dodge and skillfully manipte momentum. [SPD + 2* DEX] ? C (SEN) Senses: Hosts sensing ability, including the five senses and instinct. [SPD + END + INT + DEX] ? C (ATC) Atr Cap: Numeric value which represents the disposition to learn skills. [Sum of All Attributes] ? C (ATT) Attack: Numeric value corrted to the Hosts attack power. [STR*4+(END/2) + DEX + SPD] ? C (DEF) Defense: Numeric value representing the defensive power of the Host. The difference between defense and attack varies the damage inflicted. [STR + 3*END] ? C (MA) Magic Attack: Numeric value representing the power of the Hosts base magic attack. [INT*3] ? C (MR) MP Regeneration: The rate at which the Hosts Mana Points recover. It is calcted through a factor (0~1) that is innate to the Host. [MP/100*(Factor)] ? ? Record of Magic Spells ? C Star Spells: Hoarfrost Star Manifestation (T.0); Natcattiram Carivu (T.2); Natcattira Vi (T.4), Natcattiram Cataract (T.5), Hoarfrost Blizzard (T.6), Natcattira Kir?am (T.6), Natcattiram Vi?untatu (T.6), Star Puppetry (T.10 C T.1); Star Hearth (T.10 C T.1); Star Monarch (T.10 C T.1); Hoarfrost Mist (T.10) ? C Etherion Fire/Fire Spells: Cremation de Burial (T.4); Etherion Nova (T.5); Ersatz Nova (T.6); Etherion Eruption (Lv.6); Fire Breath (T.7); Fire Shell (T.8); Crimson Ray (T.8); Fireball (T.10) ? C Wood Magic Spells: Emerald Orb of Nidhogg (T.5); Deep Roots (T.7); Emergence (T.9) ? C Eternal Night Spells: Ae C Nittiya Iravu (T.4); Aeterna (T.8-10) ? C Shadow Spells: Iron Maiden C Wraith (T.7); Iron Maiden (T.8); Bird Cage (T.9) ? C Myriad/Poison Spells: Bane of Atrophy (T.5), Gu (T.6), Salve of Myriad (T.7), Poison Arrow (T.8-6); Acidic Venom (T.9-6); Poison Fog (T.9-7); Paralyzing Fog (T.10-9) ? C Infinity Spells => Mana el (T.7), Kic el (T.8), Status Alteration (T.10) ? C Void Spells: Void of Stillness (T.6); Wormhole (T.7); Void Ka?am (Lv.8); Voiding Mantle (T.10-6) ? C Gravity Spells: Apokalypsi (T.8); Grava Ray (T.9); Weight Alteration (T.10) ? C Wind Spells: Wind Guard (T.8); Tempest (T.8); Jade Rouse (T.9); Wind de (T.10) ? C Earth Spells: Mega Quake (T.6); Eruption (T.7); Earth Shell (T.8); Quake (T.9); Anchor (T.10); Spike (T.10) ? C Barrier Magic: Momentum Barrier (T.7); Anti-Magic Barrier (T.7); Spatial Seal (T.8); Filter Gate (T.9); Anti-Sound Barrier (T.10); Light-Reflection Barrier (T.10) ? C Hell ze Spells: Sinful Grace (T.8); Devils Arrow (T.9); Hell Requiem (T.9); Purgatorys Crypt (T.10-1) ? C Curse Magic: Death Storm (T.5); Decrepit Terror (T.8); Red gue (T.10) ? C Abyss Magic: Oblivion (T.4); Drain (T.6); Warp (T.9); Null (T.10) ? C Illusion Magic: Oasis (T.6); Faux Pas (T.8); Double (T.9); Projection (T.10) ? C Snake Magic: Coiling Winged Serpent (T.7), Scaled Flood (Lv.8) ? C Sloth Magic: Path of Absolution (T.9) ? C Fragor Magic: Fragor In Fractura (T.4); Fracto Groa (T.7); Fracto Des Mea (T.8) ? C Chaos Spells: Four-Fold Chaos C Perdured Annihtion (T.4); Three-Fold Chaos C Rampant Mayhem (T.6); Two-Fold Chaos C Pandemonium (T.7) ? C Metal Magic: Impurity Filter (T.8); Alloy Shaping (T.9); Structural Grasp (T.10) ? C Union Magic (Wind + Snake) C Wind Hoarder: Serpent of Tempest (T.7) ? C Union Magic (Sloth + Hoarfrost) C Frosted Sloth: Niflhel Niflheim (T.7); Tkkamum (T.8) ? ? Mentioned Magics Only: ? C Tale Magic C Dimensional Magic C Pill Magic C Processor Magic C Armor Magic C Science Magic C Gun Magic C Water Magic C Ice Magic C Lightning Magic C Death Magic C Darkness Magic C Light Magic C Blood Magic C Neutral magic C Creation Magic C Destruction Magic C Union Magic C Dark Light ? ? Extra Terminology ? Lexis: The name given to the words of power chanted to invoke magic. ? Cl Lli: A personal lexis engraved on ones soul. Very few people ever learn it. When someone intones a line of their Cl Lli, their mana and soul power will temporarily go into overdrive to heighten performances. The average Cl Lli is an incantation with around 4 lines and the more lines a Cl Lli has, the more can be read, and the stronger the effect is. ? ? Raknas 1st Cl Lli: Hoarfrost Star (9 Lines) ? [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath.] [Ought Rime Rip Bones and Flesh.] [In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker.] [In a Lifeless Perdition, the Wolf Growls and Howls.] [In Between The Heights and Depths.] [Lies the Slumbering Mayhem of the Devourer.] [Bathing in Blood and Rattling Death.] [Mocking Fairness and Gorging Hearts.] [The One, They Offer Harvest.] ? Raknas 2nd Cl Lli: Volcanic Star (9 Lines) ? [Embers of Ardor Abide the Stars Vehemence.] [Shall The Fervor of Vulcan Taste Your Flesh.] [In a Burning Firmament, The Star Has Forgotten How to Blink.] [In an Eternal Damnation, the Wolf Devours and Howls.] [In Between The Lows and Highs.] [Lies the Incarnate Mayhem of the Devourer.] [Drowning in Blood and Colluding With Death.] [Scorning Fairness and Obsessing Over Hearts.] [The One, They Give Harvest.] Chapter Prologue - Pool Of Blood Prologue C Pool Of Blood White turned to ck. Warm turned to cold. Smiles turned to lines. Tears turned to blood. I watched. Confused, alone, scared, lost Then, something grabbed my hand. I looked down and saw my own arm being torn away. I cried in pain but it was cut off short as something grabbed my other hand. Then, my legs, my eyes, my skin, my very bones, even my heart I drowned in blood. ??????????????????????????Stop ??????????????????????????Stop ?????????????????????????Stop it! ????????????????????????STOP IT!!!!!!! I screamed and opened my eyes. My ragged breath caught up with me and I started coughing. With sweat covering nearly my entire body, I panted and looked around. The familiar room gradually calmed me down and I sighed as I pushed my fingers through my hair. The face reflected by the mirror in the corner of the room was back to normal. The face that I got used to see. No emotion, no nothing. I nced at the hour on the clock and slowly got out of bed. I quickly changed my clothes and I grabbed the bag on the floor before leaving the room. As I was heading to the front door, I ced a cigarette in my mouth and lit it. I ced my hand on the door handle and looked at a picture resting on the small table to my right. Im out old man, I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. I opened the door and left. Chapter 1: The First Step Chapter 1: The First Step A young man with ck hair was lying down on top of a high schools roof. His unnatural, but stunning purple eyes were focused on the many holographic news that were projected by the drones that flew above the city. He wore ck pants and a ck leather jacket over a white shirt. He seemed to be around eighteen years old but everything about him exuded a mature feeling. His body was evidently fit and his facial features were sharp whilst being very dismal at the same time. Overall, no one could deny the fact that he was good-looking. His expression though appeared cold and uninterested. But that was one of the small details that only entuated his unique looks. At some point, he chose to close his eyes to rest even though the bell was ringing throughout the entire school. The clouds drifted by very slowly and some rays of light would asionally illuminate the teens figure. Then, a hiss abruptly sounded near his ear. The boys eyes shot open as he propped his body up. He jumped on his feet and spontaneously performed a series of acrobatics to get away from his initial position. He looked at where he was before with an almost invisible frown on his face. where do youe from? He uttered as he stared at what suddenly disrupted his peace. It was shockingly a snake. A white snake that was approximately one-meter long. The snake had very thick scales. In fact, half of its body was covered by those oddly thick scales while the rest was shining white skin. The animal hissed again, showing its sharp fangs. It red at the human in front of it with palpable anger and apprehension expressed by its light blue eyes. The teen scowled at the sight. He then remembered one particr news he had seen earlier. One about an experimentalb that identally let loose some experiments. Really? The high schooler muttered. I cant recognize its race but if this one is poisonous, its a huge issue that shouldnt be broadcasted so casually He slowly started walking toward the snake. Surprisingly, the animal retreated a little and seemed to be cowering a bit. This was something that surprised the young-man again. Fear? On top of anger, huh? He mumbled and stopped his advance. Hey, he called. Even he had to admit it was a bit far-fetched but he felt like he had to try. Do you understand me? The snake visibly trembled when it heard him which affirmed the teens assumptions. Come here, I wont hurt you, he said and the snake hissed again. On the bright side though, it wasnt as loud as before. Trust me. Some may have hurt you before, but I wont do the same, he added. Though, his expression and tone were so monotonous that the snake seemed to have a hard time deciding if it should believe him or not. Only after a full minute did the white reptilian crawl toward the teen. Thetter crouched and carefully grabbed the snake before lifting it up to match his sight. He then gazed at the small snakes eyes. Yes. Theres emotion in that look. I wonder what they did to you to give you intelligence Are you a subject that survived the Zeera project? He whispered, dispassionately referencing to something that obviously shouldnt be known to the general public. The reptilians slit pupils had narrowed even more. If the human were to try something funny, it was prepared to bite him in the neck within the split of a second. RAKNA! The teen who heard his name being shouted by an all too familiar voice slightly cringed but it could barely be perceived. In contrast, the snake obviously panicked and coiled around Raknas neck in a vain attempt to hide from whoever wasing. Someone then opened the door to the roof with a loud bam and proceeded to re at the boy who was previously trying to sleep on the most elevated section of the roof. It was a woman wearing a beige sweater and a gray skirt that stepped through the door. She was fairly tall; although not as much as Rakna who seemed to be around 1.8 meters tall. She had long curly brown hair and hazel eyes. She wore no makeup and showed off her natural beauty. Her figure was also extraordinary and even Rakna couldnt help but praise her; especially her chest. Oh, good afternoon, via, Rakna looked at her and waved his hand. Its Miss Jeina! How cold of you. You call me well Rakna. Why cant I do the same? Rakna cynically shook his head and replied with his usual aloof and indifferent voice. via was obviously used to his behavior and ignored it right away. Thats not the point! How many times must I tell you to note to the roof using MY KEY?! That you keep stealing on top of that! Do you know how many problems I got? Her voice faded at the end of her sentence as she noticed something. She blinked and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Rakna. Yes? What is that around your neck? Well, a snake? Care to exin? Exin what? Take a guess? Hmm Sorry; I dont know why this fellow has such white scales and skin. Thats not what Im asking! The woman teacher snapped again and sighed. Why are you carrying a snake around? I hope for you hes non-venomous. Dont me me. I didnt bring him here, Rakna retorted and nced at the reptilian which also looked back at him. I was trying to get some sleep when I heard his hiss next to my ears. Then, I saw him. via frowned. Where does hee from? Well, I have an assumption-!? Rakna was interrupted by a sudden tremor. His eyes widened and via leaned against the wall to stabilize herself. Her expression paled when she saw the roof and walls of the school fissuring. Rakna almost couldnt believe his eyes. The walls fissured? How? All of the schools foundations were reinforced by Aurora. Nothing can easily break what they make. Even the snake seemed to be shocked by the unpredictable natural disaster and the damages it caused. What is happening?! An earthquake?! via bellowed with a hint of panic in her voice. In contrast, Rakna kept his cool and crouched whilst using his right hand to keep his bnce. Dont be stupid. The whole city is supported and monitored by Eion equipment. An earthquake can not only be predicted but also prevented. I dont know why this is happening but this normally shouldntst. via calmed herself when she heard his self-assured tone but before she could say anything else, the sky darkened and the high school was covered in shadows. The students started looking at what was happening through the windows. It was then that the clouds gradually got illuminated by a crimson light. Afterward, a cylindrical red barrier fell from within the clouds and bordered the schools premise with a huge quake. via gasped and the floor beneath suddenly cracked and copsed. She yelped and lost her footing. The whole buildings structure actually tilted and she was in danger of falling. via! Rakna raised his voice with a startling sense of urgency. via had rarely ever heard him express so much emotion. He jumped down in her direction but was forced to stop because of a hole that opened right in front of him. The foundations of the building copsed and screams resounded across the entire school. Rakna clicked his tongue and the white snake who was literally now stuck to him put its his head inside his scarf in fright. via, hold onto the cracks and dont try to go back inside. We have higher chances to survive if we stay here. At least the roof wont fall on our heads. Also, take off your shoes, you dont want your heels to get stuck somewhere, Rakna said as his voice recovered its usual poise seeing that the shaking had slightly weakened and the roof was not breaking further. via nodded gravely and followed his advice. Rakna looked around whilst keeping an eye on her, ready to jump if needed. He noticed that the red barrier that was surrounding the school had thickened and he couldnt see beyond anymore. It was as if the school had been isted from the rest of the world. Id need to be delusional to think this is something made by humans Rakna voiced just before via groaned and fell on her knees. She was clutching her head with her hands and seemed to be experiencing some atrocious pain. Rakna was about to run to her even if it meant that he would make the rest of the roof copse when he also froze and grunted as he kneeled on one leg. He was assaulted by a massive headache out of nowhere. Even the small snake wasnt spared as it hissed weakly. Rakna tried his best to remain conscious as he forced his eyelids to stay open. Through his narrowed vision, he saw via fainting as she fell backward. If he didnt move, she would fall off the roof. Wake up, wake up, wake up He kept reiterating inwardly as time seemed to slow down around him. Wake up! He opened his eyes wide and his eyes gained a shade of red. His expression twisted and his indifference disappeared. It was reced by pure fury, frustration, and an off-putting and faint amusement. His mouth formed a sneer as he kicked the ground. He ignored the copsing floor or the holes in his path, he leaped over them and even risked to use unstable footholds. As he made his final leap, he outstretched his hand grabbed the edge of a pit that had formed near vias unconscious body. His hand started bleeding but he just snorted and pulled himself up with one arm. He grabbed his teacher and put her over his shoulder. He waited until the entire school began to break apart. He made sure to dodge any ss, rock, or metal rod that could hurt him; all while fighting the headache trying to split his brain. He jumped again at the veryst moment before everything crashed on the ground. He spun in the air and used his own body to shield via as he hit the ground. He definitely heard something break inside his body. When he had safely nded, the rest of the building copsed around him. Luckily, not anyrge debris fell on them. Rakna coughed because of the dust and blood swelling up in his throat. He swallowed and growled in infuriation. He checked on via then scoffed. Damn it, woman I wont do this again, he spat as his eyes returned to normal and his brain finally shut down. Chapter 2: Assessment Chapter 2: Assessment Rakna woke up and promptly propelled himself to his feet. His eyes looked right and left and his body tensed. His mouth was forming a t line as he inspected his surroundings. He still had a headache but hepletely ignored it. Shit, he cursed as he confirmed some things. First of all, via was nowhere to be seen. He was sure that he had managed to save her so he decided to put that in the back of his mind for now. The next thing confused him to no end. He was back on the roof somehow and the school was totally undamaged. Andstly; Rakna neared the edge of the roof and looked forward. Trees. An immense forest extended around the school grounds and continued until a chain of mountains. He was about to go down and check to see if there was someone else in the building when the headache suddenly returned full force. He grunted and rubbed his temple. Then, it happened. || Host has awakened. Finalizing download. || His expression twitched as he heard a mechanical voice speak in his head. || Assessing beginning. Host woke up thirty minutes after the dimensional transfer; noted. Host shows aptitude for several unique skills and traits; noted. Host disys status several times higher than the average human; noted. Host proves to have considerable self-control and mind fortitude; noted. Host possesses extended knowledge and experience; noted. Graded. || Rakna frowned and a whistling slowly crept into his ears. He did his best to ignore it to hear what the voice said afterward. || Hosts Potential Value: S+. Commencing necessary upgrades. || Thats thest thing the voice said before getting quiet. Raknabed his hair with his hand. What the heck is going on? He muttered and noticed something moving around under his scarf. He pulled on it and ended up looking at a certain snake in the eyes. The human and reptilian stared at each other for a few seconds before Rakna grabbed thetter and put it on the ground. He crouched and mused. Hey, little guy, did you also hear some voice speaking in your head? The snake tilted its head and nodded. I see. What rank did it give you? The snake seemed to ponder for a moment before using its tail to draw a letter on the ground. Rakna hummed when he finished. S, huh? What does this mean in the end? Right on cue, the infuriating whistling came back and a new voice echoed in his head. The same thing happened for the little snake apparently. [The update has been sessfullypleted.] A womans voice echoed. Raknas eyes widened in surprise. It was no longer robotic and emotionless. While it stillcked the natural warmth of a human, this time it didnt sound unnatural nor was it off-putting. In fact, it was a bit soothing. [Its an honor to meet you, Rakna Xiorra. Im the S+ ss AI that has been chosen to guide you through the System.] AI? Care to exin what you mean by System? [Certainly.] And with that, a column of words abruptly filled Raknas vision. ? ? ? ? ? Host: Rakna Xiorra Age: 17 | Level: 1 Race: Male Human | Title: Nil Potential: S+ ? Attributes: Strength: 1.9 | Endurance: 2.5 Speed: 2 | Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 3.6 | Luck: 9 ? Avable Points: 2 ? Statistics: Stamina: 12.9/12.9 | MP: 36/36 Swiftness: 11.2 | Agility: 10 Senses: 24.20 | Atr Cap: 23 Attack: 14.9 | Defense: 9.4 Magic Attack: 10.8 | MP Regen: 0.25/min ? Proficiencies: C Polearm-Mastery (Lv.8): +16% Attack when wielding polearms. C Taekwondo (Lv.7): +14% C Dagger-Mastery (Lv.7): +14% C Cooking (Lv.6): +60% change to cook a dish with special effects. C Karate (Lv.6): +12% C Throwing (Lv.6): +12% C Judo (Lv.6): +12% C Taijutsu (Lv.5): +10% C Marksmanship (Lv.5): +10% ? Magic Skills: C Unawakened ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Pain-Resistance (Lv. Max) C Fear-Resistance (Lv. Max) C Eye of the Mind (Lv. Max) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv. 7) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C None Nirvana Skills: C Unknown ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Eion Auto-Sustainable Nanomachines: Automatically kills foreign organisms and allows rapid improvement of body strength as well as the use of more muscle cells. C ??? ? ? ? ? ? Rakna swiftly analyzed the information in front of him. Is this a joke? Youre not telling me I was pulled into a sort of game, are you? [Negative. Youre correct in thinking this is a game.] Rakna scowled. Whose? [I cannot answer this question.] You cant? Or you wont? [I do not know the answer, Host.] Rakna rubbed his temples. Fine, what is the purpose of this game then? [I do not know.] really? [Yes. But I can tell you what you are going through as we speak.] Go ahead. [Please turn around and look at the gates of your school.] Rakna silentlyplied and the small snake followed him. He squinted his eyes and stared at the gates that were nearly two hundred meters away. His eyes gradually widened as he spotted several shadows emerging from the woods. Those are He inspected their appearance and his eye twitched. Kobolds? [Affirmative. They aremonly called as such. The Initiation will now begin, Host. Im here if you have questions.] ? ? ? ? ? Initiation Mission: Survive. Description: Monsters are invading your location, searching for anything to scavenge. If they find you, theyll kill you. Objective: Survive until the end of the day. Note: You can hide but you also can strike back. Tracker: 50/50 enemies alive. Rewards: Will change ording to the Hosts performance. ? ? ? ? ? Well, damn Rakna pondered. For now, give me a description of each attribute. [Certainly.] ? ? ? ? ? Attributes: ? Strength: The representation of muscle potency. Increasing strength can make you go faster, strike harder, jump higher, and take hits a bit more easily. Endurance: The representation of the genes evolution. Increasing endurance greatly boosts stamina, healing factors, and defense. Speed: The representation of movement speed. Increasing speed acuminates the mind to allow a faster thought process to match the legs increased motor capabilities. Dexterity: The representation of body control. Dexterity is the pir of agility but also allows significant stamina consumption reduction and uracy improvement. Intelligence: The representation of ones mental capacity. Increasing intelligence does not affect IQ but improves memory and minorprehension abilities. It also reflects the base size of the mana pool and is the main focus of every mage. Luck: The wild variable that cannot be predicted and increased by normal means. It has the power to bend Fate and Laws. ? Statistics: ? Stamina: Hosts ability to retain and regain energy (str + spd + 2*end + dex). MP: Hosts Mana Pool (10*int). Swiftness: Hosts thought processing speed (2*spd + 2*int). Agility: Hosts ability to dodge and skillfully manipte momentum (spd + 2*dex). Senses: Hosts sensing ability, including the five senses and instinct (spd + end + int + dex). Atr cap: Numeric value that represents the disposition to learn skills (Sum of all attributes). Attack: Numeric value representing the power of the Hosts attack. (str*4+(end/2) + dex + spd) Defense: Numeric value representing the defensive power of the Host. The difference between defense and attack varies the damage inflicted. (str + 3*end) Magic Attack: Numeric value representing the power of the Hosts base magic attack (int*3) MP Regeneration: The rate at which the Hosts Mana Points recover. It is calcted through a factor that is innate to the Host. Current factor: 0.7 (MP/100*0.7). ? ? ? ? ? Rakna frowned as he looked over the descriptions. First of all, he realized that it would be quiteplicated to make a build since the way the stats were calcted was rtivelyplex and required a minimum of thought. But at the same time, everything was quite bnced. The paths were varied but very straightforward as well. Though, why does my sense stat not match with the calction method? Instead of answering, the AI showed him the box of his cognitive skills. ? ? ? ? ? Pain-Resistance (Lv. Max): Skill quantifying how much pain the host can ignore and move regardless of damage. ? Fear-Resistance (Lv. Max): Skill quantifying resistance against any kind of intimidation. ? Eye of the Mind (Lv. Max): A rare skill, even rarer to see reaching the higher levels, that sharpens the hosts instincts to inhuman levels. Those that are born with this skill are considered geniuses among geniuses. They can adapt and learn with nothing but instinct. Additional Effect: Permanent 100% increase to senses. ? Fatigue Resistance (Lv. 7): Skill quantifying resistance against any sort of tiredness; physical fatigue, mental fatigue, mana fatigue, etc ? ? ? ? ? I see, Rakna muttered. He decided to ignore the skills listed as Unknown or Unawakened for now. He then thought about the two attribute points he had. He had no idea how he would develop in the future, so he held onto them for now. He mused and settled down on the roof to observe the Kobolds entering the school grounds. For some reason, he felt like he could see better than he ever had. Hey, AI how should I call you? [Im AI-00000056-LTS.] Too many zeros. Ill just call you Alexa. [] Now, tell me, did the download of this System somehow correct my attributes? [Affirmative. To quantify an individuals abilities and trante them into numbers, it is imperative to round them up. Your Eye of the Mind is a special case as well since its effects have been activated the moment the System was downloaded. So, you are correct to assume to be stronger now. Albeit its only by a rtively small amount.] Got it, he replied impassively and started analyzing the enemies he was going to fight. Because, yes, he was going to kill them. Im not going to hide after all that training I was put through by the old man, he thought. Kobolds. Weredogs in a sense, Rakna mumbled while staring at them. Considering their armor and weaponry, Id say they have decent intellect. They seemingly have four fingers. Probably making their dexterity lower than the average human and more akin to lose their weapons. From what I can see, they have a basic military pyramid. Most of them wear gray leather armor while some of them have metal parts along with it. And if theyre not dogs just for show, they should have a pretty high sense of smell. Troublesome Ding! He was suddenly thrown out of his thoughts by a sound and a window appearing in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Thanks to your remarkable insight and through meeting several conditions, you have learned a new skill; Appraisal! Appraisal (Lv.1): A skill sought by many but hard to attain because of its harsh requirements. Allows the Host to inspect a living beings status and learn about their characteristics. At the initial levels, the disyed information depends on the casters Wisdom. Cost: None. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snorted. Useful thing Wisdom, huh? An attribute that cant be modified by the System? I guess this means that Appraisal will show me what I wouldve roughly been capable of finding out by myself, but instantly. At least at level 1 Am I right, Alexa? [Indeed, Host.] Call me Rakna. Host feels weird. [Noted, Rakna.] Good, now lets try this, he looked at the Kobolds. Appraisal. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 5 | Level: 3 Race: Kobold ? Attributes: Strength: 1.5 | Endurance: 2 Speed: 2 | Dexterity: 0.8 Intelligence: 0.6 | Luck: 1 ? Weapon: C Crude Short Spear: +10 Attack ? Armor: C Leather Armor: +5 Defense ? Statistics: Stamina: 8.3/8.3 | MP: 6/6 Swiftness: 5.2 | Agility: 3.6 Senses: 10.4 | Atr Cap: 7.9 Attack: 20 (10 + 10) | Defense: 12.5 (7.5 +5) Magic Attack: 1.8 | MP Regen: 0.01/min ? Proficiencies: C Polearm-Mastery (Lv.1) Unique or Racial Traits: C Dog Nose: +5 Senses ? ? ? ? ? As expected, higher senses, lower dexterity. I outss them in everything but speed Rakna muttered then felt something pulling on his pants. He looked down and saw the little snake slithering around his feet. Whats wrong, little guy? He crouched and his answer came to him under the form of a notification box. ? ? ? ? ? Eion Snake Lv.1 wishes to be your contracted pet. Do you ept? ? ? ? ? ? Raknas eyes widened a bit. Eion Snake So, you really are a survivor of the Zeera project. But why do you want to make a contract with me? Are you sure that you can trust me? The snake lowered its head and hissed weakly. Rakna swore he could hear an Im not good enough? invading his mind while looking at the little snake. He ultimately epted the request. ? ? ? ? ? You have taken Eion Snake Lv.1 as your pet. Please give him a name to finalize the contract. ? ? ? ? ? Hm, Rakna gazed at the little snake before deciding on a name. Pronos. Your name will be Pronos. Youre okay with it? He asked and the snake perked up before nodding several times. ? ? ? ? ? Contract sealed. You have now ess to Pronos status. ? Name: Pronos Master: Rakna Xiorra Age: 3 | Level: 1 Race: Eion Snake | Title: Nil Potential: S ? Attributes: Strength: 1 | Endurance: 5 Speed: 1.2 | Dexterity: 0.6 Intelligence: 2.7 | Luck: 3 ? Avable points: 2 ? Statistics: Stamina: 19.2/19.2 | MP: 40.5/40.5 Swiftness: 7.8 | Agility: 2.4 Senses: 9.5 | Atr Cap: 13.5 Attack: 8.3 | Defense: 19.2 Magic Attack: 8.1 | MP Regen: 0.2/min ? Proficiencies: C Bite (Lv. Max): +100% Attack when biting. C Grapple & Strangle (Lv. Max): +20% Attack ? Magic Skills: C Unawakened. ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Poison Resistance (Lv. Ex) C Pain-resistance (Lv. Max) C Fear-Resistance (Lv. 5) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv. 3) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Poison-Secretion (Lv.7): Allows the Host to produce poison from their fangs. C Camouge (Lv.8): Once activated, changes the skin and scales color of the Host to match the surroundings. ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Eion Scales: +20% Defense. C Eion Poison: Poison Secretion can produce Eion Poison. C Eion Blood: 50% increase to MP and Stamina. C Night Vision: Light Amplified Sight. C Thermal Vision: Infrared Sight. C Echo Vision: Sight acquired through sound feedback. ? ? ? ? ? Thats a lot of traits Youre one hell of a snake. You have attributes on par with a grown human. You can also take hits like a tank and youre an incredible threat as an assassin too, Rakna eximed, honestly impressed. Pronos straightened his body and pulled the corner of his lips, effectively making him look smug. Rakna snorted and grabbed him before putting him on his shoulder. Pronos circled his neck once before snuggling inside his scarf, with just his head sticking out. Rakna looked down at the kobolds again before walking toward the door on the roof. Alexa, do I get a beginner kit or something? [You have the permission to choose a weapon of your liking, Rakna.] Before he could ask her to rify, dozens of white shapes formed around him, floating and spinning. Each shape represented a weapon and there were all kinds. Swords, bows, guns, spears, chains, scythes, gauntlets, brass knuckles, etc. Hmm, Rakna mused. Im certainly most proficient with the ive but I dont really need it since I already have one He muttered vaguely. But its not practical to use a polearm if I ever have to fight indoors. Plus, I cant possibly fight all fifty at the same time Having made his decision, Rakna reached for a serrated dagger. The shapes immediately disappeared and the dagger he chose fell in his hands. The de was thick and entirely red. A window popped up the moment he touched it. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Dagger Name: Blood Fang (Imitation) Rarity: Green Attack power: +20 Durability: Infinite ? Description: A low-grade imitation of a legendary dagger supposedly crafted with a fang of Ambrogio, the First Vampire. ? Note: This weapon is exclusive to the Initiation and will disappear upon exit. ? ? ? ? ? I see. At least, theyre not petty with the starting weapons, Raknamented. The attack power corrtes to ones defense, right? If its not high enough, no damage would be done or it would just be very weak By the way, Alexa, theres no HP in your System? [Health Points are an aberration and are not included in the system. No matter what, if a Host suffers a deadly blow, they will die unless they have a skill or a racial trait to counter it. The same rule applies to monsters generated by the system. The defense attribute merely represents ones body resistance, it has nothing to do with health. Simrly, defense granted by armor, unless magical, will only apply to the body part covered by said equipment.] Rakna hummed and whirled the dagger in his hand. Good to know, he said and opened the door leading to the floor below. It means that this game is fair y. I stab, they die. I like it, he quipped but his look sharpened and turned cold. Lets see how these puppies fare. Chapter 3: The Azure Sonata Chapter 3: The Azure Sonata Going down the stairs, Rakna mulled over how he could bypass the kobolds sense of smell. The sounds of his footsteps echoed for a minute before he finally decided on his next course of action. He exited the staircase on the second floor of the building and quietly made his way toward his ssroom. He asked Alexa and she told him that the state of the school was the exact same as it was before the transfer, personal objects included. When he opened the door, Rakna spotted his bag and pulled two things out of it. One was a peculiar silver cigarette case. He put one roll-up between his lips and lit it with the case itself which surprisingly had an integrated lighter in a corner. He inhaled once and huffed a cloud of smoke before reaching for the second thing; a military swiss knife. The actual knife was of pretty good quality but thats not what Rakna wanted it for. He ejected one of the many integrated tools and went toward the lockers of his ssmates. He lock-picked them open and searched the items inside. He did that for a dozen lockers or so before stopping. Ultimately, he ended up with around five deodorizers on one of the desks of the room. This should be more than enough, he muttered and huffed a bit of smoke. Pronos tilted his head in confusion as he watched his newfound masters actions. Rakna picked one of the deodorizers and started spraying it throughout the room. He spent the following ten minutes emptying four of them, not only in his ssroom but also a huge chunk of the floor and himself. After all of that, the air was barely breathable but Rakna ignored it. Okay, he sighed and extinguished his cigarette. He then grabbed a random chair and threw it at a window of the corridor. However, it just bounced on the ss and fell on the floor. Even Pronos didnt know what to think. Right, this is reinforced ss, Raknamented and opened the window with a poker face as if nothing had happened and threw the chair again. This time it crashed and broke apart loudly on the ground outside. Every kobold instantly heard it and looked toward the source. Rakna stuck his head out of the window and waved at them. Um,e at me? He said more or less loudly and the monster started marching in his direction. I guess that worked He then quickly grabbed his bag and rushed toward the main staircase which he had already filled with the scent of one of the deodorizers. He crouched on a shadowy corner slightly above the floor he was in and simply waited. He could already hear the sounds of footsteps and some growlsing from below. It took around a minute before he saw the first kobold arrive. The dog creature wheezed when it sniffed the air and scrunched up its nose. Rakna silently watched as more arrived. As he expected, and fortunately, not all of them hade to search this floor. There were around ten of them and amongst the group, there was what appeared to be a sort of toon leader barking orders at the others. Rakna couldnt understand any of it since it was plenty evident that he hadnt magically gained the talent to understand dog speech. Rakna decided to move when the kobolds had dispersed and only one remained in front of the stairs. He breathed in and carefully approached the back of the oblivious animal. He readied Blood Fang and, when he was in range, shut the kobolds muzzle with one hand and slit its throat with the other. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.3 Kobold killed. Requirements for level up updated. Kill the equivalent of 10 Levels to level up. Current progress: 3/10 ? ? ? ? ? The kobold died with widened eyes and a very suppressed whimper. Rakna grunted and grabbed the body before it could fall on the ground. He temporarily dismissed the system window and gazed at his bloodstained hand. I admit this isnt pleasant. I forgot how it felt after thesest few years, he groused inwardly. He didnt feel regret for having taken the life of his enemy nor disgust for the blood he had on his hands. Emotionally speaking, he waspletely fine. But his rational mind was screaming at him, telling him that he had just killed, that he should be feeling sorry. No matter if it was a kobold or whatever else. It was like his mind was having an internal war and he hated it. He then remembered something his uncle once told him during his training. You want to know how it is to kill? Depends. I think its fun. Because it usually means a job done, he had said whileughing and Rakna had red at him. Oh, you were serious Well, there isnt really an answer to that. If you kill for a cause or even by mistake, you can either rejoice or regret. But, never forget this. Those who suffer nothing at the moment of the kill are scum. If you cant respect life in any way, shape, or form, you are trash. You can wash the blood but you can never forget its color. If youre worried about this; do not. I know well that you dont disregard the potential of life. Never change that, kiddo. Rakna sighed and shook his head. His carefree uncles words had always been so casual but equally significant. Pronos looked at him with a concerned look and Rakna patted his head once to tell him he was okay. He then looked at the window from earlier. So, its not Exp but level measures? To be sure, Alexa, if I hypothetically kill a Lv.7 creature right now, would I level up? [Affirmative. However, keep in mind that killing foes below your own level will give less points and those more than ten levels below yours will give nothing. But there are exceptions of course. For instance, if you kill a Lv.7 creature right now, the level difference will grant you a bonus.] Interesting, Rakna mused and then carefully peeked in the corridor. Three kobolds were walking around and the rest was apparently ransacking the rooms considering the noises he was hearing. Pronos, he whispered and the little snake stuck his head out of his scarf. Take care of the one on the far right thene back right away. Pronos nodded promptly. He ejected himself out of the scarf and quietly slithered toward his target. Meanwhile, Rakna grabbed his two knives and waited for the right moment. Pronos slowly approached the kobold while keeping an eye on the two others. Once he was close enough, he jumped on the creature and coiled around its neck before strangling and biting it. His fangs released a blue-colored poison. The kobold whimpered as its veins started glowing blue. Its neck heated up before it died with its flesh downright burned. At the same time, Rakna threw the swiss knife at one of the other two and rushed toward thest one, plunging Blood Fang in its neck. When he pulled out his serrated dagger, both kobolds fell on the ground at the same time. Rakna couldnt think much of his victory. He quickly retrieved his knives and grabbed Pronos before bolting out of there. Within a few seconds, six very angry dogs were snarling and chasing him. Well, this is fun, Rakna deadpanned. I never was good for discretion anyway. He inhaled and rushed toward an opened window. He ced his foot on the ledge and unhesitatingly jumped. He extended his arm and gripped the ledge of the window above him before pulling himself up in a swift motion. He whirled Blood Fang in his hand and broke the windows lock with the de. He then pushed it open before slipping inside the buildings floor. When he was back inside, he sighed. If theres one thing the old man told me to imperatively learn, its parkour, he muttered and looked around. They should being soon Theb should be on this floor. Rakna kicked the ground and looked out for the correct door. When he found it, he immediately tried to open it. He clicked his tongue when he realized that it was closed. He rolled his eyes and took a few steps back. Okay He exhaled and hopped before unleashing a kick against the door. The lock and hinges didnt even resist for a second as the door fell on the floor. Rakna grunted as he felt the numbing sensationing up his leg. He grabbed Pronos and ced him on the ground. Little guy, can you keep watch for me? The snake nodded and Rakna entered theb. He walked toward the drawers and closets and searched their content. He grabbed a few chemicalponents and mused. Well, this is definitely better than some sprayers, he uttered and took out a Bunsen. It shouldnt be impossible with these ingredients, he muttered after mixing the basic chemicalpounds, including sulfur, then started searching for something else. Where did they put the liquid hydrogen? I thought they had gotten some for some club project or whatever, he grumbled as he looked through a closet when he heard Pronos hiss. He frowned and went to the door. Without peeking, he focused and tried to hear the sounds. He caught some footsteps as well as some barkinging from the stairs. No choice. Pronos, get inside. Dont let them see you, he whispered and continued to look through the room. Finally, he found what he wanted just in time. He grabbed the hermetic container and quickly finished his concoction. Well, at least, I didnt kill myself doing this Rakna mumbled and Pronos looked at him with round eyes. Its nothing, little guy. He shook the closed container a few times until the content started showing signs of evaporating and of building pressure inside. Rakna grunted. It wontst long, he thought then heard the kobolds approaching. He took two other chemical reagents and mixed them together. The result started producing smoke and he proceeded to uncover the first concoction while holding his breath and peeked out of theb. Time to bail out. Fast, Rakna grabbed Pronos again and just like before, exited the room through the window before closing it behind him. After that, the problem was that there was nothing totch on above him and there were probably other koboldsing up on the second floor. Pronos, can you slither up to the roof? The little snake nodded and crawled on the wall vertically as if it was the easiest thing ever. Yeah, definitely an Eion snake, Raknamented inwardly and looked around. He then reached for his scarf and slowly got it off. He took out his cigarette case from his pocket and pressed it against the scarf before triggering the lighter inside. A blue light suddenly pulsed on the scarf and spread throughout the fabric. Rakna felt the soft material be firm as it wriggled. The blue glow receded after a few seconds when the scarf hadpletely transformed. Rakna now held in his hand a long polearm. The shaft was dark blue, almost resemblingpiszuli. Just prior to the de, there was a light blue ribbon wrapped around it. The de itself was also azure. It was thick-looking and one edged as well as serrated on the backside. In other words, it looked like a very fancy guandao, also known as a ive in Europe. Rakna wielded it like a whirlwind and cracked his neck. Firstly, he took the highest elevation he could while stepping on the window he was on, then took out Blood Fang before nting it in the wall. This is gonna be tough He muttered. Alexa, assign one free point to Dexterity. [Acknowledged.] Rakna promptly felt his limbs get lighter and easier to control. He inhaled and pushed himself up with his hand holding onto Blood Fang. He repeated the motion a few times before doing it one final time at full force. He let go of the knife and his waist managed to go above it. Within that same time frame, he had gotten close enough to the barrier enclosing the roof. He reared his polearm and thrust it between the ground and the barrier so that it would get stuck. Rakna immediately held onto it when he was about to fall. That was risky He grunted and lifted himself up. Though, he didnt go to the roof yet, but revolved around the spears shaft and hanged from it with his feet to reach for Blood Fang below. Then, he acrobatically climbed back to stand on the spear. He gripped the barrier, pulled his spear out, and climbed over it to finallynd on the roof. What a pain, Rakna muttered and lit a cigarette. He huffed a puff of smoke and nted his spear in the concrete before taking a look at its attributes. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Guandao Name: Azure Sonata Rarity: Blue Attack power: +50 Durability: 100/100 (Can auto-repair) ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The weapon possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another with an Eion energy influx as the trigger. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao. ? C Eion Energy Production: The weapon constantly generates energy and is incidentally able to regenerate the systemsposing it with time. ? C Oscition de (ded form only): Through oscition, the de bes ten times sharper and can generate heat. ? Description: ? A masterpiece forged by a master cksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of de. ? Note: Evolvable. ? ? ? ? Chapter 4: Industry Chapter 4: Industry Rakna nodded in satisfaction when he read the attributes of Azure Sonata. This weapon was a gift from his uncle for havingpleted his training. Pronos made a full circle around the de of the spear with wide, curious eyes. Rakna snorted and grabbed the shaft with two hands before twisting it. The entire frame of the weapon crumbled and glowed before turning back into a scarf which he calmly put back around his neck. The old man really outdid himself with this one, Rakna inwardly thought. No one would believe me if I told them this was made by a hundred-year-old geezer. Anyway, he muttered and leaned over the roof rail a bit. He could hear the kobolds huffing and coughing. The gas is working pretty well. I wanted to make it simr to hydrogen sulfide, but I kind of just mixed whatever toward the end Pronos stared at his new master with a deadpan face. What? Why are you looking at me like that? As long as it works. Let me live with that satisfaction. Do I look like I major in chemistry? Rakna said dully. Anyway, should be soon. 3, 2, 1 What followed couldnt be called a st or an explosion. A heatwave was briefly released but there was no sound of anything breaking. Simrly, for the detonation, it couldnt actually be called one. It sounded like a very muffled but loud gunshot. Rakna managed to see a few mes but they disappeared as soon as he blinked. Then, a few prompts from the system immediately appeared in the corner of his vision. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.3 Kobold killed. Lv.3 Kobold killed. Lv.3 Kobold killed. Lv.3 Kobold killed. Lv.3 Kobold killed. Lv.5 Elite Kobold killed. ? Level up! S+ Rank: +3 Free Points. ? Requirement for level up updated. Kill the equivalent of 20 Levels to level up again. Current progress: 19/20 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna rolled his eyes when he saw he needed one more point to level up. He had yed RPGs before of course and that was such a sickening feeling to see your experience at the edge of a level up. Anyway, looks like it worked quite well, he uttered and looked at Pronos. What about you, little guy? Did you level up? Im not sure if you receive points from my kills Alexa? [A contracted pet unconditionally receives half of the experience points the master earns unless the pet has participated in the battle or the process to deal with the enemy or quest. In that case, it can vary from 50% to 100%. However, what a pet earns alone isnt shared with the master.] I see so you must be level 2 as well, Rakna said and Pronos nodded while hissing softly. For now, it seems we will only receive free points. Feel free to use yours however you want. Im not a snake; you know better than me to choose your path. After saying that, Rakna looked at his own stats before asking something to Alexa again, Can I distribute my points as decimals? [Affirmative.] Then assign 1.1 to strength, 1 to speed, 1 to dexterity, 0.5 to endurance, and 0.4 to intelligence, Rakna ordered and instantly felt his body suffer some changes. He felt a fair amount of pain but it wasnt something that could bother him and he simply rxed his body during the process. He calmly watched as his muscles contracted and his veins bulged from his hands until his shoulders. [Augmentation finalized.] Rakna sighed and nced at Pronos who had also assigned his points. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Pronos Master: Rakna Xiorra Age: 3 | Level: 2 (3/10) Race: Eion Snake | Title: Nil Potential: S ? Attributes: Strength: 1 | Endurance: 5 -> 6.5 Speed: 1.2 -> 4 | Dexterity: 0.6 -> 1 Intelligence: 2.7 -> 3 | Luck: 3 ? Avable points: 0 ? Statistics: Stamina: 28.5 | MP: 45/45 Swiftness: 14 | Agility: 6 Senses: 14.5 | Atr Cap: 18.5 Attack: 12.3 | Defense: 24.6 Magic Attack: 9 | MP Regen: 0.23/min ? ? ? ? ? Hm, I see. A swift tank. This is not bad at all. He can rely on his poison to deal damage for now. His speed will allow him to quickly go from one target to another while remaining undetected while his defense will most likely keep him safe from area of effect attacks, which I fully believe exist, Rakna thought before looking down toward the schoolyard. He could see a few kobolds going in and out of the different buildings. Hm, how should I continue? If I had a long-range weapon, maybe I could shoot them down from here Should I have taken a bow? As he was thinking that, Rakna spotted a rather big kobold riding a white wolf. He scowled and used Appraisal right away. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 9 | Level: 7 Race: Kobold Rider ? Attributes: Strength: 3 | Endurance: 2 Speed: 3 | Dexterity: 3 Intelligence: 1.3 | Luck: 2 ? Weapon: C Crude Long Spear: +20 Attack ? Armor: C Alloy Leather Armor: +15 Defense ? Statistics: Stamina: 13 | MP: 13/13 Swiftness: 8.6 | Agility: 9 Senses: 14.3 | Atr Cap: 14.3 Attack: 39 (19 + 20) | Defense: 24 (9 + 15) Magic Attack: 3.9 | MP Regen: 0.03/min ? Proficiencies: C Polearm-Mastery (Lv.2) C Riding (Lv.2) ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Dog Nose: +5 to senses. ? ? ? ? ? As expected, this guy is significantly stronger than the rest. But hes still marginally weaker than me. What worries me is Rakna focused on the wolf and activated Appraisal again. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 8 | Level: 7 Race: in Wolf ? Attributes: Strength: 4 | Endurance: 4 Speed: 6 | Dexterity: 1.1 Intelligence: 0.8 | Luck: 2 ? Armor: C Leather Armor: +10 Defense ? Statistics: Stamina: 19.1 | MP: 8/8 Swiftness: 13.6 | Agility: 8.2 Senses: 21.9 | Atr Cap: 17.9 Attack: 15.1 | Defense: 26 (16 + 10) Magic Attack: 2.4 | MP Regen: 0.02/min ? Proficiencies: C Bite (Lv.5) ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Wolf Nose: +10 to senses. ? ? ? ? ? Yeah, this is dangerous, Raknamented inwardly. With my current stats, I could easily deal with normal kobolds. This wolf, on the other hand, is dangerous. As he was thinking that, the beast in question was looking around itself with a questioning stare. The wolf sniffed then immediately turned toward the roof of the main building while growling. Raknas eyes widened as he watched the Kobold Rider notice him as well. He then barked orders very loudly and almost every kobold suddenly started running inside the building he was on. How? [Appraisal is a spell that can be sensed if the target has at least half of the casters sense attribute.] Raknas eyes twitched ever so slightly. Alexa, didnt you find that information important enough to tell me beforehand? From now on, be sure to add these kinds of particrities in the description of the skill. [Acknowledged.] Rakna sighed and he suddenly shivered. His body reacted on its own as he tilted his head to the side and caught a projectile that was aimed at his head. He scrutinized the arrow in his hand before looking at the rough location he estimated it had been shot. He spotted exactly six kobolds holding bows and nocking arrows to shoot him. A quick check with Appraisal revealed to him that they were level five and barely stronger than the level three he had encountered. However, they all possessed the archery skill. He jumped back to get out of their line of sight as another arrow flew by. He then started hearing the footsteps of the kobolds currently going up the stairs to reach him. A lot of them areing up here, he muttered. Alexa, to check my stats or my current quests, how do I do it? [Just will it, Rakna. As you have naturally been doing with status windows.] As told, he willed in his head to see the advancement of his quest and a prompt appeared. ? ? ? ? ? Initiation Mission: Survive. Objective: Survive until the end of the day. Additional information: 40/50 enemies alive. ? ? ? ? ? Forty left, huh? I could try and make another trap or just face them head-on. The stairs to the roof are somewhat easy to defend Well, as for a trap, I have nothing to work with here, Rakna mumbled and walked in circles with a rxed demeanor as Pronos observed him curiously. When the noises of the kobolds were near, he stopped and made his decision. He used his cigarette case to re the mechanism of his scarf and nted his Guandao in the ground. He opened the door to the roof and looked at Pronos. Heres the n, little guy. Go down there and hide. Wait for them to go up the stairs and assault this door before gradually poisoning them one by one. Got it? The little snake hissed and slithered with a clearly higher speed than before he attributed his points. He descended until he was in a corridor and activated one of his two active skills. His scales darkened and took on the color of the wall and the floor. He then closed his eyes and Rakna closed the door as loudly as possible so that the kobolds would not doubt that he was on the roof. He put his back against the door and it took a full minute before he heard and felt something hitting the door. The rate at which it happened continued to increase until he was sure that at least three kobolds were hitting the door together along with many others behind them judging by the barks. He breathed in and grabbed his ive right below the de which he pointed at the door that he was forcing closed. He then pierced the door behind him and heard a loud whimper before a prompt notified him of the kill. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.5 Elite Kobold killed. Level up! S+ Rank: +3 Free Points. Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 4/30 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna dismissed it and quickly turned around and gripped the shaft of Sonata. He pushed the weapon further and it struck two other kobolds. He then opened the door and the Guandao moved in consequence and killed two more. Rakna swiftly pulled out Blood Fang as a kobold immediately pounced at him the moment the door was opened. He first grabbed the creatures head and plunged the de of his dagger deep in its neck. The kobold fell at his feet lifeless and the remaining ones growled as they rushed toward the roof while stepping on their deadrades. Meanwhile, none had noticed the ones falling behind because of a glowing poison in their veins. Rakna whirled Blood Fang and faced the first kobolding up. He sidestepped the weredogs spear and grabbed its wrist before literally crushing it. He cut the monsters throat in a quick swing before grabbing the crude spear it had dropped. He then grabbed the kobolds body and flung it behind him to clear his vision. He proceeded to thrust the spear through the hearts of two others who inevitably forced a lot of their brethren to trip and stagger. After that, Rakna didnt hesitate in the slightest as he ran down the stairs. His dagger shed a few times and three more kobolds died. One even almost had its head chopped off. The corpses piled up and the rest of the kobolds were struggling to climb. Rakna nced at his left where he could see the other part of this one-meter-wide staircase going down. He managed to spot at least five kobolds lying on the ground with pulsing blue veins. At the same time, he performed a quick count and believed there were roughly around fifteen kobolds left in this rtively confined space. He huffed and kicked a kobold that had managed to get over the corpses. The weredogs ribs made a cracking sound and he flew until the wall, hitting two of itsrades in the process. Rakna threw Blood Fang and his swiss knife which both pierced the heads of those two. He then crouched and picked up two spears. He vaulted over the corpses and slit the throat of two kobolds with the tip of the weapons. Afterward, he threw both of them. One pierced the necks of two targets while the other pierced the abdomen of another. At that point, the kobolds finally started panicking. Their numerical advantage was being utterly crushed. They were about to run away when they noticed that a lot of theirrades had also died in their rear lines. It was only then that they noticed the little snake who was currently biting the neck of an eighth victim. They froze in ce and Rakna saw them inching backward as he approached them. He passed by the two kobolds he had killed by throwing his knives and retrieved them. He bent forward and bnced his weight around his waist. His body disappeared in the eyes of the kobolds and before they knew it, four of them had been eliminated. There was only one left. The creature was shivering and whimpering. On one side, a small but fast snake had poison dripping from its fangs and on the other, a blood-stained human held two knives with an impassive expression as he stood in the middle of a sea of corpses. The kobold blinked and the human disappeared. Two hands then grabbed it from behind; one on the back of its head and the other firmly clutching its muzzle. Rakna twisted the weredogs neck in a blurry motion and exhaled as the corpse fell on the ground and sshed the blood on it. He finally could look at the prompts given to him by the system. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.5 Elite Kobold killed. Lv.3 Elite Kobold killed. Lv.3 Elite Kobold killed. Lv.3 Elite Kobold killed. Level up! Lv.3 Elite Kobold killed. Lv.3 Elite Kobold killed. Level up! S+ Rank: +6 Free Points. ? Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 8/50 ? You have reached level five. Your potential value has reached its limit. The free points will increase by one each level from now on while every five will get you two points. ? ? ? ? ? The number of kobolds he had killed had allowed him to level up twice. He was now sitting at level five with nine free attribute points. My potential value has achieved its limit? Is it thanks to that that I was gaining three points each level until now? He muttered as he walked back to the roof to retrieve Sonata. He had left it stuck in the door because he couldnt have used it as he wanted in the staircase. Blood Fang was more than enough for the job considering how weak the kobolds werepared to him. Pronos caught up to him and climbed his shoulder. Rakna looked at him and checked his level. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Pronos Master: Rakna Xiorra Age: 3 | Level: 4 (2/40) Race: Eion Snake | Title: Nil Potential: S ? Attributes: Strength: 1 | Endurance: 6.5 Speed: 4 | Dexterity: 1 Intelligence: 3 | Luck: 3 ? Avable points: 6 ? ? ? ? ? Level four, and he has six points avable Alexa, how does this potential value work? [Regarding the Free Points granted?] Rakna scowled at her inquiry. It meant that this value had more significance than just the number of free points during the first level-ups. Yes, he replied. For now, he had no reason to ask anything else and he couldnt be bothered to hear about something hed most likely learn in the future. [The Potential of a Host is measured from E- to S+. To answer your question, every Host receives a determined amount of bonus attribute points during the initial stage. The S ss gets 3 points until level five included; which amounts to nine bonus points. For the A ss, it bes eight bonus points. For the B ss, its six. For the C ss, its four. The D ss only gets two and finally, the E ss gets none.] Hm, this sounds quite predisposed, Raknamented while pulling Sonata out. He shouldered it and offhandedly checked the number of enemies left; eight. How are these values decided? [The potential value is calcted based on the Hosts natural abilities. Rakna, you werebeled S+ for your high-level skills and attributes as well as your Unawakened Nirvana Skill.] Nirvana Skill, huh? Rakna muttered while walking down the stairs with Pronos slithering around his neck. Well, putting that aside, for now, the fact that you are prioritizing certain people over others can mean a few things. Frankly speaking, all beings have potential. Making it easy for people who luckily had a resonant awakening of theirs is a bit unfair. But, all things considered, you could also say that people who havent had their potential awakened might need to be roughed up a bit to change that very fact, he said with an awfully nk look as if it didnt surprise or trouble him at all. [] However, from another perspective, you can posit that these attribute points are resources provided by someone or something. In other words, its usible that they are limited and thus need to be carefully regted. In that case, prioritizing the gifted ones is merely the logical course of action since wasting affluence on possibly useless people is what we call improvidence. To conclude, this isnt a game, this isnt a test, this isnt training, this isnt grooming The only people who manage, govern, and distribute resources are entrepreneurs. This joke of a System is an industry Ive been dragged into. Raknas expression became even more vacant. And I dont like the fact that Ive been hired against my will. [Rakna, do I have the permission to offer my opinion?] Alexas voice suddenly sounded a lot more humane and serious and Rakna squinted as he picked up on it. What is it? [Making of you a Host might have been the Systems miscalction.] Rakna stopped in front of the main entrance of the school. Behind the ss, he could see the Kobold Rider and his wolf glowering at him along with the row of kobold archers. You think? He replied with a snort and whirled Sonata. Well then, I cant let you down now, can I? He said and shed the door apart. I have to earn my pay. Chapter 5: Encounter Chapter 5: Encounter The moment Rakna came out, a salve of arrows was shot his way. He immediately rolled away while intercepting a few of the projectiles with Sonata. His eyes calmly scanned the surroundings. The Kobold Rider was located a few tens of meters away from him with the archers in line behind him. The Rider was barking orders like a maniac, probably telling his subordinates to shoot. From the creatures perspective, when Rakna came out covered in blood, it had been struck by a sudden feeling of doom realizing all its troops had died. It was concretized when two of the archers were suddenly killed by throwing knives. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.5 Archer Kobold killed. Lv.5 Archer Kobold killed. Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 18/50 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna dismissed the prompt and inhaled before kicking the ground. The four remaining archers shot their arrows at the same time. He deflected the first two, dodged the third one, and literally caught thest one barehanded. Before the second salve could be shot, Rakna had entered the Kobold Riders range. The first to attack was the wolf. The beast snarled and charged with an impressive speed. It reached with its opened maw and Rakna barely dodged it. At the same time, the kobold thrust its spear at him. One to str, two to dex, two to speed, he ordered internally and felt the change happen instantly. His vision and mind became clearer. He easily saw the path of the spear and grabbed it. The kobold tried to pull it back but it was firmly held in ce. Rakna squinted and pulled it himself. The Rider almost fell off and that was an opening long enough for him to swing Sonata. The azure de released heat and a cloud of smoke as it cut through the neck of the creature. Rakna then jumped back as a volley of arrows descended. The wolf looked at its master falling on the ground next to it and howled. It rushed toward the human in front of it with bloodshot eyes. The wolf leaped and swung its paw while falling down. Rakna followed it with his eyes and sidestepped to dodge it. The beast then opened its mouth to bite his neck. Rakna whirled Sonata before it could do that and struck the wolfs belly with the shafts end. He then grabbed its throat and mmed the entire beast on the ground. The wolf whimpered and before it could retaliate, a fuming azure de had beheaded it. Rakna sighed and swung his spear to get rid of the blood before putting it back around his neck as a scarf. He turned toward where the remaining kobold archers were supposed to be to see them dead on the ground with Pronos standing triumphantly on top of one. Ding! ? ? ? ? ? Initiation Mission Completed Assessment: No enemies were left alive. Host received no injury. Mission Time: 19:26:30. Host was the first of his group to finish. Rewards: 1000 Talys, Utility Item Select. ? ? ? ? ? [Congrattions, Rakna. You earned the right to pick a Utility Item.] Rakna hummed as he picked up Pronos and put him on his shoulder. The little snake promptly snuggled inside the scarf. Start by exining what a Utility Item is. And what are Talys? [Utility Items are also referred to as Providence Items. They are usually meant to be used out ofbat to help the Hosts in their daily life. For instance, a water gourd that replenishes itself indefinitely is one example. The reward you have been granted by the System is to pick a Utility Item. You can choose anything. A drink that never ends, food that regenerates, effective but long application heals, and so on. As for the Talys, you can consider them as the Systems currency.] I see, Rakna mused. I assume there will be an asion for me to spend theseter. As for the Utility Item He pulled out his cigarette case from his pocket. Can you scan this case and turn it into one? [It is possible. The resulting Item will be of a higher grade than if it was made out of nothing as well.] Then do it. [Acknowledged. Please give the Item a name before the process.] Obsidians Smoke, he answered without hesitation. To the point, even Alexa was perplexed about the significance of this name. Right after, the case in Raknas hands started glowing. After half a minute or so, the conversion was over. The silver had turned slightly more metallic looking and the Items name had been engraved on it. Rakna immediately looked at its properties. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Utility Item/Cigarette Case Rarity: Blue Name: Obsidians Smoke Capacity: 20/20 (Recharges once every five hours) ? Description: ? A perfectbination of drugs and medicinal herbs. The form for these cigarettes was made exclusively for Rakna Xiorra. The case itself has an integrated lighter powered by Eion stones. It is used as the Azure Sonatas trigger input. ? Effects: C Heightened Awareness: Increases Senses and Swiftness by 1% (Lasts an hour) C Decelerated Alertness: Numbs emotions and cancels mental debuffs. ? ? ? ? ? Not bad. I didnt expect it to have an effect like this, Rakna remarked. [Utility Items with a rarity above Green are generally hard to find and have additional perks that can support a Host duringbat. You are lucky, Rakna.] I see. Can you tell me more about the rarity? [Items have seven rarity ssifications. Gray, Green, Blue, Orange, Purple, Red, and Gold. In terms that most modern humans can understand, each rarity can be described respectively by mon, umon, rare, special, masterwork, epic, and legendary.] Hm, that doesnt exin much in my opinion but I guess I can more or less imagine how valuable each rarity is now, Rakna remarked and lit up a cigarette before putting the case back in his pocket. At the same time, he noticed something from the corner of his eyes. One of the bows on the ground, dropped by the kobolds, was glowing. He raised an eyebrow and approached it before grabbing it. He briefly went over the statistics. There was nothing special about it and the rarity was gray. But a certain System window appeared in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Conditions have been met. Do you wish to upgrade Azure Sonata by using Wooden Bow as a material? Y / N ? ? ? ? ? Rakna opened his eyes wide at the question. He only hesitated a few seconds before pressing yes. The bow in his hands then turned into particles of light that merged with his scarf. The process was fast and simple and the scarf itself had no obvious changes. But when he checked Sonatas attributes, Rakna was pleasantly surprised. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Cloth/Scarf (Current) Name: Azure Sonata Rarity: Blue Durability: 100/100 ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The item possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another with an Eion energy influx as the trigger. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow. ? ? ? ? ? Putting aside the fact that the attributes disyed changed ording to the form it was in, there was something new. A third form had been added; Bow. Rakna pressed on the glowing word and it showed him the description of the bow even without transforming his scarf. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Range/Bow Name: Azure Sonata Rarity: Blue Durability: 100/100 ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The weapon possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another with an Eion energy influx as the trigger. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow. ? C Eion Arrows: The weapon has the ability to generate arrowsposed of raw Eion energy on its own with a limited rate of five per minute. Current attack value of the arrows: 30 at the Hosts full strength. ? ? ? ? ? This could definitely be useful in the future. A ranged weapon is always wee, Rakna muttered and another sound resounded in his head to notify a new prompt. There were now three System windows open in his vision. He frowned and looked at the one which had just popped up. ? ? ? ? ? You have finished the initiation. You will automatically be ejected in 05:48:20. ? Do you wish to exit now? Y / N ? ? ? ? ? Rakna stared at the choice given to him for a moment before ultimately pressing no. He closed the other virtual screens and turned toward the forest surrounding the school. If they give me a choice, there might be something worth searching for in this ce, he said and looked at Pronos. What do you think, little guy? The little snake squinted as he observed the dense forest. He hissed softly and Rakna nodded as if he had understood him. Yeah, I know. I have this feeling too. It might be dangerous, he said but still walked toward the forest without any change in his expression. But no one can ever progress if they never try. ? * * * ? Before he knew it, Rakna had been wandering in the forest for hours. There were still two hours left on the clock. The time he had spent until now was in the end not wasted. He crossed a dozen or so wild kobolds and Pronos had reached level five. He himself was close to level six as well. During that time, Pronos had allocated most of his attribute points. He had concentrated on his speed and endurance, which meant that his defense had reached a whopping 38. As for Rakna, he had four points left and he waited on them. He preferred keeping them so that he could use them inbat in a way that would suit the situation. Another thing he did was dissect a kobold. He wanted to verify a few things and the gore really didnt bother him in the slightest. In the end, he found nothing out of the ordinary. Their anatomy was just like a dogs. The only interesting point was that their legs had developed to be able to let them stand although it was an iplete evolution and they were easy to disable. Then, after the dissection, the System delivered a prompt that pleased Rakna. ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions. Through meeting the specified conditions, Appraisals level has increased. It can now show a rtive amount of information surpassing the users wisdom. ? ? ? ? ? From that, he came to the conclusion that Appraisal was an ability that would advance based on his own actions. When he got the skill, it was after analyzing the Kobolds from appearance and when he decided to take a look at their anatomy, it leveled up. This meant that skills could probably be created if given the right conditions and it would also mean that certain skills couldnt be leveled up by just using them. As he was thinking that, Rakna suddenly stopped moving. He had suddenly picked up a presence nearby. Though, it would be more urate to say something was warning him. Raknas senses had been quantified as 40 and although he might not know it himself, it was a very high number for someone of his level. The sense stat didnt only stand for earing, smell, touch, taste, or sight. To be exact, each of these is actually a part of something else; instinct or, in other words, the thing that people call the sixth sense. On top of that, his Eye of the Mind gave him an unnatural sense for danger. Currently, Rakna was rooted on the ground because of that very reason. Something was preying on him and he was very aware of it. Pronos didnt seem to notice until his contractor triggered Sonata to transform. The little snake abruptly felt the unknown presence because its hostility had probably jumped at the sight of a weapon. Rakna looked around him warily. The silence was weighing on his mind and despite his mental fortitude, his body was tense. The situation didnt change for a few minutes and it was broken by a shadow that leaped from the trees shadows. Rakna reacted as fast as he possibly could but he only managed to tilt his body to the side while trying to jump away. When he realized that the silhouette was too close for him to dodge, he raised his left arm to shield himself. In the next instant, he heard a very disturbing crunching sound and a terrible pain hit him. Then, something struck his abdomen and sent him flying. The momentum was such that he broke a tree before touching the ground. He coughed blood and staggered as he tried to stand while using Sonata as support. He looked up to see what had attacked him and his eyes widened in shock. It was a wolf. A veryrge wolf with dark blue fur and silver eyes. The beast was taller than any human and wider than any bear. But what truly stunned Rakna was the wagging tails behind the creature; nine of them to exact. Then, his eyes were attracted to the wolfs mouth which held something he hoped he hadnt seen. Rakna slowly looked at his left shoulder and winced. Half of his arm had been ripped off and he could even see his humerus sticking out. The bleeding was serious and if he didnt take care of it quick, he would probably die. His mind was jolted when he heard a cracking sound. He refocused on the wolf and saw it munch on the arm. He watched grimly as his arm disappeared in the beasts stomach. All right Rakna stood up and sneakily nced at Pronos who had taken the chance to hide in the bushes earlier. The wolf appeared to be unmoving for now. The only thing he was doing was staring. Rakna slowly grabbed and tore the blue ribbon wrapped around his weapon. He quickly put it around his left arm and tied it tightly by pulling it with his teeth to stop the bleeding. Sonatas ribbon had already started being reconstructed when he finished. Rakna then silently cast Appraisal on the wolf and his confidence wavered for the first time. shit. Chapter 6: First Harvest Chapter 6: First Harvest ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 2 | Level: 10 Race: Nine Tailed Wolf (Cub) ? Attributes: Strength: 10 | Endurance: 7 Speed: 8 | Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 9 | Luck: 4 ? Statistics: Stamina: 36 | MP: 90 Swiftness: 34 | Agility: 16 Senses: 42 | Atr Cap: 42 Attack: 55.5 | Defense: 31 Magic Attack: 27 | MP Regen: 0.54/min ? Proficiencies: C Bite (Lv. 8): +80% Attack when biting. C Tracking (Lv.4): +20% Senses while tracking. ? Magic Skills: C Fire (Lv.3): +30% Magic Attack C Mystic Fire (Lv.1): ??? (Appraisal Level Insufficient.) ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Smell of the Wolf God (Lv-) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Shadow Step (Lv.3): Cooldown C 80s ? Nirvana Skills: C Tailed Pearl: ??? Cooldown C 48h ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Sharp Fangs: +100% Attack when using fangs C Nine-Tailed Wolfs Nose: +50% to Senses C Nine-Tailed ns Blessing: ??? ? ? ? ? ? Rakna analyzed every single detail of the status in front of him while keeping eye contact with the wolf as they circled around each other. The wolf was awfully silent and Rakna believed that it was nning to attack as soon as its skill, Shadow Step, was avable again. That was probably the ability that had cost him his arm earlier. It also means that the more I wait, the more chances it has to kill me, Rakna thought. I can sense Pronos intention to sneak attack. It might work. This beast has a significant sense value so I can only trust Pronos to be able to stay undetected. As he was thinking that, Raknas vision blurred for a second. His injury was getting the best of him in the end. It wasnt only his arm that had been affected, he had been hit in the ribs and he could only hope that he didnt have internal bleeding. The wolf wasnt stupid and instantly noticed its opponents fragile stance. It leaped toward Rakna at a speed drastically lower than earlier without Shadow Step. Rakna shook his head and tightly gripped his spear before deflecting the wolfs ws before avoiding the bite that followed. The creaturended behind its prey and waved its nine tails. Then, the same number of crimson mes appeared in the air. Raknas eyes narrowed as he jumped away. He swung Sonata once and cut through three of the mes before they exploded. A cloud of smoke shrouded the wolf but it apparently did nothing to it as the six remaining mes emerged from the smoke like missiles and flew toward Rakna as if they were guided. He clicked his tongue and ran toward a tree before shing at its trunk. The tree easily fell under the de and collided with the missile-like mes. An explosion urred and although it was small, the tree was turned into ashes very quickly. Rakna gazed at the wolf through the fire that was separating them. The gap in firepower is evident but Sonata is more than enough for me to kill it as long as Ind a good hit. Without my arm, I cant use the bow form though it wouldnt do enough damage anyway. I can only wait for Pronos and hope that this wolf doesnt use its Nirvana Skill. My Appraisal couldnt show what it was but if the cooldown is anything to go by, I dont want to bet. For that, I need it to feel unthreatened but I also need to survive No choice; four points to speed. He instructed inwardly and he felt his mind getting clearer and his body getting lighter. Speed and dexterity came in a shared bundle. Thetter increased agility drastically, in other words, body control. But the former was raw velocity and the mental ability to cope with fast movements. Considering he needed to survive, it was the most rational choice for Rakna. And it was confirmed when he barely dodged the wolfs swipe after it had been shrouded in shadows. Shadow Step probably a speed burst kind of skill, Raknamented inwardly as he moved out of the way. At the same time, he heard the notification of Appraisal leveling up. If it wasnt for the situation, he would havee to the conclusion that this level up was due to him analyzing the properties of a skill. He then whirled Sonata and left a deep gash on the wolfs back. Although he had only one arm left, his mastery of the spear hadnt been set at level eight for nothing. The nine-tailed beast roared in pain and used its rear legs to hit Rakna who merely used his weapon to shield himself and retreat with the knockback. When hended, he looked up to see the wolfs open mouth zing and seemingly charging something. Rakna furrowed his eyebrows with a taciturn look. This seems stronger than the previous ones. I might not be able to stop it with just a few trees, he thought, then felt something nudging his mind. It was as if someone or something was talking to him. Pronos he wants me to stop its movements. Rakna instantly made his decision. He anchored his legs and hoisted Sonata above his shoulder before throwing it with all of his strength. The azure spear made its way through the air at an impressive speed but the wolf easily avoided it although it had been forced to stop the casting of its fire magic. The creature nced at the spear which had just pierced the ground next to it before looking back at its opponent. Then, it heard the sound of the wind and immediately jerked back in fright when it saw the human barely a meter away. Rakna was unbelievably focused as he rushed toward the wolf. As nned, it hadnt expected him to charge so recklessly and the only counter it gave was a sweep of its ws. Rakna ducked under it and grabbed Sonata again. He pulled it out of the ground and used his hand and his foot to twist it and revert it to its scarf form. With the scarf in his hand, Rakna continued on his momentum and positioned himself behind the wolf. He grabbed both ends of the scarf and put it around the beasts neck before pulling with everything he had. Pronos! When he shouted, the little snake swiftly slithered out of the bushes; he also had put the rest of his points into speed for this. The moment Pronos made himself known, the wolf noticed him right away but it couldnt do anything as the snake bit its leg, releasing a glowing poison in its veins. When the beast realized what was going on, it released a noise that sounded like the mix of a howl and a rage-induced roar. Immediately after, its entire body was immted in blue fire. Rakna and Pronos couldnt get away in time before the fire shined and produced a massive shockwave. The trees around them were deracinated before burning in midair. Pronos had high defense so the blow hadnt done much damage to him but the blunt force had almost incapacitated him. On the other hand, Rakna crashed on the ground after being flung like a ragdoll. Every part of his body was hurt in some way and a random branch had managed to puncture his stomach. Rakna couldnt move at all and his consciousness was slowly fading away as he heard Pronos make sounds of anguish as he nudged him. He gritted his teeth and his nails scraped the soil until it bled. One of his eyes started turning bloodshot and a prompt from the System flickered into existence along with an emotionless voice that wasnt Alexas. || Anomaly detected. Analysis of Hosts mental state in progress Lapsed. Detection of Unknown Unique Trait. Adaptation of Hosts Attributes Lapsed. || These words were echoing in Raknas head as Pronos hissed in the direction of the wolf which was walking toward them with blue mes surrounding it. Then, Rakna suddenly startedughing. It was loud and eerie. The nine-tailed beast abruptly froze in ce and almost took a step backward. In its perspective, the human who had not shown any bloodlust whatsoever until now had suddenly released one even higher than its own. Pronos was also scared. His connection to his owner allowed him to know of his state at any moment and also to feel his presence, and that presence had suddenly been warped. The two creatures gazed at Rakna who was now getting up. His bleeding had stopped and he was already holding Sonata in its Guandao form. His expression was shadowed until he finally was standing straight. Pronos cowered slightly and the wolf growled; instinctively trying to intimidate an opponent that it felt it couldnt defeat. Raknas expression was the very description of insanity and joyfulness put together. He sported a wide grin and his bloodshot eyes perfectly matched its intensity. His chuckle resounded and the wolf acted out of pure urgency. Its nine tails wagged and conjured arge blue fireball. The magic projectile was shot at its target and Raknas eyes shed as he thrust Sonata at the fireball before it exploded. The wolf watched the mes spread with heightened alertness; the bloodlust hadnt disappeared in the slightest. The blue light was reflected by its eyes which widened in shock when a silhouette emerged. Rakna ran toward the wolf with an unbreakable smirk. When he was close enough, he swung Sonata vertically. The beast noted that its opponent was considerably slower than before. It easily sidestepped the spear strike but when the azure de hit the ground, the earth literally cracked open. A wave of dread immediately invaded the lupines mind. It was about to use Shadow Step to flee when Rakna let go of Sonata and directly grabbed it behind its neck. The beast was shockingly overpowered for a brief moment and Rakna ruthlessly kneed its muzzle. After that, he punched its throat and kicked one of its legs. The wolf had been put into a daze by the first strike and its leg breaking was the thing that pulled him out of it. It snarled and instead of using Shadow Step to get away used it to bite into Raknas shoulder at an incredible speed. The wolf expected him to let go but instead, Raknaughed again and followed by hitting it with his knee a second time. The one who was forced to let go was the beast. It was slowly going crazy because of the pain and the fact that it didnt understand how its opponent had gotten so much stronger physically wasnt helping. In the end, the nine-tailed being decided to throw the remainder of its mana into its strongest skill. A wave of power shoved Rakna away and a sphere of blue and ck energy appeared above the wolf. So, thats the might of a Nirvana Skill, huh? Raknas voice sounded amused. Looks like youre using a lot of mana He grinned. Are you sure that its a good idea, mutt? He cackled darkly and the wolf was confused at first before it suddenly felt its strength wear out. The Tailed Pearl was forcefully dispelled and it staggered on its feet. The beast desperately tried to muster its magic or even to just move, but it was to no avail. It was then that it finally noticed that the left half of its body had blue glowing lines all over it. Looks like I was right, the human uttered. Eion Poison isnt your regr type of toxin. Its an energy-based venom. When it is injected inside the body, it will spread through the blood vessels and burn through them to carbonize the nerves and muscle tissues. As far as I know, the only way to stop it is to use another source of energy to counter it. Maic fields can do the trick usually. As Rakna continued to talk, the wolf was losing more and more strength and awareness. It barely could listen to what was being said much less understand it. But, evidently, there was something that was protecting you from it, Rakna squinted. That thing was probably your magic power; your mana. But you went ahead and expended all of it. He sneered and approached the immobile wolf with Sonata in hand. No matter how much it struggled, its body wasnt responding in the slightest. Rakna stopped in front of it and lifted Sonata. You were fucking annoying. Ill give you that. The azure de of Sonata pierced the head of the wolf and that was it. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.10 Nine-Tailed Wolf killed. Congrattions! You killed a creature two times your level! The experience has been doubled! Congrattions! You killed a Legendary Rank creature! The experience has been tripled! Congrattions! You killed a Legendary Rank creature! You acquired a new title! Congrattions! Your reward for the Initiation was increased by 9000 Talys! ? Level up! +1 Free Point. Current progress: 57/60 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna looked at the notification before copsing on the ground without warning. His eyes and expression returned to normal. He started panting heavily and Pronos slithered toward him. He nced at him and before he could say anything, his injuries toll finally overwhelmed him. Thest thing he heard before fainting was Alexa trying to say something to him. ? * * * ? Raknas consciousness was waning. He wasnt sure of what was happening to him but after he killed the nine-tailed wolf and fainted, he would suddenly wake up every few minutes or so. But he could never open his eyes or even hear anything other than the mechanical voice of the System telling him the time remaining before the Initiation was over and if he wanted to leave or not. His mind had been drowned and pulled back more than a dozen times already, and the more the countdown continued, the more he was sure that the System was nonstop asking him if he wanted to leave because he would probably die before the timer reached zero. He wanted to answer but he couldnt do anything. He couldnt speak nor could he even think clearly. It was then that he felt something reacting deep inside him. His heart began to beat faster and louder and for the first time, the System said something else other than the time left. || Anomaly detected. || Another one. This time, even Rakna himself knew it wasnt referring to what happened against the wolf. || The Hosts critical state has triggered a change. Congrattions, Rakna Xiorra, your innate Nirvana Skill, The Harvester, has been awakened. || ? * * * ? Pronos was continuously attempting to wake his owner up since he had fainted. Alexa, which he shared with Rakna as their personal AI, had told him what would happen if he couldnt wake up. There was an hour left on the clock when Pronos finally saw movement from Rakna. He was happy and relieved. Rakna slowly stood up but strangely, his eyes were still closed and there was no indication that he was aware of his surroundings. Pronos hissed softly in worry and watched perplexed as his human owner walked to the corpse of the wolf. The little snake was dumbfounded when Rakna spear-handed the beasts carcass and took out a very gory heart along with a few pieces of organs. He was even more lost and shocked when Rakna started eating it. || The Harvester has been activated. The heart has been assimted. Core gene established; Nine-Tailed Werewolf. || These words resounded in Raknas head but he couldnt hear them because what was moving his body was nothing more than instinct. Pronos watched stunned as his owner yelled like a genuine beast after eating the heart before falling on the ground again. Then, something even more shocking befell Raknas body and the little snake was now questioning his own sanity. An hourter, a global message from the System wasmunicated to every Host currently going through the Initiation. ? ? ? ? ? || Pay Attention! This is a Global Missive! We repeat! This is a Global Missive! || ? || The initiation period is officially over. The number of survivors from the original 29 864 of this batch is 15 298. Congrattions to all of you! || || Within forty-eight hours, the System will give out the tutorial mission. || || Survive well, Hosts. || ? ? ? ? Chapter 7: Wolfy Chapter 7: Wolfy When Rakna woke up, the first thing he saw was a spinning fan hanging from a white ceiling. He blinked several times until he suddenly felt something hitting his face. He grunted and picked up whatever was obstructing his view. He was met with the bright blue eyes of Pronos who was staring at him in what seemed to be glee and relief. Rakna scowled. He was actually quite confused. He sat up and looked around before expressing his insightful reaction, What? For theck of a better description, he was sitting in the middle of a convenience store. He was currently in an aisle filled with nothing but nkets. who the hell has an aisle dedicated to nkets? Is that really your first question? An unfamiliar voice then sounded from behind and a smell of lc and sulfur invaded his nose. Raknas eyes narrowed and he quickly stood up to face whoever it was. He noticed at the same time that his left arm had somehow been regenerated but he ignored it for now. He grabbed his scarf which was lying on the ground next to him and squinted. When he took a look at what was behind him, his scowl got even deeper. In front of him stood a woman as tall as he was. His eyes scanned her from the bottom to the top. She wore a one-piece vermillion dress and as his sight drifted upward, the more rapt he became. Her figure was undoubtedly one of the best he had ever seen and he was forced to admit that her cup size was almost as impressive as vias. When he reached her face, he recognized a sense of both exasperation and curiosity in her expression. She had long red hair with a shade so vibrant that he thought he was looking at unmoving fire. Golden, sharp eyes with a bright yellow tint around the pupils. She also had fair smooth skin and glossy lips. If this was all of it, Rakna would have concluded his observation with just her being beautiful. But what his eyes caught afterward stunned him. On her cheeks, there were some very faint but noticeable whiskers. On top of her head, there was a pair of vulpine ears and freely moving behind her were nine fox tails. His expression was as cold as always but the corner of his lips was twitching as he took in her features. He had just dealt with a nine-tailed wolf and now he was confronted with this? Whats wrong, puppy? The view is too much for you? She grinned at him and spoke with a voice promising endless teasing. Rakna breathed in and rxed. All right I have a few questions. Well, shoot. Im here for that anyway. Why is this aisle dedicated to nkets? are we really doing this? Yes. This ce is big, the fox woman deadpanned. Way bigger than you can see. Consequently, the variety of items is veryrge as well, same for their quantity. Which results in this kind of situation; where a certain product simply cant be in only a single shelf but at least an entire aisle. Uh, makes more sense than I expected, Raknamented and Pronos climbed his shoulder. The woman nced at the little snake for a second before focusing on Rakna again. So? What are the other questions? If I stay in the logic of a game, this should be a shop where we can use that currency the System gave me. A safe zone at that. Youre probably the caretaker or something simr. The fox womans eye twitched once. Yes, smart kid. You could just ask me though. Also, from what Ive gathered, youre supposedly here to assist me in understanding the situation. You said Im here for that earlier. The question would be whether youre an actual being made by the System solely for this shop or if youre a Host yourself,manded to do this. Her smile became crooked as he continued. Youre probably thetter considering the fact that it would be weird to make something as fancy as a nine-tailed fox to manage this ce. So, my question is whats your name, I guess? She stared at him with a nk look. Are you always like this? Like what? Insufferably analytical. maybe. The fox woman face-palmed and sighed. I feel bad for your AI. And you could at least say thank you. Im the one who healed you when you came in here and Im working overtime because of that too. What did you do to lose a damn arm? Did the Kobold Riders mount get you? Hm? Does that mean that every Host has the same enemies during the initiation? She groaned in response. Yes, smartass, at least for your batch. Did someone ever tell you that youre a rude kid, puppy? Where did all those cute boys who stutter when they see me go? What? Youre into kids? Rakna quipped with his usual tone and pulled out a cigarette. Im not and no smoking here, she uttered and it disappeared while it still was in his hand. Rakna frowned as he looked at his empty hand and had to push down the urge to use Appraisal on that woman. He knew it would be a bad idea. He sighed and put Sonata around his neck. Fine. Lets stop clowning. Im Rakna Xiorra. The little guy on my shoulder is Pronos. What about you? The vixen snorted. Finally. I still havent heard my thanks but I guess itll do. The names Kaelith Yahkshasa. Be sure to remember it. Yahkshasa? You have something to do with yakshas? Looks like youre uselessly knowledgeable too, huh? She raised an eyebrow. To answer your question, its no. Yahkshasa is the family name of the fox branch of the nine-tailed n. It just sounds the same but we have nothing to do with those holier-than-thou spirits. The nine-tailed n? Rakna muttered as he remembered what he had seen on the status of the wolf he killed. Yeah, you should know about it, right, puppy? Will you stop calling me puppy? He retorted. Why are you calling me that anyway? Why, you say Havent you taken a look at yourself? What do you-? He was interrupted by Pronos hissing in his ear. The little snake had a weird look on his face as he pointed somewhere with his tail. Rakna followed it and froze when his eyes fell on something that was located around his lower back. He stayed stunned for quite a while until it finally registered in his brain what he was looking at. Now that he focused on it, he could also feel it like any other limb and when he tried to control it, it abruptly started shaking. He slowly grabbed it and gawked at the dark blue and very fluffy tail. A wolf tail to be exact, in all its splendor, directlying from the spot above his tailbone. It had even pierced through his clothes to grow. Rakna then came to a realization and hesitatingly put his hand on his head just to feel two very unfamiliar additions that tickled every time he touched them. Wha how? His mind was in turmoil. Youre okay? You look as if its the first time youve ever seen your own tail, Kaelith tilted her head in pure confusion. It looked like she didnt even humor the possibility of him being human originally. Im not okay. There are too many things wrong right now for me to be okay, he said impassively and she was even more perplexed. And wait that still doesnt exin why you call me puppy. At least, use wolfy. has someone ever told that you have a weird sense of priorities? Yes. What a weird brat Ive been assigned to She shook her head and turned around. Weve been getting sidetracked for too long already. Follow me. Its unpleasant to keep standing, no? Rakna squinted his purple eyes which, unknown to him, had gained a more bestial look. He started following her while silently ordering his status to appear. ? ? ? ? ? Host: Rakna Xiorra Age: 17 | Level: 6 (57/60) Race: Nine-Tailed Werewolf | Title: Legendary yer Potential: S+ ? Attributes: Strength: 1.9 -> 4 | Endurance: 2.5 -> 3 Speed: 2 -> 9 | Dexterity: 4 -> 8 Intelligence: 3.6 -> 4 | Luck: 9 ? Avable Points: 1 ? Statistics: Stamina: 27/27 | MP: 40/40 Swiftness: 26 | Agility: 25 Senses: 72 | Atr Cap: 37 Attack: 34.5 | Defense: 13 Magic Attack: 12 | MP Regen: 0.28/min ? Proficiencies: C Polearm-Mastery (Lv.8): +16% Attack when wielding polearms. C Taekwondo (Lv.7): +14% C Dagger-Mastery (Lv.7): +14% C Cooking (Lv.6): +60% ? Magic Skills: C Unawakened. ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Pain-Resistance (Lv. Max) C Fear-Resistance (Lv. Max) C Eye of the Mind (Lv. Max) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv. 7) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Appraisal (Lv.3) C ws (Lv.1): Extend and retract ws at will. +10% Attack. ? Nirvana Skills: ? C The Harvester: An exceptionally rare type of skill; Assimtion. The Host has the ability to acquire a beings trait by devouring their heart. The first heart consumed by the Host will determine the core genome and alter the Hosts race. Current Number of Traits Assimted: 1/4 ? 1St Trait (Core Genome): Nine-Tailed Wolf. One Tail Unlocked. Next Tail: Lv.6/Lv.10. Currently Attuned Abilities: Smell of the Wolf God, ws, Shape Shift. ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? C Eion Auto-Sustainable Nanomachines: Automatically kills foreign organisms and allows rapid improvement in body strength as well as the use of more muscle cells. C ???: An alternative mind that changes the Hosts behavior. The change is so drastic that the body itself has to follow. When this trait is activated, strength and endurance are swapped with speed and dexterity and for a minute, the metabolism stops bleeding and elerates healing. Shape Shift: A skill exclusive to the Nine-Tailed Werewolf. Grants the ability to shift between three forms; Wolf (+70% speed), Werewolf (all attributes +50%), Therian. C Smell of the Wolf God (Iplete): +100% to Senses and the Host gains the ability to recognize auras through smell. ? ? ? ? ? It was a lot to take in. Even for Rakna. First of all, he wasnt human anymore. Its not like he was the kind of person to be depressed because he couldnt be called as such anymore but the suddenness of it was unsettling. He then quickly went through the new skills he had gotten, purposefully skipping the Nirvana Skill to came back to itter. To start off, the ability to smell auras was probably the reason why Kaelith smelled like lc and sulfur to him. He also discreetly tried the ws skill and his nails sharpened and grew in length before returning to normal at hismand. He thought it was pretty handy but what caught his attention the most before that were the other two new Unique Traits. For the unnamed one, he knew where it came from but its effect gave him a big surprise. That exined how he had suddenly been able to nearly overpower the wolf and survive the magic itunched head-on. The second one, Shape Shift, was very interesting. From his understanding, the Therian form was his current one; the default one in other words. The Wolf form was probably just a regr quadrupedal one. As for the Werewolf one, it was self-exnatory. After going over that, Rakna now fully focused on his Nirvana Skill; The Harvester. It was an ability that allowed him to scavenge the hearts of creatures and appropriate their traits for himself. The fact that he outright became a werewolf was most likely due to the Core Genome. By taking in the heart of a wolf, he went from human to werewolf; a mix of the two. It seemed that he also had to unlock the nine tails by leveling up. And finally, there was the 1 out of 4 traits assimted note. Since the first was the Nine-Tailed Wolf, it meant that he could absorb the traits of three other beings. He had no idea if that number would increase in the future or not though. As Rakna was thinking that, Kaelith had arrived at her destination. It was an open area in the middle of numerous aisles of different nature. There was a sort of desk in the center and two couches ced opposite of each other next to it. Kaelith sat on one of them and motioned Rakna to sit on the other. Heplied silently while closing the System window. He still wanted to check the title he had gotten, but it would have to wait for now. Well then, wolfy, getfortable. Im going to tell you what you need to know for now. Chapter 8: Learning Chapter 8: Learning Firstly, I need to exin what this ce is, Kaelith began while spreading her arms open, waving at the many aisles around them. This, as youve already guessed, is a shop. You can pretty much buy anything here as long as you have enough Talys. Though, of course, high end and one-off items are a lot rarer. They usually arent sold by the shop itself but by other Hosts. Like an auction? Rakna inquired and she nodded. Yes, thats urate. In any case, if you want to buy something, you can look through the catalog from the System. If you want something really specific and you cant find it, ask your AI for help. Got it. Next, it concerns your little friend right there, Kaelith pointed at Pronos who was rxing in Raknas scarf. What you have to know is that contracted pets are mostly graded and managed by the System just like any regr Host but they have a very special privilege which is evolution. Evolution? Rakna nced at his smallpanion. So, youre saying he could evolve to be stronger? Be bigger or a different type of snake altogether? Pretty much. When a contracted pet reaches level hundred, they will be prompted to choose a path of evolution that tallies their status. After that, most pets dont get to evolve again unless they have potential higher than B, Kaelith exined and took a sip of tea from a cup as if it had always been in her hand. Rakna scowled at it since he hadnt seen her pick it up at all. In fact, this isnt something I tell everyone who is assigned to me, she continued. The reason for that is simply that its the first time Ive seen a brand-new Host finish the Initiation with a pet tagging along. And from what I can see, that little one isnt some mundane creature She leveled a probing stare at Pronos who hid his head inside the scarf in response. Rakna hummed and leaned against the couch. Let me smoke and Ill tell you. The vixen raised an eyebrow and waved her hand dismissively with a sigh. Rakna took that as permission and lit up a cigarette with Obsidians Smoke. Thats a Utility Item, she remarked and if she was surprised, she didnt show it. That can only mean one thing; youre the one who finished the mission first. Is that why you lost your arm? Did you rush it? Rakna inhaled and huffed a cloud of smoke. He didnt refute her conjecture since self-delusion was always the best way to hide something from others. He didnt know this woman and although his situation was apletely new experience to him, he preferred keeping his secrets. To answer your previous question, Pronos is an experimental subject from my. He escaped theb and got dragged by the System at the same time as me. Kaelith nodded at his words, thinking that it made sense, then her nose twitched when the smoke got close to her and her eyes became calctive. This isnt nicotine. This feels like medicine? What are you using that for? Its just for a little problem of mine, Rakna shrugged. Kaelith squinted. She was frankly mystified by the boy in front of her. What are you, wolfy? Youre quite abnormal, to say the least. Especially your eyes. Theyre not what I would typically see on a kid being kidnapped by a game-like entity. Those Ive seen them before on the faces of broken men. Rakna didnt say anything and a weighty atmosphere settled between them. It took a few minutes for Kaelith to relent and shake her head. But as she was about to move on, Rakna whispered one word, Inurate. Her eyes widened. Sorry? Inurate. I didnt break, foxy. I shattered into pieces. Unfortunately, when I glued them back, they couldnt work together anymore. Kaelith was too confused to even say anything about the way he had called her. Lets get this over with already, he uttered indifferently, jolting her out of her thoughts. Tell me the rest of what I need to know. There are people Im worried about out there. Her expression twitched. Then at least act like you do, she retorted internally. Fine. Thest thing I want to inform you of is where you are currently. Where, huh? I guess you dont specifically mean this shop this time. What, is this another world or something? Yes and no. This is within the System, no more, no less. Rakna frowned. Im not sure I follow. Of course, what youll see out there will probably make you think as if you were in another world but theres a very important nuance. The trials youll be going through in the future, the ces you will be going to, the people youll meet other than the Hosts keep in mind that all of them are from the System or are the System itself. Take your initiation for example. Thousands and thousands of different Hosts went through it at the same time. Every single one of them was scattered across the same number of artificial dimensions made by the System itself. Raknas pupils dted ever so slightly at this. As youve realized, its a feat worthy of the mightiest beings and the energy required to do something of the sort is monstrous. No one knows what the System is, much less the one who made it if there is such being. Us, Hosts, were thrown into this realm out of nowhere and were forced to go through all kinds of hardships. This System is old, you know. After thousands of years, Hosts have made civilizations after being robbed of their original home. Some even decided to live a normal life in the System, but none of them truly feel free, as if they were in a prison. Rakna was grimly listening and Pronos was very attentive as well. To say that they grasped the entirety of what she said would be a lie. But they knew they were about to be thrown into a very chaotic life. Im sure you cant fully understand what I mean without experiencing it yourself. You will learn in time, trust me. Considering how smart you appear; I believe you can deduce what Iming to. Once you leave this shop, you will enter what we call teau Zero, the Tutorial. After that, youll be allowed into the First teau, also called the Seedling Ground. Are you insinuating that this System has a tower dynamic going on? The more we go up, the closer we get to whatever goal it might have presented us? Kaelith chuckled. You can see it like that. But, honestly, no one calls this a tower. We have never gone up per se. Although the official designation is teau, people call them in different ways; Floors, Stratos, Levels, Grounds When a Host is ready to go to a new one, they are given the choice to continue or remain living in the teau theyre in for the rest of their life. Rakna rubbed his eyes, trying to calmly sort the intake of information that was slowly giving him a headache. How many teaus? And if youre given a choice, whats the point? Is there an ultimate floor with a reward? Beats me, Kaelith replied humorously andughed when she saw Raknas expression be even more nk. Im not lying. We dont know how many teaus there are. We also have no idea of what lies at the end of the road or if there even is one. Whats the point then? Without a goal, why does this System exist? Why would people even try to conquer it? Kaelith closed her eyes. I told you that we could choose. Yes, and? Did you think that there wasnt a price to that choice? The corner of his eyes twitched as he discerned the implications of that. What kind of punishment do you get? Kaelith smirked. Ill admit that you have an uncanny ability to perceive the truth, wolfy, she said and he grunted which only made her smile wider. Youre right, there are consequences. If you decide to stay on a teau, the System abandons you and takes away your strength and privileges. People will mistreat you, even abuse you if they want. Within the System, weakness is the worst sin. Rakna scoffed. If weakness is a sin, what the hell do they take strength for? Kaelith let out a chuckle filled with bitterness. Indeed. Weakness stems from strength and the strong trample the weak because of their very own feebleness. What a messed-up world we live in, eh, wolfy? What about the opposite? Rakna changed the subject. You said that the System tells the Host when theyre ready to go to the next teau. If that is true, then someone could just enter a floor, do nothing and the System would never call them out. From what Ive seen and just heard, this System seems pretty sadistic and theres no way that it doesnt have a measure against indolent people. Once again, youre spot on. When a Host epts the Systems prompt to enter the next level, they have the right toe back to any teau theyve been to before and they are free to do whatever they want. But they also have three years to achieve the necessary conditions, which are provided mind you, to go to the next stage or they will be stripped of their strength. It isnt as radical though. They wont lose their system, they will just go back to level 1 and most of their abilities will be sealed, which is still a death sentence in itself but not without a chance of recovery. Three years? That sounds like plenty of time to me. Kaelith grinned. Thats the thing. Sometimes, getting to the next teau is hard. And when youre notpetent enough, three years is far from enough. And when Hosts get desperate, they tend to gamble their life. Thats why most Hosts never graduate until the veryst second of their three-year-period, so they can train and prepare themselves as much as they can for the following three years. And this repeats itself over and over again. It has been exactly 3462 years since it started. The oldest and strongest Hosts are close to reaching the 1000th floorst I heard. Rakna took in her words very silently. He rested his elbows on his knees and joined his hands together. Kaelith watched him with hints of amusement and bemusement at his contemtive posture. Bullshit, was what he said after minutes of silence. Kaelith almost choked on her tea. Thats what you conclude this conversation with?! She had expected something more eloquent after all that musing. Yeah, Rakna replied uncaringly. I dont have the patience to climb a thousand floors under the constant pressure that Im being forced to do so. Kaelith tilted her head and one of her fox ears stood straight while the other folded. Would you have preferred to stay on your home, living a dreary life? Rakna shrugged. I dont care that much either away. But, since Im here, I swear Im gonna give a piece of mind to the one at the origin of this System. So, youre one of those, huh? You seek retribution against whoever took you away. There are many like you. Most died or lost their powers already. Youre saying that as if I gave a damn about the people before me, foxy. Her eyebrow shot up. Those that walked before me are nothing but corpses that I have to walk over, he uttered in a detached tone. This is what my uncle taught me long ago. You never follow examples; you make your own. Hm, I see. You have an interesting uncle. You have no idea. Raknas eyes shed with an unusual light and Kaelith was a bit surprised. She recognized respect in his look as well as unbreakable trust. A definite contrast to his countenance. If he were the one in my ce right now this Systems end would have been a matter of time. A very short time on top of that. Im sure of it. The Initiation? He would havepleted that in less than three minutes, barehanded and unscathed. Well, if your uncle is a fully grown Therian, its- Human, Rakna interrupted. What? My uncle is human. He was an old man over a hundred years old capable of lifting tons and versed in the art of war unlike any other. I still remember to this day how he would train me with the spear by making me attack him until he would either take a step back or stop catching the de with his fingers. At that point, if Kaelith wasnt impressed, it would be a lie. She knew that the world the wolfy in front of her came from had no magic. From his description, that human was ungodly strong. As she thought that, she finally noticed the elephant in the room. Wait how are you a Therian? Your world shouldnt have any. Rakna stiffened. Lets just say that Im a very special case. Kaelith stared at him as if she was trying to tear a hole in his person. That aside, why dont you rmend me something to buy? Youre the shopkeeper here and I dont want to go through an entire catalog to try and find something that catches my eye. The vixen looked at him suspiciously and slowly waved her hand. At her gesture, a System window immediately appeared in front of Rakna. Chapter 9: Ireful Shell Chapter 9: Ireful Shell ? ? ? ? ? Equipment ? C ? Auxiliary ? C ? Consumable ? ? Skills ? C ? Vendue ? ? ? ? ? ? Rakna went over each word in his vision before throwing an inquisitive look at Kaelith. She snickered and began, Firstly, you have three different types of items you can buy. Equipment refers to weapons and armor. Auxiliary Items are what we call Magical Objects. For instance, magic pendants, rings, etcetera. More often than never, they have special effects that can either boost your stats or even give you a new skill. Attribute boosts are a lot rarer than stat boosts by the way. Any Item or Skill that can increase the root attributes is very sought after. Rakna immediately thought of his shapeshift trait but he of course didnt mention it and Kaelith continued her exnation. As for Consumables, theyre what you would expect. Food, potions, pills, scrolls you get the idea. Now, following with the second line on the window youre seeing right now; theres Skills and Vendue. The former is self-exnatory. You can buy skills from the shop but I warn you; theyre very expensive most of the time. Well, except Nirvana Skills, of course. Theres none there. Rakna reacted to that. What are Nirvana Skills? He had seen the Nine-Tailed Wolfs Tailed Pearl and he himself had one. But he wasnt aware of what it was actually. Well, its normal you dont know. Nirvana Skills are called as such because theyre transcendent in nature and, if I can say so,pletely broken. They are exceptionally rare but not to the point where you would only see one every hundred years or something. Id say that one out of ten thousand hosts have one. But it can vary honestly. Sometimes we get ten in one single batch. Rakna scowled and tilted his head. Other than the fact that he had just learned that he had a very special ability, he wasnt perturbed at all. But there was something that bothered him a little. It could have been his imagination, but he couldnt be sure. Why would I not know about it? I could have asked my AI. Well, silly, the section for them doesnt appear on your status if you dont have one yourself. How could you have gotten the idea to ask your AI? She replied and he nodded absentmindedly. Once again, entirely unbothered by the fact that she had made another assumption about him. At this point, he had a feeling that if the vixen in front were to learn what he had, half-willing, hidden from her, she might get very angry. Fortunately for him, she just gazed at him with eyes entirely blinded by the fact that he was new. This woman is amazingly clueless Hemented inwardly and Pronos apparently understood his recent friends thoughts and nodded in agreement. Anyway, she raised her voice, unaware of the disrespectful thoughts of her guests. To finish, you have the Vendue. Its what I told you earlier. Its the public auction for the Hosts to use at will. I see, Rakna muttered and tapped on the equipment button. A long list of items was disyed in front of him with a basic description for each such as the name, the rarity, and the type. If you want to filter or search for something in particr, as I said, ask your AI. Now, onto rmendations; how much do you have at the moment? 10 000 Talys, Rakna replied mechanically as he scrolled down the list and read each line with almost inhuman speed. Then, he noticed that Kaelith had gone silent. He nced at her and immediately realized he might have made a mistake going by her dumbfounded expression. Kaelith had almost choked on her tea, again, when she had heard his current wealth. How do you have so much?! She shouted in shock. What? Is it a lot? Of course, its a lot! When I went through the Initiation like you, I didnt even get a tenth of what you got! And I was one of the best from by batch as well! What did you do to get a five-figure-reward out of the bat?! Beats me, he lied with an unperturbable fa?ade. Maybe its because I wandered into the forest afterpleting the mission and hunted more kobolds. Its in there that I lost my arm. I lost it to a second wolf that was in there, he said a half-truth and observed the vixens expression as he did so. A second wolf? Odd, she frowned. Youre not the first to wander outside of the mission zone, but theres usually nothing but low-level kobolds. I never heard about another wolf other than the Rider Kobolds. I knew it, Rakna uttered internally; his suspicions were confirmed. She doesnt know of the Nine-Tailed Wolf. Was it a mistake from the System that I crossed it? You either have very bad luck or the opposite considering that allowed you to get 10 000 Talys, she added offhandedly. Luck, huh? He mused. His luck attribute was at nine and he had already tried and couldnt increase it with free points. For all I know, nine might be a pretty high number, he thought. Whatever, Kaelith sighed. Youre already weird enough. Nothing should surprise me at this point. You have no idea, foxy. With 10 000, youve got a huge leeway. First things first, Recovery Potions, Healing Potions, and Mana Potions should be something to look into. There are different tiers and each one of them is more expensive than the previous but also more effective obviously. You can bnce the cost-efficiency on your own. Rakna returned to the menu of the shop and selected Consumables this time. Alexa, show me the second-lowest tiered for each of those three categories, he ordered internally. [Understood,] she spoke for the first time after his wakening. The AI returned a result in record time and three different prompts were presented to him. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Consumable/Recovery Potion Tier: 9 (Lowest: 10) Restores physical stamina and light mental stress upon consumption. Bes ineffective after level 40. Price: 100 Talys ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Consumable/Healing Potion Tier: 9 Heals physical wounds and minor illnesses. Bes ineffective after level 40. Price: 100 Talys ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Consumable/Mana Potion Tier: 9 Restores 50 MP. Bes ineffective after level 40. Price: 100 Talys ? ? ? ? ? Rakna absorbed the information and Kaelith resumed, Of course, other than potions, a weapon and an armor of some sort are necessary. Then, although they are expensive, you can buy some basic skills; especially with your budget. Finally, you have your magic to awaken but thats not for me to do. It will happen on the First teau. Any questions? None, Rakna replied calmly while inputting the number of potions he wanted inside some sort of cart. The fact that it was like any shopping site you could find on the amused him a bit. In the end, he chose to buy three of each of those potions. Decreasing his wealth to 9 100 Talys. He nced at a few other consumables that looked interesting but decided to pass for now. After that, he had no need for a main weapon since he had Sonata but he thought that having a knife was quite useful. Blood Fang wasnt with him anymore and his swiss knife had been too damaged already by its use against the Kobolds. So, he bought a nameless one with ten of attack but no perks. Itll have to do, he thought then considered the other rmendation; armor. His uncle had told him about this once in the past. It was when the old man had returned home with a bullet in his waist and asked him to extract it. Then, he had asked why he wouldnt wear a ted vest. Vests? I dont use those. Well, my coat is made of the same stuff as your scarf, and its plenty capable of protecting me from des and small-caliber bullets. But, other than that? No. Armor makes you slower. Makes you heavier. What happens when youre slower? You get sluggish. What happens when youre sluggish? You get less attentive. What happens when you lose attention? You get closer to death. And worst of all, if you dont feel the ache, you cannot live. When you use something that warps the core value of a soldier putting his body and life on the front, you lose the edge that we all need. Go naked for all I care. Feel the wind around you, the des in your flesh, the blood on your skin, and the bullet burns. And do whatever you can so that those scars never get bigger. The more time you spend like that, the more your body will learn. Learn what, you ask? To not get hurt. Rakna snorted inwardly as he remembered the old mans words. His uncle had always been very cryptic, and sometimes you could learn a lot from his words. But, to him, that particr speech was slightly egotistical. Most people would die on the battlefield without defense and his uncle was just one of the rare individuals with enough skill to be considered a one-man army; you could notpare. But he has a point. An armor is a liability. It doesnt listen to you like a weapon does and you have no way to assure it does its job. It cant protect everything as well, Rakna thought and closed the equipment tab after merely adding new clothes to the cart since the ones he had at the moment were bloodstained and damaged, especially his left sleeve. After that, he spent around ten minutes looking through the Auxiliary Items and Skills. The former had very interesting aspects while thetter were all useful but expensive. He needed something to fill hisck of defense and he had to manage something with his remaining money. Although his newly acquired trait allowed him to get more tanky, he couldnt activate it at will. In that mindset, he chose a certain skill that cost him 7 500 Talys. The skill was called Ireful Shell. It basically increased his defense proportionately to the damage he took. It was a very good skill on paper but there was a reason why 7 500 was enough to buy it, otherwise, this skill would have been too strong. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Cursed Skill/Cognitive Skill Name: Ireful Shell Blight Tier: 4 Learning Requirements: Level 5 30 Atr Cap Feral Race ? Description: A responsive defensive skill. When the Host is injured, the AI will evaluate their state and choose between five different options. ? Lightly Injured, Mildly Injured, Heavily Injured, Critically Injured, Deaths Door. ? Respectively, the defense boosts given are 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 50%. The boost disappears after twenty minutes following thest injury suffered by the Host. On the other hand, when this skill is learned, the Host will gradually lose their rationality as their injuries aggravate until they be berserk. ? Note: This skill is cursed. It cannot be deleted or unlearned. The curse is also susceptible to an increase in intensity if conditions are met. ? ? ? ? ? There were a few interesting things about this skill. One of them being the fact that if he hadnt changed race, he would have been unable to learn it. Then, the pros were obvious but the cons were massive. For probably everyone except Rakna, it would have been an inexcusable w. But for him, it was perfect. For one, he knew for a fact that he was unable to produce powerful raw emotions. It was due to a certain incident he had experienced younger. His uncle had told him that it had caused his brain to make a countermeasure. This measure was what the old man called Obsidian Blood. A split behavior that would resurface whenever his emotions reached a certain threshold. The cigarettes of Obsidians Smoke had precisely been made in order to suppress it and stabilize it. But Rakna didnt want to suppress it now as much as before. The strength it gave him wasnt something he could ignore. In that way, he was hoping that Ireful Shell would trigger Obsidian Blood and not rob him of his sanity. It was a gamble but one worth taking. As he was thinking about that, Alexa spoke up in his mind, [Acknowledged. Unnamed Trait has been updated to Obsidian Blood.] He was a bit surprised but certainly satisfied that it wasnt listed as ??? anymore. Hey, youre finished? Kaelith asked with a sullen look. I already told you Im working overtime here. I wanna go home, you know? Rakna sent her a deadpan look. Then why did you indulge yourself in exining all of that? I dont want to sound ungrateful but its hard to believe you gave the same exnation to everyone. Now that I think about it, how many Hosts did you have to wee? Kaelith pouted at his words. If youre grateful, then act like it. The only reason I humored you for so long was that you were slightly interesting. I usually just say hello, give them a printout with the things they have to know and answer their questions. And to answer yours, its only ten. There are many temporary shopkeepers for the Initiation. Its a sort of part-time job. Rakna nodded. As you said, this really feels like a strange society. Based on what you said, it has even evolved until it could work along with the System itself, he muttered to himself. The vixen sighed deeply. And I will probably contract an aversion after today. Overly calm and smart people are a pain. I regret taking an interest in you. I see. So, youre into shy and impressionable kids only, huh? Her expression twisted and Rakna swore he thought he heard the sound of ss breaking before she shouted, Fuck off, wolfy! Im not a predator! Chapter 10: Heading to Zero Chapter 10: Heading to Zero Youre an asshole. You know that? Kaelith huffed and Rakna shrugged. Tell me something I dont know, he quipped. By the way, do you have a rmendation for an object that would help me hide this, he said while pointing at his tail and ears. She scowled. You want to hide them? Well, to blend in with humans, it would be necessary but how did you do it until now? Damn, woman, couldnt you have remained clueless a bit longer? Rakna uttered silently but his mouth was moving without hesitation since he had already thought of an excuse, Quite easily actually. I could just control my ears so they would blend in with my hair or use a hat. As for the tail, usually, I would wrap it tightly around my waist. I see. Then, indeed, you truly need something. Considering how tumultuous your life is going to get, this wont be a viable way anymore. Really Im full of respect for this woman. Shes helping me make my lies more believable with each wording out of her mouth, Rakna once again made an unheard remark only known to Pronos who didnt miss its sardonic tone. How much are you willing to spend for it? She asked. Right back at you. How much do you think is reasonable? Well, a thousand should be plenty. I even have the perfect item in mind. Its called Ulvias Veil, its an auxiliary item. Rakna searched for the item in question right away and inspected its effect. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Auxiliary Item/Ne Name: Ulvias Veil Rarity: Green +5 Senses when worn. Gain the dependent skill, Ulvias Illusion, allowing the Host to hide their appearance under a low-level illusion. The more modification is made to the Hosts original appearance by the illusion, the more easily it can be seen through. ? Cost: 10 MP/hour Price: 1000 Talys ? ? ? ? Really? It needs mana to work? With my current mana pool, I barely have enough to sustain it for four hours, he uttered and Kaelith shrugged. What did you expect? Most skillse at the cost of MP. Some rare ones have nothing more than a cooldown, then there are others who need stamina among other things You get the idea. It is what it is. Why do you care anyway? Its not like you have many skills that consume mana since youre new. Do you listen to what I say, foxy? The problem is that I only can maintain it for four hours. What about your mana regeneration? She asked with a tilt of her head. Rakna was rendered speechless for the first time. His mind went through the calction instantly, and the time he could sustain the skill was, well, as much as he wanted. His mana regeneration was already higher than the cost. He face-palmed and the air around him became gloomy. Whats wrong? Is your regeneration factor a bit low? Dont be sad, youre not the only one with an unlucky number. You can use items topensate. thats not it, he whispered but Kaeliths sensible ears still caught his words. What is it then? Im disappointed in myself for having needed you to notice this detail, he replied wearisomely. What do you take me for, brat?! She stood up and threw her empty cup at Rakna who just tilted his head to the side to dodge it. A clueless vixen, he answered honestly without any change to his voice. Her expression twitched several times. She wondered if she could just kill the kid and be done with it. She exhaled and just dropped back on the couch. Just confirm the purchase of whats in your cart so that I can be freed from you. If he could express emotions, Rakna would have probablyughed. The only thing hinting at his amusement was how his eyes had briefly shed, which Kaelith noticed and only served to infuriate her more as a vein popped on her forehead. Alexa, add Ulvias Veil to the cart and cash it. [Understood.] A short minute after that, Rakna spotted movement from his right. He looked over the source and got slightly interested as he saw a small three-tailed fox with bright orange fur walking over while bncing three sealed boxes on the tip of its tails. It also had a bag which it carried in its mouth. Then, Rakna almost leaped away from his seat when he saw a wooden table appear out of nowhere between him and Kaelith. The little fox jumped on it and put the perfectly cubic and identical boxes down, close enough to Kaelith so that she could reach them, before cing the bag near Raknas feet. Thetter looked at it and saw that it was the clothes as well as the in knife he had bought for fifty Talys. Thank you, Sylphie, Kaelith smiled and patted the fox who had sat down on herp. She then proceeded to grab the first box. A blue glow was transferred from her hand to the sealed container which briskly opened. Inside the box lied three rows of thin ss tubes. Each row had a different color. There were red, blue, and green. Kaelith pushed the box toward Rakna who raised an eyebrow. The red ones are the healing potions. The green ones are for stamina and the blue ones are for mana. Rakna nodded silently and pulled out one of the test-tube-like potions out of the box. He looked through the red liquid inside as the nine-tailed woman opened the second box. This time, when she saw what was inside, she frowned. There was a card in the box. It was lying on red velvet fabric. The card was gray and its back depicted a spiked shield surrounded by four chains that found their origins in the corners of the object. Kaelith picked the card up and looked at the other side which was upied by blood-red letters forming the name of the skill as well as a sort of incantation below it. Ireful Shell She muttered and nced at Rakna who had already stopped his inspection of the potions to look at her. This is a cursed skill, wolfy. In other words, its dangerous. They are potent indeed and Ive even heard of Hosts above the 500th, veterans, who fell to the temptation of these cursed abilities. Let me tell you that it didnt end well for them. Are you sure about this? I do not follow examples- You make your own, he was interrupted by the fox woman. Yes, I heard the first time, she said and deftly threw the card at him. He caught it with two fingers and observed it. Thats what you call a Skill Card. To learn what it contains, chant whats written under the name Be careful, she added with a serious and almost worried tone. Rakna merely hummed in response and started reading the incantation, [Crust of Embrace. Shield of Fury. Wall of Desperation. Forgo the Pain of Foundation and Offer Ire to Victory.] When he finished, the card turned into particles of light that entered his chest. Kaelith sighed and opened thest box, which held a sky-blue ne, then put it on his side of the table as well. Rakna took a minute to inspect everything before pulling out the clothes he had bought. They were nothing more than a red and ck hoodie along with ck jeans. He was about to take off his ripped shirt when he saw the vixens eyes fixed on him. He scowled. She responded in kind and the two red at each other until she grumbled and finally turned around. A short momentter, Rakna was finished dressing and his scarfs color gave a very pleasant contrast with the rest. Also, funnily enough, his clothes had also been given to him with a hole for his tail. He then proceeded to grab the knife sheathed in leather but before he could put it at his belt, Kaelith spoke up, Wait. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. What is it? She didnt reply and merely pulled out a small silver ring from her pocket. She threw it to him who casually caught it in midair. The prompt that the System gave him after surprised him. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Special Item/Spatial Ring Tier: 5 ? A ring with a separate dimension of its own capable of storing all kinds of objects with the exception of living beings and pure energy. ? Note: A high tier spatial tool with a very advanced maniption of the objectsing in and out. Current Capacity: 1000 m3 ? ? ? ? ? Rejoice, wolfy. A T.5 spatial ring can hardly even be seen by anyone below the 400th teau. Why are you giving this to me? He inquired. Its not like he was unhappy with the object but it was dubious, to say the least. Theres no need to look at me like that. Thats junk for me and I happened to have it with me. You piqued my interest, I thought I might as well give you a small gift. Im not giving you that big of an advantage anyway. Take it as a reward for entertaining me. Rakna stared at the woman in front of him for a while before sliding the ring around the middle finger of his right hand. Immediately after, the second he willed it, the potions on the table, as well as the knife in his hand, were sucked in by the tiny jewel mounted on the ornament. Nifty, hemented and Kaelith snickered at his underwhelming reaction. She still considered him to be quite uncouth but she couldnt deny that she had found a liking in his personality. Well, it is time to- She was about to send Rakna away when Sylphie who was on herp suddenly shot up and ran into the aisles of the store once again. did you buy something else, wolfy? She asked in confusion. No, but He muttered while ncing at Pronos who had been very focused on something until just now. The snake hissed softly to answer his masters untold question. I see, Rakna uttered. Wait did your pet buy something from the store? Kaelith asked incredulously. Apparently. Do do you even know what that means? She questioned with an irked tone that he didnt fail to notice. Only pets with S rank potential or above can get money for themselves and use the System shop! They are considered to be even more important than C Rank Hosts! She shouted. oh. Dont oh me! Why didnt you tell me that little guy was one?! You never asked? Rakna retorted and she buried her face in her palms. She suddenly wanted to take back everything positive she had thought about this brat. It didnt take long for Sylphie toe back with a box held by one of her tails. Kaelith groaned and did her job as she unsealed it. The only thing inside was a transparent pill releasing chemical smoke. Before the vixen could say anything, Pronos jumped from Raknas shoulder and happilynded on the box before dragging the pill into his mouth with his tongue and swallowing it. The little snake then put on a gratified expression as he returned to his owner. Kaelith watched him with a nk look until he was back on Raknas shoulder. I dont even want to exin to you what your snake just ate. Find out yourselfter. Are you done this time? Will any of you buy something at thest second or can I finally send you off? Rakna and Pronos looked at each other and simultaneously shook their heads. Good, Kaelith said and stood up. At the same time, Rakna quickly put Ulvias Veil around his neck and a flood of intuitive information about his new skill entered his mind. He activated it and his tails and ears vanished under an illusion. He nodded satisfyingly at the result and stood up as well. When youre out of here, you will wake up in the same ce as you were during the Initiation. The only difference is that it will be the actual teau Zero this time and you will be together with the people that were transported from the same ce as you, Kaelith exined and a light shrouded Raknas body. He watched the light cover his body in its entirety and right before his vision turned white, he saw the fox woman waving her hand at him. See you again, wolfy. Those were thest words he heard from her before he disappeared from the shop. When he was gone, Kaelith didnt know if she had to be relieved or disappointed. Relieved because of the brats insolence and seemingly no regard for how powerful or beautiful she was and disappointed because she hadnt had that much fun in a long time. She smiled at herself before snapping her fingers. An oriental door then appeared in front of her as if it was a mirage. She opened it and stepped through with Sylphie following her. In only a second from her perspective, she ended up in the middle of a very luxurious room. Sylphie went to the queen-sized bed and curled herself on it. Meanwhile, Kaelith turned toward the door of the room which opened to reveal a maid with fox features but only one tail. My Lady, youre back. Did your time as a shopkeeper go well? She asked respectfully. You could say that, Kaelith answered and sat down on her bed next to her fox pet. I met someone very interesting in fact. At least, this whole thing wasnt as boring as I thought it would be. Oh? I wonder who could have possibly caught My Ladys interest. Kaelith grinned at her maids curiosity. Maybe youll meet him in the future. He looked like a promising youth, she chuckled and abruptly thought of something that widened her grin. N, go and inform the board that I want to be assigned as the personal shopkeeper of a certain Host until he reaches the 500th teau himself. The maid was shocked by the order. My Lady, are you sure? This mission was nothing more than thest prerequisite for you to enter the 900th teau. You do not need to continue, much less for a measly seedling This is an order, N. Im not asking for your opinion. Yes, My Lady. I apologize for my impudence, the maid bowed nervously at the cold tone of her mistress. In that case, may I ask for the name of the concerned individual? Kaelith smirked as she stroked the snoozing Sylphie. Rakna Xiorra. Chapter 11: Scram Chapter 11: Scram The first thing Rakna saw after the light finally faded away was a flying figure that wrapped around him only to block his sight again. Pronos who was in his scarf was also suddenly pressed really tightly. Idiot! I was worried! A voice shouted. via? Rakna immediately recognized the voice and struggled for a few seconds to get her off. But he was afraid to hurt her by mistake so he rapidly gave up. via. Im overjoyed. Really. But can you get your breasts out of my face so I can breathe? At his words, she pulled back with a pout on her face and a mildly flushed expression. He took a deep breath and so did the little snake. He passively noticed that she also had changed clothes like him. Overall, she still had the same style but the quality of the clothing had be a lot more good-looking and her skirt was longer while being open on one side to allow more movement. She also had a pendant hanging from her neck. Its not my fault youre sote! The Initiation ended yesterday but you werent there, via said while gradually calming down, knowing he was safe. Rakna snorted internally. He had in fact known via for nearly five years. She actually was his neighbor and when his uncle went missing, she had been the one to help him get through and settle things with society. Well, as happy as I am to reunite He thought and looked around him. He was currently standing in the middle of the schools yard and almost every surviving student and teacher seemed to be gathered in it, spread across the area. Some were staring at him in wonder for histe arrival, others were being condescending, thinking he had done poorly during the Initiation and the remaining ones were jealous because of him being hugged by the very popr teacher. But all that aside, there was something that confused Rakna. All of them were visibly waiting for something or, to be exact, they seemed to be waiting for him. Aside from that, most of them were looking at something in the sky. As he was about to follow their line of sight, he heard a chilling voice. Everyone is here, finally. His eyes widened and he quickly looked up. He spotted a silhouette floating in midair. It took his eyes a few seconds to get used to the sunlight before he could discern what it was exactly. This time, in contrast with Kaelith, he was utterly confounded by this being. The silhouette was a humanoid robot standing tall at three meters. It held a cane in its hand and wore a red and yellow attire that Rakna didnt fail to recognize as a clown outfit. From theically big shoes to the butterfly knot and the red nose It was a weird sight. Additionally, the robots mouth was a screen that disyed a full-blown grin. The clown looked back at him and the color of that very screen turned from white to purple. It whirled its cane and pointed it at him. What took you so long? Did you fall asleep while hiding from the kobolds? It asked with the obvious intention to taunt him. Some of the students even snickered. The clown robot expected an outburst but what it got instead was apletely nk face, devoid of emotions, and a nonical reply: You could say that. His words caught the attention and curiosity of a few individuals in the yard but the clowns grin switched from a grin to a t line. What an unfunny brat you are. I prefer when you humans get upset. Your faces when you see blood is hrious, it eximed with a ck-colored smirk before returning to a more pensive looking expression. Well, Id truly be disappointed if you actually were like them. I do have to say your kind is harder to intimidate, it added which raised the eyebrows of many people. Rakna easily picked up on the hidden message in his words. This robot seemed to be someone in a simr situation to Kaelith and had obviously seen through his illusion. It probably wanted him to panic for his amusement. However, Rakna stared back with an impassive face and the clown harrumphed. Anyway, it is time. Instantly after, everyone received a prompt from their System. ? ? ? ? ? Tutorial Mission: Escape Description: This is the second andst trial offered to neers. Those who seed will be able to enter the Seedling teau and officially be a Tiered Host. Objective: Wilnds are surrounding you. Explore them, survive, and ovee the danger to find the exit of the dimension. Note: You have as much time as you require. Additional information: The three first contestants to find the exit will be granted the title Crowned Seedling. Default Rewards: ess to the 1st teau, 1 000 Talys. ? ? ? ? ? On this note, humans, survive well, the clown uttered and disappeared with a swirl of its cane. Afterward, everyone scattered in their own groups. Rakna looked around for a few seconds before turning toward via. Well, mind filling me in? Looks like Im the only one lost here. Who was that stupid-looking Pierrot? She smiled wryly and reminisced a little before speaking, Well, the only thing he said about himself yesterday was that his name is Gray and that hes the caretaker of our group from this batch. Our batch, huh? Yes, you also were filled in in the shop about the System, right? She asked and Rakna nodded. From what he told us, every year a new batch of Hosts with high potential is summoned by the System. Apparently, the current batch only concerns the Earth and we are divided into groups. I suppose our school isnt the only ce that was taken away. I see Rakna muttered then felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked over his shoulder and met the stare of a ck-haired girl. Her red irises surprised him a bit at first but his focus then shifted to something else, I dont remember this girl being in our school As he was getting suspicious, someones arm abruptly wrapped around him. Hey, buddy! Youre alive after all! I was worried for a second. Rakna groaned as he nced at the neer next to him. It was a blond teen with blue eyes and an athletic stature. He was a perfect fit for the description of the stereotypical popr kid. An so, you survived, huh? Rakna muttered with no change in his tone. Why didnt you let yourself get eaten? It would have made my life easier. Now, now, Im sure youre happy to see me, the teen replied without batting an eye. He too was one of the very few acquaintances Rakna had. An was a special character; he was orphaned at the age of ten after a car ident and thats around the two of them met. The blond had been the most urate description of depressed at the time but his encounter with Rakna had somehow turned him into the most popr guy in his school years after a few months. The truth of what happened between the two of them was a secret of theirs that even via didnt know. Well, jokes and you being a tsundere aside, An continued and Rakna had to resist the urge to elbow him in the gut. Instead, he nced at his old friend to see that he had a dreadfully serious expression on his face. Im really d youre alive, the blond uttered with a grave expression and via took on a saddened look. Rakna noticed how the mood had changed from a happy reunion to something vastly darker. Ans fists were also clenched and trembling. who? He asked with aposed and very calm voice that made An smile wryly, finding relief in the fact that his friend was the same as always. Kelly, Hurbert, Bea, and Kyle, he listed grimly and Rakna closed his eyes. He remembered the faces attached to those names. He never talked to them per se but he often saw them hanging around An. He opened his eyes and turned toward via. What about the rest of the school? How many? She lowered her head a bit. We havent properly counted the missing students yet but Id say around half of them are missing. An sighed and took his arm off from Raknas shoulders before looking at him. What are you going to do, Rak? Whatever you decide, Ill follow. Rakna scowled at him. Dont trust- -me too much, Anpleted while waving his hand. Yeah, yeah, I know. Youve told me that many times already but there wasnt a single time where it was a bad idea. Rakna grunted and via giggled, noticing that the mood had brightened up a lot. I have to agree with him, she added. We both know what kind of trainer you had. There is probably no one more reliable than you in this school. Id bet on that too, Anughed. Rakna sighed internally. For now, lets get away from here. via tilted her head. What do you mean? He was about to answer her question when a voice interrupted him, Miss Jeina, youre here! He turned toward the source with a raised eyebrow. Rakna saw a group of students led by a few professors walking in their direction. The one who had called via was a slim-looking teacher with a wide smile. That guy Rakna squinted. What was his name again? He thought and An smiled wryly since he knew perfectly what he was thinking just from his expression. After several years, the blond teen had learned to decipher his friends thoughts just by looking at his eyes. Mister Herts? via eximed in a semi-surprised voice. Were you looking for me? Yes, I was, the man nodded and stopped in front of the trio with his group following him. Rakna and Ans attention immediately zeroed on the firearms they were carrying. They looked at each other and quietly stepped to the side while via talked with Herts. Well, is there something I can do for you? The former inquired. I wanted to invite you. Invite me? Yes, my group and I were going to explore the forest together. The more we are, the better our chances. What do you think? Would you join us? Of course, the two students over there cane as well, Herts stated politely but neither Rakna, An, or even via missed the obvious ill-intent hidden behind those words. An sneakily took a look at the others behind Herts and frowned at the disgusting stares thrown at via. Look at them. Do they really think that we cant notice? He whispered. Those with borrowed power tend to misunderstand its limits, Rakna replied in an equally hushed voice and An nced at him. You mean their guns? Rakna nodded and continued to observe the ongoing conversation between via and Herts. Im quite fine, I prefer to stay with these two young men, thetter dered. In this situation, I believe the trust between the members of a group is more important than their number. Due to my being acquainted with the rtives of these two boys, they are probably the ones I trust the most here. Herts eyes widened at the firmness in her tone. This conversation wasnt going his way. She had clearly decided to refuse his invitation no matter what he said. His eyes got a little darker and the armed individuals behind him raised their weapons a bit, making it barely noticeable. An clicked his tongue and was about to ask Rakna what to do when he saw that the usually cold and uninterested purple eyes were significantly more focused. If it wasnt An, very few people would have realized that the teen was ring. Pronos, Rakna uttered to seemingly no one but he was loud enough that everyone looked at him. He then walked toward Herts and stood a head taller than him. The teacher stepped back a little with a cautious expression. You are Rakna Xiorra, right? The infamous indolent top student, he said with a smile. We would be happy to wee you as- Shut your mouth. Herts immediately quieted down and his expression sunk. Unfortunately for you and me both, these two idiots have decided to follow me, Rakna spoke evenly and via made a crooked smile while An sighed exaggeratedly. So, Ill be taking over from now on. My answer to your invitation is scram, bastard. Chapter 12: S+ Potential Chapter 12: S+ Potential The moment Rakna finished speaking, everyone fell silent. The people who had stayed behind instead of leaving the school grounds were also shocked. It was known to all of them that since the day before, Herts had been gathering people to join his group and several of them had bought firearms from the Systems shop. Hes done for whos that dude anyway? One boy muttered whilst watching from one of the school buildings windows. Rakna Xiorra, a voice answered him and the boy jumped in fright. B-boss! You know him? The one who had spoken was an eighteen-year-old looking guy with dirty blond hair and green eyes. He wore red and ck clothes and his t-shirt exposed arge part of his upper chest which had the tattoo of a four-winged zing bird on it. Never spoke to the guy, he shrugged. But we kind of know each other. Um, h-how so? He and I are roof-sleeping buddies. The hecks a roof-sleeping buddy? The apparent subordinate sweatdropped. Then should we help him? Why? He retorted with an honestly confused tone. Y-yes, of course, theckey replied nervously. Hes just a stranger after all. Theres nothing to gain by saving him. Once again, what are you talking about? Eh? Anyway, lets join the rest. Well leave now, the boss said and turned around. I wanted to deal with that teach personally but it seems like my job is cut out. Herts a dumbass. Hes taunting a beast too much for him to handle. The subordinate was left utterly lost as he followed his leader. What does the boss mean by that? He wondered. Meanwhile, from another ce near the schools wall, the ck-haired woman Rakna had spotted earlier was also watching the altercation happening in the middle of the yard. You damn kid Herts fumed and before he couldsh out at the brat who had insulted him, a student behind him suddenly pointed his rifle at Rakna. Im done with this, teach. Lets just kill that guy and take Miss via, he dered and grinned. Its not like we need their consent, right? His grin was immediately shared by everyone else. Even Herts now sported a smirk,pletely forgoing his polite attitude. He raised his hand and at least ten other rifles were pointed at Rakna. Now, kid, be smart and hand over Miss Jeina or Ill order to shoot. Raknas expression became even more vacant if it was possible. In a certain way, it almost looked like he was ready to sleep. Did you know? He raised his voice. The saliva of mosquitoes carries something alike to an anesthetic. Thats why you dont feel anything when they sting you, he said something that perplexed everyone. Herts frowned. What does that have anything to do with the situation? Well, can you imagine how deadly it would be if, lets say, a snake with camouge abilities had that peculiar trait? Before the teacher could make head or tails of what he was saying, he heard several thuds behind him. His eyes widened to the maximum and he started sweating heavily. He didnt want to look back but he had to. From the corner of his eyes, he saw hisckeys lying on the ground with pulsing blue veins. Wha huh? Scary, isnt it? Raknamented. He had very quickly checked Pronos status earlier and he found out the effect of the pill the little guy had bought. ? ? ? ? ? Anesthetic Secretion: Limited to creatures capable of injecting substances through an appendage. They be capable of producing anesthetic. The higher the level, the stronger the effect and the bigger the quantity. ? A creature with an already existent ability to make poison will be able to mix the two. The efficiency depends on the type of poison. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna started walking toward Herts and thetter tensed and urgently pulled out a handgun from his back. He was about to aim it when it was suddenly snatched away. He was then kicked so hard that he cked out for a second. He fell on his knees and saw the legs of someone standing in front of him. I hate guns, Rakna said calmly and pulled the slide of the handgun, ejecting the bullet inside the chamber. Do you know why? Herts looked up slowly and shivered when he saw the purple eyes staring at him with chilling indifference. They give an illusion of power to fools. Another bullet was ejected with a cling. They kill too easily; both out of malice and goodness. Another. They embody the biggest w of humans. Another. Yet they still take pride in them. Another. Worst of all, they allow trash like you to hurt others. Rakna pulled the slide onest time and pointed it at the teachers forehead. And finally, theyre annoyingly loud, he added impassively and pressed the trigger but what followed was just the mechanical sound of the hammer and nothing more. Still, Herts fainted right away. Rakna blinked and pulled out the magazine before looking inside. Youre lucky. Seems like youve fired it a few times already, he remarked and threw the weapon away. Good job, Pronos. The little snake cried happily as he slithered up Raknas shoulder again. That snake via muttered then looked at the victims of the Eion poison. Rakna, are they? Dead? No. At best, theyre paralyzed. Pronos didnt inject a lethal dose. Though I am tempted to try and see if I can level up by killing fellow Hosts, he stated and looked at the many firearms on the ground. He waved his hand and all of them were sucked inside his spatial ring. Better this than to let them belong to someone else, he thought. He then looked at via again to see her staring at him with a worried expression. Why are you looking at me like that? He asked and she lowered her head. An nced at her and furtively hinted his friend who scowled before relenting. stop with that face, via. Im not losing grasp of reality if thats what youre afraid of. And if it ever happens to cross your mind, this situation isnt your fault whatsoever, he said and she looked at him in the eyes. Its not like Im going to start killing people on a whim, he continued and kicked the unconscious Herts. Though this kind of guy definitely deserves it; hell probably get what he deserves sooner orter, he said and via slowly nodded. An alternated between the two and sighed deeply. All right, all right, stop being all gloomy. Well except Rak. Hes just like that. via cracked a smile and Rakna shook his head with a stoic face before pulling a cigarette and lighting it up. He closed Obsidians Smoke with a snap and huffed a cloud of smoke. Lets move, the moment he said that, a scream spread throughout the entire area. An and via looked toward the general direction of the source in surprise. It seemed toe from deep inside the forest. In contract, Rakna appeared as if he hadnt heard the scream at all. He walked toward the dense and dark agglomerate of trees with his cigarette highlighting his position. via and An looked at each other before following him as they started hearing gunshots. ? * * * ? After leaving the Tutorial Stage, the cybeic clown stepped into a dark room only for it to suddenly light up. He then sat at a circr table, which had faded into existence right in front of his eyes, where several other people were waiting. The odd thing about all of them was that their appearance wasnt clear and merely showed their silhouette covered in thick shadows. Yourete, Gray, one of the individuals spoke up. Unfortunately, I was forced to wait for thest Host to arrive. I couldnt do anything about it, Grays mouth disyed a t line as he shrugged. Well, its not that bad, is it? A lot of us are actually jealous, you know? Another one said. Jealous? Gray was puzzled. How so? Well, wasnt there an S+ Potential in the group you oversee? Its the first in a hundred years. The difference between a regr S and an S+ is more than big. How can we not be jealous? what? He uttered dumbly. Im sorry, but I checked every single Host assigned to me and the highest I saw was S. What are you talking about? The download logs showed it clearly though, a childish voice resounded,ing from a silhouette clearly belonging to a child. Then I am as confused as you are. I made sure to not miss any-! Gray suddenly stopped talking as he remembered something. There was indeed one Host that he hadnt bothered to appraise. The same one that made him wait for hours. Theres no way right? In any case, a booming voice echoed. This time it came from the figure that had been sitting at the very end of the table and it grabbed everyones attention. The Initiation is over and the results this year are very promising. I wanted to deliberate with youdies and gentlemen What will this times trial be? Why not just let them fight a boss like every other year? A feminine voice asked. Come on, Lily, we need something new. We even have an S+ this time, lets make it interesting, a rough and casual voice retorted. The corresponding figure then snapped his fingers. Ah! I know! Do you remember what they did thirty years ago? Why not try that out? One of the figures scowled. Do you mean the Avian Trial? Yeah, yeah, that one. Although the difficulty might reduce the numbers of admitted Hosts this year, their potential should be proportionally better as well. I dont see a problem with it, the one at the edge of the table spoke again. All right. Do we all agree? He asked and everyone nodded. Then return to your groups and make the necessary preparations. Following those words, the participants of this meeting immediately disappeared and Gray left to arrange the trial. Chapter 13: Shadows Chapter 13: Shadows A few minutes after the incident with Herts, Raknas group was already a few hundred meters away from the school. They were currently running through the forest with Rakna at the front, An at the back, and via in between. Hey, Rak, in the end, why should we venture in the forest like this? Isnt it safer to stay in the school grounds for now? An asked and Rakna nced over his shoulder. Or is it because of people like Herts? Its not because of that, he replied. In my opinion, the most dangerous ce we could be right now is precisely the school. Why? via raised her voice. Well, I dont know how this works but Rakna muttered before slowing down. The two behind him also stopped, a bit confused. Imagine a modern building in the middle of a forest, dont you think it makes a perfect target? Target for what? An responded with another question but Rakna didnt even need to speak for the answer to be provided. Loud rustles in the leaves sounded from the front and at least ten figures walked out of the bushes and from behind the trees. High pitchedughs suddenly echoed and both via and An winced. The creatures that were in front of them were small, even smaller than kobolds. But they had a considerably fiercer look. Green skin, long noses, sharp teeth, spiked weapons and a surprisingly intimidating physique. Are those An raised an eyebrow. Goblins? Looks like it, Rakna uttered and grabbed his scarf as the goblins slowly surrounded them. More of them wereing out from their nks and rear. The trio gradually got closer to each other until they were back-to-back, staring at the goblins who were growing in number by the second. Shit, how many of them are going toe out? An grumbled as he pulled out a pair of gloves from his pockets. He put them on and Rakna also proceeded to transform Sonata to its Guandao form. Meanwhile, Pronos sneakilynded on the ground and used his camouge. I understand now, via said. This is what you meant. This entire forest is probably filled with these monsters. And all of them are probably rushing toward the school as we speak. If we had stayed there, we probably would have had to deal with hundreds if not thousands of them. Damn An watched the goblins who were ready to attack at any moment. I hope that no one stayed behind. Raknas eyes shed as he silently cast Appraisal. Theyre level 5. No skills. Theyre agile so be careful, he instructed and although they didnt know how he knew that, both An and via nodded without hesitation. After his words, the forest suddenly fell silent. The goblins had stoppedughing all of a sudden but their grins hadnt disappeared in the slightest. After a few seconds, all of them kicked the ground at the same time. The first goblins to reach the trio were on Raknas side of their formation. It was without saying that a sh of azure had instantly sent three heads flying. Smoke came out of the beheaded bodies as they fell on the ground. An whistled. Damn, youve be even more freaky, he remarked as he himself dealt with his side. He grabbed one of the goblins head with one hand and beat it against another. The gloves he was wearing then glowed a little before he threw a punch that somehow dealt with two other monsters, as if his attack had produced a shockwave. At the same time, via extended her hand and two of the goblins suddenly had their vision make a 180 turn. Before they knew what was happening, they fell on the ground with their neck broken. Rakna, An, and even the green skinned monsters abruptly stopped to look at her in shock. Eh? She eximed innocently. Did I do something wrong? exnationster. Focus, Rakna finally said and stabbed two goblins with a perfectly straight thrust. He then stopped waiting for them toe at him and charged forward. He whirled Sonata with one hand and grabbed the head of one goblin with the other. He extended his nails and all of them pierced the creatures head. He retracted his ws as fast as he had taken them out and the goblin fell dead with five very small holes in its head. An caught that from the corner of his eyes but didntment on it. He punched one goblin in the stomach and sent it flying, knocking down a few of its brethren in the process. He then elbowed one monstering from his side. He grasped its throat and threw it over his shoulder before stepping on its head, shattering its skull. Ans movements couldnt be described as fast or smooth. In one sense, they were the opposite of Raknas. While thetter was fast, urate, and efficient, he was devastating. Each and every one of his attacks carried great force. His fists were slow but they always reached their target and made sure to crush the target. Then, there was via. She hadnt moved from her spot since the beginning of the fight. All she did was look and wave her hands but goblins still fell without her even having to touch them. But it was obvious that, going by her expression and stance, it was gradually tiring her. Inevitably, one goblin finally managed to get close to her. As the creature was about to swing its weapon, Rakna thought he would have to throw Sonata to help her. But vias ne glowed and formed a spherical shield around her that blocked the goblins strike. She then pulled out a knife from her shirt and stabbed the green skinned in the eye without hesitation. She then made a motion with her hand and the corpse collided on two rushing goblins. Anughed as he kicked one goblin to the ground. Wow, remind me to never get you angry. Dont worry, via replied with a smile as she clenched her fist and broke the throat of one of the monsters. You wont forget. An chucked nervously as the three of them got close to each other again. Their surroundings were littered with corpses and covered in green blood. There was one only one goblin standing and as via was about to finish it off, it suddenly copsed and Pronos revealed himself on its back. Rakna wasnt surprised but it was another story for An and via. Both of them also noticed how many of the dead goblins had bluish glowing veins. Um you as well, little guy, remind me to not piss you off, An uttered and Pronos hissed with a smirk. Ahem, anyway, there were quite a lot of them, huh? I just reached level 6. via followed, Me as well. I reached level 7, Rakna added and his two friends stared at him. Why am I not surprised? An quipped. Though how did you do it? Im pretty sure I killed every kobold I found but I still needed ten points to get to level 6. I just left the schools area and hunted other kobolds in the forest, Rakna answered as he picked up Pronos again. Dude, I also did that, the blonde deadpanned and Rakna shrugged. I dont know then. Meh, more importantly, what the heck was that, via? An turned toward his former teacher. Well via scratched her cheek sheepishly. Im not sure how to exin. I can do it for you, Rakna stated and she looked at him confusedly. Without saying anything, he cast Appraisal and her status appeared in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Name: via Selia Age: 24 | Level: 6 (5/60) Race: Female Human | Title: Nil Potential: S ? Attributes: Strength: 2 | Endurance: 3 Speed: 2.2 | Dexterity: 5 Intelligence: 12 | Luck: 4 ? Avable points: 1 ? Equipped Items: C Ne of Bravery: Spend 5MP to erect a shield around the user. Cooldown: 3 minutes. ? Statistics: Stamina: 15/15.2 | MP: 117/120 Swiftness: 10 | Agility: 12.2 Senses: 22.2 | Atr Cap: 28.2 Attack: 16.7 | Defense: 11 Magic Attack: 36 | MP Regen: 1.08/min ? Proficiencies: C Cooking (Lv.9) C Teaching (Lv.6) C Judo (Lv.4) ? Magic Skills: C Unawakened. ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Fatigue Resistance (Lv.7) C Fear Resistance (Lv.2) C Pain Resistance (Lv.2) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C None ? Nirvana Skills: ? C Telekinesis (Lv.1): One of the mostmon spiritual abilities awakened as a Nirvana Skill. It has the potential to even bend spatialws. Current Lift: (Intelligence*5) kg. This is a spiritual skill fueled by psychic energy thus no mana is involved in the process. But beware, overuse is severely precarious. The range of maniption is only limited by the Hosts imagination and control. ? Unique or Racial Traits: C None ? ? ? ? ? Rakna was slightly impressed. Not only was her potential merely a step below his but she also had a Nirvana Skill. From his understanding, this wasnt anything near mediocre. Her mana regeneration was also incredibly high. Telekinesis thats a very useful power. Did you awaken it during the Initiation? Rakna asked and via slowly nodded. Yes, but how did you know? I have a skill that lets me see the status of others. Oh, so thats what you used on those goblins, An eximed. So, basically, via awakened her magic before us or something like that? No, what she has is a Nirvana Skill. I believe it is in apletely different leaguepared to normal magic, Rakna retorted. Whats a Nirvana Skill? An immediately inquired. From what the shopkeeper told me, its a very rare and powerful ability that is most of the time innate to a Host, it was via who answered. She also said that mine was quite special since it doesnt need mana. Then what does it need? Wait, Rakna interrupted their conversation and they both looked at him. Lets get out of here for now. The blood may attract more enemies for all we know. Lets find some ce safer before having this discussion. There are few things I want to talk about this System too. They nodded in agreement and the trio started running from their location, all while ignoring the asional screams that woulde from deep inside the forest. It was as if their dying voice was augmented on purpose to haunt the participants. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, a ck-haired girl stared at the goblins in front of her with her crimson eyes. The monsters charged at her with high-pitched shouts. She watched them with a detached expression until one of them was about to hit her. The area was suddenly covered in darkness and when light returned, the goblins had been stabbed by shadow spikes; all unconditionally dead. The girl sighed and looked at the sun which was starting to set down. Why did that Demon send me here? She voiced a question that she was painfully aware wouldnt be answered and vanished between the trees, leaving the dissolving shadows behind her. Chapter 14: First Howl Chapter 14: First Howl As night was falling, after encountering a few more goblins, Raknas group had reached the section of the forest bordering the mountains and found a small cave in the cliff to settle in for the night. When they were sure that the cave wasnt a sort of nest, Rakna spoke up. Theres something I want to do outside. You two stay here until Ie back, he told his twopanions who looked at him in confusion. via scowled. Where are you going? Its not safe to go out alone its getting dark too. We cane with you if its important. You sounded like housewife saying tha-! An was cut off by an elbow to the sides. He groaned and kneeled on the group pathetically. via cleared her throat with a faint blush and Rakna blinked at his friend wriggling on the ground. Dont worry. I can take care of myself, he dered and turned around to leave the cave. Its better for you to stay here. Dont think that I didnt notice how taxing your power was. Be sure to protect her, An. Sure thing An raised his hand shakily from the ground and Rakna nodded before rushing back inside the forest. via sighed. Hes too reckless Nah, more like, he just doesnt care, An straightened his back and sat up. For as long as I have known him, he has never feared anything. You probably never saw him scared ever since you met him, did you? via could only smile helplessly. That was true. The only times she could see Rakna express anything simr to fear intensity-wise is when When he switches, huh? Anplemented her line of thought when he recognized her sour expression. Dont worry too much. I know the old master told us his dual personality could be dangerous for his psyche but Im sure he can deal with it. via nodded slowly. Youre right ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Rakna was running through the dense forest with Pronos casually lying down on his head and feeling the wind. What he wanted to do was simply cut a tree or two to, one, gather firewood for the night and two, evaluate his current strength in a bit more detail. Once he deemed it to be far enough from the cave to not attract anyone with the noise, he chose a regr-sized tree among the many and stood in front of it. The first thing he did was cast Appraisal. Until now, he had never used this ability on something other than humans, monsters, or items. His small experiment was to see if it produced any result on purely inanimate objects. And, as he expected, a prompt appeared in front of him. Followed by a surprising but pleasing notification. ? ? ? ? ? A 100-year-old oak tree. It shows signs of healthy development but is slightly leaning to its north side. The trunk has been infused with very minute amounts of magical energy and is rtively stronger than normal trees. ? Blunt Resistance Value: 50 shing Resistance Value: 20 ? ? ? ? ? Ding! ? ? ? ? ? Appraisals level increased to 4. Depending on the difference between the user and the targets level, a personal description of the person will now appear on the status. ? ? ? ? ? Although Rakna was happy about his skill getting stronger, he had already run out of ideas to level it up. If he understood correctly, Appraisal required a different condition to be upgraded every time. Ill think about itter, he said inwardly before pointing two of his fingers at the trunk. His ws instantly came out and pierced the tree albeit by only a few centimeters. Rakna retracted them afterward and mused. Well, I guess this is a reasonable piercing power. Its enough to go easily through flesh anyway. Rakna mused about it for a bit more before going to his next test. Pronos, take some distance, he warned and the little snake nodded before slithering away. This time, Rakna deactivated Ulvias Illusion and his ears and tail came back. He sighed deeply and tapped into the throbbing sensation in his chest. His heart started beating quicker and louder every second. His eyes glowed and his canines grew. His bones made cracking sounds and suddenly every bird and animal in the vicinity started running away in fear. When the sunpletely disappeared from the sky, the howl of a wolf resounded throughout the entire forest. The sound was low and booming; like a mix between a howl and a growl. Almost every Host heard it and shuddered. When it faded away, there was a brief moment of silence before countless other howls echoed. From the depths of the forest, apparent wolf packs were responding to the call. The beasts singing finally stopped after several minutes and everyone was on edge. Meanwhile, Rakna exhaled as his body had returned to normal. He looked at himself and frowned at the fact that he was entirely naked. The only thing he was wearing was his scarf. What had happened was that during his transformation, he had hastily put his clothes inside his spatial ring before they could be ripped apart. This might be annoying I wonder if, he muttered to himself and his ring shined for a second and his clothes returned exactly to how they were. He checked if they were actually ced correctly and not upturned or anything before nodding in satisfaction. This ring is more useful than I thought. Ssssh! As he was getting lost in thoughts, Pronos hiss jolted him awake. His small partner was staring at the obscurities of the forest. It was then that he could hear noises getting closer and closer to them. Rakna squinted and picked up arge chunk of wood as his feet. He put it on his shoulder and picked up Pronos before letting him get inside his scarf. Lets leave, he mumbled and kicked the ground. Behind him, what was once a robust tree was nothing more than a lump of leaves and wood pieces with w marks on them. ? * * * ? When Rakna returned to the cave with the illusion over his wolf features, he immediately used the ive form of Sonata to cut apart the wood. He then used Obsidians Smoke to light up a fire. As the trio was sitting around the fire, An spoke, So? What now? We share information, Rakna replied and looked at him, silently using Appraisal. ? ? ? ? ? Name: An River Age: 18 | Level: 6 Race: Male Human | Title: Nil Potential: S- ? Attributes: Strength: 10 | Endurance: 7 Speed: 3 | Dexterity: 3.4 Intelligence: 2.4 | Luck: 2 ? Avable points: 1 ? Equipped Items: C Shock Gloves: A pair of enchanted gloves that are capable of generating momentum with each strike. When the momentum is strong enough, a shock wave is released. Perks: Attack +10 and Defense +10 (Limited to the hands) ? Statistics: Stamina: 30.4 | MP: 24/24 Swiftness: 10.8 | Agility: 9.8 Senses: 15.8 | Atr Cap: 27.8 Attack: 59.9 (49.9 + 10) | Defense: 41 (31 + 10) Magic Attack: 7.2 | MP Regen: 0.10/min ? Proficiencies: C Mixed Martial Arts (Lv.7) C Drawing (Lv.6) ? Magic Skills: C Unawakened. ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Pain Resistance (Lv.5) C Fear Resistance (Lv.4) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv.3) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C None ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Eion Auto-Sustainable Nanomachines: Automatically kills foreign organisms and allows rapid improvement in body strength as well as the use of more muscle cells. C Photographic Memory: A rare aptitude to instantly memorize something one has seen. ? Note: An River is an orphan from a young age. He considers Rakna Xiorra his irreceable best friend. His rtionship with thetter allowed him to train under his uncle and acquire military-grade nanomachines from him. Hes usually a man with a bright personality; his past experiences have made him stronger mentally. ? ? ? ? ? What Rakna saw in his friends status didnt surprise him. He knew what An was capable of for the most part. His S- potential was well-deserved. On the other hand, the recent addition to his Appraisal was quite interesting. This note could be a very useful ability in the future if it worked on strangers as well. First of all, theres something I want to verify, Rakna began and they both listened to him. An already told me, but did you twoplete the Initiation, and if yes, did you leave the school grounds? via answered by shaking her head. I didnt finish. Although Im quite sure I could have defeated the Rider, the awakening of my telekinesis tired me too much. Rakna nodded then turned toward An and he shrugged. As I said, I did finish the Initiation and I did explore the forest around for an hour or so. Why? Did you find anything out of the ordinary there? Huh? What kind? A special enemy. Hmm, no There were only kobolds no matter where I went. I see Rakna closed his eyes after confirming his suspicions. All right, next is to identify our personal capabilities. Summarized, I would say An is a robust damage dealer, via is both a support and a rear-line mage, Pronos here is a swift and tanky assassin, and as for me, I am a fast damage dealer. Yeah, I guess thats pretty urate, An said with a hand on his chin. Only you and I can fight up close. I guess we should maintain a 2:1 formation in most cases with your little pet as the wild card, he said then looked at via and his eyes lit up. Now that I think about it, teach, how is it to use magic? Its not magic I think, she retorted and looked at her hands. And I dont know to be honest. It just feels natural. All I need to do is control my thoughts and I can snap the neck of my target An chuckled wryly at her choice of word. You said that you didnt use mana too It uses psyche instead, Rakna answered for her. Its not really exined on her skill description but I think you can imagine it to be like cerebral waves. That would mean that she will get tired mentally instead of using mana. Eeh, thats still awesome. I really want to awaken my magic now! An eximed with palpable excitement. via giggled at his childish behavior and Rakna shook his head with a sigh. Apparently, you will have to wait to finish this tutorial first to do that. An snorted. True. In any case, what about you, Rak? Were not like you, you know? We cant see your status. How did you even get that skill? It just appeared, Rakna shrugged. I believe an analytical behavior is required to unlock it. If you inspect a foes particrities to the veryst detail perceivable, you might get it. Well, Im not sure about you, An, but Im pretty sure via is capable of doing it. hey, are you insinuating Im too dumb for it? An grumbled. Yes. Other than that, I have the proficiencies that you would expect with spear mastery at the top. My little personal condition that you know of has also be a trait somehow and then I too have a Nirvana Skill. Damn, really? An eximed dejectedly. Am I the only one without one? Dont be too disappointed, via tried to cheer him up. My shopkeeper said that it was extremely rare to have one. Indeed. Additionally, youre also an S ss potential like us, Rakna added. You guys are not helping. Its like Im being told Im doing good in life while you both are millionaires. Thats an interesting analogy, Rakna deadpanned and via chuckled. Anyway, lets rest. Theres no point in going over everything today. As for my Nirvana Skill Ill keep it a secret for now. Of course, you will An groused. via smiled and stood up to sit against the wall of the cave next to Rakna. She closed her eyes and whispered, You dont mind? Rakna nced at her and shook his head before also closing his eyes. An watched the two of them and snorted before doing the same thing. Then, a few minutester, Rakna had one regretful thought. I should have bought a nket. Chapter 15: Wolf King Chapter 15: Wolf King The moon was halfway through its cycle when Rakna woke up. He first looked at via who was leaning against his shoulder then saw his tail unhidden by the illusion. Without making a single noise, he slowly got up from his position and guided the sleeping via to lie down. He took out his scarf and put it under her head so that she wouldnt have to sleep on the hard ground. Next to her was Pronos who also hadnt woken up. Raknas high dexterity had made him incredibly good at handling small movements. He could probably carry her and run a few kilometers without disturbing her sleep in the slightest. When he was done with that, he nced at An, who was borderline snoring and exited the cave. When he came out, his attention was pulled by the moon. He squinted and started thinking. If he was a werewolf now, what would the full moon do to him? He was tempted to ask Alexa but that wasnt his current objective. Just like earlier, he once again reached for the feeling in his chest and triggered his shapeshift. His canines grew, his eyes didnt glow this time but instead slowly became those of a wolf. Midnight fur grew on his skin and his spatial ring flickered to store his clothes. He gradually got on all fours and eight new appendages suddenly grew near his already grown tail. Rakna immediately felt a weird and instinctive urge to howl but held it in. It wouldnt do any good to wake up everyone around. When he was done with his shapeshift, he tried to take a step forward only to fall on his side. nice, he muttered, confirming at the same time that he could still speak, although it was unrecognizable. He looked at himself and raised an eyebrow. To start off, he wasnt as big as the wolf he fought but he certainly wasnt small. One could say that he was simply human-sized; just a bit bigger than normal wolves. Then, the second thing that bemused him was his tails. For some reason, he had now nine of them but a quick check of his status showed him that the only difference was his speed going from nine to fifteen. Alexa, why are my tails all unlocked? [They are not unlocked, Rakna. To be exact, they are just manifestations. I cannot affirm with confidence, but I would presume that the form youre currently in has the full structure of the Nine-Tailed Wolf genome without a human half. So, the tails are there because it is as your current race should be but they in fact dont carry any power.] Youre starting to be useful. Thanks. [You are wee.] Rakna stood up again and tried to regain bnce with his new physiology. Since his dexterity was still as high as ever, it only took him a few tries to be perfectly in tune with his limbs. All right, a growl-like voice came out of his mouth. He hunched forward and kicked the ground at full strength. His paws left an imprint on the soil and within the next few seconds, he had already traveled at least a hundred meters. His vision almost seemed to slow down as he jumped over the bushes and even over the branches of the trees that were at least three meters high. He continued to run for at least ten minutes before he finally put a brake on his sprint. Hm, he voiced and sat down just like any other lupine would. This speed is very nice. The werewolf form gives me a 50% boost to everything except luck but I cant overlook this one. The additional 20% to speed are not to be underestimated. As he was ruminating, Rakna unconsciously lifted his paw to lick it only to freeze halfway and stare at his leg. I guess thises with animal instincts as well, hemented before opening his status and finally taking a look at the title he gained from killing the nine-tailed wolf. ? ? ? ? ? Legendary yer There are very few beasts that deserve the nomination of Legendary. They are powerful, domineering, and rulers of their brethren. This title is a medal for those who have managed to subjugate such leaders of nature. ? Title Effect: Attack, Magic Attack, and Defense +10% against Legendary Creatures and above. Note: Certain titles can have effects on the rtionship with dwellers of the System. ? ? ? ? I see this probably wont be useful in the near future, Rakna remarked to himself. He was about to go back to the cave and sleep when his ear twitched and his nose picked up something. He stopped in his tracks then looked at his left with sharp eyes. As soon as he did so, a wolf with gray fur and a scar over one of its eyes came out from a bush. Compared to Rakna, the animal was actually quite small but it didnt seem to be fearful. Afterward, following it, many others came out one after the other. An entire pack of wolves had abruptly appeared and the only thing they did was stare inplete silence. Rakna wouldnt have been as puzzled as he was if it wasnt for one thing. He could guess that they had looked for him after his little stunt in his werewolf form but what he couldnt understand was their motive. He always had full trust in his instincts and this System had only served to strengthen that trust. And, right now, he knew for sure that these wolves werent hostile. He frowned at them and his new bestial automatisms made him growl, shing his fangs. What do you want? Then,pletely out of his expectations, every single one of these predators of nature lowered their head to him and even somewhat kneeled by bending their front legs. It was at that moment that the System made itself known. ? ? ? ? ? Through meeting several conditions, you have learned a new skill; Intimidation! ? Intimidation (Lv.1): By ring your magic energy, you can ethereally release the weight of your full power on your targets. Those who are weaker than you and are not higher leveled than you will be dealt a psychological blow. The higher the skill level, the more people will get affected and the more damage will be done to their mental. Cost: 1 MP per minute. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna was already surprised enough but another prompt appeared afterward. ? ? ? ? ? The wolves are in awe of your appearance. They revere the Nine-Tailed Wolf and have acknowledged you as their leader. Congrattions! You have acquired a new title; Wolf King! ? Wolf King Only the mightiest of wolves can be given the designation of King. The King of Wolves canmand hundreds of his brethren to die for him with but a mere grunt. Title Effect: Intimidation Skills will ignore levels when used on wolf-type beings and there is a chance for the Host to even suppress stronger foes. ? Title Skill: Call of Fangs Note: All titles can be equipped at the same time and do not need to be swapped. However, the possibility of unequipping one still exists. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna wasnt even sure how to react. Is this title a privilege of Nine-Tailed Creatures? It would seem likely, he thought then looked at the wolves gathered in front of him. Return to your turfs for now. Ill call you if needed. The pack immediatelyplied and disappeared into the woods. They didnt seem to have problems understanding human speech. Rakna sat down again as his nine tails wagged around him freely and focused on the skill given to him by the title. The System responded to him and showed him its description. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Skill/Spontaneous Skill Name: Call of Fangs Tier: Special Learning Requirements: Wolf King ? Description: When the user activates this skill, their howl will call every suitable wolf in the vicinity toe to battle. When there isnt any suitable target, the user can also summon Shadow Wolves with a level matching the quantity of mana spent on each. The Shadow Wolves level cannot be higher than the summoner and they cannot remain longer than five minutes if not killed. ? ? ? ? ? is this what they call overpowered? Rakna muttered dully. Basically, if I were to summon a level 7 shadow wolf right now, it would cost me seven mana points? [Affirmative,] Alexa answered. I see. Then I guess I can only summon five of them for now. Or I could also summon forty level ones. I guess the threat of this skill depends on how strong each shadow wolf actually is He mumbled and then couldnt help but yawn as his body requested him to rest. He stood up and stretched his body. He readied himself and then started sprinting back toward the cave. Since he had already gotten used to the feeling of this body, he was even faster than before. When he arrived, he didnt enter the cave but chose a rtively close tree and jumped on a branch before lying down. He lied his head on his crossed paws as his tails waved with the wind. He was taking the asion to sleep in wolf form and get used to it. He also didnt want to get back inside since he would have to use an illusion to hide his features again and it would waste mana. Although he didnt mind revealing his abilities to his twopanions, he always had been taught to keep as many secrets as possible. Not out of vanity but out of vignce. Life was like a card game. Every time you learn something new, you draw a new card to your hand. But what would the point of the game be if you carelessly revealed it? When you have many hidden cards, youll notice that there will always be at least one that you can rely on to win at the very end. Or so he said Rakna huffed and his ear twitched. He opened one of his purple eyes and spotted Pronosing out of the cave half-asleep. The little snake then proceeded to go up the tree his owner was on before gettingfortable on his back. Little guy, did you just sleepwalk so that you could use me as your bed? Rakna didnt get any response, proving to him that Pronos truly was asleep. He didnt know if he should find it cute or annoying. Then, before he could get some shut-eye himself, he saw two goblins slowly creeping their way toward the cave. This night is starting to tick me off He muttered inwardly and he activated one of his newest skills. At that exact moment, the two goblins suddenly froze. They began to sweat and their sight gradually turned toward a certain tree; a branch to be exact. There, they saw nothing but the silhouette of nine tails forming a half-circle and a pair of daunting purple eyes as well as eerily white fangs within the darkness. They instantly threw away their weapons and ran away while crying in fear. ? ? ? ? ? Intimidation has sessfully affected two targets. Fear Debuff induced. Intimidation increased to level 2. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snorted and finally went back to sleep. Chapter 16: Avian Trial Chapter 16: Avian Trial The sun was rising and the morning fog was still present when a loud thud resounded that made several birds fly away. Eh?! What?! Where am I?! Who am I?! An screamed as he was jolted awake. He blinked at his surroundings and saw via rubbing her eyes while holding Raknas scarf in her hand. What was that sound? Rakna? She uttered and walked out of the cave. An groaned andid down again whileining about those damn early risers. When via was out, she yawned a bit then spotted Rakna lying down on the ground and staring at the sky with an expressionless expression. His clothes were messy and Pronos looked like he had just been through a traumatic experience. what happened? What was that sound? it was a a boar. A boar? Yes, a boar. Positively. A boar. Ran into the tree and then left. Very quickly, he replied coolly and Pronos stared at him incredulously. He stared back. Little guy, even I have my pride. I will never admit that I just fell from a tree while sleeping. Pronos deadpanned and Rakna responded in kind until via crouched next to him. He sighed and sat up as the little snake coiled around his neck. via smiled and handed him Sonata. Thank you for this. Youre wee, he said and wore his scarf again, much to the pleasure of Pronos who had gotten used to it being his little home. Is An still asleep? I think. That noise woke him up but he probably fell asleep again. Well, no wonder he has low-level fatigue resistance, hemented. Really? How low? Level 3. To rify, mine is level 7 and yours is level 6. I see does that mean the resistances are something that everyone has? Most likely. Pain, Fear, and Fatigue Resistance These three passive skills might be the only ones avable to normal humans, he said and looked at the sky again. That aside, while I was resting on the grass just before, I saw something interesting. What do you mean? via asked as she followed his line of sight. She couldnt see much because of the fog but her attention was caught by the outlines of the mountain tops. Her eyes slowly widened as she noticed the countless small silhouettes standing on them. Are those? Eagles, Rakna finished for her. I can use Appraisal from here. For now, the highest level I saw was two. But there are hundreds if not thousands of them up there. And I can feel them staring at us. Or more specifically, everyone down here. Do you think that theyre targeting us? I cant say but if this entire forest is surrounded by a chain of mountains and that every single one of them has thousands of eagles perching on their peak, I dont even want to imagine the kind of trap it would be if all of them attacked at once. Level one they may be but their number is nothing less than terrifying, Rakna affirmed calmly and via inevitably turned nervous. After a few moments of silence, a yawn was heard. Whats going on? An groggily asked as he came out of the cave. Rakna stood up and dusted his clothes. We were talking about the possibility of a downpour of birds, he replied and An blinked. a what? There, via just pointed at the sky instead of exining. The fog was starting to disperse and An easily spotted the eagles this time. Okay? But what do we do with that information? I dont have an umbre for that, you know. Rakna snorted and cracked his neck. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it before walking away. Isnt it obvious? Were going up. Wait, what? An froze. Are you saying that you want to not only climb a mountain that is quite obviously very steep but also go and see hundreds of massive birds that may or may not attack at sight? Very nicely summarized, Rakna uttered as he continued to get farther away from them. Were going to follow this mountain wall until theres a viable path upward. Lets get moving. An opened his mouth wide as his friend disappeared behind the trees. The guy didnt even stop a second to wait for us! He shouted internally. via sighed along with him. Well, we were the ones who decided to put our lives in his hands. Theres nothing we canin about, she said. Just take a look behind you, she added before leaving to follow Rakna. Behind? An muttered and turned around. His eyes immediately widened. There were at least a dozen of spiked weapons on the ground that noticeably belonged to goblins. Rakna had kept watch even in his sleep. Even with his eyes closed, or his senses shut down, he still could somehow sense threats approaching, and all of them had been chased away like the first two. He also had leveled up his Intimidation skill again during the night. An scratched his head and ran off to catch up. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, the group of students led by the blond-haired teen from the day before came up with the same idea as Rakna and were searching for a path. After spending the night near a river, they also had spotted the eagles on top of the mountain. Hey, bro, are you sure its a good idea? A young girl spoke to the leader. She possessed the same features as him and one would easily guess they were siblings if not twins. And, just like the people around her and her apparent brother, she had a tattoo of a white phoenix next to her corbone. Yes, Im sure, Leia, her brother replied as if it was obvious. Leia scowled. Could you at least exin why? Weve been going in this blind since yesterday. I dont want to die today. I agree with her on this, Leis, an impressively buff guy for a high schooler added as he walked to them. Ill still follow you no matter what happens, and Im sure its the same for the gang but I think its best to give us an exnation. Leis sighed. Alright Guys! Lets take a break. At this point, you all better listen up. I dont wanna repeat myself if any of you has a question too. Yes, boss! Everyone shouted in response and regrouped from their formation. They stood in a circle around their leader, in case a monster would appear while he was talking. Leis leaned against a tree and crossed his arms. Just think about the situation. This shitty mission we got doesnt exin how to find the exit. At first, I thought it was simply hidden somewhere but I doubt it now. Why? Leia asked. Because this ce is small, Leis answered and pointed at the chain of mountains. This entire forest is surrounded by that and the area within isnt actually that big. I dont believe that theres anything worthwhile beyond the mountains so we should be able to find the exit in a few days at most, and thats still being pessimistic. Well, that would be true if finding it was really all that mattered. For me, it sounds too easy. There must be a condition, a prerequisite, or something, to update this mission we have right now. Like, for example, defeat a certain boss to open the exit, or resolve some puzzle, I really dont know. What I know though is that those eagles up there arent normal and their appearance overnight only makes it even more suspicious. Thats why were going there, its our only hint so we better follow it while we can. That makes sense I guess, Leia muttered. Leis shrugged and signaled everyone to move again. They all nodded and formed a new formation again. Anyone would have been able to tell that their movements were very disciplined, almost as if it was an actual military march. In any case, were probably not the only ones going there. Xiorra is most likely going too for one. Xiorra? Whos that? Leis was about to answer when he saw someone emerge from behind the trees. He furrowed his eyebrows when he could discern their appearance. Long, almost wavy, ck hair, crimson eyes, and a figure that couldnt pass unnoticed. The two of them made eye contact the moment they noticed each other. Leis slowly reached for the katana at his belt without losing sight of her. Who are you? He inquired gravely. Whats wrong, boss? Shes just the same as us, no? One of the gangs members eximed. No, the buff guy instantly refuted. He also was on guard. Im familiar with pretty much everyone in our school. Ive never seen her and she hasnt the appearance of someone easily forgettable. Everyone gradually realized the situation as none of them even had the smallest recollection about someone as pretty as her. The girl in question clicked her tongue and a swirl of darkness manifested itself around her hand. I have no reason to fight you. So kindly forget about me. Leis looked at one of his members. He was a pretty average looking teen with short ck hair but he had a few unique features such as his height and his uncanny dead-fish eyes concealed under a pair of sses. How is it, Dan? Dan pushed his sses up and scrutinized the woman. No data. Either she has a way of countering my skill or shes too high level. What I can say though He squinted and he couldnt help but feel nervous despite himself. Her race isnt disyed as human. The person in question raised an eyebrow. Then what is she? Leis urged him. Shes a-! His answer was interrupted by a sudden earthquake followed by a booming sound. Leis raised his head and saw something surface on the horizon. It was right in the center of the circr area delimited by the mountains and appeared to being out of the earth. A short momentter, the earthquake stopped and everyone was shocked. Something had indeed emerged from underground and it stood tall, taller than the mountains. The heck is that Someone muttered and every Host scattered around the teau Zero showed simr reactions. The unknown structure was in fact a statue. A giant statue of an eagle with its wings spread out and on top of its head, there was another eagle. But this one was clearly alive. It wasnt as big as the statue but it was easily bigger than a literal house. || The trial has been initiated. || The Systems voice echoed and the tutorial mission was updated. ? ? ? ? ? Tutorial Mission: Hunt & Escape Description: The Avian Trial. A hunt ceremony has been initiated. The Statue of the Eagle God is the exit and can only be opened with the souls of its descendants. Objective: Eagles will fly down and attack at sight. Once killed, they will drop a Crystallized Soul. Fifty per head are needed to open the exit. Time Limit: 12 Hours. Note: When time runs out, Hosts with less than 50 Souls will be disposed of. Stealing from fellow Hosts is permitted. Additional information: The three first contestants to go through the exit will be granted the title Crowned Seedling and the one with the most Souls will be granted the title Soul Hunter. Default Rewards: ess to the 1st teau, 20 Talys Per Soul. ? ? ? ? Chapter 17: Hunger Chapter 17: Hunger A few minutes earlier. An wheezed as he grabbed onto a crack on the stone. Hey can we just you know, take a break? He uttered between breaths. Dont exaggerate. You have 7 in endurance. via doesntin, why would you? Rakna deadpanned while climbing the mountain wall. Nothing about him hinted at the fact that he was tired expect maybe a few asional sweat drops. Shut up, Rak. You know dexterity is more suited for this kind of shit, he retorted. Also! Of course, teach isntining, shes using her damn cheat to borderline fly! Ever since they had started climbing the mountain almost an hour and a half ago, via had been using her telekinesis to very efficiently make her body lighter. Although she wasnt at the level where she could fly yet, it basically made it very easy for her body to perform any activity. And you too, Rak! I know you can somehow extend your nails and youre using it to literally grab on anything while Im over here killing myself trying to find footholds! You people arent being considerate of ungifted people He grumbled and sighed. His eyes then coincidentally crossed Pronos who was smirking at him from hisfy spot under Sonata. A vein popped on Ans forehead. You damn reptile Stop whining, were close, Rakna muttered and half a minuteter, his hand touched the top. He pulled himself up with a short shout and via followed him. She even somehow sent her entire body over the ledge and very gentlynded on the ground on her two legs. Rakna looked around and saw how the eagles had gotten away from him the moment he got close. But none of them had flown off. All of them were still here and he stood in front of a literal sea of eagles staring at him in an eerie silence. He also noticed that whatid beyond the mountains was nothing more but water. This Tutorial was actually being held on an ind. Ten secondster, An exhaled as he finally got his head over the ledge. So? He uttered with his arms crossed on the ground. What do we do now? He asked with a frown. Rakna squinted and with a thought, his knife appeared in his hand. He flicked his wrist and it flew straight to an eagles head before going through it. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.3 Eagle killed. Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 31/70 You are the first to acquire a Crystallized Soul. The Avian Trial has been initiated. ? ? ? ? ? Immediately afterward, the ground started shaking and An nearly fell off. He hastily climbed up and looked at the forest below with wide eyes. From their perspective, the appearance of the Eagle Gods Statue looked even more impressive than it already was. Then, the trio also got the mission update prompt from the System and the eagles all began to p their wings and take off. All except the closest to Raknas group. Rakna nced at the wave of birds going down toward the forest then looked back at the ones surrounding him. I seeing here was just a trigger. And the reward for it is a bonus of easily attainable Crystallized Souls. Is that so? An muttered with an obviously satiric tone and reluctantly took a stance. Was it worth the climb though? Who knows, Rakna replied as Sonata transformed in his hand. Pronos jumped down and hissed at the eagles. via waved her hand and made the first move. In the split of a second, two eagles had their neck twisted. The others then started to take altitude but before all of them could get out of range, both Rakna and An sliced and crushed six of them. Then, the golden-eyed birds plunged back once they were high enough. Rakna narrowly dodged one aiming at his head and elbowed it while it was still in midair. An casually caught its own and via literally forced it to crash on the ground in front of her. I dont wanna sound cocky but these birds are weak, Anmented as he looked at the flock circling them in the sky. Dont rx yet, Rakna said as he pierced one eagles head with his ws. This skill of his had hit level 2 while climbing the mountain and now dealt even more damage. I know that youre not aware but the attributes of these eagles have slowly been increasing ever since the statue appeared. Their average level has even increased by one. What? Youre kidding, right? An was wide-eyed. How fast? via inquired with a small frown. She herself had noticed that it was getting slightly harder to kill the eagles as time passed. Her telekinesis gave her an unexpectedly good sensitive feedback. The strength she needed to snap their neck had been increased by at least 2 kilos. For now, it seems to be around 0.01 every second, Rakna estimated as he pulled back. He grunted as another eagle brushed past him. A normal eagles optimal plunging speed is already near 160km/h. If they keep getting faster, itll get too hard to dodge, he thought. Shit, isnt that a bit too unfair? Theyll be invincible at this rate, An uttered. However, I dont think its time-based, Rakna added as Pronos got back on his shoulder. Although the little snake had managed to get a few kills while they were still on the ground, he couldnt do anything else since they werent targeting him anymore. What do you mean? Do you think its something else that makes them stronger? Their number, vias eyes shed as two bloodied birds fell at her feet. The hunt has probably started down there as well. When their number decreases, their individual strength goes up. This is probably whats happening right now. Rakna nodded. That would be the most likely exnation. He then looked at the circle of birds above him and suddenly thought of something. Alexa, can you tell me whats the range of the spatial ring Kaelith gave me? And is it possible to store dust in it? And if yes, could I take out all of it in one go? [The range is 10 meters and the answer to your two other questions is yes. There is no limit to the quantity you can store at once and the ring only needs you to imagine how much you want taken out and in what way.] An, Rakna raised his voice immediately after. Are your gloves charged? Huh? An was startled. He kicked the eagle near him and nced at his glowing gloves before turning toward his friend. Yes? Why? Punch the ground as hard as you can. The more destruction the better. An scowled butplied nheless as he prepared to deal out the strongest punch he could muster. via, support his momentum as he punches and at my signal, focus your telekinesis under my feet, Rakna instructed and she nodded. A second after, An inhaled and his fist collided with the mountain top. He grimaced a bit because of the pain then his gloves released a shockwave. The stone broke apart into pieces and a cloud of dust was raised. The eagles screeched and flew up to avoid it. Now! Rakna shouted and felt a certain power gather around his legs. He ran right into the middle of the dust cloud and crouched before jumping as high as he could. At the same time, his ring shed and both the rubble and the dust disappeared in an instant. The eagles watched as a human jumped high enough to get above them and before they could react, ayer of dust and rocks suddenly appeared above them. But it wasnt over arge area, one could even say it was quitepacted. At best, this improvised meteorite would only kill a few eagles. However, while still in midair, Rakna used his lighter to trigger Sonata a second time. The Guandao glowed and changed shape to form an azure arc. Then a blue string emerged from one tip and as if it was alive, went for the other tip The string flickered and Rakna pulled it toward his shoulder. A cyan arrow then red into existence on his newly created bow. It was made of pure energy and was causing fullbustion with the air. When via saw that, her face grew pale. Thats reckless! She shouted and ran away. An, get on the ground! Rakna squinted and released the arrow before the cloud of dust could disperse too much. An azure trail of light was then shot and reached the cloud under a second. via jumped behind a boulder with An and they covered their heads and ears as a deafening explosion resounded. The mountains top was struck by a powerful shockwave and the eagles, if not killed on the spot, plummeted toward the ground and died. Rakna grunted as the shock blew him away and Pronos clung to his neck. He rapidly dropped from the sky and could only curse when he saw that he was not going tond back on the mountain top but go straight down toward the ocean. He spun during his fall to get his momentum back under control and put Sonata back around his neck. His nails became sharper without extending, his fangs grew longer, and then his tail and ears reappeared on him as the illusion gave out. While free-falling, Rakna did his best to steer himself back toward the mountain and when he reached it, he nted his ws in the stone to break his fall. He growled unconsciously and some faint traces of fur appeared on his skin. It took him nearly a hundred meters of distance topletely stop his momentum. When he waspletely safe, it was Pronos who sighed in relief for him. After that, Raknas features returned to normal as Ulvias Veil was activated again. The semi-transformation he had just used was a certain quirk he had managed to make out the day before. He could somewhat control the process of his Werewolf transformation and stop it midway. In that case, he could retain a human figure but his power boost fell from 50% to 20%. Rakna! He looked up and noticed that he could still see the top and via standing on the edge. He waved his hand to tell her he was fine. ? * * * ? Back on top of the mountain, via sighed in relief while An sat down with a tired face. The heck just happened? Dust explosion, via answered. Though its weird, that wasntbustible dust. It couldnt have exploded unless Unless what? Unless the spark was strong enough How hot was that arrow? She muttered then got an idea. She went back toward the area An had destroyed. She touched the ground with her finger but nothing got stuck. Not even a single speck of dirt. I see he somehow collected every small particle around here andpressed them into a small cluster. I guess if you gather dust, dirt, even the very small dead nts here and there, and then ount in the abnormally hot arrow it might be feasible. Well, that arrow was probably made out of Eion, right? I saw it turn back into a scarf when he was falling. Maybe he got to upgrade Sonata with the shop or something. Eion can evenbust concrete. It would make sense, An remarked and via tilted her head. Sonata? An chucked. Yep, Azure Sonata. He never told you? Thats the name of his weapon. The old master made it for himst year. It can repair itself, release heat, and change form. Damn, I was so jealous at the time. I see Looks like there are a lot of things he doesnt tell me, via said with a wry smile. Even before all of this. An blinked at her. Well, dont get too sad. Even I dont know everything about him. I have no idea how he lived before getting adopted, and, heck, I dont even know who the old master actually was or even his name! All I know is that he was a very important person, a martial master, and an old man who somehow had ess to restricted Eion materials. Trust me, you dont want to know who he was, a voice said and both An and via shuddered. They looked back to see Rakna crouching next to them with a nk expression. Hahahaha, An scratched his head sheepishly. You climbed back up pretty fast Um, what you did was very impressive, you know? via also tried to change the subject. Its fine. I dont care if youre curious about my past or the old man. Ill tell you one day if it everes to it, he said and stood up. He then looked at the Eagle Gods Statue and the creature that was perched in its head. His eyes met the eagles and Rakna felt something stir inside of him. His vision blurred for a second and when he blinked, he saw red lines all over the giant eagle that all led to a specific spot in its chest; a beating heart. With each beat, Rakna felt more and more agitated. Lets quickly go back, he said and walked toward the cliff. Im getting hungry. His two friends looked at each other with a perplexed expression before following him. Chapter 18: Weapon Mastery Chapter 18: Weapon Mastery Meanwhile, the encounter between Leis group and the ck-haired girl had been interrupted because of the System message and they both had lost sight of each other quite quickly. They had been swarmed by the eaglesing from above their heads and the fact that the goblins had been alerted of their position wasnt helping in the slightest. Leis clicked his tongue as he stabbed an eagleing from behind with a reverse grip. He turned around and shed two goblins heads before returning his de to his sheath. We should have gone to that mountain earlier, he muttered whilst standing back-to-back with his sister. We would not have had to deal with the goblins and the terrain would have been much more advantageous. Indeed, Dan agreed as he jumped from one tree to another with a dagger in hand. He pushed his sses and looked at Leia who flinched a little bit. As long as we stay in the forest, not only are goblins capable of ambushing us at any moment, but the eagles also have more blind spots to exploit and they can retreat farther up in the sky while if it was up there, the air would be thinner and harder to navigate for them. Fine, fine, fine!! Leia shouted at him. Stop spouting smart shit, smart asses! Im sorry I woke upte, okay?! Now focus on the damn birds! The whole gangughed at her words and it was that moment that everyone heard and saw the detonation ur at the top of the mountain. Raknas dust explosion was observable by every Host and they all saw the giant eagle at the top of the God Statue look at it as well. The buff guy of the gang whistled as he mmed a shield on an eagle. That was shy. I wonder who it was. Was that a bomb or something? Maybe Dan mumbled while staring at it. He saw the blue mes that preceded the explosion and he only knew of one thing that could produce that kind of hue. But since he couldnt really say if it was Eion or just a System Item, he stayed silent. In any case, lets hurry and find a shelter, Leis instructed loudly. A cave or a ce with a lot of trees and no gaps would be best. If ites to it, we can also just cut down a few trees and pile them up. Understood! ? * * * ? When Rakna reached the foot of the mountain, his wolf ears hidden under the illusion twitched and made him look in a certain direction where a pair of glowing eyes was looking. He squinted and waited for via and An tond next to him. Whats with that look? Thetter asked immediately after seeing him. Nothing Im just wondering if it works even like this, Rakna replied much to the confusion of hispanions. He then put his index finger and his thumb in his mouth and whistled very loudly. Right after, several howls echoed, but very shortly this time, unlikest night. This included the wolf that had been hiding in the bushes just next to the trio. via heard it and saw it run off after it stopped howling. Did you just? She was baffled. I called for some help. Dont mind the details, Rakna said. Our priority right now is to get you two 50 Crystallized Souls each. How many do you have? Uuh, An checked his system prompt. 18. 23, via followed. What about you? 53. I already reached the quota thanks to earlier. Thats why Ill help you hunt, Rakna stated. Damn, you got a lot in one go. You must be level 8, right? I barely got 7 just now, An uttered. Same here, via added and looked around. So, how do we do this? Most of the eagles already have targets. Itll be hard to find isted ones. Do we just go steal others hunting grounds? We dont need to, Rakna dered and whistled again. But this time, he did it sporadically as if he was trying to ry a message. He was answered with more howls. It wont take long. We can try to find some while waiting. An scowled. Waiting for what? He asked and the expression his friend gave him at his inquiry surprised him. It was the usual aloof face he had gotten used to but his eyes seemed to be almost smiling. The delivery. ? * * * ? Somewhere in the forest, a white rabbit was chewing a leaf when it heard footsteps approaching. It froze on the spot and turned around shivering. A second after, a literal stream of gray wolves leaped over the little animal andnded loudly before continuing their run. The leader of the pack rushed toward the sounds of the humans fighting. He could hear the shouts and the cries of the birds. The leader only had one order; bring the preys back to the King. Awooo! He howled and his pack concorded. They all reached the battle zone and the humans started panicking. But the leader ignored them. He was a noble level ten gray wolf. Before they even knew what was happening, he already had caught an eagle in his mouth; still alive. At the same time, the rest of the pack disarmed the humans without killing them and proceeded to grab an eagle and bolt away. The same thing happened in several locations. The wolves assembled and formed groups to steal the prey for their King. From the sky, Gray was observing with an aggravated look. He was invisible to everyone on the ground and only the giant eagle would sometimes nce in his direction. Is that supposed to be the capability of an S+? The cyber clown muttered. That kid clearly is a werewolf. Some kind of noble blood as well. But why did all of these wolves submit to him so easily? Theres that weird woman too Why are there two non-human Hosts in a human batch? Gray groaned louder the more he thought about it. In any case, the S+ is breaking the bnce. As expected, that is what I should say but at this rate, its going topletely invalidate the results. But I have no authority over the mission stiptions He mused a bit while whirling his cane then came to a reasonable solution. All right. Well do it this way, he muttered and swiped his hand on his System window. A holographic keyboard then appeared and he started typing on it extremely fast. When he pressed enter, the eagles scattered across the Tutorial stage abruptly stopped attacking and headed toward the school building. Leis, who was about to strike down one of them, frowned when he saw them backtrack and fly toward the school. Weird, whyd they do that? Leia muttered while shouldering a long hammer. Dan! Any witty exnation? I have no idea, Dan replied with a shrug. The wolves hadnt attacked them so they couldnt even guess the cause of the eagles retreat. As a matter of fact, the leaders of the wolf packs were smart enough to recognize that gangs threat and not target them. But, in any case, its not a good sign, he added. Theyre gathering above the school and Im pretty sure most of the goblins from yesterday settled there. That means if we want to continue hunting those birds, we would need to face an army of green-skinned midgets. Leis sighed. Has everyone reached their quota for the mission? No. We still have members short of a few souls, Dan informed. If they had continued to assault for a bit longer, we would all have enough. Its unlucky. What do we do now, bro? Leia asked. Leis shook his head with a sigh. Well, logically, it would be best to get close to the school and carefully pick out some preys but it might not be that simple. Why? Leia raised an eyebrow. Did you already forget? Dan pushed his sses. Theres a certain use in this Avian Trial. A use? The prompt said stealing from fellow Hosts is permitted, remember? Wait, does that mean we can kill others for their souls? Leis rubbed his temples. Lets just do what we can. Well get as close as possible and see if we can hunt enough for all of us to leave. The faster we do it, the better. I may not be willing to harm fellow students but it cant be said the same for everyone. The gang nodded and followed him as he backtracked toward the school. ? * * * ? While the Hosts were panicking or even already plotting against each other, via and An were staring dumbfounded at the many wolves sitting in front of them, happily wagging their tails like tamed dogs, with live eagles in their mouths. Kill them, Rakna told them as he looked at the sky where he could see thest flock of eagles on its way toward the school. He squinted his eyes just a little bit and turned his scarf into a bow for a second time. He raised it and pulled on the string. Two arrows appeared and were knocked at once. Raknas mastery of the bow wasnt that greatpared to his most proficient skills, but his uncanny instinct as well as his wolf constitution sharpened every single of his observing capabilities. He aimed for no more than two seconds before releasing the string. The two energy arrows whistled through the air and Rakna casually wrapped Sonata around his neck again. When he was done, two kill notifications appeared in front of him. Then, unexpectedly, a special prompt followed. ? ? ? ? ? Your Archery has reached level 5. Host has umted a sufficient amount of level 5 proficiencies to initiate abination. ? Will you fuse your Weapon Proficiencies? Y/N ? ? ? ? ? Rakna scowled. Alexa, what is the benefit of this fusion? [You will acquire Weapon Mastery. Your weapon-rted proficiencies willbine to create it and its main advantage is to be able to manipte any possible weapon, even if you have never even touched it before in your life. The level of Weapon Mastery will be the same as your highest proficiency. It is a rare, useful ability, Rakna. I rmend to ept the proposal.] I see can I do the same for my hand-to-handbat proficiencies? [Unfortunately, the conditions for thatbination have yet to be met.] Hm I ept this fusion. The instant he epted, he felt something strange intruding his consciousness. It wasnt painful and it didnt seem like much had changed either. There wasnt any new information in his brain however some of theprehensive gaps for his already acquired proficiencies had been filled. Interesting What is? An asked while approaching him then pointed behind him with his thumb. Were done here. Both of us have 50 souls. Good. Lets go back to the school for now. Huh? Why? We have enough souls now; cant we just leave? Rakna didnt respond and just pointed at the giant eagle resting on top of the statue. Im not following you Those souls were collecting, Rakna started. Were supposed to give them to that statue. But is it really normal for us to be giving an Eagle God the souls of its hunted brethren? Are you insinuating that theres more to this mission? via concluded. Yes. That giant bird is probably a boss. Or at the very least, hes the guardian of the exit. There are high chances we need to defeat it to leave. Well, why not do that then? Also, if we defeat it first, we can have the bonus titles. Rakna shook his head. Alexa, can I share System windows with other Hosts? He inquired out loud and his twopanions could only watch puzzled until they received a prompt asking them if they agreed to receive external data. ept it, Rakna said and lit up a cigarette. He huffed a cloud of smoke that cut off his vision for a second. When it went away, via and An were wearing fearful expressions. Now, if you get it, lets see if we can get somepetent teammates to help us. Chapter 19: Zeera Chapter 19: Zeera ? ? ? ? Name: Aqu Age: 68 | Level: 20 (Sealed) Race: Royal Divine Eagle Title: Eagle Gods Avatar ? Attributes: Strength: 20 | Endurance: 20 Speed: 13 | Dexterity: 12 Intelligence: 24 | Luck: 5 ? Sub-Attributes: Stamina: 85/85 | MP: 240/240 Swiftness: 74 | Agility: 37 Senses: 69 | Atr Cap: 94 Attack: 115 | Defense: 80 Magic Attack: 72 | MP Regen: 1.2/min ? Proficiencies: C Flight (Lv. Max) C Plunge (Lv. Max) C Mana Control (Lv.7) ? Magic Skills: C Wind Magic (Lv.7) => [Tempest (T.8); Jade Rouse (T.9); Wind de (T.10)] C Earth Magic (Lv.4) => [Quake (T.9); Anchor (T.10)] ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Far Sight (Lv.7): A vision unbothered by distance or speed. It is said that this skill allows the user to catch molecr and subsonic movements from thousands of kilometers away at its highest levels. ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Scan (Lv.6): The mostmon analytic skill provided by the System. Its biggest downside is that it cannot scan higher leveled targets and is easily countered by Hosts possessing a higher-grade skill of the same nature, Appraisal included. ? C Atzpul (Lv.3): Rapid take-off. The time needed to take flight is reduced to nearly a second. Cost: 5 Stamina ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Divine Vision: The user can see two seconds into the future and their perception range bes 360 at any time. ? C Avatar of the Eagle God: Bound to the Eagle God Statue. The Avatar is also granted elerated recovery while close to the statue. ? Note: Aqu is one of the Divine Envoys said to have been raised on a Secret teau of the System where the beings of divine nature captured by the yearly summons are rumored to live. This Aqu is merely a clone. Most of his attributes and skills are sealed by the System to match the Seedling Hosts level. ? ? ? ? ? Scary stuff, An remarked as they ran through the forest. Yes this doesnt look like something we can defeat in all honesty, via added. Yeah, also, what are these things between brackets next to the magic skills? Magics, Rakna responded shortly while vaulting over arge root. An deadpanned, Care to be a little more specific? Theyre stand-alone abilities. Alexa called them Sub-Magic Skills and the number between parenthesis represents their Tier. She said that these magics had their own effects as well as their own magic attack multiplicator. Before you ask, my Appraisal is too low to look at the specifics. So for all we know, that Tier 7 Magic of his, Tempest, might be able to deal 300% magic damage or something? Pretty much, Rakna nodded impassively and An sweatdropped. Dude, can we even get through his defense? At least I know I cant. Only the ability of my gloves would be remotely able to something. Its fine. I confirmed it before, defense is a rtive value. Its not because your attack is too low that it will do nothing. At least until a certain threshold probably. Additionally, my attack is high enough, Rakna retorted and An sighed in defeat. This is why you want allies then; I see. via nodded in understanding. Numbers will probably give us the edge we need to fight it. Rakna nodded and as he circled a tree, he heard a gunshot in the distance. Pronos turned his head toward the source with a contorted face. Whats wrong? You dont like the sound? An asked when he noticed and the little snake hissed quietly before looking ahead again. Rakna nced at his pet and hummed. He probably must have grown a dislike for it back at the research facility he was in. Research? via started. Now that I think about it, before being taken here, you said you had an idea of where he came from, right? Yes. Tell me, have you two ever heard of a project called Zeera? Zeera? Cant say I have, An shook his head. What about you, teach? via took a contemting expression before answering, I have gotten wind of it. If Im not wrong, it was a project believed to be as potentially focal as the sessful manufacture of Eion Nuclear Heads. At least, thats what my grandfather told me when he was still an active General in Aurora. I have no idea of what it actually entails. Rakna nodded. Zeera is an acronym for Zoomorphic Eion Encroachment of Reconstructed Acid. A mouthful, I know. Lets say that its main goal was to use Eion to restructure DNA in such a way that it would have the same propriety as Eion Systems. Wait, An spoke up. To be sure Im understanding this right, by Eion System, you mean the reaction of Eion Stones? Correct. As you both know, more than a hundred years ago, we discovered the very first two Eion Stones and found out they produced Eion energy when close to each other. Since then, weve managed to replicate them to have unlimited energy wherever we wanted. My cigarette case, for example, has two miniatures stones to power up the lighter. The Zeera project took this concept even a step higher, Rakna said while sending a look at Pronos. They wanted to create a biological agent capable of transforming cells into Eion Poles and thus allow humans to borderline be superhumans with not only the ability to aliment pretty much any device imaginable by just touching it but also gain powers like inhuman strength, inhuman vitality, increased longevity, and Eion maniption. It was said that the establishment of the Zeera project was the closest humans ever got to actual magic. Wow I guess that never happened then? An remarked. Unless there are Supermen back at home and I had no idea. No, youre right. It never happened. As stated in the name, the project only involved experiments on animals and although it worked a few times, there was a 99.9% chance for a subject to die. When it was concluded that it was impossible to better these odds, they gave up altogether. After all, no one was really willing to try and see if they were the lucky ones. Not even mentioning the still untested potential effects it could have on humans. I see. So, what youre trying to say is that Pronos is one of those survivors? via inquired. Yes. As provided by the System, hes an Eion Snake. Increased physical and mental capabilities plus a very terrifying maniption of Eion Poison, Rakna affirmed with an unmoved face. Thats why he must hate gunshots. The injection would sometimes cause an animal to go berserk and they would have to be put down. He must have seen some of his fellow subjects suffer that fate. Pronos lowered his head and almost seemed to be crying. Everyone stayed silent for a short moment for his sake. Still, Im still shocked, to be honest, An broke the silence with a light tone. I would have never expected something as crazy as that might have actually been possible for humans. Well, are you curious to know what inspired this project? The inspiration you say? via tilted her head. Yes. There was one man who got very close to be that sort of superhuman. That certain man got his chest sted by an Eion System which identally and quite unbelievably, got stuck to his heart without killing him. It gave him inhuman physical and recovery abilities. But, to use that superpower, because of the weakened version of the System he got imnted, he needed an external influx of Eion that would, lets say, kick start the engine. Damn, that must have been a pretty scary guy. Rakna would have smirked if he could. Youve met him, An. Huh? You too, via. You both knew him pretty well in fact. vias eyes widened. Theres no way The old master was a superhuman?! An eximed. Holy shit, no wonder he was so damn strong for a guy over a hundred years old! I suddenly feel better about all the beatings I received Rakna snorted and via wryly smiled but inwardly, she was thinking hard. She stared at the back of her arguably favorite student and frowned. Aurora took over 90 years ago. There is no one who doesnt know how the organization threatened every country in the world with its monopoly over Eion nukes. But, the main factor to their sess was their leader. The same man that people would call a Demon and who would appear uninvited in enemies houses only to leave a sea of corpses behind. Never caught, never beaten. He even once survived an explosionrge enough to raze an entire building. She squinted her eyes. Exactly like a superhuman The familiar smirking face of a terrifyingly intelligent and unnaturally fit old man popped in her head. It cant be can it? Fire! A shout pierced through their conversation and the trio stopped in their tracks. Several gunshots followed and one could hear the cries of goblins and eagles mixed in. At some point, even the sound of an explosion echoed through the forest. An clicked his tongue. Explosives too, huh? I guess the temptation was too big for mere students. Most of them probably bought firearms from the shop. Well, most kids are like that, Raknamented. You speak as if you werent one, via jested. Does one need to be a woman to tell another that he is a man? sorry, Im not sure I get what youre trying to say. Rakna paused. Never mind Guns aside, explosives arent a bad idea. I should have bought some as well. Anyway, lets head toward the fighting, he stated and kicked the ground. At the same time, he whistled and several shadows around the forest moved. ? * * * ? I hate my luck, Leis cursed as he drew his katana and ced it back in its sheath as two goblin heads spun in the air. He then rapidly rolled on the ground to dodge a massive club swung by a massive-version of a goblin wearing leather armor. That makes two of us, Leia added and tried to hit therge monster with her hammer only for it to be grabbed barehanded. Shit, she cursed and let go of her weapon before using it as a foothold to retreat. Watch out, a calm voice announced and Leia looked over her shoulder with a scowl. An arrow then flew past her cheek and pierced the monsters eye. AAARRHHHHH! The green-skinned creature roared in pain and dropped the hammer in his hand as it began to wildly swing its weapon, smashing both goblins and a few unfortunate eagles. The fuck, Dan! Leia shouted at a tree where the one who shot the arrow was perched on. You could have killed me with that! But I didnt. How is that a valid excuse?! Calm down, Leilei, the well-built man of the gang said as he lifted a shield to confront the enemy. Shut up, Gantt! Dont call me, Leilei! She shouted back before rushing back toward the monster and grabbing her hammer back while it was upied trying to get past the shields defense. Leis also sneaked behind it and attempted to sh its neck but before his de could reach it, the oversized goblin crouched and rammed Gantts shield with his shoulder. Gantt winced because of the shock that was transferred to his arm. He clicked his tongue and buried his feet in the ground. Boss! This isnt going anywhere! Hes right! This things a level 10 hobgoblin, with the armor, his defense is nearly 50! I get it! Leis replied and jumped back. Forget about saving up, everyone! Fire! At his order, the whole gang fished out the firearms they had bought and fired with an uncanny proficiency for a group of students. The hobgoblin immediately crossed its arms and crouched to protect its head and heart. Throw the grenades! Leis ordered and several members threw their explosives at the monster. When the explosions urred, they heard the hobgoblin roar before it was drowned in the sound of detonations. Soon afterward, everyone had emptied their magazines and the bullets stopped. I-is it over? One member stuttered. Leis raised an eyebrow at the cloud of smoke and after a good moment of silence, everyone started rxing. Then, the smoke suddenly moved unnaturally and Leis shuddered. Dont rx! Its not dead yet! Even before he could finish his sentence, the hobgoblin had already started rushing toward the closest target it could find. Leia paled as she saw the burned face of the hobgoblin charging at her and tried to lift her hammer. But she would obviously not do it in time. Leia! The second the hobgoblin was in range; she closed her eyes in fear and braced for what was about toe. But nothing of the sort happened and instead, she heard the monster roar in fury. She opened her eyes again and the sight of two wolves gnawing onto the hobgoblins wrists was presented to her. Just after, a shadow leaped over the hobgoblin andnded on its head. Why dont you take a nap? She heard this shiver-inducing voice and then watched as exactly ten weird thin de-like objects pierced the monsters head with an audible sound of bones breaking and flesh being stabbed. The shadow jumped off from the hobgoblins head andnded on the ground at the same time as the corpse fell. Chapter 20: The Piano and the Puppy Chapter 20: The Piano and the Puppy ? ? ? ? Lv.10 Hobgoblin killed. You have dealt the final blow. 100% of experience acquired. Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 20/80 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna flicked the blood off his ws then looked at the remaining goblins nearby. Scram, he uttered and triggered his Intimidation at the same time. The green skinned monsters screeched and bolted away without looking back. Rakna looked in the direction where they were running to and managed to catch a glimpse of the school grounds from the gaps in the trees branches. Leia! Youre okay? Leis ran to his sister and Rakna looked at them. At the same time, via and An arrived and walked to him. Damn, man, youre too fast, An grumbled as he looked at the corpse of the hobgoblin on the ground. He nced at its head and saw the ten small puncture marks before sniggering. Im fine, Im fine. Geez, Leia stood up while pushing away the people next to her with a huff. Leis sighed in relief and turned toward Rakna. Thank you, Xiorra. I cant imagine what would have happened if you didnt intervene, he said. No problem. Hey, An raised his voice, catching everyones attention. Arent you guys the Wing Walkers? He inquired with a tilt of his head. Leis blinked in surprise. Yes Im surprised you know about us. An shrugged. I met that guyst year, he pointed at one of the members behind Leis who pointed at himself in confusion. Yeah, you. I never forget a face, or anything else for that matter. I was passing by when I heard your introduction. You all have the same tattoo as well, no need to be a genius to make the connection. Wing Walkers? via muttered. What is that? Some sort of organization? A gang, Rakna, who had been silent until now, spoke up. Or to be exact, theyre a bunch of military trained orphans who roam the streets to fight the crime and help citizens. At his words, the entirety of the group in front of him stared at him wide eyed. It was as if they had just heard something impossible. You thats not something that should be known to the public, Dan uttered. Where did you hear that? Not relevant, Rakna replied. You-! Calm down, Leis put his hand in front of Dan. Theres no point in fighting here. Much less caring about that kind of stuff when were not even sure to still be on Earth. Xiorra, I guess you were not here just to say hi and save my sister, right? Rakna nodded. Correct. Lets say that I need allies. For what? He answered by pointing at Aqu perched on the statue. To kill that thing. Wait, I thought that gathering these souls was precisely for us to leave without fighting that eagle, Gantt frowned. Are you saying that its wrong? Actually, we cant say for sure, Leis refuted with thoughtful expression. The mission prompt said that gathering fifty souls would open the exit. As for the failing case, those with less will die after time runs out. Indeed, Rakna nodded. From that perspective, that eagle is either a tant threat to people who do not gather enough souls in time or a simple guardian. I lean toward thetter. The System told us that those with less than fifty souls would die; with a wording that left no debate. However, I checked that birds attributes. What? Dan was surprised. How? I tried as well, but my scan was nullified. Rakna nced at him indifferently. Try to use it on me. On you? The spectacled teen scowled but nheless cast his skill. A prompt instantly gave him a result that startled him. ? ? ? ? ? Scan Failed. Target possesses a higher grade of analyzing skills. ? ? ? ? ? Thats why, Rakna said and continued on without waiting for an answer. In any case, Aqu, that eagle, is powerful for sure, but nearly not enough to kill every participant without fail. Additionally, this is a hunt against its own race. The souls might actually be needed to get through the exit, but I dont think that the Eagle Gods Avatar would let us go happy merry after weve murdered hundreds of its kin. Eh? Arent you overthinking it? Leiamented. When she spoke, Rakna looked at her and she briefly blushed but covered it up with a cough. I-I mean, this is a sort of game quest, right? I dont think it goes that deep. Thats where youre wrong, it was via who retorted her argument. We have to take this seriously exactly because its not a game. This is real life. No matter how close to a game you think this is, you cant just go off that thinking. Didnt your shop keeper tell you? This System is full of people like us, who were suddenly abducted. Shes right, Rakna followed and looked over his shoulder to stare at Aqu. Its very likely that the bird over there, is an actual divine being from a ce like our world. Something that was not created but someone who was taken in by the System. This is the reason why we cant think of this as a game. Everyone fell silent until a member of Wing Walkers lifted his hand awkwardly. Um, I have a small question. Hm? Rakna looked at him. Where do thesee from? He pointed at two gray wolves who were silently sitting on the side, wagging their tails. Wait, theyre the ones who stalled the hobgoblin earlier, Leia finally remembered that just before Rakna came to kill the monster, it had been attacked by wolves. Youre asking good questions, Anughed. I too have no idea. Same here, via added and everyone turned to Rakna who casually brought his fingers to his lips and whistled for the wolves to leave. Its rted to my Nirvana Skill, he ultimately said after they had left. Nirvana Skills, huh? Leis repeated. How did you awaken it? I have one, I think, but its marked unknown on my status and my AI isnt giving me any definite answer. I cant say. Personally, mine awakened when I was about to die, Rakna said impassively and Leis cringed a little bit. Dont worry. I really dont think that near death experiences are the only way to unlock them. For instance, via had hers avable almost immediately. I see So, what do you think of my suggestion? Rakna asked. Can I rely on your group? I believe that I cant find anyone morepetent than any of you in our school. You might be surprised, Leis snickered. There are ck horses everywhere after all I met one a few moments ago in fact. Rakna raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. In any case, I ept your proposal. Looking forward to work with you, he said while extending his hand. Likewise, Leis Walker, Rakna said and shook his hand. Leis bitterly smiled. Seems you do know something about our orphanage That I do. Someone I know used to live there, Rakna exined and turned toward the school grounds from where he could already smell the auras of both the goblins and the eagles thanks to his wolf senses. I assume not all of you have gathered the quota, right? Thats why youre here. Leis nodded. Youre right. We stillck a few souls. Makes sense with so many people, An remarked nonchntly. Yes, unfortunately. And I refuse to ever leave anyone behind, Leis replied firmly. His group smiled at his words as if they didnt expect any less from him. I see. You make a good leader, Raknamented. Then, lets not waste any more time. First thing we need to do is to assess the situation. Who amongst you is the fastest and stealthiest? Dan raised his hand. That would be me. All right. You and me will go scout the school grounds to see what we can expect. Leis, youre fine with that? Leis nodded. No problem. Well wait for you two toe back. In that case, lets go. Well be sure to be back in less than thirty minutes, Rakna dered and he and Dan nodded at each other before leaping on tree branches and vanishing inside the forest. Those two their speed really doesnt look human anymore, An sighed. Well, the same could be said for any of our specializations, Leis added as everyone sat down, preparing to wait. This is just the tutorial, as they called it, and were already bing something that normal humans never could have imagined possible. I wonder how far well go like this Who cares,e on, Leia said while lying on the ground with her hands behind her back. Do you really need to get existential for nothing? Leis snorted. I guess not He then looked at An and via. The former was leaning against a tree and thetter was sitting on a rock with her legs folded. What about you two? What is your opinion on all this? Personally, I still havent taken the time to properly think about what were going through. An nced back with one eye and shrugged. What is there to think about? Whether its this thing in our heads, the midget monsters in the school, that big bird over there, or the fact that we can now crush stone barehanded or run faster than a car, what kind of conclusion do you expect to reach? The only thing we can and should do is just continue living our life like we always did. Dont you think that your words are a bit too callous? Gantt uttered while nting his shield in the ground. Some people have family and friends back on Earth. While we indeed are orphans as Xiorra stated, there are still things we care about. And dont get me started on the fact that there are thousands of people dying because of this. Half of our school is missing and Im not optimistic enough to think that they were safely returned to Earth. An sighed and spread his arms with a shrug. I understand what youre saying but those feelings are misced at best. What are you even debating? If this situation is a good thing or not? Im pretty sure the answer to that is already pretty damn evident. Of course, its a bad thing. Now the question is, are you willing to just take it like a man, or whine about the fact that you survived? Gantt frowned but didnt reply. via let out a breath. Stop that, An Youre being a too insensitive. Tch cant me me. Its not really my thing to sce others. Leis closed his eyes for a moment then turned to via. What about you, Miss Jeina? As a teacher, I was curious to know what you thought about a bunch of students thrown into a game of death and life. Well, I dont know if this appropriate to say but I believe that I practically lost every rtion to the job of teacher the moment we woke up here, she said and looked at the sky. Both my father and grandfather are military men. My grandpa even participated in the battles of the cold war that made Aurora take over the world. I was taught since young about values that were slightly different from others I guess? She scratched her cheek with a wry smile. What Im trying to say is, you and I both know that this became a survival game the very second we heard a voice speak in our minds. So, please, dont give me too much credit as a teacher. Because instead of trying to help my students, I decided to go along with the two persons I trusted the most and whom I was sure would give me the best odds of survival. Following the fading sound of herst word, afortable silence installed itself and Leis sighed again. I see I was often told to be mature for my age but it seems I still have ways to go. Just take Xiorra, for example. Im sure that he didnt even flinch when he saw the kobolds. via chuckled softly. Youre plenty mature, Leis. Rakna is a special case you could say. An snickered. True. You wanna know my assumption on what Rak thinks about this mess? Leis blinked and Leia tilted her head in interest. Shoot, she uttered and the rest of the gang shared her curiosity. An cackled. I have a question for you, what time was it when the school was taken away? Time? Leis scowled. You mean around 2pm? Yeah, exactly. Right after lunch break, An smirked. via quickly realized what he wasing at and couldnt hold back her smile. Usually, Rak sleeps on the roof between 1pm to 5 pm. Its his personal ritual. You can be sure that he hates being interrupted. Wait youre not saying Leis was baffled. Yep, from how I see it, Rak is probably going through this game so diligently because hes pissed to not be able to have his daily nap and wants toin to whoevers responsible. You cant be serious Gantt muttered. Im afraid he is, via quipped. Rakna hates anything that breaks his internal peace, so speak. He also has a very weird sense or priorities. Imagine; what if you were walking on the street and saw a piano about to fall on a puppy? What would you think first? To save the puppy? Leia said. That would be the most normal thing to do. But Rakna isnt like that. He wouldnt even need to think to rush to save the puppy but on the other hand, his head would filled with but only one concern: Where does this pianoe from?'' Ansugh soon resounded over the silence caused by the Wing Walkers while Rakna suddenly sneezed for no reason. Chapter 21: Discussion & Planning Chapter 21: Discussion & nning Rakna rubbed his nose with an invisible frown as he stood on top of a tree. Am I supposed to say that someone is badmouthing me now? He muttered and Pronos blinked in confusion from his spot in his scarf. [I believe that is merely a superstition,] Alexa interjected and Rakna was mildly surprised. How interesting, he casually said while jumping to another tree, all while inspecting the school grounds to his right. He was currently circling the school from one side while Dan was checking the other. Hended on a branch in a feral way that probably himself wasnt aware he had used. Tell me, Alexa, what are you exactly? He decided to chat with his virtual guide as he analyzed the goblins and eagles swarming the school. [As I have said previously, I am an Artificial Intelligence tasked to-] Spare me that. She was quickly interrupted. All right. In that case, answer this; are you an AI connected to a server or are you independent? [I do not understand your query.] Rakna sighed and swiftly hid behind the tree he was on when a goblin turned his way. He did it with a calm andpletely carefree expression. Let me rephrase then. You stated that you were a personal AI, correct? [Affirmative.] Then, am I safe to assume that you only respond to me? [Yes.] Okay, so you should be able to tell me. Where does your source code reside? Inside my head or within an external server that people may be able to alter? This time, Alexa took some time to answer and Rakna patiently waited, still hopping from one tree to another. [I think I understand what you wish to know, Rakna.] Oh? Tell me. [You are worried that the System might have a way to monitor, spy, or harm you through me.] Youre half correct. [Half?] Answer my question first. [I am, as you put it, independent. Where I reside is, technically speaking, within your brain. I am connected to a server indeed. However, its a one-way road where I only receive information but not the opposite. For instance, Appraisal functions in a peer to peer setting where a request is sent to the server in order to verify the validity of the scan and see if the target of said appraisal is susceptible to it. If not, nothing is sent, if yes, the target will give you a result and not the server itself. Therefore, you do not need to worry about secrecy. The System forbids such things so that no Host can take advantage of it, unfairly, at least.] I see, Rakna ndly responded and spotted Dan a few dozens of meters away from him. He made a hand sign in his direction and the spectacled teen scowled. Rally point? He thought. He even knows our hand signs He was suspicious of Raknas identity but he felt that it wasnt important in this situation. He turned around and made a circle with his index and thumb and shed it over his shoulder; the regr military hand sign for I understand. Rakna watched him go back from the way he came and he did the same shortly afterward. On the way back, Alexa spoke again, [Rakna, may I enquire why I was only half correct?] If he could smile, Rakna probably would have done it at her words. What Alexa didnt know was that this question of hers had consolidated his thoughts. The answer to that, Alexa, lies in what you just asked me. [?] Also, feel free to speak whenever you want in the future, he added. If you ever believe that Im doing something wrong, or if you ever think that theres a better way, or even if you just want to join in the conversation for fun, do it. Even for a high-ss AI like her, that was too much to interpret and she fell silent out of pure confusion. A minuteter, just about when Rakna and Dan were going to reassemble with the others, she instead chose to retort about something her Host had said. [I do not join conversations for fun.] The corner of Raknas lips raised a little. If anyone he knew was there at that moment, no existing word would have been able to describe their shock. Well see, Alexa. Well see ? * * * ? Twenty minutes after they had left for their scouting, Rakna and Dannded back where the rest of the group was. Youre back, Leis stood up. How did it go? The two scouts looked at each other and nodded as if they had an agreement. Dan stepped forward and started reporting what he had seen, To be honest, there wasnt a lot that was noteworthy. At least from the outside. First of all, the eagles seem to be sleeping. They are scattered all over the roofs of the different buildings. As for the goblins, most of them seem to be resting but there are few groups that go out into the forest from time to time. Id guess; to hunt or patrol. But thats not really important. The crucial part is that I spotted at least five hobgoblins like the one we fought earlier, Dan added and Leia grimaced. She wasnt the only one ufortable with the notion of fighting against five of those monsters. What about you, Xiorra? Anything to add? Rakna closed his eyes from his seat next to via and mused. Your findings are basically the same as mine, he said. Though, thats only for the outside. What? Dan was puzzled. From what I smelled, there arent a lot of goblins inside the buildings, but there are at least two more hobgoblins as well as an even stronger monster, Rakna dered without missing a beat. Smelled you say? Leis made a weird expression. Rakna nodded unperturbed. He pointed at his nose. I can smell living things and the intensity of the smell is indicative of their strength. This ability is also a byproduct of my Nirvana Skill. This skill of yours is confusing me more and more An uttered. You extend your nails, control wolves, smell people Are you turning into a werewolf or something? He jested but theck of reaction from Rakna made him sweat. In any case, Rakna continued. We have to n this out. To start off, we need to decide if we just want to collect the souls we need or clear the entire area. Isnt that obvious? Gantt said. We just want to reach the quota. No need to take more risks. Wait, Gantt, he raises a good point, Leis raised his voice and his gang looked at him. It certainly has its risks, but if we clear the area, we can both increase our level and gather arge number of souls. Regarding our level, Im sure it will be a huge help to fight Aqu. As for the souls, remember that the mission prompt said we would receive a proportionate amount of Talys, as well as a title if one possesses the most souls. It has quite a lot of advantages. Gantt furrowed his eyebrows and looked down pensively. Its true that if you put it like that, it might be worth the risk. So? Whats your choice? Rakna asked again and Leis resolved himself. Okay, Im in. Lets clear them out. Good, then lets talk about the attack, Rakna stated then started drawing something on the ground with a twig. In just a few seconds, he had drawn a very rough map of the school and their groups rtive position to it. He circled one of the buildings and opened his mouth, The strong presence I smelled is in here. I would bet that its the goblins leader. Its a reasonable guess, Danmented. But what do you want to do about it? Ill go kill it. Wha Ill go there alone and kill the leader. Ill try to do it as fast as possible and attract the attention to me so that you can raid them while theyre distracted and in disarray. However, their number is nothing to scoff at. No matter how skilled all of you are, it will be hard to kill them all without casualties. I assume you have a proposal for that? Leis questioned. Rakna nodded calmly. After, or while Im fighting the leader if it happens to be stronger than what I expected, you will rush in and concentrate your efforts into getting to the gymnasium before they swarm you. Once you upy it, you will have the best terrain to retaliate. The gym only has two entrances and its easy for you to defend them. Its also our best counter to the eagles. The roof of the gym is halfposed of ss panels. Open them, and you can safely shoot them from there. Everyone was speechless. It did sound like it was the most effective strategy they had. upying the gym would render useless both the enemys numerical advantage as well as the eagles overwhelming airborne threat. But But this n has a big w, Dan remarked. Which is you. What if you cant get their attention? Or what if the leader kills you? If that happens, theres no way we can upy the gym. Dont worry about that, Rakna calmly responded and stood up. Im confident enough that I can flee if I have to. Additionally, lets say that I have an army of my own. Though, the choice to follow this n through is yours, Leis Walker. Leis closed his eyes and pondered. All right. Well do as you said. But I will only go in when Im sure that you have caught their attention. Otherwise, Im sorry to say that I wont do anything. We dont have anything to lose here. Youre taking the most risk so I cantin. Rakna nodded and turned toward via and An. I can guess your answer but what about you two? Obviously, Im in, An shrugged. I as well, via followed. But I think that at least the two of us should go with you. Rakna shook his head. No need. As I said, if I ever need to run, I can. But if I bring more people with me, its another story. I would have to cover you and things would get a lot harder. via bit her lip and ultimately sighed with a lowered head. Fine But you better return to us alive. No worry. I dont intend to die any soon, he stated and looked at everyone. You all will enter from the front while I will infiltrate from the back. The timing for your entrance will probably be obvious enough but I believe itll be time in about twenty minutes. Clear? Leis snorted and he and his gang replied with one word; Roger! Chapter 22: First Times Chapter 22: First Times Rakna zoomed through the forest, shaking leaves and bushes as he passed by. His speed was so high that only a shadow could be seen. He currently was enjoying the feeling of the wind on his fur and the uncanny but pleasant control he had over his nine tails. It was without saying that he had chosen to transform into a wolf to get to his location faster. With a seventy percent increase in his speed, he quickly reached the perfect vantage point behind one of the school buildings. To put things into perspective, he was to the west of the grounds while Leis group was to the east; where the gate was. When Raknanded on a tree to look at his target, one could now see that Sonata was still on him even in this form, and Pronos wastched around his neck to not be ejected when he sprinted. The guard is higher than I expected, hemented inwardly as he spotted the goblins walking on the periphery of the school grounds. It was necessary to precise that the building in front of Rakna at the moment wasnt facing him. In other words, there werent any doors leading to the west. So, it was only natural to think that there would be fewer monsters here. Pronos, the usual, he spoke with the distorted gruff voice he had in this form. Pronos hissed to show he understood and jumped down before blending in with his surroundings. Then, Rakna squinted andid prone on the tree branch, waiting for the right moment. At the same time, a prompt came from the System. ? ? ? ? ? Through executing a specific action and meeting several conditions, you have learned a new skill; Stealth. ? Stealth (Lv.1): A rudimentary skill for those seeking to be dwellers of the shadows. Once entering stealth state, while immobile, the Host will be 50% less perceptible to other living creatures. The effect will be halved when moving. Note: The true effectiveness of this skill depends severely on the environment and the effects may vary depending on the difference between the senses value of the user and the one looking. Cost: 1 MP per min ? ? ? ? ? Would you look at that, Rakna jested internally and immediately activated this skill. He then felt as if his entire body was ced underwater. It felt oddlyfortable. While in this state, he watched as the first goblin fell on the ground due to Pronos poison. One thing Rakna had been wondering about was why the Eion poison worked almost instantly for most creatures although they evidently had mana like the nine-tailed wolf he fought. It probably has more to do with how much mana one has than just merely possessing some, he concluded. I wonder if Rakna mumbled as he looked at Pronos slithering toward its next target. He first opened his contracted pets status and used Appraisal on the Eion Poison trait. ? ? ? ? ? Eion Poison: This poison is also known as the Blue Molten Worm. When it infiltrates the body system, the rate and scale of the propagation entirely depend on the quantity injected and the initial strength of the poison form. The more Eion energy is put into it, the deadlier it is. It has no antidote; it can only be suppressed or extracted. However, it only stays in the body for three hours before disappearing without a trace. Note: For the poison to work, the victims remaining mana has to be lower than the users maximum mana. However, the rate of propagation, as well as the damage done by the poison, will depend on the difference between the victims defense value and the actual quantity of mana infused in the poison by the user as well as the specific amount of mana left in the victim. Cost: Variable. The more mana is channeled into the poison, the more potent it is. You have discovered youre able to analyze Systemponents; Appraisal has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snorted. He should have tried this sooner. This gave him a considerably clearer view of the possible applications of this poison in a fight and as a bonus, Appraisal had leveled up. Based on this information, he could tell for instance that Pronos must have had used around 30 MP on the Nine-Tailed Wolf. The wolf had 26 of defense and its Nirvana Skill had siphoned the entirety of its mana. These two facts, coupled with the quantity of mana used by Pronos, were probably the reason why the poison acted so fast on its entire left side. It had been paralyzed in literally a second after it had been forced to use the rest of its mana. As Rakna was thinking that, he heard one goblin make a confused noise. After three of them had fallen to Pronos, it was finally time for one of them to notice. Now. Rakna jumped down the tree branch and elerated in record time. His sudden appearance was noticed by the many goblins in the area but before they could even croak, Rakna opened his eyes wide and activated his Intimidation skill. All of the goblins that were looking at him suddenly froze in fear and before they could process what was happening, he sprung on the closest goblin. He made it fall on the ground before ripping his throat apart with his fangs. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.5 Lesser Goblin killed. Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 22/80 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna didnt waste any more time and immediately targeted another goblin and Pronos simrly discarded any intention to camouge himself and rushed from one goblin to another. With the two of them, in less than ten seconds, ten goblins had fallen. After that small time period, the goblins finally ran away once the daze they had been put into by the intimidation was over. Its time, Rakna uttered and lowered his head for a second before howling to the sky. His call got an immediate result as several howls responded to it. ? * * * ? From their hiding point, Leis group heard these calls and immediately made the connection. So, thats what he meant by army, via whispered, seemingly to no one but everyone agreed with her. I had no idea there were so many wolves in this forest, Leismented. They probably were meant to be a secondary threat after goblins. Its quite lucky that we had someone with the ability tomand them, he said and his group nodded. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Rakna calmly sat as a massive group of gray wolves gathered behind him. After only a few minutes, their number had already reached the fifties. It was then that Rakna growled out one word, Attack. The entire pack of wolves rushed past him the second he gave out his order. They spread out into two groups and circled the building in front of them. Not even a secondter, goblins shouts and cries of pain could be heard. Now that the diversion had been taken care of, Rakna looked up and saw a shadow behind one of the windows of thest floor. He stood up and waved his nine tails before kicking the ground. He jumped toward the closest window and used the ledge to propel himself to another one higher. He repeated the same move twice before using his ws to break the lock of a window on thest floor. He leaped inside and silentlynded on the ground. He scanned the room before sniffing the air. He growled a little bit, more out of instinct than anything, and slowly returned to his human form. Or rather, therian form would be more urate. He used his spatial ring to re-wear his clothes and promptly transformed Sonata. When he was done, as if on cue, Pronos came in through the opened window and climbed his shoulder again. However, Rakna remained still even after a minute. As Pronos was gradually growing confused at his master in titles actions, thetter finally moved and it was right on time when a crack appeared on the wall to his left before being destroyed by a veryrge fist which he dodged by leaning backward. Rakna nced at his assant through the cracks and a pair of yellow eyes stared back. He gripped Sonata and tried to sever the arm in front of him with a rapid swing but the opponent quickly pulled back and made the rest of the wall to copse. Rakna then stood face to face with the monster who was supposedly leading the army of goblins outside. This creature was bigger than even the hobgoblins. It was as tall as the ceiling was high and vastlyrger than its brethren. It wore leather and metal armor and held arge scimitar in its right hand. Wordlessly, Rakna used Appraisal and a transparent System window appeared in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 2 | Level: 13 Race: Orc ? Attributes: Strength: 13 | Endurance: 12 Speed: 4 | Dexterity: 5 Intelligence: 2 | Luck: 1 ? Weapon: C Steel Two-Handed Sabre: +30 Attack ? Armor: C ted Leather Armor: +30 Defense ? Sub-Attributes: Stamina: 46/46 | MP: 20/20 Swiftness: 12 | Agility: 14 Senses: 23 | Atr Cap: 37 Attack: 97 (67 + 30) | Defense: 79 (49 + 30) Magic Attack: 6 | MP Regen: 0.04/min ? Proficiencies: C Greatsword-Mastery (Lv.3) ? Magic Skills: C None ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Leadership (Lv.1) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C None ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Minor Regeneration: Wounds heal a bit faster. A far cry from true regeneration. ? Note: The chieftain of a nameless tribe of goblins. ? ? ? ? ? Slow but strong. Mediocre dexterity but very tough. Decent sword proficiency Rakna singled out the most important points in an instant and made a decision. Pronos, this one has too much defense for your poison. Go deal with the two hobgoblins downstairs. You should be able to. The little snake looked at him a bit unsurely at first before slowly nodding and slithering out of the room. The Orc looked at him leave without doing anything. In fact, this monster seemed very rxed in contrast to the goblins and the hobgoblins. How nice of you to let him go, Rakna uttered without truly meaning anything but the Orc turned back toward him and shed a grin. A Duel is An Orcs Style, it spoke with a low toned voice and Raknas eyes widened slightly. Interesting youre the first monster that I hear speak human speech. And You, Are My First Battle, it said and gripped its sword with both hands. Entertain Me, Beast Man. Rakna whirled Sonata with an unreadable expression and took a stance with the de of his weapon pointing forward. dly, Orc. Chapter 23: Raid Chapter 23: Raid A steel saber shed against an azure de. Rakna winced slightly at the power behind the strike and deflected the Orcs weapon instead of going against it. He then tried to kick the hands of his opponent to make it lose its weapon but it was parried remarkably well for a creature with that look. Rakna tried to pull back but it wasnt in time as the Orc punched forward with its free hand. He grunted and bent his body with inhuman agility to dodge. The fist grazed his nose and after almost making a ny-degree angle with his body, Rakna let himself fall and caught himself by mming a hand on the floor. While he was still in that position, the Orc swung its saber and he put all of his strength in his arm to propel himself up and avoid it. When hended, the two fighters looked at each other again. This small bout was short-lived but the two of them were now aware of the others strength. After a few seconds, Raknas eyes narrowed and he kicked the ground while giving a mentalmand to Alexa. Two to dexterity, one to speed. The change in his body happened instantly and profiting from that, he used it to increase his speed mid-sprint. He reached the Orc in a burst of speed that thetter didnt expect. The monsters eyes narrowed and quickly decided to counter with a punch rather than its sword. It was toote to raise its saber since Rakna was in its close space. Azure Sonata was thrust toward the Orcs chest and Rakna expected it to do a lot of different things to dodge or block it, and it chose the one he wished the least for. The chieftain stepped forward and let Sonata pierce its body, carefully making sure that it would not hit any vitals. It then followed with a punch that Rakna was forced to dodge by letting go of his spear and fall backward. But unfortunately for him, the Orc wasnt done and then followed by hacking with its saber at full force. Rakna extended his ws and used them to stick to the ground. He used this tounch himself to the side just before the two-handed sword struck the ground and caused the first environmental damage caused by this fight. The floor cracked and quite rapidly broke apart across the entire room but the good foundations of the building made it so that it wouldnt copse. However, that also meant Rakna lost his footing for a second and that was enough for the Orc to deal out an unavoidable kick. Rakna managed to reduce the shock by pushing himself away from the creatures leg but he was still sent crashing on the wall. The concrete wall fissured and the shape of his body was carved into it. He groaned and stood back on his feet as he watched the Orc pull out Sonata from its chest. At the same time, Alexa spoke into his mind, [You have been diagnosticated Lightly Injured. Ireful Shell has been activated, Rakna.] Rakna briefly opened his status window to see his defense go up by quite literally .65. He didnt know if he should be amused or upset. Defense isnt for the current me anyway He thought then furrowed his eyebrows. This He was starting to feel and hear something on the back of his mind. After a few seconds, it became very clear. He gradually felt like wanting to rip apart the Orc in front of him as a voice, or rather, a whisper talked to him. If it had been anyone else, they would have probably already lost half of their mental sanity. But to Rakna, this felt like an annoying bug at best. He closed his eyes and tuned it out just by focusing a little bit. He then stood straight and stared at the Orc who was inspecting Sonata with a curious eye. Rakna didnt seem bothered the least that his weapon was in anothers hands. I would drop that weapon if I was you, he said. But it didnt sound like a threat. It was more of a warning. The Orc looked back. That Is for Me to Decide, Beast Man. I see, Rakna replied impassively. Then, have fun. Before the green-skinned monster could understand his words, Sonata began to glow and fume because of what appeared to be a rapid release of heat. The Orc abruptly felt a burning pain and grimaced. A weak current of electricity was generated by the spear and its hand contracted against its will. What Is This?! It roared out and Sonata released one final burst of Eion energy. It almost was as if a small bomb had detonated and Rakna was forced to cover his eyes for a second. When the sh of light was over, he saw Sonata resting on the floor as a scarf while the Orcs arm had been fried and hanged limp at its side. Thats why I told you to let go. The old man made Sonata so that it would only answer to my finger prints or DNA, Rakna indifferently exined and the Orc red at him. It couldnt use its right arm anymore, but, without his weapon, its opponent wouldnt be able to get the upper hand. At least, thats what it believed. Rakna took an unarmed stance and for the first time since he was summoned by the System, he truly stirred his reserves of mana. Round two, big guy. [Call of Fangs]. ? * * * ? A few moments earlier, the wolves had already started to advance into the goblins forces. They were definitely strongpared to them, but the sheer numerical difference didnt allow for a lot of damage to be done. In the end, the wolves ended up bing a very solid distraction, just like Rakna expected it to. Dan looked at the gate of the school with a careful eye. It should be fine now. Xiorra has managed to attract at least 80% of them. Leis nodded and turned toward everyone. Its now or never! Dont loiter and run to the gym as fast as you can. The formation is as we decided earlier! Understood! via and An stood amidst the gang with a smile. It was quite odd to be surrounded by a very obviously trained squad but it was quite a refreshing new experience. Good, lets go. Gantt, you lead the way. When Leis finished giving his orders, Gantt began to rush toward the gate with his shield in front of him. The rest of the gang quickly followed and An and via were thest to the go; meant to act as the rear guard. The second they entered the school grounds, a group constituted of the few remaining goblins noticed them; rapidly followed by the many eagles on the rooftops. For some reason, the avian predators didnt seem to be interested in the wolves in the slightest. But at the sight of a group of humans, they instantly flew off in their direction. Dan clicked his tongue as he ran at the very front of their formation. The eagles attention is way more focused than we expected! They will not attack directly, but its a matter of time. Be ready to intercept them! He shouted to the group but more specifically, via. When they were going through their strategy earlier, she had told them of her ability. Among them, she probably was their best way of dealing with the eagles after their guns. After hearing Dans warning, she nced at therge birds gradually gathering together in the sky. Although it would tire her very fast, she could probably twist their neck fast enough so that they wouldnt have the chance to attack. However, that would be a very short-lived resort. After Dan shouted, he immediately elerated and left the others behind. He was the fastest and he was sure going to make use of that advantage. He dashed past a small group of goblins and shed the necks of three of them with a flick of his de without slowing down in the slightest. His job was to reduce the number of enemies on the path to the gym as well as making sure they could smoothly enter said building. As for the goblins that he dodged and could not kill, Gantt would be their next opponent who would then in turn give the ones he couldnt take to Leis and Leia. After that, the rest of the group would finish off any leftovers while the people at the back of the formation were to defend from both long-range and close-range sneak attacks. Exactly like how An caught an arrow with his gloved hand and via made one return to its sender. After two very smooth sailing minutes, they had gotten pretty close to their objective and a path littered with dead goblinsid behind them. But that was immediately broken when Dan arrived at the door of the gym. His eyes widened behind his sses and he very quickly jumped back to dodge a spiked mace. He then watched as a hobgoblin came out of the gym through the broken door and cursed. Shit! This fucker must have taken this ce for himself, he muttered and used Scan. The grade of his skill was vastly differentpared to Raknas but he still got the crucial information. This hobgoblin was at the same level as the other, but he had one or two additional attributes as well as better equipment. Dan grunted and retreated while keeping an eye on the monster. Unfortunately, the hobgoblin didnt seem to be keen on chasing him. Bastard, he wants to stay there. Do these things have territorial tendencies? When he returned to the main group, he didnt need to say anything as none of them were blind enough to see the hobgoblin since they werent that far. This was merely a schoolyard, after all, a high school on top of that. At best, the distance from the gate to the gym was around 500 hundred meters. If it wasnt for the fact that they couldnt recklessly run into hostile territory, especially as a group, they would have reached their destination a lot faster. It was also a shame that their destination wasnt closer to the borders of the school grounds. They could have taken the same approach as Rakna had if it was the case. Then, when they thought that things couldnt get any worse, the first eagle plunged in their direction. It was anticlimactically killed by via with a flick of her wrist but the second soon came down, and the third, and the fourth No choice, Leis groaned. Everyone, start using your firearms. Do not mind the ammunition and just shoot. Half of you, focus on the eagles, the reste forward and shoot the hobgoblin as we approach. Miss Jeina, were counting on you, he added and elerated with the rest of the group and the sounds of gunshots echoed across the area. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, when Rakna uttered the name of his skill, four puddles of darkness formed behind him and started bulging as the same number of figures emerged. Four wolves; with midnight ck fur that could probably be unseeable in the shadows and a pair of glowing red eyes. They all growled unanimously as they appeared and slowly stood on Raknas side, baring their fangs at the Orc. The chieftain grimaced at the sight but calmly raised its saber with its remaining hand. At the same time, gunshots pierced the walls and reached their ears. Raknas wolf ears twitched but he ignored it and focused on the status windows of his summoned wolves instead. Chapter 24: Darkness Reigns Chapter 24: Darkness Reigns ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 0 | Level: 8 Race: Shadow Wolf ? Attributes: Strength: 2 | Endurance: 1.5 Speed: 5 | Dexterity: 5 Intelligence: 2 | Luck: 1 ? Sub-Attributes: Stamina: 15/15 | MP: 20/20 Swiftness: 14 | Agility: 15 Senses: 13.5 | Atr Cap: 16.5 Attack: 18.75 | Defense: 6.5 Magic Attack: 6 | MP Regen: 0.02/min ? Proficiencies: C Bite (Lv. Max): +100% Attack when biting. ? Magic Skills: C None ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Body of Shadow: The holders body is made of shadows. Increased damage from any light element attack, immune to dark element attacks, and highly resistant to physical attacks. ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Shadow Meld (Lv.1): The user is able to jump into shadows and emerge from them at will. They cannot attack from shadows but its not a problem to spy or fast travel with them. Cooldown: 2 Min Max Duration: 5 Min ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Dark Sense: The smell of Shadow Wolves isnt anything like a normal living being. They perceive the smell of darkness and are able to pinpoint anything releasing negative emotions. ? ? ? ? ? Interesting Ill have to look at how their attributes are calctedter, he thought then took out the simple knife he bought from the shop. He unsheathed it and gripped it in reverse. As for the wolves behind him, he gave them only one order, Go wild. The four shadow beasts instantly disappeared at hismand, draped by a veil of darkness. The Orc blinked and panicked when it couldnt see them anymore. But before it could do anything about it, Rakna charged at him. No matter what, the Orc was unable to ignore him because of his speed and could only bring up his saber to swat him away. But mid-swing, the four shadow wolves surfaced from its own shadow and bit its wrist, ankles, and shoulder. The monster roared but still managed to swing its weapon, albeit slower. The shadow wolves had a decent attack but they werent strong enough to injure the Orc. Rakna calmly watched the deing at him and used his knife to deflect it. The small weapon immediately cracked and shattered but the saber was sessfully veered out of its course. Then, Rakna grabbed the Orcs throat in an incredible disy of swiftness. Not a word or a look was exchanged before his ws extended and managed to cut the creatures carotids but not much deeper. When the Orc started gargling with its very own blood, Rakna quickly used his other hand and pointed two fingers at its eyes. The Orc paled and tried to raise his hand after dropping his weapon but the shadow wolf on his shoulder made him freeze and wince in pain just before he saw two ws extend and pierce his eyes. They reached the brain and finished the chieftain off in a second. ? ? ? ? ? The skill ws has increased to level 3. Lv.13 Orc killed. You have killed a foe 5 levels above yours! Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 56/80 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna let go of the monsters throat which was making his hand dreadfully bloodied and jumped back. He watched as his foe copsed on the ground, lifeless. He flicked his hand to shake off the blood and sighed. So, defense truly is lower in ces like the throat and the eyeballs [Affirmative. The value shown on the status is essentially a generalization,] Alexa confirmed his words and he sat on the floor to rest a little. He took a deep breath and then one of the shadow wolves came to his side and started rubbing against his cheek. Hey, hey Rakna muttered and started stroking the wolf. He looked at the other three and fell into his thoughts. You should have at least 3 minutes left Do you hear the gunshots outside? Go help the people there to reach therge building to the north, he ordered and the four beasts sank into shadows right away. Rakna rested for a little more afterward and stood up. He picked his scarf up and wore it before transforming into a wolf. He ran out of the room and went to the bottom floor of the building where Pronos should be fighting the two hobgoblins he had smelled. When hended on the tiles of the floor after leaping over the stairs, he was met with one dead hobgoblin in the corridor. It had several distinct bite marks on its body along with the blue veins around them. Rakna sniffed then jumped over the corpse to head to a certain ssroom. When he reached it, the wall had been smashed in and behind it, he saw Pronos strangling the hobgoblin while biting its neck. Therge monster tried to pry him off but after just a few seconds, because of both ack of air as well as the Eion Poison reaching its brain, it ultimately died. Pronos stopped clinging to its neck and slumped on the splintered floor with his tongue sticking out;pletely exhausted. Rakna praised him internally for having killed them. At least, he was confident that the little snake wouldnt die considering his very high defense but killing the hobgoblins was, for a fact, hard for Pronos since his means of attack other than his poison were limited. He walked to the little snake and hovered his head above him. Feeling tired? He asked with his warped voice and Pronos almost had a heart attack before calming down at the familiar purple eyes gazing at him. The little snake hissed and waved his tail dismissively as if saying that it was a piece of cake. His master grunted and lowered his head in his direction. Pronos tilted his head before understanding his human friends intention. He slowly but surely slithered on top of his head before snuggling under Sonata and falling asleep. Immediately after, Rakna rushed out of the building, thinking that it was enough dillydallying. ? * * * ? Back to the moment where Leis permitted the use of firearms. The eagles began their assault for good and via was put under quite a lot of pressure. Sure, she had a bit of help, but you didnt need a lot of imagination to know that it was hard to hit a bird flying at full speed with a gun. So, most of it came down to her and it was very taxing on her mind. Every second or so, her eyes and focus would go back and forth between every single bird in her vision, twisting their neck within the split of a second. The toll on her mind had already made her Fatigue Resistance level up twice. If it wasnt for An carrying her on his back, she would have probably been unable to even walk. Meanwhile, at the front of the formation, though still running toward the gym, were trying to find a way to fight the hobgoblin that stood in their way. Dan, are you sure this one is stronger than thest we fought? Leis inquired as he sliced a goblins neck that had leaped in his direction. Yes, 100%. Leis expression darkened. Dealing with the hobgoblin in itself wasnt a problem, but dealing with it while avoiding casualties was another story. They couldnt just stop to fight it or they would be overwhelmed by the goblins and the eagles. As for the second entrance of the gym, it was on the west side of the building; too risky to get to. Leis looked over his shoulder to see via still taking out the eagles but you had to be blind to not see that she would soon her limit. As he was thinking, they had already reached the critical range before the hobgoblin started to attack. He stopped the group around forty meters away from the hobgoblin that was using the broken door of the building to shield himself from the bullets. Sorry, Miss Jeina. Please hold out a little longer, he whispered and raised his hand. Concentrate fire on the hobgoblin. Temporarily ignore the eagles and throw whatever explosives you have left at this bastard! Within a single breath after hismand, everyone had already changed their target while some who had still some explosives left had already pulled out their pin. The hobgoblin eximed in shock when it saw the several objects being thrown at it and made an action purely based on its instinct and stepped back a few times before crouching behind the door it was holding. The grenades exploded and ck smoke shrouded the area for a few seconds. When it was dispersed, the green-skinned monster stood up angrily with nothing more than a small piece of metal in its hand; the remains of the door it was holding. A few shrapnel had managed to pierce its skin but other than that, it hadnt received much damage. The hobgoblin grabbed its spiked club and charged at the group with bloodshot eyes with a hand covering its eyes from the bullets flying its way. Its skin was incredibly thick and the bullets could only bruise it, sometimes drawing just a bit of blood. Gantt winced as he watched the scene. He prepared himself to engage the monster when he heard a voice from behind him, You! Big guy! Shield up! He blinked in confusion but he nheless crouched while putting his shield over his head. He then felt somethingnd on it. Thanks, An said and grinned. He lowered his body to jump and Gantt was smart enough to get the clue and help him gain momentum as he jumped. The blond teen soared through the air for a moment before falling toward the hobgoblin with a fist reared up. His gloves glowed a little bit and when his fist hit the monsters head, a shockwave was released and therge monster face-nted on the ground. An himself was hurt by the recoil of his blow and rolled on the ground, gaining a few scratches in the process. He groaned when he finally could control his own body and hissed in pain as he held his arm. Leis first thought that this was as good as done when he saw the clear path in front of him but that changed very quickly when he spotted three other hobgoblins running toward them from their left and as if things couldnt get any worse, he also saw from the corner of his eyes via holding her head in pain. Youve got to be kidding me The eagles promptly swarmed them and a few members of the gang were injured by their ws. They started shooting at them but one after another, the guns stopped firing and instead made a clicking sound, running out of ammunition. Then, because of the threat from above, the goblins also began to make some damage. Damn it! Leis shouted. Forget about fighting back! Run to the gym! An heard him and watched as some threw their weapon away and dashed toward the gym at full speed only to be hit in the back. He groaned as he stood, still holding his arm. He looked to the side to see via desperately trying to re-activate. But her mind was so muddled that she couldnt see an eagle directly aiming for her head. His eyes widened. via! Thats when it happened. [Be Lost in Darkness. Let it grip your heart], a disembodied voice echoed. An felt a chill go down his spine and the next thing he knew, countless ck objects fell from the sky and stabbed every eagle and goblin around. n blinked in shock and gaped at the blood raining along with the bodies it originated from. The Wing Walkers also froze in shock and Leis looked at a certain silhouette that had appeared out of nowhere. ck long hair, crimson eyes, and a lithe figure wrapped in darkness. What are you waiting for?! She hollered with a voice containing both grace and power. Pick up your fallenrades and shelter yourselves! Her hands formed two shortnces of darkness and she whirled them, decapitating two eagles in the process. She exhaled and spoke, Do not let this miserable ce be your grave Chapter 25: Rolling Around Chapter 25: Rolling Around At the appearance of the unknown woman, everyone stepped out of their daze and quickly carried the injured toward the gym. At the same time, said woman watched grimly at the hobgoblins approaching. She nced at the eagles and goblins around her that she was killing with her shadows and clicked her tongue. If I attack them now, I wont be able to keep these at bay She thought and as she was wondering if she should do it close and personal, she saw four ck wolves jump out from the hobgoblins shadows. She watched them bite the monsters necks with widened eyes. She was surprised but more than anything, she was relieved that the hobgoblins could be slowed down. That left enough time for the teens behind her to enter the building and, as expected, it took barely a minute for all of them to get inside. Youre thest one, she heard a female voice and looked over her shoulder to see the woman who had been killing the eagles until her arrival. She still looked tired but she seemed to have recovered a bit. The unknown woman nodded at via and the both of them retreated inside the gym where An was already being treated after his little stunt. Overall, he was fine but his arm had taken a huge toll. Whats your name? The woman asked via as they both stood at the broken entrance, watching the goblins trying to get in. Thankfully, the eagles werent trying to fly in. via. via Jeina. Then, via, you use telekinesis, right? Um, yes? The woman mused. Do you think you can block this hole with whatever furniture there is in this building? Even I cant indefinitely stop them froming. My mana is running low and I do believe your group needs a bit of rest before re-engaging. via pondered as she opened her status. She blinked in surprise when she saw what was written on it. She had be level 9 in the midst of things, her Fatigue Resistance was now level 9, and her Nirvana Skill had also leveled up. ? ? ? ? ? C Telekinesis (Lv.2): One of the mostmon spiritual abilities awakened as a Nirvana Skill. It has the potential to even bend spatialws. Lv.2 Perk: The user can now affect multiple targets simultaneously. Note that the strain increases in proportion to the number of targets. Current Lift: (Intelligence*5) -> (Intelligence*6) kg. Mana Consumption: None. This is a spiritual skill fueled by psychic energy thus no mana is involved in the process. Beware, overuse is severely precarious. The range of maniption is only limited by the Hosts imagination and control. ? ??? ? She breathed in and answered, I should be able to. Im still a bit tired but I should be able to move a few things. Even more, if I allocate a few of my points. The woman nodded. Then please do so. I can onlyst for so long, after all. All right, via said and turned around when she remembered something. Sorry, I forgot to ask your name. The red-eyed beauty looked back. Oh, right You can call me Nyx. ? * * * ? When Rakna came out of the building, he saw that his army was still fighting a decent number of enemies but not nearly close to what he wanted. He growled and ran past both the wolves and the monsters while barking one word, Retreat! The gray wolvesplied and howled to order their retreat out of the fight. They hadnt suffered a lot of casualties thanks to their higher levels and their swiftness but they couldnt do that for an extended period of time. Thats also why they were forced to use attrition which was the main cause why some of the hobgoblins as well as arge number of goblins had stopped paying attention to them. Rakna ran to the gym at full speed, hoping that things hadnt gone too wrong. When he arrived, he saw a literal sea of blood and corpses. He frowned and inspected the area to see if there were any human bodies but fortunately, there were not. He then looked at the entrance of the gym which was blocked by what seemed to be sports gear and not far from it, he spotted his shadow wolves fighting two hobgoblins, with one dead already. He huffed and ran toward them. They didnt seem to expect it since he was easily able to cut the throat of one of them with his ws after jumping on its shoulder. The shadow wolves then quickly took action and simultaneously bit the other who, already injured, sumbed. ? ? ? ? ? Three Lv.10 Hobgoblins killed. Level up! +1 Free Point Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 6/90 ? ??? ? Raknanded on the ground again and grunted, So, these wolves kills also count as mine. Good to know. The shadow wolves surrounded him in excitement and he petted the four of them with one tail each. Theyre attached to me like newborns Well, I guess its what they are, he said inwardly then focused on the remaining goblins banging on the walls of the gym. A nice thing to know, and which he already had noticed, was that he was way less targeted in his wolf form. The goblins might get angry at him sometimes, but they tended to not acknowledge his presence unless provoked. As for the eagles, there wasnt even anything to say about it. They simply didnt even put him in their eyes. Anyway He mumbled and looked around. Follow me, he said to his shadow wolves and ran off toward the second entrance of the gym. When he arrived a momentter, he saw that the door wasnt broken like the other one but this one also seemed to be barricaded from the other side considering that there was a hobgoblin who was trying to get inside but couldnt. Tch, Rakna got pretty irritated. He looked up at the ss panels of the gyms roof but none of them were open yet. They hadnt started to retaliate yet. They were probably recuperating. As he was trying to think of a way to get inside without turning into a human and fight a massive number of foes, he caught a glimpse of his shadow wolves licking their paws. It was then that an idea struck him. You four, can you use Shadow Meld on another person? He asked and they understood him as they tilted their head in thought before nodding. Then help me get inside this building. They promptly nodded and led him to a shade cast by the gym. The ground under them began to turn into something simr to a swamp. They then turned toward Rakna, waiting for him, and he carefully put a leg on the warped shadows before he felt himself fall inside. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, the members of the Wing Walkers were resting inside the gym. Fortunately for them, there were no monsters inside. It seemed like the hobgoblin from earlier had taken it as its home or something. Now, everyone was focused on sharing the very few healing potions they had. Most of their Talys had gone into weapons after all; the number of potions they had wasnt even higher than five. Well, this could have been worse honestly, An said whilst leaning against the wall, still holding his broken arm. via who was sitting on a chair at his right nodded wearily with a bottle of water in her hands. She looked at the woman who was standing next to her with her arms crossed and eyes closed. Thank you again for your help, Nyx. You are probably the only reason why there was no casualty on our side. If you hadnte we wouldnt have been able to save the injured. Nyx opened one eye and shook her head. No need to thank me. Im not the kindest of people but most people would have done the same thing if they had both the ability and opportunity. via smiled and nodded without saying anything. While were on this topic, Nyx continued. Wasnt there another person with you? An overheard that and nced at her. Do you mean Rakna? She tilted her head. Well, is he the one whom the clown from earlier passively called inhuman? I guess, yeah. An shrugged. Now that you say that, I wonder what that meant. Why did that guy talk to Rakna like that? He said something like those of your kind, right? Thats correct, Nyx affirmed. I believed him to be one of the strongest here. And if Im not wrong, you two are acquainted with him. What happened to him? We cant say for sure, via responded. He was the one who came up with the idea to upy the gym and that n relied on the fact that he would grab the attention of the goblins before killing their leader. Nyx scowled. Alone? Yep, he went solo, An said. Though he had his contracted pet with him, Pronos. How did he know where the leader was? An snorted and tapped his nose. Smell. At least, thats what he said. Smell? How would-! She was interrupted by a sudden difort. She felt the shadows nearby suffer a change. She turned toward one corner of the gym and both An and via imitated her since they were confused about her sudden behavior. Nyx squinted her eyes and a minuteter, four silhouettes jumped out from the shadows. She was back in a fighting stance the second she saw them. An also pushed himself away from the wall and via stood up. Leis group also noticed the new presence and put up their guard but when they saw what it was, they were both confused and somewhat relieved. Because, although these four wolves were quite ominous-looking, they had helped them earlier and, on top of that, they only knew of one person who was somewhat connected to wolves. After a few seconds of cautious observation, a fifth wolf came out from the shadows but this one didnt jump out like the others. No, instead it did a front flip and rolled on the ground until lying back with its legs facing the sky. Some tried not tough or cry out at the cuteness. However, most of them immediately got curious about one thing; the nine tails sprawled on the ground. After honestly hesitating for a good half a minute, they were taken out of their stupor when the four red-eyed wolves suddenly disappeared followed by something that startled them even more. The five minutes have passed, huh? It was a deep and unknown voice. But, two people oddly found some familiarity in its tone and they also very slowly made the connection; especially as they finally saw the blue scarf wrapped around the beasts neck. via covered her mouth to hide her shock and in contrast, An gaped without thinking about how he looked in the slightest. The nine-tailed wolf grunted and stood back on its feet. It looked around the ce and blinked. It sighed and sat down. Well, Im happy it worked out. Sorry, I didnt attract enough attention. There were many things going through the heads of everyone. It took them at least a full sixty seconds to properly connect the dots. Nyx merely put on a thoughtful expression but the rest reacted very ingeniously. What the fuck?! Chapter 26: Oh... Chapter 26: Oh No way Rak, is that you? An raised his voice dumbfounded and the wolf looked back at him with a nk look. Who else would it be? He said and slowly initiated his shapeshift. For the onlookers, it was quite a special experience to see the process of the change from lupine to human physiology. They also noticed that during the transformation, a sh of light covered Raknas body and when it was gone, he was already human again and fully clothed. Well, to be exact, he looked humanoid again. He still had a tail on his back and a pair of ears on his head. He grunted and put a hand on his neck before cracking it. This needs a little more work. Going back and forth makes my body numb, hemented as if it was the most normal thing ever. He then turned toward Leis and fished out something from his spatial ring before throwing it to him. Leis woke up from his daze and clumsily caught the object. When he looked at it, he saw that it was a healing potion. Thats a tier 9 potion. Its probably better than what you have. I asked my AI; you can dilute it in water and share it. The effects will be lessened but enough for less important injuries. I-you thanks Its not like we really need to know now, do we? He said with an awkward smile and started telling his subordinates to give all the water they had, which mainly came from the cafeteria of the school. They most likely had gathered some provisions before going out into the forest. A sensible idea, Rakna thought while walking toward his friends, ignoring the very obvious stares he was receiving from everyone. I should have done the same However, I dont feel as much hunger as I should. Odd. Is it because of the heart I ate? While he was pondering the question, he was once again hugged when he got close to via. He grunted. This time at least, its not a crushing one but more a, dare I say so, normal hug. Though I doubt any hug from this woman could ever be considered normal, hemented internally and waited for via to slowly step back. Rakna then looked at her, then An, and ultimately found himself staring at a stranger next to them. He didnt need to open his mouth for her to get the hint but he still asked, And you are? Nyx. Thats my name, she replied very sinctly. Im afraid Im going to hear more than just that. Youre not from our school. Not a student, not a teacher, not a staff, and you certainly dont look like a parent that was caught up because of a very unfortunately timed meeting. So, Ill reformte, where do youe from? This time, silence reigned for a moment. It didnt look like Nyx was willing to answer. Or, to be exact, considering the brief downcast expression Rakna saw on her face, she herself didnt know how to answer. You dont know? Rakna tilted his head and that caught An and vias attention. Nyx sighed exhaustingly. I do know what caused my presence here. Or rather, Id say who. But I do not know exactly how I arrived here. I fought someone and I was defeated. When I was at his mercy, he chose to seal me for some reason. After that, its aplete nk. The first thing I saw when I woke up was a school building in front of me, a forest behind me, a horde of kobolds around me, and a weird notification box in front of my eyes. You were sealed? via slowly reiterated. Does that mean youe from a ce where magic exists? Nyx snorted. Indeed, I do. But when I came to myself, most of my powers had beenpletely drained or extracted from my body. The only thing I have left from my prime is my shadow control that this Nirvana Skill gives me. Oh, fucking hell, another one, An grumbled and Nyx looked at him weirdly. I see Rakna mused for a bit and his ears folded unconsciously. via suddenly felt the urge to stroke them but did her best to restrain herself. So, anyway, Rak. Does that and that mean that I was right earlier? An rapidly recovered from his temporary depression and pointed at his friends new appendages. Hm? Youre referring to your werewolf guess? Yeah, that. Rakna shrugged. Id say youre right. My race is for a fact marked as Nine-Tailed Werewolf. I cant say that Im human anymore. But why? via inquired. What happened? During the Initiation, I awakened my Nirvana Skill, and lets say that one of its effects did this to me. I dont mind the change. Especially since I think it saved my life. Howe we didnt see your tails and ears before though? An followed up. Item. Put an illusion over me. That Gray guy must have seen through it. I didnt put it back beforeing in here because I simply have no mana left. I could use a potion but itd be a waste considering we have time to rest. Uh, makes sense. Rakna grabbed one of the pliable chairs ced against the wall and sat down on it. So? What happened on your way here? As I said, I didnt attract as much attention as I wanted and there are a lot more injured than I expected. An directly sat on the ground with a sigh. At first, it was a piece of cake. Your wolves, I think, aggroed most of them and thats when we started going in. But the closer we got, the more goblins starteding, and eventually, the eagles went full onught on us. As nned, teach began to keep them away but we were cut off by a hobgoblin. I did manage to get rid of it pretty fast but via couldnt go on anymore and three more hobgoblins wereing in our direction. Ah, those, Rakna eximed insouciantly. They were entangled with my shadow wolves. Theyre all dead if youre interested. An snorted in amusement. Of course, they are. Anyway, we were pretty much done for. Or, well, you could say that we were almost forced to abandon a lot of people behind. But then, shadows started impaling every monster around and she appeared, he pointed at Nyx. She practically saved our asses. Then, your wolves stalled the hobgoblins for us and we managed to get inside in the end. Rakna cringed a bit internally. It was a bit too close forfort in his opinion. It was a n he had proposed and if it wasnt for a powerful third party, it would have in essence failed miserably. He looked at Nyx, who was still standing still without moving, and she looked back. Thank you for helping them. It wouldnt have been pretty without your involvement. What goes aroundes around, she replied offhandedly. I do hope you will be able to return the favor one day. via and Anughed lightly as they watched two simrly aloof people exchange gratitude and pleasantries. Not long after that, Leis approached their group with Leia, Gantt, and Dan in tow. The rest of the gang still resting and treating each other. Everyone sat in a circle and Nyxs expression twitched as she was finally forced to take a seat if she did not want to stand out like a sore thumb. Thanks for the potion, Xiorra. The more serious cases are entirely out of danger now, it was the first thing Leis said. No problem, Rakna responded. Sooo what do we do now? Leia spoke up and they looked at her. W-what? Im just asking. Are we going to get started on killing the damn birds or not? Well, we still have time, dont we? Dan remarked. The quests time limit is 12 hours. It started this morning and we still have around 8 hours to go. I say we rest an hour or two, then get to business. If everything goes well, I say we can wipe them out in a few hours. Though, I have to tell you; I did a quick inventory and we dont have much firepower left. Only two grenades left, and something like 400 rounds collectively. Do we want to save them for Aqu or not? Rakna shook his head. Dont bother. One of your guns has around 20 to 30 attack value. I forgot to show it to you, so I might as well do it now, he uttered and prompted the system to share the status of Aqu with everyone around him. Leis breathed in sharply when he saw the numbers. No wonder you wanted help He said and the three people at his side nodded. Nyx frowned at the status but other than that didnt seem to be visibly unsettled. Rakna shrugged. Conclusion; no need to save rounds. But keep those two grenades. The strength of the explosion may not be enough to injure it, but the st mighte in useful. Also, he added and waved his hand. His ring shed and a pile of guns appeared to the side. These are the ones I took from Herts. Serve yourself. Leis widened his eyes a bit at the sudden appearance of the firearms. He nced at the ring around Raknas finger but ultimately decided to not ask about it. Thank you. That will help. You dont want to keep some for yourself? Long story short; I hate guns. Leis group blinked in surprise at his response. But youre fine with giving them to us? Leia asked curiously. I dont like to project my moral stances onto others. You can use as many guns as you want, I wont mind as long as youre not some piece of trash using them to oppress others, Rakna said with a voice devoid of emotion. I see Leis slowly nodded. Well, on the topic of not saving bullets, Im okay with it. Its not like I can ignore this things monstrous defense and say that bullets will somehow be useful. It will be more worthwhile to use them on the eagles here. With this out of the way, I have to ask, Rakna nced at Nyx. Are you willing to help us or not? You have a weird sense of humor, she retorted ndly. Of course, I will. Im already involved. It would just hurt my pride to back out now. Great, Leis said and stood up. In that case, lets resume the fighting in one hour and a half. It should be enough for everyone to recover well. No objection here, Rakna said and Leis group went back to their gang. He then took out a second healing potion which he lobbed toward An who caught it with surprise. He looked at the small potion and gaped. You had a second one? I have three. Same thing for the two other types. An groaned and raised his hand in surrender. All right. I hereby swear that I will never, ever, question anything you do anymore. You say that every month, Rakna retorted and via giggled. Even Nyx looked amused with the corner of her lips pulling slightly upward. In any case, drink that to heal your arm. We dont want one of our main fighters to be injured in due time. Yeah, yeah, thanks. Youre wee. Now, Im going to take a nap. It has already been too long since thest one, Rakna said oddly seriously and via flinched. Wake me up when its time. Sure thing, An nodded and Nyx closed her eyes in acknowledgment. ? * * * ? Gray supported his chin with his hand as he sat on top of Aqus head. The giant eagle didnt seem to care about it; at least that would be the first impression if one didnt pay attention to the faint twitches. So, those kids are ready to decimate all of the monsters even after I assembled all of them, the robot clown spoke with his mouth disying a t line. I guess you cant fight the power of an S+ potential, he mumbled. Doing more than this would be against the rules. And he still has those wolves under hismand and he hasnt even transformed yet-! Woah! Aqu abruptly leaned to the side and Gray panicked as he started floating in front of the eagles ring eyes. Hey, hey, calm down! Im sorry, okay? Its not like theres a better seat anywhere close. Youre both morefortable and better ced than any other. Aqu huffed and opened his mouth, My head is most certainly not a ce for you to rest andin about your job. Meh, semantics. Also,zy clown, Im sensing more than just a werewolf down there, the divine avatar said. Hm? Gray tapped his head with his cane. Oh? Do you mean that girl? I dont know who you are referring to but theres a divine presence in that building. Who is it? I thought you knew. Being an Envoy and all. I thought that girl was a sort of scheme from the gods in order to do I dont know, something? So, you dont know either, Aqu summarized and Gray shrugged. How peculiar though. What is? Her presence is divine; that is a fact. It is also true that her divine power is very weak. However, I would call that weakened rather than just weak. Even her soul seems to have been put under extreme harm and forcibly reduced to this state. Oh? Then by how much? I cannot tell. Then what is there to worry about? Gray spun on his feet to look down at the school. Maybe shes just the child of a god and a human. That would exin her odd power signature. You got me wrong, clown, Aqu scoffed. Im saying that I cant tell from how high she could have fallen. In other words, her divine energy at her prime has high chances to be considerably stronger than what I can even perceive. Oh Indeed, clown. Indeed Chapter 27: Nightmare Chapter 27: Nightmare .. . My severed armid at my feet. Blood was slowly filling the pitch-ck room and already went past my ankles. I raised my head and saw a mirror. My reflection stared back at me, bloodied, dead in every sense but physical. Then, the ss cracked and it stared back at me with a mad grin. The blood suddenly reached over my shoulder and I gasped. My reflection startedughing and I gradually lost every feeling across my entire body. I opened my mouth to breathe and shout, but the blood rushed in and I was silenced by the gargles before wing at my throat. ?..! R.?! Ra-! I heard a voice calling as I helplessly sunk. Rakna! ? * * * ? Raknas eyes snapped open and he immediately grabbed his throat. After he was sure that he could breathe normally, he gasped and started panting as sweat ran down his forehead. He rubbed his eyes and shook his dizziness away before looking around. Pronos was quite literally under his chin and seemed to be anxious for him. And if his very gloom appearance was anything to do by, the little guys connection with his master had unluckily made him suffer a bit from the incident as well. via was crouched next to him with worry written all over her face. An was also there but in contrast, his expression expressed a certain disconste understanding instead of pure worry. Fortunately, the Wind Walkers were too far away to have seen his little episode but Nyx who had not moved since earlier was gazing at him with palpable sympathy cast under an appraising scowl. Rak, youre good? An spoke up and Rakna grunted as he scooped Pronos up and put him on his shoulder. He used the wall to stand up and groaned as he staggered a bit. via was about to help him when he raised a hand to stop her. He huffed and leaned against the wall before taking out a cigarette and lighting it. He then wiped his sweat andbed his hair with his hand. In just a few seconds, he was back to a state where it would impossible to tell that anything had happened. Im fine. Its not the first time and it wont be thest anyway, he muttered and blew out a puff of smoke which, if you looked closely, had faint blue glimmers in it. Trauma? Nyx inquired without beating around the bush. She knew that she wasnt a very tactful person anyway and she could easily tell that the man in question was someone who wouldnt feel offended by this simple question. Yeah, he replied indifferently, as expected. He grabbed his cigarette with two fingers and showed it to her. This thing; highly condensed medicine. But, lets be honest, its quite literally a drug in the most straightforward meaning of the word. It was mainly meant to repress my mind from breaking apart when switching from one state to the other. But I also use it to stop the nightmares. He continued smoking as he cracked his sore neck. Normally, I try to never go too deep into REM sleep. Thats why Im used to taking naps so that I dont feel too tired. If I want to not have these nightmares, I have to sleep around 16 hours a day. Im sure I dont need to exin to you how it was hard for me to do in these circumstances. Nyx surprisingly sniggered. I can understand that. Then, the four of them fell silent until Leis called them from the other side of the gym. Everyones ready to start. What about you guys? Rakna burned through the rest of his cigarette with one inhale and threw it on the ground. He then casually walked away from the wall and stepped on it. Ready, he curtly said and unwrapped his scarf before transforming it into a bow. Ill join the people in the firing team up there. Pronos, An, you stay here to defend the entrance. via, support every side. And, if youre willing to, you can do the same, Nyx. The red-eyed woman nodded calmly. No need to worry. I will listen to your directives. Im not a strategist myself. I will help yourdy friend over here. I believe we can produce good results together. I agree, via followed with a smile. Good to hear, Leis said and turned around. Guys! Its time! Get into position and prepare to open the west door first. If they ever break through the barricade to the south, split up as nned. Understood! Rakna watched them spread out and followed the ones climbing the stairs ced to the side of the building to reach the ss panels. Pronos had already jumped out from his shoulder to take ce on Ans instead. When he reached the top of the stairs, he took a panel with no one in front and opened it without hesitating. He started pulling the string of Sonata and three Eion arrows formed on it. The people next to him spectated in shock as he pulled the string back fully and released the three arrows at the same time. Each of them pierced an eagle flying in circles in the sky. Rakna hummed, Not bad. He looked at his hand and clenched it. It looked like after the fusion of his weaponry skills, his proficiency with the bow had indeed rocketed to a simr level as his spear mastery. Though, it wasnt as refined as it would be if he had reached that level of mastery by himself. He had been the first one to shoot but the others couldnt just look at him. The Wing Walkers began to shoot at the eagles in single fire mode. One of them would shoot every two seconds or so to save as much ammo as possible. Meanwhile, the other group had cleared the barricade and waited patiently. After a minute or so, they could say for sure that there wasnt any monster on the other side. It had been an hour and a half since they got here, after all. They probably had given up. Leis slowly opened the door and looked from the left to the right through the gap. He nodded then opened the doors wide. He then stepped back and allowed the others to have a clear view of the outside and several goblins. Shoot, he ordered with a calm voice and whoever had a clear line of sight opened fire. The timing of this matched the moment when the eagle hunting team started firing as well. In just a few minutes, most goblins to the west side of the gym had been wiped out and at least a hundred eagles had been shot down. Rakna appraised the situation as he released another arrow that killed his thirteenth eagle. Sadly, he couldnt shoot as many as he would like to since Sonata only was able to generate an arrow every twelve seconds. At this rate, the goblins will easily be taken care of, he muttered to himself as he nced at the west side through the windows. The guns were incredibly efficient to kill goblins and considering how the others still alive were dumbly heading toward the entrance only to die meant that they would be soon done with. Yeah, but the eagles are another story, a voice said and Rakna looked at his right to see Dan walk toward him with a bow in his hand. Im out of arrows for one and well soon be out of bullets. Not only that, even though there are a lot of eagles, we could still get help from thedies down there to slowly cull them but when the hobgoblins arrive, well be in trouble, he said and leaned against the ss panel with his arms crossed. Thanks to you, at least, they probably dont have a leaderpetent enough to lead them into a raid against us. But this will still be a bit annoying. It might take more time than nned. Hm, Rakna nocked another energy arrow and killed one eagle who had tried to plunge and then turn in his direction in midair. No need to worry, he said and mentallymanded Sonata to turn back into a scarf; something that he was still pleasantly surprised he could do now. He still needed his case to kickstart it when its a scarf, but other than that, the System would somehow hear his thoughts and change the weapons form in consequences. What do you mean? Dan scowled. Youll see, he walked away from the window after closing it. He looked down at the inside of the gym and spotted his two friends plus Nyx calmly waiting for their turn to step in. via, Nyx, he said with a voice that was neither loud nor quiet but the two nheless heard him. When they turned their head to look at him, they each caught an object. The green is a stamina potion. via, I noticed that your stamina goes down when you use your telekinesis. It might not fully heal your mind but it should help, if just a bit. And Nyx, yours is a simple and effective mana potion. Hold onto it and use it when necessary. We will, thank you, via smiled and Nyx curiously looked at the liquid inside the tube in her hands. You have my thanks as well, she said. Much to my embarrassment, I couldnt buy one of these in the shop when prioritizing something else. Hey, nothing for me? Anined. You have Pronos with you. Thats one of the best helps I can give you already, Rakna said and walked back to the window where Dan was looking at him weirdly. What are you nning to do? Simple, he replied and opened the ss panel wide. He put one foot on the ledge and looked at the spectacled teen. Im going to do what I do best, he uttered and jumped out. Dan watched in shock as he saw him transforming midair beforending on the ground outside in his wolf form. He then howled with everything he had and rushed toward one hobgoblin nearby as two Lv.9 Shadow Wolves appeared at his side. After that, Dan saw dozens of gray wolvese out of the forest and attack goblins on sight as a shout from a growly voice echoed through the air, This time, its not attrition. Its ughter! Every wolf responded with a howl and everyone back at the gym was dumbfounded, especially those who had witnessed Rakna jump out. And there he goes, An sighed then as if on cue, he started hearing clicking sounds. He looked at the entrance to see the Wing Walkers retreating whilst dropping their now empty guns. Well, I guess its time for us to go in. Agreed, Nyx was the first to move. The crowd at the entrance made room for her and as soon as she had a view of the opened door, she released a wave of shadow spikes that killed off the closest goblins in one strike, shaving off around 10% of her mana. Heh, An snickered and ran past her, directly getting out of the building. He charged at one confounded goblin and crushed its head. At the same time, he heard a notification telling him of his sessful promotion to level 9 which he profited to allocate two points to speed and the remaining two he had saved up to strength. Following after him, via came out of the gym and began to twist the neck of every eagle she saw and every goblin that came close to her. With her ability to now target several of them, a single nce could make ten foes die instantaneously. Leis main teamposed of himself, Gantt, Dan, and Leia could only watch with a wry face. Do these guys even need us? Leia deadpanned and Ganttughed good-naturedly. We cant let them do all the job now, can we? He said and stepped out with his shield in hand. Leis smiled helplessly as Leia scoffed and rushed out with her hammer over her shoulder. He then schooled his expression and drew his katana before his silhouette blurred in a burst of speed. Dan sighed wearily and waved his bow which then transformed into a knife attached to a string; the only item he had bought from the shop. He used the string to spin the knife around him before almost disappearing because of the speed of his movements. For the next hour, only the triumphant howls of wolves, the dying screeches of goblins, and the dull sounds of eagles hitting the ground could be heard. Chapter 28: Path Chapter 28: Path Rakna jumped on the head of a hobgoblin while it was busy with his shadow wolves and extended his ws, which broke through the creatures skull and spilled to the ground matter worthy of censure. As the monster copsed, Rakna casually stayed on its head and hopped off of it the instant prior to it touching the ground. He looked around at the handiwork of both him, his shadow wolves, and the gray wolves and nodded in satisfaction. This time around, his little army was able to effectively hit the goblins since they were upied with themotion going on at the gymnasium. Rakna then turned toward the sky and marveled at how the eagles seemed to be dragged toward the gym as if they were being siphoned by an invisible force. All of them had their preys locked on. He closed his eyes right after and sniffed the air. He still wasntpletely used to his new sense of smell but one thing he had noticed was that he could discern between dead and alive. For instance, goblins smelled like dirt and cabbage and when theyd die, it would turn extremely weak for a few minutes before disappearing and only leaving the stench of blood. Rakna was not sure why they smelled like that but he thought that maybe it was just his subconscious rting what he knew and saw to something familiar Green He muttered dumbly. If it truly was that, he was mad with himself for having made a connection between goblins and a vegetable just based on color. Anyhow, there are around two to three dozen goblins left. No hobs left As for the eagles, he nced at the sky once again and growled. Good thing is that their level stopped increasing and capped at level 6. He mused and at the same time, his two shadow wolves happened to finish off a few goblins which brought him a surprising prompt. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.5 Goblin killed. Lv.5 Goblin killed. Level up! +2 Free Points! S+ Rank: +2 Skill Points! Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 0/100 ? ? ? ? ? Before Rakna could focus on the window, he felt a sudden rush of energy that rippled through his entire body. His eyes widened and he snarled quite loudly until it finally stopped. After the weird urrence, he didnt feel any different but another prompt proved him wrong. ? ? ? ? ? Core Genome Updated: Two Tails Unlocked. Next Tail: Lv.10/Lv.25 ? Number of Skills Affected: 2 Number of New Skill Attuned: 0 ? Shape Shift: A skill exclusive to the Nine-Tailed Werewolf. Grants the ability to shift between three forms; Wolf (speed +70% -> +73%), Werewolf (all attributes +50% -> +53%), Therian. ? C ws (Lv.2 -> Lv.8): Extend and retract ws at will. +20 -> +80% Attack. ? You have taken a step closer to the Apex. Congrattions on reaching Level 10. You have now the right to pick a path. This choice will impact your future development, the skills you will learn, your growth, your rtions ? After analysis of the Hosts potential, 10 Paths have been singled out. ? Select One Path: ? +10 Magic Attack, +20 MP, +0.1 MP Regen. Path of the Caster. <-> +10 Defense, +10 Attack, +20 Stamina. Path of the Warrior. <-> +10 Swiftness, +10 Agility, +10 Senses. Path of the Assassin. <-> (Umon!) +30 Attack, -10 Defense, -20 MP. Path of the Berserker. <-> (Rare!) +10 Attack, +20 Magic Attack, +10 MP. Path of the Magic de. <-> (Rare!) +10 Magic Attack, +0.2 MP Regen. Path of the Necromancer. <-> (Rare!) +5 Attack, +5 Defense, +5 Agility, +5 Swiftness, +5 Stamina. Path of the Forger. <-> (Epic!) +20 Attack, +20 Defense, +20 Magic Attack, +10 Stamina, +10 MP. Path of the yer. <-> (Epic!) +30 Defense, +20 Senses, +30 Stamina. Path of the Guardian. <-> (Unique!) +20 to All Stats, +0.2 to MP Regen. Path of the Nine-Tailed Werewolf. ? ? ? ? ? Raknas expression twitched. Let me breathe [Would you like me to-] No, keep it forter. Can I put this thing on hold? If yes, do it. I need to go back to the others to see if they need help, he said and kicked the ground. Coincidentally, his shadow wolves disappeared at the same time since their time was up which was also followed up by a System prompt. ? ? ? ? ? Call of Fangs has increased to Lv.2 The summoning time for the Shadow Wolves has been increased to six minutes. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna groaned and mentally dismissed the window. Most of these notifications were good things but when they arrived one after another without dy, they became quite obnoxious. It took him approximately two minutes to return to the gym whilst finishing off the few goblins that were on his way. He passively noticed that his ws felt incredibly tougher and sharperpared to before. When he reached the building, he was on the opposite side of where the fighting was but instead of going around, he ran toward the wall without slowing down and jumped as high as he could beforending vertically on the wall. He used his ws to stick to it and then continued his sprint. I have to be honest He thought as he leaped over the wall tond on the roof. This feeling of freedom is addictive. He zoomed across the buildings length and jumped off. While in midair, he took the opportunity to grab an eagle in his maw and two others with his tails beforending perfectly in the middle of the formation made by Leis group and his own. Woah! An almost tripped at his appearance and he snorted before dropping the dead bird in his mouth and snapping the necks of the ones held by his tails, which were unexpectedly strong and quite maneuverable on top of being significantly longer than any normal wolf. Holy shit, where do youe from? His blonde friend asked the question that everyone around was thinking. I ran up the wall of the gym with my ws, Rakna replied as if it was the most normal thing ever. The group let out a chuckle and Leia threw a side-remark with a huff, Show off. That, I cant deny, via also went along with a smile. Rakna has always been one to show off his skills. Whether it is intentional or not however is a mystery. Rakna humored their conversation with a grunt and turned back into a human in a second. He was getting used to the shift by now and he was confident that he could soon reach a point where he could transform mid-battle without losing time. Pronos, who saw that his master was back, reimed his spot on his shoulder. For some reason, the little snake seemed to be pouting. Whats wrong, little guy? Rakna asked as he casually drew Sonata as a bow and shot two arrows that killed an eagle each. I think hes a bit miffed that there isnt anything for him to do anymore, An replied. Im on his side honestly. With the goblins wiped out, I cant really do anything with Nyx and via killing every eagle that targets us. Leis shrugged. Same here, he said as his katana hanged loosely at his belt. He didnt even need his sword to kill the eagles so it was resting in its scabbard. Same, Leia and Gantt both added. On the other hand, Dan didnt really care and his weapon had a bit more range to it than the others since it was a string knife. Thus, he could asionally steal a few kills from the two powerhouses that were via and Nyx. Understandable, Raknamented and turned toward the people still shooting from the ss panels. They were still notpletely out of ammunition but it wouldntst long. Though, you could say this is over already, he thought as he nced at via who, although winded, appeared to be able to go on for a little longer. Then there was Nyx who formed shadow constructs as easily as she breathed. She waved her hand and ck spears and arrows would impale eagles left and right. I havent used Appraisal on her yet, have I? He suddenly remembered and didnt wait any further to use one of his favorite skills since hended in this situation. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Nyx Nocta Regysnite Age: ??? | Level: 10 (32/100) Race: Ascended Human (Originally a ???) Path: N/A Titles: Former Goddess of the Night, Former ??? of Elysium, Spared by the Eternal Night God Potential: NR ? Attributes: Strength: 4 | Endurance: 4 Speed: 6 | Dexterity: 9 Intelligence: 15 | Luck: 3 ? Statistics: Stamina: 20/27 | MP: 95/150 Swiftness: 42 | Agility: 24 Senses: 34 | Atr Cap: 41 Attack: 33 | Defense: 16 Magic Attack: 45 | MP Regen: 1.5/min ? Proficiencies: C Mana Control (Lv. Max) C Mana Sense (Lv. Max) C Enchant Weaving (Lv.9) C Crafting (Lv.8) C Magic Theory (Lv.8) C Weapon-Mastery (Lv.6) C CQC (Lv.6) ? Magic Skills: C Requires Re-Awakening ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Fatigue Resistance (Lv. Ex) C Fear Resistance (Lv. Ex) C Pain Resistance (Lv. Ex) C Moons Blessing (Lv. Ex): ??? ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Shadow Cloak (Lv.3): Calls forth the elements of darkness in the air and allows the user to hide in shadows or to strengthen themselves. The darker it is, the more effective this skill is. Cost: 10-50 MP Cooldown: 1h ? C Telepathy (Lv.6): A simple skill to learn for those who already know how to shape mana within their body and mind. Allowsmunication between minds. Cost: Negligible. Maximum Distance: 60km ? Nirvana Skills: C Ascended Shadow Control (Lv.2): The result of a powerful seal forced the Hosts power to be erased from its initial grandeur and degraded to a single skill. Though weakpared to where it came from, it is not to be underestimated as a Nirvana Skills growth is unlimited. Shadow Control allows the creation of physical shadow objects as well as a metaphysical maniption of them. The strength, power, speed, or solidity of a construct depends on the mana pumped into it. Attack value will scale based on the magic attack stat and the minimum mana cost. Mana Consumption: Grandly varies. Minimum Mana Cost: 1 MP Note: To keep a shadow construct active, a constant flow of mana is required. ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Night Goddess: ??? C Divine Blood: ??? ? Note: A former powerhouse that stood at the peak of the Universe. She encountered the ??? during the War of ??? and was imprisoned in ??? before being sealed away for ??? years by the First ??? until it recently was salvaged by the System. Unfortunately, Nyxs power had already been drained and erased over time. ? ? ? ? ? yes? Chapter 29: The Tricksters Sleeve Chapter 29: The Tricksters Sleeve The gears in Raknas brain stopped turning for a decent amount of time after checking Nyxs status. He was forced out of his daze by a few shouts. Theyre leaving! Leis was one of them and he focused on the eagles again only to see them retreat toward the forest again. Although they were still hundreds of them, they seemed to have given up staying on the school grounds. Its probably a good thing for anyone who has stayed in the forest and hasnt reached their quota of souls, he thought. Little did he know that he was one of the main reasons why Gray had decided to gather them in a single ce. ? Ding! ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted a Side-Objective: Overtaking! After strenuous efforts, you have managed to win against the invaders. There is no imminent threat remaining in your area. Your contribution score has been calcted at 48%. You ranked first. ? Rewards: One Random Utility Item, 2 Free Attribute Points, 4800 Talys. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna read the notification and nodded satisfyingly and thanks to a quick inspection of his group, he was obviously not the only one who had gotten this. Two Free Points, huh? So, you can earn them through quests too He heard An say and he coincided mentally. It was good to know you could get those from something other than leveling. All in all, Rakna was fairly pleased with the money and points he got from this supposed side quest. As for his third reward, it appeared as a small inbox icon in the corner of his vision. He focused on it and it zoomed in to reveal a closed chest bouncing from side to side. I see the game of the devil, he mumbled inaudibly but Alexa didnt fail to hear it. [The game of the devil?] Of course, gacha games were probably the devils personal creation, Rakna responded with a tone that left no room to argue. [] He then sighed and ordered mentally for the System to open this chest. And as he expected, his vision exploded in a flurry of colors before disying one item which magically proceeded to appear in his hands in a sh of red light. dude, you need to stop doing that, An grumbled as he saw it happen. Im seriously starting to believe that you use cheat codes or something. The heck is that thing? Yes, Im quite curious as well, via followed and Leis group agreed wordlessly. Reward. I ranked first in contribution and it gave me this I think, Rakna shrugged and began to inspect the object he was holding. It was a deck of cards. The standard kind; 54 cards, thirteen for each suit (hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds), plus two jokers. That didnt exin much about its abilities so Rakna didnt waste checking the Items specifics through the System. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Utility Item/Card Deck Name: The Tricksters Sleeve Rarity: Red Capacity: 13/13 Hearts C 13/13 Clubs C 13/13 Diamonds C 13/13 Spades C 2/2 Jokers. ? Description: ? Said to have belonged to the Legendary Trickster, Coyote. The creator of all animals and master of the apex of supernatural trickery. The Tricksters Sleeve is said to be an item made when Earth Maker and Coyote were still working together before thetter started introducing evil to the world. ? Effect: ? C Heart Cards: The cards that belong to this suit will be faithful to their appetion and heal a target. The effectiveness of the heal will depend on which card is used with the Two being the weakest and the Ace being the strongest. ? C Club Cards: This suit has also been called the suit of creation in the past. They can be used to build anything that the user wishes for. Their limit lies in the users level as well as the rank of the card used. Note: System Items cannot be produced. ? C Diamond Cards: The cards of infinite toughness. They were said to be capable of nullifying even the deadliest of attacks. When using one of these cards, any attack of any sort can be canceled, with the same limitations as the previous ones. ? C Spade Cards: Also called the de suit. ording to the myths, even Earth Maker was afraid of these specific cards as they allowed anyone who wielded them to injure even the mightiest gods. When using one of them, a target defined by the user will be dealt a random type of attack that ignores defense. Effectiveness remains as limited as the previous suits. ? C Joker Cards: Contrary to the other cards, the jokers require a price to be employed. That price being random attributes being reduced by 1 in exception of Luck. In exchange, the user can demand anything that the other cards offer and beyond. However, the limitations remain and the jokers help can sometimes bring more malfortune than fortune. ? Cooldown: 30 Min. Regeneration time for a specific card: As many days as its rank minus one. With Twos being one day and Aces being thirteen days. Joker Regeneration: 30 Days. ? Note: The Tricksters Sleeve is bound to its user. It will appear and disappear onmand and can also be controlled mentally. To use a card, shouting its name is required. Additionally, the user is granted feedback whenever a situation can or cannot be solved by one of the cards. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna didnt expect so much text and pretty much stayed rooted in ce for several minutes in order to absorb the information. Um Rak? An waved his hand in front of him but was met with no response. You there? Earth to- wait, its not Earth teau Zero to Rakna? Everyone looked at him with a nk expression. What? You have a better idea? By the way, Rakna, is that normal? via asked as she pointed at his back. He was pulled out of his thoughts for a short moment to look behind him to see two wolf tails. He hadnt paid too much attention to them until now since he was already used to the feeling of having nine of them. Yes. You have seen my tails during my transformation, right? I unlock them in this form by leveling up, he replied casually and everyone easily epted the answer. After all of what they had seen him do, this wasnt the most surprising. [] Meanwhile, Alexa was making noises? Akin to someone trying to open their mouth to say something but unable to form the words needed to convey their state of mind. [C-congrattions, Rakna. You acquired a Red Utility Item] He then returned to his thoughts to talk to Alexa and An facepalmed. And here I thought he was going to stop Red, huh? I guess my luck truly isnt bad after all. [Affirmative I feel obliged to mention that Red equipment, in general, is very difficult to find and a Red Utility Item is several times more so.] Well, what can you tell me about my luck? Is 9 a high number or not? [It is,] Alexa said with no further hesitation or shock in her tone. [The Luck Attribute behaves very differently from others. They function, for theck of a better word, in powers. For instance, a Host with 2 of Luck will be two times luckier than someone with 1. In other words, Rakna, your luck is higher than the minimum value by a power of 9. Taking binary numbers as a basis. 1 luck would be equivalent to an imaginary measure of 2 while 9 of luck would be equal to 512.] Interesting Okay, Im losing it, An snapped and started shaking his friends shoulders who let himself go along with it with no change to his expression but it had managed to divert his attention again. Hm? What is it? Also, stop shaking me, he replied dully and An groaned. via chuckled and Nyx smiled faintly. You were asking what this was, right? Its a special item After saying that, he fell back into his thoughts again and An rolled his eyes which then almost popped out in shock when the cards in Raknas hands started floating around thetter. Neat, the ever so indifferent teen said before snapping his fingers. The cards shed in a crimson light before disappearing as if they were never there. Rakna looked back at the stunned onlookers and wrapped Sonata around his neck. Well, now that weve collected enough souls and experience, lets go back inside the gymnasium for now. I propose that we depart after resting. I also believe that some of you have received a certain prompt after reaching level 10, correct? He asked and a few nods were returned; including Nyx, An, and via. In that case, lets hurry up to look through it. From what I have seen of it, its something well have to carefully proceed with. ? * * * ? I cant believe this kid Gray muttered dumbfoundedly, once again sitting on the head of a very irked Aqu. Do you believe this? He pulled a fucking Red Utility Item on his first try. I think its official, I hate this kid I hate lucky people. But goddammit, Im loving it. The giant divine eagle sighed. Why did I have to be in the group you oversee Well, thats a bit of a misced euphemism. Since, you know, you were cloned to fill the spot in every group. So, technically, there literally wasnt a way for you to not be stuck with me. Aqu sighed again. ? * * * ? Back in the gym, Rakna was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed; conversing with Alexa who also was directly sending him visual input without him actually needing to see to have his brain register the System windows. So, if I understand correctly, these Paths are simr to the concept of Jobs, yes? He asked inwardly. [Affirmative. Every Host gets this choice. However, the choices vastly differ from one person to another. To be exact, the number and quality of choices differ. The number never goes below 3 or above 10. So, in other words, you have gotten the maximum, Rakna. That is a rare urrence. On top of that, you have a Unique Path avable to you.] So, these things also have a concept of rarity to them? [Yes. It goes from normal to umon, rare, epic, and legendary.] What about Unique then? [Unique refers to a Path that has never existed before. To be more specific, there has never been a Nine-Tailed Werewolf in the entire history of the System.] Really? Rakna scowled. I find it weird that it had no precedents. [That would be correct if you lonely meant either a Nine-Tailed Wolf or a Werewolf. Abination of the two has never been seen before because the former is essentially nobility and thetter can be seen asmoners if I dare say so. Nine-Tailed Creatures are noble and they are as such since birth. A Werewolf on the other hand is merely a beast in their eyes. A beast without an ounce of magical or spiritual talent.] I see All right, then exin to me what a Skill Point is. [Its very simple. A Skill Point can increase the level of any skill. More often than not, Hosts save them as much as they can to break through a bottleneck. Usually, to increase the levels of skills with a level above 8. However, its most useful application is on a level Ex skill.] Ex, huh? Rakna mused. He had seen it a few times already. Most of them were just recently when he saw Nyxs status, which he would have to think aboutter, but there was also Pronos poison resistance. [Yes. Ex is an abbreviation for Excelled. It signifies that a skill has gone beyond its original set limit and is now on the verge of an ascension per se. Skills that go beyond Ex once are called Ascended Skills, those that go beyond twice are called Demi-God Skills, and those that surpass their origin thrice are called Divine Skills. However, thetter is said to be inconceivably hard to attain.] So, if I understand correctly, these points are rare. [Correct. At level ten, most people get 1 Skill Point while Hosts with S Potential get two. Then, they receive one every hundred. There are also ways to earn them through other means that you wille to learn when reaching the First teau.] Rakna had finished asking the questions that interested him and spent a few minutes mulling over it before mentally bringing a prompt into his vision. He stared at the Unique Path at the bottom of the list and slowly selected it. Chapter 30: Eyes of the Soul Chapter 30: Eyes of the Soul ? ? ? ? You have selected the Path of the Nine-Tailed Werewolf. ? The Nine-Tailed Creatures are beings of tremendous nobility and talent. They wield mystical magic unlike any other can hope to match. Nine-Tailed Wolves possess the power to topple mountains with their Mystic Magic. They are fast and deadly with it butck endurance. However, as a Nine-Tailed Werewolf, you have be the perfect acumination of abilities to stand toe to toe against any and every opponent; without exploitable weaknesses. Your physical growth will shake the foundations of the world and your spiritual might shall never be left behind. ? From now on, your intelligence, strength, and speed will increase by 0.1 at every level. In the future, as you continue to follow the Path of the Nine-Tailed Werewolf, more power will be presented to you. Survive well. ? ? ? ? ? The first thing Rakna felt when that message appeared was the mildly painful change to his body as every single one of his stats increased by 20. He shook his head lightly and suddenly felt as if he was out of his body. He could pick up the smell of everyone in the gym and differentiate each one of them with no difficulty. He could even hear their heartbeats without focusing. When he opened his eyes, he had to stay still as to not lose his bnce because of the dizziness caused by the feedback of his vision. ? ? ? ? ? After oveing your limits to the extreme, Eye of the Mind has entered Excelled state. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna rubbed his temples at this additional prompt and opened his status window, focusing only on the first half of it. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra Age: 17 | Level: 10 (0/100) Path/Race: Nine-Tailed Werewolf Titles: Legendary yer, Wolf King Potential: S+ ? Attributes: Strength: 4 | Endurance: 3 Speed: 9 -> 10 | Dexterity: 8 -> 10 Intelligence: 4 | Luck: 9 ? Avable Attribute Points: 5 Avable Skill Points: 2 ? Statistics: Stamina: 27 -> 50/50 | MP: 40 -> 60/60 Swiftness: 26 -> 48 | Agility: 25 -> 50 Senses: 72 -> 141 | Atr Cap: 37 -> 40 Attack: 23 -> 57.5 | Defense: 13 -> 33 Magic Attack: 12 -> 32 | MP Regen: 0.28 -> 0.48/min ? ? ? ? ? Well, that is certainly a sizeable increase, Raknamented. After he was done inspecting his stats, he took a look at his skills. ? ? ? ? ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Eye of the Mind (Lv. Max -> Ex) C Pain Resistance (Lv. Max) C Fear Resistance (Lv. Max) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv. 7) C Ireful Shell (Lv.1) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Appraisal (Lv.5) C Intimidation (Lv.3) C ws (Lv.2 -> 8) C Call of Fangs (Lv.1 -> 2) ? ? ? ? ? Hm, Rakna stared at this window for a moment. More specifically, he looked at his skill that had reached the Excelled level. So, Alexa, if I understood correctly, I can use one of my Skill Points to ascend Eye of the Mind, right? [Affirmative.] What would be the result? [Im unaware of the details, Rakna. However, I can say with certainty that a skill as rare and useful as the Eye of the Mind would be no waste for a Skill Point.] Then, use it, Rakna replied. [Understood.] After his order, he abruptly experienced another mental interference. His vision blurred for a short second and when it came back, it was as if he could see something that he had never noticed before but couldnt quite put his finger on it. He also felt like his entire body, from his deepest internal organs to the tips of his hair, was under his control like never before. ? ? ? ? ? Eye of the Mind has sessfully ascended to Eyes of the Soul. ? Eyes of the Soul (Lv.11): A skill worthy of the jealousy of even the strongest beings. Through the windows of the soul, the user will experience an attunement to his body and mind that is said to be even out of reach for Spiritual Creatures. ? With this Ascended Skill, nothing can stop you from learning even the hardest of techniques in a few hours. Even minutes sometimes. You can also never be taken by surprise as your soul will never fail to notice it and warn you of the danger. Secondary Effect: Permanent 150% increase to senses. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna almost had the urge to smile in contentment. With this new boost, not only had his senses reached a value of 160 thanks to the 3.5x multiplicator, but he could also feel something within him. Something that he could manipte and channel, though with difficulty. Is this my soul? [Affirmative. There are high chances that as you get more proficient with the Eyes of the Soul, the more you will be able to control the power of your soul.] What would that allow me to do? Rakna asked curiously. [Although souls cannot harm anyone physically, but they are the only thing that can harm another soul. In other words, you might one day be able to destroy someones soul with yours or perhaps even take control of them or possess them. These abilities aremonly called Soul Arts and are usually wielded by Cultivators.] I see, he responded out loud before finally taking a look at his surroundings. From the looks of things, he certainly wasnt the only one who had been deep in his thoughts. Even An seemed to be concentrating hard. Though, those who hadnt reached level 10 yet in Leis group were merely resting. Are you finished? Rakna heard someone speaking from his left and turned to see Nyx leaning against the wall in the corner. He hummed and walked toward her. He took a spot next to her and started watching the others like her. What about you? I did. The System only gave me two Paths to choose from, she said. I see. Can I ask what they were? She nced at him and answered, One was Legendary and the other was Unique. Rakna squinted his eyes without looking at her. I take it that they had something to do with you being a former goddess? If she was surprised by his inquiry, she didnt show it. You could say that. One of the two Paths I was given was centered around the possibility of regaining my old powers as for the other one it was something different. Seeing that she wasnt going to say anything more about it, Rakna fell silent. After a few minutes, Nyx spoke again, If youre interested, you can always use your skill to look. Your friends told me about it earlier. I wont be offended. Surprisingly, Rakna grunted negatively. I will restrain myself from doing so. Its not in my nature to look at someone elses secrets because I feel insecure about it. Especially when theyre allies. I looked at your status once and its enough for me. I will not repeat the process as long as I feel that you are not a threat to me or my peers. Nyx snorted with a smile. Such a gentleman you are. Or perhaps, you have great pride She said and paused. In that case, I dont mind telling you a story or two. I myself need to get it out of my chest so I do not mind. Rakna nced at her with a sharp but otherwise unexpressive look. Then, she continued, I dont know if you saw my titles but since you called me a former goddess, I will assume that you did. He nodded calmly and she followed, Im sure that among those, you saw a an intruder of sorts. And it couldnt be more urate. I was Spared by the Eternal Night God. She scoffed. You see, it was him who defeated me and sealed me away. I do not know for sure why but it somehow made mend in here, she told with a wave of her hands, pointing at their surroundings. As for why Im telling you this, it is because the Unique Path that I was offered was titled She stopped and sighed. Titled Path of the Eternal Night. Raknas eyes widened a bit at this. I can only guess but I probably unlocked it thanks to my being the former Night Goddess and also possessing a title rted to the very creator of Eternal Night, also called Aeter; the perfect hybrid magic between lightning and darkness. When she was done telling her story, a peaceful silence settled between them. Rakna even thought that it was a pleasant kind of quietness. The sort that he had rarely experienced in the past. After a handful of seconds, he opened his mouth, Which Path did you choose in the end? Nyx smiled and waved her finger. Now, now, I wont tell my secrets. If you want to know, Im afraid youll have to pry into my status again, she jested and Rakna snorted but didnt retort. Anyhow, she uttered and pushed herself away from the wall. Your friends seem to be finished with their decision, she said and began to head back to the group. Thank you for listening to me like that. Youre more sensitive than you look, she added without turning around. Rakna gazed at her as she walked away and wondered if he should or should not use Appraisal. On one hand, he intended to be faithful to his words, but this woman was a divine being beforeing here. Should he trust her or not? What do you think, little guy? Rakna whispered and Pronos popped his head out with a soft hiss to which he nodded with a thoughtful expression. I guess So? Did you also have to make a choice, little guy? Pronos nodded and before Rakna could ask, a small System window opened in front of him with only one line in it. ? ? ? ? ? (Legendary) Path of the Ouroboros. ? ? ? ? ? I see. Congrattions, Rakna said and Pronos smirked pridefully. Then, after a few seconds, the two of them returned to their group where An, via, and Nyx were already chatting. Ah, Rak! Youre here, An noticed him almost instantly. Wanna know what Path I got? Sure tell. The Path of the Abyss Monk! He dered with pride. Its an Epic one and damn its description was cool. Apparently, I can have muscles as tough as diamond in the future. Well, that would be very powerful, I admit, Rakna nodded. Though, he tilted his head. Why is the name so ominous? Eh? You mean the Abyss bit? Dunno. It wasnt specified, he scratched his hair sheepishly. It just, you know, sounded cool. Heughed dryly when Rakna gave him a nk look. Oh,e on, its still ssified Epic. At least, I know I didnt get something bad. Rakna shrugged. Perhaps so. What about you, via? via took on a troubled expression. But she also seemed embarrassed? Well, its a Legendary Path called She finished with a very hushed voice that no one heard. Yes? Raknas ears twitched on top of his head and one of them perked up while the other folded. If it was another time, via would have melted under the cuteness of the action, but she couldnt help but be embarrassed when she repeated it, still whispering. However, this time, it was loud enough for Rakna to hear it thanks to his improved hearing. Chaos Witch? He repeated and via nodded with a blush. He turned toward An who was stifling hisughter and Nyx who had a small smile on her face then back to via. Whats wrong about it? In the description She started but couldnt finish. Instead, An decided to finish for her. In the description of her Path, it said that Chaos Witches were descendants of one of the most powerful Witches to ever exist, he said then chuckled. And, supposedly, to be considered one, you have to be extremely sadistic and C pff, hahaha! C sexually frustrated. Oh, Rakna eximed dumbly and via covered her face with her hands as An let out a full-blownughter. Well dont worry, I wont treat you any differently because of your fetishes, he affirmed with a t tone. Thats why I didnt want to tell you!! She shouted back with a flushed face. And Im not sexually frustrated! Her voice echoed in the gym and many people tried to hide their blush. Chapter 31: Five Minutes Chapter 31: Five Minutes After getting enough rest, the group set out into the forest, heading for the Statue as the sun was starting to go down; a short while left before sunset. As the team of twenty people or so ran through the forest, Leia raised her voice, Hey, guys, whats the n to fight the eagle anyway? We have to pin it down, Rakna immediately replied. If we want to deal with this as efficiently as possible, we have to stop him from taking off somehow. We could use Nyx and vias help to do that but I think a more physical approach is needed. Such as? Dan inquired and Rakna looked around for a second before signaling everyone to stop with a raised fist. You, he pointed at one of the members of the Wing Walkers. Me? The man raised an eyebrow in confusion. Whats your name? Bet. Bet Walker, he answered. Then, Bet, is it all right if I ask you to give me your weapon? Eh? Bet didnt know what to say. He turned toward Leis who nodded at him. He then took the weapons he had attached to his back. They were a pair of miniature scythes connected by a chain from the handles. Some just called it Chain des while its more official name was Dual Kusarigama. Sure, I mean, I dont think I can do much anyway. But I dont want to sound cocky but these are hard to use, Bet said as he handed them. Im the only one with these because I trained for years with it. No worry, Rakna said and grabbed the handles of the weapon. He first judged the weight of the two des before twirling them with ease. I know how to use these as well, he said and Bet could only shrug. So? What are you going to do with those? Leis asked what was in everyones mind. I said that we needed a way to pin it down, Rakna replied and put the Kusarigama on the ground before pulling out his scarf, from which Pronos jumped out with a curious face. At that point, no one knew what he was doing but Rakna, on the other hand, was perfectly aware of the System window that had appeared in front of him. Yes, he said to apparently no one and before the onlookers could ask him about it, they suddenly watched dumbfounded as the scythes shined before merging with the scarf. Then, without transforming Sonata, Rakna took a look at the description of the new form of his weapon. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Dual Chain-de Name: Azure Sonata Rarity: Blue Attack power: +50 Durability: 100/100 ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The weapon possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another with an Eion energy influx as the trigger. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow, Kusarigama. ? C Eion Chain: By dposing the chain into small segments of energy, it can be put under great strain and stretch for a good distance until it reaches its breaking point. ? C Oscition de (ded forms only): Through oscition, the de bes ten times sharper and can generate heat. ? Note: Evolvable. ? ? ? ? ? This is even better than I expected, he thought before wearing his scarf again and letting Pronos get back under it. Then, he suddenly got an idea and used Appraisal on the evolvable note. ? ? ? ? ? Weapon: Azure Sonata Number of current evolutions: 2 Requirements for next evolution: C Any weapon with a rarity of Green or higher C Host Level 20 ? Note: Currently, Azure Sonata cannot assimte weapons that are too dissimr in size. Additionally, keep in mind that one type of weapon cannot be absorbed more than once. ? ? ? ? ? I see, that exins why certain weapons started glowing after I reached level 10, hemented internally and looked back at the group. Im done. Lets go, he dered and started running toward the Statue again; the rest following him shortly after. What did you do exactly? Leis asked as he caught up to him. Rakna nced at him for a second. Youll see. In any case, lets continue the conversation we were having. First of all, I have an idea on how to pin it down to the ground but for that to happen, I also need Aqu to get low enough. Theres no way to tell for sure if hes going to fly around us while shooting magic at us. Leis nodded at that. I agree. It will also be very hard to attack it from a distance because of that defense. Our only chance to hurt it is through des. Correct. To do that, I was nning something but I would need all of you to distract him while I prepare for it, Rakna said. For how long? Five minutes at worst. Leis frowned and closed his eyes in thought. He really didnt like the idea of entrusting the lives of his team to someone he barely knew but Rakna had proven to not only be resourceful but also reliable. Fine five minutes. If after five minutes I judge it to be dangerous for my gang, Ill retreat. Im okay with that, Rakna agreed without batting an eye and stopped for a second time. He gazed at the statue in the distance and estimated the distance. Its around a kilometer away. Lets separate here. Youll reach the statue in about three minutes. That will be the cue for you to start the five-minute timer. Got it. Also [Call of Fangs], Rakna uttered and four level-ten shadow wolves emerged next to him. He crouched next to them and whispered something. The four wolves nodded then ran toward Nyx who almost jerked in surprise. They surrounded her and sat down like good dogs. The former goddess looked at Rakna inquisitively, which he returned with a snort. Theyre under yourmand for six minutes. In other words, you have around three minutes to fight with them. With your shadows, you should be able to do wonders. At his words, her eyes widened before her mind started going through everything, she could do with these wolves ability to meld into shadows. Ill use them well, thank you. Rakna nodded at her and turned into a wolf. via, if everything goes well, I will need your help so be prepared for the signal. Dont worry, you wont miss it. I understand. Dont do anything reckless, she replied. Rakna paused for a second. Well, that will be rather difficult. But Ill try, he said before running off at full speed, leaving behind an exasperated via and a sniggering An. Lets hurry up, Leis said to everyone. Lets not waste any time. ? * * * ? While running, Rakna activated his Stealth skill so that Aqu wouldnt notice him. And after two minutes of running through the foliage, the skills level had already increased to 4. Is this the effect of the Eyes of the Soul? He wondered. [That would be half-correct, Rakna,] Alexa stated when she heard his thoughts. [The Eyes of the Soul do indeed increase the speed at which you improve on new skills and abilities. But in certain cases, there is what we call a Correction Basis. In other words, its when a Host has already enough experience to perform a skill at high levels of proficiency but hadnt unlocked it yet.] I see. Because I already more or less knew how to kill my presence before unlocking Stealth, I got to level it up faster than normal. [Correct.] Good to know, he added and stopped running when reached his destination; the back of the Eagle Gods Statue, in a dead angle of Aqus sight. Pronos came out from under Sonata and hissed whilst trying to see the top of the immense statue in front of them. Not yet, little guy, Rakna whispered while lying down in a shadowy spot behind a tree. Lets wait for the others to engage and then well try to be like a bird ourselves. When Pronos registered his masters words, he snapped his head upward with an expression that could only be tranted to one thing: Wut?! ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Aqu looked down and watched as the group of humans came out of the forest. With his eyesight, he could make out every single detail about them and he also spotted the girl who was releasing a divine presence. But then, his eyes darted but he couldnt find what he was looking for. Where is the wolf the clown was talking about? Did they separate? As he was thinking that, he remained still on top of the statue of the God he served. Even as they all approached the exit located between the Eagle Gods Statues ws, he still stayed motionless. ? * * * ? At the same time, Leis was getting anxious. He was getting closer and closer to what seemed to be arge wooden gate at the statues feet, but Aqu wasnt moving at all. Were we wrong about this? Do we really just need the souls? He thought and signaled everyone to standby as he got close to the gate alone. He slowly reached for it and touched the old-looking wood. Immediately after, dozens of small spheres of light came out of his chest. He stepped back in shock and let go of the door but the spheres continued to emerge one after another. They would then go through the gate and disappear. When all of them were gone, there was still nothing happening. When Leis was about to just try and push the gates doors again, it started glowing strongly and he was forced to cover his eyes. But, without looking directly at it, and keeping his eyes down, he saw the shadow of the gate moving as well as the sound that went along with it. Its opening, he thought and as he began to believe that it really might not be required to fight Aqu, a voice shattered his hopes. {My congrattions, humans. You have opened the gate,} it spoke in their minds. {Now, pay the price for the lives you hunted or survive this ordeal.} Less than a second after these words, the same voice boomed across the ind. This time it wasnt just inside their head, it came from the very top of the statue, [Jade Rouse.] Following nothing but his instinct, Leis turned around and kicked the ground as fast and hard as he could. He got away from the gate and without a warning, a jade-colored pir struck the area where he was standing before. If one looked closely at it, they would see that the pir was in fact a verypacted zone of raging winds. Leis rolled on the ground as the magic struck behind him and sent a st of wind on his back. He grunted and recovered by mming his hand on the ground and vaulting back onto his feet with the members of his gang rushing toward him. Well, shit An muttered as he looked up. Nyx and via mimicked him and their expressions sunk as they saw therge eagle gliding above them with his wings fully deployed, spanning over at least 20 meters. Aqu pped his wings and the entire group had to be careful to not be blown away by the wind caused by that simple action. The eagles golden eyes glowed as he gazed at them. Now, humans Struggle for your life! Chapter 32: Delightful Ire Chapter 32: Delightful Ire Say, remind how were supposed to fight THAT?! Leia yelled as she rolled away to dodge a de made of wind. It cut through the tree next to her and caved the ground. After Aqu had descended from the statue, the group had been forced to retreat under the cover of the forest. Ever since, Aqu had been flying in circles around the exit, asionally casting wind des at them. Because of this situation, Leis group had no way of truly fighting back. The very few bullets they had left from the battle back at the school had already been shot and had done literally nothing. Maybe this is for the better actually, via said and got the attention of everyone. I dont think Aqu is heedless. He knows that plunging toward us will only give us a chance to injure him. So, even though we cant retaliate, it makes it far easier for us to wait for Rakna. True An muttered while sitting behind a tree. Weve been here for about a minute. I guess we only need to wait for around four more. As long as things continue like this, it-?! He stopped mid-sentence as he heard a whistling noise. Oh shit! he scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could along with the people close to him. A wind de crashed where he was sitting and demolished the tree. He sighed exaggeratedly and looked at the massive bird. Never mind. I wanna punch that thing. Now. Teach, cant you, I dont know, hurl a few trees at it? via deadpanned, An, do you perhaps not know how much trees weigh on average? Uuuh no? 2 tons. Oh. Well, among us, Im still probably the only one who could attack it directly, she then added. How so? Leis asked. Since I leveled up my Nirvana Skill, I should be able to fly as well. However, I dont think that my telekinesis is nowhere near strong enough to force Aqu tond. Leis put a hand on his chin. Can you help someone else fly along with you? Yes. But I wouldnt be able to do anything else and Id get tired very fast. I also need the other person to weigh less than 90kg. Other than that, I could just simply try tounch a few people in the air, she shrugged as she said thest part. Leis chuckled wryly. Launching ourselves doesnt sound very safe. Im up for it, Leia uttered and her brother raised an eyebrow at her. What? Sounds fun. We could also use the help of these boys, Nyx intervened while pointing at the shadow wolves at her feet. If I manage to create shadows above Aqu, they can use Shadow Meld to each bring one person from the ground to the back of that eagle. So, we do have some ways of fighting back, An said. Now, the question is, do we do it? Well, it might help whatever Xiorra is nning to do, Dan remarked. He did say to keep the eagle distracted for 5 minutes. I say we can try. In that case, via stood up and started floating. Lets begin. Im going to go up with Nyx and four of you will wait before the shadow wolves can transport you through the shadows, we all agree? Nyx and Leis nodded before via started using her telekinesis on the former. The night goddess calmly kept her bnce as she got away from the ground. It was as if she was used to it. The two women nodded at each other before via channeled all her mental power to take off in one sudden pull. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Aqu was not just flying around doing nothing. He was trying to locate Rakna since he was the biggest threat to him. Where are you, young wolf? He said inwardly and as hepleted anotherp around the statue and prepared to send another Wind de in the humans direction, he spotted two figures exit the forest through the air. His eyes widened a little and he pped his wings to change his course to focus more on the two women in his sight. One of them was the one who exuded the divine aura and the other seemed to be a normal human with the power of telekinesis. Interesting. For a Seedling to reach a level at which they can fly. It is a rare urrence, he thought and waved one of his wings in their direction. A green-colored condensed arc of wind flew out. via waved her hand at Nyx and the two of them quickly got out of the attacks path. They then started going straight toward Aqu from two different sides. The Divine Eagle nced at them both. The human girl seems to be using all of her power to fly them. This would make the red-eyed girl the only threat, he concluded and he promptly gathered his mana and prepared to cast a spell. But before he could proceed with his attack, Nyx summoned at least a dozen weapons made out of shadows andunched them at him. Aqu got startled by the incredible disy of power for a Seedling but nheless conjured his magic afterward, [Jade Rouse!] The same wind pir from before was summoned in mid-air but this one was much wider. Itsted for a few seconds and blew away Nyxs constructs. When the wind died down, Aqu was startled to see via flying toward him at full speed. She was using her telekinesis on both herself and the air around her to elerate. With limited options, Aqu could only wave his wings and throw two Wind des at her, which sessfully forced her to back off although it didnt do much damage to her. It was then that he felt something hit his back. What?! He bent his neck to look up and widened his eyes in shock when he saw Nyx above him with a pair of shadowy wings on her back. She smiled at him with her palm pointed at him. Did you think I couldnt fly? Dont underestimate the shadows, she uttered and the nket-like shadow on his back rippled and eight silhouettes emerged; four wolves and four humans. Leis, Gantt, Leis, and An jumped out of the shadows and instantly grabbed Aqus feathers with grins on their face. Leis unsheathed his katana and stabbed Aqus back with it which made the divine bird cry out in pain. Thetter then tried to flip in the air to get rid of them but they held on strongly. Gantt mmed his shield near the injury caused by Leis, followed by Leias hammer, and finally, An delivered a punch to Aqus neck that contained apletely renewed power after both choosing his Path and assigning his free points. At the same time, the four shadow wolves targeted the wings. The Divine Eagle opened his mouth to release an ear-piercing whistling and then plunged at full speed which made both Gantt and Leia get off his back. Oh shit! The blonde girl shouted right before via caught her with her power while Gantt fell on a shadow tform that Nyx made. She certainly couldnt make it fly since,pared to via, it was far harder for her to allow flight, but it was definitely possible to make something capable of gliding. Aqu rushed toward the ground at a speed higher than 300km/h andnded loudly in front of the exit gate. The shock was transmitted to both An and Leis who were forced to let go. They simultaneously jumped off from the eagles back but Aqu wasnt done. His eyes glowed and he deployed his wings before chanting one word, [Tempest!] He pped his wings with all of his strength and a massive tornado formed around him, reaching even the sky and sucking in the clouds. An and Leis were flung away into the air along with several chunks of the forest. The four others that were still in the air lost control and fell in the distance. As for Raknas shadow wolves, they had already been dispelled after reaching their time limit. After deracinating the forest around him and repelling his attackers, Aqu huffed. It was a good try, humans. However, not enough. Oh, really? One mirthful voice sounded from above him. Aqu barely had the time to register the immense bloodlust and theugh that followed before he felt something crash on his back which caused his upper body to collide against the ground and make a sizeable crater. ? * * * ? A short moment earlier. ? Rakna watched as via and Nyx engaged Aqu. Good, they finally got his attention. If he hadnt stopped flying around the statue, it would have been annoying, he muttered and ran out of the bushes he was hiding in, Stealth still active, which was now level five. He dashed toward the Eagle Gods Statue with his nine tails closely huddled to avoid them slowing him down. He leaped at the statue and, just like at the gymnasium,nded vertically and began to run upward with his ws retracting and extending thanks to his perfect control. He ran faster than ever before as he climbed the stone statue. The first System prompt singling him that his ws skill and leveled up appeared thirty seconds is. Then, two minutester just as he reached the top, a second one came telling him his skill had reached its maximum level. Rakna grunted and finished his sprint by jumping high over the statues top andnding on all fours. When he reached the top, he could have sworn he noticed the figure of the irritating clown not far from him. He ignored it and turned back into a human. Pronos carefully stretched forward and looked down from the statues crown. When he saw how far they were from the ground, he quickly returned to Raknas neck forfort. Meanwhile, Rakna extended his nails again so that they were around eight centimeters long. But before doing anything, he ordered mentally, Two to speed. Two to dexterity. He impassively felt the changes happen and then stabbed his own chest with his ws. Pronos hissed loudly in rm. [Rakna?!] Even Alexa was astounded, expressing genuine shock and worry for the first time. Calm down. Alexa, state your judgment, Rakna said as if nothing had happened. It was as if the blood staining his clothes was not there at all. On the other hand, something else happened. [M-Mildly Injured. Ireful Shell activated.] This time, Rakna didnt ignore the voices. Quite the opposite. He wholeheartedly listened to them as they dictated him to kill and destroy. But it still wasnt enough for him to sumb. He drove his spear hand in his stomach this time; making sure to avoid critical spots but also making sure that the injuries were grave enough. Alexa didnt speak after the second strike so he stabbed himself thrive over. One in his leg, and another in his shoulder, and a third one too close to his heart forfort. [Heavily Injured.] ? ???? Ireful Shell leveled up! ???? ? When both warnings sounded, Rakna got flooded by the voices and his bloodlust. He then cked out for a second before his mouth started twitching upward. The small smile turned into a grin. Then the grin turned into a full-blownugh. Pronos cowered a bit and Rakna stepped forward toward the edge of the statue. His movements had nothing to do with just before. They werent as fluid but at the same time, they appeared unhindered by the injuries and carried a heavy intent to crush whatever stood in the way. Then, with a cackle, Rakna hunched over and his fangs grew. His eyes glowed purple and fur grew on his body as his clothes disappeared into the ring. The sound of bones snapping echoed apanied by a dreadful snarl. From the top of the statue, a deafening howl resounded and a midnight ck figure jumped down. Chapter 33: End of the Hunt Chapter 33: End of the Hunt Nyx struggled to stay airborne after having been sted away by the tempest. Gantt who she was helping had already been dropped off in the forest below. She pped her shadow wings to go up again and see what Aqu was doing. If she was willing to, she had the choice to pin the Divine Eagle down at the cost of a huge chunk of mana that would probably leave her incapacitated for a while. But before she could make a decision, her eyes widened in shock as she spotted something falling from the sky, heading straight toward Aqu. She briefly recognized the two wolf tails before the figure crashed on Aqu, creating a crater and raising a cloud of dust. Leis leaned on his sword to stand up along with the help of his gang and also witnessed the event with wide eyes. An groaned not far from him as he rubbed his head in pain. Then, they heard the sounds of a chaining from within the dust cloud and a secondter, two azure small scythes shot out andnded on both sides of Aqu, stabbing the ground. You?! It was followed by Aqus incredulous shout and the clearing of the dust after a wave of his wings. Everyones attention was instantly grabbed by the being on the eagles back. It stood at least three meters tall with fur ck as the night with a significantly longer portion on the back of its neck, simr to a mane. Its eyes seemed to be something out of a fairy tale, looking like a glowing red ck hole. While on its rear legs, the muscles of the beast were easily noticeable, borderline bulging. But what they primarily focused on was the ear-breaking grin the beast was disying as well as the blue-colored chain of a Kusarigama that was constraining the eagles neck. What are you waiting for?! The humanoid wolf roared. Move your asses and pull on the chains! That voice was utterly unrecognizable for all of them and the tone was even more so. But that weapon couldnt be a coincidence. Leis was the first one to recover. Quick! Separate into two groups and make sure those scythes stay where they are! The Wing Walkers got into action and Aqu groaned. His mana red up but his concentration was shattered by the appearance of an albino snake who suddenly bit his eye, blinding it. A blue venom infiltrated his system and it got dangerously close to reaching his brain before it was stopped by his mana. He let out another whistle-like cry before chanting his magic a second time, [TEMPEST!] The werewolf on his back fell off surprisingly easily while the snake consciously decided to ride the winds to move back. On the other hand, the people who had grabbed the chain in time used it to not get blown away, which backfired on Aqu as the chain around his neck tightened. He grunted and lifted his w before stomping on the ground, casting another magic, [Quake!] The ground started shaking and more than one person lost their footing and let go. Aqu tried to exploit that opening to get away and deployed his wings. Atzpul! When he activated his skill, an unnatural wind was generated below him and made him take off with only one p of his wings. The Wing Walkers were about to get dragged along when another voice joined the battle, [Iron Maiden!] Nyx glided over and raised a hand to the sky. Two shadow constructs shaped exactly like Aqus wings appeared before growing spikes under it. Nyx dismissed the System prompt telling her of the creation of a skill and brought her hand down. Aqu let out a cry stronger than the ones before as his wings got pierced by countless spikes but even then, he refused topletely fall back on the ground. Throw the grenades! Leis ordered and the remaining explosives were thrown. They exploded above Aqu who was momentarily slowed down by the shockwaves of the explosions. But he still had enough force to get away. That is until another force suddenly weighed him down. His golden eye darted to find the source and quickly spotted via in the distance. [A-Anchor!] He almost failed to chant because of the pain and via instantly felt like she was carrying tons on her back. She copsed on her knees but in a show of stubbornness, she maintained her telekinesis, and Aqus take-off was ultimately canceled. In a moment of absolute frustration, the Divine Eagle almost missed a voiceing from behind him, Five of Hearts. For a second, he sensed an incredible mana signature that should not be possibly present during a tutorial. Then, a howl resounded and the werewolfnded next to one of the scythes. Aqu nced at the humans and saw them visibly back away in fear at the imposing beast. He thought that maybe it would give him the chance he needed. The werewolf grabbed the chain himself and uttered one word, Move. The humans looked at each other and ran off without much resistance. Aqu then tried to pull but something unbelievable happened. He wasnt the one who dragged the beast, he was the one who got dragged. What!? How does his strength rival mine? Aqu thought in disbelief and before he knew it, the werewolf had forced him to topple over. The beast then leaped with the scythe in his hand andnded next to the other which he also retrieved. The werewolf whirled the two des in his hands with expertise and then grinned before yanking the chain attached to them. He then twisted his body to the side and slowly turned around. He couldnt be! Aqu opened his eyes wide as his entire body slid on the ground. The werewolfughed maniacally before pulling on the chain even stronger. He spun in ce and the Divine Eagle was dragged around before he eventually lost touch with the firm ground. Aqu, for the first time in this fight, wished he was not in the air. The werewolf maintained his ear-splitting grin as he gained more and more momentum until therge eagle was being jerked around in circles. Everyone around watched dumbfounded, shielding their eyes from the wind caused by how the massive eagle was turning into a literal living fan. Holy shit An muttered. A few secondster, the werewolf let go of the chain, and Aqu was hurled toward the Eagle Gods Statue which he crashed on with a loud sound. The entire statue trembled and the ground around quaked. At the same time, Nyxs Iron Maiden faded away and she copsed on the ground panting along with via who had also assisted as the werewolf went all spinning top on them. Aqu slowly got out of the hole he made in the statue and fell on the ground, without being able to move. This! He eximed in shock as he couldnt control his body anymore. Nothing was responding. Granted, he was in a lot of pain and the dizziness after what just happened wasnt helping but there was no reason for him to lose control of his body. This feels like a dj vu, a growl-like voice said, filled with amusement. Aqu looked at the source with his remaining eye and saw the werewolf slowly walking toward him with a snake slithering up his shoulder. Thats when he understood what happened. Energy venom I thought I had stopped it with my mana, he said with a helpless tone. It appears that it was too close to my brain, to begin with. Pretty much, the were beast said with a smirk. Not that you would have won if it hadnt worked anyway. Aqus expression twitched and he squinted his eye to observe the being in front of him. He noted the mystical-like eyes, something he had never seen before, and then the two tails. A werewolf with more than one tail I see you deserve the S+ designation. What is your name? The beast snorted and a silver case appeared in his hand. He silently took out a cigarette and looked at it with a scowl. Can I even smoke this shit in this form? He asked himself and not only Aqu but everyone else who had gotten closer sweatdropped. The werewolf shrugged and put the cigarette between his fangs and lit it up. He closed his eyes and a minuteter, when he opened them again, their color had changed from red to purple. His whole demeanor even went from an unstoppable force to something akin to a true predator. Rakna Xiorra, he answered the Divine Eagles question with a much more tamed voice. Aqu narrowed his eye. Split personality? He voiced the first thing that came to his mind. Not exactly, Rakna said with a huff. He approached the downed eagle and picked up the scythes on the ground. He grabbed the bases of the handles and twisted them. The des along with the chain glowed and the entire thing began to shrink. Aqu felt the pressure around his neck fading and before he knew it, Rakna was putting a blue scarf around his neck. You cant really call it split personality since both sides are just me with different behavior. Its different from having two distinct people in your head, he then finished his exnation and his ears twitched when he heard someone approaching from behind. He looked over just as An grabbed onto his left shoulder and looked at him with a grin. Damn, Rak. Youre fucking huge now. So, you were a werewolf, after all. Rakna grunted to answer and Nyx spoke up in curiosity, What happens when youre exposed to the full moon? He looked back at her and remembered seeing something rted to the moon in her status. Maybe it would be a good idea to look into it and the effect it has on him. I still dont know, he ultimately replied. In any case, Leis raised his voice. I guess this means this tutorial is over, right? Indeed, Aqu said. You can now go through the exit as you please. Rakna silently looked at the downed eagle and barely could contain himself from growling as veins appeared in his vision along with a beating heart. As he was wondering if he should go along with this primal huger, he heard footsteps in the distance. He sniffed the air and realized their smell didnt belong to anyone in his group. However, he recognized one of them He looked over to the source and everyone imitated him, wondering what he was looking at. Then, vias eyes widened a bit as she spotted a few peopleing out from a part of the forest that was undamaged by the fight. It was a group constituted of both the schools students and teachers and amongst thetter, one of them was a very recognizable and unlikeable individual. Herts Leia grimaced. I hate that guy. As she spoke those words, the teacher in question noticed them and froze on the spot when his eyes fell on Rakna. The people behind him had simr reactions. But then, Herts smiled knowingly as if he had figured out something and talked to his group. Normally, it would have been impossible to hear him from that distance, but Raknas hearing had already brokenmon sense. By just perking up one of his ears, he could perfectly discern the mans words. Though they came to him as a whisper. That monster must be a part of this tutorial. Or else, how could it have been possible for us simple humans to beat thatrge eagle? We are saved, friends. Rakna scoffed internally. That mans words wereced with honey. Every sounding out of his mouth was meant to make others trust him. After that little speech, he along with his group came over. Pronos, hide, Rakna whispered and the little snake tilted his head in confusion before slipping under Sonata. A minuteter, Herts had arrived. So, youre still safe and sound, Mister Herts, via said with fake politeness and he smiled back as if he hadnt noticed. Im d to see you alive, Miss Jeina. And, yes, I had the chance to be saved by my fellow teachers before the goblins could invade the school, he said and turned toward Rakna. May I ask who this is? You must have had a hand in the defeat of this eagle, correct? Rakna squinted his eyes. Lets y the game, he said internally. That is none of your business, human, he uttered and his allies expressions turned bemused for a brief moment before a look of understanding reced it. Why dont you answer my question instead. Where were you when your fellow humans were fighting for their life? Herts face stifled for a second before regaining its usual pose. I apologize for that. But Im afraid that precisely one of my fellow humans, as you say, caused me to be unable to move for a long period of time before the venom withdrew from my and my students bodies, he exined with a glint in his eyes. He looked around and grinned before raising a question, Now that I think about it, is that young man not here? Did something happen to him perhaps? He asked without concealing how pleased he was of the prospect. I also see that you have that young mans scarf with you, sir. Rakna is still alive, via replied coldly. He was just unable to participate in the battle. He lent us his scarf since it is an item that we needed to defeat the guardian, she effortlessly went along with her former students intention to hide his identity. I see, Herts sneered and turned around. Lets go. Its time to leave this forsaken ce, everyone, he said and headed toward the opened gate under the Eagle Gods Statue. Wait a minute, Rakna said and that made them stop. You will only leave once three people from this group go through. You do not deserve the titles. Try to go through anyway and Ill be sure to end you myself, he uttered with a growl and a slight activation of his Intimidation skill. Herts paled and decided to bring his group to the opposite side of theirs. Why are you willing to let him live? Leis asked Rakna almost immediately after they had gone out of range. Im not one to say that killing people left and right is a good thing, but that man certainly didnt deserve to live. Even back on Earth, his reputation was unsavory at best. Not worth it, Rakna replied indifferently. Not only is his blood worthless but his group might have gotten away and told other people out there, whoever they may be, that we are treacherous murderers. I wouldnt know the consequences of that, but I wouldnt want to bet. Aqu snickered and they looked at him. You humans and your hate of each other Its hrious, as always. By the way, as a service, I can tell you that half of that mans group hasnt reached the quota of souls. Yeah, I was wondering, An uttered. Theres no way that all of them had fifty souls. They didnt seem to even know how to throw a punch. What will happen to them if they try to exit? Simple. Theyll never reach the other side, Aqu said matter-of-factly. They will die without even realizing it. An fell silent. And does that man over there have fifty souls? via inquired while pointing at Herts. He does. He must have convinced others to hunt for him, the Divine Eagle and closed his eye. Now leave. You have collected the necessary souls and you have defeated me. You won. Leis and Rakna looked at each other and nodded. Lets leave, the former said and his gang started preparing and making sure they didnt forget anything behind before leaving. You three, Rakna spoke to An, via, and Nyx. Go with them. I dont care about the titles. Decide who will go first on your own. Ill join youter. via scowled. What will you do? Im going to have a chat with this big guy in private, he replied and Aqu glowered full of suspicions. All right, via sighed. If thats what you want; I know theres no way for you to go back on it. And I dont think youll be in any danger after we just saw you spin around a ten-meter-tall eagle whileughing your ass off, An added and the two women chuckled. Were leaving, Leis shouted from the gate and Rakna gave him a casual salute. Then, thetters threepanions joined up with the Wing Walkers and they decided that the first three would be Leis, An, and Leia. Nyx said that she had no need for a beginner title and via was almost sure to have the Soul Hunter title after all the eagles she had killed. Have fun with well, whatever youre going to talk about, An added before leaving with the other two. Then, the rest of the gang followed along with Nyx and via, and finally, Herts left with his group after giving onest nce at Rakna. Now, the only persons left on this damaged terrain littered with uprooted trees and small linear craters were Aqu, Rakna, and Pronos still snuggled under Sonata. do you require something from me, young wolf? Aqu broke the silence. As a matter of fact, I do, Rakna responded and walked to the eagle. He lifted one of his wings and put it on his shoulder. He then grabbed Aqus side and with a grunt, made therge bird flip so that he would be lying down on his back. Aqu groaned because of the pain. I assume you didnt do this because you wanted me to be morefortable now, did you? Youre not wrong. Before I continue, I have a question. Youre a clone, right? I see so it was you who I sensed earlier. You analyzed me, he remarked. It must be nothing short of Appraisal for you to have gotten that information. Impressive. And, yes, youre correct. Im just a clone. A very weak clone. If I kill you here, will the original know about it? Aqu hesitated for a second. What is your aim? The experience? That would be a bonus but its not exactly killing you that makes me cautious, Rakna replied and extended his ws. You didnt answer my question. And from the looks of things, youre going to kill me either way, huh? Aqu snorted. And yes, my original will know. The second I die; he will absorb my memories. Well then, Raknas eyes shed for a second as he jumped andnded around the chest area of the eagles body. I hope you will be able to forgive me for this. I dont really wish for the Avatar of a God to chase me down. But Im afraid I cant help myself, he said emotionlessly and spear-handed Aqu right where his heart was. Chapter 34: Luquila Chapter 34: Luqu Rakna straightened his clothes after turning back into a therian. He looked behind him at the body of Aqu slowly turning into particles after he had killed him. He had received forty experience points from him because he dealt the finishing blow and from what he understood, everyone else who had participated in the battle had gotten their own percentage of that amount depending on their contribution. Hm? Rakna tilted his head to look at Pronos who was tapping on his cheek. The little snake then pointed at his mouth and it was then that he noticed the stains of blood around his lips. He grunted and wiped it with the back of his hand. Thanks. I have to admit, its a bit messy to pull out a heart and eat it, he said with a t tone. He then brought the System windows he had put aside to the front and took a proper look at them while walking toward the gate. There were three of them in total. The first one was obviously the kill notification. As for the second one ? ? ? ? ? You have defeated the clone of the Eagle Gods Divine Avatar with a crushing might while being considerably disadvantaged. Aqu has acknowledged your strength and talent after the memories of his clone came to him. Congrattions! You have acquired a new title; Divinity yer! Divinity yer The nomination of Divinity is the first step on the hierarchy of the Global Pantheon. Divinities are considered the weakest Celestial Beings, trumped by Demi-Gods, Earthen Gods, Heavenly Gods, Ancient Gods, Mythical Gods, and Primordial Gods. ? Nheless, you have fought and defeated a Celestial; a feat worthy of the highest praise for a regr mortal. ? Title Effect: Attack, Magic Attack, and Defense +10% against Divinities. Additional Effect: When killing Divinities, the Host will get a random increase to their attributes. ? ? ? ? ? Hm, Alexa, that second effect, I suppose it doesnt include Aqu, does it? [It doesnt. This only concerns future in Divinities.] Rakna huffed. He would be lying if he wasnt a bit disappointed but the third System window in front of him was enough topletely outweigh any downside imaginable. ? ? ? ? ? Activation of The Harvester. ? The heart has been assimted. The Host is notpatible with the divine essence. A gene mutation has been initiated. Sess Chance: 1.5687% ? C ? Mutation Sessful! Implementation of Core Gene Sessful! ? Second Gene Established: Royal Luqu. ? ? ? ? ? I have to say; luck is a really good thing to have, Raknamented and opened the details of his Nirvana Skill. ? ? ? ? ? C The Harvester: An exceptionally rare type of skill; Assimtion. The Host has the ability to acquire a beings trait by devouring their heart. The first heart consumed by the Host will determine the core genome and alter the Hosts race. ? Current Number of Gic Factors Assimted: 2/4 ? 1St Factor (Core Genome): Nine-Tailed Wolf. Two Tails Unlocked. Next Tail: Lv.10/Lv.25. Currently Attuned Aptitudes: Smell of the Wolf God, ws, Shape Shift. ? 2nd Factor: Royal Luqu. Next Wings: Lv.10/Lv.100 Currently Attuned Aptitudes: Luqus Wings, Flight, Fabled Sight, Lesser Regeneration ? ? ? ? ? Luqu, huh? What does Next Wings mean? Rakna uttered out loud. [I rmend using Appraisal on the genome itself, Rakna.] He didnt need to be told twice. He focused on the word he wanted a description of and he silently cast his skill. ? ? ? ? ? Luqus are considered creatures belonging to the Lost Ages. Barely any record of their existence is left. But the very few annals and histories that were passed on told of a few facts. ? Luqus aremonly seen as the close cousins of Griffins. They were caricatured asrge quadrupedal beasts with the body of a wolf, the head of an eagle, and talons as their rear feet. They also possessed three pairs of feathered wings and were said to be the fastest creatures to ever exist as well as the bearers of one of the best regenerating abilities. ? There is no actual proof of their existence except words and images. ording to researches made by illustrious mages, including ???, the age of Luqus legends would ce theirst sighting at least six hundred million years ago. ? Note: The Royal Luqus were said to be able to rival natural-disaster-ss beings like dragons and phoenixes. ? ? ? ? ? I see. So, it means that I will grow a second pair of wings at level 100. Now; the question is He closed his eyes and tried to feel a sensation simr to when he grew his tails and ears. After a short minute of deep concentration, he got a result. One brief reaction near his left shoulder de. Then, the same thing happened on his right side. He then groaned as he pulled his shoulders inward and a pain hit him as soon as he heard an unfamiliar but oddly identifiable sound. Rakna looked over his shoulder and arge dark wing almost hit him in the face because of hisck of control. He first tried topletely deploy them and in one swift motion, the two wings unfurled and spanned over three meters. He then was able to admire them as much as he wanted. They were mainly ck with silver ents on the lower half. They were feathered but unlike what you would see in representations of fallen angels, the feathers themselves were a lot more numerous and shorter. There was also ayer of dark blue fur iid under each feather, which made the whole thing glint when it was exposed to sunlight. Rakna hummed and then tried to fold them which he did surprisingly easily. The more time he spent with them out, the more he could control them without thinking. He then deployed them again and repeated the process until he felt no difficulty doing it. Wait, how did it go through my clothes? The question abruptly hit him. He wanted to retract them and see if his hoodie was still intact but that generated another question. How do I put them back? [I have the answer to your first question, Rakna. The System provides help for Hosts with extra appendages such as wings. When you take them out, the System will perform the necessary modifications to the clothing. And when you retract them, it will go back to its state beforehand.] I see what about my second question? [Im afraid you will have to find out by yourself.] Raknas expression twitched. He could have sworn he heard Alexaughing at his troubles. He was forced to spend the next five minutes practicing how to retract and pull out his wings at will. Lastly, when he was done with that, he checked out the descriptions of his four new abilities. ? ? ? ? ? Luqus Wings: The wings of the mythical Luqu. They have a defense value equivalent to the double of the Hosts. They consequently possess the potential to be used as shields. ? The surface feathers can also beunched at the enemy with an attack value equivalent to half of the Hosts. The time needed for the surface feathers to regenerate varies ording to the endurance attribute and regeneration-boosting traits. ? Current Amount of Surface Feathers: 1000. Current Regeneration Time: 1 min per feather. ? The Luqu was rumored to be one of the fastest flying creatures to ever live. However, with only one pair of wings, the maximum speed is severely limited. ? Current Max Flying Speed: (speed*10) km/h ? It is also possible to infuse mana into the wings to double the flying speed at the cost of 50MP per minute. ? Flight (Lv.1): Hosts proficiency at controlling their flight-rted techniques. ? Fabled Sight (Lv.1): The eyesight of a Luqu allows for both near-perfect physical and spiritual vision. Both distance, speed, and lighting are not a problem for the Fabled Sight and most illusions and spiritual beings such as ghosts can be perceived by it. ? Lesser Regeneration: Increased healing factor. Strong enough to heal smaller injuries at least twice as fast as a normal human. Bones heal under a week and blood is produced faster. On the other hand, regrowing body parts is not possible and the skill cannot save the Host from the more fatal injuries. ? ? ? ? ? Interesting. These wings have more uses than I thought, Rakna mumbled and casually tried to wave one of his wings and follow his instincts as several ck shadows shot out at high speed and pierced the ground. Decent firepower. Then, theres the flight proficiency which is given to me. The lesser regeneration goes without saying and the Fabled Sight is an active skill. Rakna mused and decided to conduct a small experiment. He unfurled his wings and crouched before jumping with everything he had and pping his wings at the same time only to fall back on the ground. Pronos looked at him with nk eyes. Well, this is going to be harder than I anticipated, he said and tried to take off again but this time by adding mana to the process. His wings released a silver mist from the tips of the feathers and before he knew it, he was heading straight toward a tree. He couldnt stop in time and he crashed into the trunk headfirst. Pronos felt like he was watching aedy show from under the scarf. Rakna gritted his teeth and for a moment, his eyes shed red. He groaned and pulled out a cigarette to calm his emotions. He slowly stood up while huffing smoke. Trial and error, trial and error He muttered to himself and closed his eyes to get to the proper mindset. His eyes sharpened and he once again channeled his mana. He then also got an idea and tried to manipte his soul that he came to notice thanks to the Eyes of the Soul. Then, the silver mist returned and he pped his wings for the third time. This time, his figure blurred and he traveled around fifty meters upward in a few seconds. He then wagged his wings again, ascending even higher and faster, leaving a silver trail behind him. In a moment of absolute focus, Rakna felt like he could feel every variation of airflow around him which was followed by several System prompts. ? ? ? ? ? In a moment of deep focus, you have gotten closer to your soul and reached incredible insights. ? Eyes of the Soul has leveled up! Flight has leveled up! Flight has leveled up! Flight has leveled up! Flight has leveled up! ? ? Through executing a specific action, a new skill has been created; Mana Control. ? Mana Control (Lv.1): You have learned how tomand the reserves of mana within you and can now begin to use it more freely. It can for instance be used to release blunt waves of energy or add ayer of protection around a part of the body. ? Mana Control is seen as a gate to the acquisition of many other mana-based skills. ? ? Through executing a specific action, a new skill has been created; Artzpul. ? Artzpul (Lv.1): Contrary to its other stamina version, Atzpul, Artzpul employs pure mana tounch the user into the air. It can also be used to cushion anding. The higher the level, the faster it takes effect. This skill is rarer than its counterpart because of its harsh requirements on the users wings ability to redirect mana. ? Cost: 2 MP ? ? ? ? ? After reaching a satisfying height, Rakna began to fly horizontally and also stopped feeding his wings mana and the silver trail disappeared. That mana-boosted flight took him fifty mana points every minute, in other words, nearly one mana every second. He had to use it sparingly. Sssssaaa, Pronos let out a contented noise as he stuck his head out of the scarf. Enjoying yourself, little guy? Rakna snorted and ignored the notifications of his flight proficiency going up even faster than what his stealth had gone through, and did what his intention was in flying up in the first ce. He mentally triggered Fabled Sight and his eyes whirled and turned golden. Rakna suddenly saw his vision go through a massive change. He scanned the ground with it active and managed to see through almost everything as if he was standing in front of it. He could see where the remaining goblins were hiding across the entire forest with just a few nces and even the smallest animals like rabbits and squirrels couldnt escape him. He also got to see the survivors from his school other than his or Herts groups. Rakna looked at them and squinted. He got closer to the ground and whistled loudly. Whether you pull it off or not will solely depend on you, he mumbled as the wolves responded to his call. He then spent a minute or two adjusting himself to the skill before disengaging it with a blink. This should be enough experimentation for today, he muttered and turned around right when his flight reached level 8. He then moved his mana back to his wings and zoomed through the air to return to the gate. As he was about to reach the ground, he muttered a word, Artzpul. The skill made his wings sh brighter and his momentum was killed in an instant. The air current blew away the dust and Raknanded with both hands and one knee on the ground. ? ??? Artzpul leveled up! ??? ? Rakna snorted at the prompt and cracked his neck as he stood up. He retracted his wings and took a look at his status to see how much mana he had left. I have enough mana to engage Ulvias Veil again. My mana regeneration will keep it for as long as I want, he said to himself and the illusion once again covered his ears and tails. After making sure he was prepared, he walked through the gate and exited the teau Zero. Chapter 35: An Offer Chapter 35: An Offer ? ? ? ? Tutorial Mission Completed ? Assessment: You havepleted the side objective, Overtaking, with a 48% contribution. You have killed the clone of Aqu with a 78% contribution. You have collected 62 Souls and defeated a total of 235 foes, both indirectly and directly. Mission Time: 8:35:55. Rewards: 2240 Talys, ess to the First teau. You are now going to be transported to the First teau. Brace yourself. ? ? ? ? ? Brace myself? Rakna muttered to himself as he stood in a ce plunged in darkness. There was nothing in sight except the System window. And soon enough, the warning exined itself as he felt something a lot simr to what he went through when the System first took him away from Earth. A splitting headache attacked him and in the blink of an eye, quite literally, his surroundings changed to somethingpletely different. At first, his blurry vision made it impossible to make out anything but it faded away in under ten seconds and what was presented to him then was pretty shocking, even for him. First of all, he seemed to be standing in the middle of a very wide and futuristic-looking circr tform with blue neon lines across its surface. He then looked around and almost dropped his jaw at the sight of a city with a dark blue color-scheme extending as far as the eye could see. Each building was worthy of being called lighthouses with the countless electronics they sported such as holographic billboards and neon letters. There were a few skyscrapers that reached nearly unimaginable heights and as crazy as it sounded, there even seemed to be one building that had a direct connection to outer space. Other than that, Rakna couldnt ignore the many flying vehicles as well as the thousands of people he could see flying around with jetpacks or with what seemed to be magic for the most part. In thisndscape, the only ces he could see a bit of verdure was on top of certain towers that seemed to have greenhouses on their roof. He could also see smoke on the horizon, or maybe was it mist? But, what surprised Rakna the most was that it was the same story for every cardinal direction. Everywhere he looked, the city stretched beyond what he could see and, unconsciously, he almost felt lost and a bit intimidated. Pronos seemed to share his sentiments as he looked around with a silly expression. Ah, I see you finally arrived, piercing through the noise of the cityposed of sounds of both machinery and airborne vehicles, one voice spoke to Rakna from behind. His eyes widened a bit and he managed to kill his surprise in an instant before turning around. As one might have been able to predict with a bit of thinking, it was Gray who stood there twirling his cane with a grin shing on his face. You Rakna scowled. Yes, me, Gray quipped. Missed me? I dont think I would miss someone whose only interaction with me was a joke about me hiding in fear from a bunch of dogs walking on two legs. Uh, Gray blinked in a daze. That was a goode back, wolf boy. I aim to please, Rakna uttered with a dry tone and the clown cackled darkly. Youre terribly emotionless for a kid, he said and tilted his head. Well, I guess I should not be surprised to see a bit of uniqueness in an S+ candidate, hemented offhandedly and smirked when he saw the young werewolfs scowl. And yes, I know about your potential value. Its a very rare rating by the way; be proud. Also, do not worry, batch overseers like me have rules to follow and we are not allowed to use an analysis skill on neers. I only know about your basic information such as your name and potential. I cant even check your race in fact, he said with a shrug. I see Rakna muttered and Gray rubbed his chin. On a side note, I can see that youre using an illusion to hide your appearance. Youre not really the first one to do so but, friendly advice, none of the stronger Hosts will fall for such a low-level trick. You can hide from the weak guys but do not expect the higher-ups to not notice it. Youre awfully chatty for someone who borderline insulted me when he first saw me. Why are you even telling me all of this? Rakna spoke with an usatory voice and Grayughed. In my defense, kiddo, you made me, and the whole batch as well, wait for half a day before we could start the tutorial. Well, we got the report from your shopkeeper telling us that you had been gravely injured and needed rest but still, he sighed and looked at Rakna in the eyes. As for your little question, lets say that youre bound to attract a lot of attention if youre not careful, he said with a serious tone. He pointed at Raknas back with his cane. Not only do you have S+ potential, but those tails you have two of them now. Rakna frowned. And? Gray snickered and put his cane back on the ground. And youre a werewolf. A werewolf capable of growing more than one tail is a first in the history of the System. If I were you, Id do my best to not carelessly transform in front of others and maybe youll be able to pass as a beast-man with noble blood. Many Hosts would be more than happy to dissect you, experiment you, torture you, and even enve you if they found out about your abnormality. Raknas expression twitched as he took in those words. Alexa had already made him very aware of the individuality of his situation, add to that his recent acquisition of a Royal Luqus genome, a creature of legend, and he basically had a massive target on his back. However, he didnt know that it would be so bad that Hosts would try to either subjugate him or turn him into theirb rats. Pronos looked at him in worry and Rakna silently patted the little snake before opening his mouth. Youve dodged my question, he said and Gray eximed in curiosity. Oh? All in all, the only thing you told me until now is that you possess information with the potential of ruining my life in this shitty System Society of yours. You havent answered why youre telling it to me though. Is it just to taunt me? Grays eyes narrowed slightly and the screen he had for mouth switched to a more good-natured smile. Worry not. Im not about to threaten you for fun. In fact, you could say that Im willing to give you an offer. An offer? Yes, indeed, Gray nodded and turned around with his red tailcoat iling behind him. He started walking to what seemed to be a staircase to one side of the tform they were on. He waved his hand at Rakna without looking. Follow me. Rakna raised an eyebrow and he shared a look with Pronos before he ultimately decided to follow the clown. As they were walking down the stairs that were built above the buildings, he passively began to observe the city in a bit more detail. Like the view? Gray asked. Rakna just hummed and replied with a question, Where are you bringing me to? The robot clown chuckled and pointed at something in the distance with his cane. Do you see that over there? Rakna followed the line defined by the cane and spotted a structure not far. It was the exact same design as the tform they had just left. There are as many tforms like these as there are groups from your batch. I dont know if any of your friends told you already, but on a yearly basis, a batch is summoned from a random and separated into several groups. Your school was Group C, by the way. To give you an example, Group A is from the country you call Korea. I see. Whats the connection between that and my question though? Well, each group has a caretaker like me. And were currently in the process of assembling the ones who passed the tutorial. So, Im just bringing you to where the others are right now. Your friends with whom you fought Aqu included. Why do I feel like theres more than just assembling people to this? Rakna said with a voice oozing with sarcasm. Gray chuckled. Youll see soon enough. A few minutester, they had reached the end of the staircase that was right next to arge road where there were actualnd vehicles instead of flying ones. Rakna spared a few seconds to look at the city from up-close before continuing to follow Gray who was heading to a nearby building. He walked to the entrance and the automatic doors slid open as he got close. Rakna tagged along and after barely taking a step inside the building, something came out of nowhere and blocked his path. He jumped back in reflex and stared wide-eyed at the metallic arm cutting his path. He traced it back to its source and saw arge robot that was as tall as his werewolf form, standing there. || ID. || It spoke with a mechanical voice and Rakna turned to Gray for an exnation. Just ask your AI for your ID. Every Host has one and its used to make records of their movements in the System, their purchases, and especially to ess ces with, lets say, stricter security such as this ce. It is quite literally an ID; an identification document. Some ces even need you to be over a certain age to visit. Later on, youll have to get yourself a physical one. [S1985266348P,] Alexa spoke without waiting for her Host and Rakna carefully repeated the sequence to the robot which instantly looked through the database and found the recently created entry. || ID Verified. Wee, Rakna Xiorra. || It then backed away and removed its arm before returning to a slightly concealed corner of the entrance hall. That exined why Rakna hadnt seen iting at all before it was confronted with it. That thing somehow wasnt making any noise while walking and trying to sense something that isnt alive was quite hard. Come on, I dont have all day, Gray said and pushed open the doors that were the closest to the entrance. When Rakna saw what was behind them, his mind shut down for a second. It wasnt because he couldnt process what he saw or anything, rather, it had gone way beyond his expectations. The best he could do to describe whatid in front of him was a party. This building was arge party hall and currently, hundreds of young-looking people were chatting and serving themselves on the absolutely massive buffet avable. What? You didnt expect this? Gray said with a grin. Its always like this after a tutorial. We gather the batch and throw a small wee party. Especially, since most of you havent eaten much for at least a good half day. So; the buffet. Rakna threw an inquisitive look at the clown as they walked in. I feel like theres more to this. Obviously, Gray didnt even try to hide. Its rted to the offer I mentioned. But youll have to wait for everyone to be gathered. In other words, youll have to wait for the tutorial mission to hit its time limit. Which is about three hours and a half from now, he said and pointed at a certain corner of the hall. There. Your groups there, he said and Rakna looked at where the clown was pointing and managed to spot a few familiar faces amidst the crowd. On this note, I have to go and wait for the other Hosts at the tform. Thanks to you, theres probably going to be a lot more of them surviving, Gray said in a fake annoyed tone and turned around. Have fun, he added as he exited the building again. Rakna watched him go with a scowl and made his way through the crowd to rejoin with his group. Chapter 36: Toast to Survival Chapter 36: Toast to Survival Rak! Youre here, An raised his voice the second he saw Rakna approaching and caught the attention of everyone. We all got the notification you killed Aqu soon aftering out. What were you doing until now? Stuff, Rakna shrugged and he arrived at the big table they were standing around. He looked at the food disyed and Pronos practically rocketed out from under Sonata beforending on the table with sparkly eyes. What about you know who? I dont see him here, he said while reaching for a te. Over there, via pointed with her chin as she was eating dumplings with Nyx. Rakna followed her line of sight and spotted Herts little band huddled to the side of the room with the man in question sporting a dark expression. Leia snorted as she swallowed a piece of bread. He must be pissed off about losing half of the guys he had with him. They never appeared on the tform. I guess that bird was saying the truth. Indeed, Leis nodded. Rakna hummed as he ced a full chicken on his te. Then, much to everyones shock, he cut it into five pieces, which were still way too big for anyone withmon sense, and proceeded to swallow each one of them, bones and everything, after chewing a few times. What they didnt see though was how his fangs had grown temporarily when did it. When he finished the whole chicken in just a few seconds, Rakna returned their incredulous stares with a lifted eyebrow. What? No, its just did you always eat like that? An uttered. I dont remember you doing that, ever. Werewolf and all that forgot already? Rakna replied unperturbed. Im not really hungry right now but my ability to eat has probably skyrocketed. I have a hunch that if I was in my other form, I could probably finish another one of these in just one bite. Thats kinda scary, bro, An deadpanned. If you ever feel the urge to eat one of us, please tell us in advance. Who knows if one day youll start craving for humans? Well, hearts do taste good, Raknamented indifferently. Wait, what? An froze. What did you just say? Rak? Rak?! Rakna ignored his friends shouts and turned to look at the other people in the party hall. His eyes, which had sneakily turned golden, swiftly swept over each person. He even got a close look at the appearance of the Host on the opposite side of the hall. Their characteristics vary a lot; Asian, South and North American, African, European Truly we were picked out from across the Earths surface, he thought and blinked as his irises returned to their purple color. Then, from the corner of his eyes, he saw a tall man wearing a ck trench coat enter the hall while leading a new group of people inside. Probably another overseer. What are you thinking? Leis came up to his left and asked. Nothing much. Im still assessing the situation. I see Leis whispered. Theres something I cant help but notice personally. How many people do you think there are in this hall right now? Rakna nced at him for a second before answering, Id say between two to three hundred. And how many do you think there are left to arrive like them? Leis continued while pointing at the small group of four people who had just entered the hall. Honestly, if we take how our side of things was, I dont think there will be a lot more. Maybe a hundred and a half or so, at best. Truthfully, there are a few things that we had over the other groups in the first ce. First; me. Leis let out a chuckle at that. Cant deny it. Thanks to my Nirvana Skill, as well as Nyxs help, we managed to defeat Aqu without too much trouble or losses but I doubt it was the same for the other groups. Then, theres the fact that your gang, Nyx, via, An, and I formed a pretty powerful force from the get-go. It was easy for us to collect and monopolize souls. Incidentally, because of our superiority, we havent had to face a certain situation. Stealing, Dan joined the conversation from the side. The others also seemed to be listening ever since Rakna started talking. No one tried to steal souls from us. Yes, Rakna nodded. However, theres no doubt that anyone who isnt trained like us will easily fall into despair at the situation. Humans are cowards, especially when ites to the unknown. For them, its less scary to kill fellow humans than otherworldly monsters. Anughed wryly. The fact that youre actually not human anymore makes it so ironic. Because I know you would say that even if you werent a werewolf. Dan snickered. True. And I can guess what youre going to say after this, Xiorra, he dered and everyone looked at him. In this kind of situation, its very easy for the mundane folks to develop a psychopathic behavior. In conclusion He trailed and shot a sharp re at the crowd. You can fully expect this ce to be roaming with freshly born serial killers. Everyone fell silent at his words and the many voices in the party hall drowned their area. Only Pronos wasnt paying attention to anything as he stuffed himself with fish and meat. Nyx sighed in the silence. Its such a sad thing to know that yourepletely right. Humans are just pathetic like that, she remarked while staring at the ripples of the wine in her cup. They do have a lot of potential as a species. The potential to be anything; from the worst trash imaginable to the most respectable of heroes. Ah, right, Dan eximed. It almost slipped my mind that you too are not human. Your status says that youre an Ascended Human the heck is that? Nyx shrugged off the stares of everyone. Personal. Now that I think about it, how much information does your Scan give you? Rakna asked and Dan mused for a bit. Well, depends but generally, its limited to the name, age, etcetera, and the attributes. I cant see the skills at all and sometimes, even the attributes show as interrogation marks even when I use it on a target of the same level as me. What about you? You were able to see the entire status of Aqu. How did you do that? Appraisal, thats the name of the skill I use. The System tells me that its a better version of Scan. Thats all I know. Anyhow, An raised his voice a bit. Lets stop talking about this shitty game for a bit. I want to enjoy my food without being depressed, please. I got to agree with that one, Gantt quipped. It spoils the taste. All right, Leis grabbed a cup of alcohol and lifted it a bit. Everyone understood the action and grabbed their own drinks. Rakna quietly poured himself a cup of water much to the amusement of his close friends. They knew that he hated basically every drink other than water. Pronos looked at everyone in confusion and via smiled before handing him a cup of water too which he grabbed with his tail while tilting his head. To our survival, Leis said and raised his cup. To our survival, all of them said except Nyx, Rakna, and obviously Pronos, before they downed their respective drinks. At the same time, the other people in the hall apparently happened to see it and, like a chain reaction, they all made a toast with the same words, though in differentnguages. * * * As the new Hosts were enjoying their time, a few hours passed, and a few minutes before the end of the tutorial, a group of cloaked people appeared in the forest surrounding Raknas school but there was something odd about it. It wasnt the area where the Tutorial had proceeded. In fact, it seemed to be one of the separate dimensions meant for the initiations. Do you feel anything? One of the cloaked beings asked as the night masked their shape. Give me a moment, a second voice responded. Hm, I smell something in that direction, it said and the group of unknown people instantly moved at a speed that would be mind-gobbling for anyone new to the System. They traveled a few hundreds of meters in a few seconds and they all stopped somewhere with several trees carbonated or half deracinated. The cloaked people then collectively surrounded a certain shape lying on the ground. Fuck, one of them said and crouched next to the corpse of the nine-tailed wolf. Its dead. Stabbed in the head. Its heart seems to have been gouged out? Though it appears to be post-mortem One of the others clicked his tongue audibly. How the heck did this happen? We went through all that shit to kidnap it from those damn wolves, and now its dead? I thought hiding it in an initiation dimension would be safe. Theres no way a newbie Host could have killed a nine-tailed wolf, right? Even if it was a cub. Im lost as well. It cant be someone from the seven branches since they have absolutely no reason to kill this cub. Heck, even we only wanted to use it as a hostage. What about the Host that took their Initiation here? Maybe we can learn something if we interrogate them. Unfeasible. Theres no way to pinpoint who it was. And for all we know, they might have died during the Tutorial anyway. One of them sighed. No choice; burn the corpse. We can only fool the wolves into thinking that we still have the cub in our possession. Understood, the crouched figure nodded and ced his hand on the wolfs body. In the blink of an eye, a white me appeared and engulfed it before turning it into ashes. Lets leave before the System kicks us out to the First teau. I heard Gray Whisles is one of the overseers this year. If he finds us, were dead, he uttered and they disappeared from the forest as fast as they came. Chapter 37: Guilds Chapter 37: Guilds ? ? ? ? This is a Global Missive. ? This years Tutorial is officially over. The batch is now fully part of the System. You have now full ess to its every service. ? ess to the Pavilion; Unlocked. Macro Trantion; Unlocked. Ranking; Unlocked. Looting; Unlocked. Dungeons; Unlocked. Quests; Unlocked. Parties; Unlocked. Guilds; Unlocked. Trials; Unlocked. ? Congrattions, Hosts, you are now full-fledged members. ? We will now share with you onest message. Wee, and survive well. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna looked apprehensively at the prompt in front of him. Full ess to the System, huh? He thought and read each newly unlocked service with a scowl. Before he could ask anything about it to Alexa, the lights of the hall went out and the sound of someone pping brought his attention to the stage located at the far back. The projectors lit up and the few hundreds of newbie Hosts saw a lineup of around fifteen people. One of them was Gray who was holding his cane to the ground with both hands and an ever so bright numeric grin. Around him were all kinds of individuals. Amongst them, there was a man wearing a worn-down brown trench coat and a cowboy hat. A little girl that looked no older than twelve was present as well but despite her appearance, she had a disturbing grin on her face. A man with long hair and twin swords on his back, a curvy woman with long ears, a short young girl with light armor and short hair, a young-looking boy with white hair, a humanoid reptilian with dark green scales All in all, they all exuded a powerful presence. The other overseers I assume, Rakna thought and focused on two people specifically, other than Gray. One of them was a tall man that stood at the far left of the stage. He had short spiky blue hair and green eyes. What caught Raknas interest about this man was his beastly features, namely, the ears and the six tails he sported, which seemed to belong to a tiger. Other than that, the man in question also was staring at Rakna with a smirk, who very quickly began to ignore it. The second person he focused on was the man that stood not only at the center of the lineup but also stood slightly forward. Compared to the others, his appearance was somewhat banal. ck hair and eyes, a middle-aged look, and casual clothing. But, for some reason, Rakna felt that he was one of the most dangerous people there. My name is Quill Frazen. As if on cue to Raknas thoughts, the man spoke to the Hosts gathered in the hall. Im sure that all of you have formed a good picture of the current situation. So, I wont bore you with the obvious. First of all, my colleagues here and I are this years overseers that were each tasked to oversee you. Our job is dposed into two parts. The first is making sure that the Tutorial goes as smoothly as possible. The second one is what I am about to tell you. Within the System, you have two choices. Either you act alone, or in a group. In most cases, that decision essentiallyes back to one thing; Guilds. The very same mechanic that the System just gave you ess to. You can join a guild for protection, resources, or guidance. Needless to say, it is rmended for new Hosts to join a guild. Of course, none of you have any connection to the already established guilds and that is precisely why overseers volunteer as one in the first ce; to recruit. Raknas eyes shed in understanding. He briefly nced at Gray who waved at him as if he knew that he was going to be looking at him at that moment. We will go around recruiting the Hosts that we believe have potential in this batch. You have the choice to refuse. Of course, the opposite is also possible. We can refuse you. In that case, I suggest you try to find someone willing to take you in after leaving this building. Every year, guilds that couldnt or didnt want to send an overseer will have a spokesperson outside. Though I warn you, not all guilds are good. You will only have yourself to me if you end up prisoner of a shady guild while under an unreasonable contract. When Quill was finished with his speech, the lights returned and the first overseer to move was Gray. Well, well, have fun, friends. I already know who I want, he said and disappeared from the stage. Tch, lucky bastard, the tiger man uttered. Hes the first overseer from that guild in at least fifty years and he so happened to get an S+. The other overseers showed their agreement in their own way before getting to their recruitment. Meanwhile, the instant Gray vanished, Rakna had to resist the sudden urge tost out purely out of reflex as he reappeared next to him. An, via, Nyx, and the others also tensed. No need to be so jumpy, the clown said merrily. Not only do I have no intention to hurt you, but as an overseer, Im forbidden from doing such a thing. I see, Rakna replied so dispassionately that his friends nearly face-faulted. Get to the point, Clown. Is your offer about my joining your guild? Gray chuckled. Indeed. As I have already told you, your unique circumstances are perilous, to say the least. But, by joining my guild, you can be sure that even the most powerful Hosts nearing the top teaus would think twice beforeying their hands on you. That confident, huh? Yes, Gray nodded and waved his hand at the other overseers as they talked to several groups of people. The overseers generally belong to at least one of the top thousand guilds. It is not too shabby but, the one I belong to has a ce in the top hundred; ranked 34th to be exact. Though, I wont hide you that were quite small. But, at the same time, we only ept members with considerable talent and power. Most people fear us for that and since our motto is to retaliate a hundred-fold against those that hurt one of us, you can be sure that youll get quite a secure standing in the System. What would be the implications of joining your guild? Rakna asked back without missing a beat almost taking Gray by surprise with his readiness. And how can I trust you? Well, first, nothing too bad will be imposed on you. You are pretty much free. The only thing you would be required to do is answer when you are summoned or act when another member needs help. It has to be a mutual thing after all. We help you; you help us. In addition to that, you will get the normal advantages such as the guild shop and quests. As for my credibility, well, I have nothing to gain by lying to you. You can ask your AI and youll learn that, unlike the spokespersons outside, overseers are not allowed to lie about what they offer to Hosts. Unless they want to be punished by the System itself. [That is true, Rakna,] Alexa intervened. [If an overseer attempts to lead astray the Hosts that they are supposed to guide, they will be punished. The punishment itself depends on the gravity of the situation but a thing such as lying about the conditions of joining a guild can go as far as having the overseer forced back to level 1.] Hm, Rakna closed his eyes in thought and both his and Leis group looked at him wondering what his decision would be. I have onest question. Gray waved his hand. Go ahead. I suppose only I can join your guild? Yes, unfortunately, I dont think I can ept someone other than you, Gray affirmed. He looked at the others and stopped on Nyx. I would have been inclined to take her in. Her ability and what Aqu said about her make her a promising Host but lets say that our guild has a policy to never ept more than one person at once. Well then, Rakna shrugged. I will join your guild as long as I dont be their enemies after they themselves align with another organization. Enemies, huh? Dont worry about that. Our guild ispletely neutral, Gray grinned and turned toward everyone. Also, if that helps, I can rmend your friends to certain guilds. I can help with that, a new voice joined the conversation and Gray looked behind him. A woman with long green hair, emerald eyes, and long ears walked over to them. The crowd was splitting to let her pass and a lot of the guys immediately blushed as their eyes fell on her body entuated by the one-piece dress, she wore. Leia elbowed her brother who also had been entranced. An groaned and tried not to look and via nced at Rakna to see his reaction. She sighed in relief when his eyes reflected just as much dullness as always. Oh? Vera? Are you interested in someone here? Gray asked and the woman smiled as she stopped right next to the group. Indeed, she nodded and looked at via. Tell me, what is your path? via blinked in surprise. Its Chaos Witch. Veras smiled widened. Good, I was right. I knew I felt a familiar aura. My name is Vera Bael. Im from the Wan Guild, and like you, my path is Chaos Witch. Uh, An uttered. So, another sexu-! Rakna wordlessly put his hand over his mouths friend. If his instincts were right, this woman was plenty able to make him regret his words a thousand times over. As a matter of fact, Veras eyes had gained a shade of red just before he had silenced An. You were saying something? She turned toward An who started sweating as a wave of killing intent washed over him. N-nothing! Veras eyes returned to normal and the invisible pressure disappeared. She then went back to via who had her hand on her chin. I advise you to ept, youngdy, Gray intervened and she looked at him. The Wan Guild is constituted of only female members with high magical potential. On top of that, they are one of the three top hundred guilds present this year. There is no better deal for you. Especially if your path is Chaos Witch. In that case, I agree as long as I keep my freedom, via dered and Vera smiled. No problem. You will be as free as you can be. Now, what about you? I think youll fit perfectly in our guild, she spoke to Nyx who was standing to the side. The former goddess widened her eyes since she didnt expect to be suddenly addressed. I agree. I dont think Ill get a better deal anyway, she epted without too much hesitation. Perfect, Vera pped and both via and Nyx visibly started reading something. A few secondster, they both said one word, Yes. Wee, youre now a member of the Wan Guild. To settle the formalities, it will be tomorrow at the Pavilion; in the morning preferably. Your magic affinities will also be awakened there. See you around, girls, Vera said and nodded at Rakna with a smile before walking away. Well, that happened, An muttered. Youre quite lucky, Gray said to the two women. The Wan Guild is probably one of the best possible choices for you two. In any case, here, he snapped his fingers and three envelopes appeared in his hand out of nowhere. He handed two to Leis and one to An. For you, you should go talk to Quill; the grumpy guy from earlier. Give him this letter and he will probably take you in. His guild has a lot of physical fighters and is the third guild in the top hundred attending today, he said to An who nodded as he grabbed the letter. As for you and your little group, you should go look for Magnus or Grim. The former is the cowboy and thetter is the tiger beast-man. Im sure the two of them will be willing to ept all of you, separately or not. Choose by yourself after talking to them. I rmend Magnus for gun-rted stuff and Grim for the rest. Leis nodded silently and took the letters. Well go right away then. Thank you, he added and led the Wing Walkers toward the concerned overseers. Welp, guess Ill be going for a bit as well, An said and headed into the crowd. All right, Gray raised his voice and, just like Vera, pped his hands. An action that prompted a System window to appear in Raknas sight. Chapter 38: Throne of Glory Chapter 38: Throne of Glory ? ? ? ? Gray Whisles, The Clown Warlock, has invited you to the guild; Throne of Glory. ? uses Agreed Upon by the involved Hosts: C Preservation of personal freedom. C Duty to assist the guild and its members when in need. C The signer has the right to refuse orders if noting directly from the Guild Leader. ? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna took his time to read the few uses, lingering just a bit on Grays full name and title, then opened his mouth, Yes. ? ? ? ? ? You have joined the Throne of Glory Guild! You are the 14th Member. Your Affiliation has been updated. ? Guild Chat; Unlocked. Guild Shop; Unlocked. Guild Quests; Unlocked. ? ? ? ? ? 14? Really? Gray shrugged. Well, I told you, didnt I? Were a small guild. But, at the same time, this just goes to show how powerful each one of us is. You as well, have the potential to be one of the biggest figures in the System. That is obviously why I chose you. How powerful are we talking about exactly though? via curiously asked from the side. Gray looked at her with a grin. Three of our members are in the top ten Hosts in rank. Four others are in the top hundred. Four more in the top thousand. And the rest is in the top thousand, mainly because theyre our more recent additions, one from sixty years ago, and another from seventy-five years ago. That does sound impressive, but what is that ranking based on exactly? Nyx inquired. Well, you might want to take a look at your status for that. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra Age: 17 | Level: 10 (50/100) Path/Race: Nine-Tailed Werewolf Affiliation: Throne of Glory Titles: Legendary yer, Wolf King, Divinity yer Potential: S+ | Host Rank: I ? ? ? ? ? The Host Rank thing? Gray nodded. Yes. As you may have noticed, its written in Roman numbers. I dont know why but honestly, no one everined about it. In any case, what I can tell you is that the Host currently at the top of the leaderboard is at Rank LXXVIII; 78. You can ask your AIter about what you need to increase it. You can also take the asion to learn about everything you unlocked. Though, you might not want to do it right now. Itll take a while after all. Anyhow, the cyber clown raised his voice with a concluding tone. Ill take my leave now. Unlike the other overseers, I dont have to stay around since I dont care about recruiting more people. I will see you tomorrow. At the Pavilion. Have a good evening, Rakna Xiorra. Gray bowed theatrically and disappeared from the party hall as if he was never there. Eh? The clowns gone already? Ans voice sounded as he came back right after. You just missed him, viamented. Youre already done with your guild? Yeah, that guy really didnt waste time. He read the letter, asked me a few questions, then sent me an invite to his guild without any extra word. So, I just epted, and he told me to go to the Pavilion tomorrow, whatever that is, he shrugged and turned toward his old friend. So, Rak, did you join that guys guild? Rakna seemingly didnt hear what he said as he was visibly focused on something. Again? Seriously? An muttered and half-heartedly tried to get his attention by waving his arm in front of his face. Meanwhile, the man in question was attentively watching as a System window scrolled down as liens of text popped up one after the other. He had noticed a small blinking sign in his vision and when he concentrated on it, it expanded and showed this; ? ? ? ? ? Hey, guys, looks like Gray got ourselves a new guy this year. ? So it seems. ? Really!? Nice! That means a new sparring partner! ? What do you mean new sparring partner? Dont bully the new guy -_- ? Meh, if Gray recruited him, that probably means he has enough potential, right? Im sure hell get strong enough in no time. What do you say, Gray? You there?! ? I am. Though on the move currently to meet someone. I just left the new member in the party hall. Rakna, if youre reading this, there should be a button at the bottom of the window. Press it, enter your pseudonym manually then just speak mentally. ? So his name is Rakna, is it? ? So it seems. ? you really need to stop saying that all the time. The new guy will think youre literary inapt or something. ? So it seems. ? you did that on purpose. And it wasnt even coherent to what I was saying! ? So it seems ?? ? Thats it! Wait till I get to the 826th teau and Ill murder you! ? ? ? ? ? ? Well thats new, Rakna thought with a small amount of amusement. This Guild Chat was very free-spirited. It probably reflected the guilds inner workings pretty well. Press the button and enter the name, huh? He followed Grays instruction and typed his pseudonym before trying out this mental speaking with the perfect sentence. ? ? ? ? ? Obsidian joined the Guild Chat. ? So it seems. ? Obsidian has left. ? ? ? ? I like the new kid. ? I know, right? ? ? ? ? ? Rakna had closed the window right after sending his message. He wasnt about to start a full-blown conversation right now. When he looked up, Ans waving hand almost hit him if it wasnt for his reflexes. Oops! An pulled back. Sorry about that. So, finally back to Ear- wait, guess that doesnt work anymore. Whatever. What the heck were you doing? You stood there without moving for at least two minutes. Chatting, I guess. Huh? Oh, do you mean the Guild Chat? via spoke up. I opened it and there were so many people talking there. Guild Chat? Whats that? An asked confusedly. Isnt there a small icon on the top left of your vision? Nyx said and he squinted with a confused expression until he suddenly opened his eyes wide. Ah, found it! Its super discreet though. How did you guys see it? He uttered as he also opened the chat only to see absolutely nothing. Uuuuh, you said there were supposed to be a lot of people talking? Theres no one on mine. via tilted her head. Well, maybe your guild is the silent kind. Whats its name? Madness Guild. I will be honest with you, young man, Nyx raised an eyebrow. Thats not a name that inspires trust. I mean kinda? But the clown said this was one of the best guilds, didnt he? Maybe they just chose the guilds name on a dare or something. Be careful, all right? via said with a worried tone. Ce on, now youre starting to freak me out Dont worry, well still be your friends even when you be mad, Rakna provided and An nearly face-nted. Not you too Rakna snorted and the two girls chuckled. After that, Leis group came back a few minutester and they all exchanged some casual banter for the next half an hour. All while Pronos was resting on the table with his bloated belly being the only proof of his rampage over the food. Then, about forty minutes since the overseers had started recruiting, only Quill remained in the hall as he took his ce back on the stage. You are now free to go, Hosts. You can leave this building and explore the city as much as you want. If you want details, ask your AI. The only thing I will tell you is that you can book a room in a hotel with your Talys. Then, tomorrow morning, head to the Pavilion. Have a good night, he said and in the blink of an eye, he had disappeared just like his fellow overseers. Time to leave, Rakna muttered as he was one of the first to walk to the exit. He grabbed Pronos who was sleeping with a contented face and put him under his scarf. I guess, An shrugged and followed him along with Nyx and via. Leis gang simrly went after him. When they stepped out of the building, the night hadpletely fallen and the lights of the city made it a very pleasant sight. So, where are we going? An asked as they walked on the side path; cars passing by with trails of red lights. Personally, I think I will take my group to a hotel, Leis spoke up. Gray gave us potions when we came out earlier for the most injured ones but a lot of us still are quite tired. I see. Have a good night then. I want to explore this city for a little bit, Rakna said. Leis nodded and asked his AI for directions before going on another road. What about you? Rakna turned toward Nyx who was silently staying with them. She shrugged with a passive expression. What can I say? I dont know anyone else and I dont feel like checking in for the night right away. What? Am I a bother? No, Rakna shook his head and turned right at an intersection, entering some sort of avenue with no vehicles and just a regr stream of people. I was just curious. I know that via and An would stick to me like glue, but I didnt know about you. Dude, dont make it sound as if actually having friends is a bad thing, An deadpanned. via giggled. But we cant deny it. I have no shame in saying that I would be scared if I was alone in this situation. Im happy that its not the case and if being clingy to someone is all it takes then I dont mind. Nyx smiled faintly. You have a very clear view of yourself. That is a respectable trait. And, I have to agree, it feels safer to be in a group at the moment, even if I barely know you three. True, An acquiesced. In any case, there sure is a lot of different kinds of people here, huh? Or should I say species? Races? Everyone nodded in agreement. Though they werent really surprised about it at this point, there was something that they had noticed while walking on these streets. While most people here were human in appearance, they would asionally cross paths with alien-like creatures, beast-men, elves, dwarves, and even cyborgs. The blend between what they considered science fiction and fantasy felt surprisingly natural. | Wee to Berbers Parts Shop! Find all the electronics you need! | The group passed by a big robot waving around a poster as he shouted that line. They looked behind him in curiosity and saw that he was standing in front of a shop filled with electronic parts and devices. Get yourself a pair of Holographic Lenses at the best price! This time it was from a woman on the other side of the street. She was wearing a pretty revealing outfit while trying to attract customers. I guess no matter the world, people still use the good old ways to attract the eye, Anughed. Hm, Rakna replied minimally and actually started walking to the woman. Eh? Wait, are you actually-? Rak? An uttered in disbelief. via and Nyx also watched in mild shock as he went to the shop. What are Holographic Lenses? When Rakna asked that question as he arrived in front of the woman, both An and Nyx immediately understood why while via sighed in relief more than anything. Well, Sir, they are essentially a way ofmunication, entertainment, and life utility. Theye as either a pair of sses or bionic contact lenses. You can use it as a regr phone, take photos, record videos, project holographic images such as maps, and much more. What do you say? Are you interested? How much? Rakna shot back instantly. For a regr model, it will be around 200 Talys. The more expensive ones can go as high as 1000 Talys. At least, thats for what we have here. Ive heard that some cost more than 100 000 Talys in the upper teaus. I see. Ill buy one. Of course, the woman smiled broadly and guided Rakna inside the shop. Aaaah, there he goes again, An sighed deeply and they followed him. Again? Nyx tilted her head. Rakna is a bit special for things like this. He tends to go on shopping sprees. Hed look over everything avable for hours then buy the things that interest him. Once, An and I stayed with him for three hours straight, via shook her head as she reminisced. I honestly never expected that from him, Nyx admitted. Well, youll soon see, An chuckled as they watched theirmon friend pay at the counter of the shop with what seemed to be a System transaction. They wondered how bad this was going to get. Chapter 39: Old Wang Chapter 39: Old Wang In the end, the four of them ended up buying Holographic Lenses. An, Rakna, and Nyx picked contacts that were made in such a way that it would literally be a part of their eyes, they wouldnt even need to take them out. On the other hand, via decided to go with sses, which gave a certain boost to her teacher aura. After that particr shop, Rakna stopped at a few other shops. He bought things such as nkets, lighters, food, all sorts of tools, spare clothes, and a few secondary weapons. Compared to the Holographic Lenses, these werent very expensive. So, after an hour of shopping, he only spent around 800 Talys in total. He obviously put his new possessions inside his spatial ring. Or else he wouldnt have bothered; he didnt want to buy things hed have to carry around 24/7. Then, the group finally came to a stop as they found a small noodle stall ran by an old bearded dwarf. Other than Pronos, they hadnt eaten that much at the buffet so they decided to give it a try. After paying ten Talys each through a System window, their bowls were quickly served. Fuck, this is good, An uttered as he slurped the long string. Totally new vors too. Never tasted a sauce like this. Indeed, Nyx nodded. Her table manners were wlesspared to the three others. Although I have eaten many luxurious dishes in my life, I have to say, this is delicious. There is something about simple but well-made dishes that just never gets old, via said. Rakna hummed in agreement while eating. Even after eating an entire chicken, he still felt like he could eat ten times more. Im happy you like it, the old dwarf said with a smile. His stall was located in a pretty quiet area and currently, his only customers were the four in front of him. This was one of the best parts of having a street stall for the old dwarf. Since he had just a few customers at a time, he could always chat with them about the food. Say, old man, what can you tell us about this city? Were kinda new here, An said. Oh, so you four are new Hosts, huh? He said with a nod. Lets see First, this city is very old. Its as old as the teau in fact. The very first Hosts thousands of years ago made the foundations for it and it evolved until this point. It became a massive hotspot over the years. There are a lot of people living here and the traffic makes business boom. This is the second biggest city across every teau but I can assure you that were the most technologically advanced. I have been wondering until now, but how big are we talking about? Nyx asked. Even while we were standing on those elevated tforms, we couldnt see the end of the cityscape. The old dwarfughed lightly. Of course. If you want to see it, you would need to travel hundreds of miles in one single direction. But you can take the underground train for that. You will get there eventually since every new Host needs to go out into the wilderness to ascend teaus. Oh? Raknas interest was picked. So, there is something out there that we will need? The old man chuckled. Sorry, sonny. I cant reveal too much. You will be filled in at the Pavilion. Sir, do you mind if I ask a more personal question? via was the next one to inquire something and the dwarf looked at her. Though, I have to admit Im not aware if its something normal to ask or not. What is it, youngdy? Are you a Host? The dwarf first blinked thenughed. Hahaha, no. No, Im afraid not. Im one of the Locals. Ive met some Hosts who called us NPCs if that helps you. Rakna snorted. Those are probably dead by now or had a very rough awakening. Hm? Why would you say that? The dwarf asked confusedly. NPC is the abbreviation for Non-yer Character. Its game jargon. In other words, those people you met were taking you as nothing more than a game feature. Those are signs of foolishness and self-pretense, Rakna replied. I see That exins a few things, the dwarf said with a nod. I was never told what it meant until now. Im confused though. Anyone with a functioning brain should be able to tell this isnt some stupid kid game. I wonder how people can get that delusional sometimes, An shook his head. Now, now, youth can often be a bit misled. Nothing we can me them for. Younglings like you are rarer if you ask me. And, maybe, its because of this, he said and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a window appeared in front of the groups eyes. ? ? ? ? ? Old Wang, The Noodle Store Owner, offers you a Quest. Objective: Finish eating your meal. Rewards: 5 Experience Points Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Nice. So, you can give quests to Hosts, huh? An unhesitatingly epted the quest. It was free experience after all. This is probably why even the weaker Locals are left alone by Hosts, Old Wang added. We are not really mistreated since each one of us is in essence a good opportunity to get rewards. Wait, there are no rules to the quests you give? For this one, youre giving us experience points for just eating You must have a limitation of some sort, right? Old Wang nodded. Youre right. First of all, I cant give quests more than once a week. Secondly, the rewards must be provided by me. Even experience points. Like you, we Locals have a System. Though its very minimal inparison. The only thing we have ess to is our Level. We have absolutely no control over our attributes and skills and the only way for us to get stronger is through pure training. So, wait, youre giving us your own Exp right now? An was surprised. Are you sure its fine? Dont worry, sonny. I can get that amount back easily. Even if Im a bitcking, I can still beat up a few monsters and even small things like making use of your proficiencies can give you Exp. For example, if I invent a new dish with my Cooking proficiency, I will get rewarded with a nice amount of experience. You can get the same result bying up with new battle moves too. Uh, cool. Thanks for the info, old man. Meanwhile, Rakna had silently cast an Appraisal on the old man and was forced to hide the shock he felt. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Wang Faezi Age: 96 | Level: 123 Race: Dwarf Affiliation: First teau Titles: The Noodle Store Owner, The Hidden Master cksmith ? Attributes: Strength: 50 | Endurance: 30 Speed: 10 | Dexterity: 70 Intelligence: 30 | Luck: 2 ? Proficiencies: C cksmithing (Lv.29) C Hammer-Mastery (Lv.12) C Cooking (Lv. Ex) C Mana Control (Lv. Ex) ? Magic Skills: Metal Magic (Lv. Max) ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Hyper Sensitivity to Mechanical Movements. C Hyper Affinity to Metal Working. ? Note: Wang Faezi is thest living member of a lost Dwarven n. He has stayed hidden from the world for the most part of his life, training in his cksmithing skills. He also has a passion for cooking and uses it as a distraction when he needs inspiration for his forging. ? ? ? ? ? Inwardly, Rakna only had one reaction, how in the flying fuck is this cking? The old mans status was way beyond their current selves. He even had one Ascended Skill and one Demi-God skill on the verge of reaching its limit. Rakna stared at the old dwarf from the corner of his eyes. He seemed to bepletely oblivious of the Appraisal that had been cast on him. Raknas suspicions were quickly answered by Alexa who saw fit to intervene. [Locals cannot sense analysis skills without the use of a special Item, Skill, or Magic Ability. They generally have a small resistance against them as well. That is why you were able to see much information even with your level disparity.] I see [Also, may I add something, Rakna?] I believe I already answered that question. What do you want to say? [I suggest you keep a connection to this Local. cksmiths are very significant to a lot of people. This dwarf will most likely be able to reach Divine Rank if given the time. Even high-level Hosts would wish to be acquainted with such a Master.] Ill keep that in mind. Thanks for the tip, Alexa. [Youre wee, Rakna.] Oh yeah, I was thinking, teach, you got the Soul Hunter title, right? What does it do? Rakna perked up. He didnt know how the conversation had evolved to that point but he also was curious. How to exin via mused. Essentially, it gives me a sort of mana bank. The bank is equal to 10% of my mana pool and for every enemy that I kill, one soul will turn into one stored mana point. The best thing about it is that I can use it as a substitute source of energy for my telekinesis. It even says that it can rece stamina when ites to it. Damn, thats good. What about yours? Rakna followed. The Crowned Seedling title. Well, mine is simple inparison. It gives me two Vtile Attribute Points. At least, thats what they called it. From what I understood, I can affect those points wherever and whenever I want. What do you mean? I believe hes talking about attribute points that can be unassigned at will to be put into other attributes instead, Old Wang answered. I remember hearing about it in passing. Thats a very good effect actually, Nyxmented. You could take someone by surprise if you use it well. That could also very well save your life if you concentrate them on something like speed or endurance. Uh, true I didnt think of it like that, An shrugged. After ten more minutes of idle chatter, the group finished their meal and Old Wangs quest updated instantly and gave them five experience each. See you, old man. It was fun, An said as he stood up with everyone else. Anytime, sonny. Do you have an HL number perhaps? Rakna then asked. HL was themon abbreviation people used for the Holographic Lenses. Yes, of course. I can give you my number. Lets keep in touch. I have a feeling that you four will do great things in the future, Old Wang said with a smile and before they knew it, their lenses were already registering a numbering from an external source. Save it under Old Wang, Rakna said inwardly to Alexa who was the one who handled the HL. It seemed that the System AIs had a lot more uses than he anticipated. Welle back once in a while, Rakna said. It might be good to have a ce to rx in the First teau. As long as we dont die, that is. Old Wangughed. Indeed. This is probably something that the System will tell you enough that youll get sick of it but, Ill say it anyway; survive well, kiddos. Rakna waved his hand over his shoulder as he walked away with the other three. When they were out of sight, Old Wang chuckled and closed his stalls counter before exiting it. The second he put a foot outside of it, the entire stall disappeared. Phew, he sighed while tapping his back. Another day that passes He muttered then looked at the night sky for a moment. Im in a good mood this evening. Maybe Ill forge a few des then go to bed, he chuckled and went back home. Chapter 40: To Yearn for the Stars Chapter 40: To Yearn for the Stars After eating their meal at Old Wangs, Rakna asked for directions from Alexa and she led them to the closest hotel. It was one of the more imposing buildings in the city. When they went through the entrance, they were weed by a clerk who after asking for their IDs, offered them each a free room because they were new to the System. After taking an elevator that Rakna was sure had somehow moved them across a distance that was considerably higher than the buildings height he saw from the outside, the four of them found their rooms at the very end of the corridor. Well, I guess well split up for the night, Raknamented as he opened the door to his room with a card they had been given. When the door opened, Pronos instantly dashed inside, curious to see how it looked. At what time should we gather tomorrow? Nyx asked. Its almost midnight right now To get a good rest, lets say we get out at 9, Rakna said. Also, here, he added and waved his hand at them. Several sets of clothes came out of his ring and appeared in his friends arms. He hadnt been the only one to buy clothes and since he was conveniently able to store anything in his ring, he had been the one to carry them. All right, see you in the morning, An said and entered his room. Good night, peeps. Good night, Nyx followed up and closed her door after entering. Good night, Rakna, via said softly and did the same as the two others. Rakna was thest one to close his door which was followed by a loud shattering noiseing from inside the room. He distanced himself from the entrance and found himself looking at a queen-sized bed ced in a room that had one entire wall made of ss so that you could look at the night city. Now, the second thing that he noticed was Pronos frozen still on top of a nightstand. His mouth was wide open and, on the floor,id a broken vase spilling water over the carpet. Rakna sent a nk look at him and the little snake turned away and quite literally tried to whistle his way out of it. Rakna sighed and walked to a certain door which he believed was some sort of bathroom. When he opened the door, the lights turned on automatically and his assumptions were proven right. He inspected the shower, the toilet, and the sink before looking through the small shelves. He grabbed one of the many towels there were and used it to get rid of the water while Pronos watched awkwardly. Then, after throwing away the ceramic shards along with the nt and the dirt it was nted in, Rakna lied down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while, before sitting up. He looked at Pronos who was continuously sending feelings of shame and guilt through their connection. Dont worry, little guy. Im not mad. I just hope you dont knock over a vase someday where our life might depend on it, okay? Pronos nodded frantically and Rakna snorted before focusing on one certain System window that he mentally made reappear. It was the prompt that told him of the unlocked features. He nned to follow Grays advice. Alexa, youre there? [Of course.] Then lets start. The Pavilion is something Id like to ask about, but well probably learn tomorrow so lets skip it. Exin what the Macro Trantion is. [Macro Trantion is something necessary for a Hosts life inside the System. It allows for people to be able to converse even if they speak differentnguages. To put matters simply, this feature of the System makes it so that everyone in the System speaks amonnguage. However, this doesnt include written forms.] I see. Good to know. What about the Ranking? [Ranking is exactly as Gray Whisles told you earlier. The higher your rank is, the more influence you have in the System, over both fellow Hosts, Locals, and the System itself.] How do you increase it? Rakna continued his questioning as he leaned against the bedstand and Pronos did the same on a pillow, quietly listening. [To be promoted, one needs to fulfill a few conditions. One of the mostmon conditions would be how high your level is. I believe it would better if you see for yourself, Rakna,] Alexa stated and a System window opened in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Rank I Promotion Conditions: C Level 10 C Attribute Cap Greater Than 40 C Ten Completed Quests: 1/10 C Fifty Monsters Above Level 8 Killed: 6/50 ? ? ? ? ? Straightforward enough, Raknamented. What do I gain from promoting? [Other than prestige and higher authority, more practical rewards such as Attribute Points and Items are possible. Keep in mind that promoting gets harder the more you do so and the rewards be proportionally better.] All right, tell me about Looting. [It refers to what humans from your would call drops. When defeating a monster or even a hostile Host, they have a chance to drop valuables such as money and equipment.] Dungeons, Rakna didnt waste time and asked for the next feature. [It is explicit. On every teau, there will be a sizeable number of Dungeons. Clearing them is a means to train, collect good equipment, and sometimesplete a Quest.] Then, tell me about Quests now. [Of course. Quests, as you saw, can be given by Locals such as Wang Faezi. Their objective can vary from the simplest of actions to the rescuing of a princess.] If Rakna didnt know better, he would have thought that Alexa tried to tell a joke. [Quests have three possible sources in total. One; Locals. Two; Exploration. This includes things such as discovering lost ruins, dungeons, or even just a simple lost item that you would be tasked to return to their owner. Three; Path Quests. Your Path will make you go through ordeals in the future to master your abilities.] Rakna scowled at thest one. He wondered what kind of Quest his Path could give him. What sort of test would a Nine-Tailed Werewolf be required to go through? [Then, we have Parties,] Alexa continued on the list, probably having learned by now that her Host would ask it without waiting. [Parties are a very simple idea. A Party can be created when several Hosts form a group to either conquer Dungeons orplete Quests. The Party cannot have more than ten members and any experience gained by any of them will be shared with the others at half value.] [On the same idea, there exists Guilds. Im sure you understand the gist of it already. Gray Whisles will exin more to you tomorrow. Finally, thest feature essible to you through the System are Trials. There is a definite number of Trials on each teau and they are also the conditions required to move from one teau to another. The First teau has exactly three Trials. Only bypleting them all will you be allowed to ess the Second teau. More details will be given to you at the Pavilion.] Rakna rubbed the bridge of his nose with a grunt. It sounds like this Pavilion is a major aspect of the System. [That is correct.] He sighed and took a look at Pronos who had fallen asleep in the middle of Alexas exnation. He then nced at the time on a digital clock hanging from the wall of the room and idly noted that there were only a few seconds before midnight. That point would have been passed as utterly meaningless if it wasnt for the fact that the very second the 11:59:59 turned into 00:00:00, the lights of the city suddenly shut down as if a ckout had urred. Even the light of his room was forcefully turned off. Rakna looked through the window with a slightly stunned expression. His eyes dted a bit as he began to see the stars that should have normally never been observable in such a rural area; one that was terribly futuristic on top of that. Alexa, is this a normal urrence? [Affirmative. This city, baptized Dark Steel, has been conceived so that every light strong enough to hide the stars would be turned off at midnight without exception.] Remarkable, Rakna nodded before closing his eyes, ready to sleep. Every city should implement something like this. My old man would love it. [your uncle?] Alexa asked. Rakna clearly heard the curiosity in her tone. Yes. He liked star-gazing and he wouldin about city lights every now and then, he replied oddly softly. And, I guess his interest got transferred to me. Though I have to admit, I used to do it even more than he did, he admitted and opened one eye to look at the window again. If I could, I would stay up all night, observing the night sky. [] Alexa was once again having alien thoughts. Her Host wasnt talking in the indifferent way he was used to. No, she would go as far as to say that it was warm. Thats why she became curious. For some reason, she wanted to know the reason behind this change. [Can I ask why you enjoy star-gazing so much?] Stars are beacons. They shine brightly from within the bleakest of ces. Isted, surrounded by darkness, no life, no air, no sound. But theyre still there and they burn so vividly that we arepelled to view them. In the end, I guess you could say that I admire that aspect. You could also say that I yearn to be one of those stars, he concluded and closed his eyes again. This time, Alexa knew that he wouldnt be saying anything else. As a matter of fact, he had by some strange manner managed to consciously shut down his mind. One couldnt call that sleeping. Perhaps it would be more urate to call it meditation, Alexa considered. A deep meditation that allows both the body and brain to rest. Is this a byproduct of his Eyes of the Soul? Alexa was left alone with her musing. Something she noticed had been happening more and more ever since she had be her Hosts AI. Discarding these thoughts, Alexa followed the example and made her awareness shut down until her Host woke up. Chapter 41: Soul Core Chapter 41: Soul Core Raknas eyes snapped open right when the clock disyed exactly 8:30:00 as if his body had been programmed to do so. Which, in fact, wasnt that far from the truth. His internal clock was adjusted through years of training. If he decided to only sleep for eight hours, he would not sleep a second more or less. While conscious, he was able to keep track of time for at least 24 hours without seeing a single timepiece. He grunted and got out of bed while Pronos was still peacefully sleeping on the pillow. He loosened up his shoulder and went to the bathroom. He took out the clothes he had bought got himself and took a shower before wearing them. They wereposed of ck jeans loose enough to not bother him when moving, a silver belt, a ck and red shirt, sports shoes, and a leather jacket to finish. Rakna let the water flow in the sink and rinsed his face with it. He looked at the mirror with a nk expression and he couldnt help but immediately focus on his wolf ears. I will have to get used to this He muttered and nced at the magic ne he had ced to the side. He wondered if he still should hide his features or even if it was any useful considering most of the people he would want to hide from would be able to see through it with a nce. He shrugged and ultimately put Ulvias Veil around his neck but didnt activate the illusion. The item itself added 5 to his senses and he wouldnt want to pass on that. He stifled a yawn and took a look at the time. He still had ten minutes before their agreed time. He pulled out a cigarette from Obsidians Smoke and lit it as he walked toward the see-through wall of his room. He stood silently as he observed the city outside. With the morning sunlight, thisndscape had another feeling to it. He squinted his eyes and while channeling both his soul and mana, triggered his Fabled Sight. From what happened to him when he learned how to fly, his Eyes of the Soul could somewhat be used as an active skill to boost his instinct to apletely different level. It would change from something that allowed him to grasp most things with ease, to something that made him one with the action itself. Then, there was mana. He was sure that he could use that energy in the same way. So, as his eyes glowed with a golden hue, he was pleasantly amazed as he heard three bell-like sounds that announced the appearance of three prompts. ? ? ? ? ? Eyes of the Soul has leveled up! Mana Control has leveled up! Fabled Sight has leveled up! ? You have found out how to channel your mana to different parts of your body. You have learned a new skill; Reinforcement. ? Reinforcement (Lv.1): Anybatant that respects themselves must learn this skill. It is not considered magic as it merely represents the maniption of internal energy without attribute molding. Statistics other than Stamina, MP, MP Regen, and Atr Cap can be increased when the skill is active. The skill can be concentrated on one particr stat to maximize the effects. ? Minimum Cost: 3 MP and 3 Stamina per min. ? You have found out how to channel your soul to heighten your perception of the world. You have attained a spiritual skill; Soul Core. ? Soul Core (Lv.1): One who is a step into the spiritual world. By getting closer to your soul, you have developed a spiritual organ. Whenever you perform an action of any sort, skills included, your Core will guide your very soul to support you. ? Additional Effects: +100% Senses | -10% Mana and Stamina Consumption ? ? ? ? ? There was one thing Rakna hadnt been prepared for and that was the moment the second new skill took effect. Last time, it had been ufortable and mildly painful. But this time, after having his senses doubled again, his brain almost stopped functioning right then and there. His breathing stopped and he lost control over his body as he helplessly copsed on the floor. His eyes started switching back and forth from purple to red without stopping. [Rakna! The Tricksters Sleeve!] Alexa suddenly shouted. Rakna growled and his fangs grew a bit longer. He opened his mouth and struggled as he spoke three words, [Two of Hearts.] A card instantly materialized above him and surrounded him with warm light. He then gasped as the air returned to his lungs. At the same time, his brain finally got the oxygen it needed and he hastily sat up while panting. Under his mask of forced serenity, Rakna almost felt scared of what just happened. What had just happened wasnt just mere pain. No; pain would have been a thousand times better than what he had just experienced. It was as if his mind, soul, mana, and even body were about to explode. Sssss! A hissing sound reached his ears and he winced as he tried to cover his ears at how loud it was to him. He nced at his left to see Pronos looking at him in both confusion and worry. He seemed to have just woken up or he might have freaked out if he had seen Rakna paralyzed on the ground. Well He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. Trying his best to control his senses and make it so that his eardrums wouldnt be hurt by the sound of his own voice. Good morning, little guy. You want to know what I just found out? Pronos tilted his head in wonder. Large increases to stats and attributes appear to be extremely fatal if youre not careful with it, he said and slowly stood up. He saw his extinguished cigarette lying on the floor and groaned. I even had to use another Trickster Card so soon, he muttered. Still, thanks for the heads up, Alexa. I owe you one. [Its no problem. Im here to assist.] Rakna snorted. At least, Im lucky that the lowest card rank was enough to help me; it will be back by tomorrow. Now After getting his breathing to a perfectly normal state and flexing his sore muscles, he looked out of the window again while his Fabled Sight was still active. He almost fell again when his vision zoomed on the first thing that he saw; a flying car passing by at high speed. He even saw the small details about the drivers appearance. ? ??? Fabled Sight has leveled up! ??? ? Before he was struck by another fit of over perception, Rakna decided to disengage the skill. He had learned his lesson. If he wanted to experiment with his soul, among other things, he had to make sure he wouldnt get killed in the process. Or at least, he would have to prepare a healing measure each time. Rakna looked at the clock and it was time for his group to assemble. He gestured to Pronos who seemingly was in the middle of a yawn and the little snake jumped on his shoulder right away. After that, he passed by the bathroom to ssh his face with water again and wipe the sweat away. When he finally came out of his room, he saw Nyx leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, wearing a casual ck dress with red ents. When Rakna came out, she opened her eyes to look at him. Your mana flow is hectic, she uttered. Were you training? You could say that, Rakna nodded and he mimicked her, waiting for An and via. I wanted to experiment something. I think I almost killed myself in the process but the results were worth the fright. Nyxs eyes widened a bit. She looked at him with a scowl. I see Try not to do that in the future. It might cripple you. Ill keep that in mind, Rakna replied evenly and the hallway turned silent. A minuteter, this silence was broken by the sound of a door opening. via came out of her room and smiled when she saw them. She wore a white shirt and a gray long skirt. Good morning, you two. Have you been waiting for long? No, barely a few minutes, Nyx responded. However, she added and turned toward the door of the room belonging to theirmonzy friend. via sighed. Yes Im afraid this might take some time. Rakna closed his eyes with a sigh. Alexa, call Ans HL. And if you can, make the tone ring as loud as possible. [Understood.] Two secondster, they heard a short scream followed by a loud thud. via giggled. Looks like someone fell off their bed. Nyx smiled as well and Rakna then told Alexa to hand up the call; it had done its job. Five minutester, a sleepy An opened his door with an equally weary re. Goddammit, I wish mornings didnt exist, he grumbled as he walked out of his room with a coat hanging from his shoulder. He sported ck cargo pants and a sleeveless shirt. Im sure you do, Rakna quipped dully and started heading toward the elevator. Lets go. Aye, aye A few minutester, the group was leaving the hotel and entering the lively streets of Dark Steel again. The day ambiance was different from the night one, contrasted by a vastly lower number of passersby and a clean atmosphere caused by the fresh air of the morning. [The Pavilion is hard to miss. It is the oval-shaped building that you can see sticking out between skyscrapers to the north. At normal walking speed, there is about thirty minutes worth of distance from here to there,] Alexa answered the obvious question the second they came out. Well, I guess were walking again, An said as the four of them walked on the pavement. Hey, Rak, I was wondering. Youre not going to hide your tails and ears anymore? There is no point. So, no. At least, for the current circumstances. People at the level of overseers can easily notice low-grade illusions, after all, Nyx remarked. Rakna nodded and as he was idly observing his surroundings like a tourist, he suddenly stopped moving as his wolf ears twitched. Which, once again, made via grab her own hand to stop it from reaching for them. An noticed with a snort that even Nyxs hand had contracted. Lucky bastard, he said inwardly before asking, Whyre you stopping? Give me a second, Rakna replied and closed his eyes. His senses were picking up something quite strange. He was sure he heard the screams of a little girl for the split of a second but the noise of the airborne cars quickly drowned it. At the same time, he briefly felt a wave of intent? His sense of smell also picked up something that tasted foul. It was like Negative intent, he muttered to himself much to hispanions confusion. What they couldnt know was that Raknas sensory stat had already gone above 200. It had be possible for him to detect things such as malice from a distance now, on top of having very strong sight, hearing, and smell. But he couldnt tell where that intent came from precisely. Thats when he got an idea. He raised his hand, palm facing the sky. [Call of Fangs,] he whispered and, at the cost of one mana, a very small shadow wolf pup appeared in his hand, which happily barked at him. Can you locate the source of that intent? Rakna asked simply and the pup jumped off his hand and ran off into one of the alleys to their right. What are you doing, if I may ask? Nyx raised an eyebrow. Im not sure yet. Could you go on ahead without me? I have to check something. Dont worry, Ill catch up to you. I should be able to smell your trace, he said and ran off after his shadow pup. The heck just happened? An uttered. via shrugged. Its just Rakna being Rakna. Hes too elusive for our mortal minds, she jested. True. Though, did he just say I should be able to smell your trace? An grimaced. Damn, thats weird What do you think I smell like? Nyx and via blinked and shared a look before continuing to walk, ignoring his question. Hey! He shouted as he followed them. I mean, it was rhetorical but you didnt need to ignore me like that! Chapter 42: Obsidian Chapter 42: Obsidian Rakna ran through the narrower alleys of the city in his wolf form as he followed the shadow pup he had summoned. Using Call of Fangs with only 1 MP, made the wolf quite weak and not even capable of using Shadow Meld, but it still had its ability to smell negative energy. Mama! He heard as he entered the shady parts of the city. He was in an alley between buildings so tall that the light of the sun could barely shine through. Rakna squinted his eyes as he heard the screaming and the crying that followed. He elerated past the shadow pup and turned to the right at the intersection where he saw a little girl curled on the ground with bruises on her visible skin and three men surrounding her. He could see a pair of folded cat ears on her head as well as a matching tail. Shut your mouth, kid! No one can hear you! One of them shouted. Geil! You sure this brat is worth the trouble? Trust me, we can probably sell her for around 10 000 Talys if we find a good buyer, a second one said as he closed one eye to ess his HL. Now, let me make this call so we-!? Before he could finish, his throat was ripped apart by a wed shadow. At the same time, a white snake jumped out of nowhere and sunk its fangs in anothers neck. Wha-what the fuck?! Thest man paled and tried to grab the futuristic-looking gun on his back while trembling in front of the nine-tailed beast glowering at him with glowing eyes. Before he could even draw his weapon though, he saw something that struck him to the depths of his core. A pair of silver and ck wings was reflected in his eyes before rapid projectiles found themselves lodged in every part of his body, taking his life in the split of a second. Rakna watched with a cold gaze as the man copsed lifeless with a dozen of ck feathers littered across his body with more than a few having pierced his head. ? ? ? ? ? You have killed two Lv.3 Locals C ve Dealers. No experience was gained. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna emotionlessly acknowledged the notification and walked toward the child whose sobs were muffled and asionally interrupted by her calling her mother. He cast a quick Appraisal on her to get her name and nudged her with his nuzzle. Liz, youre safe now, he said in the softest tone he could muster. But his words didnt elicit any reaction as he continued to hug herself and calling out her mom. Rakna sighed as Pronos settled around his neck again. He looked at the girls injuries and groaned as the cooldown of the Tricksters Sleeve wasnt over yet for him to heal her with it. I could use a potion, but then again, I dont think it would be the brightest idea to make her drink something at the moment Alexa, does a healing potion work if it is yed externally? [Affirmative. However, the effectiveness will go down.] Well, Rakna pulled out thest potion he had and held it between his fans before opening it with his ws and pouring it on the shivering child. The little girl then felt as if a warm nket had been put over and the pain gradually vanished as if it was never there. Interestingly enough, the potion left her clothes dry and was absorbed by her skin as the bruises disappeared. She stopped whispering and hesitatingly raised her head to look around her. The first thing she saw was the sharp but non-threatening purple eyes of a wolf. Then, she saw the tails and the wings still there although now folded. The bad guys are gone, Liz. You can stand up, the wolf spoke to her. She looked at him with red eyes threatening to spill tears again. I want to see mama ? ? ? ? ? Liz Ta extends a Quest to you in desperation. Objective: Find Lizs mother and reunite them. Rewards: None Note: Liz has given you a quest intuitively. She doesnt have anything to offer you but the choice is yours. ? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna nodded and epted, not even bothered in the slightest by theck of reward. He didnte here in search of a Quest in the first ce. Grab onto me then. Ill help you look for her, he said and carefully lied down next to her after retracting his wings inside his body; something that he still wasnt sure how it worked. She reached for his back whilst trembling then timidly climbed on his back. When she was done, he stood up and began to leave the area at a rxed pace as to not harm her or make her fall. At the same time, he was trying topare her scent to the others his nose was picking up. As he was sniffing the air, a prompt popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Through performing a certain action, you have developed a new skill; Tracking. Tracking (Lv.1): The ability to detect and recognize traces left by other living beings. The ways people approach this skill differ. But whether it is through hearing, smell, touch, or sight, this skill will allow the user to track down their target. ? ? ? ? ? The second that notification arrived, Rakna could already feel the difference the skill made. All of a sudden, the scents he was perceiving were considerably clearer and easier to filter. After a few minutes of silence, with Liz not even daring to say a word, he finally smelled a simr scent while wandering in a small street. People would send him weird looks but considering how they did nothing to him; he could guess that beings like him were not unseen before on the streets of the city. Though, if the shocked expressions he spotted when they looked at his tails were anything to go by, nine-tailed animals werent anythingmon. After another minute, he finally reached his destination and he instantly spotted a cat woman running around, asking strangers if they had seen her daughter. When he got close enough, Liz stirred as her ears twitched. Cats were said to be able to recognize people through the sound of their footsteps. Something that was proven urate as the little girl straightened and looked over Raknas head. Mama! She shouted and jumped down from his back and ran to the woman in tears. Liz! Her mother shouted back with a voice filled with relief, pain, and guilt. She crouched and hugged her mother with all her strength. Thank god, youre okay! Rakna watched quietly from the side as he heard thepletion of the Quest. At least, it counted for his promotion conditions. Pronos also watched with a sympathetic expression from under his scarf. M-my Lord, were you the one who saved my daughter? The mother turned toward me as she held her daughter in her arms. My Lord? Rakna frowned internally. [You are a Nine-Tailed Noble in her eyes, Rakna,] Alexa exined. Yes, I did. Be more cautious in the future. I wont always be there to save your daughter, he said and turned around as he prepared to leave. My Lord, please wait! I need to repay you somehow! No need. I merely just got rid of some human trash. Nothing warranting a reward from the likes of you, he replied, instinctively getting into a persona of an actual noble. He might as well just go along with it. Her eyes widened. Please, at least ept this! Just after these words left her mouth, Rakna was faced with another prompt. ? ? ? ? ? Lana Ta offers you 1 000 Talys for rescuing her daughter. ? Do you ept the exchange? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? I-I know this may be an inconsequential amount for you, but please, take it as my gratitude for saving my daughter, she insisted and Rakna nced at her before epting with a sigh. ? ??? 1000 Talys have been transferred. ??? ? After that message, he looked at the mother-daughter pair onest time. I will ept this to give you face. Be sure to protect your family better in the future. Have a good day, he said. However, Lana asked onest question before he could leave. Can I have the honor of knowing My Lords name? Rakna stiffened and scowled at her. call me Obsidian, he dered before running toward the closest buildings wall and running vertically until he left everyones sight afternding on the roof. ? * * * ? After getting to a safe location hidden from prying eyes, Rakna returned to his therian form and casually walked out from the alleys. He sniffed the air and instantly knew where his three friends were. As he started heading toward them, he thought back to what he had just done. When that feline woman had asked his name, he nearly froze up. He had to admit that he was a bit careless in showing his nine-tailed wolf form like that. But he had been forced to transform in worry that hed be too slow to intervene in whatever was happening. Well, lets hope that a fake name will be enough to not direct too much attention to me, Rakna muttered to himself. He had no idea at the time that he had just caused something way more than just a diversion. Chapter 43: Pavilion Chapter 43: Pavilion After catching up with the three who had gone ahead, Rakna had briefly summarized what he had been doing after they asked him what had taken so long. ve dealers, huh? An muttered darkly. This System seems to be more real than I would have liked. I see what you mean, via nodded. We need to be careful and not just make the assumption that this ce doesnt go beyond just Hosts and their System. Indeed. Though, this kind of situation will probably not just involve Locals. Its a certainty that even Hosts might partake in such crimes, Nyx added. Rakna stayed silent but the three of them didnt need him to say anything to know that he agreed if his speech about humans at the party was anything to go by. He was one of the people who knew very well how ugly people could be. Looks like were here, he changed the topic as they arrived near the Pavilion, a massive building with an oval shape and an arched ss rooftop. The walls were carved and seemed to be made of various materials aside from the several rows of tinted ss. The area around the direct boundaries of the building was cleared of any urban structure and the front side was an entire za with a fountain in the center. The entrance of the building had at least five big revolving doors and a sizeable stream of visitors going in and out. Well, this definitely looks like an important ce, Anmented as the group made their way through the za and around the fountain. They got to the entrance and then inside without any trouble. They took a moment to admire the hall that they stepped in. It was a circr hall with a very high ceiling. Above them was a sort of giant sophisticated gyroscope that floated in random directions. The walls were constructed with mechanisms resembling gears that were spinning very slowly. The floor seemed to be made out of granite and with two different shades. The brighter shade defined paths that led in three directions. Two of them being the extravagant staircases to the sides and thest one leading to an imposing reception counter. An whistled and looked around at the people going up and down the stairs with only a few of them heading to the reception. Oddly, there didnt seem to be as many people as he expected after seeing the traffic outside. Ah, youre here, the recognizable voice of a certain clown made the group look to their left where Gray was approaching them with an ever so bright grin. Though, his attire was different. It was not as clowny before. The color scheme remained the same but his clothes currently were more akin to a business suit. He didnt have the clown nose this time and his cybeic face had no obstruction. He also wore a red top hat now and a quite eye-catching pocket watch hanging from his tailcoat with a silver chain. I praise you. Youre quite early all things considered. Many new Hosts tend to sleep more due to over-exhaustion, hemended as he stopped in front of them. So? Did you enjoy your brief exploration of ck Steel? Fairly, Rakna responded. We did enjoy having a small chat over noodles. Gray blinked. Well, thats quite a cozy thing to do although youve been pretty much kidnapped and thrown into a perilous world which you have no information about. Youre talking to Rak, you know. He could be dying tomorrow and he wouldnt give a shit if he could not do anything about it, Anmented and the clown cackled. I see. Anyhow, Rakna Xiorra, Im here to guide you through the Pavilion. Your friends should also go meet up with their guild members. Normally, you should be asking the reception where your guild is, but Ill tell you myself as a service, he said and pointed at the staircase on the right of the hall. To get to the Madness Guilds meeting, its straight after going up those stairs until you find the room numbered 045. I think they will start the meeting in about thirty minutes. As for the Wan Guilds meeting, its a bit after that. Youll reach an intersection; go to the right and search for the room numbered 077, Gray finished and turned to the three concerned people. Got it memorized? Yeah, no problem, An said. No worry, Nyx said and via nodded agreeingly. Sweet! Gray pped his hands. Lets go then, Rakna. My guild doesnt have a room because we knew we would be getting only one member; if any. We can go straight to the left staircase and proceed to the awakening of your magic. Ill exin a few things on the way too. Sure, Rakna replied. Though, I trust Ill be able to regroup with my friends over here, right? Of course. This wont take long. Then, you will be mostly free to do whatever you want when we introduce you to the underground railway, Gray stated. Youll see what I mean in time. Follow me. See youter, Rakna waved his hand at the three who replied with a curt nod. An then followed Grays directions and separated from Nyx and via who went for the Wan Guilds room. ? * * * ? When Rakna took a step on the second floor of the Pavilion, he was mildly surprised by how quiet and empty it was. What the stairs led to was a spacious lounge room with sofas and even what appeared to be a TV on the wall. Are you wondering why the ce is so vacant? Gray asked as if he knew what he was thinking. Yes. Howe there isnt anyone here although there were so many people going up and down the stairs? Rakna inquired as the two continued to walk toward an open corridor. Well, the Pavilion is quite special. It is a ce filled with what we called Filter Dimensions. First of all, when you enter the building, it will separate Hosts and even Locals from anyone that they dont know or have never interacted with before. Have you ever yed an RPG? You can see it as a sort of lobby. I see. What about the second floor then? What kind of filter is there in ce? Guild, Friend, and Party filter. People that dont have any of these inmon cant enter the second floor together. You and I can because were in the same Guild, obviously. And, if we consider how small our Guild is, you can guess why this lobby is so empty. This is more thought out than I expected, Rakna remarked as they passed by several doors with tes saying things such as Training Area 2, Vault, Personal Area, etc Yes, Im sure you noticed that the System is quite thorough from many aspects. Well, while we get to the Awakening Room, let me exin to you a few things you can do in the Pavilion. Back to the beginning; when you take the stairs to the right, where your friends went, youre led to a ce that serves as a sort of hub with no second Filter Dimension. There are meeting rooms there for Guilds, leisure lounges, the Venue, as well as ess to Board Quests, something well get toter. Then, theres the left staircase, what we just used. What you have ess to here is a lot of things. Theres the Vault, where you can store items and money if you want since you do have a limit to how many Talys you can have at once. Pets and mounts can also be left to the Vault where theyll be taken care of in another dimension for a fee. After that, we have the Training Areasposed of stuff like gyms, arenas, gravity rooms, etc. In the same kind of spirit, theres what we call Personal Areas. Its generally used by Hosts who want to train alone and be protected from any sort of spying. I swear on my hat that nothing could even intrude that room once youre in. Not even the guy sitting at the top of the Rankings. Then, we have the Guild Shop. Theres not really a point in you going there for now since you need a special currency that is only obtainable by doing Guild Quests or Raids, he said and mused for a moment. Thats the gist of it, I think, he concluded then turned to the right as they reached the end of the corridor. The only things left to tell you about are these, he said as he pointed at two double doors facing each other in front of them. He pointed to the right, This one leads to the Main Shop. Its where you went after the Initiation. The other door is what were here for; the Awakening Room. Rakna nced at the doors of the Shop and thought of something. Hey, does the shopkeeper stay the same as the Initiations? Hm? No, usually not, since most of the Initiations shopkeepers are Hosts from higher teaus needing to do it in order toplete their Trials. Their Trials? Those even include things like keeping the shop for new Hosts? Yes, Trials are very varied, honestly, Gray shrugged. Why are you asking that question anyway? He asked then disyed an even wider red grin. Do you have a crush on the Lady of the Nine-Tailed ns Fox Branch? She was your shopkeeper, wasnt she? I heard she was a stunning woman. Did she get through you? Shut up, clown, Rakna replied indifferently as they stood in front of the Awakening Room. Hurry up and open this. Gray chuckled and simply tapped on the door with his finger. The doors instantly mmed open as if pushed by an invisible force. Rakna inspected the room as he entered after Gray. It was quite smallpared to all of what he had seen in the Pavilion. The walls were dark gray, the lighting was dim, the ground covered in carpet, and the ceiling was dark blue in color. It felt very confined overall and the only thing present in the room was an orb hovering above the ground in the center. Well then, it is time, Gray said as he closed the doors behind them. The room was now drowned in darkness and the only source of light was the faint glowing from the orb. All you have to do is simple. Touch the orb and channel your mana into it. If you focus, you should be able to feel your mana going throu- No need to exin. I already have Mana Control, Rakna interrupted him. Oh, Gray eximed. Guess I shouldve expected that. In that case, go ahead. The magic that will resonate with your very existence and carry you through countless battles from now on will be uncovered here, he dered then stepped back to the corner of the room. Rakna breathed in and ced his hand on the orb. He closed his eyes and slowly guided his mana inside of it. The effect was immediate. The orb started shining and the rooms very atmosphere became heavy. The ceiling lit up with hundreds of small blue dots and Gray felt a shiver coursing through his body. His eyes became wide in shock as he watched what was happening. The ceiling and the walls were continuing to light up with dots of cold blue light. Then, these same dots were all suddenly linked together by lines like constetions before something manifested itself above the orb along with a wave of cold air. Ice? No, this is Gray muttered then he got a proper look at what had just appeared above the Awakening Orb. He first let out a chuckle, then a few more, and finished with augh. Hahaha, honestly He smirked. You really have talent to spare, dont you? Chapter 44: A Magical Myth Chapter 44: A Magical Myth In the most reclusive corners of the cosmos, there is said to exist stars beyond the understanding of even Gods. To this day, only two have ever been observed. The first is called the Volcanic Star. It burns hotter than the normal fiery stars, with a shade of red more vivid than blood, and the arcs of sma raging on its surface are said to be able to overheat space itself. The second one is the rarest and most unconventional of all. Whening to the awakening room, Gray never expected even for a second that this would be the day he would see it. There were so many elements that one could awaken. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Ice, Lightning, Metal, Wood, Space, Time, Life, Death, Darkness, Light, Blood, Neutral, Mind, Creation, Destruction, Dark Light, Aeter Gray had seen so many of them. One would be shocked to learn how many concepts could be turned into a magic element. Thats why, never in his mind, had he anticipated to see an element that was said to exist but had never emerged in the entire history of the System. His cybeic eyes couldnt help but stare at the spherical condensation of energy floating in front of Rakna. A literal star burning with utmost fervor. But the chills he felt, the freezing mist, and the frost on the floor reminded him; it didnt burn hot, it burned cold. A blue sun releasing the antithesis of mes; arcs of pure ethereal coldness. ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions! You have awaked the Tier 0 Magic, one of the only two Star Magics known to the apprehensible existence, Cold Star Magic. ? ? Cold Star Magic (Lv.1): This Azure Star is the embodiment of coldness. Mistaking it for mere ice would be the height of foolishness. A Cold Star will burn you to the bone and shatter you from the inside. ? Heat burns. Cold burns too. There are only but a few differences. One incinerates you; the other shatters you. One is merciful; the other is crueler than death. Heat will erase you without mercy; cold will make you perish in agony for eternity. ? A Cold Star user cannot feel cold or hot and can absorb cold-rted magics to a reasonable degree depending on the skills level. You can now control the dominance of the Cold Star to a certain extent. ? Note: Magic is a tortuous path of experimentation. Self-discovery, luck, imagination, wisdom, willpower will be the key to wield its true might. ? Currently Known Spells: Cold Star Manifestation (T.0) ? ? ? ? ? Rakna ignored the window in favor of the blue star in front of him. His eyes were wide in shock and amazement. For some reason, the cold didnt affect him. It even felt weing. He slowly reached for the star and the second he touched it, the cold in the room disappeared and the lights on the walls died down. The star itself shrunk and flew in circles around Rakna before entering his chest and disappearing. At the same time, he abruptly felt both his heart, his mana, and even his Soul Core swirl. His fangs grew and he let out a primal snarl. Pronos jumped away in surprise as he felt a small shockwaveing from his friends body. Gray flinched a bit and was about to rush to examine him. He, after all, had no idea of what Star Magic would do to its awakener. For all he knew, Rakna might have been dying because his body wasnt strong enough to contain it. But what stopped him was the change in the boys wolf features. The very tip of his ears and tails gradually nched before turning wholly white. The extent of the change wasnt too noticeable but it was still there. When it was over, Rakna staggered backward before catching himself with the help of Pronos who had managed to jump and push his back so he would not fall. Rakna shook his head and for a very brief second, Gray was sure he saw a burning blue star in the ce of his pupils. The teen in question however knew what was happening in more detail as he read the information on a second window that had appeared. ? ? ? ? ? Your Nine-Tailed Blood has been stimted. Your Attributes have been corrected by the blood within you. Intelligence: 4 -> 8 ? Your mana has been sessfully molded into Cold Star Mana. You will now deal an additional 10% of ice damage every time you attack. Every single skill of yours will also be imbued with cold energy. ? Due to your blood, you have awakened Mystic Cold Star Magic. Mystic Magic is the Noble Hereditary Skill of the Nine-Tailed n. By tripling your mana consumption, you will be able to double magic damage. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna breathed in and out and caught a glimpse of the whitened tips of his tails before trying to channel his mana toward his hands, along with his Soul Core passively assisting him. His entire arm began to release cold mist and a thinyer of frost covered his palm and fingers. It didnt feel any cold as he expected nor did it seem to be harming him. Well, Ill be damned. The clowns voice pulled him out of his thoughts. The mist dispersed and the frost melted without leaving water on his hand. Rakna then looked at Gray who was pping. Let me recap a bit, he said before clearing his throat. Youre a Werewolf. You have Nine-Tailed Blood. You have incredible instinct and fighting proficiency. You learned to channel mana on your own. You probably have a Nirvana Skill. I saw you pull a Red Utility Item. And now, youre telling me that you have awakened a myth-like magic element? The clown nodded exaggeratedly as he held his chin in his hand. Hmhm We have a monster in our ranks. Its really good to know that I decided to be an overseer this year, he said and whirled his cane before pointing it at his new recruit. You, Sir, are a monster of nature, he deadpanned. Rakna rolled his eyes. Ill take that as apliment. Whatever you say, Gray snorted. Well, this only leaves your little friend there, he added while pointing at Pronos. The albino snake tilted his head while pointing at himself with his tail. Yes, you. Do the same as your friend. Touch the orb and channel your mana. Now, you might not be able to do it in contrary to your master. So, to control your mana, you have to- Before Gray could finish, Pronos was already on top of the orb, pumping mana into it as it shined brightly with a golden light blended with a green one. The robotic clown could only change what his mouth disced to a very jagged white line. He mechanically looked back and forth between the orb and the little snake and grunted. Golden and green And this feeling Eternity and Poison? He mumbled. No fucking way. Hey, Rakna, what is your pets Path? Ouroboros. Gray finally gave out and groaned with a static sound. I cant believe it. Thats even worse. Its not Eternity; its a Legendary Path that gives affinity to Infinity Magic He grumbled to himself and opened the Guild Chat. ? ? ? ? ? Clown has joined. ? Hey, anyone here? ? Yes? ? Ah, perfect. You; you have Blood Magic. ? Uh yes? Thats not new. What are you getting at? ? Youre trash. ? do you people have death wishestely? Do you wanna die, Gray?! ? No, I just wanted to insult someone. Thank you. I feel better now. ? Clown has left. ? What have I just witnessed? ? Thats what Id like to fucking know! ? ? ? ? ? ? Gray sighed contently. My mind is refreshed, he said with a revitalized grin toward the pair in front of him. Pronos had already finished awakening and was back on Raknas shoulder. Now, shall we go? You can pass by the Shop if you want and then Ill lead you to the Underground Station so we can head out in the wilderness. Youll reunite with your friends there. Rakna nodded. Sure. Give me a moment to read this, he said while inspecting Pronos magic. ? ? ? ? ? Poison Magic (Lv.1): A simple but deadly bane for all beings. Poison cane in many different ways and their threat is all but small. ? Energy poisons, organic poisons, parasites, acids, viruses, fogs, mutations All can be done with Poison Magic and if well-used, could even harm the most resilient of beings. Even non-corporeal beings can be hurt if the correct poisons are used. ? The Host can manipte toxic substances to a certain extent. ? Currently Known Spells: None ? ? Infinity Magic (Lv.1): The power of infinity is hard to grasp. It was first wielded by the Ouroboros during the dawn of time. Only those acknowledged by the Coiling Serpent have the chance to awaken Infinity Magic. ? This Magic is considered one of the Lost Crafts. Nowadays, scarcely anyone has the required knowledge to properly make use of it. But it was once said that mastering Infinity meant mastering the Laws of Numbers. ? Use: Unknown | Spells: None ? Note: This is a magic that cannot be easily delved upon. Only extensive research and patience will grant you control over its power. ? ? ? ? ? Looks like you got stuck with a prettyplex ability, little guy, Raknamented and Pronos slowly nodded, not understanding a thing about how he should approach Infinity Magic. When that was done, the two of them left the Awakening Room along with Gray who closed the doors right after they were out. All right, you can open those doors if you want to visit the Shop, the clown pointed at the doors on the other side of the corridor. Im not allowed toe with you by the way. I will wait here. Got it, Rakna nodded. He put his hand on the doorknob and opened one of the doors. The instant he did that, he felt Grays presence disappear. Whaty on the other side of the double door was very different from what he expected. Compared to hisst visit to the Shop, it was considerably smaller and it actually looked like a proper shop instead of a maze of random aisles. In fact, it felt like a homely antique shop. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made with a type of dark wood. There was a red carpet in the middle of the room and a firece to the left. Other than that, at least ten different clocks were hanging on the walls for some reason along with several paintings and a few weapons meant for decoration. There was some furniture that served as stands for items of all kinds. After taking in all of that, Rakna finally directed his eyes at the mischievous grin of a certain vixen sitting behind the counter. Wee to my humble shop, wolfy. Chapter 45: Abyss Chapter 45: Abyss The door closed behind Rakna as he stepped inside the shop. He hummed as he walked to the counter and sat on one of the wooden stools. What? Youre not going to say how happy you are to see me? Kaelith said as she leaned toward him with her elbows on the counter and her head resting on her hands. For now, youre on a probation period. So, no, Rakna nkly replied. Huh? Probation period? She scrunched her brows in confusion. What do you mean? Gray told me shop keepers arent supposed to be the same. So, that begs the question, is this a coincidence or are you a stalker? Kaelith almost face-nted on the counter. She sighed and straightened her back as she crossed her arms under her chest. You know I dont know why I hoped for even a second that your first attitude toward me was just a mood. Rakna grunted and Pronos jumped on his head and happily waved his tail at her. See? At least, one of you is grateful, she huffed then pointed at Raknas ears. By the way, wolfy, what happened to your ears? The tips are white. Did you dye them? Rakna reflexively looked up although he couldnt look at his ears and shrugged. It happened after I awakened my magic. The same thing happened to my tails. Kaelith nodded slowly. I see. Wait did you just say tails? Plural? She speedily looked over the counter and forced Rakna to lean back unless they headbutted. Her eyes widened as she saw the two ck tails with white tips iling around behind him. No way This would mean that youre a pureblood, she muttered and backed away again. She sent him a piercing stare. Are you hiding something from me? Rakna had the decency to notugh at her; spiritually at least. Foxy, that is the wrong question. All right then, pray tell, what is the good question? The better question would be; how many things am I hiding from you. Kaelith red at him and he countered with an expressionless face. They continued the stare-off for a while with Pronos looking back and forth at each of them. In the end, Kaelith relented with a groan and casually sat on the counter, purposefully giving him a view of her body to which Rakna only reacted with a twitch to his eye. I guess it cant be helped. A bit like overseers, Im not allowed to look into your status. So? What do you want to buy this time? Three health potions like the ones I boughtst time along with a dozenpact explosives of your rmendation, Rakna said without missing a beat. She nodded and snapped her fingers. Sylvie will bring what you want in a moment. Also, Id like to ask why the hell didnt you tell me potions took time to properly work? Kaelith cocked her head to the side. Well because you didnt ask? Rakna fell silent. He could only me himself in the end. When he decided to use self-harm to bring out his other-self, he thought that a potion would be enough to heal him after his fall. But after drinking it, he noticed it wouldnt heal him fast enough, thus forcing him to use one of the Heart Cards. More importantly, why dont you tell me about your Path and Magic? She changed the subject with perceivable excitement. Why would I? Oh,e on! Its one of the little things I like to do. Its nice to hear about the many different Paths and Magic new Hosts unlock, she said. Its like a fun guessing game, you know. I see, Rakna nodded, almost making her think he would ept. Im not telling you mine though, just to crush her hopes. She cooed in disappointment and let herself lie down on the counter in front of him. He frowned at her obvious try to get a rouse out of him. She stayed still with a pout as he looked at the ceiling with her tails waving around; Rakna dodging a few of them as they almost hit his head. Then, an idea struck her and she smirked as she faced him. Do you like the ring I gave you? Rakna immediately understood her intention and cringed internally. I do. Then, do it in exchange for it, she followed up. Youre not going to tell me that youre shameless enough to not repay me a bit, right? Youre the shameless one here, after explicitly affirming that you would give it to me for free, he retorted and she chuckled. Well, well, Im a fox, remember? Her smirk widened as he rolled his eyes. Come on, now. Maybe I can give you some advice about your Path or Magic. Or maybe your friends. Rakna scowled at her. you cant do anything about my Path nor my Magic. One of them is Unique and the other apparently has never been seen before. Kaelith widened her eyes as she sat up. Uh, she uttered while looking at him. Interesting I can understand a Unique Path honestly. But there arent many new magic elements appearing nowadays. In fact, thest time it happened was almost five hundred years ago from what I heard. Its not a new one per se. Its one that existed but has never been awakened before, Rakna said. He had no idea if this was enough to narrow it down to Star Magic but he didnt really care. As much as he liked messing around with this vixen, she didnt seem that untrustworthy that he would not even give her a hint. I see, youre not going to go in detail, are you? She said, half-amused, half-infuriated. Well, I could tell you about my friends Paths, if you want. That is if you truly have some useful advice for them, he proposed. I dont know about their magic yet, though. Ask away, she waved her hand as she finally got off the counter to which Rakna was silently relieved. No matter how broken he was, it was still quite hard for him to control hormones so that they would be inexistent. He could only suppress them and that was already more annoying than letting them out if it went on for too long. One of them has the Chaos Witch Path, he decided to tell vias Path first. Chaos Witch, huh? She rubbed her chin. Interesting. A Chaos Witch has considerable potential for multi-elemental casting. Usually, a woman that unlocks that Path will have at least a triple magic affinity. What is that friends Potential Value? S, Rakna curtly replied. She really did appear to give it considerable thought. Does she have a Nirvana Skill? Yes. Telekinesis. Kaelith whistled. What about her Guild? Wan. Wow, that girl can go far, she stated. Lets see something that the Wan Guild wont already tell her Okay, ry this to your friend; on the 13th teau, there is a Dungeon called Maries Tomb. Theres a hidden quest there that might help her a lot. The conditions to unlock that quest is to head in alone and to have a Mage-ss Path. She also needs to be above level 50 but lower than 60. That simple? Rakna raised an eyebrow. It sounds like something anyone would know. Well, the thing is that Maries Tomb is filled with enemies that resist magic damage. Thats why the conditions for that quest are hard to fulfill and are not well-known. However, with Telekinesis, she should be fine. I see. Ill tell her then. Thank you. Kaelith smiled brightly. Youre wee, youre wee. Now, do you have others? She asked with an endearing excitement in her voice. Rakna snorted and continued, This time, its an Epic Path, Abyss Monk. What? The vixens expression did a 180. Did you just say Abyss Monk? Did I hear that right? Yes? Rakna tilted his head at her sudden seriousness. I dont want to worry you, wolfy But Abyss-Type Paths are dangerous, she uttered. How so? Remember what I told you about cursed skills? Yes. Well, Abyss Paths are generally considered cursed Paths. They are powerful indeed but the only reason why they are not ssified Legendary is because of their twisted nature. Raknas expression darkened. Will he slowly lose himself? Kaelith shook her head. Not exactly. Its a bit different from your Ireful Shell. The Abyss wont do something such as encroaching his mind as he takes damage. It will be a constant risk. Honestly, wolfy, theres only one piece of advice I can give you; keep an eye on your friend. In the future, there is a chance he might not only go mad but also Also, what? Turn into a creature of the Abyss, she said with a dark tone. What does that mean exactly? Rakna asked again. Without his knowing, his eyes were gradually reddening and the air around him became colder. Kaelith noted both things but didntment on them. Do you know what a Vampire is? The unexpected answer allowed Rakna to calm down. Vampires? Are you insinuating he would be one? Something simr, yes, she nodded. Creatures of the Abyss count in their ranks beings such Thralls, Ghouls, Vampires, Wendigos, and many others Frankly, Vampire is the best you could hope for if you ever be an Abyss Creature. The blood craving is a pain to deal with but not irremediable. However, monsters like Ghouls need flesh to live. Is there a way to stop it from happening? Well Kaelith pondered. There is one thing you could try. On the 125th teau, the Undead Legion might be able to give you ast measure solution. Though it wont erase the Abyss effect, it will allow your friend to have some sort of control over his eventual transformation. Thats the best I can tell you. Ill try to find more information on my own if you want. Ill appreciate that if you do, Rakna said with a heavy tone. At the same time, Sylvie, the small fox pet came from the back of the shop and jumped on the counter with two boxes bnced on her tails. Kaelith sighed in relief as the dark atmosphere was broken and opened the two boxes likest time, showing one with the health potions inside and another with fifteen thin silver disks as big as a palm. These disks are a type of grenade. Theres a button on the back. Press on it once and itll explode at impact after throwing it. Press it twice and itll be set on a six-second-timer. Press it thrice and itll be disarmed. Itll be 1100 Talys for everything here. Rakna nodded as he put everything in his spatial ring after a System window confirmed the payment. Kaelith smiled bitterly at the sour note that this conversation ended in and looked at Pronos who was seemed to be browsing the Shop on his own if his concentrated look was anything to go by. What about this little guys Path? She asked, wanting to change the mood. Ouroboros, Rakna responded simply and she froze. Of course, she mumbled. Well, cant help much for this one. He should have unlocked Infinity Magic too, right? Im not privy about anything rting to it, but one thing I know is that a decently strong serpent Local resides on the 148th teau. You might obtain something worthwhile from him. Rakna grunted positively. Thank you for your help. Really, he said with an almost friendly tone. I have to say, you changed my opinion. Im happy that youre my shopkeeper. Kaelith was taken by surprise by his suddenpliment. Though, it was said with that same monotonous voice of his. Otherwise, she might have graced him with a blush. Instead, she settled with a soft smile. No problem. I guess Im not on probation anymore, eh? She grinned. Rakna nodded while feeling a bit amused. I suppose so, he said then looked at Pronos. Did you find something useful, little guy? The little snake seemed to sigh as he shook his head. He closed the System window with a wave of his tail and recovered his ce under Sonata. In that case, Ill be going now. Gray is waiting outside, Rakna said and stood up. Gray Whisles, huh? So, you joined the Throne of Glory. Cant say its a bad choice, but be careful, theyre a powerful bunch for sure but they tend to get in trouble, she remarked and he shrugged. Im a living trouble from what I hear, he said which puzzled her. He snorted. Maybe Ill tell you one day, foxy. For now, its too fun to see you be shocked at everything I do. Kaelith harrumphed. Cheeky brat. All in good fun. He waved her goodbye as he went back to the door of the Shop. See you, foxy. Thanks again. Sure, survive well, wolfy, she huffed while smiling and he proceeded to leave the Shop. Chapter 46: Black Steels Spear Chapter 46: ck Steels Spear You took your time in there, Gray said as he made his way down to the first floor of the Pavilion with Rakna. You were bargaining or something? Not really, Rakna replied ndly as they went down the staircase. What do you know about Abyss Paths? Abyss Paths? The clown frowned. Where did you hear about those? You dont have one, do you? No, An has one. Uh, Gray eximed with a hand on his chin. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, they parked on one side of the hall and he continued, Well, I do know a bit about it. The Abyss Paths are quite infamous in the higher teaus. Theres even an Abyss Guild in fact. Though, theyre branded as an evil one. Was this what you talked about with your shopkeep? Rakna nodded and he hummed, How rare. A shopkeeper that knows about these kinds of things must at least be above the 500th teau. Who was it? Foxy, Rakna replied without thinking. Who? Oh I meant Kaelith Yahkshasa. Grays thought process creaked for a few seconds. damn, kid. You move fast. Not only do you call her foxy but she apparently even exercised her connections to be your personal shopkeep. Rakna shrugged indifferently as they watched the people pass by while leaning against the wall. Well, that aside, back to the Abyss thing. If you talked about it with that woman, you should have a pretty clear idea of what it is. So, what do you wanna know? Any idea how to help An? No, Im sorry. But he did join the Madness Guild, right? If I had known his Path beforehand, I still would have sent him to Quill. That guys guild name isnt just for show. Theyre used to deal with berserkers, for theck of a better word. Thats the best I can say. I see Rakna closed his eyes and a minuteter, he opened them again as he finally realized something. What are we waiting for, by the way? Well, the other Guilds, of course. And your friends. Its better to go together, Gray replied while fiddling with his cane. How long will that be? I dont know Thirty minutes? An hour? Since I only have you, its fast. But the other guilds have several people to guide and awaken. So we wait for them. * * * Forty minutester, Rakna was mentally ying Tetris with his HL when he heard someone call his name, Rak! He looked up to see An walking in his direction together with around ten other new Hosts on top of Quill Frazen. Well, well, if it isnt little Quill, Gray quipped as they got close. Whisles, the man greeted curtly and nced at Rakna. This is the S+? Worth your participation this year? Worth? Gray cackled. The kids probably worthy of being a VIP for the first guild. How could I be disappointed, honestly? Quill lifted his eyebrows but stayed silent otherwise. So, is your guild going on ahead or are you waiting for others? Gray followed up. Ill wait for the Wans. We agreed that we would go together, Quill stated. Oh? Nice, three of the top hundred guilds cooperating for their new recruits training. It will be a fresh experience. Quill nodded and waved at the Hosts following him. Rx. We will wait for a little more and then head to the Station with the Wans and the Clown. The new Hosts nodded silently and made sure to stand somewhere where they wouldnt bother anyone passing by. Rakna inspected them for a short moment. There wasnt a lot of them all things considered. Fourteen, all in all. But, one thing he noticed was that other than An, all of them seemed to be cold? They all held this empty expression as if their life had been robbed from them in the nastiest way imaginable. Is it this guilds preference? He thought to himself then faced his friend. Hey, An. Hm? What? You told them about your Path, right? Oh, An seemed to understand something. He scratched his head and sighed. I guess that means you learned what it means. Yeah, I told them about it. Quill asked me about it when I told him I was rmended by the clown. He looked surprised for a second but then he epted and exined to me what Abyss is usually associated with. Youre okay with it? Rakna asked with his usual countenance and anyone who didnt know him would have mistakenly assumed that he didnt care. Im fine, An shrugged. It adds to the thrill, you know? It sounds fun to try and not to give in to darkness or whatever, he said whileughing. Thats one way of looking at it, Graymented from the side. I like it though. You wont survive long in here if you cant find at least a bit of enjoyment in your difficulties. Uh, surprisingly deep from a cyborg that dresses like a clown, An retorted and Gray cackled. At the same time a feminine voice reached them, Well, well, it seems werest to arrive. Everyone looked to the right where the end of the staircase was and saw Vera approaching them with exactly eight recruits behind her. All of them were women and two of them were Nyx and via. Ah, Vera. Good morning, Gray tipped his hat. How are your recruits this time around? Fantastic, actually, she grinned and started hugging via who was next to her. This little girl here has so much talent Im practically drooling. Please Lady Vera, let me go, via said weakly as Vera rubbed her face against hers. The other women seemed to be smiling at the scene. Really? How talented are we talking about? Sextuple Affinity, Vera said almost too smugly but going by the reactions Gray and Quill showed, it wasnt without the right incentive. And the lovely Nyx over here, she then started hugging the former goddess as well. Has awakened Eternal Night and Lunar Magic. Well shit, Gray uttered. Maybe I should have broken that damn unspoken rule. Thank god you didnt, she huffed. How did you get so lucky with your group anyway? Gray shrugged with a smirk. I guess Im just that awesome. Silence was all he got. Really? At least, try and refute it instead of closing your mouths like that, he grumbled. Lets go. Weve wasted enough as it is, Quill dered unbothered and started walking toward the exit of the Pavilion. See? I told you he was grumpy, Gray muttered to Rakna as they followed him with the rest. As the sizeable group left the Pavilion and pierced through the crowd outside, the new recruits of the Wan Guild quickly surrounded Rakna in curiosity. They started fawning over him while barraging him with questions. Whats your name? How did you get those ears and tails? That little snake is so cute! Are you a werewolf?! Rakna retained his stony fa?ade but the way his eyes were twitching wasnt a good sign about his current mood. Pronos had also retreated under Sonata at lightning speed. Rakna raised his hand to stop them from speaking further. If you want to bother someone, go for An. Not me. Hey! An shouted in consternation. Aww,e on. At least tell us your name? One of the girls said. Rakna Xiorra, he said as he felt that answering their questions would take less energy than arguing with them. Can I pet you? One other girl raised her hand as if she was asking permission from a teacher. no. Can I touch your tails? no. Can I- No, he didnt even wait for the next question before giving his answer. via watched on with a wry smile while Nyx let out a quiet chuckle. Veras giggles sounded and everyone looked at her. Come on now, girls. Let the poor boy go. Fine~ The girlsplied with pouts and Rakna grunted. He threw a look at the beautiful woman who was smiling at him. Do you overseers have anything to gain by sticking to profile stereotypes like this? Ara? Vera tilted her head with an impish smile. Whatever do you mean? Not only did you choose a bunch of women, but all their personalities are also too outgoing to be a coincidence. Theres also the people behind that guy, he replied while pointing at Quills group leading on ahead of them; far enough that they wouldnt be able to hear their conversation. Too broken. Shells of human beings; something that I guess must be a recurrent thing every year and that man willfully picked them. They, who must have lost things like lovers or siblings or perhaps seen too many exposed guts for their untrained minds. Vera smiled sadly at his words. Not as broken as you, Id say. He huffed and didnt even bother to humor her with aeback. Well, youre correct. The Wan Guild is a witch n of sorts and witches, on top of being exclusively women, need to know how to let their desires and emotions free. They should always be outgoing, genial, and sociable. Thus, it is but natural to pick people matching these traits. Of course, there are exceptions. Your twody friends here are a lot more reserved but still have tremendous potential. Indeed, Gray nodded in agreement. Guilds need to keep a sort of decorum regarding their image and reputation. The Throne of Glory for instance only epts powerful people but what you dont know is that all of us are for the most part very independent. All of us hate being ordered. This is why we joined a Guild that would let us stand as equals. That is also why were not numerous. Then, theres Quills Guild, Vera continued. The Madness Guild is a gloomy one. They are a group that wees mostly people that are unafraid of pain or death. The majority of them also have incredible physical capabilities and their extremely cold attitude makes them terrifyingly calctive inbat. Damn Im starting to regret joining this guild, An muttered. Im not sure I can cope. True, Rakna nodded knowingly. Theres absolutely no way you can be calctive in a fight. An let outical tears. Raaak! Can you stop calling me stupid on every asion!? Im not calling you stupid. Im calling you an idiot. Thats the same thing! Grayughed at their small banter. As much as Im enjoying the small chat, I have to interrupt you there. Weve arrived, he said as he pointed forward with his cane. Everyone looked at Quills group, who had taken a decent head-start, going down a staircase to the side of the street that anyone would be able topare to the entrance of an underground metro station. Vera and Quill led their group down the stairs until they were about twenty meters underground and a spacious ce weed them. For being underground, the ceiling was quite high and the lightning felt very natural. Several people were sitting on the benches there, seemingly waiting for the transport that would probably being on therge rails they could see on each side of the station. Lets see, Gray hummed and he looked at the time on his pocket watch. It should arrive at any time now. The ck Steels Spear is neverte. ck Steels Spear? An reiterated. Sounds grand. By the way, why are these rails so big? True to his words, the rails they could see were a lotrger than anything they were used to back on Earth. Before Gray could answer, the echoing sound of a lotive reached their ears through the tunnels. The clown grinned, Well, see for yourself. Barely half a minuteter, the new Hosts jerked back in surprise as a massive red train with two floors reached the station at high speed. It zoomed by in the tunnel to their right and disappeared inside again. But the sound didnt disappear and it soon came back from the other side before slowing down with the loud sound of the steam being discharged and the grinding of the rails against the trains wheels. When it stopped, Rakna observed the train again. At first sight, it looked like something that was too old for a city as advanced as ck Steel but the way the doors smoothly opened as well as the seemingly clean and modern interior forced Rakna to admit that this train was more than it met the eye. Though, as they all began to enter the rail transport, he couldnt help the small roguish instinct he had gained from his uncle as he opened his mouth, Are you sure we dont need a wand and pointy hats before going in? That day, Gray was sure that he hadntughed harder in years. Chapter 47: Wilderness Chapter 47: Wilderness So, Eternal Night, huh? Rakna inquired as his group sat in one of the private rooms of the train along with Gray. The other two guilds had been scattered in otherpartments. Yes, Nyx nodded impassively. She raised her hand and a ck arc of jagged shadows appeared surrounded by a swirl of dark lightning. This is Aeter. A perfectbination of both unmatchable power and subtlety, or so they said, she added and closed her hand to make it disappear. Gray hummed. You should be careful with that magic in the future. Why? That is the signature of the Eternal Night God. After his emergence a few years ago, many people were forced to acknowledge that he was the strongest God to ever exist. Parading its power will do you more bad than good. Youd be a target of attention. The implications of that are a no-brainer. Nyx scowled at that. Again The System already told me that man had be the Eternal Night God. But the strongest? What happened after our battle? Was I sent into the future? She thought to herself and Rakna nced at her. Hey, Clown, seeing that you were not that shocked when Vera mentioned that element, I assume there are more wielders of that magic within the System, correct? He asked. Gray nodded. Youre right. But, in my opinion, I feel like they are different from your friend here. I met other wielders of this magic, but all of them seemed to becking inparison. Their magic was undeniably Aeter, theres no doubt about that, but its substance was weak, he said and looked at Nyx. Yours, however, feelsplete. As if you had something the others dont. Well, perhaps its because of the small divinity you exude, he added with a shrug. When Rakna realized that this conversation wouldnt be going much farther, he decided to change the topic, What about Lunar Magic? Oh, that, Gray raised a finger. Its not super rare. But its as it sounds; magic made to use the power of the moon, he exined. Well, thats vague I know. But youll probably understand in time. Well then, if were going to go through everyones magic affinities, what is yours? He turned toward An in curiosity. Every Host out there loves to hear about others awakenings. So, foxy isnt the only one, Raknamented inwardly and also looked at An, waiting for his answer. Well, I only have one affinity; Void. what? Gray uttered dumbly. Could you repeat that? I fear my sound sensors misfunctioned for a second. Uuh Void? The clown grumbled inaudibly before crossing his arms and leaning back against his seat. Damn, that Quill didnt even bother to brag about it, huh? What is the Void element? via asked in confusion. Another super rare affinity. I swear you four are so busted, he said sardonically. Anyway, Void is the element of nothingness; suiting for the Madness Guild now that I think about it. Simply said, its a magic mainly meant to replicate magic. Replicate magic? Or I guess its more urate to say that it incorporates magic, Gray specified and waved his hand at An. Why dont you exin it yourself? Its your affinity, after all. An mused for a moment. Well, from what I understood, I can assimte the element of a magic that is used against me and copy it, albeit weaker. I cant have two different elements at the same time though. At least, for now. So, if I were to cast my magic on you, youd be able to use it as well? Rakna asked. Would it hurt you when you assimte it? Yeah, An stretched his cheek. I need to be hit to assimte one and it can kill me if Im not careful. But it also says I can do the same with pure magical energy. So, in other words, I could do the same by touching someone. Interesting? Can you do it on me? Rakna requested. I can try, An said and put his hand on his friends shoulder before closing his eyes. Gray squinted his cybeic eyes in curiosity. Then, Ans hand started collecting frost and releasing a chilling mist. After a few seconds, he winced and hastily pulled his arm back. Whats wrong? via asked as he saw him clench his hand. Well I think it failed. Give me a second, he muttered and seemingly looked at a System window. Apparently, your magic cannot be replicated, Rak. Gray chuckled. Obviously. Star Magic isnt something that could be so easily reproduced. Star Magic? And, wait! Why didnt you tell me before I tried then?! An shouted and the clown shrugged uncaringly. I was curious. Its not like it was going to kill you. An groaned while Nyx got interested in something else. You said Star Magic? Yes. Rakna over here has awakened Cold Star Magic. Something that was only known in theory until today. Though, keep it a secret from your respective guilds. Im confident that my guild can stand against most hostilities but we really dont want to attract more trouble than necessary. I already made a huge gamble by epting Rakna and his irregrity. I bet, An snorted. So, what is this Cold Star Magic thing? For now, the only thing I know is that I can channel mana to generate cold and that my attacks have 10% additional cold damage. Then, I have a Tier 0 spell that I need to try out, Rakna told in Grays stead. Oh, and it also did this to my ears and tails, he added whilst pointing at the white fur. Yeah, I wondered why it was like that now, An nodded understandingly. So, basically, you have super rare magic as well? Add a few more supers and a mega before rare and then youll be spot on, Gray jested. On top of that, you should hear about thezy little snake there, he pointed at Pronos who was as always sleeping the day off. He has two affinities; Poison and Infinity. Poison I can imagine. But Infinity? I never heard about something simr, Nyx questioned. Super super super, etcetera, mega rare affinity as well, Gray deadpanned. Though less rare than Star Magic, its so umon and elusive that no one even knows what it can be used for. It will be up for thezy snake or Rakna himself to find out. But its nevertheless considered Divine Magic as it rtes to Ouroboros, he disclosed and looked at the time; they were about to arrive. Thest one is you, youngdy. Vera said you had awakened six affinities. What are they? Well, via swiftly brought up the list on her status as she hadnt had enough time to memorize them. Wind, Light, Gravity, Wood, Time and Space. The room fell silent. Even I can tell that sounds like bullshit, An broke the silence. You have no idea, Gray facepalmed. The first three ones are frankly quite good. Some people would kill to have those three affinities. But Wood, Time, and Space? Thats just crazy. These three have massive potential individually. But youre saying you have all three of them along with three others AND a Nirvana Skill? He let out a snicker and shook his head. Busted. viaughed wryly. Thank you? Well, you certainly have promise as a Chaos Witch. Thats for sure. What do you mean? Rakna raised an eyebrow. What exactly makes a Chaos Witch strong? I can answer that, via said with a smile. My Path will eventually allow me to use Chaos Magic. Contrary to what you may think, its not an extra affinity but a constructed magic that is made by mixing several others together. Hence, Chaos Magic. So, logically speaking, the more magics you use to generate Chaos, the stronger it will be. Though I heard from Lady Vera that it will be very hard to use Six-Fold Chaos, as she called it. Really Gray couldnt help but ask himself how far these four would go. Well, five counting the unassuming pet that unassumingly had the potential to be a sort of Serpent God. Ultimately, even after hearing all that in person, he still couldnt believe a group so talented existed. A few minutes after the end of their chat, a chime ringed throughout the train. Then, immediately after, they heard the doors open along with a synthetic voice. || The ck Steels Spear has reached its destination. Please disembark. || All righty, Gray stood up and opened the sliding door of their room. Lets go. Weve arrived? An asked confusedly. I didnt even feel the train stop. And we couldnt feel it move either, Nyx pointed out. Of course, Gray said as they walked in a corridor that you wouldnt believe was in a train because of its size. The ck Steels Spear is nothing mundane. Its maximum speed is higher than the speed of sound and it operates with both machinery and magic. You have no idea of the distance we traveled during these fifteen-odd minutes. Raknas group quietly followed the clown until they reached one of the automatic doors of the train and the view was nothing short of striking. It was a massive contrast from the city-scape. Tall grass shining under the light of the sun, a stunning variety of flowers, and trees of all sorts with some in the distance being even taller than skyscrapers. But, even more than the beauty of thendscape itself, the more shocking thing was the presence of creatures that Rakna didnt fail to recognize. His eyes widened as he caught sight of one certain creature with a very long neck, eating at the leaves of a tree. Apatosaurus, he muttered unintentionally. Dinosaurs!? An shouted in shock. Ah, yes. Thats how the Earth calls them, isnt it? Gray said as he spotted Vera and Quills groupe out from different doors. They were probably taking time to gather everyone. Well, there will be a few species here that you may know about. But thats only a small part of all the creatures that live on the First teau or on others teaus for that matter. Unbelievable I never expected this kind of scenery after seeing ck Steel, via whispered. Well, ck Steels Mayor made it aw to not touch nature more than necessary. While it is true that a teaus surface greatly exceeds mosts, ck Steel has always left it untouched and unpolluted; just expanding the city when needed. Indeed. ck Steel has a good Mayor, Veras voice sounded as the three groups got closer after making sure everyone was here. The other passengers of the train were already leaving. Right after that, they heard the trains lotive roar as a cloud of steam was released. The train slowly started moving again on the rails built on the ground around the grass, and then followed the half-turn defined by those same rails and went back underground through a tunnel. Well then, lets go, Gray grinned. Its time for you to test your mettle on your first Trial. Chapter 48: Slimy Fight Chapter 48: Slimy Fight Okay, first of all, lets set up the parties, Gray said and snapped his fingers. Rakna raised an eyebrow at the prompt that followed. ? ? ? ? ? Gray Whisles invites you to join his Party. ? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Yes, he whispered and a new icon appeared in his field of vision. A quick mental input showed him the current members of the party, which currently were Gray and him. What about you three? The clown turned toward via, Nyx, and An. Normally, new recruits would form a party with the Guild they joined. But there isnt much good in separating your little group. Youre fine with that, right? He looked over Vera and Quill. I dont mind, the beautiful witch shook her head. At least this way I can make a single party instead of two. I dont mind either, Quill replied simply. Good! Gray smiled and forwarded the invitations to the trio who epted without needing much convincing. Now, heres how its going to go; we overseers will watch you from the rear lines as you head to your first Trial and if the need arises, we will intervene. Question! One of the girls from the Wan Guild raised her hand. Where is the Trial? Good question, Gray nodded. There are two ways to navigate on a teau. Dumb luck and map. ? Everyone looked at the clown weirdly. Vera shook her head with a sigh. Just tell your AI to open your map. Heeding her words, the new Hosts mentally prompted their AIs and a System window appeared in front of them; one that they hadnt seen before. Rakna looked closely at the image in front of him. In the center, a red light was shing and was surrounded by five others, though white in color. The window was also obviously depicting their surroundings with the trains rails being very recognizable. Other than that, the virtual screen had apass with it and three arrowheads were pointing in three different directions. The red dot is yourself. The white dots are the members of your party, Quill took over for the exnation. The map will be filled as you explore the teau. In other words, a location cannot appear on your map if you havent been there previously. But, the most important thing is the arrows; each one of them points you toward a Trial. This is something youll quickly get used to as it is recurrent on every teau. However, I have to rify the clowns words, Vera continued and Gray chuckled. Dumb luck isnt a bad way of putting. Trials are not the only thing Hosts aim for. Dungeons, Exploration Quests, Bounties, World Bosses, Ruins, Treasures You get it. Many things can be found on a teau, and Hosts tend to explore randomly until they find something of value. I guess that means the System has a reset mechanic? Rakna spoke up, which confused most of the other recruits. Vera smiled. Youre sharp. Yes. Every month teaus are reset and the natural formations on them are randomly regenerated. Dungeons and Quests are never located in the same ce. Though, it doesnt necessarily mean that the contents themselves change as well. Do you understand? She asked Rakna as well as everyone else at the same time who simultaneously nodded. Splendid. Now, be on your way, greenhorns, Gray said. Im sure all of this exining has bored more than one of you. Head to one of the Trials and get wild. Well be right behind you. Rakna looked at his group and they shrugged at each other before following an arrow that pointed roughly to the north. They were the first ones to move and getting caught in the initiative, the rest simply went after them without raising any questions. Fortunately, the Hosts recruited by Quill were not the type to try to lead in the first ce. It applied to Veras recruits as well. Those future witches were actually giddy to follow. After jogging for a few minutes through the tall grass, passing by a few dinosaurs which appeared to be peaceful, Rakna sensed something and stopped. He looked at his left, where the beginnings of a forestid along with very thick bushes. Before anyone behind him could ask why he stopped, the leaves rattled and something emerged before flopping on the ground before them. Really? An uttered as they all stared at the thing. I mean, sure, this is game, bute on. This just makes me feel like a mob. The creature in front of them was in fact a big, round, transparent cyan slime. It had bubble-like patterns inside of it as well as a very small red stone. Watching from the back, Gray snickered which was only picked up by Rakna who nced at him with a nk look. Dont underestimate slimes, Quill said taciturnly. They are more dangerous than you think. As he spoke, more and more slimes starteding out from the bushes, slowly forming a small army of blobs as they approached the parties. When their number got over fifty, some people began to feel apprehensive and what Quill added afterward didnt help. They are near impervious to physical attacks. If they catch you, you will have trouble escaping its grasp. If you attack without a n, you- He was interrupted as five slimes were abruptly lifted into the air and mmed against the ground with a force strong enough to make them stter and die. Quill stood motionlessly with his arms crossed and the new Hosts all turned toward via who had her hand extended. Eh? She looked around at the people staring at her. Was I not supposed to attack? Rakna snorted and kicked the ground without a word. Barely anyone was able to see him speed up before he arrived in front of the still increasing army of slimes. He whirled the ive in his hand that no one had noticed him take out and swung it at three slimes. The creatures were split into two right in the middle where the small red stone was. At the same time, the two sliced surfaces of the slimes first steamed because of Sonatas heat before turning to ice. Without stopping, Rakna stepped forward past the dissolving slimes he killed and grabbed one of the others barehanded. Then, with a short pulse of mana, the entire creature froze before it was shattered with a kick. After getting out of their daze, the others finally decided to join Rakna in fighting the slimes. Nyx breathed out and casually waved her hand. A few shadow spikes impaled a group of slimes in the distance. Among everyone here, her power was probably the mostrge-scaled. Even if it would take her quite a lot of energy, she was able to take out a hundred of these slimes in a few seconds. Meanwhile, An tried to punch one of them only for the shock of the blow to be absorbed. He scowled and followed up with a kick. It did send the monster away but it hadnt done any damage. A lot of other physical fighters like him were struggling around him. Of course, none of them were stupid enough to not notice the red stone inside them but getting to them with fists seemed impossible. Thats what Quill meant by near impervious, An thought as he fended off more slimes without truly being able to damage them. Magic then? But I still havent copied any As he and the others were lost in their thoughts, Rakna spoke up clearly and loudly enough for them all to hear. Scatter force, he said indifferently as he cut apart two more slimes with a full spin of his spear. via did kill them by smashing them against the ground. They can take hits because of buoyancy but it wont work if the forces are spread. Dont rail your fist in. If you cant do it alone, attack two opposite sides in pairs. All the while he spoke, his eyes never lost focus on the slimes and their impassiveness. Grabbing them, freezing them, slicing them He was doing it without even sweating or thinking about it. The other Hosts widened their eyes in surprise before following his advice. The members of the Madness Guild attacked the slimes in pairs and their bodies were squished from both sides. They failed to hold together their form before bursting into droplets of water. Witches, Rakna continued and the girls from the Wan Guild perked up. They had been using weapons such as knives to fight against the slimes. They were unable to use magic just yet aftering out of the Tutorial. Stop using those. Fall back. Learn your magic. These enemies are weak. This is as good an opportunity as any other. Close your eyes, concentrate and try to feel foreign movement inside your body. Mana is just like a sore limb. Concentrate and force it to move. The girls blinked at each other before also following his orders. It almost felt natural to them as he told them directives one after the other. From afar, Vera tilted her head. Ara? How surprising. In contrast with his cold attitude, he has the talent of a leader. It is also amazing that he attained a sufficient understanding of magic to give others advice to control mana. Not even mentioning how easily he freezes those slimes. For some reason, it looks like every attack of his carries ice magic Indeed, Quill nodded. He also grasped the slimes physical properties in a short moment. He has an uncanny awareness for someone his age. Though, I have to disagree about the leader part. Hm? How so? Thats not leadership, Gray intervened with a calm, appraising tone. Thatsmanding. This kid is not leading the others, hes outright telling them how to fight; how to win. Hes not speaking for the sake of helping them, hes directing them in order to prevail. Its almost as if Im looking at a general employing his troops in the most efficient way possible. Although I dont believe its as bad as him treating them as tools, its not far from the truth. I agree, Quill squinted his eyes. Ive seen others with eyes like his. If it meant surviving or winning, he would probably be willing to go as far as cutting one of his own limbs or even killing an ally without hesitation. Vera frowned. Dont go too far now. Youre making it sound like hes a heartless killer. Gray cackled and waved his finger. No, no. Hes not a heartless killer. From what Ive seen, I think hes got plenty of heart actually, although concealed. No, what were saying is that he can be a heartless killer at the flip of a switch, he said and rubbed his chin. Im curious to know who was responsible for his uprising Back to the recruits group. The girls from the Wan Guild, after following Raknas advice, had all managed to at least feel their mana. Others even had made their Mana-Control skill already. The first of them tounch magic was the unofficial leader of the small female team, Sena. She had brown hair tied into ponytails and brown eyes that red with magic energy as a fireball shot out from her hand andpletely incinerated a slime. Rakna nced at them and grunted positively. He also took a look at how Pronos was faring with his poison. The little snake was doing his own experiments. He first had used his Eion Poison like normally and the slime had started glowing before evaporating. Pronos followed by also activating his magic and a green aura surrounded him. His azure eyes gained an emerald pigment and within a few seconds, he had enclosed several slimes with a sort of fog. The monsters quickly turned into the same color as the phenomenon and rapidly began to melt as they died. Other than him, via and Nyx were also testing their magic. Though, their methods were vastly different. The former was openly trying to make gusts of wind and spikes of earth randomly. They were weakpared to what Aqu could do, but it was enough against slimes. As for the former goddess, she was very subtle about it. She was alone to the side and when slimes approached her, they would immediately get swallowed by a maw of shadows while she fiddled with something in her hand; a small sphere of darkness contained in ck electricity. Then, there was An who sadly couldnt practice his magic which visibly depressed him if theical dark cloud above his head was anything to go by; even as he pummeled the slimes with his fists. As Rakna observed all of that, his body was moving on both instinct and habit. Because of that, at some point, he realized a bit toote that he was holding thest slime in his hand. The monster had encased his hand in its body and true to Quills words, it normally would be very hard to get away from it and Rakna could also feel the tinge of pain as if something was actively trying to burn his hand. He huffed and thest slime froze over in a second before it was mmed on the ground. Rakna sighed and a crystallized breath came out of his mouth. His magic had been surprisingly easy to use and also fast. Other than the passive 10% Cold damage at every attack, even the ones dealt with Sonata, he only needed to be in contact with a slime and spend a few mana points to freeze it. Granted, those slimes were barely level 5. But it was still a good start in testing his Star Magic. On top of that, his mana consumption was very low for what he had done. His Soul Core could even thaw the mana costs by 10%. As for his stamina, it had decreased by 5. He was barely winded. Rakna had no idea how long stamina took to recover or even how exactly its loss was calcted other than from skills, but he knew for a fact that the small amounts of energies he had used in this fight were alreadying back to him. That was a nice show, Gray said while pping, grabbing the attention of everyone. Though we three would have liked all of you to figure things out purely on your own, following directives is something youll have to learn in the future anyway. So, its not bad. Now, get a move on! Next destination; the Trial. Hurray! The clown stuck his hand in the air only for the Hosts to ignore him and turn around. He groaned as put his hand back on his cane. I swear kids these days cant enjoy a bit ofical relief. Vera and Quill didntment and walked past him. Really? You two as well? Killjoys, the lots of you The cyborg grumbled. Chapter 49: Cold Energy Chapter 49: Cold Energy After the battle, the group swiftly collected the only things the slimes had dropped; their nucleus. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Loot Material/Red Slime Nucleus Rarity: Gray Description: The nucleus of a slime is the very cause of the monsters existence. It ismonly identified as a mineral that is capable of absorbing ambient mana and store it around itself as a physical substance. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna casually read the description as they continued to follow the arrow on their map. These things are considered loot? An said as he held one of the nuclei between his fingers. I expected something more shy. Like what? Rakna asked I dont know, man. Like, actual loot. Armors, weapons, skills, money; stuff like that. Gray heard him from behind and chuckled. Im afraid you wont get those from mere slimes. Eh? An turned around. So, that means other monsters will drop them? Well, the stronger the monster, the better loot. But, for instance, monsters like the hobgoblins you fought in the Tutorial would give much better loot if you fought them now. Seriously? Then why couldnt we just have this unlocked during the Tutorial?! Gray shrugged. Dont ask me. The System likes to do things progressively. Heck, even I think that there are still features I dont have ess to, much less you. I call bullshit, An grumbled and handed back the nucleus to Rakna who stored it for him. Thetter was the only one who had a spatial ring and other than him and hispanions, every other Host was forced to carry them in bags or small pouches. Hey, Clown, Rakna raised his voice and Gray looked at him. How much does a spatial ring go for? Like the one you have? No, the lowest tier. Well, the fixed price for a T.10 Spatial Ring is 7 000 Talys, he said and the other Hosts who had been listening in winced a bit. Granted, it is a bit costly for you at the moment. But,ter on, youll get that amount very easily. You just have to make do with what you have now. Well, other than a certain someone who got gifted a high tier item by his beautiful shopkeeper. A few people red at Rakna who nonchntly shrugged them off. He waved his hand slightly and focused as a cold mist swirled around it. He waved his finger and started forming something that resembled a small cube of ice in his hand without even looking. What are you doing with that ice? via asked curiously when she noticed. Its not ice, Rakna retorted and made the cube float up from his palm. via took a closer look and understood what he meant pretty fast. The cube truly didnt look like ice. It did release cold air, the color was also matching, but it didnt have a smooth surface and it reflected nothing. Some small parts would sometimes arise and then disappear at random times. It was almost as if it was a verypact mass of strange icy mes. It is essentially pure cold energy given form I think, Rakna said hesitatingly. With my magic, its not really possible to make ice. I can solidly liquids and humidity in the air but making ice out of nothing would need me to be able to gather humidity into one ce. However, the only thing I can do is release cold. Thats it. Cold? Nyx frowned. Your magic just lowers temperature? Sort of. Whats special about it is precisely this, he said while pointing at the cube. A secondter, it turned into a pyramid, then into a thin te, then back into a cube. Its somethingpletely contradicting. Its a form of energy that releases cold. In other words, its an energy that lowers energy inside objects. I dont get it An muttered. via mused. Cold is the result of ack of heat. Heat is a form of energy; mainly created through friction, pressure,bustion, light When Rakna says that its a contradiction, he means that his magic creates some sort of energy that releases cold, something that is impossible. If we stick to science at least. Well whats the difference between that and simple ice magic? Its likeparing fire to heated metal, Rakna said. The fire can increase the heat of the metal which will then release energy on its own but only until its exhausted, he exined and his eyes glowed a bit before he suddenly increased his mana output. The small cube in his hand quickly turned into a full-sized ive made out of pure blue energy. It was releasing the small me-like particles that the cube had been. ? Ding! ? ? ? ? ? You have learned a new spell! ? ? Star Make (T.10 C 1): The ability to create forms and objects based on the users imagination. By condensing Star Energy, all sorts of constructs can be made. From the smallest of des to the mostplex and biggest of objects. ? Cost: Variable. An unremitting flow of mana is required to keep a construct active. This may or may not apply to sub-spells derived from it. ? Note: The more mana is used in the creation of a construct, the stronger the result is. The power of the spell has thus a rating varying from Tier 10 to Tier 1. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna wasnt too surprised at this notification while his friends and the people around were staring at the energy weapon he had made with wide eyes. Gray grinned to himself while Vera and Quill were watching confoundedly as they attempted to recognize the magic. Of course, they wouldnt recognize it. They probably have never seen anything simr to this, the clown thought, once again relishing the fact that he had recruited an awesome talent. That is very simr to my shadow constructs, Nyxmented. Rakna nodded then looked at An. A question for you; whats the difference between this ive I just made and one made of ice? Uuh I dont know? Even Pronos sweatdropped at his ignorance. Rakna shook his head helplessly. Lets say I stabbed you with a weapon made of ice, what would happen? Well, itd feel super cold, I guess. And maybe damage my internal organs or something? Good enough. But, Rakna paused and emphasized as he whirled the Star Construct. This would do way more. It technically would do with cold as fire does with heat; continuous conduction. Just that this ive would conduct cold. It wouldnt just cool down your insides; it would start to freeze them as long as the source isnt pulled out. Just like how your body would take fire if you somehow had one burning inside of you. OhOH! The blond had a moment of realization before it struck him. Holy shit please dont point that thing at me. Rakna snorted and mentally discarded the energy ive, making it disappear and stopping the drain that was making his mana pool suffer. With my soul core, the cost was about 2.6 MP to make, and 2.6 more to keep it active for about a minute, he thought while gazing at his empty hand still releasing some cold air. Raaar! The booming cry of an animal made Rakna and the others look at one of therge dinosaurs in the distance, hollering at another who responded in kind. Soon after, a transparent aura started appearing around them; something that Rakna immediatelypared to his Intimidation skill. Looks like theyre going to fight for territory, Graymented. Indeed, Quill nodded. These beasts are generally not hostile toward humans but some of them are very territorial. I rmend you to be careful in the future. Now, move on. At your level, you dont want to be anywhere near them as they fight. The recruits nodded and started distancing themselves. As they got away from the area, they felt a brief tremblinging from the ground and a fading noise. Damn, how strong are they to do that? An uttered while looking over his shoulder. More than us. Thats all we need to know for now. More importantly, Rakna trailed as he looked at theke in front of them with a small ind in it. The arrow was pointing right at it. Hmm, Gray observed the ind and the stone structure on it resembling an arena along with a big humanoid statue sitting in the center. Thats the Combat Trial for sure. Cant tell the specific challenge though. You dont know? via tilted her head. Are the Trials also reset by the System? Yes, Vera answered her question. Though, the types are always the same. For example, the First teau will always have one Combat Trial, one Race Trial, and one Mental Trial. The one you see over there must be the Combat Trial; requiring you to fight a foe of some kind. But the challenge itself can have specific rules. Rakna made sure to note that information for future reference and then observed the entirety of theke, noticing that there wasnt any sort of tform to get to the isle. Do we have to swim there? One of the girls from Wan Guild asked nervously. Well, not necessarily Gray smiled as Rakna silently approached the edge of theke. He put his hand in the water and closed his eyes. Pronos promptly jumped off when he felt his masters body growing colder and colder. Rakna concentrated his mana inside his body, building it up as his Soul Core pulsed. After almost twenty seconds, he opened his eyes and released all of it at once. The water made a fizzing sound and froze incredibly fast in a straight line toward the isle. ? ??? Mana Control has leveled up! ??? ? When Rakna stood up, a one-meter-wide ice bridge had been made. He grunted and shook his hand to get rid of the frost on it. That took half of my mana Heined and that didnt do anything to reduce the shock of the onlookers. Even Quill and Vera were surprised. Thetter even more so as she knew that there was no known ice element capable of doing such a thing at a beginner level. Gray however insouciantly walked up and curiously tapped on the ice with his foot. Nice. Its thick enough tost. Good job. Rakna shrugged and stepped on the ice while pulling out one cigarette from Obsidians Smoke and lighting it. Pronos followed him but instead of using the bridge, jumped in the water. Soon enough, the others snapped out of their shock and carefully used the ice bridge, making sure that not too many people would be on one spot at the same time. After about five minutes, they had all reached the isle; the overseersgging behind a bit. Then, a System window popped up in everyones vision. ? ? ? ? ? You have reached a Trial Zone. Trials can only be taken alone. You will temporarily leave your party for the duration of the Trial. ? ? Trial of the First teau Enter the Arena to initiate the Trial. Once inside, a barrier will be erected to prevent external interventions. It will be taken down when the Trial is over. Conditions to Pass: Defeat the Golem in under five minutes. ? ? ? ? Chapter 50: Battle Trial Chapter 50: Battle Trial So, who wants to go first? Gray addressed every recruit and they all nkly looked at him. None of them really wanted to step forward. No matter the situation, anyone with a rational mind would do everything to not be first if they dont have information. At the very least, they would want to see someone else make the mistakes that they would not want to make. Ill go! An raised his hand. Of course, certain people just dont give a crap. Gray chuckled. All right then. Prepare whatever you need and go whenever youre ready. Take a potion with you too. The Trials in the First teau arent that dangerous but they still have their risk. We wont be able to help you once you start, so a health potion is the least you could take. An nodded as he showed a thick belt he was wearing under his shirt. It was one made to hold many different objects; potions included. He had bought it from the Shop earlier on. Good, Gray nodded approvingly. The stage is yours, he added and retreated to the back lines with Vera and Quill. Teach, can I copy one of your magics? An asked via. Of course, she said and extended her hand. But, does it work the same with several affinities? Yep, An said and grabbed her hand before closing his eyes. Ten secondster, a small green glow wrapped around his body before fading away. He then looked at his hand and grinned. Done. Thanks, he dered and started walking toward the arena. It seems like he copied your wind magic, Nyxmented. How do you know? Its not very hard to feel the nature of mana when youre used to it, the former goddess said and via gazed at her for a moment before going back to An who was getting close to the immobile stone golem. Rakna was silently watching next to them. When An got close enough, a System prompt was sent to him and the golems eyes suddenly lit up with a red light. Its entire body began to tremble as it stood up. At the same time, a spherical barrier was erected around the arena that not even the overseers would be able to bypass. Rakna then took the time to appraise the things status. ? ? ? ? ? Trial Stone Golem ? Attributes: Strength: 15 | Endurance: 15 Speed: 10 | Dexterity: 15 Intelligence: 0 | Luck: 0 ? Note: A magical puppet specifically made for the Trials. When defeated by a Host, it will repair itself to engage the next one. ? ? ? ? ? It was a really simple status. Nothing else but the attributes and the usual additional note provided by Appraisal. Sadly, it wasnt enough to level up the skill again, Rakna thought as he watched An take a stance. The hotheaded blond should be able to win without too much trouble. Not even mentioning five minutes, one or two minutes would be enough. Though, it still is a dangerous opponent. This golem can both hit and take hits for sure. But all things considered, its quite an easy Trial. Meanwhile, An seemed to be waiting for the golem to stand up as he nced at the virtual count down the System was giving him. When it hit zero was the instant the golem finished standing and threw a punch with a speed that normal humans wouldnt be able to cope with. And although An wasnt the swiftest guy around, he still had the necessary reflexes and instinct to step to the side and dodge. He then dealt a kick that made the golems fist elerate downward and bury itself in the ground. He clenched his fist and entered the golems close space. He threw a punch with everything he had at the beings torso. His fist collided with the stone and dug a mark whilst cracking everything around. But the golem didnt seem to be bothered by that fact. It ignored the damage and swung its other arm which An blocked with his forearms, wincing a bit at the pain. He retreated by a few steps and wanted to retaliate from another angle but unfortunately, the golems speed was higher than his and he was forced to dodge another punch instead of attacking. At the same time, his gloves were starting to umte momentum and a faint glow was growing stronger around them. An scowled at the golem that now stood still after pushing him away. Compared to Rakna or via, he knew he wasnt that resourceful when it came to strategy, but he felt like he needed one to win this fight without injury at least. But, unluckily for him, the golem didnt allow him to finish thinking as it finally moved from its initial spot. The magic puppet kicked the ground and rushed at him with its arm extended. An ducked under the reaching hand of the golem and remembered Raknas advice from earlier before trying to coat his hands in mana. His whole left arm began to release a green aura as he tried to get closer again. Like the previous try, the golem used its superior speed to change its stance and throw a punch in its closed space. But this time, An pressed his palm on the approaching fist and released the power he had been converging. A gust of concentrated wind shot out from his palm and made the golems fist slow down as well as deviate from its trajectory. Then, within that timeframe, An followed up with a punch with his right arm, right where he had struck earlier. The hole he had made in the golems torso became even deeper and more cracks formed as visible fragments fell on the ground. But the lifeless creature still didnt show any weakness and repeated its previous behavior, attempting to push An away, with a wide kick this time. Ans eyes widened in momentary panic and he crouched to evade and then jumped back to dodge a fist that shattered the arenas ground to dust. When the two of them returned to another stalemate, An groaned and nced at his glowing gloves. Okay, thats it, he muttered and used the wind magic he had taken from via again. He had somewhat gotten the feeling from earlier and decided to redirect it to his legs this time. He crouched and put his hand on the ground as a green aura appeared at his feet. He then sprung toward the golem that unsurprisingly reacted fast enough to send a punch aimed right at his head. But, An didnt even blink as he felt his entire body being flooded by his magic. He crouched at a speed he shouldnt have been able to perform and simrly closed in just as fast. He reared his fist and swung it as a green aura still trailed behind him. When his fist hit the golem, his gloves finally released their stored impetus and sent a shockwave through the entire frame of the stone doll. The golem then splintered all over and froze mid-movement. A secondter, the material thatposed it simply crumbled into small rocks. The barrier surrounding the arena was powered down right away and An sighed as the System confirmed he had passed the Trial; in forty seconds in fact. He turned around and stepped down from the area. The second his feet werent touching the arena anymore, the debris of the stone golem shook and floated up before flying toward each other and reconstructing the golem in the position it was at the beginning. When An returned to the group, Quill raised his voice before anyone else, Good. You managed to tap into elemental reinforcement. If you train a little more, youll easily unlock the skill. Elemental reinforcement? Rakna said without thinking. Whats the difference between that and normal reinforcement? Regr reinforcement merely increases muscle potency, Gray exined. On the other hand, elemental reinforcement refers to strengthening your body with mana while changing its nature with an affinity. As you saw, Wind-Type Reinforcement increases agility and swiftness to a high degree. I see Well, Im just d I did that under a minute, An shrugged and sat down next to the rest. He wasnt that tired but the battle had still been a bit taxing on his body and mind; especially trying to manipte magic for the first time. Well then, next person, Gray said and several Hosts came out with most of them being recruits from the Madness Guild. All of them pretty much had the same fighting style as An and its exactly what happened for the next half an hour or so. Every close quarter fighter stepped up with their own martial arts and magic, all employing pretty much the same strategy; hitting one spot several times by closing in and retreating repeatedly. When every member from the Madness Guild had passed sessfully, with some of them having had to try twice, thest people that needed to go were Veras guild, Nyx, via, and Rakna. I suggest we let the cheats gost, An jested and Vera giggled. Truly, that may be better, she said and nced at Rakna who gave her his agreement with a wave of his hand. All right,dies, she turned to her recruits. Compared to those muscle heads over there, you might be slightly disadvantaged since you do not have as much raw power nor is your magic too strong yet. If you fail, dont worry. You can go train ande backter. Every Host has three years toplete the Trials on a teau after all. The girls nodded seriously and discussed who would go first. Rakna nced at them curiously. If Vera had recruited them, it was safe to say they had some talent for magic if they were to be witches. But most people wouldnt focus on intelligence during the Tutorial since their magic wasnt unlocked yet. Only people like via and Nyx who had intelligence-based Nirvana Skills had been prioritizing their intelligence attributes. In the end, after a minute of debate, the soon-to-be witches sent out Sena White, the girl that had quickly mastered her fire magic after Rakna had instructed them. The fight that ensued was both predictable and surprising. It was predictable because of how it unfolded. Before awakening her magic affinities, Sena had mainly focused on agility. So, she had an easy time weaving around the golem andunching magic at it. As expected, her fire magic didnt do much damage but what she did afterward was witty enough for even Rakna to be impressed. She first conjured a strong me that immted the golem and sustained itst for at least an entire minute whilst avoiding the puppets attacks. Then, she decided to switch to another magic element. She looked strained after maintaining her fire and probably used the rest of her mana to summon a substantial amount of water that drenched the golem and extinguished the mes around it in an instant. When the sound of steam stopped, the golem was rooted on the spot and she used the rest of her stamina to charge at it and m her entire body on it. The magical puppet promptly cracked and copsed on the ground, breaking apart into numerous pieces. Thermal shock, huh? Raknamented. She must have used a lot of mana to force the stone to reach the required temperature. via nodded. It was well done. Though, if I had her affinities, I would have tried topress fire into a small explosive rather than do this. It might have taken a few attempts but at least it would have been less taxing. Ans expression twitched at those twos clever conversation and settled on watching the rest of the girls Trials. In the end, some of them had good affinities to deal with stone, others had a stronger body and used reinforcement to win, while the rest regrettably didnt have the same kind of advantage and were either forced to retry several times or abandon altogether. Finally, theres only you three left now, Gray grinned at the trio. Whos going first? Ill go, Nyx calmly said and elegantly walked up to the golem. Chapter 51: An Overload Implicates... Chapter 51: An Overload Implicates When Nyx entered the golems range, its eyes shed to life again and the barrier returned. She watched with a distant look as her foe slowly stood up. Without batting an eye, she put her hands over her stomach and stayed still as if she was waiting for something. When the countdown finally hit zero and the golem threw its attack like every other time. Nyxs crimson eyes glowed and a massive veil of darkness emerged from her body and shrouded her figure along with the magic puppet. The spectators could only wonder what was happening under that darkness but they didnt have to think about it for long as it disappeared after a few seconds. Nyx was already turning her back to a tall shadow construct in the form of a humanoid-shaped cab with its doors closed, and a head depicting something akin to a screaming banshee. [Iron Maiden C Wraith,] Nyx intoned and as she walked away from her magic, the barrier went down and she exited the arena. Right after, the Iron Maiden clicked open to reveal the golem that had been pierced by hundreds of spikes and crushed into pieces. Nyx returned to her spot next to via and Rakna as everyone made sure to get out of her path. Well, I guess five seconds is the new record, An quipped sarcastically. Nyx shrugged and leaned against a wall of the ruins with her arms crossed. via giggled and turned toward Rakna. Do you want to go first? Go ahead. Ill gost, he replied and she nodded before walking up to the Trial. She breathed in and sped her hands together as the golem readied itself. Rakna could feel with both his Soul Core and instinct that she was gathering two distinctly different natures of mana. When the countdown was over, she immediately released a magic that raised the arenas ground and trapped the golems fist. She then smiled and tapped the stone creatures fist with one finger. Its body began to crack all over and a secondter, it broke apartpletely as literal trees came out of its body. all right. Four seconds it is, An deadpanned and via yfully shed a victory sign at Nyx who shook her head with a small smile. My turn then, Rakna said as via came back. Little guy, you stay here. Im going to experiment a bit and you wouldnt want to get caught up in it. Pronos stared at him with a nk face expressing something along the lines of Again? but he certainly didnt want to stay around if his master decided to do something dangerous and so he jumped off his shoulder tond on vias chest instead andfortably lied down. Rakna snorted at that and started pondering as he approached the golem. He actually had many things he wanted to test. One of them was the Tier 0 spell he had gotten from awakening his magic; another was the mystic version granted by his race; another was to see precisely how powerful his wings could be, and a few more things. But in his opinion, most of these were quitepromising to show in front of a big audience like this. If it was just his friends and Gray, since he had joined his guild for that very reason, he would not have minded but it wasnt the case. He could also just rush up to the golem and cut its every limb with Sonata but that wouldnt be anywhere near as significant. He had to take every asion possible to get used to his skills and improve them. So, he just chose to y around with something he had revealed earlier but would not give away his magic element too tantly. A good thing about owning a magic element never seen before is that it was very hard for anyone to recognize it, no matter what he did. While walking to the golem, he extended his left arm to the side and opened his hand as if he was about to grab something. Then, an icy blue light shed and formed a certain weapon in his hand; a longbow almost as tall as he was. Both the bows body and string were made of Cold Star Energy. What is he doing? Vera wondered out loud. An energy bow against a stone golem? With cold-type magic at that? Quill stayed silent but shared her opinion. Gray wasnt an exception but rather than confusion, it was more curiosity and excitement that filled his mind. If he wasnt wrong, Rakna was about to show the true potential of Star Magic. Rakna stopped a few meters away from the golem and a System window told him of the beginning of the countdown and that he couldnt attack in the meantime. Then, for the umpteenth time, the golem red its eyes to life. On the other hand, Rakna faced his right palm to the sky as a whirlpool of cold energy materialized above it. While the energy was gradually taking a certain form, Rakna reflected on his magic. Contradictive energy; pure cold force. If my assumptions are right, if this is truly an energy, then it can also be overloaded, he thought and the star-construct in his right hand solidified with a cold mist apanying it. ? ??? 5 ??? ? It was entirely dark blue in contrast with the bow. Everyone watching was somewhat expecting it to be an arrow but it was quite atypical. In fact, it looked more like a sword with four edges and a thicker tip. The handle was deformed in a way that made it look like feathers and the end of it had a small indent to wee the string. ? ??? 4 ??? ? Overload implicates a discharge. Rakna slowly nocked the projectile on his bow and his eyes started glowing. His entire body started releasing cold air at unbelievable pressure, nearly plunging the entire arena into a fog. ? ??? 3 ??? ? He pulled the string and the arrow became thinner and sharper. It glowed stronger and the tip let out a trail of pure cold energy. At that point, the audience couldnt help but shiver at how badly the temperature had dropped. It was baffling to see a fellow new Host create that kind of effect. Though, a few of them noticed how much mana he was putting in that arrow and bow of his. ? ??? 2 ??? ? And a discharge Rakna gritted his teeth and fought the pain as he injected his souls force along with his mana. At the same time, his pupils twisted and the depiction of a cold star appeared in their depths. The golem straightened its body, totally unaware and unbothered of what was happening, and was already prepared to punch forward. But it was an attack that would never meet its target. ? ??? 1 ??? ? Implicates an explosion. ? ??? Begin! ??? ? Before the magic puppet could even try tond a blow, Rakna let go of the string and the ded arrow pierced its head in the split of a second. The golem reared because of the shock but otherwise almost ignored the projectile. It couldnt die from being stabbed; stone didnt possess vitals. However, this wasnt just some simple projectile. Rakna exhaled and lowered his bow. The arrow that was lodged into the stone golems head then produced a muffled sound; something that was iparable to anything he had heard before; as if something was being smashed, melted, and thrown at the same time. Then, it happened. The sound suddenly got louder and became ear-piercing for a brief second and a blinding light hid the golems figure. At that exact moment, the Trial seemed to have been deemed over as the barrier was disengaged. But the explosion wasnt over yet. Instead of a shockwave of some sort, Rakna felt the opposite. His eyes widened as something tried to pull him toward the light. He crouched and held onto the ground with his ws. After several seconds, the light died down and what lied before him was a golem devoid of an upper body. There was nothing left but its legs and the section that should have been connected to the rest of the body was releasing weird particles as well as beingpletely blue in color. Rakna raised an eyebrow and soon enough, the legs tumbled to the ground and he dispelled the bow in his hand with a sigh as he nced at the virtual prompt to his side. ? ? ? ? ? First teau: 1/3 Trials Completed! ? Mana Control has leveled up! Mana Control has leveled up! Cold Star Magic has leveled up! ? You have performed a unique skill with nothing but your aptitude and imagination. A new sub-spell has been added to your Star Make. Please input a name. ? You have channeled your very being into an attack and managed to attack with your soul for the first time. ? Eyes of the Soul has leveled up! Soul Core has leveled up! You now inflict passive spiritual damage. You will drain 1 MP from your opponent every time you attack. Stamina and Mana Consumption reductions increased to 12%. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna looked over everything with a sense of aplishment and cracked his neck as he came up with a name for this spell. Hm, name it Dinsleif. ? ? ? ? ? The Sub-Spell Dinsleif has been created. ? Dinsleif (T.7): The user summons a ded arrow with four edges and a feather-shaped handle made out of raw Cold Energy. It can be used with a bow made of the same energy or a normal one strong enough to resist the strain. ? Once shot, the arrow will momentarily possess an outstanding sharpness capable of piercing most materials. Then, the projectile will explode into a Cold Implosion. The very molecules in close range will cease to move before beingpressed all at once and implode due to their inability to sustain themselves anymore. ? Cost: 70% of the Hosts mana pool. (Soul Core Correction: 58%) Attack: Users Magic Attack multiplied by 5. The attack will be increased by 2 for each additional mana point infused other than the initial cost. ? Cooldown: 1h Note: This sub-spells attack value is only urate at the epicenter of the explosion. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna read the description as he made his way back to everyone else. This had proved his theory. Meanwhile, the spectators were shell-shocked into silence. Even Quill had his eyes wide open. It didnt help that when Rakna walked out of the arena, a System window appeared before them. ? ? ? ? ? This is a Targeted Missive to all nearby Hosts. The Battle Trial has sustained damage beyond simple reconstruction. Please wait a minute until it is restored before you can attempt the Trial again. ? ? ? ? ? I havent seen this one in a while, Gray uttered dumbfoundedly. Trials that are forced to take some time to repair themselves tend to happen in cases where the Hosts strength is considerably higher than what the Trial was made for. But it was still a very rare urrence. Generally, the cause of thises from the fact that a Host stayed in a single teau for the entire duration of the three years given to them, training. It was certainly not something that a new Host who had just finished the Tutorial the day before should be able to do. I suddenly feel like stealing your new member, clown, Vera said with a grin. Heh. You can try, Gray sneered. I believe this kid has the necessary honor to not go back on his decision. Meanwhile, An grabbed Raknas shoulders firmly as he came up to them. Dude teach me. I cant. You cant even copy my magic. Aaah! Fuck! That was rhetorical, dammit! An shouted and cried at the unfairness of the world. You win this one, Nyx said to him with a faint smile. You killed the golem in two seconds. Minus the time it took for the explosion to finish, thats how fast the barrier went down. Rakna almost wanted to snicker at that. Was there ever apetition on how many seconds it would take us? He asked as Pronos returned to him. Well, its only us three that made it under ten seconds, viamented. Why notpete for fun. Since Nyx took the longest, how about you buy us a meal? She said with an impish smile and the former goddess shrugged. You guys An muttered and crossed eyes with Pronos. He then realized that he might not be the only one in the group that couldnt beat the golem in under ten seconds. Sadly, he had no idea that Eion Poison was corrosive for even stone and that Poison Magic could produce fog that was simr to acid. Pronos was aware of that himself but in a moment of pity for the blond, he hissed softly with a nod. An would most likely live his life without knowing he had been pitied by a small three-year-old snake. Chapter 52: Dreorins Chapter 52: Dreorins After leaving the ind through Raknas ice path, Gray spoke to everyone. Well, the Battle Trial is over for most of you. For the youngdies from the Wan Guild, it will be just a matter of time. As for us, our job is over. From now on, you can do whatever you want. So, before we leave, its time to ask questions if you have any. Yes, Sena raised her hand. I heard back at the Pavilion that there was something called the Guild House. What is that? Let me answer, Vera said. There is indeed more than the Pavilion for guild purposes. All guilds have what we call a Guild House; it is an HQ of sorts. Though, it doesnt concern you for the moment. Guild Houses do not exist on all teaus like the Pavilion and the Houses of the Wan, Madness, and Glory Guilds can only be found above the 500th teau. Gray nodded. Anything else? Is every Trial so easy? Rakna asked without a care in the world about how he sounded. The clown cackled. No. But I have to admit, the ones on the First teau are more meant to be an introduction. 99% of Hosts finish them in under a month. Is that all? Seeing that no one was going to say more, Quill spoke up, In that case, we wish you good luck for the rest of the Trials and your ascension in the System. You can go to the Guilds Pavilion if you need help, advice, or help for training, he said and turned around. Before anyone could react, he disappeared much to everyones amazement. Same here. Have fun, girls, Vera waved her hand with a smile before teleporting away as a magic circle appeared below her feet. Im going to leave as well, Gray said. I rmend you hunt a little bit. Or farm experience as they say it. Rakna, youe to the Pavilion this evening. I will personally train you a little bit. Its a regr thing in our Guild. Later, he added and left in a simr fashion as the two others. At the same time, Rakna received a System prompt. ? ? ? ? ? Gray Whisles has made you the Party Leader. ? ? ? ? ? Hm, hey, do you guys want to go separately or together? Rakna asked. Eh? Why separately? An cocked his head in confusion. Wouldnt it be better to hunt in a party to maximize our efficiency and reduce the risks? Not necessarily, Nyx remarked. Its obvious that we are ahead of the average Host. It would be better to go our own ways to both train and develop our skills. Additionally, theres a risk that we could slow down each other. If you put it like that Im fine with it, via said. Its true that Id prefer staying together but I want to practice both my magic and flying with telekinesis. Well, I understand that, An uttered. Though, do we really need to disband the party? Maybe we can still go separately with it? Rakna blinked in surprise. I didnt think about that But it wouldnt make sense. How is it, Alexa? [You are correct. A party will be disbanded, or to be exact, a member will leave a party if they get too far from the Party Leader. In this case, it is you, Rakna.] Apparently, we need to be close enough. So, the party is indeed useless. Uh Well, I guess thats that. I dont mind going off on my own, An ultimately shrugged and turned toward the other members of the Madness Guild. What do you guys say? They looked at each other with a scowl. For us going in groups of two or three would most likely be the best, one of them said with a monotonous tone and they all nodded. We will stay together on our side, Sena said and began to head to the south with her group. Lets meet again at the Pavilion, Nyx, via, she added and soon after, the Madness Guilds recruits also left. Its decided then, Rakna raised his voice. Alexa, you can disband the party, right? [Affirmative,] she replied and a prompt instantly informed him that the party had been disbanded. Lets meet up at the station at lets say mid-afternoon; 1600. All right, Nyx nodded and a pair of shadow wings appeared on her back. She pped them a few times and flew off. See you soon, via followed and slowly started floating before shooting off toward the sky in one quick eleration. Welp, I guess its just you and me onnd no fucking way, An dropped his jaw as he saw Rakna reveal a pair of majestic silver-ck feathered wings and mimic the girls as he disappeared in the distance without a word, a silver trail tracing his path. you know what? An muttered to himself as he began to walk in a random direction. I think a cursed Path isnt that bad if I want to ever get close to those damn cheating bastards, he cursed under his breath as he gathered mana in his legs, just like what he had felt during the Trial. A green aura surrounded him and he kicked the ground just as the System told him of the creation of two Reinforcement skills. At least, I still have teachs wind element, he thought as he zoomed across the meadows. ? * * * ? Rakna squinted his eyes as he conveniently reinforced them so that the wind wouldnt force him to close them. At the same time, he activated his Fabled Sight, turning his irises golden. He also was using his Stealth skill. It would make him a bit harder to spot even while flying. Getting seen randomly wasnt too dangerous in itself since there were very low chances anyone would see or even remember his face but one can never be too precautious. Rakna darted his eyes from left to right, both magnifying and expanding his vision with Fabled Sight. He was in fact looking for something. He had backtracked the path their group had taken to go to the Battle Trial but he wasnt able to find his target. Instead, he spotted the traces of the fight and followed them as best as he could, leveling up Tracking in the process. After a few minutes, he finally located his target, or rather targets, inside a forest below him and dived down right away and several level-up notifications sounded. ? ? ? ? ? Fabled Sight has leveled up! Flight has leveled up! Reinforcement has leveled up! Stealth leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? It seemed that his skills were still low enough for him to level them up by just using them a bit. It would probably be hard for himter on, even with Eyes of the Soul and Soul Core, if he came to have more Ascended Skills. Artzpul, he whispered and skillfullynded between the inconceivably tall trees. He turned into a wolf the moment he touched the ground since it seemed that monsters attacked him less in that form, and quickly jumped on the branch of a tree. He looked around with his golden eyes and carefully listened to the noise he was hearing. He easily pinpointed the source and dashed toward it with Stealth continuously active. When he arrived at his destination, he heard a loud boom followed by several trees falling to the ground with their trunks practically shredded to nothingness. He leaped toward a branch covered by leaves and peered at what was happening. In front of him, dozens of trees had been either smashed to pieces or flung away leaving a vacant area filled with holes and craters. The cause was a fight between two dinosaurs. The very same that he had seen earlier. They had been fighting for nearly an hour now. One of them resembled a stegosaurus with white spikes on its back and the other was straight up a triceratops with barely any difference from what Earth knew of them. Rakna hid even further inside the leaves when the two charged and rammed each others bodies, making the earth quake for a second and arge dust cloud to be lifted. Pronos also cowered a bit despite himself. Rakna prepared to run away as he activated his Reinforcement, focusing as much mana as he could into his speed, then promptly cast Appraisal twice. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 63 | Level: 45 Race: Ancient Dreorin C Stegosaur ? Attributes: Strength: 45 | Endurance: 50 Speed: 16 | Dexterity: 11 Intelligence: 18 | Luck: 2 ? Sub-Attributes: Stamina: 40/172 | MP: 59/180 Swiftness: 68 | Agility: 38 Senses: 95 | Atr Cap: 142 Attack: 232 | Defense: 234 Magic Attack: 54 | MP Regen: 0.9/min ? Proficiencies: C Tail Swipe (Lv. Max) C Bite (Lv. Max) C Mana Control (Lv.8) C Mana Sense (Lv.2) ? Magic Skills: C Earth Magic (Lv.6) => [Mega Quake (T.6); Eruption (T.7); Earth Shell (T.8); Quake (T.9); Anchor (T.10); Spike (T.10)] ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv.5) C Magic Damage Resistance (Lv.5) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Reinforcement (Lv.8) C Elemental Reinforcement (Lv.5) ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Thick Skin: +20% Defense. C Minor Regeneration ? Note: A descendent of an ancient race of monsters. They are generally peaceful in nature unless provoked and react very badly when someone trespasses their territory. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna sighed in relief when none of the two creatures turned toward him and rapidly read through the most important parts of the stegosaurs status. He also took a look at the information on the triceratops but it was basically the same thing. Thankfully, none of the two had high enough senses to detect his Appraisal. Both of them are above level 40 Theyre also pretty tired Rakna mused as he considered those. There were two reasons why he was looking for these two creatures. The first one was to see if his Nirvana Skill would react to them. And apparently, it didnt. Although he knew somehow that eating their hearts would make him stronger, it wasnt anywhere near what he felt with Aqu. That would also mean that Aqus heart was considerably more valuable. If I really only have four slots for a gic factor, it would better to at least use them for something on the same level as Aqu or better, Rakna said inwardly and then pondered about his second reason. At first, I wanted to get the final hit on one of them but if I do it right As he was thinking, the two Dreorins, as they were called by the System, shed against each other again and created a shockwave that almost made him fall from the branch. He put his tails over his eyes and carefully jumped back to another branch. They can do this with 40 of strength, huh? Hemented inwardly andnded back on the ground, getting a little more away. He then turned back into a therian and checked his mana. He hummed and pulled out two mana potions with a wave of his hand. He untapped both and drank them in one go. Kuh bitter, he muttered and felt his mana going back to him until he was back at full capacity. Little guy, take cover somewhere. You wont be able to do any damage to those behemoths, he said to Pronos who quietlyplied and slithered into the forest. Rakna breathed in and his heartbeat started elerating until he could hear it perfectly. His fangs and fur grew as he slowly became taller and taller. His clothes disappeared and his golden eyes swirled until they looked like ck holes with a cold star in the center. Once he was finished transforming, Rakna grunted and pulled out Sonata from around his neck and turned it into its Guandao form. He whirled it and shouldered it as he listened to the fighting sounds of the two Dreorins. Lets see the extent of what my magic has to offer Chapter 53: Cold Star Manifestation Chapter 53: Cold Star Manifestation Rakna unfurled his wings, which were even more imposing and striking in that form. It wasnt every day you saw a werewolf with a pair of feathered wings. He crouched and gathered mana in his legs before jumping as high as he could. He then used a few trees to jump even higher and started pping his wings. He flew up while holding Sonata and when he felt like he was high enough, he looked down at the forest and his Fabled Sight locked on his targets. Even now, his Stealth was still active and, coupled with his massive sense value reaching over 330 during his full transformation, someone would need to have an absurd insight to be able to detect him; at least for someone who wasnt too high leveled. And those Dreorins were no exception. While flying in circles, Rakna first tried to channel mana into his weapon, wanting to see if he could produce a skill like his Reinforcement. Sonata began to glow as an azure aura enveloped it. Soon enough, a System window appeared. ? ? ? ? ? Through executing a specific action, you have learned a new skill; Weapon Reinforcement. Weapon Reinforcement (Lv.1): One of the most basic applications of mana. By infusing your mana into a weapon, it is possible to increase its sharpness and toughness as long as its able to withstand the toll. Minimum Cost: 1 MP per min. Note: Depending on the weapon, the durability will be more or less decreased. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna checked Sonatas attributes only to see that the attack value had not changed. It seems that much like body reinforcement; weapon reinforcement isnt managed by the System. This means Ill have to get the feel for it by myself, he thought then proceeded to cast the spell that would decide if he could kill these dinosaurs or not. [Cold Star Manifestation,] he intoned and clenched his hands as he felt all sorts of burdens being imposed on his body. His mana flowed out of his body before swirling around him. That finally seemed to put a stop to the Dreorins fight as they looked up in haste after sensing the surge of mana, followed by a wave of cold air that even made them shudder. [Internal Release,] Rakna added and the mana around him was sucked back inside his body. Then, it happened. While the tips of his tails and ears remained white, the rest of his fur slowly changed color and turned into a blue as clear and glittering as ice. His body began to produce so much cold that it covered the entire forest below him into a thick fog. I cant use Dinsleif yet so Rakna extended his free hand outward and activated his magic. However, this time it was a bit different. [Mystic Star Make,] he muttered and a long polearm appeared in his hand. It was a long double-edged spear with two pairs of small razors below the main de and intricate patterns all over its surface. The color was mostly the same as the usual cold energy but this time it also had a white outline to it. Raknas eyes shined golden as he held his two polearms. The new star-construct in his left hand radiated an aura considerably higher than what he had used against the golem. The Dreorins both instantly felt oppressed by the raw power it emitted but they werent the apex predators of the area for nothing. The two creatures made an unspoken agreement and cast one magic at the same time. Rakna promptly felt something trying to drag him down from the sky and he instantly recalled the magic Aqu had used. Anchor, he thought and instead of going against the pressure, he did something that surprised both dinosaurs. He pumped a great deal of mana into his wings and plunged using Anchor as a convenient speed boost. At the same time, he made sure to focus as much soul power as he could into his weapons as he descended. The two Dreorins were surprised by his behavior but they happily weed it. The stegosaur acted first as Rakna got closer. It lifted its front legs and mmed them on the ground at full force. At that time, the Tier 7 spell, Eruption, was conjured. From underground, massive walls of stone surfaced and destroyed arge portion of the forest in the process. Raknas eyes widened as he watched the incredulously fast stone walls surround him in the air. It was the first time had seen a magic with such a scale but that didnt stop him from executing his n. Right before the wall could enclose him, for the split of a second, his body released even more cold mist that entirely shrouded his figure and made it impossible for the Dreorins to see anything. Instantly after, the stone walls collided in the air and broke apart. Countless debris then started falling toward the ground and the stegosaur could only snarl angrily since both the fog and the dust made it now impossible to see if the werewolf had escaped or not. The triceratops chose to clear everything and cast a tornado that blew all of it away. But for some reason, the fog was very persistent and seemed to alwayse back when dispersed. When the sky was cleared, the Dreorins grimly noticed that there was nothing in sight. They looked at their surroundings, trying to hear or sense anything, but unexpectedly, the danger still came from above. A condensed volume of blue mist hit the ground between the two of them and before they could react, the mist had already turned into a frosty werewolf wielding two spears. Rakna growled and, while reinforcing his limbs as much as he could, rushed toward the triceratops at his left. He poured mana into Sonata and swung it at the beasts neck. The de did hit its target but only left a shallow cut, not deep enough to cut any vitals. Rakna clicked his tongue and kicked the ground to jump over the triceratops as it retaliated with a tail swipe that would have at least made him critically injured. While in the air, he pped his wings and took his distance again before rearing the star-spear. Gungnir! He shouted and the spear rocketed toward the triceratops. Thetter reacted quickly and conjured a magic that raised a magically reinforced wall in front of him. It was a Tier 8 magic specifically made for defense. It thought it would be enough to hold against the spear. But, just before the tip of the spear could hit the wall, Rakna flicked his fingers upward and the spear changed course right away. The triceratops was unable to do anything as the spear pierced its back and discharged a st of cold energy. The explosion that resulted was at least three times bigger than the one made by Dinsleif. Rakna reflexively covered his eyes because of the blinding light. Since he had still his Fabled Sight active, the effects were magnified to him. Then, during his momentary blindness, something deep within him reacted violently. His instincts and soul were warning him of an impending doom. Purely following those urges, Raknas senses went overdrive and happened to pick up somethinging from behind him. He turned around as fast as possible and put his wings in front of him as several earth spikes were thrust at him. All of them went through his wings, causing more pain than he expected, but they stopped before they could reach his body. He snarled and activated Stealth before turning into mist and blending in with the fog, just like he had done earlier when falling. The spikes that were stabbing him naturally dropped to the ground while he simply became incorporeal. The stegosaur thundered in fury and nced at the Dreorin it had been fighting until now. The triceratops was not dead yet but after the explosion, a huge hole had made its appearance in its body and it was only a matter of time before it died. The stegosaur had no idea of what it should do. A lot of its stamina and mana had already been exhausted while fighting both enemies. It barely had enough energy to perform onest powerful attack but if it couldnt even see where its opponent was, it wouldnt matter either way. After an excruciatingly long minute of silence, the blue mist made its resurgence above the stegosaur. It shaped the silhouette of Rakna who unhesitatingly thrust Sonata at the Dreorin. The ancient dinosaur responded in kind, using parts of its remaining mana to reinforce itself, andshed out a tail swipe that Rakna wouldnt even have been able to see if it wasnt for Fabled Sight. Seeing that he couldnt avoid it in time, he dropped his weapon temporarily and turned into a wolf in midair. The sudden change in his size allowed him to evade the attack and he turned back into a werewolf afterward whilst catching Sonata between his fangs mid-transformation and stabbing the stegosaurs eye. The Dreorin roared in pain as the cold energy carried by the de pierced through its flesh. In a moment of panic, it tried to use everyst bit of mana it had into onest magic. A torrent of energy was released that shredded everything nearby and the whole forestsnd started shaking. Rakna immediately flew away but not before pulling out six of the exploding discs he had bought. He threw them at the beast in one swift motion and they all exploded on contact. But the stegosaur struggled through the blow and calmly prepared to cast his magic. Shit, Rakna uttered. I only have ten seconds left His mind hurriedly raced through several scenarios but before he could go through any of them, he spotted a peculiar yellowish fog getting mixed with his own. The unfamiliar fog encircled the Dreorin that inadvertently inhaled it and the results were instantaneous. It stopped moving and Rakna snorted as he dashed through the air. Hended on the beasts back and pressed his hand on its neck without resistance. Good job, little guy, he muttered and a red light shed under his hand. [King of Spades,] with these three words, an ethereal de shot out from his palm and beheaded the Dreorin in one clean cut. Rakna immediately felt his body getting stronger thanks to the gained experience. He sighed in relief and his fur promptly shed its blue color and reverted to ck. His eyes also went back to purple from golden. Although Fabled Sight had no cost, it still was hard on his spirit to always keep it active. He would have to practice it. As Rakna was about to open all the System notifications that Alexa had hidden for him as to not bother him during the fight, his instinct made him arch his back as a de of wind passed by and shed dozens of trees on its path. Rakna looked at the source of the attack with a frown and saw the triceratops slowly getting back up, although visibly struggling to even keep its legs straight. Give up, he said coldly and used his Star Make to craft three small knives. Its over, he added and threw them at the tant hole in the Dreorins body. They stabbed into its bare flesh and exploded just like the other constructs, albeit in a far weaker fashion. The behemoth finally sumbed and copsed on the ground lifeless. After that, Rakna sat down cross-legged on the dead stegosaurs back and brought up the numerous System windows. Chapter 54: First Spoils Chapter 54: First Spoils ? ? ? ? Lv.45 Ancient Dreorin killed. Lv.44 Ancient Dreorin killed. Congrattions! You have killed a foe more than four times your level! Experience octupled! Congrattions! You have killed a foe more than four times your level! Experience octupled! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! +6 Free Points! +0.6 Strength! +0.6 Speed! +0.6 Intelligence! Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 57/160 ? ? ? ? ? He had gone up by six levels for killing both creatures. That also meant that his Path increased his Attributes for the first time. Rakna skimmed over the number of points he got before scrolling up through the log of System messages. He went straight to the beginning of the fight; the moment where he cast his magic. ? ? ? ? ? You have cast Cold Star Manifestation C Internal Release. For the next three minutes, your magical might and magic defense will be increased by 50%. Your mana consumption will be decreased by 50%, and you will be immune to ice and cold magic. Your body will continuously release the Cold Star Mist without cost and plunge the surroundings in a non-dispersible fog. Once settled, you will be able to turn your body into mist and navigate intangibly through the fog. ? Cost: 75% Stamina. Cooldown: 120 Hours. Note: The Cold Star Manifestation is a spell ingrained in the users very soul. Nothing is required to cast it other than suffering a slight exhaustion afterward. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna had already read this information before conjuring the magic but, in all expectation, experiencing the actual thing gave him a wholly different perspective. It was simply an amazing spell that could turn the tide of any battle. ? ? ? ? ? You have learned how to use Cold Star Mist. Cold Star Mist (T.10): A simple spell used to cover an entire area into an unclearable fog. While inside the affected area, the user will see their furtive skills efficacy increased by 50%. Their appearance will be warped and their voice will be scattered. Cost: 5 MP per minute. ? ? ? ? ? This had been a byproduct of him activating the Manifestation. Cold Star Mist was, after all, a simple Tier 10 spell that could easily be reproduced. Though, its effects were probably severely lower than when he had just exhibited a moment ago. The next System windows were something that he already was aware of to some extent. ? ? ? ? ? Cold Star Magic has leveled up! Mystic Cold Star Magic has leveled up! ? You have created a new sub-spell; Gungnir (T.8). ? Gungnir (T.8): The imitation of a spear said to have belonged to Odin, the God of War and Death. When thrown, the legends say that it was impossible for it to miss its target. No matter the angle, the strength, the speed, Gungnir would always hit its target. The user is able to mentally control the trajectory of the construct after throwing it and it will create an explosion concentrated in a straight line instead of a spread one. ? Cost: 40% of Mana Pool. (Soul Core Correction: 28%) Attack: Users Magic Attack multiplied by 4. Cooldown: 1h ? ? ? ? ? Its one Tier lower than Dinsleif but considerably more affordable mana wise, Rakna muttered. The truth was that when he made this spear, he had used Mystic Magic instead of the normal. The effects were clear; his mana consumption was tripled and the damage was doubled; or to be exact, increased by a factor of 2.1 after the skill leveled up. In the end, when added with the boosts and reductions of the Cold Star Manifestation and the werewolf form which affected his intelligence attribute, he had expended 42% of his mana pool and the spears final damage came to the whopping figure of 714. It had been more than enough to surmount the triceratops defense, magic resistance skill, and reinforcement all at once. However, the only reason why it had worked was thanks to the Cold Star Manifestation that unconditionally increased his magic damage by half. This meant that it would multiply the magic attack by 1.5 after the multiplication made from both the spell and the Mystic Magic. Funny how a fight can be won by ying around with numbers, Raknamented. He looked at the next prompt which was honestly the most predictable of all. ? ? ? ? ? Eyes of the Soul has leveled up! Mana Control has leveled up! Stealth has leveled up! Reinforcement has leveled up! Weapon Reinforcement has leveled up! Stealth has leveled up! Fabled Sight has leveled up! Reinforcement has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? This went on for quite a handful of lines until Rakna found something interesting in the middle of everything. ? ? ? ? ? You have learned Mana Sense! ? Mana Sense (Lv.2): After learning Mana Control, some believe that Mana Sense is easy to learn but that is a misconception. Mana Sense requires one to be able to perfectly sense every mana fluctuation and be able to do so without looking at the source. The more proficient one bes at sensing magic, the easier it will be for them to feel how fast or strong a magic will be as well as its nature, source, and effect. At higher levels, one can even grasp every detail of a spell. ? ? ? ? ? I see. Better than never, Rakna uttered and looked to his right where Pronos was coiled, waiting for him to finish. Hey, little guy, what was that fog you used against the dinosaur? Pronos hissed happily and a System window immediately opened in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Paralyzing Fog (T.10): One of the most basic variations of poison magic. Summons a cloud of poison that attacks the nervous system and halts the connection between the brain and the rest of the body. Cost: 10 MP. ? Note: Ignores defense. Effect duration can vary from several minutes to a few seconds depending on the level and poison resistance of the victim. Mana can also be used as a counteragent to the poison. ? ? ? ? ? Thankfully, the Dreorin wasnt keeping attention to his surroundings. Or else it would not have been taken off-guard by the poison, Rakna said and huffed. That was a good call, little guy. Pronos smirked and nodded, actingpletely aware of that fact. Rakna snorted and tried to push himself to his feet only to fall back with a grunt. His entire body was sore and barely responded to him. In the end, it had taken a lot from him to use the Cold Star Manifestation. Even his mana, which reached 140 while in his werewolf form, was depleted. Rakna sighed and forced his muscles to move as he stood up. ? ??? Fatigue Resistance has leveled up! ??? ? He snorted at the well-timed notification and very slowly jumped down from the stegosaurs carcass. He winced a little bit as the wind hit his wounded wings. He looked at the bloodied holes on them and groaned. He wondered if he should drink a potion to heal that or not. He also had no idea of what would happen if he retracted them at this point too. He hummed and then looked down at something on the ground. It was a small pile of objects along with many coins seemingly made out of gold. Their presence felt surreal. He picked up one of the coins and inspected one of its sides. The letter T was engraved on it and it was surrounded by various small decorative lines. He flipped it and saw that the other side had the number 5 on it. These are Talys, right? [Affirmative. These coins are the physical form of Talys,] Alexa said. [Would you like to collect them, Rakna?] Yes, he nodded and the coin in his hand and the ones on the ground became motes of light before entering his body. ? ??? 4500 Talys have been added to your bnce. ??? ? After the coins disappeared, Rakna walked over to the other dead Dreorin and did the same thing on a second pile of items lying there. ? ??? 4400 Talys have been added to your bnce. ??? ? Once he was done with that, he grabbed all of the Items and gathered them together with the ones next to the stegosaur. In total, there were five items and all of them were giving off a certain glow of different colors. The first one was a sort of scaled chest te with a blue hue around it. He grabbed it and simply willed to see its attributes before it showed him everything about it. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Armor/Chest te Name: Dreorins Scale Rarity: Blue Durability: 100% ? Description: A chest te made out of the scales of an Ancient Dreorin. It is imbued with the power and blood of these ancient creatures. ? Perks: +40 (L) Defense / -10 (A) Agility ? Additional Abilities: ? C Dreorins Heritage: For one minute, your defense will increase by 20%. Cooldown: 30 min. C Earth Shell: Summon an earth wall in front of the user. Cost: 5 MP. Cooldown: 10 min. ? ? ? ? ? Alexa, what do (L) and (A) mean? [They refer to the range of application of the perks. L stands for Lone; it only increases defense for the part of the body covered by it. A stands for All; it affects the whole body instead.] I see All in all, the Items perks and the abilities were decent enough but there was something about that agility reduction that irked Rakna too much for him to like it. Ill give this one to An, he thought and turned toward the second item. This one was a pair of brown boots that also had a blue glow. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Armor/Boots Name: Swift Dreorin Boots Rarity: Blue Durability: 100% ? Description: A pair of boots made specifically from the hide of an Ancient Dreorin, the Triceratops. It is imbued with the blessing of the wind and the toughness of the earth. ? Perks: +20 (L) Defense / +20 (A) Agility ? Additional Abilities: ? C Dreorins Heritage: For one minute, your defense will increase by 20%. Cooldown: 30 min. C Wind de: Creates a de of wind with a kick. It can be cast consecutively twice. Cost: 3 MP. Cooldown: 5 min. ? ? ? ? ? Well, this one is definitely a good one to have Though how am I supposed to equip this when Im a werewolf? In response to his question, Alexa forwarded a prompt to him. ? ? ? ? ? Do you wish to equip Swift Dreorin Boots? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna scowled. Yes, he said and the boots disappeared with a sh. He blinked once, looked around and then at himself, and blinked twice. Nothing happened. Alexa? [It is normal. Equipment in the System is generally dematerialized. Unless you decide otherwise, any sort of body equipment will always be unperceivable from the outside. That applies to all your forms, Rakna. Keep in mind that the protected areas stay the same as well. For instance, while in your quadrupedal form, your feet will be protected by the boots; which means all your four paws.] Interesting. The first thing you said is one thing but the second is a mechanic I had never heard of before, he remarked and continued to look at his spoils. The third Item was a massive two-meter-long Greatsword glowing orange. The handle was dark brown and red with two curved barbs forming the guard and the de had a very irregr shape with one of the serrated edges being shorter than the other one and being entirely ashen in color with red lines across its surface. When Rakna picked it up, he was a bit surprised by the weight but still managed to lift it pretty easily in this form. If he was in his normal body, it would have probably been considerably harder to wield. He then took a look at its description and his eyes widened a bit. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Greatsword Name: Deadric Dreorin Greatsword Rarity: Orange Attack power: +125 Durability: 100% ? Description: ? A powerful two-handed de forged from the bones of an Ancient Dreorin and infused with the power of their blood. It is in consequence a weapon bordering the status of cursed. It has a very good mana conductivity capable of increasing the sharpness without straining the de too much. ? Perks: ? C Mana de: By infusing mana into the weapon, the sword will be automatically coated in ayer of sharp energy, making the de at least two times sharper. Minimum Cost: 5 MP/Min. If this weapon is subjected to Weapon Reinforcement, it will be converted all the same. ? C Blood Wave: Let the weapon drain your blood and swing it to release a crimson crescent wave of energy at your foes. The power of the attack will depend on how much blood is drained. ? C Dreorin Rage: Spend half of your mana to summon the spirit of the Dreorin. You will be granted increased defense and attack for a short period of time and the summoned spirit will release apelling roar that will put hostiles into a state of shock for few seconds. Cooldown: 1h. ? ? ? ? Chapter 55: The Scavenger Chapter 55: The Scavenger This is a good weapon. Overall, its several times better than Sonata Rakna muttered. Would it be preserved if thetter absorbed it? He mused to himself and waved the Greatsword around with one hand. By the way, Alexa, I have a question. It seems that these Items are scaled to me in some way. Can you tell me how exactly? [Youre half-correct, Rakna. This Loot is actually scaled to the teau instead of you specifically. But that does not mean these arent good Items. An orange item like this sword could probably be considered a raremodity even until the 50th teau.] I see Rakna hummed and put the sword inside his spatial ring before looking at the two final drops at the same time; one orange and the other purple. One of them was a ring and the other was a ne. He took a look at the ring first. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Spell Item/Ring Name: Basic Earth Ring Rarity: Orange ? Description: A magical ring forged with the essence of earth magic. ? Effect: C Allows the unrestricted use of Spike (T.10) C Allows the unrestricted use of Anchor (T.10) C Allows the unrestricted use of Quake (T.9) ? Cooldown: 5 minutes between each use. ? Note: Keep in mind that these skills still require mana to be cast even if they are Item dependent. ? ? ? ? ? So, it gives me the ability to cast magic out of my element, huh? Raknamented. Not bad. It has plenty of potential uses. Especially Anchor. Controlling gravity could be quite useful. As for this ne ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Spell Item/Ne Name: Eruption Gem Rarity: Purple Number of uses: 3/3 ? Description: A ne imbued with the magic formation of a powerful spell. ? Effect: C Allows the use of the Tier 7 Earth Spell, Eruption. Cooldown: 10 Min. ? Note: This Item will break after all of its uses are spent. ? ? ? ? ? Eruption Thats the spell that the stegosaur used against me when I was falling. Ill have to look into itter, he said and equipped both essories which, just like the boots, were not visible. After he was done with that, Rakna eyed therge corpse of the Dreorin, and once again, his vision tunneled and highlighted the veins of the creature leading to its heart. When he saw where said muscle was, he realized why the triceratops hadnt died although its upper body had been sted by Gungnir. For some reason, their heart was awfully close to their neck. As he was thinking that and trying to resist the small urge to just gouge the heart out to eat it, he suddenly got an idea. When he ate Aqus heart, he had felt something simr to a mana flow go through his body. Then, his Nirvana Skill somehow converted all of it into power. What if He muttered while deep in thought and Pronos looked at him. After contemting for a minute, Rakna made his decision. Whats the worst that could happen? He said and approached the carcass neck. He extended his ws and drove his hand inside its body, cutting the arteries around the heart and then dragging it out. Rakna stared at the bloodied heart. I hope this works, he mumbled and bit into the muscle with his fangs. A disturbingly good taste spread in his mouth. He swallowed the first bite and then put the rest into his mouth. He then sat down to meditate. He observed the flow of energy infiltrating his body and this time, instead of letting his Nirvana Skill do its work, he forced it down with his soul power and managed to sustain the energy in its raw state all across his body. After a few seconds, he started feeling some pain but nothing unbearable. At the same time, he also noticed some of the energy being absorbed by the cells of his body. A minuteter, the pain was considerably higher but the energy was also almost depleted. Then, ten secondster, when everything had been absorbed, Rakna snapped his eyes open and released the breath he was holding. He nced at his wings and was relieved to see that his little experiment had been sessful; his wounds had been healed. Even his stamina and mana were back to around half of their value. He even felt stronger than before for some reason. A secondter, the System sent him the prompt that he was half-expecting. ? ? ? ? ? You have employed your soul to control your internal flow; Soul Core has leveled up! Mana and Stamina Consumption reduction has increased by 2%! Mana drain has increased by 1 MP. ? Congrattions! Through executing a specific action and meeting several conditions, you have learned a new Nirvana Skill; The Scavenger! ? The Scavenger: A derivative of the Nirvana Skill, The Harvester. By manipting the flow of energy when eating a creatures heart with soul power, the user can scavenge it to heal and restore both mana and stamina. Additionally, a small percentage of the victims attributes will be permanently bequeathed to the Host. ? The Absorption Factor is equal to 0.5% for creatures of the same level. This number increases by 0.5 for every ten levels above the user. As for foes below the users level, the percentage will decrease by 0.1 for every level until nothing is gained. ? Note: The effectiveness of the heal and the amount of mana and stamina regenerated will also depend on level difference. ? ? ? ? ? Oh Rakna uttered dumbly. He had expected some sort of self-healing skill since it was what he was going for by doing this but it had straight-up given him a second Nirvana Skill. On top of that, anyone withmon sense could see that this was apletely broken ability. With this, he could go around stealing monsters attributes and get ahead of everyone else long as he delegated enough time to hunt. Well, Rakna quickly recovered from the surprise and immediately went to the other corpse. He took out the Dreorin Greatsword from his ring and beheaded the triceratops with two shes before reaching for its heart just like the other. He then ate it as well, and this time, the process took exactly a minute and he was almost back to full power again. Then, a small window flickered in front of his eyes. ? ? ? ? ? Heart of Lv.44 Ancient Dreorin absorbed. Absorption Factor = 2% +1 Strength +0.9 Endurance +0.4 Speed +0.2 Dexterity +0.4 Intelligence ? ? ? ? ? Rakna was honestly astounded. He had just gained the equivalent of around 3 attribute points by just eating a heart. A heart that was, granted, from a level 44 creature but it did nothing to mitigate how amazing this skill was. When he was finally able to stop staring at the System window in front of him, he closed it and opened his full status. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra Age: 17 | Level: 16 (57/160) Path/Race: Nine-Tailed Werewolf Affiliation: Throne of Glory Titles: Legendary yer, Wolf King, Divinity yer Potential: S+ | Host Rank: I ? Werewolf Attributes: Strength: 10 | Endurance: 7.5 Speed: 20.3 | Dexterity: 19 Intelligence: 14.4 | Luck: 9 ? Normal Attributes: Strength: 6.5 | Endurance: 4.9 Speed: 13.3 | Dexterity: 12.4 Intelligence: 9.4 | Luck: 9 ? Avable Attribute Points: 7 Avable Skill Points: 1 ? Equipment: C Swift Dreorin Boots C Ulvias Veil C Basic Earth Ring C Quake Gem ? Werewolf Statistics: Stamina: 83/84.2 | MP: 159/164 Swiftness: 89.5 | Agility: 78.3 + 20 Senses: 365.4 + 5 | Atr Cap: 55.5 (Unchanged) Attack: 102.8 + 10% Cold | Defense: 52.4 + (L)20 Magic Attack: 63.1 | MP Regen: 1.34/min ? Normal Statistics: Stamina: 55.2/55.2 | MP: 114/114 Swiftness: 65.4 | Agility: 58.1 + 20 Senses: 270 + 5 | Atr Cap: 55.5 Attack: 74.2 + 10% Cold | Defense: 41.2 + (L)20 Magic Attack: 48.2 | MP Regen: 1/min ? Proficiencies: C Flight (Lv.9) C Weapon-Mastery (Lv.8) C Taekwondo (Lv.7) C Cooking (Lv.6) C Karate (Lv.6) C Judo (Lv.6) C Taijutsu (Lv.5) C Mana Control (Lv.5) C Mana Sense (Lv.2) C Tracking (Lv.2) ? Magic Skills: C Cold Star Magic (Lv.3) => [Cold Star Manifestation (T.0); Star Make (T.10 C T.1); Cold Star Mist (T.10)] C Mystic Cold Star Magic (Lv.2) C Dependent Earth Magic => [Eruption (T.7) {3/3}; Quake (T.9); Anchor (T.10); Spike (T.10)] ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Eyes of the Soul (Lv.15) C Pain Resistance (Lv. Max) C Fear Resistance (Lv. Max) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv. 8) C Soul Core (Lv.3) C Ireful Shell (Lv.2) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C ws (Lv. Max) C Stealth (Lv.8) C Fabled Sight (Lv.6) C Appraisal (Lv.5) C Reinforcement (Lv.5) C Weapon Reinforcement (Lv.4) C Intimidation (Lv.3) C Call of Fangs (Lv.2) C Artzpul (Lv.2) ? Nirvana Skills: C The Harvester C The Scavenger ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Eion Auto-Sustainable Nanomachines C Obsidian Blood C Shape Shift C Smell of the Wolf God (Iplete) C Luqus Wings C Lesser Regeneration ? ? ? ? ? It was really starting to get full and he had barely had started exploring what the System had to offer. Alexa, were you the one who removed the short descriptions to make it easier on my eyes? [Affirmative.] Nice work. [Thank you, Rakna.] Now, after finally getting down with everything, Rakna put the bodies of the Dreorins into his spatial ring just in case and wrapped Sonata around his neck. Get on, little guy. Pronos promptly jumped on his shoulder in one try, something that was already impossible for any normal snake. When he was snuggled under Sonata, Rakna breathed in and unfolded his wings as a silver mist emerged from the tip of the feathers. Artzpul, he muttered and a shockwave was generated under his feet. With a single wave of his wings, he took off and activated Stealth followed by his newest spell, Cold Star Mist. The result was a disturbingly fast haze zooming through the sky, giving no room for anyone on the ground to see him moving inside. Since he had the option to conceal his figure even better whilst flying, he would take it. Rakna nced at his map being gradually filled as he moved and looked at the two remaining arrows with squinted his eyes. Why not, he muttered and changed his course slightly. This specific Trial seemed to be considerably farther away from the train station than the Battle Trial was. After five minutes of flying at full speed, he wasnt able to reach his destination but his Fabled Sight caught something that intrigued him. He plunged and used Artzpul tond in a nearby forest. At the same time, the mist followed him and invaded the area. While he was still hidden, he turned back into a therian and dispelled the magic following him. When he made sure that there was no one around, he calmly walked out of the rtively small forest and headed toward the vige he had spotted in the distance. Chapter 56: Seed Grotto Chapter 56: Seed Grotto As Rakna approached the vige, his eyes wandered over the houses and roads. Compared to what he saw in ck Steel, it was as if he had jumped thousands of years back in time but with a closer look, the structures of this vige were obviously more than just what they appeared. Though nowhere near anything as technologically advanced, concrete and metal had been used in the construction of the buildings. There are w marks on more than a few of them. Monsters? Rakna muttered to himself as he stepped inside the vige. As soon as he did, a voice greeted him from behind, Are you a fledgling Host, young man? Raknas eyes narrowed and he slowly turned around to see a short elderly man standing behind him. He hadnt sensed his presence at all before he had called him out; something that he almost thought impossible after the massive increase his senses had gone through. and you are? The old man chuckled heartily. Im the chief here, he said and walked past Rakna, going further inside the vige. Rakna scowled and followed him whilst keeping his distance. A Local, I assume? Yes, that would be how the System calls us, the chief said with a smile as they properly entered the settlement. They crossed a few people walking by, performing their daily routine. A few of them would bow their heads to the old man when they saw him. Are you here for your Trial? Rakna was pulled out of his thoughts by the question. Not exactly. It was on the way and I was curious to know what a vige such as this one was doing here. What a blunt and roundabout way of asking what the hell this ce is for, the chief jested and waved his hand in a certain direction. In that direction, there is a Dungeon. From time to time, it overflows with monsters and, if left alone for too much time, might lead to a stampede. It can have a lot of different consequences but the main concern is the safety of the area around the station of the ck Steels Spear. I see Rakna uttered. So, if I understand correctly, Dungeons give birth to monsters? Thats an odd way of putting it, but yes. Dungeons are essentially big clusters of mana capable of manipting organic matter to a certain extent. Dungeon monsters are, in a way, antibodies made to keep intruders away. You can see overflows as a consequence of the Dungeon getting sick. And then Im the one who puts things oddly, Rakna retorted with a monotonous voice and the chiefughed as he stopped in front of a rtivelyrger house. Young man, I can see that you are new to the System but you seem to possess a strength equal to someone who has spent at the very least a few months in here. So, are you willing to do something for me? ? ? ? ? ? Gaelius Kein, Chief of the Second P.1 Settlement, extends a Quest to you. Objective: Head into the Dungeon, Seed Grotto, and cull the number of monsters present on the first three floors. Rewards: 100 Exp, 1000 Talys, ??? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? In other words, you want me to do your job for you, Rakna said. Now, now, thats a mean thing to say. Im in retirement, to begin with, and its not like Im asking you to do this for free, am I? You need toplete Quests to promote, dont you? Rakna grunted to acknowledge his word and epted the request mentally. Just the first three floors then? How many would I be required to kill? Around 50 in total should be enough. I trust you will easily be able to do that much and even more. I dont give this Quest to just anyone, you know? I know that you have the ability for it. I see. How far is the Dungeon? Gaelius hummed. Lets see. About three hundred meters to the north-east. You wont miss it. Understood, Rakna checked thepass of his map and was about to leave when Gaelius spoke again. Wait, what is your name, young man? Rakna. Rakna Xiorra. Does it have a meaning? Rakna scowled at the old chief. As far I know, Rakna does not. But I have been told in the past that Xiorra could mean next universe of thought. How ironic now that I think about it. Why? Gaelius smiled. You can think of it as a random old mans antic. Lets say that I value the worth of names. I wish you a good dive into the Dungeon. And, survive well, he said before entering the house behind him. Rakna furrowed his eyebrows. That line is starting to get obnoxious, he muttered to himself and left in the direction of the Dungeon. Once he was out, he reinforced his body and ran off to the north-east. After twenty seconds, he came close to what seemed to be the entrance of an underground cave. He approached it and stuck his head inside. He scanned the interior from all possible perspectives and the only thing he saw was an endless hole under him. He activated Fabled Sight to try and see the bottom and Pronos simrly used his natural night-vision to take a look. He managed to make it out and count around twenty meters from the surface to there. There was only one question that came to him when he saw that. How do monsters even climb out of this? He muttered and leaned back. He knocked the outside walls of the entrance and circled around it before returning to the front. Alexa, to be sure, how do I enter the Dungeon? [Jump.] Im not sure if I should praise it to be so candid or denounce it for asking people to jump down a dark tunnel with no knowledge of what is at the bottom, he said with a dull tone but nheless jumped inside the hole without missing a beat. He bnced himself vertically and calmly cast Artzpul before hitting the ground. He had found out earlier that he could still use this skill without unfurling his wings. Hended lightly on his feet and inspected his surroundings with his eyes still glowing golden. The cave was around ten meters wide and the ceiling was about three meters high. Aside from that, there was arge stone gate at the back. He walked toward it and slowly ced his hand on it which was followed by a System prompt. ? ? ? ? ? Do you wish the enter the Dungeon, Seed Grotto? Note: If you refuse, you will be transported back to the surface. Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Yes, Rakna answered. ? ? ? ? ? Please select a difficulty: ? Easy ? C ? Normal ? C ? Hard ? C ? Fiendish ? ? ? ? ? ? Difficulty? That old man didnt specify one, did he? He mused for a short moment and selected the normal difficulty. Only an idiot would pick the harder difficulties without knowing anything aboutid behind this door. The second he made his choice, the stone gate opened inward and revealed a straight tunnel with surprisingly smooth and chiseled walls. There were alsonterns hanging from the ceiling, lighting the path ahead. And if the very unnatural color of the light and the fluctuations of the me were anything to go by, Rakna was almost sure that those werent natural in the slightest. He also noticed that this corridor seemed to be quite short. He could see a dead-end barely thirty meters ahead. When he was fully inside, the gate closed behind and, directly after, several parts of the corridors walls copsed. Raknas eyes sharpened and Pronos jumped down with a hiss. A few secondster, they both started hearing odd purring soundsing from the opened parts. Raknas expression twitched as he watched thin long hairy legs slowly emerge from all sides, sticking to the walls. Soon enough, the owners of those legs came out; giant ck and red spiders quickly filled up the path in front of them. After less than a minute, at least twenty of them hade out. At first, they all seemed to be pretty docile but when Rakna moved to transform Sonata, more than half of them abruptly opened their mouthparts and let out a high-pitched cry. They proceeded to rush at him with startling speed. Rakna opened his mouth to inhale and exhaled a crystallized breath. Sadly for you, he whispered and his body began to release cold air. This ce doesnt work to your advantage, he dered and a thick fog immediately invaded the tunnel, engulfing all of the spiders as they charged at him. Rakna kicked the ground while enclosed by his Cold Mist, closely followed by Pronos who could easily navigate in the fog with his echo vision. He slithered up a wall and jumped on a spider that was clueless as to where he was whether it was based on sound or sight. He plunged his fangs in the back of its head and released a dose of Eion Poison strong enough to kill it in a second. Meanwhile, Rakna jumped over the whole horde andtched onto the ceiling with his ws before using it as a foothold to get behind all of them. He whirled Sonata and dashed into their rear lines as he swung his weapon in a wide arc that bisected four of them simultaneously. One of the spiders immediately turned around when he did that and secreted a string of silk that he easily dodged with the kic acuity of his Fabled Sight. He then created five knives with Star Make that had no particr ability like Dinsleif or Gungnir and threw them urately to the same number of spiders. They stabbed the arthropods heads before dissolving into cold particles. The rest of the fightsted thirty seconds with Rakna crushing thest spiders head with his grip and ws. He flicked his hand to get rid of the blood, showing absolutely no reaction to the repulsive scene, and dispersed the mist with a single thought. When the view was clear again, Pronos and Rakna saw themselves standing amidst the many corpses of the Arachne with their legs curled up to their stomach or twitching from a post-mortem spasm. When thest spider finally stopped stirring, many piles of Talys emerged from their bodies in quite a disturbing way. At the same time, at the very end of the corridor, the wall copsed to reveal a staircase. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted the First Floor. Would you like to exit? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Their level wasnt even high enough for me to receive exp, Raknained after refusing to leave and shouldered Sonata as the Talys were collected by the System along with the very few other drops that were sucked into his spatial ring. He walked over the dead spiders and headed to the staircase. Lets hope the next floors pose more challenge. Pronos followed after him with a deadpan face. Rakna looked at him as if he knew what he was thinking. Yes, I know I chose normal but you cant expect me to pick hard or fiendish without knowing how strong the monsters inside are, do you? The little snake cocked his head to the side as he tried to emte a shrug. Rakna sighed and stopped in front of the stairs. Anyway, lets go down. Chapter 57: Vermins Chapter 57: Vermins The second floor was at least twice as big as the first and the color of the lighting had also changed from a warm hue to a colder one. When Rakna stepped down thest stair with Pronos around his neck, the path behind him was closed off instantly by a descending stone wall. He nced over his shoulder and hummed. He scrutinized the second floor with Fabled Sight, down to the veryst detail, and everything was the same as above except for the size. He stood in ce for at least a minute and nothing happened, no walls breaking down or spiders crawling in. He then started to walk down the corridor with Sonata at the ready and his senses reinforced with mana to the bare minimum. When he reached the halfway point, he heard a distinct clicking sound. It was followed by a grinding noise. Several squarish breaches appeared on the walls and shot out long metal spikes. Rakna casually stepped aside from one, caught one in midair, and deflected two others with it and Sonata. He had made it look so considerably easy that it could have taken the attention away from the fact that the spikes had been fast and strong enough to pierce the walls of the Dungeon for at least half a meter. So, traps are a thing too, huh? Rakna muttered and dropped the spike in his hand. He quietly took another step forward and immediately crouched when a spike whizzed above him. Hold tight, little guy, he said and Pronos nodded. While he was still in that position, he gathered his strength in his lower body and started running at full speed. Several spikes sprung up from all sides but he weaved in between them as if he knew where they wereing from. He only needed to listen to the soundsing from the mechanisms inside the walls and the subsequent opening of the wall. But he had to admit, he couldnt tell how the traps were triggered. He wasnt stepping on any sort of pressure tes or anything of the sort. Perhaps a more sophisticated kind of weight sensor? Or magic? He thought nonchntly as he jumped over ten arrows meant to hit his legs. And as he was in the air, the ground below him opened up to reveal a pit. There werent spikes at the bottom, mind you. No, it wasnt anything as nice as that. It was a bubbling green liquid that would probably painfully dissolve his entire body in a matter of seconds. Rakna watched it with a curious eye before opening his mouth, Artzpul. He then moved as if he was stepping on thin air and directly zoomed to the other side of the pit. ? ??? Artzpul has leveled up! ??? ? He nodded pleasantly at that notification. This skill had a lot more potential than just being a way to take off ornd if used correctly. This just continued to prove it. Now, he squinted his eyes at the dead-end that was a mere five meters away from him. He mused and pulled out a small silver disc. He pressed on the button and calmly threw it before unfurling his wings and covering himself with them. The disc exploded on impact and Rakna made sure to not be blown away by the shockwave as he heard various dying screeches, followed by a System prompt informing him of his kills. When it was over, he unwrapped his wings and took a look at his handiwork. The walls to the sides were broken and amidst the debris, several cockroaches-like monsters lied dead on the ground. Rakna noted that the wall he suspected to be blocking the path to the next staircase was undamaged; not even a scratch. As expected, Rakna thought then looked at the holes in the walls. He could see more of thoserge insectsing out. The explosion had only killed the closest ones. He sighed and deployed his wings. The feathers making up the upperyers began to vibrate before suddenly detaching themselves as if they could break thews of physics. A dozen of them were shot at the cockroaches every second; leaving them no chance to escape. After twenty seconds, Rakna stopped and retracted his wings. The walls and ground and in front of him had been littered with ck and silver feathers and the insects were all dead. The exit then slid open to reveal the staircase to the next floor and the same System message as before appeared before him. He picked no again and went down the stairs, repeating the same process with the loot that had been dropped around him. The third floor followed the same pattern. Once again, it was bigger; twice the size of the second floor. At this point, it was as wide as a highway back on Earth. I was wondering, Rakna muttered as the wall closed behind him again. The walls also proceeded to copse like they had on the first floor but that didnt stop him from voicing his thoughts. How many floors does this Dungeon have? Is it infinite? He asked both to himself and obviously Alexa as he mmed a spidering at him with the shaft of Sonata. [It is not. However, there exist Dungeons that have never beenpletely conquered, making it impossible to know how many floors there are. The most popr one would be the Grail Road on the 500th teau. To this day, 126 floors have been explored and even the highest-ranked Hosts havent managed to get farther.] I see, Rakna nkly said and back-fisted one cockroach while dodging an arrow shot from a trap while Pronos breathed out a purple poison fog that killed the monsters in seconds. All in all, this floor was a sort ofbination of the two others. The two of them went through it like a breeze and soon enough, all the traps had been both engaged and evaded while the monsters were all dead. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted a Quest! Return to Gaelius Klein to receive your rewards. You havepleted the Third Floor. Would you like to exit? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Hmm, how many floors does this one have? [Seed Grotto has been recorded to have seven, excluding the boss floor.] I see. I might as well go and see for myself then, he said and refused the system prompt before continuing. While walking down the stairs, his HL abruptly ringed and a holographic screen with the caller was projected by the contacts. Answer, he said and the call was picked up by Alexa. Three names promptly slid into his visions periphery. Hey, folks, I found something, Ans voice sounded. He had initiated a group call with the four of them through their HLs. What is it? A Dungeon? Nyxs voice followed up as her name flickered on the projection. Not really. It looks like some sort of ruins. My AI keeps telling me there might be something good in there but theres a sort of invisible barrier around it and it says I cant enter without being in a party of at least three people. Do you want to check it out? Hm, where is it? via asked. Its straight to the East from where we took the Trial. If you go for about two miles, you should be able to find it. I dont mind going there, Nyx said. Neither do I, via conformed. What about you, Rakna? If three is the minimum, go there without me. Im currently inside a Dungeon and Im not sure how long Ill stay here for. A Dungeon, huh? An muttered. How is it? Hard? I cant draw any conclusions as long as I dont go deeper. Lets share what we found after meeting up. If you guys need more time, tell me. Ill do the same. All right then. Teach, Nyx, Ill wait here until you arrive. Understood. Give me five minutes and Ill be there, Nyx said before hanging the call. Itll take a bit longer for me but Ill be there soon as well, via stated and also left. See youter, Rak. Rakna responded with a hum as he reached the fourth floor. Good luck to you, he said and the group call was ended. His HL was turned off and he shifted his attention to therge creatures crawling on the ceiling and the walls with their hundreds of legs. Centipedes Is this ce just full of vermin like these? Rakna uttered with some faint traces of repugnance in his tone. On the other hand, Pronos seemed to bepletely revolted. Then, instead of attacking, the long insects burrowed themselves into the walls by going through cracks in the ceiling. Their presence gradually lessened until even Rakna had to focus to just sense the general area they were in. A few secondster, he sighed and drove Sonata inside the wall next to him without even looking. A dying screech resounded through the stone and a greenish liquid, hemolymph, spilled out when he pulled his weapon out. This is starting to get bothersome, he uttered and looked at Pronos. Little guy, he said and simply pointed at the gaps that the centipedes had used. Pronos immediately understood what he meant and quickly slithered up the wall. He headed for one of the cracks and a puff of purple smoke escaped his mouth as he gathered his mana. It only took him a few seconds before he released a significant volume of poison fog inside the hollow space behind the corridors walls. A minuteter, the System notification appeared and the next staircase opened up. Then, Rakna silently continued the exploration. The next three floors went pretty much the same way. The fifth floor was full of giant flying insects that were quickly dispatched after a use of the Cold Star Mist and Pronos poison. The sixth floor had traps once again coupled with dozens ofrge ants. But that still wasnt enough to stop Rakna who quickly proceeded to the seventh floor where every monster and trap was recycled to make one massive inclusive floor. This one took quite a lot of timepared to the rest, considering he wasnt willing to use too much power on them. At the end of the day, he was overqualified for the normal difficulty of this Dungeon, and the fact that he had reached level 16 thanks to the Dreorins only meant that he wasnt even receiving any experience from it. After forty minutes of trouble-free Dungeon exploration, he finally walked down thest staircase where the wide corridors he had gotten used to turned into a spacious dimly-lit circr room. Well, well, arent you menacing? Rakna spoke sardonically with his usual emotionless tone. In the center of the room stood the boss of this Dungeon; a dark green praying mantis easily four meters tall with sharp-looking scythes and entirely ck eyes with red dots in the center. Lets see if youre worth the time wasted. Chapter 58: Down we go Chapter 58: Down we go Pronos, sit this one out. I want to tackle it alone, Rakna said and the little snake nodded before jumping off and retreating to the edge of the room. Rakna slowly started circling around the praying mantis that seemed to be keen on not taking the first move. He thought about using Appraisal but he didnt think there would be a point in learning this monsters specific abilities. Instead, he simply turned Sonata into a bow and pulled the string before releasing three arrows at the same time. The mantis waited until they were about to reach it to destroy them with a swing of its scythes. And, with that, Rakna kicked the ground in its direction after having grasped what numbers could notpletely tell him; its reaction speed, its scythes uracy and toughness, its stance when faced with an attack he had gotten all of them in just a nce when it cut through his arrows. While he was running, he turned the bow into a dual chain de and used them to both attack and defend from the mantis ded limbsing from above. The two pairs of scythes were entangled with a surprising sound of steel shing. Definitely not natural for a mantis forelegs to make that sound, Raknamented inwardly and pushed away one of the mantis scythes with his own by deviating it to the side. He repeated the action with his other hand and kicked the insects open side while it was out of bnce. The mantis let itself be hit but simultaneously jumped and deployed a pair of translucid wings to lessen the blow. Rakna reacted instantly and grabbed the middle of Sonatas chain. He twirled the entire weapon and threw it at the mantis. The insect tried to parry the weapon but unfortunately, its scythes caught the chain instead of the des, which then enclosed its body and even managed to tear one of its wings. The mantis lost control over its flight pattern and before it could stabilize itself, Rakna suddenly leaped toward it and muttered one word, Artzpul. He rocketed toward the insect and grabbed its neck. You were quite easy in the end, he uttered and flung the monster toward the ground as he reinforced his arm. The mantis crashed on the Dungeons floor with a broken neck and died near instantly. The boss room brightened right after and the mantis body let out a pile of Talys and one other Item. When Raknanded, a System window flickered into existence. ? ? ? ? ? You have killed a Lv.10 Praying Mantis. No experience gained. ? You havepleted the Seed Grotto! Difficulty: Normal Number of Participants: 1 | Average Level of Participants: 16 Rewards: 200 Talys, Scan Skill Card ? You will automatically be transported outside in one minute. ? ? ? ? ? When the message appeared, the Talys were directly added to his bnce and a card materialized in front of his eyes. The back had the image of a small loupe and the front had a short incantation along with the name of the skill; just like Ireful Shell. Rakna grabbed it and the System immediately notified him he couldnt learn it because he had an already higher grade of appraising skill. Well, I guess I could give it to An or sell it, he muttered and walked to the mantis corpse. He collected the Talys and the Item without even checking what it was; he would do thatter as he was pretty sure that a very small part of the Loot he got here would actually interest him. At least, for this difficulty. Soon after, he saw a stream of light engulf his body and he underwent a simr sensation to when he was teleported to the First teau. Before he knew, he was already back to the surface, in front of the Dungeons entrance and Pronos was on the ground next to his feet. Hmm, Rakna looked around. Well, round two, he said nkly and jumped back inside the hole under the straight-faced stare of Pronos who ultimately followed him inside. After confirming that the Dungeon could indeed be repeated, they entered again. ? * * * ? In the next hour, Rakna took his time to conquer the hard difficulty. The monsters were all level ten at the very least which quickly allowed him to check off one of the conditions for his promotion to Rank II. The monsters had indeed been stronger but it still was as one-sided as the first run through. Then, when he was back to the boss room, the praying mantis was there once again and he didnt even need to use Appraisal to know that it was at the very least five levels ahead of its normal counterpart. When he fought it for the second time, he continued to use the chain de, not really because he could use it against airborne enemies but because the dual chain de allowed him to defend against both scythes without leaving any openings. If he used his ive, it would be considerably harder to defend against both forelegs as they coulde from two different directions at any moment. Dual-wielding erased that problem. He initiated the second fight in the same way as the first one but he quickly noticed a difference. In contrast to before where his strength was more or less equal to it, this time, the mantis was able to push him back while entangled and he was forced to retreat. The insect then followed after him and tried to trap his shoulders in its appendages. Rakna narrowed his eyes and first used Reinforcement to parry the scythes before casting Artzpul tounch himself backward. He wanted to reposition himself to a safer location but what he failed to take into ount was a wind de that flew at him as soon as he did that. He promptly unfurled his wings to evade it with a second Artzpul. At the end of the day, this skill worked infinitely faster with his wings deployed. Rakna flew up to a wall and fixed himself to it by using the des of his kusarigama. When he looked back at the mantis, his Fabled Sight caught a green aura around the insects legs which he now could perfectly sense as mana; with quite an obvious wind element to it. While he was still on the wall, the mantis flew off as well and rushed toward him while spreading its mana across its entire body. So, it can reinforce itself too, huh? Rakna thought and also kicked off the wall and used Artzpul to dash at the mantis. Two can y at that game. He activated his Reinforcement skill by consuming around ten mana and shed with the mantis in mid-air with equal force. While experimenting with this skill, Rakna had managed to make an estimate of what exactly was reinforced and how much. The first thing he had noticed was that Reinforcement was restricted in its application. Although it could indeed enhance pretty much every aspect of his body, it didnt have anywhere near the same effect as if he had increased his attributes. It was more like breaking the limitations of his muscle potency. In other words, his body would indeed be stronger but it would be imbnced. If he increased his speed to a certain level, he would have to do the same with his endurance and senses in order to cope with the increase and that would reduce the effectiveness. In conclusion, in realbat, this skill would allow him to increase his fighting capability by something along the lines of 3 to 5% if he used 10 MP. If he used around 50 MP, he could probably raise the percentage to 10%. If he used around 100 MP, then it would be 15%. The pattern here was clear. The more he wanted to increase his strength, the more mana he would need and on top of that, the strain on his body would be more and more unreasonable. As he thought about that, the mantis scythe brushed past his ear but his expression remained as stoic as always. The both of them had been shing against each other every few seconds while flying around the Boss Room for a while now. When he decided that it was enough, Raknas eyes widened and released an icy hue. He charged at the mantis onest time and muttered, [Star Make C Swords of Liberation.] Three energy swords appeared around him and whizzed toward the mantis who was confused by the sudden appearance of the objects. The insect managed to destroy two of them but thest one went through its defenses and pierced its shoulder area. The boss monster then felt the immediate effects of the Cold Star Magics nature. A bone-freezing temperature invaded its body and made it squirm in pain as a part of its internals was being paralyzed by the cold. Rakna then rapidly closed in and beheaded it. The mantis wings stopped moving right away and its body fell to the ground, followed by Rakna whonded lightly on the ground as he retracted his wings. ? ? ? ? ? You have killed a Lv.15 Praying Mantis. Requirement for level up updated: 69/160 ? You havepleted the Seed Grotto! Difficulty: Hard Number of Participants: 1 | Average Level of Participants: 16 Rewards: 500 Talys, Scan Skill Card, Wind Incision Skill Card ? You will automatically be transported outside in a minute. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna collected the Loot from the mantis body and spear handed the corpse. He pulled out the heart of the creature and ate it; he was already used to it by now. It took around half a minute for his Nirvana Skill to process the power. The Systems report that followed told him that most of his attribute gains were lower than 0.05. He snorted and was teleported out of the Dungeon right after. He then took his time to check two things; the new skill card he got and the spell that his Star Make had just chronicled. ? ? ? ? ? Tier 9 Skill Card: Use it to learn the spell Wind Incision. Requirements: Wind Element, Mana Control above level 4. ? Description: One of the most precise wind spells in the System. A talented mage could use this spell to even perform surgeries. If concentrated in one spot, it has an incredible piercing power, but it is very hard to master. ? Fixed Cost: 5 MP 1cm Concentration (Default): Attack Magic x2 5mm Concentration: Attack Magic x3 3mm Concentration: Attack Magic x4 1mm Concentration: Attack Magic x6 ? Note: This spell has a very short range. Cast it over more than a few meters will cause it to lose most of its potency. ? The Sub-Spell, Swords of Liberation, has been created. ? Swords of Liberation (T.9): The user summons three cold energy swords with low power but exceptional sharpness. When hitting a target, the swords will not have enough energy to explode but their coldness will be effectively spread in the targets body, forcing them to either destroy the swords or suffer momentary pain and paralysis. ? Cost: 20 MP. (Soul Core Correction: 17.2 MP) Attack: Users Magic Attack multiplied by 2. Cooldown: 15 Min ? ? ? ? ? The cards spell seemed to be a close-range focused ability. The higher the Mana Control of the caster, the stronger it would be. That will be for via then, Rakna thought and went over the new sub-spell he made. He was starting to think that it was an easy thing to do. The cost ispletely different from Gungnir and Dinsleif, he remarked inwardly. Those two spells use arge percentage of my full mana pool. As I get stronger, even with the magic attack multiplicator, they will be extremely inefficient Should I try to remake them? If I created them, I should be able to tweak them, right? He sighed and postponed that idea as he put the skill card inside his ring. He turned toward the Dungeon entrance for the third time. Hey, little guy, curious to see how fiendish the difficulty can get? He said in a joking manner and Pronos rolled his eyes before they both jumped. Chapter 59: Hidden Boss Chapter 59: Hidden Boss During the third run-through, Rakna almost wondered if it had been a good idea to go through the fiendish difficulty. Every single one of the enemies was now almost as strong as the mantis in hard mode. Though, in the end, the only thing that changed was the time it took to kill them, otherwise, both the result and the process had been the same. The experience however waspletely different. Most of the monsters were above level 13. After going through the three first floors, he had both leveled up to 17 and almost reached 18. He now had nine attribute points saved and the many hearts he had consumed from them had raised his attributes by around 0.5. I should be able to get pretty close to level 20 with this Dungeon, Rakna thought as he entered the fourth floor. This one should have been filled with centipedes, ready to burrow themselves inside the walls at his arrival. But what was presented to him instead was an empty corridor. Rakna would have normally been confused about the situation if instead, his instinct hadnt suddenly begun to scream at him. He reflexively transformed into a werewolf when he heard something above him. His ck hole-like eyes spiraled until they turned golden and he lifted Sonata as fast as he could. The ceiling copsed immediately after and the de of the Guandao struck the giant w-like structures of a giant centipedes mouth. Rakna shuddered unconsciously and reinforced both himself and his weapon. He grabbed his weapon with both hands and pushed the monster aside before dashing further inside the corridor. The centipede didnt follow him but wed at the ground, which easily gave up, and disappeared underground like an actual mole. What is this thing? Its even stronger than the mantis, Rakna thought as he looked around. [A Hidden Boss,] Alexa said. [It is a Boss that appears when certain conditions have been met. In this case, I would posit that you made it appear by gassing the home of the centipedes of this floor every time you came.] Really now, Rakna scowled and gestured at Pronos who was on his shoulder, still a bit shocked by what had just happened. Use your poison. I dont think it will kill it but it should not be useless. The little snake nodded and jumped toward one crevasse in the wall and breathed out the greatest poison he could produce. The effects made themselves clear when they heard a sudden movement behind the walls and dust falling. But, as expected, whatever was making that noise didnt seem to be about to die. Rakna was even ready to bet that it was merely a bit annoyed by the poison. He clicked his tongue and conjured his Cold Mist, saturating the entire volume of the floor. He then concentrated on what his senses were picking up and a minuteter, he shoved his ive into the wall next to him. However, what happened next waspletely out of his expectations. Not only did his attack hit absolutely nothing but the ground behind him caved in to reveal therge insect. Thankfully, his Soul Core and Eyes of the Soul orded him enough urgency to boost his reaction time by many folds. He crouched in the split of a second and the monster whizzed above him, its poison nds dripping with visible venom. It hit the wall and burrowed itself again and in the time that it took for it to getpletely inside, Rakna cast Appraisal which was followed by a surprising notification. ? ? ? ? ? The target has a counter-scan skill. Appraisals level is too low. The assessment has failed. ? ? ? ? ? Thats a first. That must be part of the reason why I failed to sense its real position, Rakna remarked inwardly and as he stood up from his previous posture, he turned Sonata into a dual chain de. Pronos, I will try to stop it the next time ites. Take the asion to poison it. The little snake nodded and used Camouge to blend in with the surroundings and kill his presence. Rakna breathed in and closed his eyes to focus on whatever he could pick up. The tremors of the ground, the variations of air from the cracks in the walls, the mana fluctuations ? ? ? ? ? Tracking has leveled up! Mana Sense has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? With his eyes still closed and his soul empowering his instinct, he stepped silently to the side as the centipede emerged from the ground to his left. He then opened his eyes wide and waved his hand downward as cold energy emanated from his body. [Swords of Liberation,] he uttered and three cold azure swords descended and stabbed the centipede across its exposed length. It released an ear-wrenching cry and Rakna promptly stabbed it with one of the kusarigamas des before using the other to wrap the chain around its neck and mouth-parts. Rakna gritted his teeth as he pulled on the chain and felt the arthropods body slowly building up mana; though it had no element, it could still reinforce its body. The Swords of Liberation were already starting to disintegrate when Pronos jumped out from his hiding spot and sunk his fangs into the monsters body. The Eion Poison was released in high density and quantity and the centipede started wriggling to escape. The swords eventually gave out and Rakna nearly let go. It seemed that even his strength as a werewolf wasnt enough topare to this centipede. [Spike,] he intoned right before he was about to lose his grip on Sonata. The invisible ring on his finger shed and a spike of earth raised from underground and pierced the centipede right in its head but it apparently was enough to break its defensepletely. At that moment, where it was being held by the spike, Rakna let go of the chain and grabbed the scythe that he had used to stab the monster. He yanked it with both hands and growled as he opened a massive gash on its body. He invoked a ball of raw cold energy in his hand and shoved it inside the wound; freezing its internals. At the same time, Pronos bit it for a second time. The centipede struggled for a while until it finally stopped moving and turned limp. Piles of Talys materialized from its corpse along with two Items. ? ? ? ? ? You have killed a Lv.20 Blood Centipede! You have leveled up! + 1 Free Point! Requirement updated: 7/180 ? You have defeated the Hidden Boss of the Seed Grotto! Number of Participants: 1 | Average Level of Participants: 17 Rewards: 1 000 Talys, 2 Free Attribute Points, Absolute Cover Skill Card, Centipede Venom Skill Card. ? You have cleared the Fourth Floor. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna staggered back with a grunt and the monster fell to the ground with the other half of its body still buried. Pronos also distanced himself and sprawled his body in respite. Seriously Is this still considered luck? Rakna grumbled and disengaged the Cold Mist. He reverted to his therian form and sat down on the ground to recover his breath. He cracked his neck and was pleased to see he had gotten 2 Attribute Points from killing this boss along with two skill cards. He checked the details of both immediately. If he hadnt guessed wrong, one of those two would be providence for him. ? ? ? ? ? Ability Skill Card: Use it to learn the skill Centipede Venom. Requirements: Poison Secretion, Poison Resistance. ? Description: The potency of a centipedes venom generally varies depending on its size. A small one could probably induce arge variety of symptoms but they would not be threatening unless the victim was vulnerable to it. On the other hand, at its most potent state, the centipede venom causes incredible pain to the poisoned individual as well as many sorts of perilous symptoms. Without sufficient resistance, it could lead to internal bleeding, cardiac arrest, severe necrosis, etc Through using this skill card, the user will gain the ability to produce this poison. ? ? ? ? ? I see. Im lucky I didnt let myself be touched by its stingers, Rakna muttered and threw the card at Pronos who caught it with his tail. Can you learn that? The little snake looked at the incantation and tilted his head before opening his mouth and hissing somewhat consistently until the card merged with his body. Rakna snorted then looked at the card that interested him the most. ? ? ? ? ? Support Skill Card: Use it to learn the passive skill Absolute Cover. Requirements: None. ? Description: Absolute Cover is an anti-type skill. Its primary function is to protect the user from any external sensing or inspection made through another skill. At level one, Absolute Cover will block any attempt to ess the users status if the other partys level is lower than two times the users level or if the attempt is made over a distance of fifty meters from the users location. Otherwise, the user can choose something to hide in particr in his status. There is a definite limit to how much can be hidden based on the users inherent abilities. ? Current Limit Allowed: Calction Pending. Additional Effect: Passively increase the effectiveness of furtivity skills by 50%. ? ? ? ? ? Hmm, this skill has quite the specific working conditions but overall, its a skill that can save me a lot of trouble with hiding my race, Rakna muttered. Calction pending I suppose I need to learn it for it to begin. [My Vow to Secrecy is my Oath to the Obscurities. The Absolute Authority of this Cover Shall be the Robe Haunting my Quarries,] he intoned the words written on the card and assimted it in no time; which was followed by a scrolling System window. ? ? ? ? ? Calction has begun. Appraisal Lv.5 has been noted. Eyes of the Soul Lv.15 has been noted. Soul Core Lv.3 has been noted. Cold Star Magic Lv.3 has been noted. Nine-Tailed Werewolf Mystic Magic Power has been noted. S+ Potential has been noted. Luck has been noted. Calctionplete. Your limit has been set at 12 elements. ? ? ? ? ? Well, thats interesting Alexa, what does it mean by elements? [A status element is any particr information it contains. A skill, an attribute, a title, the Path, the Race are all counted as an element independently.] So, I can hide only twelve, huh? [affirmative.] Alexa resolved to notment on the fact that the word only had no ce in that sentence. The average Host would have barely gotten two or three. [Please tell me what elements you want to hide and I shall establish them for you.] Rakna mused and came to a decision, Hide the following elements; Path, Race, Mystic Magic, The Harvester, The Scavenger, Shape Shift, Luqus Wings, Flight, Fabled Sight, Attack, Legendary yer, and to be sure, Smell of the Wolf God. [Acknowledged. These will never appear on an inspection of your status. You can change them as you please or add more when you are able to.] Rakna grunted positively and stood up. He walked up to the dead centipede and temporarily shape shifted to dig it out. He then stared at it with the peculiar vision that his Nirvana Skill gave him and noted that this monster had three hearts. I wonder He thought inwardly and pulled them all out before eating them. After half a minute of absorption, his attributes had increased by around 0.25 on average. It seemed that he had indeed absorbed the equivalent of three hearts at once. All right, Rakna collected the Talys and the two Items dropped by the centipede as well as thetters body since a Hidden Boss might be worth something. Lets wrap up this Dungeon so I can check the loot Ive gotten, he said and retrieved Sonata. He walked to the exit of the floor that had been opened the boss death and went down the stairs. Alexa, assign 1.1 to Speed and 2.3 to Dexterity, he said as he reached the fifth floor. Lets get this done, little guy, he told Pronos before rushing into the swarm of giant flying bugs. ? * * * ? Half an hourter, Rakna was stepping on the dead body of the praying mantis. After increasing his attributes, defeating it was quite easy in his werewolf form and the only thing that had changed from the previous fight was that it had been able to use tornado-like magic. It also obviously had stronger attributes and a higher level. After killing it, his level now sat at 19 and Pronos at 16. ? ? ? ? ? You have killed a Lv.18 Praying Mantis. Requirement for level up updated: 54/190 ? You havepleted Seed Grotto! Difficulty: Fiendish Number of Participants: 1 | Average Level of Participants: 19 Rewards: 600 Talys, 1 Free Attribute Point, Jade Rouse Skill Card, Wind Incision Skill Card, Tier 9 Healing Pill x3 ? ? ? ? ? With this, he gained a duplicate for Wind Incision and a new magic skill card; the same one that Aqu had used in their fight. Then, there were the healing pills that seemed to essentially be a more expensive alternative to healing potions. The best thing about is that it acted a lot faster. After collecting everything and eating the mantis heart, Rakna left the Dungeon and stretched under the afternoon sun as Pronos took his spot under his scarf to rest. He then started heading back to Gaelius settlement while making a quick inventory of everything he had gotten from the Dungeon. Chapter 60: Badge of Honor Chapter 60: Badge of Honor First of all, Rakna made a rapid mental calction to find out how much Talys he had gained from all the monsters and it came to a hefty sum of 8460. He had killed about 250 monsters in total so on average, he had gotten 33 Talys for each kill. As for the Items he got, Rakna couldnt remember everything he had put inside his ring, and if he wanted to count them, he would have to take out everything. But, based on a rough estimation of what he saw, he should have collected around fifty gray Items, twenty green Items, ten blue, three orange, and one purple. Lets see Rakna muttered as he retrieved the most important items. The first one he inspected was the purple one, dropped by the hidden boss; a red wooden statue of a centipede. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Special Item/Totem Name: Seed Grottos Crimson Totem Rarity: Purple Uses: 1/1 ? Description: A summoning artifact linked to a Dungeon on the First teau. This is an Item that can only be dropped by a Hidden Boss. ? Effect: C Allows the user to summon monsters that exist in Seed Grotto, with a limit of 50, for an hour. ? Note: The Boss and Hidden Boss can also be summoned. The level of the monster will be scaled to the difficulty in which the Item was dropped. ? ? ? ? ? One use only but it could help me in many kinds of situations, Raknamented and stored it again to focus on the orange items this time. The first one was also dropped by the centipede and was a pill. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Pill/Antidote Name: Inferior Panacea Rarity: Orange ? Description: One of the most basic imitations of the legendary Panacea. It was made with a concentration of powerful venom and thus is more a counterpoison than a pure healing or curing medicine. ? Effect: C Upon consumption, the user will gain immunity to most poisons for half a day. ? ? ? ? ? I see. Simple enough, he said and took out the second Item, which was a pair of curved daggers with dark green edges. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Twin Daggers Name: Praying Vehemence Rarity: Orange Attack Power: +80 Durability: 100% ? Description: A pair of daggers forged from the mutated scythes of a praying mantis. ? Perks: C Green Flurry: At the cost of five mana per minute, the daggers will generate a wind de that will elongate the reach of the weapon and increase attack based on the users magic damage. C Gale: Activate this ability to increase your agility and swiftness by 20% for two minutes when wielding Praying Vehemence. Cooldown: 15 Minutes. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna twirled both daggers and mused. So, this is considered as a single Item, right? [Affirmative.] Then Sonata can probably absorb these two as well, he said and looked at thest Item he wanted to check. It was another drop from the mantis; a sort of dark green cloak. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Armor/Cloak Name: Praying Shadow Rarity: Orange Durability: 100% ? Description: A cloak made out of the wings and scales of a praying mantis. ? Perks: +50 (A) Agility / +10 (A) Defense / +5 Senses ? Additional Abilities: C Wind Blessing: At a negligible cost of mana, Praying Shadow allows the user to glide. C Enhanced Stereo Vision: Allows the user to judge distances better. ? ? ? ? ? This is considered armor, huh? Equip, he said and the cloak vanished just like the other items before he felt his stats go up in consequences. When he was done with that, he had already arrived at the vige. He would have to go through the rest of the loot after returning to ck Steel. Once entering the settlement, he directly went to the house where he had separated from Gaelius but halfway there, a voice resounded from behind him, I see youre back. Raknas expression twitched as he turned around. He raised an eyebrow at the old man who began to chuckle. You dont need to look at me like that. Sneaking up behind Hosts like this is one of the few fun things I can do at my age, he said with a smile. So, how did it go? Did you clear the three floors? I did. Gaelius rubbed his beard. You probably did more, didnt you? You wouldnt have taken so much time otherwise. How far did you go? What difficulty? I finished the normal difficulty. The old chief nodded. Thats what I- And the hard difficulty. thought wait, what? And the fiendish difficulty. Gaelius opened his eyes wide in shock and before he could say something, Rakna added onest thing. And I killed the Hidden Boss, he stated with a nk look. youre doing this on purpose, arent you? Youre taking revenge on me? My poor old heart is being manhandled for just ying a prank? Gaelius said with a weary sigh. Just give me the rewards, old man. Gaelius stopped his act and snapped his fingers. ? ? ? ? ? Gaelius Kein has confirmed the Questpletion. ? 1 000 Talys added to the Bnce. 100 Exp acquired. A third reward will be given to you personally. ? ? ? ? ? Frankly, I never expected you to clear the Fiendish difficulty. If you had maybe gotten to thest floors of the Hard difficulty, I might have understood but I have never seen a new Host like you clear the most treacherous difficulty of a Dungeon, along with the Crimson Centipede, one day after joining the System. Ive been told I have talent, Rakna shrugged. Look at you, Gaelius snorted. I dont know if you truly have that much ego or are still messing around with me. Youre quite a brazen brat for someone with that face, he said and pulled out something from his pocket. Here, this is the third reward. Rakna tilted his head as he took the object. A badge? Yes. I was originally going to give you the Steel grade, but after all of what youve done, this one is more worthy of you. Rakna scowled and used Appraisal on the emerald badge in his hand. ? ? ? ? ? Badge of Honor C Emerald ? Description: A mark of distinction distributed by the Pavilion to meriting Locals. There are ten grades: ? Bronze C Steel C Silver C Gold C tinum C Emerald C Ruby C Jade C Diamond C Ebene Diare ? Each grade has its own benefits within the Pavilion. Locals have the right to give a Badge of Honor to anyone they deem worthy. The grade of the badge they offer has to be two grades lower than their own at the very least. ? The holders of a High-Grade Badge of Honors are considered nobles of the Pavilion. Those who hold the rank of Diamond or Ebene Diare are also said to be even more powerful than some of the top-ranked Hosts. ? Emerald Grade Benefits: ? C 20% discount on all products purchased at the Pavilion. C VIP treatment in all businesses affiliated with the Pavilion. C Enforcement right in all areas owned by the Pavilion. C Precedence to services. C You can use the badge to navigate through the teaus you have visited before without requiring to pass by the Pavilion Hall. ? Note: This badge has been automatically registered with your ID. It can now be used as so. Keep in mind that Hosts do not possess the right to give Badges to others. ? To increase your rank, different conditions will have to be met and the Pavilion will have to acknowledge your achievements. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna blinked at the badge in his hand. Old man, did you really just give me a nobility rank? Gaelius grinned. That I did. How do you like it? Rakna gazed at the old man with squinted eyes. If he had understood correctly, this badge was quite a weighty recognition for probably Hosts and Locals alike. On top of that, he had been given the sixth rank; the Emerald Grade. That would imply that Gaelius was at least Jade Grade. Are you sure about this? I dont think Im nowhere near strong enough yet for this grade. Do not fret, young man. Only Jade grade and above have strength requirements. I gave you the emerald because I believe you have the potential to surpass it. Just ept it. Rakna gazed at the old chief for a while before pocketing the badge. Im still skeptical of your supposed belief in my potential. Gaelius chuckled and pointed at him. Potential How could I find a better potential than the one of a day-old Host King with legendary and divine blood on his hands. Raknas eyes widened a bit. You can see my titles. He wasnt asking but stating a fact. Correct. Locals have that nifty authority. However, high-level titles like yours are hard to see for most Locals. I also notice that you have veiled your Legendary Title sincest Ive seen you. Raknas expression became colder as he remained silent. Now, now, young man, Gaelius waved his hand. Do not be like this. I merely want to tell you; if you are trying to hide something, the Badge of Honor might be of some help in the future if you ever be a target. I see, Rakna said and nced at a virtual chat box that his lenses projected in his eyes. The others seemed to be done with their exploration. Ill be going now, old man. Though, I have a question before leaving. Oh? What is it? What is someone of your caliber doing here? Im sure you could ughter any monster thates out of that Dungeon. Gaeliusughed lightly. Dont you remember what I said earlier? Im here in retirement. But well, honestly, I guess you could say that Im just on vacation. I understand. In other words, this job is as easy as taking a vacation for you. Gaelius nodded happily. Exactly, young man. You have it figured it out splendidly. Rakna deadpanned at the obvious sarcasm and turned around. Thank you for the gift, he said as he channeled his mana to his wings concealed inside his body which then converted the mana into a propelling force. Artzpul. He shot up in the air and activated Artzpul a few times before to get to a reasonable height. He then instinctively activated the Wind Blessing of his cloak and started being carried by the wind currents. He then used Artzpul one more time to boost himself horizontally and leave the area. Gaelius watched on with a smiling expression. Quite a fascinating way to fly, hemented and returned to his house whilst chuckling. Chapter 61: Trafford Chapter 61: Trafford Rakna pushed himself forward with another Artzpul while pondering, This method of flying is costly but at least, I dont have to show my wings for it. As he was thinking that, his HL ringed again and connected a call likest time. Finished? Rakna asked immediately. Yeah, An responded with a grunt. It was annoying as heck, to be honest. Basically, when we entered the ruins, a horde of level ten monsters spawned and attacked us. At first, it was rtively easy but it went downhill pretty fast. They would alwayse back and with an even higher level. Indeed. Additionally, it was impossible for us to leave the area, Nyx added. There wasnt any prompt for you to decide if you wanted to continue or not? Rakna inquired. No, via answered. But I think youll understand why if I tell you that, at some point, every monster was level 17 and we couldnt go for any longer. When that happened, and An was about to get mortally wounded, they all suddenly disappeared without leaving a trace. I see Rakna squinted. In other words, this challenge you went through is a sheer survival game and it stops whenever you fail to be able to go on. Yes, thats what we thought as well and thats what our AIs told us. But they also said that there were different types of ruins. Did you get anything after the challenge ended? Yep, An chirped merrily. We each got 5 000 Talys, several Items, and a few skill cards. Im not going to lie, while it was annoying, it was profitable. What level have you reached? Oh, well, cuz we partied again, we leveled up quite efficiently and now Im level 15 while Nyx and teach are level 16. So, youregging behind, huh? Hey! Not my fault! Ill remind you that my void magic isnt really being useful right now while these two cheats kill on sight; literally. I did my job as a vanguard or else we would have been done in way earlier. What about you, Rakna? via followed up. How did it go on your side? I cleared the Dungeon three times. Each time in a different difficulty that was proposed to me. I got a lot of Items from it, so Ill give some to you. As for my level Im close to hitting 20 and Pronos is about to hit 17. Ha! See, I told you! An eximed and the girls stayed silent. Told what? Rakna asked back. We made a bet on how far ahead of us youd be. I said 20, teach said 18, and Nyx said youd be the same as us. Now, girls, I want my one hundred Talys. I admit I severely underestimated how much experience a Dungeon could give, Nyx sighed. And I shouldnt have believed for even a second that Rakna would do less, via said with an equally defeated tone. Hahaha! And An merelyughed like a kid who had gotten enough money to buy candies. Rakna listened on with aplicated expression. Should he praise An for having that much faith in his abilities or rebuff them for betting on his person? Nyx is right though, he then said, catching their attention. It wasnt the Dungeon that gave me the lead. I was level 16 when I entered it. Huh? Wait, wait, wait, that doesnt make sense, An uttered. When we called you, you said you had just found the Dungeon and that was not even half an hour after we separated from the Battle Trial. What did you do to increase your level like that? Remember the two dinosaurs we saw fighting? I do? Why? No! Dont tell you did what I think you di- I killed them both. you know what, girls. Keep your Talys. This bet was wed since the very beginning. I agree. Same. Rakna resisted the urge to roll his eyes. In any case, Im on my way to the station. Are you guysing as well, or not? Youre going back to ck Steel already? Yes. I want to go to the Pavilion and see if I can sort the Items I got. Then, Ill take a look at the second half of the Pavilion and meet up with Gray. I dont mind going back, via said. Ive had to use my telekinesis a lot more than my magic. I would like to rest, to be honest. I also am tired from trying to manipte Aeter, Nyx supplemented. Well, lets switch situations then. You guys can leave first. I want to reach level 16 before going back, An dered. Understood. Nyx, via, if you want toe back with me, Ill be at the station in a few minutes. Well be there, Nyx said and the call ended. Rakna tapped twice on his temple to make the clock of his HL appear. He then looked at the map and at the small icon representing the train. Apparently, ck Steels Spear would stop by every half an hour, and the next one was in ten minutes. Five minutester, he reached the station and saw Nyx and via leaning against the wall of the station. They also seemed to notice him as he cut off his cloaks gliding ability. He free-fell and with onest Artzpul, a counter-force blew the dust on the ground and allowed him tond softly. ? ??? Artzpul has leveled up! x2 ??? ? I see you arrived before me, hemented as he walked up to the two women. By barely a minute, Nyx rified. How were you flying just now? An told us you had taken off with a pair of wings. What happened to those? Theyre still here, Rakna retorted. Theyre just retracted. Thanks to them, I unlocked a skill that generates a propelling force with mana through them as a medium. I used that instead along with an Item that allows me to glide. Though, its incredibly inefficient. Its slow if I dont use more mana to elerate and the minimal cost is already 2 MP per jump. And I suppose you are not going to tell us why you have wings in the first ce? via asked with a smile. Rakna shrugged. Habits die hard. But if you want, I can tell you it has something to do with what I did to Aqu while you were away. Hmm, interesting. Ability steal? Nyx tilted her head to the side. Not exactly but I cant say that youre wrong, Rakna said and mused. And yes; you have another mystery to uncover now though. Another mystery? I got a second Nirvana Skill. I wish this train was faster, via uttered and Rakna snorted. ? * * * ? Sometimeter, the trio was descending from the train, back in the underground station of ck Steel. Rakna could already hear the city noise from there. So, where are you going? Nyx asked him the moment they disembarked with several other Hosts and Locals next to them. While in the train, Alexa told me there was a shop called Trafford that does business in rebuying and processing monsters and beasts. I intend to go there first to sell the Dreorins bodies as well as a Hidden Boss I killed. Dreorin? The dinosaurs. Oh, via eximed in understanding. Then well go with you. We also have a body we want to sell. Our AI told us it was very valuable. A body? Where? Nyx was the one to provide the answer as she showed a ring around her finger. I got this spatial ring as one of the rewards for clearing the ruins. Its a T.10 but its more than enough to store a few items and the corpse of a squirrel. a squirrel? Rakna almost tripped as they climbed the stairs of the station. A Gold Eater Squirrel, to be exact. Its a super rare animal that can eat and digest gold. All I know is that this supposedly makes its entire body even more valuable than precious stones. We found one hiding in the ruins. That sounds weird, Raknamented dully as the three of them reached the surface. They all nonverbally agreed to fly off toward their destination; with Rakna in the lead. But, as long as it is valuable, I say why not. I could have not said it better, Nyx smiled. After a few minutes of flying, they reached a prettyrge and popted street with one particr building catching their attention. It was quite big but not anythingparable to the Pavilion. It had an eastern design and seemed to be made of only wood. Theynded on a side of the street that seemed to be purposefully open for people who could fly and followed the flow of the crowd until they stepped through the front doors of therge building. Once again, the second they entered, at least three-quarters of the people disappeared as if they had never been there. A Filter Dimension, Raknamented as he looked around the warm interior of Trafford. The trio then looked around until they spotted different signs above certain doors or arches. There seemed to be different sections for different kinds of clientele. In their case, they quickly found the sign that said Corpse Vending. What a pioneering terminology, Nyxmented with some amount of satire in her voice. I dont know. I kind of like it, via said offhandedly as they approached the entrance. Once again, when they reached the other side, people around them vanished. But this time, there was not anyone else but them and two tall men wearing ck suits. One of them walked to them and asked in a detached voice, ID. Rakna pulled out something from his ring and showed it to the man. Will this do? When the guard saw the emerald colored-badge, he nearly lost it and promptly made a ny-degree bow. Absolutely, sir! I will immediately bring you the VIP area, he said with a cordial tone and beckoned his colleague who nodded and stepped away to make a call. Please follow me, someone will be there to wee you. Rakna hummed in response and started following the guard with an astonished Nyx and via behind him. They had simply no idea of what he possibly could have done in a few hours outside of the city that could have given him ess to VIP treatment. After following the guard for a short distance, they were led to a small private room where a handsome man wearing a business suit weed them with a smile. Wee to Trafford, Sir. My name is Baires, Im one of the boards executives. Please take a seat, he said and waved at the couch to his right while he went to sit behind a desk. Rakna quietlyplied with Nyx and via apanying him. I never expected that I would receive an Emerald Grade customer today; someone who is a freshly new Host to top it off. Are you perhaps a Descendant? A Descendant? Rakna raised an eyebrow. Yes, Baires nodded. A Descendant is themon way of referring to Hosts that are born within the System. But, going by your reaction, I was incorrect in my assumption. You must have had a good encounter then. You could say that. Baires chuckled and crossed his fingers. Now, what can I do for you, Sir? Chapter 62: Item Box Chapter 62: Item Box Im here to sell the bodies of three creatures. Oh? May I ask which? Baires inquired with a polite smile as he took a sip of his tea. However, inwardly, he was already thinking that he would be handing him worthless things like goblins or lizards;mon monsters on the First teau. Heck, a few people would sometimese to Trafford trying to sellpletely normal animals like rabbits. Maybe bears, tigers, or something might have been barely eptable, but rabbits?! Two Ancient Dreorins. Level 44 and 45. As well as a level 20 Crimson Centipede. Baires spat out the tea he was drinking and started coughing. His head had been briefly filled with rabbits and that had made Raknas words sound even more incredulous than they were. R-really? Two Ancient-ss Dreorins and a Hidden-ss monster? Rakna cocked his head to the side with an unreadable expression and spoke one word, Yes. Do you have them on you or? Baires was about to ask how could a new Host possibly carry such humongous creatures until he saw the Tier 5 spatial ring on his customers finger. His jaw almost dropped. I-I see your Emerald Grade is not just for show. Can you please tell me what species were the Dreorins before I give you an estimate? One of them was Triceratops and the other was Stegosaur. Oh, and their level were respectively 44 and 45. All right. In that case I could buy you the Dreorins bodies for 30 000 Talys at face value. But I have to see their state first. As for the Crimson Centipede, I can offer you 40 000 Talys. Once again, I would have to see the state of the body. Rakna was surprised by the figures which was a feeling the two girls next to him shared. Thats a generous amount. Of course. Their level aside, Ancient-ss Dreorins are rarer than their normal counterparts and their body parts are also more valuable. As for the Crimson Centipede, its value cannot simply be overvalued since its status as a Hidden Boss makes it precious enough already. I see. Where can I show you the bodies then? You could hand them me to me right now, Baires said then thought of something. Oh, sorry. Do you have Item Box? Rakna scowled in return and he chuckled. It seems you dont. It is a skill meant to be used in conjunction with a spatial storage. It allows you to visualize everything you have stored graphically and also manage it. Baires rubbed his chin in thought then opened a drawer before pulling out a small box. He opened it and its contents were constituted of literal decks of Skill Cards. He grabbed one of them and fanned it before picking a certain one. After putting the box away, he gently threw the card to Rakna. Consider this a small gift from my part. It is not that expensive anyway. I just hope we can maintain a good rtionship in the future. Rakna took a look at the card and the description of it. It was indeed called Item Box and it did exactly what Baires had exined. [My View Shall Reach into the Void in the Palm of my Hands,] after pronouncing the chant and learning the skill, he just thought about it and it appeared just like his status. It was a System window with a toolbar at the top and the rest filled with a quadrilled zone with each slot containing something different along with a color to go with it. He tried to use his mind to select one of them but it didnt work. He tapped it with his finger instead and a smaller menu appeared; disying things like Equip, Destroy, Exchange, etc It was a very video-game-looking and useful ability but the thing that caught Raknas attention the most was that it was the first time a System window had required him to touch it. As you can see, it tells you of everything you currently possess in external spatial storages. Now, press on the Sort button to bring what youre searching for to the forefront, Baires provided and Rakna followed his words. He sorted the Items by nature and filtered out anything that wasnt an organic object. In a matter of seconds, the only cases filled in his vision had caricatures of the Dreorins and the centipede. It also disyed things like its name and level. All right. You can now select Exchange on the menu and initiate a trade with me. Rakna did as he was told and his System automatically connected to Baires. The specifics of the exchange cropped up in front of both of them and only needed to be epted after setting the prices. Lets see Baires used his own Item Box to select the bodies. In his vision, a 3D model appeared right in front of his eyes, in the exact state in which the bodies had been stored. He raised an eyebrow in confusion before looking at the two other bodies. Other than the Triceratops who had a part of its chest blown off, the two others are in very good condition. The Stegosaur seems to have been decapitated very cleanly as well so there is no problem there, he said, skillfully hiding how shocked he was by that information, and paused. But why does every single one of them have their hearts gouged out? Rakna remained emotionless as he replied, Noment. Will it lower their value? Well, not by a lot but it will, Baires mused and added a sum to the trade. Do you assent to this price? 62 000, Rakna muttered that number calmly but couldnt help but feel amazed. Large amounts of money would always have that effect on people. I ept. Youre the expert here. Splendid, Baires smiled. I already epted the trade on my side, you only need to do the same. Rakna nodded and pressed on the button that said Finalize Exchange. And just like that, therge bodies that were stored in his ring were seamlessly transferred to Baires spatial storage while his bnce suddenly went by 62 000; making it exactly 87 200. A pleasure to work with you, Baires said pleasantly and proceeded to look at Nyx and via. Do thesedies have anything to sell as well? A Gold Eater, Nyx said candidly and Baires froze. Sorry? I must have heard wrong. Can you repeat? A Gold Eater Squirrel is what we want to sell. Baires made a veryical expression as he heard that for a second time. Give me a minute, he said and rushed out of the room, leaving the trio together with the security guard, who awkwardly stayed still until his boss came back forty secondster, carrying a sort of golden electronic scale. He put it on the table facing the couch before covering it up with a nket. Could you please put the squirrel here? Nyx nodded and her ring shed shortly. A small squirrel with glittering golden fur then instantly appeared on the scale. Baires knelt next to the table and inspected it very carefully. He lifted the legs of the animal, checked its underside, and then its neck before looking at the scale. He gawked at the numbers disyed on the small screen of the apparatus. Um, are you okay? via jolted him out of his daze and he rapidly stood up straight. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak. This is indeed a Gold Eater Squirrel. No doubt. Now, what you have to know is that a Gold Eaters value depends on how long the animal has lived and how much gold it has eaten in its life. Based on those variables, the price could go from a measly one thousand to a million Talys. via hupped at the price and Nyx blinked in surprise. On the other hand, Rakna appeared curious more than anything else, What makes it so valuable in the first ce? Everything, Baires said as if he was expecting that question. Its eyes are filled with mana molded into the Gold Element. Its blood can make anything edible with just a drop of it; pick a rock from the side of the road, put a drop of Gold Eater blood on it and itll be a delicious treat. It can even heighten the taste of normal dishes. Its very sought after by chefs. The meat of a Gold Eater is very expensive as well, and dont get me started on its organs that are sometimes called the gift of the Alchemy God. Theres also its fur that can be used as an enchanting medium. this sounds like something that shouldnt be on the First teau, via muttered. Bairesughed as the high he got from having a Gold Eater in front of him died down. A teau has their own local specialties. Gold Eaters are only seen on the First teau and its something that gives a lot of ie to ck Steel. Anyhow, this squirrel you have brought me is in perfect condition. Not even a drop of blood has been spilled, which is a very good thing. It weighs roughly 600 grams and seems to be twelve years old. Its concentration of Gold Mana is about 168. In other words, 860 000 Talys; thats how much Im willing to give you for this squirrel. via couldnt make any sound and Nyx didnt even know what to say. Its not like money was something she had ever worried about, but giving one squirrel for what seems to be a fortune was an incredible experience. Thats a lot of money, Rakna broke the silence with aidback but nheless impressed tone. Indeed, Baires nodded. Especially for new Hosts like you, it is quite a fortune. Now, to be sure, are you willing to sell this squirrel to us? You could auction and it might be sold for even more. Nyx snapped out of it and shook her head. Its all right. I will sell it to you. You were kind enough to exin to us how valuable this is so its only fair. Thank you, Miss, Baires smiled and bowed. He grabbed an empty briefcase from below his desk and ced it on the table open. Retire 860 000 Talys, he uttered and the case was filled with a bunch of shining Talys. The bnce limit of a new Host is 100 000 so here you go. You can take this briefcase and deposit everything in it at the Pavilion, he said as he pushed the money toward Nyx. This briefcase has been made so that only the person who closes it can open it again. I will give it to you along with the money. The former goddess nodded in understanding and confirmed with her AI that there were indeed 860 000 Talys in front of her before closing the briefcase. Baires then proceeded to store the Gold Eater Squirrel inside his own spatial storage and smiled good-naturedly at the trio. Will that be all then? Yes, Rakna said and stood up. Thank you for the honesty during this trade. Naturally. I pride myself on my fairness and professionalism. If you ever have more bodies to sell in the future, pleasee to us. Since we are a business affiliated with the Pavilion, we have branches wherever the Pavilion is. So, we might see each other again in upper teaus. In that case, lets meet again, Baires, Rakna said and exited the room with Nyx and via along with the guard guiding them. Baires sighed contently as he looked at the new entries in his Item Box. Other than the Gold Eater, the bodies werent much for someone of the higher teaus but Baires didnt forget who gave him these and where. A Host that arrived on the First teau the day before hade to him to sell Lv.40+ creatures and a Hidden Boss. He could only shiver in excitement at what kind of things he might bring them in the future. Chapter 63: Sorting Chapter 63: Sorting Are you sure that I should be keeping all of it? Nyx asked via as they were on their way to the Pavilion. Its fine. You were the one who found the squirrel, after all. But you were the one who caught it. All right, what about this; why dont you just bank it and youll withdraw a bit of it whenever any of us need some, via offered. Or you could just split the money equally and deposit it at the same time since youre in the same Guild, Rakna intervened with a nk tone as hended on the roof of a building and used Artzpul to regain his momentum. You know, the logical thing to do. The two girls looked at each other and giggled softly. Lets go with that then. Also, dont forget to give some to An. He deserves it. No worry. I was nning to do so already, Nyx dered. After that, they soon arrived at the Pavilion and climbed the left staircase. See youter, Rakna said just before he stepped on thest stair and the girls nodded at him. In the blink of an eye, the noise of the crowd disappeared and he was now in the empty lounge hall. He walked up to one of the couches and practically copsed on it. At the same time, Pronos came out from under Sonata with a yawn. You really like sleeping, dont you, little guy? Pronos hissed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his tail. He then jumped on the empty side of the couch and looked around as Rakna opened his Item Box. To sort his items, first of all, he dismissed all of the gray items since they simply had no worth to him. Their quality was low and they had no special ability whatsoever. He also filtered out every weapon since they were useless to him at the moment. As for the armor, after confirming with Alexa, he knew that it was impossible to wear more than one type of armor at once. In other words, he couldnt just equip a chest te over another chest te. So, he ignored every piece of armor that was a cloak, a cape, or a pair of boots. When he was about done with the basic filters, Pronos jumped on the table in front of them and curiously looked at an object lying on the table. He pressed on it with his tail and the TV fixed to the wall lit up. | This morning, a member of Nine-Tailed Wolf n was sighted on the streets of ck Steel as he carried a lost child back to her mother | Rakna immediately sat up and looked at the television with owlish eyes. | Unfortunately, the surveince system around that area was in maintenance so we were not able to get images of the scene | Thank god for my luck Rakna mumbled in relief, nearly out of character. At that time, although Pronos had been hiding under Sonata, the scarf in itself was something that could have given him away. He could only hope that they wouldnt mention it or just forget about it. | However, many witnesses have reported hearing the Nine-Tailed Wolf introduce himself as Obsidian. This story has spread across the city like wildfire. Many citizens are praising Obsidian for the noble deed he performed. There have also been rumors about an official reward that the Mayor decided to hand over personally- | Rakna reached for the remote and turned the TV off with pursed lips. He stared at the ck screen for a moment before lying down again. Lets act as if nothing happened, he whispered meekly and Pronos sweat dropped. Rakna resumed his sorting whilst pushing what he had just seen to the very back of his mind. He started by looking through the armors that he had collected. Most of them couldnt evenpare to the cloak or the boots he was wearing but he nheless picked out the best ones and equipped them without hesitation until his whole body was protected. Of course, their defense hadnt stacked. On average, the protection he wore increased his defense by 15. This wasnt like a game where the more armor you had, the tougher you were. Ultimately, you just had to think about it logically. The armor only protected the part that it was covering, nothing less, nothing more. The only exception to that rule was the cloak which added a defense over the armor. Once he was done with that, Rakna used the full potential of his Item Box to separate the items he wanted to sell, keep, or use for himself into three different windows. His focus then turned to the essories. After asking Alexa, he learned that there was a limit of five that could be equipped at once. This also meant that he had four of them already used up by the ring and ne he got from the Dreorins as well as the spatial ring and Ulvias Veil. Though, in the end, he reced Ulvias Veil with a ne that increased his senses by ten and granted him a skill called Scan Life, which revealed to him the life forms around him as far as his sense value allowed him to. As for thest slot, he chose to equip a simple ring that made him capable of casting a basic fireball. This was an item that he had gotten from the giant ants on the sixth floor of the Dungeon. He also took the asion to properly equip his spatial ring so that it would not be materialized. Thest things he checked were the consumables. There were only four of them; two healing pills, one healing potion, and one stamina potion. All of them were Tier 9 and had a dark green glow to them. Alexa proceeded to exin that items ssified with Tiers also had colors to them that matched the spectrum of rarities. For instance, Tier 10 was still gray, but Tier 9 and Tier 8 were dark green and light green respectively. After all that, Rakna tried to make Pronos equip some of the items but it failed. Alexa spoke right after, [Pets can only equip items that are specifically made for them. Those items are generally quite scarce and also do not drop just anywhere.] What about the pet shop that Kaelith mentioned? [The pet shop is a privilege for pets with high potential. It proposes items that can be bought for a certain currency called Teilys. Pets can earn that currency by killing monsters but they also gain a set percentage of the money their Host acquires. For example, if you collect 1 000 Talys, Pronos will have 250 Teilys added to his bnce.] I see. It makes sense, Rakna remarked as he closed the Item Box. He stood up and Pronos jumped back on his shoulder as he began to head to the shop. When he opened the doors of the shop, a chime sounded and he instantly spotted Kaelithzing around on a sofa while reading a book. When he came in, she looked over and smirked. Hey, wolfy. How did your day go? do you live here or something? Hah, as if. Im notified whenever you enter the Pavilions second floor. So, I juste here and wait for you. And what if I donte to the shop at all? Rakna inquired as he took a seat in front of her. Well, I just finish my read with a pout and go back home, she giggled and closed her book. She straightened herself with her tails waving from side to side. So? What is todays business? Im here to sell some items. Oh? What kind? Rakna took a few seconds to ponder on how to answer. All sorts. Sixty two of them? Kaelith blinked. She sighed and slowly rubbed her eyes. seriously? Yes. She let out a dry chuckle and waved her hand. All right. Just pull them all out and Ill make the inventory of them. Rakna nodded and opened his Item Box to initiate a free trade. When Kaelith saw the window pop up in front of her, her expression shifted many times until settled on Okay, sure, she uttered with a dull voice and epted the trade. Im totally not shocked that you have a skill that costs a hundred thousand Talys. Definitely not. A hundred thousand? Raknas eyes widened a bit. I had no idea it was that valuable. He told me it wasnt that expensive when he gave it to me. Who? Kaelith looked away from the window with a curious twinkle in her eyes. A guy called Baires. We went to Trafford beforeing to the Pavilion and he attended to us. She scowled. Why would an executive of Trafford personally you know what? Never mind. I dont want to know. I finished calcting. Here, she said and forwarded a transfer request. ? ? ? ? ? Kaelith Yahkshasa offers you 5 650 Talys. ? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna selected yes without missing a beat. After witnessing a million Talys deal, he had already be desensitized to this kind of amount. Still, how did you get that many items? It should be from a Dungeon, right? And based on what I see here, it should be Seed Grotto. Did you enter the Hell difficulty? Did you join a party? No, I was solo. I did three runs and what I sold to you is most of what I got there. Of course, I kept a decent part of it for myself and my friends. Kaelith exhaled loudly. Youre truly unbelievable I guess I will have to get used to it. Though, you must have a high luck value, right? Thats the only thing that could exin the sheer quantity of loot you got. The drop rate is proportionate to luck? Yes. The higher the luck, the more you get. Hosts and even Locals with high luck are very valued by Guilds and other organizations for the treasures they can provide, Kaelith exined patiently as she stood up and approached the shops counter. She grabbed a teapot that was ced there and a bluish me surrounded it for a few seconds before she poured herself a cup of tea. There are also people with skills that can transmute items from corpses. For instance, Trafford happens to have quite a few of them to process the corpses that are sold to them. Rakna abruptly narrowed his eyes as her voice came from his left. He had been looking at her for the entire time but before he knew it, she was already back on the sofa adjacent to him while sipping on her drink. When Kaelith saw his reaction, she grinned mischievously at him. Whats wrong, wolfy? You look as if you had seen a ghost. If only, he replied after schooling his expression and she red at him through half-lidded eyes. She then turned her head to the side and Rakna followed her line of sight to see Sylvie, the small fox pet, jump over the counter with a box on one of her tails. Looks like your little friend bought something, Kaelithmented as she received the box. Rakna nced at Pronos who seemed very eager to see what was inside of it. She unsealed it and was startled to see what was inside. It was another pill; one with a gold and red hue. This is wolfy, how much money do you have? Hm? Rakna tilted his head. Right now? With what you gave me, I have 92 850 Talys. Kaelith groaned as she heard that and picked the pill up and showed it to him. This thing here has a market value of 50 000 Talys and is sold for 35 000 Teilys in the pet shop. I figured you would like to know, she said with a wry tone as she flicked the pill with her thumb. It flew right to Pronos who jumped on Raknas head to eat it faster. Right after swallowing it, his entire body started shining with a cyan light. Chapter 64: Do Not Seek the Answer, Reach for it. Chapter 64: Do Not Seek the Answer, Reach for it. Rakna felt really heavy. I feel really heavy, he voiced it with an even tone. I bet you do, Kaelithughed. Rakna sluggishly turned his head to the right where he saw the head of a white snake with blue eyes sticking out his tongue at him and hissing softly. Until this point, it was mostly a normal thing. What wasnt though was the size of said head. If he didnt know better, he would have thought he had a literal python coiled around his neck and body at the moment. Pronos had be at least six meters long with a girth probablyrger than a regr python but lower than an anaconda. I have to say; an S potential pet is something else. To grow to that size at that level is impressive, Kaelith remarked as he savored her tea. Rakna raised an eyebrow and mentally brought out the litt the big guys status. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Pronos Master: Rakna Xiorra Age: 3 | Level: 16 (120/160) Race: Eion Snake | Title: Nil Path: Ouroboros Potential: S | Rank: I ? Attributes: Strength: 4.5 | Endurance: 10.6 Speed: 13 | Dexterity: 2 Intelligence: 5.6 | Luck: 3 ? Avable Attribute Points: 5 Avable Skill Points: 1 ? Statistics: Stamina: 76/76 | MP: 114/114 Swiftness: 47.2 | Agility: 27 Senses: 31.2 | Atr Cap: 38.7 Attack: 58.3 | Defense: 67.56 Magic Attack: 36.8 | MP Regen: 0.77/min ? Proficiencies: C Bite (Lv. Ex) C Grapple & Strangle (Lv. Max) C Mana Control (Lv.3) C Mana Sense (Lv.1) ? Magic Skills: C Poison Magic (Lv.3) => [Acidic Venom (T.9); Poison Fog (T.9); Paralyzing Fog (T.10)] C Infinity Magic (Lv.1) ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Poison Resistance (Lv. Ex) C Pain resistance (Lv. Max) C Fear Resistance (Lv. 6) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv. 4) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Poison-Secretion (Lv.9) C Camouge (Lv.8) C Anesthetic Secretion (Lv.4) C Gigantism (Lv.1) ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Eion Scales: +20% Defense. C Eion Poison: Poison Secretion can produce Eion Poison. C Eion Blood: 50% increase to MP and Stamina. C Night Vision: Light Amplified Sight. C Thermal Vision: Infrared Sight. C Echo Vision: Sight acquired through sound feedback. ? ? ? ? ? Other than this magic and mana proficiencies, the only thing that truly differed from before was the skill Gigantism; which Rakna promptly appraised. ? ? ? ? ? Gigantism (Lv.1): This is a skill that can only be learned bypatible beings. It allows them to modte their body size under a limit set by their level and proficiency in the skill. When transforming, attributes will not be altered but be aware that static numbers do not imply that nothing will change. Heavier mass, longer reach,rger body to control Although your bodys capabilities would not change, everything else would. Although this is a powerful skill, the rarity of its able users makes it cheap enough for most people to get one. The limit size that one can reach with this skill can also depend on how much of the users body is mable by molecr energy. ? Cost: 1 Stamina for every percentage of increase or decrease in size. ? Note: When ingesting the Gigantism pill, users that are notpatible will be at risk of seeing their body implode with only a very low chance of sess. ? ? ? ? ? I see. So that means you can return to normal, right? Pronos nodded at his question and his body immediately began to shrink. Rakna gradually felt the weight on his shoulders disappear until it was barely noticeable. Pronos had not only shrunk back but he now was even smaller than before; around thirty centimeters long. It was apparently fully premediated as he happily snuggled under Sonata with considerably more ease than before. It also felt even more spacious to him. Rakna sighed in relief right after, confusing Kaelith. For a moment I thought I would have to call you something other than little guy. The fox woman sweatdropped. Your priorities really arent right, wolfy. Maybe. Hey, can I also buy this pill? He asked. What? You mean you want to use the Gigantism pill for yourself? She raised an eyebrow. It is avable to Hosts in this shop but let me tell you that it is disgustingly rare for a humanoid species to bepatible with it. Even us pureblood who generally have two forms, have no chance of beingpatible with either. I get that, he replied, silently noting to himself the info that she had just given him. Still, is there a way for me to know if Impatible or not? Well thats automatic. Browse the item and if you arepatible with it, the System will tell you. If you are not, its all the same. Rakna nodded and opened the shop window. Alexa. [Right away,] she replied andplied with her Hosts unspokenmand. Within a second, the item he was looking for appeared in front of him. The description was the same as he had just read but there was one line at the bottom that almost made him want to smirk internally. ? ??? ? Scanplete. Three forms have been discerned within you. Therian; Not Compatible. Wolf; Compatible. Werewolf; Compatible. ? ??? ? Ill buy it, he said without hesitation. eh? Kaelith eximed. No way, right? Youre joking right? Foxy, I said Ill buy it. The vixen opened her mouth and closed it with a groan. Goddammit fine then. Do it. Rakna confirmed his purchase before she could even finish her sentence and the System informed him of something that he almost had forgotten about. ? ??? ? Total Value of Your Cart: 50 000 Talys. Emerald Privilege Detected. Final Value: 40 000 Talys. ? ??? ? Rakna then watched Sylvie rush in the back store and then turned back to Kaelith who had most likely gotten a simr notification as him since she was staring a hole in his person with even more intensity than when he said he wanted to buy the pill. How. Did. You. Get. A. 20%. Discount? She asked mechanically. Rakna had a lot of things he could answer with. He could also just tell the truth but he decided to summon his inner Gray, Im just that awesome. sorry, my bad. Obviously. How could I not have thought of that? It all makes sense now, she nodded exaggeratedly. As if it would!! She then snapped immediately. Are you saying that after all the shit Ive done for the Pavilion, I dont even get to have a better discount than you?! What kind of preferential treatment is that?! Rakna pursed his lips and blinked with a nk expression. He stood up and slowly backed away from the panting enraged beast in front of him until he was leaning against the opposite wall. She frowned at him. What the heck are you doing? Strategic retreat until the storm passes. Kaelith red at him for a moment before sitting down again with a sigh. Your sense of humor is all over the ce, wolfy. Its not like I would kill you over this or something. Rakna cocked his head to the side as if saying really?. okay, maybe Id break an arm or two but not anything too bad, she said dismissingly and he snorted before returning to his seat right when Sylvie returned with the box. Lets get this over with, Kaelith said with a sigh. Dont worry, one day Ill be immune to you. I swear it on the name of my n, she dered as she opened the box and pushed it toward him. Challenge epted, Rakna quipped as usual and grabbed the pill inside the box. He took a look at it and put it inside his spatial ring for now. Is there anything else you want to buy? With the money you have right now and that godforsaken discount, you should be able to get quite a few nice items. Rakna mused before shaking his head. I will save it. I feel like I can get by with my current loadout and I also have a lot of luck as you said. I can probably loot whatever I would need. Some people are truly too gifted to be fair Kaelithmented. At this rate, youll probably reach the 500th teau in about a year if you dont waste time. A year? Its that easy? Rakna inquired. Kaelith snickered. Well, depends on how you see it. You see, any of the more talented Hosts can probably reach the high teaus in a few years. But do you know why there are so few of them that proactively continue to the 800s or 900s? Rakna squinted and pondered about it for the first time. He already knew there was a three-year deadline to go from one teau to another. He also knew that some Hosts would supposedly take all of that time to train before Oh, he eximed. I see. Strong Hosts can quickly conquer the teaus, maybe in a few days or a few weeks, but as they go up, the harder it gets. The harder it gets, the longer they have to stay on one teau. Which is only natural. But something bes obvious at some point. Kaelith smiled. She knew he had already figured it out. If they continue to go up recklessly like that, they will at some point fail toplete the Trials in time. Add to that the fact that there is no goal to aim for and people will naturally decide to spend those full three years, not because they want to get stronger as much as possible, but more because they do not wish to risk their lives for an inexistent goal. So, it would only be the logical thing to simply take life in stride and live for as long as possible. Kaelith nodded. Exactly. People like that; they do not stay on one teau because theyre notpetent enough. They just believe that there is no point in climbing. For them, conquering the Trials is a sort of part-time job and instead, they spend their day fooling around, making a family, explore their hobbies She paused. I wonder, wolfy, will you be like that too? Rakna closed his eyes in thought. Would he? He had no idea. He certainly wanted to conquer this System at the moment. He didnt like it one bit that he didnt know why or how he even had to be thrown into this situation. But, in the end, as much as he was determined to see through this, no one could really tell if their future self would actually respect that conviction. He might just give up at some point and settle down somewhere just like Kaelith said. But He said as he opened his eyes. That is not a question for today. No one ever gains anything by posing questions that cannot be answered. It only slows you down. Most solutionse to you, not the other way around, he uttered and stood up. Thanks for the small talk, foxy. Later, he said and left the shop. Kaelith hummed and picked up her tea. She heated it up again with her mes and drank the rest in one go. Not a question for today, huh? Perhaps but that, unfortunately, means itll have to be answered someday. No matter what, she ced her cup down and disappeared from there when Sylvie jumped on herp. Chapter 65: Titanism Chapter 65: Titanism Alexa, is there an advantage to deposit your Talys other than to not hit the bnce roof? Rakna asked as he walked out of the shop. [There is. To be exact, there is a disadvantage in keeping all of your money on you as there exist skills capable of stealing it.] Rakna froze for a second and made a beeline toward the bank. He opened the door and a chime just like the shop rung as he stepped inside. This new room was quite different though. It wasnt as spacious as the shop and there wasnt nearly as much furniture. The only thing of note was a wide counter right in front of the entrance. Many documents could be seen spread on it and several screens were disying things that looked like ounting books. AH! Imte, Imte, Imte! He heard a female voiceing from his left and soon enough, someone mmed open a door that was there and dashed inside. Im so sorry! I fell asleep! She screamed apologetically. The neer was a woman of average height with long pink wavy hair and big bubbly green eyes. And, Rakna had never unironically considered this term when describing someone before but he couldnt help but think that this girls skin looked like porcin. She wore very thick-looking white clothing as if it was made of unprocessed wool and her figure was also quite pronounced. But, in the end, what caught his attention the most was the pair of coiling horns to the sides of her head and the fluffy big ears under them. A sheep? Rakna thought. There was also something about her that felt extremely out of ce. She carried a very long and broad sword between her arms. She was hugging it, in fact. It looked like a nodachi at first sight and Rakna wouldnt have cared much about it if it wasnt for the fact that the weapon was even taller than him and was at least three times wider than a normal nodachi. He got jolted out of his thoughts when the girl bowed to him and concurrently got the sword out of his sight. Im a temporary worker for the Pavilion, Im so sorry if you have waited, she told him with small tears in the corners of her eyes. Its fine Ive entered this room barely seconds ago. Still, it should have been my duty to wee you the moment you entered! She shouted back in the split of a second. Its fine Rakna didnt know what to say. This girl looked so stressed right now but she also seemed to be seeking reprimands. Could you just help me deposit my money now? Ah! Yes, she said with a beaming expression and as she was heading toward the open side of the counter, she tripped on the tip of her own sword and face nted on the ground. Rakna and Pronos watched silently as she stayed still for about three seconds before slowly standing up with even bigger tears in her eyes. I-Im not hurt, okay? She stuttered out bashfully while rubbing her reddened nose. what is this adorable creature? Rakna couldnt help butment inwardly. After that little episode, she finally was behind the counter as she should have. She sat down on a tall chair, with her sword still in her arms, and smiled brightly at Rakna. Wee to the Pavilions bank! My name is Lanata Ovis Venera. You can call me Lana! She said in an upbeat voice. Im Rakna Xiorra. This little guy under here is Pronos. Nice to meet you, she said and then attempted to put on a more professional expression that only managed to make Rakna, out of all people, find her even cuter. Pronos was also staring at her with glittering eyes though it was more because he thought her hair and clothes looked veryfortable to sleep on. So, how can I help you today? Ah yes. I want to deposit my money. Understood. Do you have an ID? Rakna nodded and pulled out his badge. When Lanata saw the emerald object, she gawked at it in pure awe. Ah! When she noticed her behavior, she promptly stood up. Im sorry. I didnt mean to stare- Ow! she said and tried to bow again only to hit her forehead on the counter. Raknas expression twitched as he saw her rub her forehead with teary eyes. This is bad. This girl has too much power, he thought in all seriousness. Um, y-you just need to scan your ID on this device and input the amount you want to deposit. If this is your first time, you will have to also set a personal lock, Lanata said while handing him an object that strongly resembled a credit card reader. Rakna reached for it and swiped his badge over the screen. His ID was then disyed on it and a message appeared to tell him to choose a 12-digit code. He lifted an eyebrow and nced at Lanata who looked back at him with a tilt of her head. Then, when she saw his frown get deeper, she yelped and turned around with another apology. Rakna shook his head with a sigh and entered his code. Then, the message turned into a request to get his fingerprint. He blinked in surprise and pressed his thumb on the screen. It quickly made a scan of it and then asked him to inject mana into the device. This is quite an extensive security, he muttered unconsciously as he channeled a sliver of mana. Yes, Lanata said and turned around after confirming it was okay. At the end of the day, the bank is something that is derived from the System mechanics but was created by the Pavilion. It is thus susceptible to hacking. One can never be too prudent. Hm, does that mean the System has a sort of infrastructure that can be programmed? He asked as he entered the amount of Talys he wanted to deposit before his System made a confirmation. Yes! The Pavilion has the best programmers in the entire System and amongst them is even the holder of the Nirvana Skill; Cypher Dominion, she told and received the scanner back. She took a look at the number of the operation and typed it on one of the tactile monitors in front of her. All right! Everything went well. 50 000 Talys have been sessfully been transferred, she said with a smile before her mind caught up with a few things. Eh? 50k? Emerald? New ount? New Host? Yesterday? She mumbled to herself as if she was trying to find the solution to a puzzle. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Lana. It was a nice contrast to my shopkeeper, Rakna uttered and she looked up startled. Ah, huh, yes. The pleasure was mine, Sir! Call me Rakna. A natural exchange if I call you Lana, he said with a wave of his hand and turned around toward the exit. See you again. Yes! Pleasee again, Rakna, she said with a happy smile and Rakna opened and closed the door with a slight curve on the edge of his lips. When he was out, he looked at the time and headed to one of the training rooms next. When he passed the doorstep, he was faced with a spacious white room lit by a roof entirely made of tiles of light. When he ced a foot inside, the door closed automatically and a synthetic voice echoed throughout the ce. || Wee, Host. I am at your service for as long as you remain here. Please demand, and I shall present you with the training environment you require. || Rakna hummed. borate. || Acknowledged. I am the Training Rooms Interactive Interface. I am connected to the spatial warehouses of the Pavilion and can offer you any equipment youd need for your training. It is possible for me to give you something as simple as a target or even fill this entire room with water if you so desire. || Interesting. For now, I do not need anything. Stay on standby. || Acknowledged. || Rakna walked to the center of the room and unwrapped Sonata from around his neck. He put it on the ground next to him with Pronos still unwinding in it. All right, first of all Rakna muttered and closed his eyes. His skeleton started bending and his fur grew until he had to store his clothes. When he opened his eyes, he was in his wolf form. He looked back at his tails and grunted when he saw how many of them there were. He had tried to control the number of tails he grew in this form by trying to feel the establishment of the nerve connection during his transformation and cutting them off with mana and soul power. However, ultimately, the number of tails he ended up with was eight. Well, at least I know its possible, Rakna mumbled then sat down. He mentallymanded his spatial ring and pulled out the Gigantism pill. He grabbed it with his paw and threw it in his mouth before swallowing it. During the first seconds, he felt nothing but soon enough, his body went through the same thing as Pronos. His whole body radiated a blinding light which, interestingly enough, didnt affect him too badly. At the same time, a System window opened in front of his eyes. ? ? ? ? ? You have ingested a Gigantism Pill. Race of the Host: Nine-Tailed Wolf Error! Royal Luqu Genes Detected. Error! Overwritten Human Genes Detected Final Correction: Nine-Tailed Werewolf. Calcting ? Compatibility Quotient: 123% Gigantism has been learned! Gigantism has mutated into the Nirvana Skill; Ascension of the Titan. ? Ascension of the Titan: A skill said to have been gifted to the System by Kronos himself after having been saved from imprisonment in Tartarus. This power allows the user to turn for a definite amount of time into a Titan with unparalleled strength and momentum. ? Effects: Your physical size and attributes increase by 400%. You will have increased regeneration and boundless mana for the duration of the skill. ? Cost: All Stamina. All Mana. All Psychic Power. Three Days of Crippled State. Duration: (Level*5) Seconds Cooldown: 336 Hours ? Note: Caution is advised when using this skill. When activating it, your mana, stamina, and mental power will be condensed and released all at once to grant you near unlimited energy for a limited period of time. Because of this, even the most resilient of beings will undoubtedly copse out of exhaustion. ? ? ? ? ? little guy, Alexa, Rakna spoke as he read the text. Im starting to think that its not only my luck; this System just loves me. What do you think? [] Chapter 66: Training Chapter 66: Training Well, this one at least is a true ultimate ability, Raknamented. Alexa, define what Crippled State means here. [It implies a period of time where youll be unable to regenerate mana, will have slower healing from all aspects, and your stamina will deplete considerably faster. You will also be unable to use most of your skills.] I see truly ast resort. Unfortunately, it was mutated from the Gigantism skill so I cant use thetter as I expected to but its not a bad trade. I can always try to buy another pillter, he said and turned back into a therian before once again transforming into a wolf. This time, he had seven tails. He growled and spent the next ten minutes repeating the process until a few of his proficiencies increased in level. After that, the number of tails he had was finally equal to how many he had unlocked. He had also tried and couldnt get that number below two. A short moment after that, the interface of the training room spoke up, || Gray Whisles requested permission to enter. Do I let him in? || Gray, huh? Yes, Rakna replied and the door opened instantly. The cyber clown went through with a whirl of his cane and spotted him right away. So, you were here. Youre a bit early, he remarked as the door closed behind him. When he saw Raknas form and the number of tails he had, he tilted his head. What happened? Didnt you have all nine tails in that form? Only two of them were actually mine per se. I wanted to change that number so I would be able to transform without risking too much, Rakna answered and shifted back at the same time. From what I understood, people with several tails can change into an animal version, right? So, I should not be suspected as long as I dont change into a werewolf in front of people. Hm, that is true, Gray nodded. Though, what brought this idea up all of a sudden oh god, he facepalmed as he realized something. Howe I didnt make the connection faster? Obsidian. Youre the one whos all over the news, arent you? maybe. Dont be droll with me. It truly is a miracle that there isnt an image of the scene in a city like ck Steel. Youre even luckier that the Nine-Tailed ns nobility makes it almost politically dangerous formon folk to take pictures of you. Rakna blinked in surprise. Thats an odd detail. Is the Nine-Tailed n that big of a deal? A lot more than you probably are thinking right now. You see, nine-tailed creatures are noble pureblood beings with tremendous power and their n is as influential as the Pavilion. They are born with nine tails and the power of Mystic Magic. It is simply not possible for someone to be a nine-tailed creature if not by birth. Truly, they are the very definition of nobility; borderline royalty for all faunas. But cant other beast men or even animals grow tails? Yes, they can. But they need to be pureblood, in other words, born from a lineage of sentient tailed beasts without mixed blood, and they also cannot grow more than eight tails. Its simply their limit that was engineered at birth. You are born as a nine-tailed or you are not one. Thats it, Gray stated then pointed at Rakna. Then, theres you. You have the blood of a nine-tailed wolf but you seem to still be growing your tails. I still havent had the chance to ask you so; what are you? Rakna tilted his head. Havent you seen what I did to Aqu? The old bird? Gray frowned. Didnt you just talk with him? I wasnt there since I had to wee the Hosts on the First teau. My job didnt revolve around you only, you know? I see, Rakna uttered and fell silent afterward. Gray stared at him for a minute straight before he was forced to speak, Okay. I get it. You wont be telling me shit. Just be sure to not reveal yourself in the future, and lets get on with this training already, he said and walked over to stand right in front of Rakna. We have a lot of things to go through, honestly. Lets see, where should I start The clown squinted and put his hand on his chin. Lets start with attributes and statistics, shall we? You must have experienced it to some extent already, right? How do you feel about it? About what exactly? Rakna asked back. Well, how do you feel when your attributes increase? Same question with your statistics. Rakna thought about it for a few seconds before opening his mouth, Id say when my attributes increase, I feel as if my entire body is invigorated somehow. When the initial pain goes away, it settles into an odd sense of satisfaction. As for my stats, when they are either affected by my attributes, my items, or my skills, its as if I am getting something on top of everything. My highest stat are my senses and the higher it goes, the more I feel like its bing something that cannot be exined by anything present on my status. Gray nodded satisfyingly. You have a good grasp of it. Now, let me expound on a few points. The most important thing you have to know is the specific difference between attributes and statistics. You must have at some point wondered why it was like that. Why not just have attributes? Rakna nodded. He had indeed had that thought at first. To understand it, lets take your attack as an example. I have the perfect scenario for that too. Imagine you have a car in front of you and lets say you had a hundred attack, could you destroy that car? Yes, Rakna answered without hesitation. He had gotten a pretty good idea of what that number could do and a normal car would probably not hold out for long under it. Correct. But, in that same scenario, would you be able to lift that car instead? that would depend on the persons lifting strength, Rakna said and understood what Gray meant at the same time. Correct again. You can see the attack stat as someones explosive power. Something that is put on top of your base strength and can also be increased with weapons and techniques. You also need to know that to lift something heavy, not only do you need sufficient strength but also enough endurance to sustain the weight, Gray said as he mmed his cane on the ground. This is true for all statistics and attributes. They all work together in a certain way and knowing that fact can be tremendously beneficial in a battle. Should you try to use your superior attack to block an enemys blow, you have to remember that if your opponent has lower attack but higher strength, the deadlock will be lost by you. Do you understand until now? Rakna nodded while processing the information. Good. Now lets move on to one of the most important mechanics of all; Ascent. Hosts also call it capping or scaling, Gray said while waving his hand. A question for you, Rakna; how high do you think my strongest attribute is? Me, a ranker from the 900s. Rakna raised an eyebrow. A thousand? Nope. Five thousand? Nope. ten thousand? Nope, Gray grinned wider. fifty thousand? Nope. Just tell me already, Rakna muttered and the clownughed. Its He paused for dramatic effect and showed nine fingers in total. Nine hundred. Gray continued to smile as Rakna closed his mouth. you could have given it to me when I said a thousand. Wheres the fun in that? Gray cackled. But, lets be serious here, the System actually gives a lot more attribute points than just through leveling. Hunting, Dungeons, Ruins, Quests, Promotions a lot of things can give you free points. In fact, your guess of fifty thousand would be the most urate one if that was all there was to it. Then why is yours so low inparison? Ascent; a mechanic put in ce by the System where when an attribute reaches a new hundred, it bes capped and ascends. In other words, once you reach 100 on any attribute, you be what we call a First Ascent and then have to use two free points to increase that number by one. That is why skills with attribute multiplicators are very sought after, especiallyter on. I see Rakna mumbled. But thats not the only thing about it, Gray added. When you Ascend, no matter which of the attributes reached 100, every other will also be required two free points to be increased. That sounds incredibly infuriating. You dont tell me, Gray groaned with an annoyed voice. Thats why there exist things like Dual or Triple Ascents. It means raising several attributes equally and make them ascend at the same time. It is a slightly slower process but it is efficient. Personally, Im a Dual Ascent. That means you have two attributes in the 900s? Yes. Unfortunately, that also means my other attributes are down by a few hundred. Rakna mused. Has there ever been Hosts who chose to ascend all of their attributes? Gray snorted. Of course. There are always people like that. But, its a self-destructing move in the long run. It takes too much time and you be a weakling for people with specializations. There is also the fact that with each ascent, the value of an attribute point changes dramatically. Someone with 500 Strength would lose 90% of the time at wrestling against someone with 501. Rakna immediately thought of The Scavenger when he heard that. Would his Nirvana Skill allow him to efficiently be a Quinary Ascent? If he did it right, it probably wouldnt be too hard but he also wasnt sure if his skill would behave the same way when absorbing ascended attributes. In any case, thats all I have to say about this subject, Gray announced and Rakna abruptly sensed a short-lived spike of manaing from him. He became coated in a very thinyer of transparent energy and if Rakna hadnt had Mana Sense, he probably wouldnt even have been able to notice it. All right, the clown said slowly as he grabbed his cane with both hands and unsheathed a hidden de. His cybeic features turned red and a wide grin appeared on his face. For the next topic, lets take a more practical approach, shall we? Chapter 67: Aura Chapter 67: Aura Rakna hastily grabbed Sonata and pulled out his cigarette case inside the same hand. He turned the scarf into a Guandao with practiced ease and blocked an overhead strike from Grays sword cane. He instantly felt as if he had just tried to stop a truck going at full speed. His hands were so numb after the impact he thought they were broken. But his instinct kicked in as always and made him jump back without even thinking. He then activated his Fabled Sight and saw a brief surprise on Grays face before it went away. [Swords of Liberation], the three swords materialized and shot off toward the clown who let out a chuckle. He simply ignored them and dashed forward. When they touched his body, it was like seeing paper being put into a shredder as the cold energy was destroyed. Raknas eyes widened when he saw that but he was forced to quickly recover when Gray rushed at him with an even higher speed than before. This time, he snarled and his fangs grew along with a bit of fur. He had entered a semi-transformed state. His attributes increased by about 20% and he used them to dodge the clowns strike and summon Gungnir as fast as he could. While it was still forming, he thrust it at the clowns stomach since the difference in size between the two of them didnt allow him a much better essible target. Sadly, Gungnir ended in the same way as the swords and was destroyed at the first contact with Grays body, or to be exact, the very discreet membrane of energy around it. Rakna clicked his tongue internally and used Artzpul to retreat. He swapped his Guandao for the bow and pulled the string. Seven Eion arrows condensed at once and were shot right after. After evolving twice, Sonata had not only increased the number of arrows it could produce but also the damage it inflicted in all of its forms. Gray watched the arrows fly at him and grinned as his cane sword blurred. Before Rakna could even react, the arrows were shattered midair and a de was pressed against his neck. Lets stop here for now. You already achieved the purpose of this spar, Gray said as he sheathed the de. Rakna grunted and lowered his bow before it turned into a scarf again. Thanks for holding back, I guess, he said as he wrapped Sonata around his neck and Pronos, who was had been spectating the fight, came up to him. At least, you know that, Gray snickered. If I hadnt been holding back, I would have cut you in half along with your weapon before you could even realize it. Im a Warlock too; my main ascended attributes are intelligence and speed. I could have ended you with a single T.10 spell. Are you done boosting your ego? Rakna deadpanned. Yes. Yes, Im done, Gray said contently. Anyhow, did you see what happened during our small spar? Yes, my magic was dispelled the second it touched the weird carapace around you. Gray nodded. Thats Aura. Its an active-passive skill. It has no cost and you can consider it as a sort of delocalization of your internal powers. Instead of having them inside your mana pool or your muscles, a bit like Ki, you take it and coat your body with it. And thats what stopped my magic? Yes, Aura is raw mana mixed with internal force and it fights back when another kind of energyes in contact with it. People also use it as a means of intimidation or showcasing of their power. Aura is very important when facing magic users. Lets take something like Blood Magic for example. Without any defensive measure against it, someone with that element could just take control of your blood and impale you from the inside. Aura prevents something like that. Hm, what about something like telekinesis? You mean like the Nirvana Skill of your friend? It is the same idea, yes. Telekinesis can only be used on things perceivable by the user, so she wouldnt be able to twist your insides or something but she can break necks, pull out eyeballs, strangle, twist fingers and limbs, stuff like that. What? Gray chortled. Too graphic? In any case, to avoid that happening, you can either have such a strong body that you can ignore the telekic force or you use Aura to repel the external influence. If Aura didnt exist, powerhouses would most likely be dying left and right. Of course, if the power exerted on the Aura is too strong, it can be bypassed but that usually doesnt happen with people of the same level. So? Rakna uttered. How do I do it? I guess I could try to externalize my mana but I have not the slightest idea of how to use internal force. Gray smirked. Are you sure? You should already be using it though. What? Have you forgotten? Reinforcement; you have it, right? oh. Yep. Oh. I get that reaction a lot. Many tend to forget the description of Reinforcement. Internal force is a sort of synonym for stamina and the skill uses it alongside mana. You probably have the image of Ki being something you can make energy waves or fly with but honestly, its just the budding energy contained in your muscles and cells. In the System, that represents the source of energy for skills that require stamina to function. Makes sense, Rakna muttered. That exined how some skills could disy magic-like effects without using mana. What about soul power? Could I add that to Aura? Yeah, sure. Soul power is a ve ry nice say what now? Soul? Did you say soul? Gray repeated with a dumbfounded tone. Are you able to control your soul power? I am. Uh well damn. To be clear, soul power isnt something managed by the System. It is something that belongs to you only but it is indeed a very useful thing to have. Most people dont have the necessary talent to even sense their soul, much less control it. How did you do it so quickly? I have a skill for it, Rakna shrugged. I had it ever since I woke up in the Initiation. Truly, some people are just born with talent, Gray sighed. To answer your question, yes. It is possible to add soul to your aura. If you want to see the specifics for yourself, why dont you try to manifest your aura? It should barely take a few minutes for someone like you. And if you really can control your soul power, use it as a recipient to form your aura. Itll make things easier. Rakna nodded and sat crossed-legged on the ground to meditate. If he wanted to manipte his soul, he needed to concentrate carefully. He then followed Grays advice and covered himself in his soul power to use it as a recipient for the mana and internal force. He proceeded with the step that he would probably be able toplete the fastest. The soul mold he had made gradually became filled with mana. From an outside perspective, Gray was curiously observing as a very rough aura began to emerge from Raknas body. It was jagged and although the mana seemed to be kept in check by the soul power, it was still in an unstable state and seemed to be seeping out instead of staying in ce. Rakna himself was aware of that fact. His MP was dwindling and if he had understood correctly, it wasnt the desired result. But before worrying about that, he had to find out how to use his internal force. He didnt know how to picture it nor did he have any idea on how to sense it as he had done with mana. So, he decided to activate Reinforcement hoping that it would fill in what the Auracked at the moment and get a feel for it then. Good call, Graymented inwardly as he saw the unperfect aura be sharper and release less mana due to the effects of Reinforcement. Rakna had immediately felt the difference after activating the skill. He had even somehow begun to be able to picture the three energies around him as three lines of different colors. He gritted his teeth as he imagined the three lines get bigger and bigger as they ovepped. But he seemed to becking one final push. His soul and internal force now seemed to be in perfect harmony but it was now his mana that was causing him problems. Before he could try ande up with a solution, it came to him in the form of a majestic blue star in his mindscape. Then, before he knew, the star merged with the line of mana and he opened his eyes to see himself surrounded by a membrane of blue translucid energy, releasing cold air strong enough to reduce the air pressure around him and cause gusts of wind in the room. Gray whistled in amazement as he stood unbothered by the wind while holding his hat in ce. Meanwhile, Rakna was flooded with notifications. ? ? ? ? ? Eyes of the Soul has leveled up! Mana Sense has leveled up! Mana Control has leveled up! Reinforcement has leveled up! Cold Star Magic has leveled up! Soul Core has leveled up! ? You have learned the skill; Aura! The skill Aura has mutated into Soul Aura! The skill Soul Aura has mutated into Cold Soul Aura! ? Cold Soul Aura (Lv.1): This is the natural evolution of the Soul Aura skill after entering in contact with Cold Star Magic. When releasing your aura, the temperature around you will drop considerably and could even cause harm to those weaker than you. Additionally, physical contact with you will have a chance of freezing the other party to the bone until the entire limb bes lethargic. ? For as long as the aura is out, magic power directly trying to interfere with the users body will be mostly nullified and external magic power or energy will be lessened depending on how strong both the users internal force and mana are. Additionally, any ice or cold-rted magic will turn into mana for the user to use for himself. The soul power infused in this skill makes it also a perfect protection against spiritual attacks of all sorts while the aura is active. ? Note: There is no calction for this skill. The Aura will repel offending energies as best as it can for the users body but it will be ineffective when an attack carries more power at once than the users stamina and manabined. Keep in mind that aura also gets weaker as you get tired during a fight. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna exhaled a cold breath as he took a look at his aura. He tried to touch it but he didnt feel anything out of the ordinary. He looked around and noticed that the wind he produced had died down after the entire training room was cold enough. He then heard the sound of someone pping and turned toward Gray. Cheers, Rakna. Not only did you learn Aura but your Star Magic was incorporated in it as well. I guess that is one more thing we didnt know about this element. Rakna grunted and stood up as he tested out if he could manipte his aura more concretely. After a few attempts, it seemed he could make it go colorless, smaller or bigger, and make it almost invisible. He also could modte how cold it was if he wanted to. Now, the clown raised his voice. Turn that off. Its time for your next and final lesson of the day. There are two verymon skills called Magical Damage Resistance and Physical Damage Resistance. I will have you learn them. Rakna scowled as he deactivated his aura. His mind also went back to what he had seen on the status of the Dreorins. And how am I going to learn that? Simple, Gray grinned and summoned a fireball above his palm. Get beaten up. Dont parry, dont run, dont use aura, dont use magic. I will hit you with magic and Ill pummel you until you awaken both skills. Your little friend should join too since he also needs it. Pronos started sweating when he was suddenly called out. The second he had heard get beaten up he had wanted to run away to watch from afar but it seemed he was going to get dragged into it as well. On the other hand, Raknas expression twitched furiously as the fireball continuously expanded as seconds passed. Ready or not; here ites, Gray cackled as he threw the fireball and caused an explosion in the training room. Chapter 68: Revision Chapter 68: Revision ? ? ? ? You have learned Magical Damage Resistance! ? Magical Damage Resistance (Lv.3): A skill gained after the body has endured enough damage for it to develop a resistance against it. Effect: Reduces iing magical damage by a percentage equal to the skills level. ? You have learned Physical Damage Resistance! ? Physical Damage Resistance (Lv.3): A skill gained after the body has endured enough damage for it to develop a resistance against it. Effect: Reduces iing physical damage by a percentage equal to the skills level. ? Ireful Shell has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna looked at those virtual boxes and huffed as he lied on the ground exhausted. His whole body was sore and bruised and even his clothes had been burned in some ces. He had also tuned out the voices triggered by his Ireful Shell and that had ultimately increased its level. Pronos was to his side at his maximum size with his tongue sticking out. He grunted and sat up to see Gray standing innocently in front of him. Nice, I love people with talent. You raised both skills to level 3 in just an hour, he said with a grin. It usually takes a lot more time but it seems even your body resilience is inhuman. Ill get you for this one day, Clown. Grayughed and Rakna grunted before changing the clothes he was wearing with a brand-new set from inside his spatial ring. Is this training over now? Hmm, Id say so, yes. I see, Rakna replied ndly and took out two potions; one green and one red, and drank them at once. Gray blinked in surprise at his actions but Rakna ignored him and stood up. He stretched his revigorated body and released his Aura to practice it a little bit. What are you doing? The clown tilted his head in confusion. Your training might be over, but mine isnt, Rakna said ndly and made a cold energy bow with Star Make. Interface Ill call you Trii. ce a square, unmoving target twenty meters away. || Howrge? || Human-sized. || Acknowledged. || Once the interface registered themand, a square target simr to one for archery appeared floating in the distance. Rakna faced the roof with his right palm and a swirl of cold energy surged out. He closed his eyes and focused on the shape of the construct. Gray watched confusedly from the side along with Pronos. After a moment, a four-edged sword modeled to be an arrow was condensed by the cold energy and the clown frowned. That is the spell he used against the golem. But it seems different. Rakna breathed in and out before nocking the sword-arrow onto the energy bow. He pulled the string and aimed at the target before whispering one word, Dinsleif. The projectile wasunched at high speed and reached the target equally as fast. Gray squinted his cybeic eyes and observed it happening in slow motion. When the tip of Dinsleif touched the target, it easily embedded itself inside but what happened next was unforeseen. Unlike the first time, it didnt explode. Instead, the four edgesposing the ded arrow split off from each other in a burst of energy and rotated at the same time. The target was shredded to pieces as the des spun toward the walls of the room but disappeared into particles before they could touch them. Rakna lowered his bow which was releasing small trails of cold energy and nodded at the result of his magic. It was apanied by an update to Dinsleif. ? ? ? ? ? Mana Control has leveled up! Cold Star Magic has leveled! ? The Sub-Spell Dinsleif has been updated. ? Dinsleif C Revised (T.7): The user summons a ded arrow with four edges and a feather-shaped handle made out of raw Cold Energy. It can be used with a bow made of the same energy or a normal one strong enough to resist the strain. Once shot, the arrow will momentarily possess an outstanding sharpness capable of piercing most materials. Then, the projectile will split into four des that will shot out from a miniature reversed cold energy explosion. These des will rotate at high speed as they are shot and will shred anything they go through. It is possible for the user to make the des explode instead of letting them disperse but the mana cost will increase. After revision; the cost has been considerably reduced. ? First Cost: 30% of the Hosts mana pool. (Soul Core Correction: 14%) Second Cost: 50% of the Hosts mana pool. (Soul Core Correction: 34%) First Attack: Users Magic Attack multiplied by 3. Second Attack: Users Magic Attack multiplied by 5. ? Unconditional Aspect: The attack will be increased by 2 for each additional mana point infused other than the initial cost. Note that this might lead to instability. ? Cooldown: 1h ? ? ? ? ? Rakna read the new description and was overall quite satisfied. He guessed that some spells just wouldnt allow a cost other than a percentage. Hey, Clown, are spells that cost a percentage of the mana poolmon? Gray blinked at him. Did you just modify a spell that the System had already recorded on your first try? He asked but it was in a tone that suggested that he already knew. He looked up and wondered where he had gone wrong in life. Clown. Yes, yes Itsmon. At least, every spell that gives you a multiplier to your magic attack has a cost in percentage, the cyborg said then mused. Hm, its true that I havent exined this to you yet. Let me tell you of the categorization of spells. Tier 10 to Tier 8 spells are considered beginner to intermediate spells. Most of these have a t mana cost. Tier 7 to Tier 5 spells are considered advanced spells. A lot of them have percentage costs and theyre the ones Hosts use the most generally. Tier 4 and Tier 3 spells are referred to as first-ss. The rarity shots up for these. Their cost type varies honestly. Ive heard of spells in this category that can do things like lift storms capable of destroying cities. Then, we have Tier 2 and Tier 1 spells. These are well, theyre called transcendent and divine spells respectively. Tier 2 spellsprise things like summoning a gate to hell. Tier 1 spells are in the realm of god; resurrection among others is one of them. Rakna scowled. Resurrection? Yes. Though, resurrection only is possible for a certain amount of time after death. There exist undead raising spells, however. They are located in the advanced section for the most part. What about Tier 0? Tier 0? Gray cocked his head to the side. Ive never heard of that. Oh. Then forget I said anything. Yeah, right. As if I could, the clown deadpanned instantly and shrugged. But whatever. Its your secret. Our guild doesnt mind that or we would have disbanded ages ago. Rakna snorted and looked at the mana he had left. He could try to revise Gungnir as well but he didnt have the same kind of inspiration as he had with Dinsleif. For thetter, he had gotten the idea of reform it so it would split apart and he felt like revising a spell wouldnt work without at least a simr idea. Little guy, were leaving, he told Pronos who was ying around with a gold and green aura around him. He had been even faster than Rakna to unlock it. To be exact, internal force hade to him a lot faster. He hissed in response when he heard his name and quickly turned back into a small snake before jumping on Raknas shoulder while powering off his aura. I guess that means youre done for the day? Gray asked as they both headed to the exit. Yes. Im going to eat something and go to sleep now, Rakna said as he put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. If I stay awake much longer, itll get annoying. Gray grew confused at his statement but didntment on it. When they were about to head down the stairs of the Pavilion, the clown struck his own hand, Oh, I almost forgot. Here. ? ? ? ? ? Gray Whisles has sent you a Friend Request. Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna furrowed his eyebrows at that. What does it do concretely? Well, friends can, enter the Pavilions floors together, ess private messages, ess the others location through a request, and they can also request the System to teleport them to the other as long as they have an item for it and that they both ept it, Gray listed while counting fingers. and you didnt tell me about this before because? I forgot. Then almost has nothing to do in your sentence, Rakna retorted as he selected yes. Youre right, Grayughed as they stepped through the Filter Dimension and ended up in the popted hall of the Pavilion. In any case, I will be staying in ck Steel for a few days so if you need my help for anything, just contact me. Rakna nodded and separated from him at the entrance of the Pavilion. He made a call with his HL and his three friends responded. An had alreadye back and they were apparently all at a caf waiting for him. They gave him the name and Alexa led him to it, updating the map he had of the ck Steel at the same time. When he arrived, the caf in itself was pretty normal, even by Earths standards, and the moment he entered, he spotted his group right away. They were chatting with four other people that he also recognized. I see youre all doing well, Rakna said as he approached their table and they turned toward him. Ah, good to see you too, Xiorra, Leis, apanied by Leia, Gantt, and Dan, replied to him with a good-natured smile. Sup, Leia said and the two other men just nodded at him. You were in the Pavilion for a long time, did something happen? via asked as he sat down at their table. Not really. Gray was there and we decided to train for a bit. Ah, yes. Our guilds should also be holding a training soon, An remarked. They announced it in the Guild Chat. What did you learn with the clown? Hm, Rakna mused as he selected what he wanted to order on a tablet ced in the center of the table. Theyre going to give you more details about the System, then probably help you awaken a few essential skills. Youll see in time. Hey, isnt that little guy smaller than before? Leismented as she saw Pronos eagerly jump out from under Sonata andnd on the table to order something to eat as well. Youre right, quite different actually, Danplemented. Pronos seemed to understand them and he jumped off the table. He activated his Gigantism and turned python-sized in a few seconds before coiling on himself and lying his threatening head on the table. They all opened their eyes wide in shock at the disy. He got a pill from the shop that made him learn a size-modtion skill. He can grow or shrink whenever he wants now, Rakna said as a waitress brought an entire strawberry pie to him. Speaking of skills, he added and three cards appeared in his hand, he threw two of them to via and one to An. via; those are Jade Rouse and Wind Incision. And An, if you dont have it yet, learn Scan. The two of them dazedly looked at the cards in their hands. Also, Nyx, here. Items I dont need, Rakna opened Item Box and exchanged the blue items he had kept. There were a few interesting ones for both magical users and closebat fighters. When Nyx saw the content of the exchange, she pursed her lips. She went over every item before epting the exchange, since she didnt have Item Box and would not be able to do so afterward, and grew more impressed with each one. If you dont need some of them, sell them or give them to Leis, Rakna said and stood up from his seat, catching everyones attention and forcing them to look at his empty te. How did you eat that pie so fast?! They thought unanimously. Pronos simrly gobbled up everything he had ordered and swallowed before turning into a small snake. That had been a very odd sight for everyone there. Im going to sleep now. Ill be at the same hotel as yesterday. ept this too, Rakna continued to talk without letting them react and sent them all a friend request that they numbly epted. Good luck with your training, he wished with a tone as stale as always. The group was left in silence before An smacked his lips together, Welp, can I see those items? Chapter 69: Duty Chapter 69: Duty C You will never stop the flood. C You will never escape the flood. The blood will always catch you. // THE POOL WILL ALWAYS DROWN YOU!! ? * * * ? Raknas eyes snapped open as they shed red. He sat up and panted as he covered his face with his hand. Oblivious to him, crimson flickering lights had surrounded his body for a second. He groaned and got out of bed after looking at the city through the window to his right. The sun had not even risen yet but he had no reason to go back to sleep at this point. This is grating Ill have to ask foxy if she has something against nightmares, Rakna muttered and nced at Pronos who was mutely sleeping on Sonata. The scarf never gets too warm or too cold thanks to the Eion energy coursing through it and the little snake seemed to enjoy it. Rakna snorted and visited the bathroom before changing. He then opened the fridge provided by the hotel and drank a small bottle of cold water. He looked at the clock on the wall and there were still three hours before sunrise. He mused for a moment and ultimately decided to wake up Pronos. The little snake first rubbed his eyes with his tail before Raknas intent came to him under the form of a mental missive through their connection. He yawned and slithered out from his nest in Sonata. He jumped on Raknas shoulder as thetter put his scarf back. He then left his room and silently closed the room behind him. A minuteter, he was out of the building and he now could see the cityscape with no lights from an inside look. Just like the day before, ck Steel had be devoid of any shing light and the only ones remaining were very faint glowsing from the ground and cars on the roads. It was just enough to allow people to safely navigate during the night. HLs also had a low-grade night vision integrated into them. Rakna joined the few people walking on the streets. He could have activated his Fabled Sight to see everything as clearly as daytime but he wanted to enjoy the nocturnal atmosphere. Alexa, does ck Steels Spear operate at night? [Affirmative.] He hummed and looked at the sky with squinted eyes. To be exact, he focused on the moon that was three-quarters full. Do you know what will happen to me when the full moon rises? [I do not know. I apologize.] You dont need to apologize. Its not your fault. Though, I guess you are saying this because of my situation, right? [Yes. There is no precedent data on Nine-Tailed Werewolves that I can go from. However, I can tell you that the full moon might not necessarily affect you. Ultimately, the moon is merely a celestial object. When a werewolf bes stronger or goes berserk under the moonlight, it is not because of the moon itself but mostly the individual.] I see. In other words, certain breeds of werewolves simply ignore moonlight while others have a gic reaction to it. [You are correct. That is why I cannot predict what will happen to you.] Then, when is the next full moon? Also, does every teau share the same time zone? [Four days. And the answer to your second question is yes. As we speak, every teau is at night time. Though you wille to know that there are some peculiar teaus.] All right. Thanks, Alexa. [Youre wee, Rakna.] As they were talking, Rakna noticed he had once again wandered into a shady part of the city. This time, it was even worse than when he had found that child. He activated Fabled Sight when it got too dark and looked around the dirtier alleys of ck Steel. He didnt know how far he had gone, but at some point, he reached a new street. However, it wasnt one of the main streets or roads. It was also considerably smaller and dirtier. There were also all sorts of makeshift tents and huts everywhere. This looks like slums, Raknamented inwardly as he gradually began to notice people with barely anything to cover themselves with sleeping on the ground or against the walls. Additionally, after a bit more observation, he realized that what enclosed this street were in fact the back walls of ck Steels buildings. It truly was a hidden dark side. I guess no matter how advanced a city is or how much like a game they make it sound like, reality will always catch up to you, he thought and stopped in front of a mother and her child. They were both asleep in each others arms but their bodies were shivering because of the cold. He gazed at them with a hollow look. Hepared them to the simr family he had helped in the morning and couldnt help but to note the difference. Truly, you cant escape it. He continued walking down that street without looking back, leaving behind him the two people hugging each other but with a brand-new nket over them along with a pile of Talys that he had just withdrawn from his bnce. [If I may, Rakna.] What is it? [I believe you are a very cynical person,] Alexa bluntly said and Rakna paused on his tracks. He didnt look surprised or mad about what she had just said. If anything, the feeling at the top of his mind was amusement. Why do you say that? [Because I find myself curious,] she admitted. [Why did you help them? They are strangers. From what I understand of you, you would have been very capable of ignoring them. This is an inquiry I wish to extend to what happened this morning as well.] Hm, Rakna mused as he resumed his walk. Summarized; you are asking the reason behind my actions because you do not understand them, correct? [That would be urate.] Answer me this; if I was in mortal danger, would you warn me about it? Alexa was confounded for a second before she answered, [I would.] Then, would you help me survive that ordeal as well? [Yes. I would do what I can.] Then I ask you; why would you? [Because it is my duty as your Artificial Intelligence.] That is my answer to your question. [is your answer duty? Are you insinuating helping those people was your duty?] Yes and no. It is a duty I owe to myself. It is a duty that one who wishes to call themselves humane must follow. It has nothing to do with justice or the yearning to be a hero. This morning, my duty was to kill trash that would harm and kidnap a defenseless child. The duty that came after that was to bring a scared and crying child back to her mother safe and sound. Rakna walked for a few meters without saying anything before he continued, My duty is to do what I know is right. My duty is to help anyone whose situation would be something Id like to be saved from myself. Im a hypocrite in many ways, but this is not one of them. If I ignore someone in need, it will not be because I could but because I had no other choice. Alexa tried to process everything he was saying and it felt like a painful struggle for her to actually incorporate those ideas in her mind. [Butis that truly something genuine?] Nothing is truly genuine, Alexa. But there is nothing more genuine than this. If you had someone that helped you in the past, wouldnt it be the natural thing to do to repay that person? Its just a different way of putting it. Duty. And not respecting that duty, makes you a coward. [With all due respect, Rakna, I cannot help but feel that this is a broken train of thought.] Is it a bad thing though? [] If being broken is a bad thing, what do you make of what you call normal people? Are they not broken? In that case, are they perfect? Are they all a good example ofpassion and morality? If that was the case, Alexa, this misery I see right now would be inexistent and we would not be having this conversation. With these words, none of them spoke again and Rakna soon reached the underground station after leaving the slums with fewer Talys and nkets in his possession. He patiently waited for the train and boarded it. When reached the wilderness, he turned into a wolf and deployed his wings at the same time. He had been using his werewolf formst time but after thinking about it, if he wanted to be faster, would it not be a better idea to use the transformation that increased his speed the most in the first ce? Thats why, after mentally pping himself, he flew off in his wolf form while using Stealth. The ce he was heading for was the Trial he had been looking for before being sent to the Dungeon by Gaelius. After ten minutes or so, he flew above the settlement he had stopped byst time and reached what seemed to be his destination. It wasnt an isle this time. In fact, it had nothing inmon. The only thing he could see was a granite altar erected in the middle of nowhere. It was exuding a sort of liquid-looking light and two disk-like objects were hovering above it. When hended near it, a prompt appeared in front of him likest time. ? ? ? ? ? You have reached a Trial Zone. ? Second Trial of the First teau Touch the altar and a road of light will be formed; leading to a goal line. After a five-second countdown, the race will begin and the disks will start flying toward it. Conditions to Pass: Reach the goal before the disks. ? ? ? ? ? Is this the so-called Race Trial? Raknamented as he neared the altar. He casually touched it with his paw and with a burst of light, an ethereal road of white light materialized under his eyes and also seemed to beplemented with invisible barriers. This meant that Rakna wouldnt be able to soar too high but he still could fly at low altitude. At the same time, the two disks whizzed toward the starting point defined by a red line. Rakna let out a snort, which sounded like a gruff grunt in his wolf form. He then walked to the starting line as well and spread his wings as the countdown reached its end. ? ? ? ? ? 3 2 1 Go! ? ? ? ? Chapter 70: Mental Trial Chapter 70: Mental Trial When the countdown ended, Rakna immediately shot forward with Artzpul, his wings leaving a silver trail behind him. Within a few seconds, he had already lost sight of the two disks. As expected, just like the first Trial, he was slightly overqualified. Even more so after leveling up nine times and scavenging the Dreorins. Rakna followed the path delimited by the Trial and single-mindedly flew at full speed until he saw a red line with a banner of the same color floating above it. It would only take a few seconds to reach it but what happened next nearly made him fear for his life. The barriers suddenly deformed and built an obstacle in his path. Wha?! His soul core warned his entire body of the danger as he pped his wings in the opposite direction as hard as he could. His feathers released even more silver mist as he slowed down and stopped right in front of the rectangr barrier. ? ??? Flight has leveled up! ??? ? Rakna ced his four paws on it with a sigh and fell to the ground after losing his momentum. He looked up afterward and watched the obstacle being retracted inside the barrier. If I hadnt stopped in time, my head wouldve been crushed like a watermelon, he muttered with a dispassionate tone and Pronos shuddered at the thought. Was this a trap for flying contestants? After that small incident, Rakna folded his wings and leisurely ran to the goal. He looked over his shoulder and saw the disks dematerialize in the distance as a System window came up. ? ? ? ? ? You have reached the end line. You have passed the Race Trial! ? First teau: 2/3 Trials Completed. ? ? ? ? ? Right after, the path of light and the barriers dissolved as well, and thendscape returned to how it was before. Well, only one left, Rakna remarked and his ears twitched as he heard noisesing from his left. His gaze sharpened and he wordlessly released his Aura. A wave of fire then swallowed him whole but he simply ignored it. His Aura fended off the mes as if they were nothing and its cold nature seemed to be a perfect counter as well. When the stream of mes died down, he looked around him and counted an entire horde of odd lizard-like monsters. They had a horn protruding from their head and spiky scales. After a quick appraisal, he learned that they were called Fire Basilisks, a variant of monstermonly seen in the System and which only came out a night. Rakna turned back into a therian and frowned as the effects of The Harvester hit him. His vision blurred and switched to a semi-Xray one. The pulsing veins and hearts of the basilisks were bared to him. The attraction one more time didnt feel as strong as Aqu and it was also weaker than the Dreorins but there was something different about itpared to both. The color was brighter and more spread across the creatures body. Seems like I need to learn more about this skill, Rakna thought and turned Sonata into a ive. He then activated his Intimidation which, coupled with his Aura, forced the basilisks to hesitate. Pronos took that as a sign to initiate the battle and jumped off before growing python-sized and breathe out a concentrated jet of acidic poison. The targeted fear-stricken basilisk couldnt evade in time and was hit by the poison right in the head. The lizard screamed in pain as its scales melted and a poisonous fog entered its nostrils. That had been the first victim of a one-sided ughter followed up by Rakna who summoned flying short spears with Star Make and impaled several basilisks with them while beheading another one with Sonata. After the effects of the initial Intimidation wore off, those who were the farthest away from Rakna or Pronos inhaled until their bellies bloated and released several waves of mes. But even with so many of them stacked on top of each other, Pronos and Rakna still were able to survive through it with nothing but their Aura and natural defense; both of them were already too strong for these monsters to handle. After a short minute or two, the twenty or so basilisks were lying dead on the ground. Rakna tore open their chests with terrifying calm and ate their hearts. The moment he bit into it, he noticed that the taste waspletely different. It was at least ten times better than what he had tasted until now and it recovered more mana and stamina than he had expected. As Rakna licked the blood on his fingers, his mind went back to something he had seen when he unlocked the Luqu gene. Compatibility This may point to the fact that my harvest is morepatible with reptiles perhaps? But then again, it could be rted to my currently integrated genomes, Rakna supposed as he collected the drops and the Talys. Wolves dont hunt lizards as far as I know but they might have been preys for Luqus instead. After finishing eating the hearts, he had gained a few new decimals of attributes and had easily recovered whatever energy he had used in the fight. He nced at the basilisks body and mused before putting them inside his ring. Its not like he couldnt and their description did say that their hide and scales were decently valuable. Rakna looked at the arrow pointing at the final Trial and shrugged. Why not. It can only be taken alone anyway. I could always do it first and inform the otherster, he muttered and turned into a wolf. Get on, little guy. Pronos nodded and wrapped himself around his masters neck after shrinking. Rakna gently wagged his wings then shot off into the sky with a burst of mana. After a dozen minutes, he arrived at the location of the third Trial. But, much to his confusion, the arrow was pointing directly at a small wooden house in the middle of a peaceful meadow. Hended near the front door and shapeshifted before knocking on it. After waiting and receiving no response, he tried to open the door only for it to open on its own right as his hand was about to touch the handle. He scowled as the door creaked and gave him a view of the houses interior. It was very dark; a detail that would have probably been the same even during the day since the windows were obstructed by thick curtains. The entrance led to a living room where a firece was the only source of light and where a silhouette sat on a chair half-illuminated by the mes glow. Rakna slowly entered with Fabled Sight active and his Aura set to its lowest visibility along with his Reinforcement pumping his muscles. If he remembered correctly, this should be the Mental Trial. It didnt sound like a Trial that would require him to fight but he could never be too cautious. He stared at the back of the silhouette sitting a few meters in front of him and after a few seconds, the voice of an elderly woman sounded. Wee, young wolf. Could you close the door? Do not worry, this is not a trap. Rakna scowled before shutting the door behind him. He trusted his instinct with his life and for now, nothing seemed to be screaming danger at him. He then walked to a side of the room where he would be able to see the appearance of the obscured individual. As her voice hinted, she was quite old-looking and Rakna would have honestly pegged her to be close to a hundred years old. But he also didnt know the average lifespan in the System so he couldnt make a guess. The old woman chuckled at the taciturn observation he was doing of her. I see that you are the fear-less and cautious typesbined. I will cut to the chase then. Im Flegra, the monitor of the First teaus Mental Trial. The monitor? Rakna repeated. Yes, I have been so ever since light first shone on thisnd. Raknas eyes widened. Are you insinuating that youre as old as the System itself? He had every right to be shocked since that would imply she was at least 3 000 years old. Flegra chuckled before nodding. Im getting old, arent I? I pass my days sitting here, weing Hosts every year and guiding them through the Trial. In all honesty, the day I began still feels like yesterday. Now, young wolf, are you ready to take the Trial? What will it be about? Mental Trialse in many forms. They test qualities such as your willpower, your wisdom, your memory, your wittiness, your ability to discern truths and lies My Trial will beposed of three questions that you will have to answer. I will decide at the end if you have passed or not. Rakna raised an eyebrow at that and listlessly leaned against the wall. Then start. The old woman smiled before lifting one finger. First question; what does one plus one make? pardon? He blurted out. I only require you to answer the question, young wolf. Rakna blinked several times before opening his mouth tentatively, 2? Flegra nodded without a change to her expression and lifted a second finger. Second question; if I were to attack you right now, what would you do? Rakna didnt know what to make of this Trial at this point. He thought about it but no matter how hard he tried; he didnt find any sort of hidden meaning in any of her words. So, he just answered honestly, I would run. She seemed to be pleased with that answer as her smile widened. She then raised a third finger. Last question; can you swim? Yes What do y-!? Before he could finish, he was suddenly hit by drowsiness and a crippling headache. He held his hand to his temple and his pupils dted and contracted several times continuously. When his vision somewhat returned to him, his lower body was submerged in water and the sky was overtaken by a storm. He looked around with a cold look and became aware that Pronos was nowhere to be seen. He tried to freeze the water with his magic but his mana didnt appear to be responding to him and after a while, the waves became stronger and the color of the water darkened. He stiffened when he recognized the color that was starting to mix with the water. His ears then picked up a bizarrely loud sounding from behind him. He slowly turned his head and looked at the source from the corner of his eyes. Hepletely froze in ce when he saw what it was; arge tide of gushing crimson blood loomed over his head and before he knew, it engulfed him. His breath left his lungs and his mind was invaded with voices and images. ? Poo..!..blood! we ke up.. TALK!'' ? His eyes started shing from purple to red and rage took control of his body. He transformed into a werewolf and roared with all of his strength. An icy aura erupted from his body and pushed the blood away. He continued to howl and the aura gradually turned red. As he was about to lose all control, a wave of soul power emerged from his body and shattered the world around him. He instantly came back to his senses inside Flegras house and panted. He instantly made sure to inspect his surroundings with Fabled Sight whilst stirring all of the soul power he could muster. The first thing he noticed was that he had turned into a werewolf and ripped the clothes he was wearing in the process. Other than that, he saw the cheerless expression on the old womans face and Pronos who was standing a few meters away from him. The little snake was watching him with a worried look as his body steamed for an unknown reason. Rakna also noted that the wooden floor under him was charred ck and that the temperature in the house was considerably higher than before. You made it back, Flegra said with a solemn expression and he shot her a re. It visibly didnt affect her as she continued, Please, calm down. I will exin what happened. Chapter 71: The Swamp Chapter 71: The Swamp How did you know? Rakna snarled whilst suppressing his anger. His face was still as stone but the venom that could be heard in his voice was very unusual for him to disy. Calm down, young wolf, Flegra raised her voice slightly and an invisible force pushed him down until he was forced to hunch his body. I dont want my house burned down because you cannot control your emotions. Rakna was surprised by the sudden disy of power but quickly recovered. He breathed in and turned humanoid again before donning on new clothes. You dare speak of control when you tried to pry into my mind? I didnt pry. That pool of blood, she said and ignored the frown on his face. Was the most buried thought in your mind. I merely stirred it. Didnt you realize that something confined within anothers mind is meant to stay locked? Rakna retorted scornfully. Flegra shook her head. It is the purpose of this Trial. I was meant to take what you hide the most and make you face it. That nightmare of drowning in blood although I do not know how it might have developed in you, was meant to be the Trial. However, I never expected it to surface like this. Your entire being went haywire and you almost burned down my house. Why do you keep saying that? I dont have any energy capable of doing that. The old woman looked at him in confusion. Dont you see the burning marks under your feet or the steam around your friend? He had been standing on your shoulder when the heat seized him. Rakna closed his mouth and nced at Pronos who had gotten closer. The little snake nodded at his inquisitive stare and he immediately brought up his status but nothing had changed. However, a few skills had leveled up without him knowing. Alexa, can you bring up any System windows that I have missed? He asked mentally but even after a few seconds, she didnt answer. Alexa? [yes, Rakna. Here they are,] she responded with a weird tone but Rakna couldnt ask questions about it as his focus was caught by the System prompts. ? ? ? ? ? Flegra has asked you the third question, the Mental Trial has begun. ? Your subconscious has been scanned; no weakness has been found. A trial of a higher grade will beunched. ? Your intuitive mind has been scanned; a weakness has been found. The Trial will proceed. Mental Simtion; Pool of Blood. ? Error. The System has lost control over the Simtion. The Hosts trauma is fueling its survival. ? Attempt to wake the Host; Failed. Attempt to cut off the Simtion; Failed. ? Error. Error. Error. ? An anomaly has been detected. Obsidian Blood has been activated. Ireful Shell has been stirred. Soul Core has been roused. Fabled Sight has been enhanced. Eyes of the Soul has responded. The Simtion has been terminated. Obsidian Blood has been negated. The unknown anomaly has been terminated. ? Ireful Shell has leveled up! Soul Core has leveled up! Eyes of the Soul has leveled up! Fabled Sight has leveled up! x2 Pain Resistance has entered Exceled state. Fear Resistance has entered Exceled state. Fatigue Resistance has entered Exceled state. ? ? ? ? ? What just happened? Rakna had never been more puzzled in his life. He had lived every moment of what had just happened to him but everything was a blur at best, so he truly was lost. His three resistance skills had even entered Exceled state. As you probably have just read, the System judged you to be too strong for the normal level and asked me to increase the intensity, Flegra admitted with an apologetic tone. I just never expected that bottled-up thought to be so chaotic. It is normally meant for Hosts to question themselves and face their demons before truly starting to climb teaus. Rakna scoffed and lit a cigarette, uncaring of what she would think about it. How stupid. There is no demon inside me that Im scared of. You got it all wrong. Im only scared of one thing; to break the promise I made to my uncle that I would never lose myself. As for this thing I have in my head, if I could face it, I would have already done so. I see Flegra lowered her head a bit. There have been people like you with strong traumas that came to me in the past. But, the explosiveness of yours is very irregr, to say the least. Are you done analyzing my psyche? Rakna retorted, his temper was still a bit stuck on the side effect of Obsidian Bloods influence. Believe me, Ive done that myself for years, I dont need you to bore me with more of this crap. Did I pass this Trial, yes or no? She smiled wryly. Yes, you did. Congrattions. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted the Mental Trial! ? First teau: All Trials Completed! You have gained the right to leave the First teau. Do you wish to exercise it now? You have 26 247 hours to make your decision. Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snorted at the conversion of three years worth of time into hours. Alexa, I will be able toe back here whenever I want after epting, correct? [Affirmative. With the badge you own, if you so desired, you could ept and return to the First teau within a minute.] All right then, he thought and chose yes. Then, the window became bigger and showed a buffering bar before listing something. ? ? ? ? ? Hosts strength has been evaluated. Youve met the minimum conditions for several other teaus. A skipping right has been granted. Please select: ? C Second teau C Third teau C Fourth teau C Fifth teau ? ? ? ? ? Skipping right? [It is a mechanic put in ce when a Host is stronger than the average standard progression. You have the strength to continue conquering the next teaus with ease. Thus, you have been allowed to skip them. However, one can never skip more than four teaus. To be exact, one can never skip a teau multiple of five.] Why? [Every five teaus, a new stage is introduced. Hosts have called it Biomes in the past. The first four teaus are simr in nature but that changes once it hits five. That applies for the tenth and so on.] I see to be sure, if I choose the Fifth teau here, I will be able to go to the ones I skipped, right? [Affirmative.] In that case, I will go to the Fifth teau. ? ? ? ? ? The selection has been confirmed. The Host, Rakna Xiorra, will now be transferred to the Fifth teau, The Swamp. You will be automatically dropped at a random location in thirty seconds. Brace yourself for the spatial transfer. ? ? ? ? ? Hop on, little guy. Were going, Rakna said and Pronos took his spot back on his shoulder after sighing in relief that his human friend waspletely calm now. The heat he had emitted earlier hadnt been very harmful to him or his scales as he hadnt stayed in contact with it for long but it had been very forbidding. It seems I was yourst Trial, Flegramented and Rakna looked at her. If you ever need a favor in the future, whatever it may be,e to me. This Trial revealed itself to be considerably harder for you than it should have. You almost died because of me and I will repay that mistake. He scowled at the sympathetic gesture but grunted positively anyway. He wasnt going to turn an apology down along with a free favor from a powerful entity like her. Ill keep that in mind. Also, do not speak to anyone about my race. The old woman nodded. Naturally. What happened today will never leave my humble abode. Rakna looked at her in the eyes as she said that and ultimately disappeared from the room as the System finished the countdown and teleported him away. ? * * * ? The spatial transfer hadnt done too much to him this time. Rakna had already gotten used to it at this point. However, the ce he appeared wascking a very critical aspect. Really? He muttered dully as started falling backward whilst facing the night sky. He grunted and turned around in mid-air to look down. Thendscape thatid before him instantly exined to him why the System had called this The Swamp; because it was literally what was presented to him. It was a gathering of tall withered trees in the middle ponds of mud with some ces of firmnd weing dark green grass and brownish nts. Rakna raised his head to look at the horizon and noted that this seemed to go on for a very long distance. After inspecting thend, he finally focused on hisnding. He candidly made a long pole of Star Energy and threw it toward the ground. Itnded through the mud and pierced the bottom before starting to freeze whatever it was touching. Rakna ssilynded on the tip while using Artzpul at very low output and looked around whilst bncing himself on it as if it was the easiest thing to do. He opened his map and sighed at how empty it was. This is truly a random-looking location. Its nothing like ck Steel. [Indeed. This is meant to act against ambushes and in favor of a fair repartition of rewards and resources when exploring the teau.] Ambushes? Rakna asked as he dispelled the star energy construct andnded on the frozen mud under it. He then started walking in a random direction while freezing the spots he walked on as Alexa replied. [Yes, ambushes. Host killings are a risk in the System from both fellow Hosts and Locals.] To steal? [Yes. When a Host dies, they drop all the Talys and items they possess. Additionally, if they happen to have unassigned free points, a random percentage will be given to the killer. Obviously, there is no benefit of the sort for considerably stronger Hosts.] I see. Does that happen on the First teau as well? [Negative. It is forbidden by the System. That is also the reason why new Hosts are all transported to ck Steel directly since ambushes are not to be feared there. The only other teau that has the same rules is the 500th teau; Old Eden.] Interesting Rakna mumbled as he stopped in ce, his feet releasing cold mist as the mud froze in his path. He slightly tilted his head to the side and his lupine ears folded. Stop hiding, he said out loud and several shadows slowly appeared from behind trees or on top of them. One of them leaped over to a tree root sticking out from the swamps and aimed a bow at him. State your identity! Rakna frowned as he took in the other partys appearance. It was a young man with dark skin and long ears. He had dark green eyes and an overall handsome face. He didnt sense any evil intent from him or any of the other shadow surrounding him, so he raised his hands obediently. My name is Rakna Xiorra. Im a new Host who just reached this teau. A Host? teau? What are you talking about?! Huh? Raknas mouth moved on its own. What? The dark elf-like man reacted. Tell us who you are and why youre here! Now! Rakna sighed tiredly and looked at the sky. The sun hadnt even risen yet but he already knew this was going to be a long day. Chapter 72: Magic Theory Chapter 72: Magic Theory ? ? ? ? Name: Leaf Fei Age: 16 | Level: 20 Race: Dark Elf Affiliation: Fifth teau ? Attributes: Strength: 8 | Endurance: 7 Speed: 15 | Dexterity: 15 Intelligence: 8 | Luck: 2 ? Equipment: Regr Leather Armor: +20 Defense. Long Bow: 20~50 Attack ? Sub-Attributes: Stamina: 52/52 | MP: 80/80 Swiftness: 46 | Agility: 45 Senses: 45 | Atr Cap: 55 Attack: 65.5 | Defense: 49 (29 + 20) Magic Attack: 24 | MP Regen: 0.56/min ? Proficiencies: C Archery (Lv.8) C Tracking (Lv.7) C Hunting (Lv.7) C Mana Control (Lv.4) C Mana Sense (Lv.2) ? Magic Skills: C nt Magic (Lv.4) => [Emergence (T.9); Entangle (T.10)] C Spirit Magic (Lv.4) => [Dark Mantle (T.10)] ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Nature Perception (Lv.7) C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv.1) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv.1) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Projectile Reinforcement (Lv.7) C Stealth (Lv.6) C Reinforcement (Lv.5) C Scan (Lv.4) C Weapon Reinforcement (Lv.4) ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? C Spiritual Sense: An elven ability that allows one to perceive and talk to spirits. Thanks to this, elves possess arge talent when ites to anything rted to mana maniption. They are also master at tracking spiritual traces and have very high empathy. ? C Dark Taint: A taint in the soul that signifies ones fall from a pure elf after having been engrossed in dark emotions. They gain an affinity with dark spirits but lose every ability tomunicate with light spirits. ? Note: One of many young warrior scouts of the hidden vige of the dark elves. They mostly live secluded because of their dark taint and the stigmata associated with it. They are also bound by duty and fear to never leave. ? ? ? ? ? Strong but nothing I cant handle, Rakna thought as he appraised the people surrounding him. Most of them were between levels 18 and 20. It would be a bit hard for him to take on all of them in his normal state but if he were to transform, itd be another story. He also had ten free points unused in case of an emergency. Thus, he was faced with a choice and he had five options; to kill, to run, to subdue, to surrender, or to talk. He honestly could go with any. Well, he wasnt just going to kill them because they pointed a weapon at him. He wasnt that cruel but it was still an option depending on what they wanted to do with him. He could run, but that would mean letting go of a chance to learn more about the teau. He could capture them but that might make him some enemies. He could surrender but he had no idea of how they would treat him and he had no intention of being a prisoner ever again in his life. That only leaves talking as the most viable option but that also He trailed as he frowned at the fierce expressions of the young elves in front of him. In fact, most of them were even younger than him for some reason. It doesnt seem theyre ready for diplomacy, he concluded and clicked his tongue internally. no thanks, he ultimately spoke up and before the elves could react, cold mist gushed out of his body akin to steam and drowned the swamp as arge portion of the water and mud froze over. Fall back! The leading elf shouted and jumped away from the mist that continued to fill more and more volume. On the other hand, Rakna activated Stealth and turned into a wolf with two tails. He ran off toward the edge of the mists area of effect and hid inside a bush with his stealth still in effect. He instantly disengaged his mist afterward and the elves realized without much surprise that he had vanished. Regroup! He might be waiting to ambush us somewhere. Lets go back to the vige and report before doing anything, the leader said as they gathered before around him. When they left his sight, Rakna squinted his eyes. He hadnt chosen to run; unironically, this had been the perfect example of a strategic retreat. His objective was precisely to make them retreat so he could follow them back to their home. Of course, they probably knew this swamp way better than he did and although his stealth skill was at quite a high level now, it still wasnt perfect and they seemed to be adept at dealing with a hidden threat. But, unfortunately for them, they didnt know who he was. Rakna jumped out of the bush and unfurled his wings. He flew off and activated Fabled Sight to look where their smell came from. His vision zoomed past the small gaps between the branches of the trees and locked on the dark elves. He snorted and started tailing them from a safe distance while flying in arcs. Since it was still nighttime, it would be even harder to spot him in the air. At the same time, his Stealth and Tracking leveled up and after a few minutes of continuous moving, he finally spotted a variance in thendscape. At first, it just looked like a slightly bigger tree but when he got a closer look, it was a sort of artificial nt with dark elves standing on top of it like sentinels. Rakna hummed and stopped paying attention to the group he was following. He flew up to an even higher height and looked down at what he guessed was the vige he was looking for. There was nothing around the sentinel tree but Rakna managed to spot something odd on the ground next to it. His assumptions were proven right when the dark elves arrived there and opened a secret path leading underground. Well then, I might as well, Rakna muttered and turned into a werewolf whilst flying. He huffed a crystallized haze and a cold star burned into existence in his pupils. Lets try this, he whispered and extended his hand toward the sky while maintaining a stationary flight with mana. [Star Make,] he uttered after some thought and a huge chunk of mana left his mana pool. Oh, this is bad Rakna almost regretted his decision as he saw his mana points appear in the corner of his vision and dangerously get near rock bottom. Arge whirlpool of cold energy emerged from his hand and coalesced into a certain shape. His hand grasped the object he had created and marveled at how exquisite it looked. If it wasnt for the fact that he had precisely imagined it to be like that, he would have been stunned speechless. It was a carved trident with very luxurious decorations and several ribbons of a darker shade of blue wrapped around it and iling with the wind. Before the dark elves could notice him, Rakna hurriedly used the trident in the way that he had envisioned it in the first ce. He whirled the polearm and threw it at the sky where it started glowing before it dispersed into small motes of light. Then, it happened. A very unnatural formation of clouds began to appear above the swamp and after not even a minute, thunder boomed and a downpour began. The dark elves looked up with bewilderment apparent on their faces as they rushed to take cover from the rain. On the other hand, Rakna was hidden by both obscurity and the very dense rain currently ravaging the swamp. He almost couldnt believe his eyes at how well it had worked. I knew it, he thought as Pronos gawked at what was happening. A series of System windows came up to him soon after. ? ? ? ? ? A new sub-spell has been added to your Star Make; please input a name. ? You have developed a new proficiency; Magic Theory. Magic Theory (Lv.1): The ins and out of magic formations and theories represent the full scope of application of magic as well as its potential. Magic does not stop at first-degree applications. Legends, stories, emotions, fables, concepts, ideas, hypotheses the root of magic is everything that has the power to influence the world. ? ? ? ? ? This was the proficiency he had seen on Nyxs status. If he understood correctly, it referred to anything thatmon sense could not truly exin. This was proven by the magic that he had just used. Call it Neptunia, Rakna named the spell and another window appeared. ? ? ? ? ? The Sub-Spell Neptunia has been created. ? Neptunia (T.8): A copy of the legendary Trident wielded by Poseidon, God of the Sea. This spell was created with but one objective in mind; to summon the wrath of the sea and wind. When crafted, the trident does not possess any piercing power worthy of notice but when thrown at the sky, it will summon a storm in a limited radius and time based on the casters overall prowess. ? Cost: 150 MP (Soul Core Correction: 123 MP) Cooldown: 1h ? Note: Since the storm will be fueled by cold energy, the ensuing rain will have a freezing temperature. ? ? ? ? ? My cold energy does not possess a direct way to summon something like a thunderstorm, Raknamented inwardly. But it does not mean that I cant engineer a magic capable of it. But, since the element itself cannot produce such a result, a catalyst of some sort is needed. In this case, since I tried to reproduce the Trident of the Sea God, I gave it the ability to manipte the weather to some extent. This is probably what they call magic theory. Until that point, Rakna understood the gist of it. But there was something that confused him. Yes, he understood how he had performed this feat but he couldntprehend why it had worked. For instance, he was instinctively sure that it would be impossible for him to use cold energy, or simply Star Make, to cause something rted to fire; even if instead of Poseidon, he used a figure like Hades as a substitute in his spell creation. Lightning and rain fell under that same category, so, why did it work? There had to be something that allowed it and the answer probably had something to do with Poseidon. A connection between cold stars- no, between Star Magic and Poseidon Rakna mumbled as he still paid attention to the dark elves through the rain with Fabled Sight. Star, stars, links! His eyes widened in realization. Delphinus; that would be the most likely exnation, he muttered and Pronos looked at him in confusion. Rakna ultimately grunted when he saw that every sentinel had sheltered themselves from the cold rain. He had a clear path to the secret entrance he saw earlier and that was the whole purpose of his experiment. Ill think about thister, he decided internally and conjured his cold mist on top of the already blinding storm to make sure he would not be seen. He turned into a therian as hended on the ground and started looking for the method to open the passage; unbothered by the rain. He couldnt even get wet since after manifesting his aura, every single drop of water getting close to him would freeze. After a while, he finally pressed on something on the ground that activated a mechanism. He stepped back and an underground tunnel with a staircase opened up to him. Old school, he snorted and ran inside in his wolf form as the passage closed behind him. Chapter 73: Big Doggy Chapter 73: Big Doggy Rakna didnt bother to run and went down the stairs by free-falling diagonally with Artzpul boosting him. When he reached the end of the passage, he was faced with a wooden door. He hummed and closed his eyes as he pressed his ear against it. After making sure that there were not any guards right behind it, he opened it with one of his tails and slipped past like a ghost with his Stealth. The second he saw what was on the other side, he almost froze in surprise. It was a massive cavern inclosing an entire vige. If it wasnt for the two elven guards dozing off a few meters away giving him a sense of urgency, Rakna would have spent a lot more time admiring it. He quickly dashed to the side and ran up the walls of the underground vige with his ws while making sure that no one would notice him. Fortunately for him, most of the residents seemed to be asleep or at the very least, within their houses. He continued to run on the walls, close enough to the ground so that he would be hidden by the wooden houses and artificial trees that were nted all over. After a while, hended back on the ground in one of the darkest spots he found. He then looked up and noticed that this cave appeared to have a sort of magical lighting to keep track of the day-night cycle if the ethereal moon he was seeing was anything to go by. Now Rakna began to think about what to do. First of all, Alexa, do you know why they didnt seem to know anything about the System? [Im afraid I dont, Rakna. However, I can tell you that this is not a normal urrence.] I see. I guess Ill have to find out by myself, he said internally and leaned forward at the edge of the house he was hiding behind to look at the streets and the rest of the vige. My instincts are telling me that somethings terribly wrong here. What are you doing, big doggy? Im observing, Rakna replied with a hum, unaware that Pronos abruptly stuck his head out with a bewildered look. Maybe I should follow the scent of those scouts I met. They said they were going to report so they must be heading toward their chief or someone simr. Youre looking for the chief? Daddy said its not a good idea to go see him. Hes dangerous. Well, I dont know if hes dangerous or not but theres definitely something weird going on here. No one is on the streets, the silence is heavy, I feel many presences inside the houses but theyre oddly weak. On top of that, everyone I encountered until now was oddly young. Also, why build a vige underground? Dunno. Mommy said our grand-grand-grand-parents did it. Rakna mused and then blinked repeatedly. Wait Alexa, was that you talking? [negative.] He blinked again and turned around to see a little girl, no older than eight, with silver hair, dark skin, and golden eyes cutely watching him with a tilted head. She was wearing an embroidered pajama and hugging a plushy in her arms. Rakna stared at her for a while before gathering his wits. Where do you He began to ask only to spot one of the houses nearby had a backdoor; which was currently open. How did you His second question was answered as he reflexively cast Appraisal on her. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Vivi Silverlight Age: 8 | Level: 1 Race: Night Elf Affiliation: Fifth teau ? Attributes: Strength: 1 | Endurance: 1 Speed: 2 | Dexterity: 1 Intelligence: 7 | Luck: 6 ? Sub-Attributes: Stamina: 6/6 | MP: 70/70 Swiftness: 18 | Agility: 4 Senses: 33 | Atr Cap: 18 Attack: 7.5 | Defense: 4 Magic Attack: 21 | MP Regen: 0.56/min ? Proficiencies: C Cooking (Lv.5) C Mana Sense (Lv.3) C Mana Control (Lv.1) ? Magic Skills: C Unawakened. ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Nature Perception (Lv. Ex) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Stealth (Lv. Ex) ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? C Spiritual Sense: An elven ability that allows one to perceive and talk to spirits. Thanks to this, elves possess arge talent when ites to anything rted to mana maniption. They are also master at tracking spiritual traces and have very high empathy. ? C Night Grace: A very rare mutation of the Dark Taint. Elves who possess it are called Night Elves and are gifted with an incredible affinity to concealment. They are often called des of the Night for their uncanny talent for assassination. They also have the peculiarity to never truly need rest since their mind gets invigorated at night as if they had slept for an entire day already. During the nighttime, their presence bes 200% harder to sense, they receive a 200% increase to their senses and be hypersensitive to all fluctuations in the air. It is said to be impossible to hide from a night elf without at least being incorporeal. ? Note: A young child with tremendous untapped potential. She has lived her life sheltered with her parents without contact with the outside world. ? ? ? ? ? Oh Rakna uttered awkwardly. That exined how she had managed to get so close without him noticing. Did you hear me? The little girl nodded with innocent eyes and he growled helplessly. Say, say, big doggy, do youe from outside? He sighed before opening his mouth, Yes yes, I do. What could he do? Silence her? He wasnt going to hurt a child. At the very least, it seemed like she wasnt scared of him nor was she cautious of his presence. That could work in his favor. Really?! Her eyes sparkled. What does it look like? Rakna scowled at her. The note about her sheltered life appeared to be true. Well this vige is located under a swamp. It has a lot of mud and parasitic nts along with withered trees but there is much more variety as well. Verdantnds with nothing but colorful flowers and greenery, rocky ces and oceans, snowynds with white as far as the eye can see, dense jungles, massive cities of steel, and much more The more he continued, the shinier Vivis eyes became. Do you think Ill be able to see all of that when I grow up?! She asked enthusiastically. I wouldnt know why you couldnt, Rakna replied and she instantly started imagining herself exploring all those ces. After watching her fantasize with an amused frown he spoke up again, Your name is Vivi, right? Yes! She nodded vigorously but then tilted her head to the side. How did you know? Rakna snorted. I have superpowers. Thats awesome! Indeed, it is. Now, Vivi, can I ask you a few things about this vige? She nodded again. Have you ever heard the words Local, Host, or perhaps teau and System? Hmm, she cutely put her hand on her chin. I havent Ah! But you can ask daddy and mommy! They know a lot of things! She dered and ran to the door of her house before waving at him. Follow me! They should wake up soon. Rakna slowly walked to her. Are you sure its okay for me to go in? Your parents might kick me out or report me, no? Vivis expression turned sour for a second, something that was very out of ce on someone as young as her, but she quickly recovered from it. Its fine! Daddy and mommy are very nice. If I tell them youre a doggy from the outside, Im sure theyll be happy! Come on! She added and entered the house with a quick step. Rakna shared a look with Pronos before shrugging and followed Vivi inside after making sure to brush his paws on the carpet as to not dirty the floor. He closed the door behind with one tail and walked further inside right when Vivi flipped a light switch. The interior was surprisingly modern and well-furnished. He almost felt like he was back on Earth for a moment since the lighting resembled electricworks. Though, he knew that it wasnt since he could sense the manaing out of it. Sweety? Is that you? A female voice sounded from one of the rooms and Rakna turned toward it. Ah, yes! Vivi skidded over and opened the door. Im sorry, mommy. I didnt want to wake you up, he heard her say as she entered. Im going to make breakfast now, okay? A giggle followed, which Rakna obviously assumed was from her mother. Its all right. I know its hard for you to wait for us to wake up every day. No need to apologize. Rakna curiously approached the opened door as they were talking. He peeked inside by sticking his head past the door and inspected the room. A double-sized bed, two nightstands, and a closet; this was the extent of what it contained. He then focused on the woman sitting up on the bed as Vivi talked to her with a wide smile while tip-toeing. She was naturally a dark elf and she seemed to be the oldest one he had seen from this vige yet; perhaps in her mid-twenties. She was a beautiful woman with long silver hair and golden eyes like her daughter. Her skin was also dark, as expected of her race, but something stuck out to Rakna. She seemed very pale. Not in the normal way though. Her dark skin seemed to be gradually turning into some sort of dark gray. He was about to cast Appraisal on her when she coincidentally turned toward him and suddenly tensed as her eyes widened. Her countenance transformed from a gentle mother chatting with her daughter to terror and shock. Who-! She started but before she could voice itpletely, Vivi took over. Ah, mommy! This big doggy said he was from the outside world! She said and her mother looked at her with a stunned expression. He said he wanted to ask you something. Can you answer him, please? Vivis mother struggled to open her mouth and form a sentence. She nced at Rakna, who was innocuously sitting at the door, and sighed. She forced a small smile and nodded numbly, Of course, sweetheart. If hes your friend, Ill answer his questions. Yay! You heard that, big doggy? Rakna really wanted to tell her to stop calling him that but he just nodded powerlessly. Even he didnt dare to correct that ingenuous child. Now, now, Vivi, could you go make breakfast while I talk to your doggy friend? Go wake up your father too after, okay? Yes! Vivi acquiesced and jumped down from the bed and ran past Rakna with a wave. Ill make a portion for you too, big doggy. Talk to mommy while waiting, she said and closed the door behind her very softly. Once Rakna was alone with the elven woman, she took on a cold and serious expression. Who are you? How did you find this vige? Rakna frowned at her. Was I not supposed to? He retorted dully. At first, she seemed to be taken aback by the overwhelming confidence in his voice and the almost noble aura he exuded with his two iling tailsbined with the glittering scarf around his neck. Soon enough, her mien sunk. She looked away from him with another sigh and stared at the sheets she was clenching in her hands. I guess it doesnt matter, she whispered with a sad tone. As long as you do not bring any harm to my daughter, I will not mind. In fact, she looked really happy when she introduced you. I rarely see her so jovial, she said with a wry smile and turned toward him. I thank you for that. Vivi said you had questions, right? Rakna nodded and she straightened her back with a solemn poise. Ask what you want, Ill do my best to answer. Chapter 74: Curse Chapter 74: Curse The first thing Rakna asked was about the System. And, once again, he was faced with a negative response. I shouldve known, he muttered and the elven woman lowered her head apologetically. Dont worry about it, I already expected this answer. Now, onto the main topic; what can you tell me about this vige? She breathed in and took a moment to sort her thoughts before opening her mouth, This vige is cursed. Raknas eyes widened. Well, this took a turn, hemented inwardly. Can I ask you to be more specific? It started generations ago. No one really knows, it has just been that long, she said. I dont know if you have noticed yet, but only the young elvese out of their homes or the vige. Rakna nodded. I saw that. That was the thing that confused me the most. Young people are indeed resourceful if anything, but to have them be all guards, scouts, and sentinels without any sort of veteran lead? Thats insanity. It does look like that doesnt it? She replied with a bitter smile. But, theres no other option for this vige, she stated and slowly moved the nkets away from her. She acted as if she wanted to show something so Rakna reflexively looked at her legs only to freeze on the spot. The only skin that was revealed was from her feet, up to her ankles but that was enough for him to rethink the entire situation. He had noticed earlier that her skin seemed to be graying somehow but that couldntpare to the state of her legs. The dark skin that should have been there was reced by stone gray covered in red lines simr to blood vessels. Rakna couldnt even form a theory on how something like this could happen. After seeing that, he didnt wait anymore and cast the Appraisal he should have used already. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Vina Silverlight Age: 28 | Level: -3 Race: Dark Elf Affiliation: Fifth teau ? Attributes: Strength: 0.8 | Endurance: 0.8 Speed: 0.8 | Dexterity: 0.8 Intelligence: -5 | Luck: 1 ? Sub-Attributes: Stamina: 3/4 | MP: 0 Swiftness: 1.6 | Agility: 2.4 Senses: 2.4 | Atr Cap: 0 Attack: 5.2 | Defense: 3.2 Magic Attack: 0 | MP Regen: 0 ? Proficiencies: C Archery (Lv. Max) C Hunting (Lv.8) C Cooking (Lv.6) C Knife Mastery (Lv.5) C Mana Control (Lv.4) C Mana Sense (Lv.4) ? Note: A gentle mother that would do anything for her daughters safety and happiness. She was once one of the strongest people in the vige but, like many others, became deeply affected by the curse that gues her vige. She has lost her powers, her mana, her skills, and even her physical abilities and is forced to rely on her daughter to get by her daily routine. ? ? ? ? ? Its as if her skills, racial traits, and magic have been erased from her status, Rakna noted with a mild shock. Her level and intelligence have negative values too. What does that even mean? In this state, shes even weaker than her daughter. If I were to just flick her, I would need to be incredibly careful to not hurt her You must be wondering how this happened to me? Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked at her and scowled at her weak expression as she beheld her own legs. Is this the curse you were talking about? Yes, she nodded and covered herself again. This is something that happens to everyone in this vige after theyve reached a certain age. Raknas narrowed in realization. I see. That exins a few things. But what is the source of that curse? And why dont you just leave this vige if thats the case? Vina shook her head. We dont know the source for sure. As for why we dont leave its simply because we cant. How so? Last time someone tried to run away from the vige, they were found dead at the entrance with their skin as gray as stone and red lines all over them. Its as if they went through transformation into some sort of organic statue. Rakna frowned. I came here from the surface and I met a group of scouts. What about them? Are they safe because theyre young? No, Im afraid not. They can only stay in the periphery of the vige or they will otherwise suffer the curse a lot faster than they should. Now, everyone knows that its suicide to get too far away. Rakna fell silent. This was a curse? For some reason, he didnt believe it. Once again, his instincts warned him. Sometimes he wondered how far he should trust them. After all, the only reason he infiltrated the vige in the first ce was that he felt something was wrong. As for what he just heard from Vina, it sounded odd. He had a very bad feeling about it. What about this viges chief? Vivi mentioned that he was dangerous. Is that true? Yes yes, it is. I couldnt tell you why exactly but it is known in the vige to never let your guard down around the chief. First of all, hes over a hundred years old already. The curse seems to have affected him too of course but no one knows how he still lives. Additionally, he Her face scrunched a bit before she continued, He is the one that disposes of the dead bodies. How? Vina shook her head. I dont know. Whenever a member of the vige dies, he orders the body to be carried to his house and they disappear every time. It is a mystery how he does it. That makes a lot of people suspicious but hes also the one maintaining the environment in this cave with his magic. He also heals anyone who gets injured. No one dares to confront him and hes trusted for the most part. Rakna hummed and mused about what he should do. Could he really ignore these people? Even if he didnt know any of them, even if he didnt know if he could help them or not, at the end of it all, it still was My duty, he grumbled and huffed when Vina looked at him in confusion. He was about to ask her a few more questions when Vivis voice pierced through the air as she opened the door, Its done, mommy! She sauntered inside the room while carrying a tray with the breakfast she had prepared on it and ced it on her mothersp. Thank you, sweetheart. Did you wake up your father yet? Vivi nodded. Yes, but he said he was too tired to eat right now. Ah! Big doggy, this is for you! She then said out of nowhere and put two bowls in front of Rakna. One was full of milk and the other had dog food. At least, it looked it. He nced at the expectant expression of the little girl and sighed internally before lowering his head and digging in, much to Pronos amusement. Fortunately, it didnt taste bad. He didnt know if it was because it truly was good or because his pte had changed ever since he changed races. Its at that time that Vivi finally noticed Pronos who had stuck out his tiny head a bit more. Eh? What is that? She inquired with a puzzling stare which was imitated by her mother. Rakna raised his head from the milk he was drinking and licked his lips. You have never seen a snake before? Both shook their heads at his question. Well, this little guy here is my friend. His name is Pronos and hes an Eion snake. Pronos slithered up to his masters head and settled between his ears as he was introduced. He hissed softly as the two elves and Vivi gazed at him with boundless curiosity. Its so cute! The little snake puffed up his belly at thepliment and Rakna almost snickered. After finishing eating, Vivi carried the tray back to the kitchen to clean it. Vina watched her daughter go with a smile on her face. I hope that one day shell be able to leave this ursed ce She muttered sadly. Rakna squinted his eyes and spoke, I have one final question for you. Hm? What is it? Where is the chiefs home? Vina abruptly stiffened and was momentarily stunned by the inquiry. What are you Going to do? Rakna finished for her with an imposing tone. Investigate. This whole thing is fishy and I will personally get to the end of it. Vinas eyes shed with hope. Maybe, just maybe, they had a chance. Please She forced herself to turn toward Rakna and bowed her head. Save my daughter. He silently acknowledged her plea before answering, Ill do my best. He had no intention to make a promise. Promises should only be made when the result is a certainty. At this point, he was not even sure if he himself would be spared from the curse after entering the vige, he had no grounds to make such a promise to a distressed mother. Vina seemed to understand that as she smiled. That is the best I could hope for. The chiefs house is located at the very far back of thisrge cavern; on the opposite side of the entrance. Its affixed to the walls so you wont miss it. Since its the morning, I suggest you stay close to the edges to avoid being spotted. I intended to do so already, Rakna said and stood up. He walked to the door and opened it with one of his tails. As he was about to leave, Vina spoke onest time. Good luck. Rakna nced at her from the corner of his eyes and grunted. Luck isnt something Ick but I dont know if that extends to others He whispered thest part and closed the door behind him. He traced back his path inside the house and passed by Vivi who seemed to being back to her mother. Big puppy? Youre leaving? She asked with a small hint of gloom. Yes, he affirmed and opened the backdoor of the house after making sure that there was nobody around. Pronos then immediately returned to his spot under Sonata where it was both safer and more strategic for him to be. Will I see you again? Rakna paused on his steps and answered without looking back, You most likely will. Then, do you think one day you can show me the outside world? She asked hopefully. He sighed internally and looked back at her with the softest eyes he could muster. If the chance arises. For now, take care of your parents, all right? Ill try to be back as fast as possible. Mhm! Vivi nodded vigorously and Rakna dashed off after activating Stealth. He had an objective and he was determined to achieve it. Chapter 75: Dark Arts Chapter 75: Dark Arts Whats your thoughts about this whole affair? Rakna asked as he sat upside down on the ceiling of the underground vige, his ws spiked to the stone. His neck was bent as he looked down, or up from his perspective, at the ancient-looking house that Vina had told him about. [I cannot say. The System is vast and not everything happening inside of it is under control or even monitored. Locals and Hosts have their personal endeavors and activities. This is usually what is at the origin of Quests in the first ce.] So, youre saying this might be a Quest as well? [Affirmative. Once you resolve this situation, the System will evaluate it and hand over proper rewards for your efforts.] I see. So there exist the kinds of Quests that I need to finish before getting them, huh? [Yes. Generally, Quests that require the initiative of a Host are called Hidden Quests. Just like what happened during your tutorial, Rakna.] Noted, he replied shortly as his eagle eyes tracked the few dark elves roaming the street. He was waiting for an asion to slip inside the chiefs house without being seen. He could just walk up to it with Stealth but actually getting inside might give him away. There also was a pair of guards in front of the entrance. Why does he even have guards here? Theyre inside the vige Is it because they reported me? He clicked his tongue internally. Should I use my mist? He asked himself after waiting for nearly five minutes. He hummed and began to inspect the house he was targeting in more detail. Maybe there was some sort of opening that could allow him to enter, like an opened window among other things. As he was doing that, an unfamiliar sound from the System echoed in his head. It was apanied by a small prompt to the side of his vision with Ans name on top of it. ? ? ? ? ? Hey, Rak? Can you see this? Our AIs keep telling us that we cant contact your HL because its out of range or something. Where are you? ? ? ? ? ? Rakna blinked in surprise. Right, I added them as friends yesterday ? ? ? ? ? > Im on the Fifth teau. ? I dont even wanna ask. ? > More importantly, howe youre awake at this hour? ? Rak get your priorities straight, man. And its Nyx and teachs fault, they woke me up early. Then we tried to do the same with you but apparently, you were not even on the same teau as us. Now, can you exin how the heck youre on the Fifth teau? ? > I woke up early and finished the Trials. ? I feel like you skipped a lot of info there ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snorted and took his eyes away from the text chat for a second. His eyes coincidentally fell on a small fissure on the houses roof. His mind then clicked with an idea as he nced at one of the closed windows of the house. ? ? ? ? ? > Something came up, talk to youter. Just do the Trials and tell via and Nyx to be careful in the Race Trial if theyre going to fly. After youre done, youll understand how I climbed to the Fifth teau. ? Sure gl for whatever youre doing. ? > Thx. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna closed the prompt and nudged Pronos. Hey, little guy, do you see that crack over there? The little snake tilted his head before squinting his eyes. His far-sight wasnt as good as his master but he could somewhat make it out after all the increases his attributes had gone through and he meekly nodded when he had a rough idea of what he was looking at. Do you think you can squeeze in and open a window for me without being caught? At this, Pronos nodded with much more confidence. His speed and dexterity were nothing to scoff at and he had already unlocked Stealth himself after observing Rakna do it. Along with his ability to camouge and his small size, he was simply perfect for furtiveness. Then, Ill have to rely on you. Can you jump down from here or do you need my help? Pronos shook his head and slithered out from under Sonata. He then nonchntly hopped off and began to free fall as Rakna watched him curiously. He plunged through the air for a few seconds before breathing in and exhaling a thick white fog. His body was enveloped by it and the speed of his fall considerably decreased and he lightlynded on the houses roof. Rakna silently praised him for that. He probably produced a vtile poison that was lighter than the atmosphere. A very witty application of his magic, he remarked as he saw him sneak inside the house. Two minutester, Rakna saw one of the windows shake before it was opened along with the shutter. Pronos came out and waved his tail at him. Good job, little guy, he thought and his feeling was transmitted telepathically. He then rxed his entire body and began to run down the walls of the cave. Fortunately for him, although some light was beginning to brighten the vige, his Stealth was still enough to keep any curious eyes away from his presence. He quickly touched the ground again and he was notified that the skill had reached the maximum level. He quietly leaped to the ledge of the window Pronos had opened on the second floor and turned into a therian so hed be able to fit through the frame, whilst passively noting that his wolf form had seemed to be bigger than it was at the very beginning. When hended inside, Pronos promptly jumped on his shoulder as he looked around. The room he was in seemed to be unused since it was covered in dust and barely furnished. He carefully approached the door and slowly opened it. Thankfully, it didnt make any noise. He ended up in an empty corridor and sharpened his senses as he stood immobile. After a full minute, a frown marred his expression as he simply was unable to hear or even smell anything in this house. He couldnt detect even the smallest trace of a living being. In fact, when he used Fabled Sight to take a near-microscopic look at the house, he noticed that the dust itself showed no signs of someone leaving their footprints. It was as if this whole ce hadnt been used in years. He scowled and pulled out the dual daggers he got from the praying mantis. He clenched them tightly and headed toward the stairs leading to the first floor. A few minutester, he was sure of one thing; there was no one here. This entire house was empty with absolutely no vige chief in view. Rakna even went back up to the second floor and searched every room to make sure. Why are they even guarding this ce then? He whispered as he returned to the living room. He nced at the front door which was guarded by two dark elves and became even more confused. Does this chief even exist? What kind of farce would that be? This ce is old and unkempt. Are you telling me they dont even acknowledge that? [This might be the work of an illusion or at the very least, a powerful misdirection. This could also exin why Locals here do not seem to even be aware of the Systems existence,] Alexa gave her opinion. Rakna hummed and then heard a small tapping sound. He looked at the source to see Pronos at full size knocking on the wall with his tail. What are you doing? He asked as he walked toward him. Pronos hissed and pointed at the wall repeatedly. Rakna tilted his head in confusion and took a look at the wall. Is there something wrong with it? The Eion snake responded by tapping on it a few more times and once again pointing at it. Rakna quickly understood this time. Do you see something behind that with your echo vision? Pronos nodded and Rakna knocked on it himself. It didnt feel hollow which meant this was a full wall. If there was truly something behind it, that detail was weird. Lets see Rakna mused and summoned several spikes made out of cold energy. The spike-like constructs floated above his hand and with a wave, they all pierced the wall in a circle. He then snapped his fingers and they all imploded amazingly quietly. Step back for a second, little guy, he told Pronos before extending his ws and pierced into the wall with his hands. He grunted and began to pull. The veins in his arms bulged and the wall began to form splinters that followed the path defined by the holes of the cold explosions. With onest push, Rakna ripped out the wallposed of dark wood, some istion, and what seemed to be a cement-like material. He sighed and put the b in his hand on the floor. He and Pronos then looked at what was behind it with a dry expression. Again thats, what, the third I see in the span of two days? Rakna muttered as the dust settled to reveal a staircase leading underground. A lot more if we count the Dungeons floors, he added and sniffed the air a bit. Same thing; no traces. There also didnt seem to be a mechanism for this secret passage. Its like the wall was built to clog the hole rather than hide it, he said to himself while holding his chin in thought. After a while, he decided he simply didnt have a choice and went down the rtively narrow underpass. He grabbed his daggers again and carefully took each step with Pronos keeping a lookout from his shoulder. After a dozen of stairs, the passage devolved into a spiral going straight down. Rakna tried to look at the bottom with Fabled Sight and ultimately decided to directly jump when he saw it wasnt too far. He cushioned his fall with Artzpul and activated his aura at its minimum visibility. He inspected where he was and widened his eyes when he saw something on the ground. It was leaning against the wall and appeared to bepletely immobile. The scary thing though was that this thing was a silhouette. Rakna tentatively crouched in front of it to look at the face that was hidden from him and raised an eyebrow at what he saw. Dark gray skin, crimson lines, and wide-open empty eye sockets. Rakna recognized three things. Firstly, this person had obviously been affected by the curse before his death. Secondly, he was old; an age that matched what Vina had told him about the chief. Lastly, the clothes he wore were shredded and covered in dirt. Based on theck of traces around it, one didnt need to be a genius to tell that this person had been dead for a long time. Years at the very least, Rakna estimated before casting Appraisal on the corpse if he could even call it that. ? ? ? ? ? The dead body of an elven viges chief. It was abandoned for decades. It shows signs of being corrupted by dark arts. The body shows signs of having been drained of all its mana, soul, and life force before death. ? ? ? ? ? It wasnt much to go by but it certainly gave him something to think about. Drained This word alone might exin the nature of the curse. More specifically, it made a bit more sense after seeing the negative values on Vinas status. Rakna sighed and stood up and looked at the dark tunnel thatid before him. Just in case, he took a potion to recover some of his mana pool and began to walk. This feels like Seed Grotto all over again, he thought bitterly and ventured inward. Then, as he got further away, even with his uncanny sensory skills, he wasnt able to notice the small twitch that coursed through the corpses arm before it turned motionless again. Chapter 76: Tomb Chapter 76: Tomb Rakna traced the metal gate in front of him with his fingers. He had quickly reached the end of the tunnel and this was what blocked his path. Obviously, he tried to open it but it didnt even budge. Even when transforming into a werewolf and using Reinforcement to the best of its capabilities was not enough. He ultimately stepped back to take a better look. The gate itself was made out of very dark but glossy metal. An eerie depiction of a horned beast was engraved on it and had red outlines in all ents of its shape. Rakna inspected it with his Fabled Sight before falling back to the natural decision, Appraisal. ? ? ? ? ? A gate made out of low-grade mithril. It is imprinted with a mana signature and cannot be opened by anyone other than its owner. Blunt Resistance: 1000 shing Resistance: 800 ? ? ? ? ? brute force is out of the question, I see, hemented dully. He scowled at the gate in front of him and grunted. His skillset didnt have a viable solution to get through this. He might be able to reach an attack value higher than 800 if he used Dinsleif to its full potential but he wasnt even sure that it would be enough to actually open the path. I guess Ill expand on my little discovery from earlier, he muttered and pulled out two potions to drink. Before he could down them though, Alexa spoke. [Rakna, I have to warn you about your consumption of mana potions.] Rakna raised an eyebrow and she continued. [The lower tier potions are not too dangerous if only a few are taken but there is still a risk of overdose if you abuse it.] How bad would that be? [There are three stages of overdose; overflow, overstrain, mana suicide.] thatst one sounds too straightforward for my liking, he uttered. What are the symptoms of these three stages? [For overflow, its lower regeneration; which includes stamina, health, and mana potions. You may also experience mild headaches, nausea, and vertigo. Overstrain and your body and soul will begin to hurt you from the inside because of the extravagant intake. Mana suicide means death by an internal explosion.] Am I close to any of those? [Not yet.] I see, Rakna said and drank the two potions in his hand without hesitation before throwing away the empty vials. I dont really have a choice at the moment. If this takes as much mana as the trident, I definitely need the mana. Its not like I have hearts lying around for the taking He blinked as he came to a realization. If he could carry hearts around with him, he could use them to recover whenever he wanted. Hey, Alexa, I know this ring I have doesnt stop time. The Item Box says so, but what about temperature? [Technically, there is none. The space within the ring is neither cold nor hot. Anything that is put inside will have a stagnant temperature. You can see if it as if every object is sealed inside a void that simply does not allow conduction.] Rakna groaned. I could have frozen hearts to take with me then. Its not like it necessarily matters to absorb the attributes right away. But I will always need to have some that are close to my level if I want them to bebat effective. Otherwise, Id need tens if not hundreds of them to recover fully at any point in time. He sighed and kept in mind to make stock a fewter on. All right. Lets do this, he looked at the gate and breathed in. He closed his eyes and carefully extended his hand forward. He channeled both his soul and mana as a miniature sphere of cold energy formed at the tip of his finger. He slowly touched the gate with that sphere which then stayed glued to it as he pulled his arm back. He then conjured another sphere and ced it a few centimeters lower, ten degrees to the left. The third one was ced twice as far. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh formed an arc, and then he finished everything by forming a straight line with three spheres before ending it with a right angle. Once they were all ced, the eleven spheres began to shine and slightly rearranged themselves optimally before a decent chunk of mana left Raknas pool as the spheres of cold energy were connected together by strings of light. Rakna stepped back and watched with a curious eye as the drawing he made expanded before detaching itself from the gate. The spheres then started orbiting around him and the next thing he knew, the gate before him was opening and the cold energy had disappeared. He blinked and took a look at his mana pool. It wasnt too bad, he muttered to himself as the System windows he expected popped up. ? ? ? ? ? You have developed a new spell; Star Monarch! ? Star Monarch (T.10 C T.1): The ability to control the authority and powers of constetions. By artificially recreating constetions with star energy, the caster can employ the immense authority and power that they epitomize. Currently Learned Constetions: Gemini (T.9) ? Gemini (T.9): The constetion of the Great Twins, Castor and Pollux. This spell was fashioned with a specific goal in mind; imitation. With this spell, it is possible to invoke auras, soul signatures, and imprints of other beings and apply them to the user. The target does not need to be known by the caster but it nheless has a limit on what kind of presence can or cannot be faked. ? Eleven Star Variation Cost: 30 MP Duration: 5 min ? Note: The constetion of Gemini possesses 85 focal stars. Changing the number used in the casting process will affect the cost, duration, and effectiveness of the spell. ? ? ? ? ? As expected, Rakna remarked as he read the notifications all while paying attention to whatever danger that mighte out from behind the still-opening gate. When he had constructed Neptunia earlier, he had expected it to produce an implosion that would both attract the clouds together and decrease their temperature. That would have caused a short disruption in the airflow but most importantly, it had a chance to provoke a hail fall. But what he got was something much better. That had been because he had made a replica of Poseidons Trident. The God of the Sea was in fact a figure that appeared in the myth a certain constetion called Delphinus. But there was also the more known Orion that embodies his son. Well, this is definitely a promising prospect to be able to make magic out of constetions. But there is probably more to discover about this star energy as a whole Rakna thought as the gate was finally done grinding against the ground. Immediately after, the entire tunnel was suddenly illuminated by countless spectral torches that had not been there barely a second before. The same phenomenon appeared on the other side of the mithril doors. Rakna decided to stay out for the time being as he observed the room that was revealed to him. At first sight, it looked rtively small. The ceiling wasnt high and the overall surface was nothing to be impressed of. But, inside that very ce, something was so omnipresent that it made it look grander than what it was. That something was gold. Immense piles of gold coins, mixed with a few precious objects and stones. There was so much of it that a certain pile upied an entire corner until it could even touch the ceiling. This sight even made Rakna a bit stunned but then, he focused on something much more worrying. In the center of the room, surrounded by riches, was a rectangr pedestal on whichid a stone container of the same shape. Dont tell me Rakna started but was interrupted by a System prompt. ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions, you have discovered an ancient hidden tomb! You have been awarded 3 Attribute Points and the title Treasure Hunter. ? ? ? ? ? Before Rakna could even try to inspect this new title or react at the free points he got, the whole underground tunnel started shaking and cracks appeared on every wall. His eyes narrowed in rm and light shed around his ring as he cast a magic, [Spike]! In an instant, earth spikes were summoned from the ceiling and pierced the floors of the tunnel in order to maintain enough stability for it to not bury Rakna alive. A few secondster, the tremors weakened and both he and Pronos sighed in relief. But soon after, something else caught their attention. From under the piles of gold coins, two silhouettes emerged and directed their red eyes at them. They were a pair of white and ck golems with golden ents on them. || The Creators Presence has been Detected. || One of them said mechanically and analyzed Rakna from head to toe. || Analysis Complete. Overruled. Intruder Detected. Proceeding to Elimination. || Raknas whole body shuddered before his survival instinct forced him to jump back as one of the golems arms detached itself from its shoulder and flew at him with terrifying speed. Rakna used Artzpul whilst deploying his wings right when the fist crashed on the ground in front of him and caused a shockingly deep hole before exploding with a detonation that scattered sharp shrapnel which Rakna barred with his wings. He grunted at the pain and transformed into a werewolf as his hearing picked heavy footsteps getting closer. He used Fabled Sight to look through the lingering dust and crossed his arms to block a fist attached to the arm of the second golem. Right after, the other caught up and swung its leg at him with uncanny agility. Rakna took a side nce at it and ignored it in favor of wing the other fist of the golem he was entangled with. As for the other one, a cyan sh coiled around its leg and fissured it. Pronos hissed and bit into it while releasing an acidic fog. The golem recognized the threat and consciously detached its leg as it melted and retreated. Its fellow magical puppet simrly stepped back when Rakna almost crushed its head with his ws. The two pairs stared at each other in silence afterward and Rakna cursed internally when he saw the crushed limbs of the golems being reconstructed at a speed visible by a sort of grayish goo. He quickly cast Appraisal and one identical status appeared for both of them. ? ? ? ? ? Liquid Stone Golem Level: 25 ? Attributes: Strength: 25 | Endurance: 25 Speed: 10 | Dexterity: 10 Intelligence: 0 | Luck: 0 ? Swiftness: 20 | Agility: 30 Senses: 270 + 5 | Atr Cap: 70 Attack: 132.5 | Defense: 100 ? Skills: ? C Limb Detachment: Allows the user to eject their limbs at will. C Self-Destruction Structure: Allows the user to detonate their body parts, even remotely. The damage of the explosion will corrte to the size of the body part as well as the users attack. ? Traits: ? Liquid Stone Regeneration: The holder of this trait has a bodyposed of synthesized-mana molded into stone. It will forever regenerate as long as its energy bank is not empty. Current Value of the Bank: 94/86% ? Note: A timeless puppet created to guard the tomb of its creator. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snarled exasperatedly and summoned the Dreorin Greatsword. This is going to be a pain, he grumbled as he wielded the weapon with one hand. Chapter 77: The Rage of A Titan Chapter 77: The Rage of A Titan [Swords of Liberation.] The cold energy swords swirled into existence and impaled the golems from their heads right through their entire torso. The freezing energy bound them in ce and affected the liquid form of their body as it tried to heal. With the Greatsword in hand, Rakna dashed at one of them, and as he injected mana into it, a red and ck aura appeared around it. It solidified into a sharp manifestation that cut through its target like butter. At the same time, the other golem had its chest melted by acidic poison and its head corroded and fissured by Pronos. Even so, the two stone puppets were not defeated yet. The weird slime-like substance continued to repair their missing or broken parts. They shattered the Swords of Liberation in a few seconds and retaliated almost instantly. The one that had its head beheaded stepped forward and tried to ram Rakna, which was easily dodged with a swift Artzpul. However, the golem seemed to have expected that development as it grabbed its own head lying on the ground before throwing it at its opponent. Raknas pupils dted ever so slightly when he saw that and performed a midair kick that conjured a wind de with his boots. The spell shed the head before it exploded in the same way as the fist from before. But he wasnt done after that. Rakna gripped his weapon tighter and the Greatswords handle sprouted a few attachments simr to thorns. They pierced his hand to draw blood and he barely showed a reaction as the edge of the de started dripping with a crimson liquid. After a few seconds, Rakna swung the sword in a wide motion and a coagted sweep of blood zoomed toward the golem and bisected it right down the middle. In a simr fashion, Pronos cast a liquid jet of purple acid that was potent enough to tear through the entire golem he was fighting. He did that while also using his entire body length to crush the magical puppet. When those two events were over, Rakna stood in front of a headless golem desperately trying to reconnect its body parts and Pronos jumped off a crumbling pile of rocks. When both of them thought this was over, the liquid stone stopped its attempts to regenerate and began to release a faint energy signature. Cant be serious! Rakna muttered and rushed to grab Pronos. The fragments of the golems splintered and he boosted his wings to get away from their location. When he heard the explosion go off, hended and wrapped Pronos and himself inside his wings like a cocoon. ? ? ? ? ? Liquid Stone Golem killed! Liquid Stone Golem killed! (Partial Contribution) Level up! ? +0.1 Strength, Speed, Intelligence. +2 Free Points. ? Requirement for level updated. Current Progress: 2/200 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna grunted when he saw those pop-ups and spread his wings again with an invisible wince at the pain. Thankfully, it didnt seem like it was enough for his Ireful Shell to trigger. It probably was because other than the pain, the injuries his wings suffered didnt affect his health much. He stood up with a huff while Pronos climbed back on his shoulder with an apologetic and thankful expression for having protected him. Nothing too bad, little guy. You could have easily survived that but either way, I would have had to do this for myself, Rakna consoled him as he traced his steps back to the tomb. He nced at the two craters on the ground and as well as the damages it had made to the walls and walked past them to enter the room from earlier. He looked around with a suspicious gaze then began to wander inside whilst staying close to the edges. Though, he also was shamelessly putting every valuable he passed by inside his ring much to the baffled amusement of his pet. But, in contrast with his actions, Rakna wasnt focused on the riches he was umting but, on the pedestal, and the ominous stone sarcophagus on top of it. He would be lying if he said that he was feeling unbothered by it. Just looking at it made his fur stand in alertness. Additionally, his Fabled Sight was showing him odd things such as weird transparent waves of lighting from the ceiling and merging with the ancient coffin. ? ??? Fabled Sight has leveled up! ??? ? Rakna almost snorted. Couldnt ask for a better sign that something is weird, he thought and he decided to cast Appraisal on those weird things he was looking at. ? ? ? ? ? Ethereal flows of life force and soul force. They seem to be attracted by a dark force and siphoned of their purity and potency. ? You have inspected something that cannot be perceived by natural means; Appraisal has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? Would you look at that, a level up, Rakna quipped inwardly. At this point, he wondered if, in the future, every action of his would trigger one. If he continued to get skills at the same rate, it might happen. With these thoughts in mind, he switched his attention to the tomb. ? ? ? ? ? A sarcophagus dating from an olden period of the System. No hints can be found on the style of the tomb but the dark energy emanating from it and the life force that is being processed within it point toward a master of dark magic, death, and curses. ? The creature lying inside appears to be gradually recovering its power as time passes from the forces it is collecting. ? ? ? ? ? This isnt good Rakna muttered as he read the results of his skill. One didnt need to go far to understand what was going on. Anyone with a functioning brain cell would be able to tell that the curse guing the dark elves was nothing more than the byproduct of this revival. The negative status, the weakened conditions, the fact that they cant live long These are signs of their life force being robbed throughout their lives. The only question in his head right now was what he should do. If he wanted to stop this curse, he would have to confront the supposed corpse that resided here. How could he do that? Even as he stood as far as possible as he could from it, something at the very back of his mind was telling that it would be suicide to get close, much less touch the damn sarcophagus. Rakna clicked his tongue as he finished circling the room. Lets back off for now He decided and turned around. When he was about to leave, something suddenly made him stop in his tracks. Danger. Irrational danger. He stopped breathing for a second when he heard something scraping a surface before falling on the ground with a loud noise. The feeling of danger increased several-fold and he slowly looked over his shoulder with wide eyes to see the tomb open. A hand ck as charcoal with blood vessels over it emerged from the inside and grabbed the edge of the rectangr box. A second one followed soon after and the owners upper body slowly began to rise. The figure was humanoid but everything else about it was simply wrong. Charcoal ck skin, red lines all over it behaving like pulsing veins, a head with no hair, nose, or eyes, and arge grin disying two rows of perfectly triangr teeth. The creature came out of what should have been its deathbed and revealed its body wrapped in half-shredded bandages. The being stepped on the ground and staggered a bit, still with its eerie grin, and eximed, Hoho, it has been so long. This vessel is still weak, I see. How distressing. Had I stayed in slumber for longer, my power would have been restored. Raknas mind was working in overdrive. His body nearly refused to move in fear of provoking a predator that it couldnt defeat. He was being oppressed in every sense of the word. He knew he could move if he truly wanted, he knew he could run, but he also knew that it would mean risking his life. Matters not. It feels good to wake up earlier as well, the monster said and turned toward him with its obviously fake and malicious grin. So, was it you who saw through my illusion and routed my golems? How young. Tell me, what are you? I have never seen a tailed werewolf before. Is the birth of your kind something I missed during my slumber? Rakna stayed motionless and so did Pronos. The former was doing his best toe up with a n to get them out of there alive and thetter only waited for his sign. Hm? What is wrong? Are you perhaps mute? The thing asked with a light-hearted tone as if he didnt know the answer to that already. what are you? Rakna finally spoke up and the being grinned wider. It stood straight like a noble and spread its skinny arms open. Take a look. You have an analysis skill, dont you? Come on; I wont block it. Rakna hesitated at his words but ultimately took his offer. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Asziquol Naberum Verias Age: 1065 | Level: 99 (Weakened) Race: Abyss Tras | Path: Sorcerer of the Upper Life Affiliation: None Title: Former Ruler of the Abyss C King of the Puppet Legion C ??? ? Attributes: Strength: 5 | Endurance: 5 Speed: 5 | Dexterity: 99 Intelligence: 99 | Luck: 0 ? Sub-Attributes: Stamina: 200/200 | MP: 1800/1890 Swiftness: 508 | Agility: 403 Senses: 508 | Atr Cap: 213 Attack: 126.5 | Defense: 20 Magic Attack: 497 | MP Regen: 12.9/min ? Proficiencies: C Art of War (Lv. Ex) C Art of Combat (Lv. Ex) C Art of Mana (Lv. Ex) ? Magic Skills: C Curse Magic (Lv. Ex ?) => [Death Storm (T.5); Decrepit Terror (T.8); Red gue (T.10)] C Abyss Magic (Lv. Ex ?) => [Oblivion (T.4); Drain (T.6); Warp (T.9); Null (T.10)] C Illusion Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Oasis (T.6); Faux Pas (T.8); Double (T.9); Projection (T.10)] ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Abyssal Authority (Lv. Ex ?) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv.15) C Soul Heart (Lv. 12) C Despair Aura (Lv. Ex) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Judges Compass (Lv. Ex ?): ??? C sh Step (Lv. Ex): ??? C Art of Reinforcement (Lv. Ex): ??? ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? C Abyss Body: Immunity against dark magic. Decreased defense against light and fire. ? C Tras Nature: A trait belonging to a breed of monsters that came out of Pandoras Box. They feed on the aura of others to get strong at birth and can feast on souls to heal. ? Note: One of the ancient rulers belonging to the organization of the Abyss. After betraying his superiors, he was stripped of his powers and forced to run. He ordered his servants to build a tomb so that he could one daye back to the world of the living. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna had to consciously force himself to not react too badly to the information that appeared in front of him. How is it? The Abyss Ruler spoke with a smirk. It is a sight to behold, is it not? I apologize, however. Most of my abilities have been taken away from me after all these years. Im afraid I cannot even cast all of my spells. How inopportune. I couldnt even return as a First Ascent and my physical prowess has simply gone down the drain. Verias cocked his head to the side with a maniacal smile. On top of that, you even tried to take my gold how unruly, he said with a growly tone before humming serenely. Oh well, it is no bother. There is a convenient nourishing jar above us, after all. Raknas eyes twitched at that; making an assumption that he really didnt appreciate. He almost activated his Titan skill right then and there; he couldnt let this thing live. The abyss creature seemed to notice his small resolution and instead of worrying about a fight, he cackled with an unbreakable smirk. Hoho, are you perhaps scared of what I will do to those little snacks? Dont be. I wont do anything to them, he said with a disturbingly honest tone. After all, my mana isnt full He trailed andughed. It is not a question of if I will, it is already done! Raknas eyes narrowed and turned gold as massive waves of life force suddenly entered the room they were in. His mind suddenly became chaotic. No! He shouted and turned into a wolf while activating his aura before bolting through the tunnel at full speed while Verias savored the energy he was absorbing. Answer, dammit! Rakna cursed as he tried to directly call Gray through his friend list. When the call picked up, he didnt wait for the other party to say something. Fifth teau. I need your help. A tomb and an Abyss Tras. He was concise and straight to the point. The clown would probably understand more about the situation than him with these words alone. {Shit. I cant teleport to you,} the clown replied after a few seconds. {Listen, Iming to the Fifth teau as fast as I can. The System will tell me where you are thanks to the friend panel but Ill need at least three minutes to reach you. And thats only if you are close enough. God knows where the random transfer dropped you.} Rakna gritted his teeth as he reached the bottom of the tunnel and the beginning of the stairs from earlier. He didnt even bother to answer the clown and closed the call. As he was about tond in front of the stairs and shoot off upward to go back to the old house, a figure jumped him out of nowhere and knocked him out of the air. In his moment of haste, he hadnt even sensed it. He rolled on the ground and stood back on attention to see what the threat was. It didnt feel like that abyssal mummy but it reeked of something as foul. When he took a look at the aggressor, he shuddered. It was the corpse he had passed by earlier; the chiefs corpse. It was standing on its feet with its mouth wide open while making growling sounds. Its eyes werepletely white and its body was hunched as if it couldnt properly control it. ? ? ? ? ? Abyss Puppet ? A corpse robbed of its soul and life, causing it to turn into a perfect vessel for dark energy to take control of it. It has now be a puppet at the service of the Abyss Ruler. It possesses all of the abilities of its alive counterpart and more. A single bite from the puppet will cause a transformation in the victim if they are not capable of resisting it. ? ? ? ? ? Fuck! Raknas left eye turned red and he crushed the head of the literal zombie in front of him with a swipe of his w. He flew up the stairs as fast as he could and returned to the dpidated house. He rushed to the door and broke it apart after turning into a werewolf. The instant he saw what was happening outside, a part of himself broke apart again and half of his aura turned red. Rage was overtaking his mind as the cries and growls of the dark elves attacking each other, biting each other to spread the affliction. This entire vige was probably done for already. The artificial light that had been lighting the cavern was also gone and had plunged the vige into darkness. Rakna flew off and hurried over to Vivis house. As he got closed to it, he heard the little girls voice screaming, Daddy! Stop! He elerated and burst through the roof as hended with a snarl. A crying Vivi was in front of the unmoving figure of her mother while another male dark elf with gray and red skin was about to bite her as he sped her arm. Rakna deployed his wings and a dozen of feathers instantly tore through the air and found their target in the skull of the Abyss Puppet. The corpse copsed and let go of Vivi who dropped on her knees whilst sobbing, D-daddy Raknas eyes and aura turned back to normal at the sight and he shifted into a human form before rushing to her side. He first checked Vina only for his rage to return almost instantly. There was a knife in her hand and her temple had a very clear mark. She did this to herself. Probably to protect her daughter, he guessed and turned to Vivi who was staring at her hands covered in blood. Vivi, he said but she didnt react. Her eyes were hollow and she couldnt hear him. Vivi! He said with a louder voice and her tears flowed stronger. Why why mommy said her head was hurting then the screams then mommy grabbed a knife and and She choked on her own saliva and cried even harder. Pronos hissed softly at her and Rakna clenched his fists. Hoho, so thats what you came here for. A Night Elf, is it? A voice resounded from the entrance and he immediately used his wings to shield Vivi as he looked at the source. Verias was nonchntly standing near the front door. His grin was stered on his face and his physique seemed to be considerably healthierpared to a minute ago. He had gained enough body mass topletely erase the fact that he had spent years inside a tomb. How cute, he said with a tilt of his head. Truly, the beautiful work of emotions. Sadly, they are so fragile. Before he could react, Rakna felt something reach for his hand. His instinct had already made him aware of what it was but he couldnt ept it. He didnt dare to turn around to confirm it even when something pressured both sides of his hand before prating it. ? ? ? ? ? A foreign energy has entered your body! A mutation has begun. Soul power drain has begun. Lifeforce drain has begun. Your Nano Machines have identified the menace. Your Soul Core has reacted. The Eion Energy has counteracted the mutation. Soul Drain has been counteracted. Life Force drain has been counteracted. ? ? ? ? ? Raknas face stilled and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Vivi with tears in her eyes biting his hand. Her skin was turning grayish rapidly and red vessels surfaced on her skin. One of her eyes had been emptied of its iris and pupil already. Big doggy She uttered with her teeth still biting in his flesh. She seemed to still be half aware but that small part of awareness was already dissipating along with the life in her remaining eye. Please I want to be with mommy, she voiced and Rakna abruptly rxed his entire body in the oddest of manners. He hid his face from Verias and hugged the little girl after freeing his hand. He pushed her to his chest and rested his chin on her head. Its all right. Im afraid it is not all right, the Abyss Ruler retorted, taking amusement in the situation. He even failed to notice the increasing temperature in the surroundings. An Abyss Puppet can never be saved from its suffering. My encroachment targets the very soul. Even mid-rank Celestials would have trouble saving her past this stage. She is gone. No answer was voiced but Pronos had the required perspective to see his masters face. The little snake promptly lowered his head in a cold sweat and made himself as small as possible. It will be all right, Rakna spoke with a cold voice. Verias scowled in confusion as he watched the werewolf gather cold mana in the hand that was holding the childs head. Vivisst shred of awareness felt something both cold and warm wrap her body. Her mind slowed down and she started feeling sleepy. She then heard a voice say something, Now, sleep. When you wake up, your mom will be there. She couldnt think properly anymore and the cold energy that was infiltrating her brain finally made it lethargic enough to shut it down with no pain or damage whatsoever. Rakna felt her go limp in his arms and gritted his teeth. He carefully ced her next to her parents and stood up. His aura red like never before and the tips of his tails and ears changed from white to red. The cold nature of his mana entirely disappeared and was reced by a fiery behavior and color. Verias raised an eyebrow at the drastic change in presence. Then, the young wolf turned his head halfway to look at him. Immediately, the Abyss Ruler began to think that he might have made a mistake. An expression twisted in rage, crimson irises drowning in bloodshot scleras, and a red star in the ce of the pupils. [Ascension of the Titan,] Rakna rumbled and his body started expanding. His red aura illuminated the entire house as he transformed once again. But, this time, he didnt stop at three meters. He grew bigger and bigger until the house was demolished by him. His wings also underwent the same fate and passively protected the bodies of Vivi and her parents from the debris. Verias began to panic as the aura he was sensing was turning out to be even stronger than his. He retreated out of the tumbling house and leaped tens of meters to distance himself. He then took a proper look at the now fifteen-meter-tall werewolf standing amidst the debris of the house. Those daunting eyes were all the more intimidating now but as if it wasnt enough, something else happened after that. Raknas fur began to turn into a mix of dark red and dark orange while the tips of his appendages retained a vivid shade. The new coloration started from his head until the tip of his tails, as if a pot of paint had been emptied on him. But that was not all of it. Something much more intimidating coalesced above the giant werewolf and brought light back inside the vige. A light that was so warm and natural it went against allmon sense. Verias now felt as if all this had been a farce since the beginning and that he had actually never stepped out of his tomb. He must have been trapped in Hell because the monstrosity that was hovering in the sky couldnt possibly be real. ??????????[Volcanic Star Manifestation C External Release.] Chapter 78: Promises Chapter 78: Promises [Null]! Verias mustered a whirlpool of all-consuming magic above him as a literal tide of magma fell on him from the sky. This spell, though low tier, was something that interfered with the very fabric of space and was equally as hard to learn as it was mighty. But, even then, this magma zing with ethereal heat and mes seemed to burn through it as if it was a normal obstacle. How could this be!? The Abyss Ruler shouted indignantly and gritted his teeth as he was forced to dodge the attack, [sh Step]! He intoned and his body fizzled out of view before reappearing on the roof of another house. The one he had been standing on was instantly half-melted by the inescapable magma. Verias once again turned to look at the sky where the most oundish of sights was reflected on his inexistent eyes. A star. There was no other word for it. It was a crimson and orange star that discharged mes of the same color whilst leakingva to the ground below. Its size was immense, at least a hundred meters wide, and almost took the entirety of the upper half of the underground vige. Is this!? Before Verias could finish his sentence, two more jets of magma erupted from the star and took the shape of two giant wolves that lunged at him. Enough! He hollered and a disk formed around his hand. It looked like a miniature gxy with dots of light flickering within it. [Abyss Ring]! The sorcerer threw the disk in his hand as his status was updated with one of his past spells from before his slumber. The disk flew at the magma wolves and cut one of them in half before veering toward the other one and swelling into a sphere that swallowed it before waning without traces. At that moment, Verias forgot one important thing as he focused on the star. A ridiculouslyrge ive dripping withva was swung at him from above. He barely managed to dodge it in time before it could split him in two along with the house below him. Verias traced back the giant ive back to its wielder and groused as the tailed werewolf red at him with the crimson whirls he had for eyes. Then, the de of the magma ive he was holding began to emit a worrying sound. [Warp]! The Abyss Ruler was swallowed by a spatial tear right before the volcanic ive exploded and turned the area he was in into a miniature volcano. His teleportation spell dropped him a few dozens of meters away and without giving him even just a second of respite, the volcanic star produced even more apparitions. This time, at least ten giant wolves jumped out of the eternally thawing star and Verias responded in kind with the same number of Abyss Rings. [Gungnir.] At the same time, he heard a booming and powerful voice. He snapped his head toward the source and saw the werewolf spinning a carved spear matching his size. Verias sensed the power within that creation and grimaced. I should not have been so careless, he said to himself. Judges Compass, he uttered and a nearplete status appeared in front of him. He noticed that some elements were being blocked from his analysis but the two most important were revealed to him. Star magic and Ascent of the Titan. How could a man like this exist? I should have killed him when I had the chance. I overlooked him because of his weak level, he thought angrily and the growl-like voice resounded again. Toote to regret, Rakna spoke after his Soul Core detected the analysis that had been cast on him. He hoisted the fiery Gungnir above his shoulder and the polearm was engulfed in ethereal mes. Ill end this in thirty seconds. Do not get ahead of yourself! Verias shouted, his grin entirely gone by this point. [Death Storm C Colossus of Madness]! As he cast his spell, arge surge of mana manifested itself and took the form of an amalgam of curses. They physically materialized as a sort of purple humanoid monster behind Verias. It had no face to speak of and its body was made of an intermix of thin threads of energy. The odd figure started expanding until it was as big as Rakna. It mmed its palms together and more strings of all colors burst forth from between to fashion a sphere of corporeal curses. The volcanic star instantly began to rain down pirs of magma followed by wolves and a new addition; a beast with three pairs of wings, the body of a wolf, and the head and talons of an eagle. Verias extended his hand upward and conjured severalyers of barriers made with abyss magic to protect himself and his spell. The magma rapidly burned through them but he conjured more to rece the destroyed ones. But some drops still managed to get past the defenses and fell on the colossus. The spots touched by said drops instantaneously dissolved and the threads iled erratically to stitch it back. How dreadful can star magic get This magma can even burn curses, Verias thought grimly. That thing wont help you, Rakna dered and without any warning, he hurled Gungnir which was boosted by the explosive power of the volcanic star energy. Colossus! Verias shouted and the monster of curses behind him grabbed the sphere it had been weaving until now and shoved it toward the iing spear. When the two spells shed, the area around them was struck by a powerful shockwave that turned arge portion of the vige into ruins while simultaneously bursting into mes. As the sh of magic continued, a winner seemed to be emerging. The Mad Colossus strings coiled around Gungnir and seemed to be slowly draining it of its power. Soon after, the spear shattered and exploded, bringing down the colossus along with it. Verias grunted as the aftermath reached him which he resisted by pushing his Reinforcement to its limits. His satisfaction from stopping the spear died as soon as it came to him though. Because beyond the settling smoke, he saw the werewolf summon a fiery bow to nock a strange-looking arrow on it. But that didnt stop there, the volcanic star that had been continuously barraging Verias suddenly stopped generating more artificial creatures and twisted peculiarly. It looked as if the ded arrow was attracting the star as a ma would do to metal. At first, it was only a small trail of red light but it soon turned into a stream as the entire star was siphoned by the arrow and bow. It was impossible to grasp how such a massive concentration of energy could be absorbed by such a small object. The Abyss Ruler gritted his teeth until they chipped and rattled audibly. To think I would have to risk such a spell in this state because of a measly level twenty dog, he spat and two cuts opened on his face and bled profusely before spreading and revealing a pair of uniformly white eyes. He made a wide motion with his arms and mana gushed out of his body until it felt like someone would be able to taste it in the air. Then, countless ck fissures appeared in midair and expanded until all of them were the exact copy of Verias eyes. At the same time, Rakna had finished absorbing the whole star and the arrow on his bow radiated more power than even he could handle. Something that could easily be observed from his wobbly arms and the random spurts of blood across his body. This is the end for you, the Tras sneered and opened his mouth to trigger his magic. [Obli-] [Ace of Diamonds,] Rakna interjected and an imposing ying cardshed brightly above his head before vanishing as fast as it had appeared. [-vion!] The Abyss Ruler finished and silence fell. The eyes he had summoned departed as if they had never been here, the mana he was emitting dissipated, and the magic he prepared had been dispelled without warning. [Dinsleif.] what? Verias uttered dumbly as Rakna let go of the string he was holding. The former could only watch in disarray as his vision was gradually upied by the fiery projectiles light. The world slowed down from his perspective and he couldnt believe what he was seeing. No, this cannot be happening, he said internally. I cannot die here. THIS CANT BE TRUE! He screamed as the ded arrow engulfed him and dragged his body until the walls of the cavern. The spinning des were then released before detonating near instantly. Unlike the cold energy, the volcanic energy was unrestrained and the explosion looked as if a meteorite full of explosives had just crashed, causing an earthquake to ripple through the earth. It was followed by a massive production of ardent magma that shot up in the air and cooled down halfway to create a magnificent bouquet of solid ck stone. Watching it happen, Rakna lowered his bow and coughed blood as he staggered backward. He let out a grunt and an incessant current of bloodthirsty thoughts and voices invaded his mind. [Heavily Injured. Rakna, I rmend you quickly disengage the Ascent of the Titan. Your body is already starting to reject your own power because of the Star Manifestations drawback.] Shut up, I know, he replied with a snarl and his fur reverted to ck at the same time. Its not over yet, he uttered and kicked the ground. His erged body leaped through the air andnded next to the site of the explosion. His eyes tightened and turned into a mixture of gold and red. His arm blurred and reached for an empty spot in front of him. But, surprisingly, his hand grasped something invisible which he readily mmed on the ground with all of his strength. The magic was broken right away and the injured appearance of Verias appeared. His body was covered in silver-colored blood and three of his limbs were missing; only his left arm remained. How did you find me He asked with faulty vocal cords. Instinct. He scoffed. What a joke Rakna gazed at him emotionlessly and scooped him from the ground before lifting him to his line of sight. What are you going to do now? Torture me for killing the child? The werewolf didnt reply. His macabre and inhuman eyes appeared cold, hollow, sharp, dull, and wrathful all at the same time. Only in your dreams that Id give enough shit about you to do that, he growled and dangled the incapacitated creature above his opened maw. Wh-what are you doing!? Stop it! His shouts were unheeded and Rakna simply let go and dropped the Abyss Ruler in his mouth. He chewed as hard as he could for a few seconds and then swallowed. ? ? ? ? ? You have killed Asziquol Naberum Verias! You have killed a foe more than five times your level, experience sexdecupled! The difference between your levels amounts to 79! 3950 additional experience has been awarded. ? Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! ? +1.8 to Strength, Speed, and Intelligence. +21 Free Points ? Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 306/380 ? Core Genome Updated: Three Tails Unlocked. Next Tail: Lv.38/Lv.50 ? Number of Skills Affected: 2 Number of New Skills Attuned: 1 ? C Shadow Step has been attuned! ? C Smell of the Wolf God (Iplete) -> True Smell of the Wolf God ? C Shape Shift: A skill exclusive to the Nine-Tailed Werewolf. Grants the ability to shift between three forms; Wolf (speed +73% -> +76%), Werewolf (all attributes +53% -> +56%), Therian. ? Heart of Lv.99 Asziquol Naberum Verias absorbed. Absorption Factor = 3.5% +0.35 Strength +0.35 Endurance +0.35 Speed +3.5 Dexterity +3.5 Intelligence ? You havepleted a Hidden Quest ? ? ? ? ? Cut it off, Rakna said and the system windows stopped scrolling. His body then started shrinking until he was a normal therian again. He crumpled to his knees and gasped as the tips of his ears and three tails turned white again and his eyes regained their purple shade. Everything about his body was making him want to faint but he held on with nothing but his perseverance. A hiss sounded and Rakna looked up to see Pronos approaching whilst carrying Sonata with him. He groaned and tried to stand up only to fall back. Fuck He muttered and used the veryst bits of mana he had to reinforce his limbs. He threw a healing pill in his mouth and shakily stood up. He stepped over the incinerated vestiges of the vige and through the fires he himself had ignited. Step by step, he unsteadily walked away, closely followed by Pronos who looked at him worryingly; for more than just his physical injuries. After a few minutes of agonizing march, he reached his destination and copsed against a semi-broken wall. He exhaled and pulled out a cigarette with trembling hands. He put it in his mouth and slowly lit it. After that, the strength in his arms faded away for good and fell limp at his sides. He grunted and turned his nk stare toward three figures lying on the ground in front of him. He stayed there, with the vige burning around him, for what felt like hours. After a certain period of time that even he could not tell how long it was, he heard something being smashed in the distance followed by a loud voice, Hey! Rakna! Where are you?! Pronos perked up at the call and put the scarf back around his masters neck before dashing away to tell Gray where they were. When the clown arrived with the little snake in tow, he froze in ce when he saw his Guilds newest recruit. He was covered in injuries, he had a new tail, he felt much stronger than before, but most importantly, his eyes were empty and lifeless. Any question that Gray might have had about the situation got stuck in his throat. He slowly traced Raknas line of sight and ended up looking at three corpses that had obviously once been a family. Hey, Clown. Gray looked back startled at the battered young man. Promises are hard to fulfill arent they? The cyborg squinted and took a few seconds second to answer, They are Thats why I avoid them, Rakna whispered as his eyelids became heavier. But it never makes it any easier He added before he finally cked out; his body demanding rest. Pronos hissed sadly as he curled up on his chest. Gray pushed down his hat. Indeed He muttered as the cracklesing from the zing wood echoed noisily throughout the devastated underground vige. You are right. Chapter 79: Date Chapter 79: Date Rakna slowly opened his eyes as the incredibly numb feeling across his body registered in his mind. He tried to move his arms but the only thing that responded were his fingers. He grunted and stretched his neck to look around him. He was lying down on a bed,fortably snuggled under ayer of sheets, with Pronos quietly sleeping next to his pillow, curled on top of Sonata as if he was safeguarding it. His clothes had been changed to a blue pajama without his knowledge and as for the room, he noted that it was pretty normal, all things considered. If anything, it looked like a school infirmary. If it wasnt for his rationality, Rakna might have thought everything had just been a dream. Alexa, can you fill me in on what happened while was out ofmission? He asked internally. [Certainly. After Gray Whisles found you, he called assistance from the closest town to inspect the vige and clear the area of the Abyss Puppets while also organizing a proper burial for them. I also took the liberty to exin what had happened to him, omitting anything that you would not want to be known, of course.] I didnt know you could speak to other Hosts. [Technically, I cannot. However, I canmunicate with other AIs when the situation calls for it.] I see What about this ce? [You are currently in the Fifth teaus Pavilion. Gray brought you here. This is the infirmary that can be found on themune second floor.] Rakna hummed. How long have I been unconscious? And what is my current condition? [Not long; two hours. And you are currently in a crippled state, as I told you previously. However, after using the Volcanic Star Manifestation, the strain on your body was amplified and you might be unable to return to battle for a week at best.] The volcanic star, huh He groaned and forced his numb body to sit up against the headboard of the bed. Show me the logs from the point I changed onward. [Right away.] ? ? ? ? ? Anomaly Detected. Obsidian Blood has resonated with your magic affinity. Cold Star Magic has been converted to Volcanic Star Magic. Your spells have been converted. ? You have cast Ascent of the Titan. All of your mana, stamina, and psyche have been surcharged and will sustain your new form for 100 seconds. ? You have cast Volcanic Star Manifestation C External Release. ? Your magics essence will be manifested outside of your body. Once cast, the spell will summon a star with a power proportionate to the size of your internal forces. The might of the star will be yours to manipte at will. Should you so desire, you are able to strike the earth with it or provoke a rain of magma and fire. However, the quantity of energy is limited. The star will remain manifested for as long as you desire but will disappear once all of its power has been depleted. The supreme influence of the volcanic star will allow you to burn everything, from the mostmon mmables to space itself. Very few defenses can hope to resist it. ? Cost: 75% Stamina. Cooldown: 120 Hours. ? Note: The magic attack of the star is variable based on how much energy from the star is put to use. It can range from just 1 to more than 10 times your magic attack if the entire star is used. You can also use it to empower apatible spell with it. ? Warning! Thisbination of skills will severely drain your internal force! ? Star Magic has leveled up! Absolute Cover has leveled up! ? Warning! You have injected Dinsleif with the Volcanic Star Manifestation. Your body cannot handle the resultant magic power. You will suffer internal injuries as long as you wield it. ? Ireful Shell has leveled up! Ireful Shell has leveled up! Magical Damage Resistance has leveled up! Ireful Shell has begun to corrode your mind. Obsidian Blood has suppressed the effects. ? Fabled Sight has leveled up! Fatigue Resistance has broken through Exceled state! ? ? ? ? ? The subsequent alerts were the ones that he had already seen after he killed Verias. Rakna raised an eyebrow as he read what he had missed and sighed. He hadnt expected the Manifestation to be so hard on him together with Ascent of the Titan. He then took a look at the magic section of his status and noted that Volcanic Star Magic wasnt in it no matter how long he looked at it. He guessed that it would probably only appear if his mind switched states. Thats one more thing to think about I will have to properly distinguish the main differences between Volcanic and Cold Stars. When he was about to read the remaining System windows, the door of the infirmary opened and a man in a white coat walked in. He was a lithe young man with long white hair tied in a low ponytail. He had clear blue eyes to go with it, which were covered by a pair of sses, and his facial features were bothx and sharp. Its good to see that youre awake but I rmend you to not move too much, he spoke up with a scowl when he saw him sitting on the bed. Both your internal force and mana are depleted and will not regenerate for a few days at least. Moving in that state essentially causes you to harm yourself. And you are? Rakna retorted. Vegas Sazieyl. Nice to meet you, kid. Im a member of the Throne of Glory, he stated and put his hands in the pockets of his coat. In other words, Im your guildmate. Rakna blinked in surprise at the revtion. He didnt expect to meet someone else from the Guild so soon, especially considering that they were all supposed to elites. Not to sound ungrateful but why are you the one tending to me? Vegas snickered and walked to a locker in the corner of the room as he answered, Im a doctor and I happened to be on the Fifth teau to deal with a Quest about a certain gue. Gray called me, saying that you were gravely injured, and here I am. He rummaged through the content of the locker and pulled out a syringe. He then got a sk out of nowhere and filled the syringe with the clear liquid it contained. He walked back to Raknas bed and grabbed his arm before rolling the sleeve back. Rx your arm. What is inside of that? Rakna raised an eyebrow in confusion. A stimnt made with alchemy. It includes some other drugs and painkillers too. While there is no medicine capable of helping you in your state, bar the most legendary ones, with this, you should be able to move around without tearing your ligaments apart or cause internal bleeding. I thought you said I should just not move. Yes. That would be ideal. But I know your type, Vegas responded as he injected the tonic. You people just cant help yourselves to disregard a doctors warnings thinking that you will be strong enough to deal with it over time. Rakna snorted at that and flexed his arm once the needle was pulled out of his arm. He didnt really agree with his words but at the same time, he couldnt deny them either. There. It should take about five minutes for the tonic to kick in. Dont forget; dont do anything crazy until your internal force actually starts rekindling itself. Potions or pills wont work on you as well since your body is too weak to actually process them. They will just release energy in your body for a short moment before dispersing, he said as he put his hands back inside his pockets. Its like trying to fill up a broken bowl. Thanks to the lesser regeneration factor you have, youre already lucky enough that you were not permanently affected by whatever you did at that vige, so stay put, will you? Rakna grunted positively and Vegas nodded before heading back to the door. Ill be on my way now. I have a Quest to finish. Well meet again. Gray wille to see youter to ask about what happened in more detail. Thanks. Youre wee. Vegas was about to open the door when he remembered something. Ah, and, I almost forgot, you have a visitor. Rakna tilted his head. Visitor? Who? Shes waiting outside. Ill tell her to go in. See you again, Rakna, he said and left the infirmary without any further dy. Rakna watched him leave puzzled before trying to move his body a bit more. The tonic would need more time to do its predicted effects but he could already feel a difference. He slowly pushed the sheets and repositioned himself to sit on the edge of the bed. His movements inadvertently caused Pronos to wake up. The little snake groggily opened his eyes, which quickly fell on Rakna. He blinked several times then brusquely jumped on his head while hissing happily. Calm down, little guy. Calm down, Rakna muttered as he barely managed to not fall off from just that small nudge. Everything about his body seemed to be weaker. There wasnt any visible change in his status but he would say that it basically felt as if he had regressed to a value of one for each of his attributes. As Pronos danced joyfully on his head and shoulders, the door opened again and Rakna turned his head to look at it. The instant he saw who it was, his mouth spoke before his brain, You. Yep, me! Kaelith struck a mock, overly cute pose as she stepped inside the infirmary. Surprised? Im sure you are. Come on, say how happy you are to see me. Im distressed to know that I might have to deal with you outside of the shop as well. Now, thats just mean, wolfy. Even though Im here to see how youre doing, she chuckled before sitting on the second bed right in front of Rakna. She cocked her head to the side. You got a third tail, huh? Shemented after taking a nce at the three fluffy appendages behind him. Yes. Though I didnt have a real chance to think about it until now, he said as he controlled his tails so that they would il around. Kaelith smiled softly then looked at him. Say, want to talk about it? Rakna was taken aback by the question. He frowned at her and after a few seconds of observing her expression, he confirmed that she was genuinely asking that for his sake. who told you? No one, the vixen shrugged. I just know that a vige has been discovered to have been used as a farmhouse by an Abyss Ruler for hundreds of years and that you happened to be the one who both stumbled upon it and fixed the situation by killing said member of the Abyss. Impressive, by the way. How did you deduce that I would have something to talk about from that alone? I didnt. But theres one thing I know for sure; your eyes, she said as she pointed at them. Theyre as dead as always but today, I feel like they are even emptier than usual. I also dont believe that some crazy megalomaniac would be enough to have such an impact on you. So, something must have happened. Rakna would be lying if he said he wasnt surprised by her observations. He himself was aware of how little he showed on the outside. He could have epted if the person who had said that to him was either An or via, but instead, it was an impish woman he had known for barely two days. He didnt know if she was just that perceptive or if he unconsciously allowed her to see more than he would normally. Then again I have to admit this woman has the uncanny ability to make me rx by just sitting there, he thought to himself with a bit of irony. He closed his eyes and then opened his mouth. Honestly, there is nothing much to say, he uttered without changing his expression. I just met a little girl who wanted to see the world. I talked to her about what there was out there and she asked if I would show it to her. I told her I would if I had the asion. Kaelith let out a mncholic smile and Pronos took on a sad expression. Then, I left to see what was hindering this childs dreams. I made a blunder; awoke something I should not have. I returned to the sight of a mother killing herself to protect her daughter and a father trying to kill thetter. Afterward, I was forced to end the life of a crying girl who couldnt control her own body anymore and only wanted to follow her mother. Rakna stopped there and opened his eyes. Thats it. theres only one thing I want to say, the nine-tailed fox said solemnly. This wasnt your fault. It will never be. So, please, dont me yourself, okay? I dont me myself, foxy, Rakna grunted and ran his hand through his hair. No, only fools try to redirect the me onto themselves to avoid the actual consequences of their actions. There is not an ounce of guilt in me right now. All I know is that Im angry. Enraged. Furious to the point I would like to just burn the whole world to quench this feeling. Kaeliths eyes widened as she saw his eyes turn reddish while the white of his wolf characteristics flickered to red. He gritted his teeth and reigned in his anger with a sigh. Anyway, thank you for worrying about me, I guess. But I dont need help at the moment. I just need to make peace with myself more than anything. She gazed at him with aplicated look before standing up. I see. Lets go then. Rakna raised his head with scrunched eyebrows. Go? Where? The vixen grinned at him. You need time to recover, dont you? So, that means youre free. In that case, while Im in the lower teaus, lets hang out. In other words, wanna go on a date, wolfy? huh? Chapter 80: Board Quests Chapter 80: Board Quests So? How did you even know I was on the Fifth teau? Much less the infirmary, Rakna asked as they navigated through the corridors of the Pavilion. After waiting for a few minutes, the drugs in his system had effectively made him able to move again. Sonata was back around his neck while Pronos was loosening up in Kaeliths cleavage, much to his masters bafflement. As I said before, I know whenever you enter the Pavilion. That also includes which teau the Pavilion you used is on. As for where you were exactly, I didnt know. I got bored while waiting for you so I decided toe to the Fifth teau myself. Seriously? Kaelith shrugged with a grin. Anyhow, I just asked around to see if someone saw you and I got wind that you were carried to the med bay. Med bay, huh? Rakna muttered as he looked around. They had already walked for a good three minutes, give or take, and the only thing he had seen were doors leading to medical rooms and the such. From what he understood, this was still the Pavilion, and the section he hadnt been able to visit yet. This is a lot bigger than I thought. Yes, it can be shocking at first. The private section of the Pavilion is very smallpared to themune one. In here, you have a lot of stuff like this med bay. Bars, restaurants, hotels, very veryrge training grounds, and much more. This is also a sort of hub for people looking for jobs or in other words, Quests. Gray did mention something about Board Quests. How does that work? Well, why not see for yourself, she replied as they left the corridor to enter a circr hall with a reception. The woman at the desk looked up and bowed her head in respect to Kaelith who nodded in response before dragging Rakna to a double door on the opposite side. Admire, she said and pushed the doors open with one small prod with her fingers. A veryrge roomid on the other side. If he had to guess, Rakna would say that it would be able to fit at least a few tens of track fields in it. Thats how far it seemed to extend and he was almost sure to not be far from the truth. With just a nce, he could see many people loitering about, sitting together at bars, chatting, or ying games like poker or billiard. The floor was covered in a red carpet and the lighting was provided byrge chandeliers. All in all, the only description that came to his mind, was a massive and luxurious casino. The merry atmosphere precisely gave him that impression. Nice ambiance, dont you think? Kaelith said as they stepped through the doors. I guess, Rakna replied dully. His eyes nced in every direction as he suddenly felt stared at. To be exact, it wasnt only he who was being stared at. Ignore them, the vixen told him as if he knew what he was thinking. Theyre just some low lives probably fantasizing about me warming up their bed. Theyre probably jealous that you can walk at my side or something. If they ever try to bother you, just ask and Ill castrate them, she uttered with a smirk. Rakna snorted at how aloof she sounded while saying that. She was probably used to it. Now, look over there. Thats the Board. At least, thats one of the many you can ess while in here, she said while pointing at something in the distance. It was a sort of ten-meter-wide bluish silver table. There were a few people around it, who Rakna assumed to be Hosts, and he noticed that they appeared to be gazing at the said table while discussing with others. When they got closer to it, he understood why. The table turned out to be a massive tactile digital screen and the Hosts were actually scrolling through several different texts. Kaelith pressed her finger on the screen without saying a word and a ripple of light was generated around it before forming her own name. It then switched disys and showed a search bar along with several filter options. In here, you can find Quests that are requested directly by either Locals or Hosts. You can be sure that youll never be out of things to do with this. There are thousands of requests submitted to the Pavilion every day. Of course, both the difficulty and rewards vary. Also, the Quests you can find on this Board are limited to the teaus you already have unlocked. So, you mean I could ept a Quest that can only bepleted on, lets say the Third teau, from here? Rakna idly asked as he imitated her and engaged with the screen. His name appeared in full letters before showing him the same thing as Kaelith. Yes. For example, that guildmate of yours, Vegas Sazieyl, from what I gathered, came here after epting a Quest through this Board. That guys a doctor through and through, hes also quite renowned, its not surprising that he would be interested in investigating unknown illnesses even in teaus as low as this one. Rakna hummed, acknowledging her words, before pressing the search button without setting the filters. A list of Quests appeared before him, sorted by Latest. Herb gathering, escort, subjugation, tutoring, sparring, item search Theres a lot of variety, thats for sure, he thought as he scrolled down as fast as he could. Kaelith watched curiously as his eyes glowed gold and read every line of text at high speed. She smiled inwardly, wondering how he had managed to get such a high rank-looking visual skill and how much he was still hiding from her. Instead of feeling mad about it, she actually felt eager. She was looking forward to seeing what he would show her in the future. Rakna continued to look through the Quests unaware of her thoughts and then stopped when he saw something in the corner of the small virtual box. Foxy. Hm? He didnt say a word and just pointed at two certain checkboxes in the filters avable. She looked over his shoulder without minding about personal space and saw the words Non-Approved and Elimination. Aah those, she took on a difficult expression. Non-Approved refer to Quests that were not officially epted by the Pavilion. You see, every Quest submitted must go through approval, and those that fail this step are registered under Non-Approved. There are two main reasons why that would happen; either the Quest has a dubious nature, is deemed impossible, or the rewards are too low for the job or simply inexistent. Rakna frowned. In other words, it means the pile that the Pavilion uses to ignore the pleas of the people who dont have the means to pay for the help they need? Kaelith winced a bit at his blunt description. Yes, I cant deny that. But,e on, at least, they dont outright reject them. Youd be surprised by the benevolence that some Hosts have. Some people literally just spend their days epting andpleting Non-Approved Quests. I can imagine, Rakna replied indifferently. What about this other filter? Right, eliminations well, its a slightly nicer word for assassinations. He turned toward her with a frown and she shrugged sheepishly. Dont look at me like that. At the end of the day, the Pavilion is neutral in every aspect. Feuds between unknown Hosts or Locals are none of their business and they thus ept assassination requests. The rewards are generous but the risks are very high since you could alienate entire factions because of it. I see Rakna muttered as processed the new information. At the same time, his ears twitched as he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. He threw azy look over his shoulder and spotted a band of men walking toward them with malicious smiles. He didnt even bother to react to them as he grasped the sheer idiocy behind their actions. Kaelith was a literal noble and she didnt do much to hide her nine tails. In fact, she unted them and people easily be infatuated by figures that they find both stunning and unreachable. However, when that target of adoration is apanied by someone like him, a young and seemingly newbie Host, they be frantic. They suddenly feel as if the stakes have been lowered and that if a mundane person can be at their idols side, then they can too and their desire turns into arrogance and baseless confidence. I think there was a name for that typical mental behavior what was it? Rakna wondered as hepletely tuned out whatever was happening around him. Hepletely ignored how the band of men red at him like they were above him, hepletely ignored as they subsequently addressed Kaelith whilst badmouthing him, andpletely ignored as she smiled at them before activating what he presumed was a hallucination spell if their sudden screams of terror and them clenching their heads were anything to go by. Ah, yes, malicious envy. Thats how you call it, Rakna remembered as the men copsed with foaming out of their mouths. They looked as if they had seen the worst of nightmares. Everyone nearby looked on frightened and any of them who had even dared to think about doing the same thing as those men immediately ended their delusions. Kaelith looked satisfied with her handiwork as she looked back at him. She seemedpletely unfazed by what had just happened. He would even go as far as to say that she positively looked refreshed. On the other hand, Pronos had a ghastly expression as he had been on a first-ss seat to watch the poor men suffer. Anyway, youre done? I want my date now. This is boring stuff. so, you werent kidding about that, Rakna mumbled as he closed the Quest Board. He woulde backter to check it in more detail. Of course not, she stated and dragged him by the arm toward one of the many staircases present in thisrge room. His body was so weak that he could not even give the slightest of resistances as she borderline carried him out of the Pavilion. They quickly made their way out of the oval-shaped building that had the exact same appearance and proportions as the First teau. Rakna once again marveled at how it could be so muchrger inside. Other than that, he also took a look at the city they were in. Though, it would be a bit more fitting to call it a town instead. It wasnt nearly as big as ck Steel nor did it seem futuristic. The streets were paved with stone and the structures seemed honestly quite normal. Though, the biggest difference of this teau was the sky and the vegetation. Faithful to the appetion of swamp, the color trees colors were a bit morose and the sky was covered by gray clouds with the sunlight barely visible through it. Well, its not the best of weather but who cares, Kaelith uttered and looked at him. So, wolfy, where do you want to go? Rakna gave her a deadpan stare. How am I supposed to know? And when did I ever ept to go on a date with you? Really? You have a beautiful woman like me inviting you, and youre going to be like that? How many people do you think would kill to be in your ce? And here I was, just trying to help a friend get better, she sighed with a mock sadness in her tone and Raknas eyebrow twitched. Friend, he reiterated inwardly. It felt both weird and appropriate. This was a word that he seldom used to describe others. Did he consider this woman a friend? are there any tourist spots in the area? He finally asked after a small silence between the two of them. She smiled widely. No idea. But we can discover together, cant we? Doesnt it sound lovely? Rakna nced at her. Perhaps He said as the corner of his lips were lifted slightly upward. Chapter 81: Sharing Pasts Chapter 81: Sharing Pasts Kaelith threw a colored ring thatnded urately around one of the many small wooden poles in her sight. She shed a smirk at Rakna who was staring at her with a nk expression with Pronos having decided to return on his shoulder after all the jiggling had made him dizzy. Seriously? Dont act smug about that when you probably have hundreds of points in dexterity, Rakna uttered and the vixen gave him a pout. While strolling through the town, they had ended up in a street that seemingly was in an eternal state of festivity. Several stalls were hosting small games like this ring toss and they even offered rewards such as plushies or toys, not much different from Earth in that regard. Kaelith immediately suggested ying them and this was their third one. She had already won several toys on the way. Unwind, wolfy, she retorted with a huff and handed him one of the rings which he received. He looked at it and he let his mind and body instinctively feel the weight and shape before throwing it to the side without even looking. It perfectlynded around its target and the stall owner gawked at the sight. Even Kaelith seemed to be a bit surprised. What did you just do? Its as if you didnt even think about what you were doing but it still ended as a bullseye. Rakna didnt answer right away. His expression didnt show it but he was a bit confused himself. He looked at his hand and repeatedly opened and closed it. For a second, as he was tossing that ring, he felt something take over his body. Hey, can you give me the rest of the rings? He asked and Kaelith tilted her head before handing the three remaining rings. He grabbed them all with one hand and juggled them a bit. This time, he went as far as closing his eyes before throwing them over his shoulder. The owner and Kaelith watched them fly all the way until a target each. When they confirmed with their own eyes that it had wlessly wrapped around the rods, they became stupefied. Meanwhile, Rakna received a simple notification from the System. ? ??? Eyes of the Soul has leveled up! ??? ? I think I get it, he thought to himself. This weird feeling he perceived came from his soul. He didnt know for sure what, but something had changed ever since he woke up earlier. [Rakna, this is a theory but, I believe it may have something to do with your crippled state,] Alexa spoke up on her own. [Since both your internal force and mana arepletely depleted, probably for the first time in your life as well, they have left a void. This void seems to have been filled by the power that you were already slowly grasping; Soul Power.] I see. In other words, since everything about my body is weak right now, it leaves a ce for my soul to be more predominant. My instincts feel considerably boosted. When I grabbed that ring, it felt as if I could predict its trajectory to thest detail no matter how or where I threw it. As he was contemting that idea, Kaelith quickly shrugged off what happened and shamelessly went to grab the prizes from the stall owner. After picking arge teddy bear, she returned to his side and pushed his shoulders to make him walk, forcing him to stop his musing. I dont know what youre thinking about wolfy, but it has not even been twenty minutes since we left the Pavilion and youre already distracted. Youre not a good date, you know that? Rakna grunted as he started walking alongside her so that she would stop pushing him. Why are you saying that as if I was the one who came up with the idea? Because its the mans job to spoil the woman, she replied with a smile. I dont think thats a thing, foxy. Borderline double standard. Semantics, she waved her hand. Anyhow, did you eat breakfast today yet? Rakna paused as he was about to answer. His mind briefly shed back to when he swallowed Verias whole and he blinked dazedly. He didnt want to acknowledge that as food. No? She looked at him with a faint scowl. Why do you sound hesitant? nothing to worry about. Even if I had eaten breakfast, I could probably still eat more. Ah, true. You wolves do have a big appetite, shemented and put a hand on her chin. Now, lets see She muttered and looked around before pointing at one of the street angles. Lets go there. There should be a nice caf around that corner. How do you know that? Map, Kaelith replied simply as they headed in the direction she pointed at. Have you been here before? Well, not exactly. I did, of course,e to the Fifth teau in the past but the town I was in at the time wasnt this one. However, that doesnt mean I cant have the map of this area. Rakna blinked in confusion. Im not sure I follow. Kaelith giggled. Its simple; maps can be bought from the System. Really? Sounds a bit too easy. Thats because you dont know everything. Firstly, you cant buy the maps of teaus that you havent conquered yet, and secondly, they only include key locations like towns, Dungeons, and other things that are not affected by the reset, she exined as she checked the itinerary after taking a turn. Rakna hummed passively as he heard that and his attention was progressively caught by the looks the passersby kept giving Kaelith. They were of all genders and ages; not only was she drawing attention with her beauty but also her race. Well, I guess thats to be excepted. I got the same kind of reactions in ck Steel as well, he said inwardly and before he knew, they had reached their destination. They entered the caf and with just a smile and a bit of convincing in the form of a pile of Talys, Kaelith demanded from the owner to have a private room, which they awkwardly agreed to. The truth was that they simply didnt have such a room but the vixen tookplete advantage of her status to force him to amodate them in a staff room instead. Poor guys, Rakna thought as he sat down at a table in what seemed to be a break room for the staff. When both of them were settled, a waitress came to them with a nervous expression to take their orders. Once they were alone again, Kaelith leaned her head on her arm. Now, lets talk. The logical thing to do here would be to learn more about each other, dont you think? So, why dont you start? Rakna scowled at her. Shouldnt you be the one to start and give the example? As if. Knowing you, you would take this as an opportunity to learn more about the System through me while you will just say something like your age and name. What? Am I wrong? no. Kaelith sighed exasperatedly. What happened in your life for you to be so damn secretive? Are you like that to your friends as well? His silence was all the answer she needed. Really, you need to get rid of that anti-socialism, you know? I wouldnt call it being anti-social. I just avoid talking to people to Rakna paused and looked up for a few seconds. All right. Point taken. Im anti-social. Kaelith deadpanned at him. Im waiting, she uttered. He sighed and leaned back on his chair. Why do you want to know about me anyway? Do I really have to tell you the definition of a date? She retorted. Youre surprisingly dense for someone with a mind as sharp as yours. I dont know if your past is too hurtful or maybe you just think that it is boring but you must let it out. Never confiding in others isnt a good thing. The more you hide, the harder it gets. Rakna stared at her through half-lidded eyes and as he was about to refuse, he happened to see Pronos looking at him with a curious and hopeful face, one that was mirrored by Kaelith. He clicked his tongue inwardly and focused on the vixens eyes. Even he wasnt stupid enough to see that she truly was willing to get to know him. Why? As if he knew. Nheless, he knew for a fact that she was being genuine and even he felt a bit bad to reject such an earnest sentiment. As he was deliberating what to do, the waitress came back with a tray in her hands. She ced the two cups on the table, a small te filled with a variety of snacks for Pronos, and two sweets; a crepe-like dish for Kaelith and a strawberry sundae for Rakna. She did all of it whilst the room was inplete silence and as the two customers stared at each other in the eyes without saying anything. After she was done, she timidly backtracked her steps and exited the room again. Fine, Rakna finally said and Kaeliths eyes brightened. My name is Rakna Xiorra, as you already know. Though I have no idea of what calendar you people use here, my birthday is on the 7th of September. I was born on Earth, quite obviously, in a backwater country, he said as he scooped a bit of his sundae with his spoon and ate it. I hate guns, he abruptly dered, which confused Kaelith a bit. Funnily enough, firearms were a key element of my childhood. Kind of hard not to be since the basement was full of them. What do you mean? Gun traffickers, Rakna replied emotionlessly. Thats what my parents were. They made their livelihood by selling weapons to the best buyers. Terrorists, mercenaries, rebels, civilians; all of them were potential buyers and they didnt make distinctions. They had more blood on their hands than actual murderers. One day, I was faced with the harsh reality. I was out to y when I heard a gunshot. I turned around and what did I see? A robbery. A pair of armed men were robbing a shop and they did not even care about threatening the owner. They killed him on the spot, took the money, and ran away before the enforcers could get them. I ran too. Though, to be honest, I didnt even know what I was running away from. The only thing I could think about was the indistinct but deeply rooted conviction that the weapons those two criminals wielded had probably been sold by my parents; used to rob a shop which I frequently visited right in front of my eyes and whose owner was someone I considered the closest thing I had to a grandfather. I was seven when that happened. Kaelith frowned sadly at that. From that day onward, I learned to live with the constant shame, guilt, fear, and disgust caused by my parents dealings. The worst of it all is that they didnt even bother to hide it from me and I was too much of a coward to denounce my own family to the authorities. I just needed to make a call and Aurora would have probably had them incarcerated within a day but I was too afraid. I felt like I was drowning and suffocating under my own thoughts every hour of the day. Fast forward a year or two, something happened. My parents got on the bad side of the wrong people and I found them dead, a bullet to the head each, in the living room. I wasnt even upset. In fact, I was relieved. They had gotten what they deserved and I could finally stop living like I was stuck underwater. If only Rakna clenched his hands and his Obsidian Blood acted up. Kaelith watched concerned as one of his eyes turned red a raw wave of fury emanated from him. She almost wanted to stop him now. He had already said more than what she had ever expected him to. But for some reason, she couldnt bring herself to interrupt him. If only it could have stopped there, he continued and took a deep breath. The people who killed my parents were apparently looking for something and when they didnt find it at our home, for some godforsaken reason, they thought that I had the answer. So, they kidnapped me and tried to get the info out of me. Kaelith held back a gasp as she realized the implications of that and Pronos seemed to be about to cry. Thatsted a month They found out early that I had no idea of the location of their target but that didnt stop them. Maybe they thought I could be used as bait for my parents colleagues or rtives, I dont know. At the end of it all, I was rescued by someone. Rakna started calming down right after that and his eye returned to normal. The strongest man I have ever met, both inside and out. I saw him march through hails of bullets, kill two men by crushing their throats with one hand simultaneously, pull out a knife stabbed in his leg without even pausing for a millisecond, and rip the metal restraints binding me barehanded. Kaelith squinted her eyes as she recognized the respectful tone that she had already heard him use before. Was he your uncle? Rakna nodded. He pulled me out of there and took me in after learning I had nowhere to go. He said he wasnt fit to be a father figure and arbitrarily decided to falsify official documents so that he would be seen as my uncle. He snorted in amusement as he remembered that. He taught me how to be somewhat human again after losing most of my saneness. He taught me how to fight and use the spear. He taught me morals and what strength truly meant. I owe him everything that I am today. After thatst statement, the room fell silent and he imperturbably finished his sundae before drinking his cup of water. When he put the cup down, he abruptly opened his mouth, Ah, and by the way, I was lying when I said that I was a beast-man before arriving here. Kaelith almost face-faulted at the casual remark after all this. I-I think I already knew that. There is simply no way for you to have been. Especially after you barged into the shop with a second tail. Oh, I see. Youre not as clueless as I thought then. Surprisingly, she didnt snap back at him for that. Instead, she observed him mindfully. If you are trying to force yourself to make me morefortable, you dont need to- Dont overthink it, foxy. I got over it years ago. One of the many things the old man taught me was how to never live in the past. Im not putting up an act. And I didnt even tell you everything so you can keep yourforting for another day. Kaeliths face changed into an expression that screamed Theres more!? and he shrugged at her before continuing, Its your turn now. She groaned as she took a bite of her food. Making me go after that, youre seriously cruel. Well, since you told me about your past, I suppose I should return the favor. I dont think I have told you before but I am a Descendant. I was born inside the System from Host parents. As such, I was allowed to live the first eighteen years of my life without being affected by the System so my childhood was spent on the 500th teau, Old Eden, where the Nine-Tailed n has its Main Quarters. Compared to you, I have to admit, I lived veryfortably. You could even say luxurious since, well, Im the sessor of the Nine-Tailed Foxes. My father is the Patriarch of our race and Im the one to seed after him. Uh, so youre some kind of princess. Kaelith snickered. You could say that. Thats pretty much how I was treated. But, as luxurious as it was, as fancy as my meals and garderobe were, I frankly felt sick. I was sick of all the attention, of the expectations that were put on me, or the fake rtionships I was forced to make. And dont get me started on the disgusting bastards that aimed for my status and body. I have been tolerating those ever since I was twelve, can you believe it? I lost count of how many times people have sent requests to my parents to take my hand in marriage. Most from people I hadnt even met. Obviously, I refused them all and I threatened my parents that I would either quit the n or kill myself if they ever tried to pair me with someone without my consent. Other than that, I suffered many abduction attempts. They all failed but the first time it happened to me, I was so scared that I refused to leave my room for an entire week, she said with a crooked smile. In the end, it was like living behind bars. But that all changed when I turned eighteen and the System acknowledged me as a new Host before sending me to the Tutorial. I felt free for the first time in my life and I conquered teau after teau thanks to my natural gift as a Nine-Tailed Fox. Though, that never stopped the damn stares or the fake rtionships. I tried so hard to make friends, you know? But most of them were either opportunists, betrayers, or I guess idiots. Rakna snorted at that and she chuckled. Thats all there is to know about me. I just got sick of everything and decided to aim for the top. I became one of the strongest Hosts so that no one would approach me with their disgustingly fake faces. Now, a lot of people fear me, but I honestly prefer that to liars. And then theres you, she said as she pointed at Rakna with her fingers. Do you know why I got so much curious about you? He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to convey his puzzlement. When you first saw me, there was something different. Of course, you had no idea of who I was or what I was but that wont make me forget the way you looked at me. Evidently, Ive met people in the past who both ignored or simply resisted my charms; thats not what Im talking about here. When you looked at me, you silently acknowledged my appearance. Then, you threw me off guard by asking a random question- No, I was truly confused why there was an aisle dedicated to nkets. Dont interrupt, wolfy, she retorted dryly and he shrugged. In any case, there is one thing for sure, and its that the second youid your eyes on me, you tried to look through me. Once again, thats nothing that hasnt happened to me before. But what you did after that is another story; you pulled back. You tried to see through my intentions, then once you were done, you pulled back as if it had never happened. You didnt put up any sort of obnoxious guard against me and you even openly got along with my teasing and returned it right back at me. It honestly felt refreshing to interact with someone who felt like he wouldnt care about my identity no matter what it was. And it was fun. It was truly fun. Thats why I chose to be your shopkeeper. She paused to catch her breath and smiled at Rakna. So, let me ask you this straight, wolfy. In a more official kind of way. Do you want to be friends? He snorted and his expression softened a bit. You are the one who sounds like an anti-social who was bullied at school. Hey! She shouted in indignation and the beginnings of a smile surfaced on his expression. Sure Ill be your friend. Why would I not? She crossed her arms with a huff but she couldnt hide her grin. I hope you dont take that back in the future, wolfy Im looking forward to our friendship. Same here, foxy. Chapter 82: Soul Scourge Chapter 82: Soul Scourge After leaving the caf, Rakna and Kaelith truly began to explore the town in a rxed manner, with the former even agreeing to get along with the vixens whims. Their banter hadnt changed in the slightest nor were they acting differently but they were clearly morefortable around each than they were an hour prior. What about this one? Kaelith asked as she came out of the dressing room wearing apletely new attire. She sported an embroidered beige sweater and a long ck skirt. Though, the major novelty was her hair. She had tied it into a ponytail which she arranged over her right shoulder. Along with the contrast of colors, this gave her a dazzling quality. Compared to her usual crimson dresses, this made her look more refined and mature. Even Rakna had to admit that. He was apathetic, not blind. Though, I will never understand why women always want to show off clothing before buying it, he uttered out loud. Come on, its obvious, wolfy. Why do you think we refine our appearance every day? She said while putting a hand on her hip. Its to appeal. You can consider yourself to be the beta tester of my attractiveness. Grand wordsing from someone who grumbles about how many people want to bed her. This is this and that is that. You dont expect me to bend my pride over some trash that I couldnt even be bothered to look at, do you? Its about self-worth. Fair enough, Rakna shrugged and observed her as he leaned against the wall next to the dressing room. He opened his mouth after a few seconds, Yeah, you look good. That hairstyle suits you a lot too. It could probably enhance your more vivacious outfits as well. Kaelith giggled and did a full spin before nodding to herself. I agree. A change of air was already quite overdue, honestly, she said and headed to the counter to buy both the clothes she was wearing and a small pile she was carrying before putting them in her storage. After that, they left the shop and spent the next two hours going around, visiting everything that struck their fancy. Among them, the ones that stood out the most were a small museum exhibiting fossils found under the swamps and the library from which Rakna bought a few books that he had found interesting. When they were about to end their little tour, they sat down at a local park, in front of a pond with surprisingly clear waterpared to what the rest of the Fifth teau had to offer. So, what do you n to do while you recover? Kaelith asked as they watched a stream of fish swim around in the water, following Pronos who was enjoying the feeling of being submerged. I dont know. Ill either train, sleep, or read. She raised an eyebrow. Train? In that state? Youll hurt yourself. I never specified what kind of training. There are other things to train other than the body and magic, Rakna retorted and stood up before walking to the edge of the pond. He crouched there and tapped the surface of the water with his finger. He watched closely as the ripples formed and spread in every direction. Kaelith cocked her head to the side and looked on from her seat. Soon enough, her interest turned into amazement as the fish of the pond swarmed in front of Rakna and stuck their heads out of the water as if they wanted to jump out. Meanwhile, Rakna simply stared at them, seemingly doing nothing. But his eyes were releasing a very inconspicuous light. Truthfully, you couldnt even call it light. It was bright but colorless and the way it undted from the depths of his pupils made it look like a liquid. The details behind what Rakna was doing were summarized by two System windows. ? ? ? ? ? Through executing a specific action, you have learned a new skill; Soul Sense. ? Soul Sense (Lv.1): The ability to sense and visualize the souls of other beings. Therger and brighter the soul, the mightier the holder is. Their specific shapes and colors also refer to different elements. The range varies depending on the level of the skill. ? Through executing a specific action, you have learned a new skill; Soul Scourge. ? Soul Scourge (Lv.1): The ability to harness soul power and apply it outside of the body. By extending its influence onto other living beings, it is possible to make them enter a hypnotic state, manipte them, or even hurt them. Subjugating targets bes substantially harder if their soul and mental power are either close to the users or above it. ? Note: Keep in mind that overuse of ones soul power can lead to soul suicide. The System does not manage its consumption and rmends the user to be vignt. ? Eyes of the Soul has leveled up! X2 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna squinted his eyes and he almost felt like he had grown hundreds of new limbs. He guided them toward the fish in a trance and linked with them. Then, with a single thought, he ordered them to swim in a circle, form a line, waves, polygons, and then made them disperse back into the pond before cutting the connection. ? ??? Soul Scourge has leveled up! ??? ? Wolfy did you just? Kaelith uttered as he stood back up. He turned around to face her and almost tripped because of what he saw. Her body was surrounded by a thick cloak of blue fire with nine tails forming a circle around it. ? ??? Soul Sense has leveled up! ??? ? He obviously put two and two together and deduced that this was her soul. But the sheer pressure he could feel it exuding waspletely different from what he sensed in those fish. Theirs were less than ant-sizedpared to hers. Not only that but they were also colorless and shapeless. Out of curiosity, he looked at Pronos who was swimming a few meters away, and saw that there was a small golden sphere in the center of his body, releasing glitters as it spun mesmerizingly. He then tried to look at himself but to no avail. Wolfy? Kaelith spoke up and pulled him out of his reverie. Ah, its nothing. I just got lost in my thoughts, he said and then tried to turn off this new sensory input he had acquired and thankfully, it seemed to work as his sight returned to normal. What were you saying? Kaelith opened her mouth to say something but she eventually ended up sighing, You know what? Lets just say that your eyes are so dead that the fish like you enough to jump you, all right? Raknas mind struggled between rebuffing her for the sake of his self-esteem or just letting it go to not have to exin what he had just done. Right Ultimately, his idleness won the war. The vixen chuckled and stood up. Well, I think its time I go back, you know, up there, she said while pointing at the sky. Although I did say I was bored, I still have duties to attend to. To make matters worse, the Nine-Tailed n is in a state of political panic right now. As the heiress, I have to be there. Political panic? Rakna tilted his head. Internal conflict? You could say that. A newborn Nine-Tailed Wolf was kidnapped a few days ago and everyones ming everyone. Its a mess. Raknas eyes widened. A newborn He was hit hard by the revtion. The wolf he had killed and harvested was an actual member of the Nine-Tailed n. Never mind kidnapped, the lupine was long dead by his hands and he had even absorbed its genome. That cant be good He thought to himself with a slightly more tense expression. Fortunately, Kaelith didnt seem to notice as she started cursing under her breath about all the talking and paperwork she would have to do. In any case, I had fun today, wolfy. Lets do this again, okay? Ill see you at the shop, she said and prepared to leave when Rakna raised his voice. Kaelith. She froze on the spot when she registered the word. This normally shouldnt have affected her so much, it was just her name after all, but this had been the first time she had heard it from him. Thank you, he added with a solemn tone and she forgot how to speak for a short moment. When she finally recovered, she let out a small grin. Youre wee, Rakna, she replied and was swallowed by a wave of blue mes before disappearing. Rakna looked at the empty spot for a few seconds before looking back at the pond, where Pronos was finishing hisstp. At the same time, an alert sound resounded in his head and a System window popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Meet up with me at the Pavilion in ten minutes. > On my way. ? ? ? ? ? After responding, he closed the window and Pronos jumped on his shoulder after drying himself with a brief burst of his aura. He swiftly burrowed himself under Sonata and Rakna began to head back to the Pavilion. As he was walking through the streets, his mind went back to the discussion he had with Kaelith and her peculiar and surprisingly innocent question. A friend, huh? Would she say the same if she knew everything? He asked himself. He hadnt lied to her about his past. He had truthfully recounted to her what he had experienced but only he and his old man knew of the true reason why he was still haunted by that pool. Well, he muttered and looked at his hand, his vision blurring for a second, showing it covered in blood before it returned to normal with a blink. He clenched his hand into a fist and slid it inside his pocket. To not live in the past Id be worse than a coward if I went back on it now, he said and slowly looked at the sky. Isnt that right, old man? Chapter 83: Quest Rewards Chapter 83: Quest Rewards While walking back to the Pavilion, Rakna decided to look over the prompts he had skipped after the fight with Verias and he quickly realized how much it was. Other than the level-up notices, he obviously already knew of the first one, namely, the fact that he had grown his third tail. However, the changes it brought along were something he hadnt been able to inspect. He opened his status and then pulled up the descriptions of the two skills concerned. ? ? ? ? ? Shadow Step (Lv.1): By bing one with the essence of shadows, your movement speed will increase by 200% for two seconds. If used within the dark, the effect will be 300%. Regardless, whenever the skills are activated, the user will be concealed by shadows until the duration is over. ? Cooldown: 100s (Level 1) Note: The effect does not influence the root value of the users attributes. Keep in mind that the burst of speed granted by the skill does nothing to scale the users swiftness. ? ? True Smell of the Wolf God: The Host gains the ability to recognize auras through smell. Moreover, ording to the users preference, they will gain the ability to perceive emotions as different scents as long as they are close enough. ? Additional Effect: +100% Senses ? ? ? ? ? Shadow Step is the speed burst skill that the nine-tailed cub used against me. As for the Wolf God trait do I have to consciously activate it? Rakna thought and before he even could finish that line of thought, something struck his brain and made him hold his head in pain in the middle of the street. His sense of smell had suddenly been saturated with scents that he had never smelled before but he could somehow tell which was what without even thinking about, Boredom, anxiety, fear, care, curiosity, happiness, love His headache calmed down as he gradually filtered the scentsing from the people around him. He managed to get it under control but it still seemed a bit too overwhelming. He reflexively covered his nose although he knew it wouldnt do anything. Should I keep it deactivated? No I better get used to it. What better time than now. After resolving to it, he rubbed his nose onest time and focused on the rest of the windows. The result of eating Verias was predictable so he quickly jumped to thest ones. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted a Hidden Quest, Rescue of the Cursed Vige. ? Found the source of the curse: ? Killed the two guardian golems: ? Released the victims from the curse: ? Killed Asziquol Naberum Verias: ? ? Rewards: 10 Free Points, 1 Skill Point, 50 000 Talys, Skill Card sh Step, Skill Card Despair Aura, T.8 Healing Pill x3, T.8 Stamina Pill x3, T.8 Mana Pill x3, T.7 Healing Potion, Title Nemesis of the Abyss. ? ? Nemesis of the Abyss ? A designation handed to the worst enemies of the Abyss. The holders of this title are rumored to harbor hatred beyond the understanding of normal folk. ? Effects: All of your stats are granted an increase of 5% when fighting a member of the Abyss and your mind will be more susceptible to rage. ? Additional Effect: Abyss creatures will fear and despise you. Note: This is a growth title. The more the holder kills, the stronger the effects. ? ? ? ? ? With this, I have 46.6 attributes points and 2 skill points again. The consumables are a nice bonus and the title is pretty normal overall. Other than its growth potential, its not that different from the others. As for the cards Alexa, where are they? Were they put in my storage? [Affirmative. Every physical reward you gain from a Quest will be transferred to your storage. In the case that you dont have any room or simply dont have one, the rewards will be put on hold until you choose to im them manually.] I see. Thanks, he replied and opened his Item Box to find them. After filtering them out to the front, he pressed on both of them and opened their description. ? ? ? ? ? Skill Card: Use it to learn the spontaneous skill sh Step. Requirements: Lv.7 Mana Control, 70 Atr Cap, 90 Agility ? Description: ? sh Step is one of the most renowned fast movement skills for both its simplicity and efficacy. By gathering mana at the sole of your feet, it is possible to dash with near-imperceptible speed within a limited distance. It is a skill that retains its value no matter the strength of the user. It is akin to short teleportation and is mainly used as means to escape, dodge an attack, or travel at high speed. A variation of its use allows one to stand in mid-air or on surfaces like water. ? Step Cost: 2 MP per meter. Maximum Distance per Step (Level 1): 30 meters. Casting Time (Level 1): 2s Air Step Cost: 1 MP per min. This may increase based on the kind of location it is used in as well as if the user uses it to kill momentum. ? ? Skill Card: Use it to learn the cognitive skill Despair Aura. Requirements: Any type of coercion skill. ? Description: ? Despair Aura is a different approach to the regr Aura skill. Thetter is used as protection against magic attacks as well as a way to passively disy ones power. Despair Aura takes that second aspect to another level. As long as it remains active, a continuous wave of ghastly anguish will emanate from the user and made any who dares to stand in their way suffer fear and despair. The ones affected by the Despair Aura will feel frightened and petrified. Unlike the other sorts of coercion skills, Despair Aura does not only base its potency on the users internal forces but also their mental fortitude, determination, intent, and bloodlust. ? Cost: None. Note: This is a passive skill that can be turned on and off at will. ? ? ? ? ? Both of these are really good. Though sh Step will have to wait. Without my items, my agility isnt enough to learn it yet. I will have to either assign some of my points or hunt more hearts. As for Despair Aura, Ill wait before learning it. I dont think it would be good if I released it in the middle of the street by mistake, Rakna thought and arrived at the Pavilion a few minutester. Gray hadnt specified where to meet up but he could only guess as he made his way up the left staircase. When he reached thest step, much to his annoyance, his body was already at its limit. It had started a dozen minutes prior to separating from Kaelith. His muscles were slowly aching more and more as if they were trying to tell him that he should not be moving. Even after that drug, its like this, huh? This crippled state is worse than I thought, he grumbled to himself. The worst was that it wasnt only his body. He also had a headache and in thest few hours, he couldnt ignore how he would sometimes zone out and lose focus despite his mental grit. This is probably what happens when you deplete your psyche, he muttered and sat down on a couch. Gray didnt seem to be here yet so he allowed himself to rest a little bit. While waiting, he took the initiative to pull out his friend list. There was a certain function about it that he hadnt really noticed until now. Next to each one of the names on the list, there was a piece of extra information concerning their location. This is what Gray had used to track him down. After inspecting his list, Rakna froze when he saw something next to the names of his group. To be more specific, he could see on which teau they currently were in and much to his surprise, the three of them were ahead of him already. An was on the Ninth teau while via and Nyx were on the Tenth teau. Rakna sat up and pressed on one of their icons to initiate a call. After a few seconds, it picked up and a voice sounded inside his head, {Rak? Is that you?} Yes. {Cool, I didnt know you could make voice calls with this,} An replied with augh. {So? Did you finish what you were doing?} I did. Though I didnte out of it unscathed. I almost got permanent impairments from what I heard and I will probably have to stay on standby for the next week. {Damn, seriously? What did you do?} I fought a level 99 resurrected mummy. {Im not sure how I should react to that. All I know is that youre in deep shit if you tell that to teach. I dont know how shell react if she learns you risked your life.} Rakna snorted. Ill let you tell her and Nyx that I will stay on the Fifth teau for a while. Now, I wanted to ask you, what happened with you three while I was on my own? {Well, first of all, we made quick work of the First teaus Trials and all skipped to the Fifth. We were separated when that happened but since there was only one Trial, we decided to attempt it and the difficulty was still low enough to pass easily. So, we did it. Though, it seems I wasnt qualified enough to skip directly to the Tenth teau as the girls did.} I see I rmend you try to get to the Tenth teau to rejoin with them but once youre there, you all should take some time before continuing the Trials. At least, until I arrive. {Yeah, we also realized that. For now, were strong enough to skip teaus but that will most likely change if we abuse it.} An was right. For example, Rakna had the necessary ability and strength to bulldoze through the teaus very quickly, skipping five teaus every time hepleted the Trials. But although he would be able to quickly conquer the System, he would be neglecting his personal growth. If they wanted to steadily get stronger and not get overwhelmed at some point, they needed to take their time doing other things like Quests and Dungeons. {Im also taking my time right now. There are two Trials here and I alreadypleted one. Thest seems to be a bit tough but its nothing I cant do. In fact, Im experimenting with my magic a bit. When I looked into it a bit more, I saw that I could do way more than just copying magic.} Rakna nodded at that. His discovery of Star Make and Star Monarch was the proof he needed that a magic element could be interpreted and exploited in many different ways. With something like void under his control, An had the potential to create very interesting spells. {But anyway, Ill tell the girls about you. Once I get to the Tenth teau, welle to visit you. Its possible for us toe back to the Fifth teau, right?} As far as I know, yes. Its something I havent tried yet, however. {Then, see you soon, Rak. For now, Im doing a Quest. Ill finish it andplete thest Trial.} Take your time. {Sure. Have a good rest,} An said before hanging the call. Once he was done catching up, Rakna pulled out one of the two skills cards in his storage. Since the clown isnt here yet. I might as well learn this one, he thought and took a look at the back where the incantation was written. [Basking in Corrupted Glory, Thy Anguish Shall Bear the Dread of Death, the Terror and Misery of the Wicked Weakness and Appalling Might. Thou Art Fears Grant; Thou Art Despair.] Chapter 84: Spiritual Tree Chapter 84: Spiritual Tree ? ? ? ? You have learned Despair Aura! Your Intimidation skill has been incorporated! Despair Aura has leveled up! x2 ? ? ? ? ? Pronos suddenly jumped in fright to the opposite side of the room as a ck thin aura appeared around Rakna. The little snake almost thought he was going to get a heart attack. He looked back at his therian friend from a distance and could still feel as if something was looming over his head and whispering in his ears while pressing a knife against his throat. Oh, Rakna eximed when he saw that and Pronos deadpanned at him. He looked at himself and the pitch-ck aura around him. He squinted and tried to activate his regr aura on top of it. It instantly turned into a mix of cold cyan and ck. Hm, good to know. Though, this thing will be troublesome if it even affects allies. [If I may, Despair Aura is an intent and emotion-fueled skill. It is in the realm of possibility to spare certain people from it as long as you consciously establish that theyre no danger to you.] I see, he followed Alexas advice and exhaled as he tried to focus on who Pronos was and easily enough, the pressure on the little snake nearly vanished as if it was never there. Pronos hissed in relief and carefully made his way back. He jumped on the seat next to Rakna and curiously looked at the fluctuating ck and blue aura. He could still feel some amount of coercion but it wasnt hostile. At the same time, Raknas ears twitched as the sound of footsteps echoed. He instantly powered down his auras and looked at the staircase where three people had emerged. One of them was predictably Gray but the other two perplexed him. The first one was a woman with short straight blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore apletely white attire and sported a Christian cross around her neck. She had a soft smile on her face that emitted nothing butpassion. But he could tell by her scent that she was annoyed. In fact, this irritation seemed to be directed at the second unknown individual next to her. It was a middle-aged man with sharp features and mellow brown eyes. He wore a ck and red garb that made him look like a priest. Just like the woman, he also had a cross hanging from his neck. However, the cross was beyond weird. If anything, Rakna would describe it as a satanic symbol more than anything else. This cross had eight branches with four of them forming a diagonal cross on top of the regr Christian one. It seemed to be made of wood with a very dark shade and was attached with a thin chain. But the most abnormal thing about it was the silver skull. At the center point where the branches metid a small silver skull with a very faint red glow in its eye sockets. Rakna couldnt help but shiver at this alien symbol but for some reason, it also felt somewhat familiar to him. There was also the problem of his new ability to smell emotions. For one, he could easily smell the simple emotionsing from both the woman and Gray but the other man was different. He had no way of describing the scent he gave off, but the first thing that came to his mind was emptiness; a bottomless pit. Oh? Is this the young man responsible for finding the tomb? The woman asked when she spotted Rakna in the lounge room. Her scent had gained a faint hint of curiosity and respect. Yes, his name is Rakna Xiorra. Throne of Glorystest recruit, Gray said as he led the way toward the couches near said recruit. By the way, I heard from Vegas that you went out with your foxy today, did you have fun? He asked with a grin. Rakna huffed. Moderately. Gray cackled. More seriously, how youre holding up? Fine, all things considered, Rakna said as he flexed his arm. I still have a headache and Ill probably need some time before I can move freely, but most of my injuries are healed. Great! I assume you dont mind if they ask you a few questions then, right? The clown said as he waved at the two people following him. And they are? Rakna retorted. When Gray was about to introduce them, the priest raised his hand to stop him, Let me. My name is OGram Hei. Im a Cardinal hailing from the Basilica of Eternal Night. Eternal Night? Again? Rakna thought. Are you a group of people capable of using Aeter then? Unfortunately, no. We merely worship the God of Eternal Night. We do have some Aeter wielders in our ranks but that is not what defines our members. We would be quite short-handed if that were the case, considering the rarity of Aeter users. I see He muttered then turned toward the other person. She smiled at him when he looked at her. Nice to meet you, my name is Ang Frey. Im a dean and unofficial priestess from the Christian Church. So, even Christianity is here Now, this truly puzzled Rakna. How? Shouldnt it be a religion from Earth? Its the same for you Clown; you seem to have some knowledge of Earths culture. Ah, right, I forgot you were new to the System, Gray uttered. Youre both wrong and correct. Lets see Have you ever heard of the Spiritual Tree? Rakna scowled. Like, the World Tree? No, that would be Yggdrasil, OGram intervened. How about this instead? Do you know of the collective consciousness? I have heard of the concept. Then, that will make it easier. The Spiritual Tree is the root of the collective consciousness which freely spreads across all worlds and dimensions. Beliefs, ideas, dreams; all of it goes through the Spiritual Tree and shapes the world. Gray nodded. Why do you think the Dreorins, while globally called differently from Earth, have the same individual designations that you know of? Monsters like kobolds, goblins, orcs, slimes were fictional beings in your world. They were undeniably imagined by someone at some point but the question is; how did it happen? You see, the Spiritual Tree makes sure that the world stays consistent. If a sentient being thinks of something that is already registered inside the collective consciousness, then they will name it ordingly after receiving inspiration from the Tree itself without them even realizing it. That is why, while the Earth has indeede up with their own culture, it is not necessarily unique. That does make sense Rakna recalled everything he saw until now. Slimes, dinosaurs, golems, beast-men, elves, and even mundane things such as gold, animals, and nts. All of those were at some point the fruit of human imagination or research, for either their appetion of portrayal, but it would be conceited to say that the Earth was somehow the origin of their existence. But what is the first instance? Is it possible to know which or world changed the records of the Spiritual Tree? For instance, the first humans, the first elves, the first monsters, or gods? Gray shrugged. That, I dont know. The universe is ever-expanding anyway. I dont even want to think about how hard that would be. But anyhow, were getting out of topic, Ang said and everyone looked at her. Rakna Xiorra, we are here to ask about your encounter. Your AI told us it was an Abyss Tras by the name of Verias. We would like you to give us more details of what happened. Can I ask why? Rakna replied whilst frowning at the two devout people. More specifically, why would you two need to know? I can answer that, OGram said. Our Basilica and the Church are two of the most influential organizations in the System and our nemesis is the Abyss. Being a gathering of both the terrors of nature, the Tra, and the creatures of the night, Vampires, they are our archenemy. Indeed, Ang nodded. I do not know of what the Church exactly was on your, but its a fact that vampires, among others, are one of our biggest enemies. Rakna raised an eyebrow. Well, as far as I know, vampires do not exist on Earth. However, it is a not well-known fact that the more convoluted legends originated from a certain disease. A disease that made ones skin paler and over-sensitive to sunlight. Ang was first confused by his intention in saying that but it quickly turned into a wince when he continued. The Church branded them as malevolent for their suffering. They were seen as people that would sleep in the dark because that was their only way to shield themselves from the light of the sun and hide from scorn. They would be fearful of onions because they had properties that worsened their illness symptoms. They would be scared of the Christian Cross because that meant that the inquisition was nearby and might burn them or spike them. Gray curiously judged Rakna as he stated those facts with a steady and unperturbed tone. As for OGram and Ang, the former had an intrigued look while thetter was frowning. What are you trying to say? She asked with a lower tone. I mean to say that humans are ugly creatures, Rakna responded without missing a beat. But its not limited to them. My uncle used to say that anyone capable of thought is prejudiced to both the worst and the best. I respect religions, and those who believe in it as well, but I despise the man-made values used tomand others through an underserved sacred authority. You Ang was speechless. Are you questioning the Churchs morals? Im not questioning them tell me; do you have a Bible? The priestess furrowed her eyebrows at the unexpected inquiry. We do Who wrote it? Gray couldnt help but snicker. Before Ang could properly think about the implications of the question, she turned toward the cyborg with a small re. The clown waved his hand while covering his non-existent mouth. My bad, my bad. It was just too funny to see a newbie criticize your organization barely minutes after meeting you. I have to agree, OGram concorded with a small smile on his face. However, I do understand what he implies. The Bible was written by men, not God. Its teachings were warped by the vision of mortals. In other words, followers of God might be followers of their own warped desires. Am I right, young man? Rakna snorted. Pretty much, he said and turned toward Ang. Im sorry if I have offended you with this, but my uncle and I have had issues with the Church in the past. I have to admit that Im still a bit affected by it even to this day. I got carried away. Ang seemed to calm down a bit after that. I forgive you. At the very least, while I am not optimistic enough to say that the Church is not without corruption, I swear to you that our main objective will always be to bring hope and salvation to anyone who seeks it. I will also take this asion to say it, OGram followed up. Our Basilica does not operate like an ordinary religion. We are merely believers of the Eternal Night God, whose morals are to protect the peace, our childrens future, and to destroy the Tra. Unlike the Church, were closer to military force. Rakna sighed and nodded at them. He almost felt a bit guilty after his rant. Almost. When he heard her ask how the Church was on Earth, it had brought back some unpleasant memories. If I may, can I ask what kind of altercations you had with the Church? Ang voiced what the two other people in the room were also wondering. Rakna closed his eyes for a few seconds before shaking his head. Im sorry but its not something I like to recount. You were here for information on Verias, right? I guess you two need it to verify his death or make a report? O-oh, yes, Ang cleared her throat as the objective of her visit returned to her. Can you tell us more about what happened? OGram asked afterward. Rakna breathed in and leaned against the couch. As you already know, I found the tomb under an underground vige. I found it after following a scout patrol of dark elves that attacked me when I arrived on the teau. Other than the curse, I quickly realized that were was something weird about it and after a bit of digging, I discovered that their chief was simply non-existent. My AI forwarded the idea that the entire vige was under an illusion of some sort. I found a hidden passage inside the chiefs house which led me to the tomb. I fought two golems that were guarding it and the sarcophagus opened soon after. And Verias came out of it, huh? OGram remarked while rubbing his chin. How strong was he exactly? Abyss Tras, Level 99. His Path was Sorcerer of the Upper Life. He had Curse, Illusion, and Abyss magic with one of his spells being Tier 4. The more he said, the more shocked the listeners were. Even Gray was stunned. How did you manage to beat that? awesomeness. Oi, thats my thing, the clown quipped vexingly. Wait, wait, do you know his full name? Ang asked hurriedly. I think it was Asziquol Naberum Verias. He apparently was a former Abyss Ruler that betrayed his superiors and was punished for it. Naberum? You mean, the actual one? OGram uttered with widened eyes. I thought it was a sort of descendant, but you actually fought one of the former Rulers and won? He was weakened, Rakna indicated. And you were what, level 20? Ang deadpanned and he shrugged. In any case, if what you say is true, this is a way bigger deal than we thought. Hundreds of years ago, he was known as the King of the Puppet Legion for his absurd ability to create and control Abyss Puppets. Who knows what would have happened if he had fully recovered? Ang nodded. I have to agree with him for once. That man would have been a threat for not only the Fifth teau but the entire System. It makes sense now, Gray remarked. When I tried to teleport to you through the System, it was rejected as if something was blocking it. That was probably the work of an array of some sort that he made. It would also exin how that vige has never been found until now. Onest thing, OGram said. Can you describe him to us? His appearance? Personality? Arrogant, cruel, and vicious. As for his appearance Rakna trailed for a second and addressed Alexa internally. Alexa, has my HL recorded my fight with Verias? [Affirmative. Would you like me to project a hologram?] Yes, he responded out loud and his lenses glowed and projected the image of Verias in the room the worn-out bandages loosely wrapped around his body. Ang shivered at the sight of his ear-splitting smirk and his sharp teeth akin to a shark. Gray hummed as he observed the holographic reconstruction. So, this is the guy, huh? Yes, I can confirm it, OGram dered. This is definitely a Tras and it also matches the records we have of the Abyss Rulers. Can I ask you what you did with the body? Is something wrong? Rakna pursed his lips and Pronos sweat dropped since he was the only one who knew the answer to this question other than him. I kind of ate it? Seriously? Gray was speechless and he wasnt the only one. Why? I was not in full control of myself at the time. I see, OGram mumbled with an odd expression before turning toward Ang. They nodded at each other and stood up from their seats. Thank you for allowing us here, Whisles. We will report this to our superiors. You can expect a reward for your deed, Ang said while looking at Rakna. Defeating an Abyss Ruler is a praiseworthy feat, no matter the circumstances. Rakna nodded. Hm, Ill look forward to it. On this note, have a good day. The priestess and cardinal bowed slightly and left the Pavilion. Chapter 85: The Demon Chapter 85: The Demon Well, that happened, Graymented with a small grin. Rakna huffed and nced at him. Were those two important figures? I cant imagine you listening to their request otherwise. The clown shrugged. You can see it that way. Those two are somewhat powerful, politically that is. In terms of power, lets say that any Host from above the 500th or 600th could take them. To be fair, the Basilica of Eternal Night is disgustingly influential as well. They have many assets. Sorry, kid, I couldnt really refuse them to see you since it concerned their arch-nemesis. I see. But, of course, I will never go back on my word. Throne of Glory will always be on your side. If these two had been hostile to you, I would have taken care of it, war be damned, Gray dered with a crimson grin. Rakna could actually smell the sinceritying from him. Thanks. Ill be taking a nap now if you dont mind, Rakna said as he lied down on the sofa. Sure, but before I go, take this, the clown brought out a small box from his storage and tossed it to Rakna who caught it midair without bothering to sit up. Its a gift from Vegas. Its the tonic he used on you this morning. Each dosests around five hours and if you dont want to worsen your condition, dont take two at once. Noted. Gray nodded and left him alone on the private floor. Rakna closed his eyes with a sigh afterward and spoke to Pronos who seemed a bit lost about what he should do now. If you dont want to stay, you can do whatever you want, little guy. Im sure pets can also do their own adventures, right? He asked out loud to which Alexa promptly reacted. [Affirmative. To be exact, B-rank and higher pets are allowed to use nearly every privilege that Hosts possess. The Pavilions services and the Systems Quests are two of them.] Hm, I have a question. Are my Quests shared with Pronos? [Yes.] What about the rewards? [They are duplicated. But that only applies to attribute and skill points. For instance, when youpleted the Hidden Quest earlier today, Pronos was granted ten free points and one skill point alongside you.] Pronos nodded at that as if to confirm her ims. I see. Then be on your way, little guy. Youre free to go wherever you want. Its going to get boring around me for the next week anyway. Use the free time to get stronger on your own. The little snake seemed to hesitate for a moment but he ultimately agreed with a hiss and started slithering toward the stairs. Be careful, Rakna added right before his reptile friend left for good. Once that was over, he let out a small sigh and willfully shut down his mind. Albeit unfeasible for normal humans, this was something that his mental conditioning and nano-machines allowed him to do as easily as breathing. ? * * * ? Once again, he had a dream. However, this one turned out to be one of the rare ones that didnt turn into a nightmare in the end. He found himself looking at a certain scene from his past. He stood at the entrance of a house with a hollow gaze; devoid of life. A dreadful contrast to even his present self. The door was wide open in front of him but he didnt dare to enter. On the other hand, another person did. A tall old man with defined muscles beyond the ssical physiology that the elderly should have. He had a ck coat draped over his shoulders and a cigar in his mouth, releasing a blue smoke. His hair waspletely gray along with his trimmed beard. But what stood out the most was his silver eyes repressing a sort of slumbering madness. It appeared as if a turmoil of emotions were concealed behind them but that didnt make them any less sharp. At the moment, he was wearing ck gloves covered in blood and a sheathed katana in his right hand. Karma was the name of that weapon. Get in, kid. Are you nning to stay there all day? The old man said as he took off his coat and hanged it on the wall. Without showing any sort of feedback, Rakna proceeded to step inside and close the door behind him. Take a shower and meet me in the backyard, the man said and pointed at the door at the end of the corridor. The bathrooms over there. Get rid of that blood on you. There should be a few clothes that fit you in the closet inside. Rakna didnt even blink as he looked at himself and the dried blood on his tattered clothes. He walked past the old man without saying anything and disappeared inside the bathroom. He came out a few minutester wearing a simple shirt and jeans. He did what he had been told to and walked to the backside of the house where he spotted an open window door that led to a small terrace. He walked through it and found the old man sitting on a bamboo chair while smoking his cigar. Sit, he said and Raknaplied. Whats your name, kid? Rakna Xiorra. Cool name, the man nodded. Im Arimane de. Some call me the Demon, he said with a cackle before looking at the young man in the eyes. So? What do you choose? sorry? Do you want to die? Or not? Raknas inexpressive face changed for the first time when he heard that. Arimane huffed a cloud of smoke before continuing. Answer me, kid. Which one do you prefer? If you want, I can do it for you right now, he said while pointing at Karma next to him. As things stand, youre a worthless empty shell; some people would prefer death over the state youre in. Why did you save me if youre going to say that? I didnt save you, kid. That would have been true only if I had spared you from that fate in the first ce. Im not a charity and if you want to kick the bucket, its not my problem. All I did was eliminate my targets and you happened to be there. Rakna clenched his fists. Do you know what that group was looking for? Hm, Arimane puffed a cloud of smoke. Flood; a terrorist group that has connections with several arms dealers. Lately, they have been set on acquiring an outdated nuke for their agenda and I got wind that they were getting a bit too close to their goal. There was a rumor about a certain couple of dealers affiliated with them living here; supposedly capable of providing what they wanted. Long story short, I came to this country to deal with them. Seriously, Aurora should be taking care of this stuff, he grumbled. The fuck is Jin doing; making me do all this shit Im retired for gods sake. Rakna gritted his teeth and opened his mouth, There are more? Hm? What are you talking about? Flood; theres more of those guys? Yeah, all over the world. Why? Ill live. Arimane raised an eyebrow. For? For the sake of killing them, he replied with a dementedly empty expression. Ill kill them all until theres none left. Thats not what I would call living, kid. Then Ill die doing it if it is what it takes. Ill kill all of them. They killed my parents for their weapons; Ill do the same to them. Arimane paused. Those rumored arm dealers. They were your parents? I guess that means they had a fall out. Most likely out of greed. So, what, you want revenge or something? Never. May they rot in Hell, for all I care. All I want is to annihte everything that had ever had anything to do with them. Every weapon sold by them and the ones who used them, Ill destroy and kill them, he stated with a hollow stare and a maniacal smile. Arimane squinted his eyes. Kids broken, he thought and extinguished his cigar. But He uttered and stood up. That obsession of yours might have some potential. You want to kill, you say? He snorted and abruptly threw a kick at Rakna who promptly flew off and crashed on the grass of the backyard. Then, stand up! He shouted and cracked his knuckles as he stepped down the terrace. Rakna shook his head and his expression returned to an irrationally nk state. He slowly stood up with his right armpletely broken and bending unnaturally. All right, kid. Ill shape you up to be an even better killer than I am, the old man dered and loomed over him with a pair of silver eyes forged in war and death. I hope youre ready for it. ? * * * ? Raknas eyes snapped open and reflexively sat up when thest thing he saw in his dream was the old man throw an unavoidable punch at him. He groaned at the pain afflicting his muscles and covered his face. I remember that day He knocked me out for two days. When I woke up, we were already in another country and I had nano-machines in my body, he recounted as the memories resurfaced. Why am I having that dream now? He shook those thoughts away and pulled out the tonic box Gray had given him. He opened it and found exactly fifteen small vials inside of it along with a high-tech syringe along with a small manual on how to use it. It was one of those that needed to be loaded with ammo to be used. The most popr variant of it was called the syringe revolver. The one in front of Rakna was cylindrical in shape and had a small button at the end of it to inject the content. Rakna grabbed one vial with quivering hands and opened a smallpartment of the syringe where he slid the tonic. He closed it back and pierced his neck with it. The tonic was instantly injected into his bloodstream to the point where his veins were seen bulging for a few seconds. When the drug kicked in and he was able to move freely again, he took a look at the time to see that he had slept for two hours and a half. Not as much as I expected but itll do. I have no missed calls or messages too so I suppose those three arent done yet, he muttered and lifted himself out of the sofa with a grunt. He stretched and popped his joints while thinking about what he should do. Lets see lets go back to the Quest Board for now. I might find something to do even like this. I can also take the asion to develop my soul power a bit better, he concluded and made his way to themune section of the Pavilion. Chapter 86: Never Forget Chapter 86: Never Forget When Rakna stepped over thest stair leading to themune section, he was weed by a notification that he had never seen before. ? ? ? ? ? You have been subjected to an analysis. Your senses outstrip the other party. Appraisal has intervened. Absolute Cover has intervened. The scan has been nullified. Absolute Cover has leveled up! You can now hide two more elements from your status. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna scowled and looked around before spotting a certain group in the distance. They were the ones who had tried to approach Kaelith earlier. One of them was looking in his direction with a surprised expression as if he had seen something unexpected. These trash are still here? He thought with an irked frown as he smelled the maliceing from them. He silently turned on his soul sense and took a look at theirs. The size and intensity of their souls were not even on par with Pronos. They also had no particr shape or color. Hm, maybe shape and color represent their potential or a specific power like magic. Following that logic, their brightness and size might corrte to their fighting power or level Rakna mused as he ignored their stares and headed to one of the Boards. For now, it seemed that they were wary of him for blocking the analysis and he had no intention to start anything if he didnt need to. Even if they didnt seem much, probably around level 20 to level 30 based on the contrast he saw with Kaelith and Pronos, it was more than risky to initiate a fight in his condition. He reached the Board and pressed on the screen to open the list from earlier. He thought about it for a moment before making it so that only Quests on the First teau could be seen. It was the safest way to approach it. Rakna scrolled through and internally thanked the Pavilion for adding tags so that he could ignore anything that required fighting. This is like browsing novels all over again, he remarked in amusement and a certain Quest caught his eye. He pressed on it and expanded the information about it. ? ? ? ? ? First teau Quest ? Murder Inspection ? Description: There has been a series of murders happening within a certain district of ck Steel. Several investigations have been made but to this day, no lead has been found. The bodies were all found on the street with no external injury. However, autopsy results have shown that all the victims internal organs were inexplicably dposed. As if the cause of death has been a premature and elerated failure of all the organs. ? Objective: Find the cause of the murders and if possible, remove it. Otherwise, refer to the local enforcement forces and relinquish the responsibility. Skillset Rmended: Tracking, Analysis, or Sensing rted abilities. Rewards: 200 Exp, 5 000 Talys. ? ? Would you like to undertake this Quest? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna hummed as he read the narrative. This Quest was like a shot in the dark. It was impossible to know how difficult it was and the rewards, while decent for a Quest on the First teau, were not high enough topensate for an unexpected difficulty. Should I take it or not If ites down to pure investigation, it shouldnt be hard but I will have to be careful to not get into a physical conflict. After a bit of thought, he ultimately decided to ept it. He still had his way to defend himself if a fight urs. Without even mentioning his equipment or weapons, The Tricksters Sleeve was a trump card on par with his Nirvana Skills. On top of that, this was a Quest in the middle of ck Steel. There were high chances he could simply get help in case things turn haywire. With all of thisbined, Rakna selected yes and a pop-up appeared on both the screen and his vision as a System window. ? ? ? ? ? A waypoint has been added to your map. Please head to the First teau to initiate navigation. ? ? ? ? ? Good to see its guided, Rakna thought and closed what was pretty much his ount on the Board and began to head back to the stairs. At the same time, he messaged An to tell him to meet him at the First teau instead of the Fifth. Alexa, how do I leave the teau? [Normally, you would need to enter the Pavilions Portal Room that is located in the entrance hall behind the main reception. But since you possess the Badge, you can just ask me and I will take care of the process. Be aware that there are conditions that have to be met for it to work.] Rakna scowled. What kind? [One; the process will take thirty seconds and you cannot move. Two; you must not be in a fight. Three; your heartbeat and adrenaline levels must be stable] Oh? He tilted his head as he reached the stairs. At the same time, his nose picked up a smell that he had already memorized earlier and looked over his shoulder to see the group from earlier getting closer. He hummed and went down the stairs while continuing to talk to Alexa. I understand two first conditions. Why the heartbeat and adrenaline though? [It is meant to ensure that youre in a rxed state. You can see it as a sort of fail-safe for the second condition. Things like pursuits are not considered fights by the system and it would be unfair if the Host could simply teleport to another teau as he pleases to escape.] Interesting, he thought and reached the main hall of the Pavilion. He casually put his hands in his pockets and exited the building all whilepletely aware of the people following him. The scents of both their aura and emotions were disgustingly tant to him. As he walked down the streets of the town, he spoke to Alexa, Say, do you consider this a pursuit? [I would say that this falls under the category of malicious stalking.] Rakna blinked in surprise. Her intonation had sounded a bit weird for a second. Did you just try to tell a joke? [] Well, its nice that youre trying. I look forward to what youe up with in the future, he said with a faint teasing tone. [Ill keep that in mind, Rakna.] He snorted in amusement and turned at a corner inside an empty alley. The men following him began to run to catch up when they saw him enter an isted area but when they arrived there, the alley was empty. What? Where did he go? One of them said and they were unfortunately too absorbed by their own malice against their target that they didnt notice the small silver disk on the ground. It was toote when it started beeping. From a shadowy corner, Rakna emotionlessly watched them yell in fear and pain because of the explosion. As they scrambled to recover from the shock of the st and their injuries, he turned Sonata into a bow and drew as many arrows as there were people in the alley. He squinted and grunted as he felt pain course through his arm from just pulling the string which wasnt even solid but made out of raw Eion. But he nheless aimed at the heads of his trailers, already picturing exactly how their head would be pierced by- ? Ill shape you up to be an even better killer than I am. Big doggy Please I want to be with mommy. Please stop! You dont have to kill them! ? Three ovepped voices suddenly resounded in his head and his arm trembled. His eyes widened and he slowly lowered his bow while powering down the arrows. What was he about to do? Kill a bunch of nobodies for what? Because they were a bit jealous of him? He huffed and walked further inside the alley while putting Sonata around his neck again. Those three voices echoed in his head like some sort of broken tape. A memory of vias tear-stricken face shed for an instant and he groaned. Splendid. On top of nightmares and dreams, Im starting to have existential crises, he grumbled emotionlessly and stopped walking. Alexa, initiate the transport to the First teau. [acknowledged. Please stand still for half a minute.] Rakna hummed and turned his head toward where he came from. His eyes turned golden and he zoomed until he could see the group of men helping each other out with the help of some passerby. At that moment, where he was being followed, he had felt threatened. His mind hadnt gone over the ways to shake them off but instead ruminated the best ways to kill them as efficiently and fast as possible with what he had avable to him. He berated himself internally. There was a reason he had decided to attend school on Earth in the first ce and it seemed that the Systems environment was starting to get to him enough to quash it. After close to two years spent living peacefully, he had almost forgotten. The uneasiness he had felt when he killed his first kobold during the Initiation wasnt regret over killing a living being it was fear that he might regress. Worst of all, he had switched more times in thest few days than he had in an entire year. He looked up at the gray sky and reminisced the exact words of his uncle from a few months after the start of his training. I said I would make you a better killer than myself. I wasnt lying. I dont do things half-assed and I epted the fact that youre probably too broken for me to get you out of this path. I believe that you have potential, kid. But, remember, Im not here to teach a murderer. If you ever be one, I will be the first to separate your head from your shoulders. Mark my words. [Five seconds left before transfer.] Alexas voice jolted Raknas out of his daze. He shook his head and focused on the present. He had already gone through that phase and he wasnt going to fall back into it. [3, 2, 1 Starting transfer.] As the light engulfed him, onest memory went through his head. An archetype speech that his uncle would utter with an overwhelming authority. I dont want a murderer as my student. But since you like that word so much, I will let you indulge in it; kill. Kill as much as you want. Im not innocent enough to tell you that youre in the wrong for seeking reprisal. But let me tell you this, if you truly want to follow that duty of yours you keep ranting about, never forget that the blood you spill has value, regardless of if it is high or low. Chapter 87: Necromancers Rule Chapter 87: Necromancers Rule In the blink of an eye, Rakna was standing on one of the many airborne steel tforms of ck Steel. He ran his hand through his hair because of the invasive thoughts he had and checked his map. He happened to see two new things on it. The first one was an actual path for him to take to get to the location of his Quest. It seemed to work like a GPS and even included things like public transport. The second thing was a small green icon on the right upper corner. He focused on it a bit and a prompt asked him if he wanted to buy the basic mapping of the First teau for 100 Talys. So, you can get it directly from here, huh? He muttered and epted. A small download bar appeared for a few seconds before the map was updated with aplete image and information. He hummed when he saw that and began to walk down from the tform, which he still had no idea how it stayed in the air like that. Now that I think about it, he spoke up as he walked down the stairs. Why does one need to pass by the Pavilion to travel between teaus? Isnt it a Local/Host made organization? Why do they have control over that? [That is aplicated matter,] Alexa responded. [But I can summarize it for you. Originally, the System only allowed Locals to have control over the transfer. There were several Locals on every teau that would have that privilege and only their direct descendants could do it as well.] [However, things changed when the poption increased and rendered this method grantly ineffective. There was a limited number of Locals able to grant ess and too many Hosts to deal with. So, after reaching a consensus, Hosts and Locals joined forces to try and change the code of the System.] I heard that from Lana but how does it work? Rakna inquired. Do you just open up aputer and connect to a hotspot or what? [Im afraid not,] she retorted while ignoring her Hosts jest. [There is something called Terminals. There is one on every teau and Pavilions are incidentally built around them.] And what can you do with that Terminal exactly? [Many things. But administrative work would be an urate way to put it. You can appeal to the System itself when something requires its help or you can use it to extract the core infrastructure to program something on top of it. That is how the Pavilion was made; the shop, the bank, the filter dimensions, the portal room, and also your Badge of Honors functions.] I see. Can you tell me why the distribution of these badges is so limited? Rakna asked as he switched to mental dialogue since he had reached the streets. [It is the rightful authority that Locals demanded when they agreed to build the Pavilion. To fully exin it, I would have to expound on the political state of the System.] Never mind then. I dont want to want to hear it. Politics are bullshit, he replied and leaned against a bus station that his GPS was telling him to wait at. He yawned after checking the time and felt something tugging at his pants. He scowled and looked down to see a small husky-like dog grating his legs. It had ck and white fur and a few features that made it resemble a wolf, notably its muzzle and fangs. Do you want something? Rakna uttered and the dog barked whilst wagging its tail back and forth. I dont have food for you, you know? The dog continued to rub its head against his leg and he raised an eyebrow before crouching. He patted the animals head and felt as if there was a connection between the two of them. Is this the effect of Wolf King? Rakna wondered. Maybe this guy has more than just a wolfish appearance. Locky! One voice sounded from his right and looked up to see a young boy, around fifteen years old, panting with his palms on his knees as he held a leash with a snapped cor attached to it. Come on! How many times are you going to do this? He said exasperatingly and lifted his dog to keep him in his arms. If you continue, Ill seriously buy a steel cor. Do you want that around your neck? The pet made a sheepish expression at that and looked away. At the same time, Rakna slowly stood up again, carefully making sure he didnt strain his muscles more than he needed. It was then that the boy finally noticed him. Ah! Im so sorry. I hope Locky didnt bother you too much. Rakna grunted and lit a cigarette as he answered, No trouble. Its not like he could do much harm. Haha well, he sort of has a mixed bloodline. Hes still young but he should get stronger in the future, the boy said while scratching his cheek. Is that so. Is he part lupine by any chance? Eh? Yes how did you know? Rakna shrugged as he spotted a flying bus descending in their direction. A random guess. He looks a bit like a wolf, he answered as the vehicle parked in front of them. He entered without saying anything when the doors opened and received a notification that his Talys would be deducted from his bnce once he leaves the transport. He silently noted that and went to sit on an empty seat. The young boy followed him inside as well and the unmanned bus closed doors before taking off. Rakna exhaled, opening the window to his right a bit so that the smoke would get out, and crossed his arms while leaning against the seat. He looked at the few people in the bus from the corner of his eyes before closing them. From what the GPS was telling him, it would take about twenty minutes for this bus to reach his stop. In the meantime, Alexa, can you update me on how many elements Absolute Cover can hide? [Certainly. Ever since you learned the skill, the number of elements you can hide has increased to 16. I believe it is mainly due to your recent breakthrough with your soul power.] Rakna nodded. Retract the cover I put on my Flight proficiency then use the rest of the slots to hide my Cold Star Magic, Ascent of the Titan, Soul Sense, Soul Scourge, and Soul Core. [Understood. Absolute Covers hidden elements have been changed.] Also, bring out the title I got for discovering Verias tomb. ? ? ? ? ? Treasure Hunter A designation granted to the lucky and adventurous travelers who have discovered riches in the most special and secluded of ces. ? Effects: ? C Grants you the skill Fortune Search that will reveal to you nearby gatherings of wealth. C Your maximum bnce is permanently increased by 500 000. C Defeated foes will drop 5% more money. ? ? ? ? ? Not bad, Rakna remarked inwardly and that coincidentally made him remember all the gold and precious objects he had stolen from Verias tomb. He opened his Item Box with a thought and navigated through his belongings until he found what he was looking for. Lets see diamonds, pure gold, rubies, ornamental weapons, he listed silently. As he expected, all of it had no value that could be directly converted into Talys. Maybe he would have to sell them. When Rakna was about to give up on finding something useful in all of this, a certain case of his Item Box caught his eyes. He raised an eyebrow and pressed on it to pull it out of the storage. The sh of light that came with it grabbed the attention of the passengers around him and that quickly turned into amazement when they saw the gold casket in his hands. Before that could turn into greed though, Rakna triggered his Despair Aura for a second without even looking. He made sure to keep it low enough to not scare them too much but they all still paled and lowered their heads to avoid looking at him. Meanwhile, the young boy from earlier was a bit intimidated but he seemed to be impressed rather than scared. As for Locky on hisp, the dog didnt even seem to have felt it. Rakna ignored whatever reactions he caused and nonchntly opened the casket in his hands. He expected to see some sort of jewelry collection, but what he got instead was a single ck and red ring. However, when he saw its description revealed by Appraisal, there was no way he could be disappointed. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Hex Item/Ring Name: Necromancers Rule Rarity: Red ? Description: ? An essory forged through cursed rituals and ck magic. It holds within itself the power to control the dead to the users whim. It is an item created by the King of the Puppet Legion for his personal use and is one of the very few objects he brought with him after fleeing from the Abyss pursuit. ? Perks: ? C Grants the spontaneous skill Raise Undead. C Grants the spontaneous skill Dead Men Tell. C Grants a +10% Magic Attack and +0.1 MP Regen Factor. C 100 m3 sub-space storage => Capable of storing undead controlled by the user. ? Note: This is a Hex Item. It does not require an avable slot to be equipped and will forever be bound to the Host who equips until their timely death. ? Its previous owner was Asziquol Naberum Verias. It was unbounded after thetters death and arbitrarily thrown in the tomb; in wait for its creator to resurrect. ? ? ? ? ? Well, I guess this is my second red item, Raknamented in amusement and stared at the ring held between his fingers. He used Fabled Sight and his soul power to tatter the waters. He didnt want to risk anything equipping an object that came from THAT guy. He confirmed onest time by concentrating on his raw instinct and sighed. In the end, he slid the ring around his right middle finger and felt a short-lived stream of energy enter his body before dying down and leaving ce for three System windows. ? ? ? ? ? The Necromancers Rule has been bound to you! ? Item Box has detected a new spatial storage; establishment of a new link sessful. ? You have learned a new skill; Raise Undead! ? Raise Undead (Lv.1): This is normally a spell only usable with magic elements aligned with necromancy but the item it is derived from erases that restriction. You can turn a corpse into an undead by spending an amount of mana equal to the level of the target while it was still alive. Raise Undead has lower chances to seed on targets that were too disparate from the user in strength. If the process fails, the corpse will disintegrate in consequence. ? Current Number of Undead Raised: 0/10 ? Note: There is a limit to how many undead you can control. If it is crossed, the undead you raised will turn against you. This limit will increase along with the skill level. ? You have learned a new skill; Dead Men Tell! ? DMT (Lv.1): Allows the user to integrate memories from the target. As you grow more proficient with the skill, the clearer and bigger the results will be. You will also be able to steal more than just memories. ? Note: There is no cost or constraint but caution is advised; repeated use of this skill may cause irreparable damages to the users mind. Memories of beings stronger than the user might also be capable to fight back during the assimtion and take over. ? ? ? ? Chapter 88: Dusk Lion Chapter 88: Dusk Lion Rakna lifted his hand to look at the ring who didnt seem to be willing toe out at all. He could not make it disappear as well but the good thing was that it didnt really strike as a precious object so it would probably not attract a lot of attention in the future. These skills are interesting to say the least, he thought. He couldnt properly evaluate how useful they were without actually trying them out but at the very least, it was promising to know that he could transport undead he would eventually raise. Speaking of which He opened his Item Box and saw a new tab avable. When he pressed on it, his expectations werent high but instead of the empty storage he had envisioned, one slot was upied and it was even taking the majority of the rings space. ? ? ? ? ? Four-Hundred-Year-Old Carcass of a Dusk Lion King ? The corpse of a legendary ss beast. It was killed by Verias when it was giving birth and too weak to fight back. He has kept it ever since in order to produce a powerful undead out of it. Thete beast was so strong, to the point of having a spark of divinity, that it never dposed after all this time. Additionally, the Necromancers Ring kept it protected and in perfect condition. ? ? Dusk Lions are a legendary race that usually lives hermit lives until the day they die. They never bother to fight for territory or get stronger but even Nine-Tailed beings are fearful to anger one. Dusk Lions appear as a beast with ck fur and red eyes. Some people tend to even mistake them as living shadows. They have incredible magical abilities and speed but what truly sets them apart and makes them such terrifying foes is the constitution they are born with. Commonly called Shuttle Specter Physique, it allows them to jump through theyers of the spiritual dimension known as Enthymio. The royal lineage of the Dusk Lions is said to be able to reach theyer called Origin, which allows them to be nearly invulnerable. ? ? ? ? ? Well, damn. Never thought Id find a potential genome so soon, he thought. A legendary beast on par with the nine-tailed, huh? If the body is preserved, its heart should also be intact. Though, it might not necessarily be better to use Harvester on it instead of Scavenger. If I think long term, the former would be better but short term, thetter will probably boost my attributes by a long shot. || You have reached your destination, disembark. || As he was pondering on what to do, his maps navigation notified him that he reached his stop. He closed the system windows with a hum and stood up before exiting the bus as his bnce went down by ten Talys. Coincidentally, the boy he talked to earlier also seemed to get off at the same stop. Rakna nced at him after the bus took off again and he looked back nervously. Um, you live here too? He asked while hugging Locky in his arms. No Im here for a Quest. The boys eyes seemed to lit up at that. So, youre a Host?! Rakna slightly raised an eyebrow. Yes. Why? Is it that rare to see one? W-well, kind of. Hosts dont stay too long around ck Steel, especially in the more outer regions of the city. Even today, the only reason I was closer to the center was that I had to bring Locky to a veterinary there. Its my first time meeting a Host. I see, Rakna remarked and started walking down the street, following the maps path. The young boy eximed in surprise and jogged to catch up to him. Can I ask something? He said tentatively and Rakna exhaled a puff of smoke. You already did. The boy chuckled awkwardly. I guess I did. Go ahead. Whats your question? You said you were here for a Quest, right? Can I ask what it is? The investigation of a mysterious series of murders, Rakna responded as he turned right at an intersection right when a car passed by. Oh, the young boys expression visibly sunk and Raknas nose picked up a few new scentsing from him; sadness, grief, and a bit moreplicated one that seemed to be a mix of hope and pessimism. Looks like you know about it. He slowly nodded. Yes it would be hard not to since I live in that district. One of the victims was my cousin. Ever since then, we have seen many people trying to find the cause of their death but they all failed in the end. But I do remember now that someone recently requested help from the Pavilion. Do you know who it was? Rakna asked since he couldnt tell from the Quests description who had put it up. If anything, he wanted to meet the person to gather information about the situation. Im not sure. But I think its probably one of the doctors from the small hospital nearby. Its there that the bodies were autopsied and stored. Rakna nodded. Thanks, Ill pay them a visit in that case, he said while mentally zooming on his map and sited a waypoint on a certain building that had a small red cross icon on top of it. It was the closest hospital to where his navigation was bringing him to so there was no mistaking. Mhm, the boy nodded. Youre wee if I can help you to find the culprit faster, its enough. Ill see what I can do. Whats your name, kid? Rakna asked, fully aware that their age gap wasnt that high, but his uncles way of speaking had somehow made him call everyone who acts young or inexperienced like that. Heck, he had even used it to address someone twenty years older than him once. Ah, right! Im Luke, nice to meet you! You probably already know but this is Locky. The dog barked at the mention of his name. Im Rakna. See youter, Luke. Stay safe on your way back, he uttered dully with a wave of his hand and took a different road to head to the hospital. I will. Thank you and good luck! Rakna groaned internally as he distanced himself from the kid. I think I will add something to my introductions; never wish me good luck or something. What do you think, Alexa? [Hello, my name is Rakna Xiorra, pleased to make your acquaintance. Never wish me good luck if thats fine with you,] she enacted an imaginable situation while purposefully making her tone a bit lower so that it would sound like her Host. Raknas expression twitched at that. that was a good one, Alexa. Keep it up. [Thank you, Rakna.] She sounded oddly content. ? * * * ? Five minutester, he was stepping through the automatic door of the hospital. The people in the hall eyed him curiously as he directly walked to the reception. Did someone in this hospital submit a request to the Pavilion for a murder case? He went straight to the point and the receptionist tensed along with everyone in earshot. It seemed the topic was a bit of a sensitive case here. How many victims were there for there to be such a reaction? Rakna wondered. Y-yes, it was Dr. Wein. You should be able to find him on the second floor, in his office. Take the elevator over there and its the fourth room to the right. Thanks, he said and approached the elevator without a second thought. When he reached it, the doors opened and someone walked out of it before visibly stiffening when he saw him. The man nodded meekly and gave way. Rakna entered without a word and pressed the button to the second floor. He made his way to the room he was looking for and knocked a few times. Come in, a voice answered and he opened the door. He entered the staff office and saw a man in his forties sitting behind a desk, typing on a holographic keyboard. He looked up and scowled in confusion. May I help you? Are you Dr. Wein? In person. Why? I epted your Quest from Pavilions Board, Im here to ask you a few questions, Rakna replied as he sat down one of the couches, relieved to be able to rest his body. Ah, I see. I submitted it yesterday, I didnt think someone would ept it so quickly, the doctor said in realization and faced his guest. You dont seem to be the kind of man to waste time, so, go ahead and ask me whatever you need toplete this request. I will do my best to answer. All right. Simple things first; when did it start? How many victims? Where were the bodies found and at what time of the day? What is the average time of death estimate for each victim? Andstly, what are their profile? Wein blinked in surprise. Those questions were unexpectedly very insightful from someone so young-looking but that certainly gave him some hope. It started nearly two weeks ago. The first case involved a woman. She was found dead in the middle of the street in the morning. As you probably have already read from the Quest, there was no apparent injury but her organs were in a dposition process. In fact, they almost seemed rotten but judging from the rigidity of her muscles, she had been dead for about three hours. From that day onward, exactly 19 new victims were found. All of them were found in the morning and in seemingly random ces. One of them somehow got on top of a roof too. On average, the time of their death could be estimated to have happened between 2 to 6 during the night. As for their profile, I suppose you want to know if there was anythingmon to them, right? Rakna nodded and he continued, Well, I can safely say that there is none. We have checked more than once, believe me. There is no link whether it is age, gender, race, rtions, appearance, or wealth. Some of the victims even were children below the age of ten or elderly older than eighty. That exins why everyone seems to be on edge, Raknamented. Knowing that you, your family, or your children are all potential targets must be daunting. I guess many have already left or are nning to. Weil nodded. Indeed, and I cannot me them. Well, Rakna stood up and put his hands in his pockets. I cant do much with this. I could try and wait for the night but there is a better option; you do keep the bodies here, right? Yes, I was already nning to show the Host who would ept my Quest to ask for it, the doctor dered and stood up. Please follow me to the morgue. Chapter 89: Ding Dong Chapter 89: Ding Dong Rakna uncovered the body in front of him and took a look at what was the dead body of a man in his early twenties. This one was found less than ten hours ago. Same symptoms as the others, Weilmented and he nodded. The first thing he noticed was the smell. Ever since he became a werewolf, he could always pick up the individual scents of everyone he met. Even non-organic beings or objects, while not having any peculiar or outstanding odor, had one as well. That also applied to dead bodies. It was as if their natural presence slowly disappeared after death but lingered on the corpse. He had confirmed this with the monsters he had killed previously and if he understood it correctly, what he smelled was akin to the Aura skill but in a more epassing way. Even corpses had a presence to them, which is precisely what he couldnt sense from the body in front of him. It was like he was looking at a literal rock instead of a human body. He would even be ready to bet that his Nirvana Skill would have nothing to extract from its heart. Is this something like Verias drain? Rakna scowled at the thought and cast Appraisal. There was no point in keeping guessing if he could get his answers with this. ? ? ? ? ? A soul-less and powerless corpse. Some would not even bother thinking of it as something else other than an object. It shows signs of possession, potentially rted to the cause of death. ? ? ? ? ? I cant say its really useful, he thought with a hand on his chin. He extended his hand toward the body under Weils curious gaze and put two fingers on the sr plexus before closing his eyes. He passively sensed how cold the body was and sent his soul power inside of it. He tried to make an improvised analysis with his iplete understanding of soul power and the only concrete result he got was just an increase in level for his Soul Sense. Truly, theres nothing in here. It feels like Im trying to probe a statue, Rakna frowned and he made one theory. Possession, huh? As in ghosts controlling a mortals body? [I would believe so. There arent many things that can be referred to as such. At the very least, it implies a spiritual entity entering a living beings body. Whether that would lead to the victims death or not depends on the method used.] Well, if anything, if it truly is something like a ghost, then the fact that it happens at night would check out, Rakna remarked then moved his arm. He ced his palm on the corpses forehead and breathed in before activating one of his newest skills. This skill doesnt have a cost. It shouldnt have a recoil hopefully, he thought and a sort of vision abruptly overtook his mind. He gasped and ended up in the perspective of someone else. He was walking in the streets during the night and when he passed by a certain house, he spotted a strange fleeting shadow. In the next second, he felt nauseous and his consciousness returned to the morgue. ? ??? Dead Men Tell leveled up! ??? ? Before he could sort out what he had just witnessed, his nose started bleeding and a splitting headache assailed him. Even as a costless skill, it seemed that there was both a physical and mental toll to it. [Rakna, are you all right?] Alexa asked with a slightly louder voice. [Use a stamina pill. It will not give you back your internal force but it should lessen the impact on your psyche and body and prevent any longsting damage.] He nodded faintly and consumed a green pill. He swallowed it and felt a rush of energy. It spread across his body and eased his condition briefly before simply disappearing. I really cant wait for this crippled state to end, he grumbled internally. Is something wrong? The doctor next to him asked confusedly. You suddenly started bleeding when you touched the bodys head Im fine. I just used a skill that I havent mastered yet, he told a good enough excuse and waved at the body to change the subject. I have an idea on what happened to him. Really? Weils eyes widened in shock. Yes. Does an old-looking mansion with a front garden and an expensive-looking car parked in it ring any bells? Rakna asked while trying to get a clear picture of what he saw in his vision. An old mansion and a luxurious car perhaps are you referring to the house of the Jill family? Who are they and when did they move in? Weil took a moment to think about it before answering. Well, from what I know, theyre a well-off family that has a few businesses in ck Steel as well as quite a history; that house has been there for more than two hundred years. As for who currently lives in it, its Kair Jill, his wife Rena, and his two children, Kaira and Rei. They moved in about five months ago, Id say. Rakna mused. With this, there was one question that may settle his suspicions, When was thest time you saw any of those fouring out of their house? The doctor seemed toe to a realization. I havent seen them for two weeks now. There is also the fact that Kaires to the hospital monthly for a regr checkup. The end of this month is close and he hasnt visited us yet, he said with a worried expression. But they do tend to leave for undetermined periods of time for their work so it never struck me as weird. Do you think that they have something to do with this situation? Not in an incriminating way, Rakna retorted vaguely. Tell me where that house is. Y-yes, here. As the words left Weils mouth, his map popped up to show a new objective. He grunted positively and started heading back to the exit. Ill go take a look. Ill tell youter if I found anything, he said and left the hospital with a swift pace. He really was itching to just fly over to his destination but could only groan at the fact that he just couldnt do it. He already regretted the mobility that he had been spoiled with. After a few minutes, he ultimately reached the mansion and he could sense right away that there was something off about it. Not only his instincts, but the foul smell that reminded him of Verias in its nature was also quite repulsive. He observed the property in front of him with a raised eyebrow. He hummed and activated one of his items abilities, which did not require mana. [Scan Life,] he intoned and the hidden ne he was wearing emitted a pulse of energy that swept over his surroundings. His essory immediately gave him the feedback he wanted and he sighed when he saw that there was no reaction from the house whatsoever. He brought out his twin daggers from his storage since they were his lightest weapons. However, he was reminded of something when he saw them glowing in his hands. He grabbed his scarf and wrapped it around the daggers. A prompt appeared and he unhesitatingly chose yes. Sonata and Praying Vehemence shone and fused until all that was left in Raknas hand was a pair of curved azure daggers with green glittery edges. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Twin Daggers Name: Azure Sonata Rarity: Orange Attack power: +100 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The weapon possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another with an Eion energy influx as the trigger. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow, Kusarigama, Twin Daggers. ? C Oscition de (ded form only): Through oscition, the de bes ten times sharper and can generate heat. ? C Gale Outbreak (Applied to all forms): A perk synthesized from absorbing Praying Vehemences parameters. When wielding Sonata, the user will have their agility and swiftness increase by 5% without cost or cooldown. ? C Green Flurry: Use a constant stream of mana to elongate the weapons de and boost the attack depending on the wielders magic attack. ? Note: Evolvable. ? ? ? ? ? So, it did assimte the perks to some extent. Gale Outbreak is new but if it applies to whenever I hold Sonata, its not a loss. As for Green Flurry, it seems I can only use it in this form. Thats a good thing to know about future evolutions. Ill have to try and get even better weapons, he thought and quickly checked what he needed to evolve Sonata again; he had to be level 40 and use at least a weapon of blue rarity. The attack value shot up as well, Rakna thought and whirled the daggers, satisfied with the small but noticeable change in his swiftness and agility. He looked at the entrance of the mansion again and tentatively pushed the gate who seemed to be a bit ck. It opened without resistance and he silently entered the property. He approached the entrance without lowering his guard for even a second. He tried to look inside through the windows but the curtains were all closed, unfortunately. He walked to the front door and clicked his tongue at the fact that it was locked digitally. He was about to force it open with his daggers when he got an idea. If he based his assumptions on the fact that the victims had all at some point walked past this house before their death, it would exin theplete randomness. This also meant that whatever did it, whether it is a ghost or an unknown monster, had the basic intelligence to drop the bodies away from the house as to no raise suspicion. In other words, if its smart enough to shield itself from suspicions, it should also have the rational sense to try and not let its cover be blown. While thinking that, Rakna hid his daggers under his jacket and pressed the button for the doorbell a few times before patiently waiting. After around ten seconds, his ears twitched as heard the lock being opened from the inside, and a beautiful woman greeted him. Can I do something for you, young man? She inquired with a smile that could have fooled anyone with its sincerity. As a matter of fact, yes. I happen to be looking for the Jill family that lives here. Would you be so kind as to tell me where they are? The womans expression became perplexed. I am right in front of you, am I not? Youre speaking to Rena Jill. If youre looking for my husband, Im afraid youll have toe back another day. Hes on a business trip at the moment. So it seems, Rakna uttered with a hint of mirth in his tone. Are you sure though? This time, she let out some irritation appear. Listen, young man, if youre here to joke around, Ill have to ask you to lea- Last I heard, he interrupted her dryly as his eyes glowed with a golden hue. Normal people tend to have a heartbeat, a body temperature, and a physical body, dont they? You-! Before the woman could say anything else, an azure dagger shed and stabbed her right in the eye. Yes, I think so too. Chapter 90: Jill Family Chapter 90: Jill Family AAAAAHH! The woman let out an ear-piercing cry and her face morphed into something straight out of a horror story as Sonata stabbed her eye. Her skin darkened and grew wrinkles while her teeth became razor-sharp fangs. But the oddest thing about her was the pair of dark purple bat wings she grew. She quickly jumped back, getting away from her attacker, and covered her eye with her hand. Rakna coldly watched her as he appreciated one of the abilities that he hadnt been able to truly experience to its fullest until now. ? ? ? ? ? You have hit an incorporeal being. Soul Core has been triggered. You inflicted spiritual damage. You have drained 4 MP from your target. ? ? Soul Core has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? He noted that, unlike when he took the stamina pill, the energy he had just drained seemed to be staying inside his body. He had now a 4 instead of a 0 next to his MP stat but it hadnt restored his regeneration, much to his chagrin. Who are you?! The banshee screamed as she still felt the pain in her eye. He raised an eyebrow and scoffed, A wandering detective. The ghost growled and dashed at him with a speed that he could not cope with in his current state but he still calmly stood unmoving even as she approached him. Her hand transformed into a de as she swung her arm at him. The only reaction he showed at that was his eyes moving. He was perfectly serene. After all, the only reason he had initiated the hostilities was because he unconsciously knew, something more than just a hunch, that he could beat her. Right before the de hit him, he leaned back as marginally as possible as the de brushed past his neck. Then, within the blink of an eye, he recovered from his dodge and two shes of azure-green light found their mark on the ghosts head and heart. She cried in pain again and this time, Rakna could see some frost appear where he stabbed. It seems my passive cold attack needs at least a bit of mana to work, even if it doesnt concretely lower it, he thought and ced his fist in front of the banshees neck. In one swift motion, he dealt out a reproduction of the one-inch punch; skillfully so that it would even impress masters. The woman seemed to choke for a second and Rakna, still with a slow and careful motion of his muscles, threw a kick thatnded on her stomach. He made sure to add a great deal of soul power in his blow and she flew back for a few meters beforending on the ground. She gasped and grasped her throat with her elongated nails as if something was harming her from the inside. Rakna winced as he lowered his leg back to the ground and almost tripped as he tried to take a step forward. While she was still squirming on the ground, he approached her and ced a foot over her stomach. The wounds he had inflicted on her with Sonata were already disappearing as if they were never there but it seemed that his Soul Core had been enough to paralyze her. Lets get this over with. Are you the one responsible for the recent deaths? He asked indifferently and she red at him while grasping her neck. What did you do to me She managed to croak out. She felt like something was burning inside her, bringing her more pain than she had ever felt. Rakna squinted as his eyes let out a colorless hue. Your body seems to be made of soul power in its entirety. Perhaps its being damaged by my own. She tried to reply but the pain caught up to her again and she let out a voiceless cry. Im not the one who killed them please Her tone became pleading and her appearance gradually turned human-like again. This time, she didnt seem to be posing as someone else and used what appeared to be her real appearance. She had curly dark green hair with a pair of eyes that matched. Her skin was ghastly and her body was modest but elegant. Rakna scowled at her as she was on the verge of crying. He couldnt smell her emotions, probably because of the nature of her existence, but he could smell her aura. After focusing a bit, he noticed that the foul odor he had perceived from the outside of this house didnt seem to being from her. The color of her soul also seemed to be quite bright; it was as if it was trying to convince him that she was innocent. After a moment of thought, he gave her the benefit of the doubt and lifted his foot. He crouched next to her and ced his hand above her heart. [Soul Scourge,] he muttered and reached for the soul power he had inadvertently injected inside of her earlier. At the same time, with this skill, he noticed that he could easily break her apart if he wanted to. But he decided to listen to his gut feeling once again and got rid of what she was suffering from. After just a few seconds, she stopped wing at her neck and she could finally breathe, something that made him wonder if even ghosts needed air to live. Or perhaps something different. Akin to an afterlife version of oxygen. Tha-thank you Dont waste my time. Tell me what you know, Rakna uttered, not showing any ounce of guilt for having mishandled her while she was potentially meless. She nodded weakly and leaned against the wall for support as she stood up. She breathed in and exhaled before speaking up, My name is Evelyn Malcanthet Im a phantom bound to this ce without a way to leave it. The dead youre talking about were She hesitated as she reached this part. They were what? He repeated with a frigid tone, releasing a bit of his Despair Aura at the same time. If you dont speak now, I will force your soul to do it for you. Its in your interest that I dont fall back on this since I still dont know how to control it. The phantom flinched at the pressure invading the room. She couldntprehend how she could be so easily intimidated by someone who seemed to barely be standing on his feet. She had seen how careful he was with his every step as if he was scared to hurt himself. She bit her lip. It didnt stop him from demolishing me, she thought bitterly. The culprit is She sighed. My brother. He was the one who did it. Rakna furrowed his eyebrows as he whirled one of his daggers in thought. Before I ask you who your brother is, specifically, I assume youre saying that he, for some reason, randomly kills people that pass by this house and you are probably the one who possesses them after their death to hide the truth. Am I right? Evelyns eyes widened in shock at how quickly and forthrightly he had reached this conclusion. He had also been horrifyingly urate. How She started but Rakna cut her off. For now, I will believe that you are not the one who killed them. Thats all you have to know, he said and his eyes skimmed over a window that appeared in front of him after he willed it. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Evelyn J. Malcanthet Age: 192 (18) | Level: 12 Race: Cambion Phantom | Path: Hell Priestess Affiliation: Descendant of the Jill Family C First teau Titles: Caring Sister C The Virgin Subus ? Attributes: STR: 5 | END: 5 SPD: 7 | DEX: 9 INT: 21 | LCK: 3 ? Statistics: DP: 118/131 | MP: 294/310 SWI: 56 | Agility: 25 SEN: 52 | ATC: 50 ATT: 38.5 | DEF: 20 MA: 63 | MR: 2.37/min ? Proficiencies: C Mana Sense (Lv. Max) C Flight (Lv. Max) C Mana Control (Lv.7) C Soul Sense (Lv.5) C Alchemy (Lv.6) C Crafting (Lv.5) C Magic Theory (Lv.3) C Jill Martial Arts (Lv.3) ? Magic Skills: C Requires Reawakening. ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Negative Insight (Lv. Max) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv.9) C Soul Aura (Lv.6) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Spiritual Possession (Lv. Ex) C Demonic Gradation (Lv. Max) C Morph (Lv. Max) C Scan (Lv. Max) C Stealth (Lv.8) C Elemental Reinforcement (Lv.3) ? Nirvana Skill: Unawakened. ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? C Phantom Membrane: Phantoms are beings that live with their soul bare and are impervious to normal physical attacks. But unlike other spiritual beings, they can be touched and have a physical influence on the world. Their only weakness is that if they are not bound to someone or something, they are unable to sustain themselves and will cease to exist. ? C Cambion: The mixed race of humans and demons. The holder of this trait possesses demonic energy instead of stamina and their mana holds the attribute of darkness. They can thus learn skills only avable to the demon race. ? C Half-Subus: The holder of this trait has either an incubus or a subus as a parent. As such, they are able to drain life essence from living beings to heal or strengthen themselves. As a Cambion, they do not have demon pheromones and dont need to feed off mortal essence. They additionally possess a pair of sturdy bat wings giving them the ability to fly and a natural night vision. ? Note: Evelyn Malcanthet is a Descendant belonging to the Jill Family. Her mother was a human Host and her father was an incubus demon. The union of the two gave birth to two children; Evelyn and Lyne. One day, the family of four was attacked by a group of demon hunters, hired by the Jill Familys Main Branch, and were all killed. Thanks to being Cambions and Descendants, the two children became phantoms and were bound to their house. The son quickly lost his mind in madness and fury and to stop him, her sister forced the two of them into a seal by sacrificing her magic. ? ? ? ? ? Raknas eyes slightly widened at her status. She was certainly one of the more unique people he had met until now. In fact, he would even put her above Verias weakened state, for both her racial traits and Nirvana Skill. Then, there was the note about her and her family. This was the first time he had gotten one so long; possibly because there was simply more to tell for him to get the overall picture. Until now, Appraisal had always given him the minimum info to have a general understanding of the targets history. The fact about her brother seems to be the truth He thought. Where is your brother? Evelyn trembled and tamely lowered her head. He is half-sealed as we speak. He is slowly waking up and the victims hes killing are used by him to recover. Why didnt you stop him? I couldnt, she replied weakly. When my brother started going mad after bing a Phantom, to seal him, I had to forsake my elemental affinities and all the magic power I had. Ive barely recovered thetter after 170 years in slumber, but I still need to reawaken my magic and I cant do anything against him without it Rakna snarled under his breath and she shivered unconsciously. Why havent you tried to call for help? You probably woke up two weeks ago, didnt you? The family that lived here is probably already dead, isnt it? Her silence and sunken expression were the only evidence he needed to confirm his suspicions. Perhaps you are bound to this ce but you could have alerted someone, anyone. Are you really going to let your brother kill innocents like this? And dont tell me you didnt have an opportunity to seek help since you tried to chase me away barely minutes ago. Evelyn didnt know what to say. Any moment now, she felt like she was going to start crying under the sharpness of his words. I was scared. I dont want my brother to die. Hes the only one I have left. I know that theres almost no chance for him toe back to reason. I tried! I tried everything to bring him back I was just hoping praying that maybe he would Rakna groaned as she choked on her own words. Never did he expect he would have to deal with a weepy subus. Ill ask you again, where is he? He inquired with a hint of finality in his tone. She gritted her teeth. She didnt want to say it. It felt like she was selling out her own family. But she understood that it was for the best and it sickened her. hes in the basement. Its filled with wards to both restrain him and keep people out are you going to kill him? Im going to do what I need to do, he responded. Thats all Ill tell you. Evelyn stood silent for a moment before raising her head to look at him in the eyes. Her tears had finally started to fall but he didnt seem to be affected in the slightest. I will open the wards for you but can you promise me something? Rakna stilled for a second as he heard that word. that will depend on what it is. When I release the wards of the basement, my brother will be free to move. All I want is that you wait before attacking him. I want to try and talk to him onest time. If it doesnt work, I swear to help you finish him even at the cost of my own life. Rakna watched her determined expression and grunted. In fact, he could just leave that house right then and get help. His Quest didnt necessarily include solving the problem. He was also in a vulnerable state, even if hisbat experience and arrays of skills were enough to put him above most people. However, who would listen to this girl? Very few people would be sympathetic to a girl who has let murders ur, much less her brother who has done the deeds. At best, they would execute the brother and cage the sister one way or another. Thats why he couldnt let it go. His uncle had always advised him that second chances, while not always deserved, are something that should be given equally to all. This situation he believed that they deserved the chance and he was ready to offer it. He had been given one, after all. Lead the way, he ultimately said. At the end of the day, he needed to see if he could deal with the problem or not. He had to take a look at that brother in question to decide if he could take him on or not. W-what about my request? She asked nervously, taking a step forward. I promise you. Those three words were spoken grimly but that had been enough to shake her entire being. She didnt know why, but she knew that he was sincere. She allowed a small smile to appear on her face, Thank you Keep your thanks forter, he retorted nkly. Promises are only worth something when they are followed through to the end. Do you think so? Evelyn said mncholically. After our parents died and before he was blighted by his own demonic energy, I promised my brother that I would always be there for him, that I would always protect him no matter what, she recounted and paused. I think he knew at the time that I most likely would not be able to do it but he still smiled at me and thanked me. I believe that making a promise sometimes means more than the oue, she smiled faintly. Dont you think so? Rakna looked at her with his eyes wide open before he looked at his hands that were holding the azure daggers. He remembered the smile Vivi had shed when he told her he would do what he could. Perhaps Just perhaps, he voiced and gripped his daggers. You might be right. Chapter 91: Soul Drain Chapter 91: Soul Drain Evelyn led Rakna to the basement where arge trap door was built on the floor. This gives ess to the chamber below; its the first restraining measure before the actual seal, she said. Rakna grunted to acknowledge what she said and inspected it. There were talismans with signs unknown to him attached to it. He quickly gave up on trying to decipher them and proceeded to take a look around him. This basement definitely did not belong to a normal family. Chemical equipment, odd items scattered across the ce, half-forged weapons on the tables, all sorts of blueprints, and peculiar sheets with magic circles drawn on them. Weil had told him that the people who lived here ran a few businesses but he didnt expect something like this. What exactly does your family do? He asked the Cambion who was crouching in front of the trap door; which he had a hard time staying close to because of the intensity of the smell. Theyre not my family, she growled out. Ill never forgive them for what they did to us. The Jills only care about power. Theyre a bunch of parasites. They own many businesses and branches across all teaus for weapons, items, information, and even ves, she spat. But what they specialize in is alchemy and magic theory. They make potions and sometimes design new spells to sell. I see, Rakna muttered, forcing down the anger that was surging inside him. Theparison to his own parents had been too easy to make. To top it off, recently, especially after fighting Verias, even the smallest degree of anger was enough to trigger the voices in his head. It seems like Ireful Shells curse is growing more powerful, he thought. That warranted some vignce but he would have to make do by just being careful for now. As he was thinking that, thest talisman was pulled out from the trapdoor by Evelyn and he suddenly narrowed his eyes. His eyes turned golden and released colorless energy as he stared at what was beyond his current vision. He saw the soul that was currently chained below him. It was pulsating between a dormant state and aplete form. Rakna clicked his tongue as he saw that. It wasnt that strong. If anything, it would be a lot easierpared to fighting the Dreorins. That is; if he was at full strength. He might be able to deal with it thanks to The Tricksters Sleeve but he was aware that while the Spade Cards could deal incredible damage to even stronger foes, they possessed both a limited range and maneuverability. In other words, if he missed with it, there was nothing he could do. Thats why he had gotten close to the Dreorins previously to decapitate it at point-nk. It was either that or use a higher graded Card to be able to kill it from farther away. Evelyn, he spoke up as she was about to open the trapdoor. She shuddered when she heard him say her name. She was obviously used to hear her own name but he had somehow managed to make it sound foreboding. Is there something wrong? She asked nervously, wondering if he had changed his mind after her brothers soul power was revealed. Before you go in there, I need your help on something, he stated, surprising her. What is it? You may have noticed but Im in a crippled state right now. I cant generate internal force or mana at all, he admitted to which she gasped. How?! She screamed internally. Someone in a crippled state should not even be able to move their arms much less walk and even defeat me in a few seconds! She was baffled. Why are you telling me this? Ill have to borrow some mana from you, he replied in a heartbeat. My mana its true that I felt some of it being taken away when he stabbed me, she thought and mentally summoned her status to see it was indeed down by more than it should. Im fine with it I have some to spare and I cant use magic. But will you need to stab me again to do it? She asked unenthusiastically. Rakna snorted and walked to her. Just stay still. As long as you dont resist, I should be able to do it fine, he said and ced his hand on her shoulder. He closed his eyes and imagined his Soul Core beating inside his body as a heart would. The skill described it as a spiritual organ and it couldnt be more urate. It felt like a pump channeling soul power on its own without him having to control it. He deviated the sort of suction force it was generating and brought it to his hand where he was holding onto Evelyns shoulder. Soon enough, he felt a connection with her soul, and mana flowed into his own. ? ? ? ? ? You have directly manipted your Soul Core for the first time. It has leveled up! The drain per injury you inflict has reached its maximum; 5 MP. Your mana and stamina reduction have been increased to 24%. ? You have learned a new skill; Soul Drain. ? Soul Drain (Lv.1): Its name can be misleading as it is used to drain mana and internal force from the target by using the soul as a catalyst and not as a direct source. Soul Drain does not harm the soul in any way and also be used in reverse to give stamina and mana instead. ? Current Drain: 1 MP/STA per tick. (In optimal conditions) Note: This skill does not work on a target with able means of resisting it and constant physical contact is necessary. Consent between two parties erases the chance of failure. ? ? You have drained 1 MP. You have drained 1 DP. Demonic Points have been converted; 1 STA. ? Soul Drain has leveled up! +2 MP / +2 STA +2 MP / +2 STA +2 MP / +2 STA ? Soul Drain has leveled! +3 MP / +3 STA +3 MP / +3 STA ? ? ? ? ? Rakna nearly grinned as he finally felt powere back to his body. He clenched his hand and his veins and muscles bulged as if they were happy to finally be free of their enfeebled state. Um my demonic power is also decreasing is it normal? Evelyn asked with a blush on her face, the feeling of having her soul connected and transferring her internal forces were weird. She had to hold herself back from raising her voice. Not really. But I wontin, Rakna said and she could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smile on his face. He waited until the skill increased to level 4 to stop. He pulled his hand back and Evelyn sighed in relief. My muscles still feel sore but my stamina is about 80% full. And after focusing the drain on mana instead of stamina, Im close to full capacity, hemented silently. He waved his arm to the side as fast as possible and his aura manifested around his body at the same time. Evelyn felt a cold breeze hit her face and the raw power of the aura. She had also been unable to track his casual action. Forget about him being strong, hes in apletely different league! What is he doing on the First teau? While she was thinking that, Rakna was pleased to see he could exert his full ability. The problem however was that he still could feel the pain in his body and the soreness in his limbs. Looks like this is not a definite solution. [Indeed. I rmend you do not abuse this, Rakna,] Alexa said. [Please refrain from using skills too harsh on your body. If you go too far and get injured, you might aggravate your condition.] Ill see that for myself, Rakna responded and turned toward Evelyn. Go in. Ill listen in from here. Do what you must. The Cambion was ejected from her daze and she nodded. She took a deep breath and opened the trap door, letting a cloud of miasma flow into the basement. She winced as she felt the malice contained in it and from the corner of her eye, she could see that even the frigid beast-man was bothered by it. After bracing herself, she took the first step down the stairs and a sudden energy almost made her fall back. His energy is already starting to break through the seal She thought whilst gritting her teeth and forced herself to continue downward. When she reached the chamber below the basement, she watched grimly as the figure of her brother knelt on the ground with a bunch of chains binding his body. Around him, a translucid barrier had been raised; thest fading remnants of her Barrier Magic. Lyne She whispered but got no reaction. He couldnt hear her through the seal. She knew what she needed to do. She approached the barrier and ced her hand on it. She injected a bit of mana and demonic energy in it and with a simple mentalmand, it dissolved into motes of energy. Immediately after, her brothers shadowed face weed two dots of red light in the ce of his eyes. His green hair was unkempt and long and his body thrummed with dark energy. He raised his head to look at her and Evelyn faltered. Other than his entirely crimson eyes, the rest of his body had begun to change. ck scales were growing on his skin and glowing green veins spread. This was the risk that every Cambion had to experience were they to lose control over their demonic energy; ckening. Sister? He spoke with a voice she barely recognized. But his mouth wasnt the only thing that had started moving; the chains wrapped around his body were starting to rattle as he pulled on them. Yes, Lyne, its me, Evelyn replied with her tears threatening to emerge again. Her little brother younger by one year; the ever so cheerful memories she had of him were nowhere to be seen on him now. Can you hear me? He didnt reply. Instead, a primal growl resounded and one of the chains snapped. Followed by the metallic sound of the strain put on the others. The sorrow that had sprouted in her ever since she woke from her slumber, was magnified tenfold when she couldnt even spot a shred of awareness on her brothers face. Lyne! She shouted desperately. Come back to your senses! A second chain snapped and she gritted her teeth. Its been 200 hundred years! Mom and Dad would have never wanted you to sumb to hatred for them! They would have wanted you to live! A third one. The Lyne I remember was a cheerful child. Our parents loved you; I love you! Even as a Phantom, that love will never change! A fourth one. Please Evelyn copsed on her knees with her tears flowing. She faced the ground and held her arms close to her chest. Pleasee back The rest of the chains snapped at once and he slowly stood up. He stayed inert for a tormenting amount of time, his face shadowed, before he opened his mouth again, Sister The subus gasped as she looked up at him. Lyne? Lyn-! Her call was cut off by an ear-deafening roar that she could have never imagineding from her brother, even in her worst nightmares. He breathed out a cloud of steam and his eyes shone with madness. He kicked the ground in her direction and reached for her with his wed hand. Evelyn held her breath as she watched her impending doom. She didnt have the strength to dodge or call for her brother anymore. She was ready to ept her end and leave everything to the man who had made a promise with a voice of steel. She would die together with her brother. That was all that she could hope for. She closed her eyes and waited for her death. When her eyelids were fully shut, thest thing she had seen was her brothers ws about to tear her apart. But it never happened. She heard him roar again like a beast; however, this one sounded more like a painful cry. Dont go epting death like that, a cold voice echoed. She opened her eyes again with dted pupils and saw the demonic figure of her brother retreat as he held his arm in pain because of the azure dagger embedded in his palm. She looked over her shoulder and spotted the Host who had forced her to face this situation. His right arm was still in a throwing stance when her gaze fell on him and there was a strange ring of blue spheres revolving around his left arm. With just a nce, she could feel the power radiating from it. He casually walked to her as the fallen Cambion red at him warily. His mind had been lost but it still seemed to know how to recognize threats. epting death is an insult to all who wish to live, he uttered and stood in front of her. His back shadowing her. To the very end, it is your duty to stay alive at any cost. That sickening System has a loathly way of doing it but the message stays the same; fight to survive. Never wee death to your doorstep, he expressed as the spheres of cold energy arranged themselves to form a constetion brimming with tyrannical power. For it is your worst enemy. Chapter 92: Lyra Chapter 92: Lyra In the northern sky lies the Lyra constetion. Its myth finds origin in the Greek musician and poet Orpheus. The power of his music, which he yed on his lyre gifted by Apollo, was able to sway nature and fauna, overpower the Sirens singing, and move Gods with its melody. Orpheus had once been able to influence even the ruler of the Underworld himself to bring his wife back to the world of the living. The constetion was often depicted as a vulture or an eagle carrying the lyre in its wings or beak. [Star Monarch C Lyra.] Evelyn watched entranced as five miniature stars revolved around Raknas body before fusing and forming the image of an eagle holding a lyre in its beak. Therge bird wagged its wings and used them to pluck the strings of the instruments. The tunes of the lyre resounded in the chamber and it almost felt like the notes had manifested on the physical ne. The glow emitted by the lyre even seemed to vary in both shade and intensity based on what it was. The melody that was being yed by the eagle was beyond enchanting. Evelyn had a hard time not getting carried in by the tune. It was almost forcing her to empty her mind and forget all of her worries. The effect on her brother had been considerably more violent. The warped Cambion roared as he pulled the dagger out of his hand and held his head in pain whilst trying to swat away an invisible enemy. GO AWAY!! He screamed and Evelyn opened her mouth, thinking that this might have awakened her brother but before she could voice anything, he redirected his crimson eyes at both her and Rakna with hatred. He extended one hand while holding his head with the other and a thunderous buzz sounded as a spiral of dark energy shot out from his palm. Rakna frowned as the eagle continued to y the lyre above his head. He released his Aura at its fullest capacity and Evelyn shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. He mentallymanded his storage ring and the Dreorin Greatsword appeared in his hand. He gripped it tightly while using Reinforcement and swung it as it grew thorns on its handle that rapidly began sucking his blood. The de glowed red and he muttered, Blood Wave. The crescent-shaped wave of crimson energy dug a linear pit as it shed through Lynes magic like it was nothing and sliced his chest diagonally while also severing half of his arm. He cried in pain and staggered backward. He lifted his other arm in order to prepare another attack but the star eagle yed a louder note with the lyre that made him stop on his tracks. At the same time, Rakna kicked the ground and grabbed the dagger he had thrown earlier before running straight toward Lyne. Thetter had still enough awareness to sense him and, just like her sister earlier, changed his entire arm into a de, though his was a scythe. He tried to cut his attacker with it but it was easily blocked by one of the azure twin daggers. Raknas eyes shed and he intoned a certain skill for the first time, [Shadow Step.] His body was wrapped in shadows and moved around Lyne in the blink of an eye. Before the Cambion could react to the development, Rakna grasped his neck and mmed in on the floor with all of his strength. Lyra, he then called as if he was talking to someone and the eagle flew over. Itnded on Lynes head as he struggled to break free from Raknas grasp and started plucking its instruments string even faster. The Cambion tensed and snarled inhumanely as a sort of ck smoke emerged from his body before being destroyed by the ability of the lyre. Rakna had the tip of Sonata pressed against his neck and he could probably kill him right then if he used another spell but it wasnt what he wanted. He watched patiently as Lyne struggled under him because of his constetions influence. Evelyn looked on from a safe distance with conflicted emotions. After some time, the miasma that had been invading the chamber was almost gone and Lyne had stopped moving. Rakna exhaled and started panting lightly. The eagle and lyre disappeared right after. He had been funneling all of his mana into this spell and now he had already used up everything he had taken from Evelyn. Sister Lyne spoke again and the subus covered her mouth when she saw her brothers face that was torn in anguish. His eyes were back to how she remembered them; a scenic green much like her own. She clumsily pushed herself back on her feet and ran to him. Rakna grunted as he stepped back so she could hug her brother. He whirled his two daggers and joined them together so that they could turn back into a scarf. Im so sorry Lyne managed to articte as he rxed in his sisters arms. Its fine. Its not your fault. Nothing is. Rakna looked at the two siblingsforting each other and nced at the brothers body. He let out a sigh when he saw that he was half-transparent already. One use of Appraisal had given him all that he needed to know about his situation. ? ? ? ? ? Lyne Malcanthet is currently suffering Spiritual Depletion. His Demonic Energy is the only thing maintaining his life as a Phantom. After his descent into madness, the energy signature transformed into a corrupted one. It has now been purified by a cleansing spell but it is impossible to revert the corrupted to the demonic. He will soon die for a second time and fade away for good. ? ? ? ? ? Apparently, he wasnt the only one who knew. His progressively waning body had been the first thing Evelyn noticed when she approached. But she refused to acknowledge it. She just hugged her brother as tight as she could as he spoke again, I wanted to be at your side dad told me to protect you once he was gone but my thirst for revenge won over me. Rakna leaned against the wall as he lit a cigarette. He huffed a cloud of smoke and emotionlessly noted that the boys legs were already gone, dispersed into wisps of red light. Im sorry that you had to sacrifice decades to put up with me, he continued with a sad smile and her only answer was to strengthen her grip on him. He chuckled weakly and turned his head the best he could to look at Rakna. Can I ask you a favor? The three-tailed werewolf recognized his question with a nod as another cloud of glittery smoke was exhaled. Please take care of my sister. If it is too much to ask, then at least, could you lend her a hand in hard times? He asked hopefully and Rakna nced at him with squinted eyes. The younger Cambion was surprisingly a lot more kindhearted and mature than he expected. Its how it is, in the end, isnt it? He thought. The genuinely good ones always end up receiving the worst hand from life. Listen to yourself, Evelyn said bitterly before Rakna could give an answer to Lyne. Im the big sister here. I should be the one caring for your well-being. Lyne formed a smile that was also conveyed through his eyes. Its a bit hard for that now, no? He said in a joking tone, feeling that his arms werepletely gone now. Evelyn chuckled despite herself. This wasnt funny in the slightest; they both knew. But they were not about to dispute it when these were theirst moments together. Believe and Esteem. Protect and Show. Watch and Listen. Love and Know, Rakna spoke, catching both their attention. They looked at him as he seemingly recited these words. A brothers love is a sisters greatest treasure. A sisters happiness is a brothers deepest desire. Forever know that you are loved, he finished the poem he had heard in the past and met their stares. Im no good at motivating people. Nor do I have what it takes to understand family or sibling love, he said with a grunt. But one thing Im convinced of is that death cannot kill all of what you represent, he uttered and gazed at Lyne. Hey, kid. Youre asking me for a favor; Ill ask one thing in return. The Cambion sweat dropped at being called a kid by someone that looked the same age but still responded, What is it? Keep loving your sister, Rakna answered without changing his expression. For him, this didnt sound silly or ridiculous. It was his honest stance. If I am to ept your favor, I want to have the confirmation that it will eternally be your undying wish. Lynes eyes widened a bit andughed lightly. I see He said and beamed. I will always love my sister and wish for her happiness, whether it is in life or death. Does this satisfy you? Rakna closed his eyes and nodded. Then I give you my word. You two are unfair. Shouldnt I have a say in this? Evelyn mumbled and her brother chuckled as she held him in her hands. His head was barely all that remained of his body at this point. Im not going tost much longer, he sighed and the subus drooped her head. Eve, thank you again for what you did for me. You too as well, for allowing me to speak to her onest time, he said to Rakna who hummed. Lyne Evelyn whispered sadly but quickly caught herself with a small smile. Im also happy that I could talk to you again. Dont worry, Ill do my best to live in your memory. Heh, you changed after all this time, he said with a snicker. You used to be more rebellious and free-spirited. A true subus that wouldugh at all the boys embarrassed by your flirting. Evelyns face flushed red and tried to retort but nothing came out. It was nice seeing you Goodbye, sis, Lyne added and the rest of his body burst into particles of light. Be happy, his voice echoed onest time and Evelyn clenched the hands that were holding her brother a second ago. Thank you and goodbye Rakna ran his hand through his hair as he heard her sobs. How many times was he going to witness something like this? Had the world always been this woeful? Perhaps Im to me for never trying to know, he thought and silently groaned at the fact that he would have to deal with the grieving subus after this. I really wouldnt mind taking another nap right about now. Chapter 93: Spiritual Anchor Chapter 93: Spiritual Anchor ? ? ? ? You havepleted your Quest! The rewards have been automatically deposited and the Quest giver has been notified of your sess. ? You have leveled up! +1 Free Point +0.1 Strength, Speed, Intelligence ? After evaluation of your performance in a disadvantageous condition, the System offers you an additional attribute point and three thousand Talys. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna dismissed the window as he stepped into the back garden of the mansion. To give Evelyn a bit more time for herself, he had gone to look for the bodies of the original owners of this ce after asking her. He found exactly four mounds on the ground, indicating the locations of where she had buried them. Alexa, call the local authorities and exin to them the situation, Rakna instructed. [Understood,] she said and established a call from his HLs background processing framework. As she did that, he went back inside the house and leaned against the wall next to the front door, waiting. A minuteter, he saw Evelyne up from the stairs leading to the basement. She seemed to have recovered nicely based on her rtively serene expression. Ready? He asked and she nodded. Then lets go. Well go to the Pavilion to awaken your magic again and meet up with my friends, he stated as he opened the door. Just earlier, he had received a message from An saying that they were waiting for him there. Wait, she raised her voice timidly and he turned around with an inquisitive look. Um, I need to bind myself to you if I want to leave this ce Ah yes, your status did say that, he muttered as he remembered her trait. That means youre currently bound to this house, huh? Not an object? Yes, she nodded. I used this house as the anchor to sustain myself. How would you bind yourself to me then? Is there a specific method? Well She squirmed and joined her hands while looking away. Its a bit intimate Rakna scowled at her blushing appearance. Seriously? He deadpanned internally. Please dont tell me its with a kiss or something. Eh?! How did you know?! She sounded genuinely shocked. can you use this instead? He inquired while showing her his scarf. She calmed down a bit and took a look at the object before remembering something, This are your daggers capable of transforming? Close. Its the other way around. My scarf can transform into daggers. So? How is it? Evelyn took the scarf that he was handing her and instantly felt the energy coursing through its material. It was nothing like she had ever felt before. Incredible such a masterwork. Not only the seemingly boundless energy but also the craftsmanship. Who made this? Rakna snorted. My uncle. The old man learned how to make weapons from his adoptive mother and he was without peer from where Ie from, he said, now wondering how high would the old mans proficiency be if he used Appraisal on him. Did you learn from him? The subus asked in curiosity as she continued to inspect the scarf in admiration. Not really. I just heard scraps on the basics, never dwelled on it. Though, it might not be a bad idea to learn a bit more for my Star Make He inaudibly droned thest part. In fact, the weapons he had already made a spell of, Dinsleif and Neptunia, were both something his uncle had forged at some point. Thetters hobby was to forge mythological weapons with his own designs added to it. Thats why it had been so easy for him to picture them when he made the spells; because he already had seen them. Maybe adding the concept of forging to them will make them stronger, he thought then focused back on the matter at hands. In any case, is it good enough for you? Yes, definitely! She affirmed. To be honest, I dont think I will ever be able to find a better anchor than this. Its such a good artifact for someone like me for its seemingly endless supply, she stated enthusiastically. Well, at least you dont need a kiss now. Ah yes, she whispered, secretly a bit disappointed for reasons that she herself didnt fully understand. She cleared her throat, A-anyway, I will now redo my binding. She closed her eyes and covered Sonata with her demonic energy. Rakna watched curiously as her body glowed, releasing thread-like strands of energy. They first appeared connected to the walls and floor of the mansion before gathering together and connecting to the scarf instead. The process took about twenty seconds and when she was done, she opened her eyes with a sigh as she felt her new connection. It was as if her vitality had increased by leaps and bounds by just being close to the scarf. Its done. Im bound, she smiled and handed the scarf back. That easy? Rakna grabbed it with a raised eyebrow and checked its description. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Cloth/Scarf Name: Azure Sonata Rarity: Orange Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The item possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another with an Eion energy influx as the trigger. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow, Kusarigama, Twin Daggers. ? C Gale Outbreak (Applied to all forms): A perk synthesized from absorbing Praying Vehemences parameters. When wielding Sonata in a de-Type form, the user will have their agility and swiftness increase by 5% without cost or cooldown. ? C Demonic Spiritual Anchor: This item is bound to the Cambion Phantom Evelyn J. Malcanthet who can now sustain her for form for as long as she stays within a range radius of a kilometer. Additionally, the Phantom bound to this item will forever be able to locate it no matter what. They will also be granted a 10% boost in both DP and MP thanks to the leaking Eion. Lastly, thanks to the spiritual will infused inside the weapon, the registered wielders (Rakna Xiorra, Evelyn Malcanthet) can now control it mentally. Form changes do not require Eion charges anymore and it is possible to recall Sonata from a distance, even very long ones, with a simple pulse of mana. ? Note: Evolvable. ? ? ? ? ? Raknas eyes widened at the new perk. He eagerly tried it out, mentally willing it to change form, just like he would manipte the System prompts, and before he knew, he was holding the two familiar daggers again. I couldnt have hoped for better He muttered in amazement then flipped one of the daggers to hold it by the de. Under the snooping stare of Evelyn, he walked out of the house and flung it to the sky. Then, the purple of his eyes mixed with blue for a second and he saw the dagger stop mid-air and backtrack toward him at high speed. It made several turns as it left a green and azure trail behind it and Rakna caught it as it almost whizzed past his shoulder. Evelyn pped lightly at the demonstration and he snorted before mentally ordering his daggers to fuse back into his scarf. He wrapped it around his neck and started walking away. Lets move. I dont want to deal with whatever police ck Steel has, he said and Evelyn merrily followed him. He looked over his shoulder and frowned before looking down. She was moving, but her feet werent touching the ground. youre floating. Hm? Well, yes. Im technically a ghost, after all, she replied as if it was obvious. What about those? He said as he pointed at her wings. Its mainly to fly faster. They also can channel demonic energy so that I can release magic more easily. And while as a Cambion, I do not have the natural pheromones to attract the opposite sex, I can still produce something simr with them to charm targets. I guess Appraisal doesnt show everything to thest detail. But maybe I could try to push it by using it on every element or term in someones status. Hm, note forter, he thought and faced forward again. At least hide them until we get to the Pavilion. Youre already attracting attention, he said whilst waving his hand at a random man staring at her. Thats not a problem, she nodded and retracted her bat wings in the blink of an eye. She also stopped floating and started walking next to him. But why dont we just fly over to the Pavilion? Crippled state, remember? Rakna deadpanned. While you did give me enough internal force and mana to get by, I dont want to overexert myself. Oh, yes. Its honestly hard to believe after I saw how you fight, she admitted and he shrugged as they arrived at a bus stop. Rakna groaned as he looked at the time on his HL. I think Ill buy a car or something after this. I could definitely use one when something like this happens Evelyn giggled and allowed herself to smirk a little. So? How do you feel having a lovely subus like me stuck around you? He blinked then turned toward her with a sharp look. Despite herself, she felt her face heat up and she almost looked away when their eyes crossed. I feel like I got myself a new mischievous pet. Eh? Her mind froze for a second. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. She hadnt expected that sort of answer at all. She certainly didnt think he would be embarrassed based on what she understood of his personality but this was an entirely new experience for her. But, well, I guess morepany isnt that bad, he added afterward. You could also be a good backup along with Pronos. Pronos? She tilted her head. My actual pet. Hes what we call an Eion snake back on my. Youll probably see him soon enough. I let him go wherever he wanted earlier. Hes probably leveling up in the Fifth teau as we speak. A snake, huh? Evelyn mumbled and smiled. I remember we had a pet snake before that happened. Lyne and I were very attached to it, she said and her smile became a bit sad. Afortable but heavy silence settled between the two afterward and Evelyn sighed. She really didnt want to linger too much on what happened but it was probably going to be a long process. I was curious about something, she suddenly said and Rakna nced at her, showing that she had his attention. The spell you used to clear my brothers mind; what was it? Ive never seen anything like it. Of course, only if thats all right with you. Rakna hummed and shrugged. I dont see why not. If were going to work together, its not a bad idea to establish a minimum of trust, he said and opened one System window with a thought. He then shared it with her. ? ? ? ? ? Lyra (T.8-9): The constetion embodying the legend of Orpheus and his magical ability to even soothe the world with his music. If used correctly, this spell could even make the fiercest of tigers act like a kitten. The higher variations of this spell might allow a rtively significant maniption of the weather. ? Five Star Variation Cost: 20 to 200 MP per minute. (Soul Core Correction: 15.2 C 152) ? Note: The constetion of Lyra possesses 30 focal stars. The more mana used, the stronger the melody of the lyre will be. Furthermore, the userspatibility with eagles passively increases the effectiveness of the spell. ? ? ? ? ? This Evelyns eyes widened in shock. I have never seen such magic. What is your element? Cold Star. The subus became even more stunned at the revtion. While it wasnt a popr topic, star magic has always been a fascinating interest for any mage that respects themselves. But most of the discussions about it were theories at best, and mostly imagination. She never thought that she would actually meet someone who had that affinity one day. While she was lost in her thoughts, the bus arrived and when she finally woke up from her musing, Rakna was already inside the transport. Ah! W-wait for me! She eximed and hurried inside. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Pronos was having a staring contest with a chicken-like monster he had encountered in the swamp. The two stayed in a stalemate for about three minutes when a small breeze made the little snake involuntarily blink. The chicken let out a snicker-like sound and adopted a smug look. Pronos face twitched and ten secondster, he was slithering away with a huff as he spat out the feathers in his mouth. Chapter 94: Soul Breath Chapter 94: Soul Breath ? ? ? ? > Where are you? ? Just go up to the private section of the Pavilion and youll receive a prompt normally. Im with via and Nyx in their guilds section right now. Apparently, you can allow friends you have added to switch to their filter dimension whenever they want. ? > Got it. Ill be there in a moment. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna closed the chat and headed to the staircase after entering the Pavilion. Evelyn was following him closely whilst looking around with a curious gaze. Youve never been here before? He asked when he noticed her conduct. I havent. I turned eighteen shortly before I was forced to seal myself. Right, Kaelith did mention something about that. Descendants are only considered Hosts when they turn eighteen, right? She nodded. Yes. On top of that, my parents didnt want me to involve myself too much with the inner workings of the System before mying of age so I never visited the Pavilion before. I see, Rakna said as they were halfway up the stairs. Before going in; here. He mentally issued a friend invitation to Evelyn who readily epted it. When he stepped on thest stair, a missive appeared in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? You have three friends currently inside the private section. They have allowed you to join them. Specification: An River, via Jeina, and Nyx Nocta Regysnite C Wan Guild Section ? Do you wish to join them? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Yes, he muttered and the next thing he knew, he was standing in a lounge identical to the one he was already used to see. The only difference being that it was vastly more popted. Wow, its full of women, Evelyn couldnt help but notice that detail while Raknas expression twitched when several pairs of eyes were suddenly directed at him when she spoke. He saw them lock onto his ears and tails. Not again He grumbled internally and as he was considering making his escape, someone saved him from his predicament. Ara? What a coincidence. I never expected to see you here, a sultry voice said and he looked to his right where he saw Vera walking toward him. Did you have a change of heart and decide to join our Guild? No, he dryly replied. And dont you ept only women anyway? I sure wouldnt mind making an exception for you, the elven witch said with a smirk and looked at Evelyn. And you are? I dont think I have seen you during the Tutorial stage. Evelyn Malcanthet. Shes a half-subus Phantom, Rakna answered for her. Oh? How interesting, Veramented with a smile. Youngdy, are you affiliated to a Guild? Evelyn blinked at her question and nced at Rakna for a confirmation. He simply nodded at her and she responded honestly, No, I am not. Would you like to join the Wan then? Rakna snorted. You take every chance, dont you? Of course, she admitted shamelessly. A Cambion, a half-subus at that, is a perfect addition to our guild. So, what do you think? Im not sure Cant I join your guild instead? Evelyn asked the person who she was pretty much bound to as long as he kept that scarf with him. Im afraid thats not an option. The Throne of Glory would never ept a new member so soon after theirst recruitment, Vera said and Rakna confirmed her words with a nod. In that case I dont see why not. My mother used to say that I should take the opportunity to join a good guild whenever I could, Evelyn said and the elf grinned. Perfect! Im making a killingtely, she chuckled and invited the subus to her guild. What are your magic affinities by the way? Well, Im not really sure Evelyn trailed. Hm? What do you mean? I need a reawakening. I first awakened my magic when I was twelve but Im not sure if I have the same affinities now as I had then. A reawakening, huh? V muttered. Is that a bad thing? Rakna inquired and she shook her head. Well, yes and no. Sometimes reawakening can do wonders. You might get new affinities or even stronger or rarer ones but it could also go the opposite way. Hm, what about your Path? Hell Priestess. Vera stiffened then turned her back to them to hide her fist pump. Yes! Im so goddamn lucky! Suck it, Karin! She half-whispered, half-shouted while cursing someone unknown to them. They had no idea to react to her outburst. Ultimately though, she cleared her throat and faced them again with aposed expression. Sorry, about that. I got a bit too excited. I made a bet with a colleaguest year on who would get the most talented recruits. Rakna raised an eyebrow. I take it that youre winning? You bet I am, she said proudly. So, what are you doing here, little wolf? I came to meet up with my group. They should be here. Ah yes, those lovely geniuses, of course, Vera said, reminding herself of the incredible talents she had recruited. Well, in that case, how about I bring your friend to the awakening room while you go see them? Rakna nodded. Im fine with that, he said and took off Sonata before giving it to Evelyn. Take it with you. The awakening room shouldnt be too far but I dont want to risk anything with the heap of dimensions there is in the Pavilion. Dont lose it, and certainly dont let anyone else touch it; like a certain elf for example, he deadpanned while unceremoniously pointing at Vera. Hey! I wouldnt just snatch someone elses item. Though it does look interesting No, Rakna said before she could ask and Evelyn grabbed the scarf with a smile. She wrapped it around her neck and quietly enjoyed its warmth. Fine, fine, Vera waved her hand dismissively and grabbed the subus hand. All right, lets get a move on! I want to see what kind of magic youll get. You dont see a Phantom Cambion every day, after all, she uttered while dragging her to the awakening room. A-ah! W-wait! Evelyn couldnt resist the elfs superior strength and was pulled away until she left Raknas sight. Unfortunately for him, the second they were gone, his convenient protection against the stares was lifted and they returned full force. He looked over his shoulder with a scowl to see a group of girls creeping in. He groaned and used Shadow Step along with Stealth, his body condition be damned, to get away from them as they literally jumped him. His body was shrouded in shadows for a second before he vanished under their eyes. Crap! Hes gone! I wanted to touch them at least once He dashed into the corridors as he heard thosements behind him and messaged An once more who told him that they were currently inside one of the training rooms. After finding the good one, he tried to open the door and a simr prompt to when he entered the floor popped up. He epted and it quickly opened the way for him. When he entered the training room, the first thing he saw was a beam of dark lightning colliding against a purple one. He blinked in shock as the shockwave reached him. He then spotted the figures of Nyx and via dashing toward each other in the air with ck and white Auras around them respectively. They were both flying; thetter with her telekinesis and the former with shadow wings. They met mid-air with a shadow sword shing against a kick d in a sort of wind shell. In all honesty, the sheer magical might behind their attacks was enough to even scare him. He was pretty sure that even in his werewolf form, any of those could hurt him badly. Well, that is if he continued to keep his attribute points saved up. Freaky, right? A voice snapped him out of his daze. An was sitting on the wall next to the door in a meditative position. He seemed to be practicing his Aura which was mainly transparent with a few strands of dark blue in it. Theyve been at it for half an hour already. Teach said she needed to practice the martial arts her grandfather had taught her when she was young and then they started sparring. At first, it was purely physical and then it turned into this, he said while spreading his arms open. Rakna snorted and went to sit with him. The girls were so focused on their fight that they hadnt even noticed him yet. You said you were almost permanently injured, An said with a frown as he observed him. It looks like youre doing pretty well to me. Thats only because I was lucky enough to be able to get a skill to help me. Otherwise, you would have probably been able to take me down in one punch. Though Im not fully recovered yet. Hah, right. As if. Even if you had a leg and an arm in less, you could probably still kick my ass without a problem, An retorted with a snicker. Dont forget that Im one of the few people who saw you train under the old master. Heck, I saw him break your arm during one of your spars and youpletely ignored it to retaliate. Rakna snorted as he remembered that day and it hadnt happened just once; that would have been too easy. His old man had always taken advantage of his high resilience to pain. He would never hesitate tosh out deadly attacks to optimize his training. That was most likely one of the reasons why his instincts were so keen. My condition aside, what about you? He changed the subject and An tilted his head to the side. What do you mean? Rakna silently pointed a finger at his face. Your skin; its slightly tanned. And from what I can see from here, theirs too, he added as his eyes shed golden after a nce at the two women. How the heck can you see that from here? An uttered and tried to squint his eyes but he could not even get a proper look at either via or Nyx since they were moving too fast and wrapped in magic all the time. I have good eyes, Rakna said nkly. Obviously, the blond snorted. But anyway, the reason for the tan well, I guess youll see when you get to the Tenth teau, he smirked, knowing that his friend would be curious. Rakna huffed when he realized he wouldnt tell him and turned back to the girls. They looked tired but at this rate, they would most likely continue for at least ten more minutes. They even drank mana potions in the middle of their spar. It seemed that neither was willing to give up first. He sighed and decided to imitate his childhood friend as he closed his eyes. He crossed his legs and rxed his body. He entered a state of deep meditation; something that he could do as easily as breathing. It didnt even appear on his status since it was something that could be considered a part of himself in some way. While in that state, he tried to stir his Soul Core a bit and made it elerate the flow of his soul power across his body. He suddenly felt as if he could touch everything around him. He couldnt see, hear, smell, or touch but he knew where each of hispanions was and what they were doing. He could follow Nyx and vias battle by simply imagining it instead of actually watching it. It was as if he could instinctively predict everything. As time passed, Raknas mind progressively got more and more absorbed by the flow of soul power within his body. At some point, it felt like he was sleeping with unclouded awareness. But, for some reason, something was making him feel ufortable; like something was missing. When he was about to wake up, he happened to inhale and something clicked inside of him. His mind abruptly became nk and when he exhaled, his spiritual organ released a burst of soul power that briefly overloaded his perception. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Core has leveled up! Soul Core has leveled up! Soul Core has leveled up! Soul Core has reached its maximum level. Consumption reduction its cap of 30%. ? ? Your body, mind, and soul have be one. You have learned Soul Breath! ? Soul Breath (Lv.1): Soul Breath is a meditation-oriented skill that allows the user to merge the spiritual with the physical in between breaths. While in a state of deep meditation, the soul of the world, the natural energy will be perceivable by the user. They will be able to predict movements a millisecond after they are initiated. ? Effect: +50% Mana and Stamina Regeneration when meditating. ? Note: This skill requires absolute concentration and will be canceled whenever the user is distracted by an external factor. This is a skill that can be used to rece sleep as the soul will keep the user aware while the body and mind rest. ? ? ? ? Chapter 95: Regrouping Chapter 95: Regrouping ? ? ? ? Soul Breath leveled up! x4 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna nearly fell into a trance as he delved deeper and deeper into this sensation. He was slowly bing more in tune with the natural energy as time passed. But he was forced to interrupt it when a brusque prediction came to him. He snapped his eyes open and tilted his head to the side to dodge a punch thatnded on the wall behind him. See? It worked like a charm, he heard An quip as he pulled his arm back. I still dont think attacking a recuperating person while they are meditating is a good idea, Nyx retorted with a nk tone. It was only then that Rakna noticed that all three of his friends were standing in front of him. He had stopped paying attention to the girls movements and they had probably tried to call him without him knowing. I have to agree with that one, he ultimately said as he stood up. Oh,e on. I know youre used to it since the old master did that to you every morning, An rolled his eyes. Ivee to learn that no matter the situation, even if youre asleep, nothing will ever get past your perception. Didnt the old master say so? You have the instincts of a wounded beast with but its life to lose. Rakna snorted and was about to reply when he felt a chill go down his spine. He tentatively looked at via who was full of smiles. That fact in itself was the most rming thing, especially since he would have needed to be stupid to not notice the scent of irritation emanating from her. Rakna, she said with a sweet voice and his expression twitched. yes? Can you exin to me why you left us behind in the middle of the night and almost got yourself killed in the process? I really want to me bad luck but that would be a bit weirding from me, he uttered and that didnt seem to amuse her in the slightest. The you know what woke me up and I didnt want to go back to sleep. So, I just went and finished the Trials. I happened to encounter an enemy greatly above my level in the Fifth teau and I barely survived. Thats all. via frowned as she noticed that he purposefully made it vague. As far as she knew, Rakna was never careful with his words. He was always blunt, concise, fast, and rarely left anything to the imagination. Otherwise, it only meant one thing; that he didnt want to talk about it. Fine She ultimately said with a defeated tone. She never even dreamt of being able to control him anyway. But please warn us next time, okay? Rakna nodded. Ill try, he dered with an even tone. That doesnt sound very promising, she bantered with a renewed smile. But I guess this is the best Ill get from you, huh? Definitely, An agreed. If I may, Nyx spoke up. Where is Pronos? She asked when she noticed the missing snake. He should still be on the Fifth teau, Rakna said with a hum. Though, its possible he might have gone somewhere else since he should be able to travel between teaus. I was the one who told him to go since he was better off without me in the state I was at the time. Speaking of which, how is your body? via asked in concern. You werent very clear on that with An and you seem to be doing well. Well, the System calls this crippled state. Its not as bad as it sounds though. My muscles are sore and in pain and I cant regenerate stamina or mana even with potions. However, I kind of cheated my way around that problem by perfecting my control over soul power. I developed a skill to drain mana and stamina and used it on Evelyn to recover beforeing here. Evelyn? Soul power? via and Nyx spoke in chorus and An snickered at their respective reasons to do so. Soul power is essentially He paused. Actually, I dont know how to exin it other than what its name already implies. Its not something managed by the System and you have to figure it out on your own. I heard its quite hard and sadly I dont have any advice for you since I had an innate skill for it. I see Nyx muttered. She wasnt unfamiliar with soul power at all but for some reason, she had noticed that it didnt work the same as before she woke up inside the System. Perhaps she merely needed a different approach. As for Evelyn, shes someone I met during a Board Quest. She came here with me. Now that I think about it, she should be- || Evelyn Malcanthet, registered friend of Rakna Xiorra, requests permission to enter. via Jeina is the handler of this room; do I let her in? || He was interrupted by the voice of the training rooms interactive interface. Speak of the devil, he uttered. Yes, let her in, via said without too much hesitation, wanting to see who had convinced Rakna out of all people to add them as a friend in such a short time on top of apanying him to the Pavilion. The door opened right away and a beautiful woman with emerald hair and eyes entered. She had seemingly changed of clothing after separating from Rakna. She now wore a sort of purple-green full-body suit that both made her look erotic and intimidating simultaneously with its ck tes of light armor. She also sported a ck cloak on top of it that looked medieval in origin and finally, she still had Sonata around her neck. Nyx and via were a bit surprised by her appearance and An could barely stop himself from ogling her. On the other hand, Rakna seemed a bit perplexed and curious, Where does that outfite from? This? Evelyn looked at herself and shrugged. Vera gave them to me saying that it was the perfect fit for me. Its popr apparently. You dont say, An mumbled to himself as his eyes wandered to her curves hugged by the suit she was wearing. Goddamn, Rak. Youre too lucky, he grumbled internally. Is that why it took you so much time to get here? Rakna inquired as she approached them. Yes. After awakening my magic, Vera also gave me a crash course on what I should know about the Wan Guild and a few important details on the System that I didnt know about. I see, Rakna nodded and turned toward the three others. This is Evelyn Malcanthet. As I said, I met her when I was doing a Quest and she is a Phantom as well as a- Cambion, Nyx finished his sentence and everywhere looked at her in surprise. And if Im not wrong, your demon half is a subus, she added. Youre right Evelyn said as she deployed her wings to affirm her says. How did you know? Lilith was a friend of mine, the former goddess replied and it only served to confuse the listeners even more. Wait, Rakna raised his hand with an odd expression. You mean Lilith as in the First Subus, Adams wife, and one of the Four Demon Queens? He asked and she nodded. Indeed. I can easily recognize a subus by their energy signature when I see one thanks to her. well, thats something, An uttered after a few seconds of awkward silence. On the other hand, via was staring at Evelyn as if she wanted to dissect her. Thetter quickly noticed and sent a re of her own. It was so intense that an actual spark appeared between the two of them. Rakna noted that it had been the result of their aura and mana colliding. It was amusing to see something usually reserved for fictionaledy happen right in front of him. Um dont you think we should stop them before they turn this into an actual fight? An asked whilst sweating but both Nyx and Rakna merely shrugged at his words. If they have differences, we should probably let them duke it out until theye to an agreement or something, Rakna provided and the blond grunted. Dude, theres a 99% chance that youre the cause, he retorted silently. Thankfully though, the two women calmed down on their own after a solid minute. They even smiled at each other without saying anything. Okay, now theyre just being creepy So, Evelyn, what is the result of your reawakening? Rakna asked without minding the mood and the subus was pulled out of her wordless conflict with via. Oh, I awakened three elements, she said with a smile. Barrier Magic, Life Magic, and Hell ze Magic. The first one is self-exnatory, the second one refers to stuff like healing, and apparently, the third one is something I get from my Path. You didnt have it before sealing yourself? She shook her head. No. I hadnt chosen a Path yet back then. Well, at least we know its something good if Vera was so excited. Vera? via tilted her head. Does that mean you joined the Wan Guild? She did, Rakna answered for her. That woman basically hounded her the second she learned that she was not affiliated with any guild. I see. I look forward to working with you then, via smiled. My name is via Jeina, nice to meet you, Evelyn. Same here, the blond said with a small grin. Names An River. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Evelyn. My name is Nyx Nocta Regysnite. Feel free to call me Nyx, the former goddess followed up with a small nod. Evelyn shed a genuine smile at them. Thank you. Nice to meet you all as well. All right, Rakna raised his voice and caught their attention. He extended his hand toward their newrade and the subus yelped as Sonata glowed before moving on its own. The scarf flew to him after loosening itself from around her and immediately transformed into a Guandao. Rakna whirled it around him and shouldered it. My old man used to say that the best way to get to know someone is by punching and be punched. Sometimes I wonder if your uncle had his brain cells wired correctly, An deadpanned. He had his moments. I just think age got to him at some point. So, what? You want us to spar in a free for all? Evelyn asked. I wouldnt mind but youre still recovering from your crippled! She never finished her sentence and dropped her jaw when she saw the therian in front of her turn into a three-meter-tall werewolf. Dont worry about me. Ill make sure to mind my case. Thankfully, my mana aside, the stamina you gave me earlier is enough for a spar, he said with his usual growl-like voice as he popped his joints, lessening the soreness in his body a bit. His transformation felt a bit stiff but it wasnt anything too bad. Also, this is not a free for all. Its you four against me, he dered. What? Evelyn wasnt the only one taken aback by his words. Hey, hey, Rak, I know youre strong. You can be sure Ill always be the first to say it but fighting the four of us while weakened is a bit too much, no? As I said Rakna muttered and opened his eyes wide. Both his Despair Aura and Cold Soul Aura promptly emerged. His soon-to-be opponents shivered because of both the sudden drop of temperature and the wave of raw dread filling the air. Dont worry about me. Give it your all. Chapter 96: Spar Chapter 96: Spar Rakna grasped a shadow spear thrown at him and destroyed it in his grip with his ws before tilting backward to dodge one of Ans kicks aiming at his neck. He activated Fabled Sight as the leg passed by and spotted an odd air disturbance around it. Putting the detail in the back of his mind, he jumped back and performed a spin in mid-air with a grace befitting of a wolf whilst both swinging Sonata at An and avoiding the concentrated beams of gravity shot by via. Those are tricky, he thought as he saw the magic hit the ground in the distance and dig a perfect hemispherical crater. What a fearsome upshot Dont lose focus, Rak! An shouted and threw a fist charged with momentum by his gloves; a pair different from the one he had in the Tutorial. Rakna reacted swiftly and even took the time to judge the trajectory. He deviated the attack with the shaft of Sonata and proceeded to give a blow of his own to his friends stomach. His speed was much higher and An was unable to dodge it. But when the werewolfs punchnded, nothing happened, as if the force was dispersed on impact. Raknas ghostly eyes shrunk in surprise. An let out a small grin and his body became shrouded in wind. His speed increased momentarily and he threw his other fist. Rakna grunted and muttered, [Shadow Step.] He melded with the darkness and slipped away with blurring speed. ? ??? Shadow Step has leveled up! ??? ? His skill disengaged two secondster and the next thing he knew, a cage made out of shadows was built around him followed by Nyxs chant, [Bird Cage.] [Apokalypsi!] vias voice resounded just after and a spiral of dark purple energy formed above the cage and he suddenly felt very heavy. This was considerably worse than the superficial weight that Anchor added. [Wormhole]! An shouted and with a sudden spike of mana, a ck orb appeared in his hand before swallowing his entire body and disappearing. Rakna suddenly felt the air to his right being warped before the orb reappeared and spat An inside the cage along with him. He raised an eyebrow at the teleportation-like spell and swung his ive at an iing attack, moderately reinforcing his body with mana and pushing himself against the gravity. The de of his weapon shed with Ans fist and thetter surprisingly came out of it entirely unscathed. The de was clearly pressing against his hand but it didnt seem to be affecting him in any way. Even the glove he was wearing was wholly undamaged. Rakna frowned and then raised his arm to block an ensuing kick. He faintly winced at the power behind it. The blond brawler seemed to have put quite a fair number of points into his strength. Interesting Rakna thought as he was slowly pushed back against the bars of the cage. His Fabled Sight busy analyzing what was happening. Hes somehow annulling physical blows. That must be some kind of application with void magi-! Before his train of thought could end, his instincts suddenly made his fur stand and in a moment of panic, he reached in what remained of his mana and used his Star-Make to construct a shield. The second he finished making it, something invisible struck it and produced a loud sound. Rakna immediately turned on his soul sense and saw the identity of his attacker. I didnt know you could do this Evelyn, he muttered and shoved her assant away and made the shield explode at the same time. The invisible figure became visible again and the subus emerged, wagging her wings to retreat from the exploding star construct. A girl has her secrets, she said with a smirk and Rakna snorted as he was forced to parry another attack from the blond. Whenever you want, girls, An voiced and the werewolf abruptly sensed a new surge of mana from behind him. He decisively unfurled his wings and shot out dozens of feathers to buy enough time to look behind him. What he saw made him a bit nervous. via was sping her hands together as a purple and green sphere hovered above her. The very moment his eyes fell on that sphere, Rakna knew he had to stop it. But before he could act on that thought, ck mes walled him and obstructed his vision. He increased his auras output to fight the heat and nced at where Evelyn was a few seconds ago to see itpletely overtaken by the fire. Hell ze He muttered to himself. These dark mes were probably more than they appeared and he didnt want to find out what they could do. He pped his mana-infused wings to temporarily douse the mes and his eyes widened when he realized that he was alone in the birdcage. That teleportation spell He mumbled. He was trapped inside a cage surrounded by mes with no way to see past them. He then heard vias voice again. [Constancy leads to Chaos, Instability creates Chaos, Bnce sustains Chaos.] I dont like the sound of that, Rakna whispered and hacked at the bars of the cage with Sonata while injecting mana into the de. They were easily cut apart by his weapon but the shadows promptly started knitting themselves back together. He clicked his tongue. If I had a more mana to spare [Two-Fold Chaos! Pandemonium!] He ran out of time as he heard a loud buzzing sound. He opened his eyes wide as the ck mes and shadow bars parted to allow the path to a green and purple wave of energy. In the split of a second, his mind went through everything he could do, and right before the attack hit, he pulled out something from his spatial ring. When the freshly learned Chaos Magic hit the cage, the training room shook and a dome of erratic energy arose, releasing a powerful shockwave. via covered her eyes as the sounds of the booming detonations reached her ears. She was instantly filled with worry, thinking that they might have gone too far, but just like An, she trusted Raknas ability with her life. And her beliefs were proved founded when the group of four heard a loud chanting from within the exploding dome of energy. [Four of Clubs! Dreorins Heritage! Dreorin Rage!] A primal roar followed his words and they shuddered collectively. Their eyes widened in shock as they found themselves rooted in ce, unable to move. Then, they watched as the spectral figure of a colossal Dreorin emerged from the raging residues of the explosion. Rakna followed soon after with an ashen Greatsword shielding most of his head and part of his body. The rest that wasnt covered had been protected by a steel dome materialized by his Card. He peered over the de and used Artzpul, ignoring the subsequent stiffening of his muscles at the reckless move, to fly off toward his sparring partners while they were still affected by his swords crowd control perk. The person he targeted was An since he was the closest one. Normally, the duration of Dreorin Rage should have kept them stunned for at least a few seconds. While that felt vague, if taken literally, it would mean at least two seconds and he had been fast enough to be under that time frame. Thats why he was surprised when a rain of shadow des fell on him and stopped his advance. He was forced to deflect them with Sonata and the Greatsword which he wielded with both of his hands simultaneously. As for the ones he couldnt take down, he blocked them with his wings. Nyxs traits there were some I couldnt get a read on. Can she resist crowd control? He mused. Then, his ears twitched when he sensed that all of them were moving again. He growled and used five of the thirteen mana points he had left to cast one certain spell, [Cold Star Mist.] Right on cue, the training room was suddenly filled with a thick mist and he used one more MP to activate Stealth as well. The shadow constructs immediately lost sight of him and began raining on the ground randomly Of course, these things uracy depends on her ability to locate me, he thought and put his body into motion; locking onto An with Fabled Sight and charging at him. He reached him in no time and before he could react, grabbed his arm and flung him toward a wall in the distance with all of his strength. Since he didnt know any practical method to get past his seemingly perfect physical defense, his only choice was to get him away while he dealt with the girls. [Hell Requiem.] Then, as if to spite him, Evelyn conjured a torrent of ck mes that burnt away most of his mist. He groaned internally when he saw via and Nyx instantly set their eyes on him. I cant let them cast anything again He said to himself and decisively threw his Greatsword at Nyx who he deemed to be most dangerous. Not only because of her magic but also the experience her identity entailed. She dodged it easily but it had never been his intention to hit her with that; just stall her a little bit. He mentallymanded Sonata to turn into Dual Chain des and threw them as well. This time, however, he aimed at both Nyx and Evelyn with each scythe. Both of them evaded it but as they thought that they didnt need to worry about the scythes anymore, he emitted a pulse of mana and the Dual des shone before backtracking their path. The chain connecting the two scythes caught them by surprise and since they were close enough to each other, he only needed to cancel the recall and it wrapped around them, effectively binding them. That left only one person and when Rakna turned to look at her, he was a bit startled when he saw her run at him with a purple glow around her body. He was taken off guard for sure but that didnt stop him from reacting as she performed a high kick aimed at his ribs. He brought his arm up to block it but quickly gave up on that idea when the strength behind was way higher than he expected. Instead of facing the blow, he opted to redirect it and took advantage of his size to counter with a kick of his own which she would not be able to dodge. But, once again, much to his disbelief, she blocked it with both her hands, though it was clear that she was struggling. Heavy, thats the first thing he thought. Its like Im trying to hit something weighing tons. That purple glow and her strength He quickly understood how she was doing this but that didnt do anything to stop her. After blocking his counter, she promptly jumped to get closer to his head. Their eyes crossed and she let out a small smile before dealing out another kick. Rakna nearly smiled himself at the disy and tried to use Reinforcement to intercept her before she could carry out her onught but unfortunately, his weakened condition caught up to him and his muscles spasmed and froze mid-action. vias blow ultimatelynded and the mind-boggling amount of strength behind it sent him to fly for a few meters before he helplessly rolled on the ground. The former teacher thennded on the ground and immediately copsed on her knees while panting. It was about that time that An rushed back from his impromptu voyage through the air and that Nyx and Evelyn freed themselves from Sonatas chain. When they saw that Rakna was unmoving, they began to think it was over when they heard something they never expected to hear. Hah, a chuckle. It was a quiet one but it was definitely a chuckle. via and An were the ones who reacted the worst to that. Rakna never chuckled. Or to be exact, he never did it in his normal state of mind. Hahahaha! The chuckle turned intoughter and they saw the werewolfs eyes turn red along with the color pigmentation at the tip of his tails and ears. That was fun, he uttered and sat up. Nyx and Evelyn who had never seen him like that were shell-shocked at the raw insanity on his expression as well as the ear-splitting grin. That was good, via, he said. Using gravity to even up the weight ss between us, boosting your momentum with your telekinesis, and also your kicks; well fucking done. That was Krav Maga, right? Military-style. Probably what your grandfather taught you. via blinked at him and tentatively nodded, not really ustomed to interacting with him so jovial and out-spoken. After a few more chuckles, Rakna turned back into a therian and pulled out a cigarette. He put it in his mouth and lit it, not with his lighter, but a snap of his fingers. A few secondster, his grin died down and his eyes returned to their usual purple color. Well, I guess, you won, he said with a tone as nk as always, baffling Nyx and Evelyn to no end. An snorted and sat down on the floor. Yeah, right. Says the guys who had barely any mana left to spend and was forced to take teachs kick head-on because his body stopped responding. It doesnt change anything, Rakna retorted. While I do have some superiority in terms of skills and equipment, its not that relevant. I dont think any of you was going all out too, and theres also Evelyn, while resourceful, is a bit low-leveled. Additionally, my senses are too keen to be fooled or outyed. I can predict most of your attacks and its hard tond surprise attacks. Yeah, which basically sums up to; youre too OP for us, An deadpanned. Well, my capabilities aside, it was interesting to see where we all stoodpared to each other, Rakna changed the subject and cracked his neck with a groan. In any case, after this fight, you guys made me remember that theres something I have yet to try out. Which is? via asked curiously. Elemental Reinforcement, he said and his fourpanions realized that was true. They hadnt seen him use it at all during their spar. But Ill have to postpone it to after Ive recovered. D-do you want me to give you some mana and stamina again? Evelyn asked with reddened cheeks, still remembering the sensation she got when he did it the first time. No, its fine. Ive pushed it a bit too far already. I strained myself more than I should have. I dont know if Ill be able to stay put if you help me again. I see Anyhow, Rakna continued and stood up with a stagger. He groaned and drank a low-tier healing potion to help him a little bit. Ive had a rough day and I think this is enough action. I dont know about you, but Im hungry after all this. They all chuckled and agreed to his suggestion, leaving the training room that was already being repaired at an incredible rate. Chapter 97: Catching up Chapter 97: Catching up So, what youre saying is that youre level 39? An asked in disbelief with a cup of alcohol in his hand as they were sitting around one of the Pavilionsmune sections table. Evelyn had set up a soundproof zone around them with her barrier magic so that the noise made by the other people wouldnt bother them. And you belonged to the most recent batch, the subus muttered impressed. The ease with which you defeated me while in crippled state genuinely fooled me. I thought you were from at least the 50th teau. But you were just that talented Rakna shrugged at them and sipped his water. Frankly speaking, my biggest advantage was how fast I had ess to my Nirvana Skill and the luck I had when that happened. All in all, I had a very good start. You still havent told us what that Nirvana Skill is by the way, An retorted. Are you really keeping it from us to keep a maximum of secrecy or do you just enjoy us trying to guess it? A bit of both. Dont worry though, anything that can be critical to either our survival or victory, I will reveal it to you. Im not reticent enough to risk that, he said and nced at Evelyn. Speaking of Nirvana Skills, it reminds me that you too have one, though still dormant. The sound of An banging his head against the table was heard right after. Nyx and via looked at him with wry smiles while Evelyn blinked in confusion. What about you three? How much did you level up during your exploration of the Tenth teau and what did you learn since Ist saw you? Well, in order, via mused and pointed at herself. Level 24. Then An. 24 as well. Then Nyx. 25. Other than that, I guess we found out a little more about our magics and thenpleted some small Quests that gave us a few free points to spare. Pretty much, yeah, An confirmed. Personally, I learned how to use the void element in two different ways; Elemental Reinforcement and the spell Wormhole. You already saw what thetter does but the former is a bit moreplicated. Hm, Im sure you noticed that the force of your attacks would disperse, right? Rakna nodded at that. Yes. I assume you took the impact and voided it? Made it null? Not exactly, An grinned. When I use Elemental Reinforcement with Void, my body bes wrapped in a sort of empty dimensional suit. When something touches it, the momentum will be transferred inside the dimension and hoarded. Wait, so that means you can use that momentum for yourself? Evelyn asked with widened eyes. Well An scratched his cheek sheepishly. I think I can but not yet. I probably have to train with it and raise its level before I can do that. It also has limited room. I cant just take hits or it will be saturated at some point and explode on my face. Interesting what about you, via? The incantation and attack you used when I was trapped inside Nyxs birdcage, that was Chaos Magic, right? Yes, she nodded. Vera taught me the basics and I barely managed to make a two-fold spell with my gravity and wood elements. The effects were as you experienced. Its very powerful but for now, it takes a decent amount of time to cast as well as a sizeable chunk of mana. But totally worth it, An quipped and everyone agreed. Am I next? Nyx asked with a tilt of her head and Rakna shrugged. As you want. Just like me, you can choose to hide it if you want. Though, Im curious to know how you freed yourself from the Dreorin Rages stun so quickly. The former goddess faintly smiled. I can tell you that much, dont worry. The reason why it didnt work as well on me is because of one of my Traits; Divine Blood to be exact. Its just like it sounds. I have blood that channels divine energy through my body and this gives me several bonuses such as all sorts of resistances, a longer lifespan, increased healing, and the ability to use holy mana. Other than that, I havent learned a lot of new skills. I did reproduce spells that I used to cast like the Bird Cage but nothing worthy of notice. And concerning Eternal Night its still a work in progress but I can at least conjure basic attacks with it. What about Lunar Magic? Nyx shook her head. Several conditions must be met to use that magic. Contrary to what you may think, its a very powerful magic but I simply havent had the right opportunity to use it yet. I see, Rakna nodded then turned toward thest person. Evelyn, other than the mes you used, can you tell me what you used to sneak up on me? Was it a skill? Ah, that. No, it was a spell. One made with Barrier Magic. Since it is an element I had from before I sealed myself, I already knew how to use it. What you saw was an application of both a sound-isting barrier, just like the one around us, and a light-reflective barrier around my body. With that, I was invisible and I made no sound whatsoever. That makes sense I suppose that also applies to your scent and aura, right? Correct. Then what about the Hell ze? What can it do? via asked curiously. Well, I havent had much time to experiment with it but, aside from the obvious properties such as the burning power, once it touches someone, it will feed on their mana to sustain itself for as long as possible. Then, from what Vera told me, I should be able to use it as a notional gate to Hell to summon powerful creatures. Thats all I know for now and I havent tried it yet. Well, I guess its a good thing that I kept contact with that fire to a minimum, Raknamented. All right, Rak. Your turn now. Maybe not your Nirvana Skill, but you can tell us a bit more about your magic, no? An suggested and he didnt see any problem with it. Sure. As you already know, my element is Cold Star. I can manipte what is called Star Energy and thats how I made the bow and arrow during the Trial for instance. That gave birth to a spell called Star Make. While we were separated, I discovered a new spell; Star Monarch. Sounds powerful. What does it do? Long story short, I can mimic constetions in a miniature form and then use the legend of their origins as a unique spell. Thetest I used is Lyra. Its a constetion connected to the legend of Orpheus. With it, its possible to force people into a state of absolute peace, if I understood it correctly. It can even affect nature itself. why do you always get the cool stuff? By curiosity, how many constetions have you used until now? Nyx inquired. Only two. Lyra and Gemini. Thetter allows me to appropriate myself the presence and signature of someone or something for five minutes. Im not sure about its limitations though. Truly it seems you could perform all kinds of useful effects, Nyx mused. There are so many possibilities. Phoenix, Hercules, Draco, Hydra, Horologium tell me, how good is your knowledge of constetions? Decent. Bordering expertise, to be fair. It helps when you have an uncle that loves mythology to such a degree that he actively learned both Greek and Latin. Then, I can only say that if you steadily increase your repertoire of spells, you might be able to practically have a solution to every problem you encounter. That almost makes me jealous, the former goddess admitted. Yeah, right, theres no almost for me here, An grumbled as he devoured the pretzels served on the table. Im thoroughly jealous of you all. You can be sure of that. The girls chuckled and Rakna snorted before taking a look at the time. He thought about what he should do during his recovery and stood up. Well, I will retire for the day. I have a few things to do and then Ill go to sleep. While I did get a nap earlier today, habits really die hard. There you go again, Lone Wolf, An jested. At least assure us youre not going to prematurely go to the Fifth teau, finish the Trial, and get beaten up in the Tenth without us knowing. Rakna sent him a straight stare. No. For the next week, I will rest, read books, work on my soul power, and perhaps do some very easy Quests probably. See? Even you are not sure. Youre a junkie in a sort of weird way. Dont call me that, he deadpanned. Rather, I should be asking you what your ns are. Are you going to continue climbing teaus? Nah, well wait for you, An waved his hand. Well all feel much better if youre with us. We also found a Dungeon that only epts parties of five, so with Evelyn in the fray, I say its perfect. I see. Then, if thats the case, can you also help her get to our standards? While her intelligence attribute is high for her level, the rest is a bit low and she needs to practice her magic. Of course, we can do that, via immediately agreed and the subus nodded gratefully. Then its decided. Here, take it, Rakna said and dropped his scarf on the Cambionsp. I most likely wont need it in the near future so you can take it to train with them. Feel free to use it as well. Youre the only one other than me who can wield Sonata. So, go wild with it. Thank you, the subus smiled as she felt the warmth of the scarf again. Ill take care of it. On this note, Ill go to the shop. See you, he said and waved his hand as he walked away. ? * * * ? A short momentter, Rakna made his way to the shops doors in the private section of the Pavilion and opened the doors half-expecting to see Kaelith doing whatever but surprisingly, there was no one inside. He entered and walked to the counter. He found a gold reception bell on it along with a note from his shopkeeper. | Hi, wolfy! This is your favorite foxy! Since Im a bit busy right now, I cant just wait for you until youe to visit me so if you want to ess the shop, just ring the bell and Ill appear. | Uh thats new, he muttered and blinked at the bell before ringing it a few times. When thest echo died down, a swirl of blue mes appeared behind the counter and Kaelith walked out of it with an unusually tired expression. Wolfy you have no idea how much I want to hug you right now, she uttered and slumped her upper body on the counter. Those rubbish elders Your calling me gave me an excuse to run away from their meeting. I swear one day Ill be the death of them. Rakna quirked an eyebrow. You sure you didnt mix up that saying? Kaelith straightened herself. Impletely aware of what I said, wolfy, she dered with a very impish smirk. But, hey, I dont want to talk about those boring old men. Why dont you tell me why youre here today? Rakna wordlessly activated his spatial ring and a pile of gold and other precious objects poured in behind him like a waterfall. Kaeliths smile froze at the sight and she tilted her head with a twitch to her eyebrow. Never mind. I will be the death of you one day. please say it right. Chapter 98: Gradation Hex Buffer Chapter 98: Gradation Hex Buffer This is interesting, Kaelith remarked as she inspected one of the many gold coins that had been dumped inside her shop. She flipped it and inspected both sides. Where did you get these? From a tomb, Rakna replied and she hummed. Why? Because this is a kind of special currency, she said. Its called Tur and its the most used in Old Eden where certain people prefer to use a solely physical alternative to Talys. Its notmon to see these in anything below the 500th teau. Thats why I was a bit surprised. Whats their value? Well, 1 Tur equals around 50 Talys, she revealed and Raknas eyes widened slightly. She snorted at that. Yes, wolfy. With everything you got here, Id say you have at the very least a million or two. Add to that the precious stones and objects and it might increase by another million. Rakna hummed quietly. To say he was stunned by the amount would be a lie. He did expect a big figure based on Verias background. In fact, he almost was disappointed. Considering how important he had seemed to be, he thought it would be even more. But I guess its normal if he truly had to escape in hurry after his betrayal, he thought. Well, do you want me to convert all of it? Kaelith cut his musing short and he nodded. All right then, she said and waved her hand. All the valuables in the room started floating and with a flick of her hand, a door leading to the back shop opened and everything flew inside. After that was done, Kaelith snapped her fingers and the door closed. At the same time, three briefcases like the ones Baires had given Nyx appeared on the counter in front of her. The final count has been automatically done by the System. Theres exactly 2 962 745 Talys in these, she dered whilst pointing at the cases. I rmend you put these in your bank as soon as you leave the shop. Ill do so, Rakna replied and tried to put the money inside his storage. But, as he half-expected, the cases didnt move an inch. However, his bnce was instantly maxed out and some of the coins inside the cases disappeared. Looks like really cant carry more than your bnce cap. Obviously. If you could just put Talys inside your storage, it would beat the purpose of having a bnce limit. Why do you think Hosts made Turs in the first ce? So that they could carry their wealth on them without having the System rejecting it. Rakna blinked at that. Wait, so its better to have Turs instead? Not really, actually. While Turs do have a value, they cannot be used to buy anything within the System since it is not acknowledged by it as a currency. Weird. Its just how it is. Anyhow, Ill ask you again today, is there anything you want to buy? The vixen asked whilst propping her elbows on the counter and pressing her chin on her hands. There is some really nifty stuff you could get with all that. Rakna pondered about it. He did have quite a lot now and while he generally preferred saving as much money as he could while he could, it wouldnt hurt to get a few things. Originally, he wanted to ask her if she had something for nightmares but that problem might have already been solved by his acquirement of Soul Breath. Well, for now, give me ten Tier 7 pills for each of their categories. Tier 8 will be useless once I reach level fifty. Sure. Thatll be a bit costly since you want pills instead of potions. Normally, it would be 150 000 Talys. Though, since you have that obscene discount, she growled the word as if she despised it. Itll be 120k instead. Youre okay with that? Thats expensive. What did you expect? Kaelith shrugged. Tier 7 is for Hosts up to level 100. There are also huge differences in price between tiers. You can fully expect to have to spend millions in the future. I see Do you know how fast overdose would happen with T.7 pills? And what would happen if I used higher tier pills at my current level? Ah, yes. Well, it all depends on the bodys capability to intake them. But, on average, people start getting symptoms after consuming three under an hour. They will reach the stage of internal suicide if they were to eat around seven of them, Id say. Though, if youre interested, that number is higher if you use potions instead. No thanks. I only want fast-acting agents. I already have a way to recuperate at around the same rate as potions do, Rakna stated and she raised an eyebrow. How so? Secret. Of course, she huffed with a smile. For your other question; forget about it. If the tier of the medicine you take is too much for your current level, never mind overdose, you will straight up skip to internal suicide. But if your attributes are high enough, you could probably handle a tier or two above your current standard. Though, the overdose would still happen a lot faster. Dont forget that. Noted. Thanks. Youre wee. So? What do you want other than pills? A defensive skill, he immediately responded. That was something he realized he needed after the spar. While he could make shields with Star Make or even dodge with Shadow Step or sh Step which he had yet to learn. He had no way of truly tanking damage. And Ireful Shell just could not cut it as a tactical measure. It would have made things so much easier against vias Chaos Magic, he thought. I take it that you mean something different from Ireful Shell? Yes. And if possible, with a reasonable cost to it. Picky now, are we? She smirked. But I have what you want. Take a look. With that said, a skill description appeared in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Skill/Spontaneous Skill Name: Gradation Hex Buffer (GHB) Requirements: Lv.9 Mana Control | 15 INT | 1 MR ? Description: ? When activating this skill, the user renounces a part of their mana pool to form a floating hexagonal barrier that they can control at will. Their defense will depend on how much mana is put into it and their size can be modted. Keep in mind that therger it is, the more spread out the energy bes, thus weakening the overall integrity. ? The caster can decide at any time to recall the shield and recover the mana employed on it. The amount recovered will depend on how damaged it is. It is also possible to summon several shields at once but they will be harder to control and conjure as the number goes up. ? Shield Cost: 1 C 50 MP. ? Note: This is a very popr skill in the System for its versatility and usability. However, not all Hosts choose to learn it for the very simple reason that it is a skill with a very inefficient growth curve in the long run. ? No matter how strong the user bes, the shield will not be stronger because it cannot be infused with more than 50 MP. It will forever have the same defensive potential and while summoning more than one can challenge the issue, even high-rankers would have trouble summoning a double-digit number of them because of the paralyzing mental stress that is even harsher than parallel thoughts. ? ? Cost: 500 000 Talys. ? ? ? ? ? As you see, its both a good and bad skill, Kaelithmented. It will be useful to you until you reach somewhere around level 120. I rmend you find something better after that. Its a bit expensive for what it is but with the money you have right now, you can afford it. Rakna passively listened to her as he read the description. It did sound appealing. The urate defense of the shields was not specified but they would probably at least be able to stop magic that cost less than the mana infused in them. As for physical blows, he had no idea how to make the conversion. I would need to know the raw force that mana can exert andpare it to a value in kilograms or newtons perhaps Thats one more thing to look into. There was also the requirement in mana control but it was something he could easily fulfill with a bit of effort. Ultimately, he decided to buy it. For now, he would follow Kaeliths rmendation and see for himself how good or bad the skill truly was. Ill take it. Good, thats 400 000 more to your purchase after discount. Anything else? Yes, do you sell hearts? He asked, after purposefully waiting so that she would not associate it with what he said about having an alternative to potions. At least, now, if she ever found out in the future of what he could with The Harvester or The Scavenger, he would be able to say he had given her a few hints. What? Kaelith had every right to be bewildered by the question. As in hearts? Like, the ones that pump blood and stuff in your body? Yes. I dont think there are many things called hearts, are there? Rakna deadpanned. That doesnt exin why you want to buy one! Several, actually. The fox woman stared at him incredulously for a few seconds before speaking again, No, you cant buy body parts in here. Youll have to go to Trafford for that. That does make sense, Rakna muttered. They do deal with corpses, after all. Its true that he hadnt thought about that when he had been there. In that case, Ill have to go there. Tomorrow, probably. Then, is that all? Ye- He paused. Wait, no, I almost forgot. Add a Gigantism Pill. What? Why? Did you lose thest one or something? Not exactly. Lets just say that it was both used and wasted. That doesnt exin anything Kaelith grumbled and mentally essed the shop to make the order in Raknas stead. Anyway, in total, itll be 560 000 Talys. Rakna received a prompt to confirm the purchase and he readily epted it. His bnce instantly went down to 40 000 from his maximum of 600 000 and he then took the asion to fill up his bnce again afterward. Well, this ones empty now so Ill take it back, Kaelith remarked as she grabbed one of the cases and made it disappear. Shortly after, Sylvie came from the back as usual with the items. Kaelith unsealed them within a few seconds and handed everything to Rakna. He immediately put the pills and the skill card in his storage. He closed the two briefcases in front of him and grabbed them before turning around. Ill be on my way. Good luck with the meeting, foxy, he said and he heard a groan. God, you really needed to remind me of that Actually, Ill just stay here until the meetings over and me it on you when they ask me. Rakna almost tripped on his way to the exit. He looked over his shoulder with a nk look. Youre going to throw me under the bus? Isnt that what friends do for each other? She retorted with a bright and innocent expression but she couldnt hide the mirth in her eyes. Dont worry, its not like they will hunt you down as long as I dont use this excuse too much in the future. seriously? The vixen giggled. Just kidding, have a good evening, wolfy. He grunted and opened the door. You too Chapter 99: Cuteness is Justice Chapter 99: Cuteness is Justice Hm, Rakna voiced as he stepped inside the bank. In all honesty, he fully anticipated Lanata to bete once again and profusely apologize to him after tripping on her own weapon. He knew that it was kind of a rude thought, but for some reason, it felt right. Though, what was happening now wasnt for the worse. In fact, he would argue it was even more fitting. The adorable creature under the name of Lanata was sleeping on her desk while drooling and her sword still somehow huddled to her. How can she sleep in such an ufortable position? Rakna wondered silently and walked to the reception. He blinked at her snoozing expression and had no choice but to agree with a thing his uncle had once told him out of nowhere. ? * * * ? Cuteness is justice. These were the words that came out of the centenary old ex-soldier and he had done so with an utterly serious expression. old man, do you finally need psychiatric intervention? Do you want me to call the neighboring retirement home? Rakna asked him with dead eyes. Oh,e on, kid. Its a worldly truth. You will understand too, one day. Whatever you say ? * * * ? I still think he read too much manga for his own good, Rakna muttered to himself and lifted the cases he was carrying before putting them on the reception counter loudly enough to wake the dozing sheep from her sleep. Kyah! She yelped and fell back together with her chair. Owowow She whimpered and rubbed her head before taking in her surroundings. She looked around and crossed eyes with Rakna who was raising an amused eyebrow at her. She opened and closed her mouth several times as she felt her face heat up. She quickly stumbled back on her feet and awkwardly cleared her throat. W-what can I do for you? She stuttered while doing her best to adopt a straight face. She tried. Rakna had to give her that. At least, you werentte this time, he said and her blush deepened if that even was possible. Im sorry She lowered her head in shame. Since Im just a temporary staff, I dont have a lot of people assigned to me so it gets, um, a bit boring, she said while shyly twiddling her forefingers together. Rakna tilted his head in amusement. I suppose you did it before? Lanata chuckled dryly. this is the third time today She whispered barely audibly, even for someone with his hearing. He snorted. Well, I cant really me you. This does look like a boring job overall. R-right?! She eximed loudly then hastily covered her mouth. Ah, sorry Again; dont apologize. Anyhow, Im here for the same reason asst time. Please deposit whats inside these briefcases to my ount. Of course, she nodded, finally regaining a minimum decorum of professionalism. Could you please open them for me? You will also have to use your ID and code likest time. Sure, he replied and unlocked the cases which could only be opened by him since he was the one who closed them. When Lanata saw the contents after grabbing the bank reader, she first blinked, then her smile froze, her pupils dted, and her jaw fell. H-how m-much is this? Hm, Rakna mused about it. If I deduct what I spent and transferred in my bnce there should be exactly 1 862 645 Talys in those. So, its around a million each. Lanata was stunned speechless for a good half a minute. C-can I ask you something? Go ahead. Youre a new Host this year, right? Indeed. She didnt know what to say. She was stuck between being impressed and astonished. Seeing that she was having a hard time with the revtion, Rakna took it upon himself to grab the scanner she was about to hand him and quietly went through each lock. When the Talys were automatically stowed by the System and out of the briefcases, Lanata finally snapped out of it. Ah! She eximed and frantically typed on a keyboard next to her. I-its done. The deposit has been confirmed, Rakna. Thank you, he said and put the two empty cases inside his storage. Kaelith hadnt told him that he needed to return them or anything so he assumed he could keep them. He was about to leave when he remembered something, Oh, right. Lana. Is something wrong? You said you were working temporarily here; for how long exactly? Hm, she put her hand on her chin and closed her eyes in thought. I think it said two weeks on the Trials notice so, it should be over in eight days. I see. So, its a Trial like Kaeliths He muttered. Who will rece you afterward? I dont know. But it will definitely be someone morepetent than me. You dont have to worry about that, she stated with a smile. Oh, really? He asked back, continuing on his small mischievous streak. I would prefer you over any of them though. Eh?! Her reaction was immediate and her blush returned full force. W-what do you mean? I mean exactly what I said, he shrugged. It would be a shame to lose someone as cute as you, dont you think? Im- wha- but- She fumbled incoherently and Rakna almost let go of a chuckle. That would have been a first without triggering Obsidian Blood. Calm down. Im just messing with you, he said with a snort. Im not sure if Ille back here in the next eight days so I figured I should say goodbye. Oh Lanata mouthed with a bit of a sadder tone. While she had only interacted with Rakna twice until now, she already could tell that he was a good person, though a bit cold on the outside. She also had to admit it was fun to be around him and hardly anyone amongst her assigned customers would act sofortable with her as he did. Well, its not like we cant meet outside of the Pavilion, he added with a shrug. I dont know on which teau you are but I should be able to catch up one day. Lanatas expression brightened. Youre right! Maybe we could even do Quests together too, she said enthusiastically before catching herself again. I mean I dont have a lot of people I can do them with, so if youre okay with it That would be my pleasure, Lana. Great! She beamed with her hand above her chest. Ah! Here. With this, youll know where I am. ? ? ? ? ? Lanata Ovis Venera has sent you a Friend Request. Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Yes, Rakna epted without hesitation and the list of his friends appeared updated with its new addition. He smiled inwardly when he saw it. He couldnt see anything other than her name and location but thetter was more than enough to confirm his suspicions. 600th teau, he thought. This is the location from which she probably entered the Pavilion. Since it is for her Trial, its safe to assume that its her current highest. All right then. See you, Lana. Ill try toe back onest time before you finish your Trial. Thatd be lovely, she said with a cheerful smile. Have a good evening, Rakna. You too, he said and left the bank with a wave of his hand. Now, there was only one thing he wanted to do before calling it a day. He went back to one of the training rooms and before bringing out the thing he was the most interested in, he once again tried to eat the Gigantism Pill. This time, nothing abnormal happened and he learned the skill properly. ? ? ? ? ? You have ingested a Gigantism Pill. Race of the Host: Nine-Tailed Werewolf. Compatibility Quotient: 123% ? ? Gigantism has been learned! The Mutation Potential has already been exhausted. The skill will not mutate. Correction Basis has been applied. Gigantism has reached its maximum level. ? ? ? ? ? Uh, neat. I guess the Correction Basis applied because I had already used Ascension of The Titan once, which most likely counted as proficiency in size modtion, he said to himself before taking a look at the skill description. There wasnt anything different to itpared to Pronos. The only notable detail about it was that he could only use it as either a werewolf or a wolf. It didnt bother him too much. Just imagining himself getting bigger whilst humanoid was quite uncanny. Well, since its close to Exceled already, maybe ascending it will allow me to do so, he thought then turned to look at the unassuming but powerful ring around his finger. Time to see check this one. With a single thought, he connected his mind to the storage and something materialized in front of him in the blink of an eye. His eyes widened in awe when he saw the majestic appearance of the Dusk Lion. Truly, just like it was described by the System; its fur was even darker than the night. It truly felt as if he was peering into a three-dimensional shadow. He drew closer to it and slowly touched it. Its fur was incredibly soft and it didnt look like it had been preserved for hundreds of years in the slightest. Rakna breathed in and willfully called into his Nirvana Skill. His pupils constricted until they were thin slits and the veins and static heart of the creature were revealed to him. The second he did that, the decision on whether he should use Harvester or Scavenger was settled. The urge is even stronger than with Aqu. Unfortunately, I have no way topare it to the nine-tailed wolf since I was unconscious, he thought as he circled the lion. The beast was around four to five meters long and if it were standing, it could probably reach a height of three meters. Rakna spent a minute looking for the optimal location to retrieve the heart. He jumped on its back and looked down. I wonder He mused and extended his ws. In one swift motion, he pierced the lions flesh and clicked his tongue when he barely was able to reach its ribcage before being stopped. Even dead, without muscr tension, and after four hundred years, its still resistant enough to stop me Even if my ws have a high attack value, its limited by my arm in itself. He grunted and took out the Dreorin Greatsword. Ill have to use this to make a direct path to the heart, he muttered and stabbed into the creatures back whilst adding a bit of his leftover mana. He made sure that the de would get close to the heart but not pierce it. He then pulled the sword out and inserted his hand inside the wound. He was thankful that the carcass could not dpose or even he would have had second thoughts. He grimaced as he was forced to tear the arteries connected to the muscle before he could take it out, but once he was done, he had the biggest heart he had ever seen grasped in his hand. He was rapidly unable to resist the urge anymore and he took the first bite without further dy. Chapter 100: Enthymio Chapter 100: Enthymio If anything, Rakna should have anticipated this could happen. When thest bit of the heart went down his throat, his entire body heated up and made him go through a pain simr or even greater than when he unlocked his Soul Core. Shit, not again He muttered as Obsidian Blood flickered between dormant and active. However, this time, he knew there was a difference. This pain wasnt a warning for some sort of internal failure like with his Soul Core. It wasnt doing anything dangerous to him and the fact that Alexa had decided to stay silent was proof of that. Thus, Rakna just endured and gritted his teeth. Unbeknownst to him, his lupine features began to change at a slow pace. It was nothing obvious but the darkest colors of his tails and ears became the same as the Dusk Lion; even dimmer than they were before. The appendages themselves were affected as well. His ears became a bit longer and his ear tufts grew in size. As for his tails, they also elongated and simultaneously became a bit thinner but their outward appearance remained that of a wolf. Then, it was his eyes that changed. While normally, his pupils only became slits when he used The Harvester, they now seemed to be stuck in that state, just like a cat. ? ??? Pain Resistance has broken through the Exceled State! ??? ? After what felt like hours, the pain finally disappeared as if it was never there and Rakna rolled over on the floor covered in sweat. I swear if this continues to happen He grumbled under his breath as the System windows invaded his vision without waiting for him to recover. ? ? ? ? ? Activation of The Harvester. ? The heart has been assimted. The Host is partiallypatible with divine essence. A sh of opposites has urred with the Core Gene. The sh has been assuaged by the Second Gene. ? Incorporation Sessful. Third Gene Established: Dusk Lion King ? ? Current Number of Gic Factors Assimted: 3/4 ? 1St Factor (Core Genome): Nine-Tailed Wolf. Three-Tails Unlocked. Next Tail: Lv.39/Lv.50. Currently Attuned Aptitudes: True Smell of the Wolf God, ws, Shape Shift, Shadow Step. ? 2nd Factor: Royal Luqu. Next Wings: Lv.39/Lv.100 Currently Attuned Aptitudes: Luqus Wings, Flight, Fabled Sight, Lesser Regeneration. ? 3rd Factor: Dusk Lion King. Next Layer: Lv.39/Lv.50 Currently Attuned Aptitudes: Shuttle Specter Physique, Cross Dimensional Sagacity. ? ? ? ? ? No mutation this time since Ive already assimted divine energy from Aqu, Rakna grunted as he sat up. But the ipatibility between wolves and lions was in all likelihood the cause of the pain, he added then decided to take a look at the two new aptitudes he got; one was the legendary trait of the Dusk Lions and the other was an active skill. ? ? ? ? ? Shuttle Specter Physique: The famous aptitude allowing one to step in and out of ovepping dimensions without being shredded to pieces. When actuating this trait, the user bes an entity independent from space and time for a varying duration of time. There is said to be an infinity of dimensions but the most notorious as well as the contextually relevant one is the Spiritual Dimension of Enthymio. ? Enthymio is known to possess 7 Layers. They are as follow: ? Antanasia C The Gradation of Reflection Onera C The Cloud of Dreams Enkata C The Darkness of Depths Anastrofa C The Falsehood of Inversion Katastra C The Lands of Ruin Katarra C The Skies of Copse Synekeia C The Road of Continuity ? However, there exists one more Layer. It is regarded as the irregr 8th Layer that none but the royal linage of the Dusk Lions could ever hope to reach: ? Pro C The Root of Origin ? Current Layers essible: Antanasia. Next Layer: Onera C Lv.50 ? Note: Enthymio is a dimension that will eternally reject invaders. While Dusk Lions possess the ability to enter and leave at will, the rejection will gradually tire them and if too much time is spent in the dimension, the user may either perish or be kicked out without a way to return until the dimension has overlooked them on its own. ? ? Antanasia ? The Gradation of Reflection is the First Layer of Enthymio as well as the one that every Dusk Lion in existence learns from birth. It allows the user to plunge into the spiritual manifestation of reflections. Through the medium of any reflective surface, the user can enter what ismonly known as the Mirror World. Ice, water, ss, gold, silver as long as something produces a reflection, a connection will exist in the Mirror World. ? Note: Beware of where you step in. The Mirror World leads everywhere and nowhere. One mistake will lead to a fate worse than death. ? ? ? ? ? Thats a pretty loaded description, Rakna muttered. There isnt a clear instruction on how to use it and theres also no mention of a specific cost Trii, give me a mirror big enough to fit me. || Acknowledged. || The interface responded and arge mirror appeared in front of him without dy. He obviously noticed the changes in his appearance but didnt mind it in the slightest after literally ceasing to be human on the first day of his life in the System. He walked to the mirror and ced his hand on it before frowning. He felt something under his palm. He was both touching the mirror and hovering above it as if he was on the edge of an imperceptible barrier. Then, a certain urge came to him. He looked at his own reflection and opened his mouth, [Reflect My Core, Antanasia.] Those words freely came out of his mouth and the next thing he knew, colors were no more. There was just ck and white. Even his own body was achromatic. The only exception was the mirror he had still his hand on. He scowled and slowly pulled away. He blinked at the colored version of himself in his reflection then looked around. The Dusk Lions body, the tiled roof, the empty training room everything was the same as the other side, for theck of a better word. But it felt empty in some way. Trii, can you hear me? He asked out loud but no answer came to him. Alexa? [I am here, Rakna. It seems I was brought along with you.] Rakna hummed and walked around the mirror with a pensive expression. I think I get it. First of all, touching a reflective surface is enough to allow me to switch into the Mirror World. It doesnt need to be big enough for my body. This ce seems to bepletely disconnected from the real world. I would say its like a spiritual copy of the real world but purely in appearance. He continued his reasoning as he headed toward the exit of the training room. Which means that nothing is actually built. It just reflected. So, that would imply He mumbled and tried to open the door and he easily did so without a sound. He stepped out of the room, looked at the weird ck and white version of the Pavilion, and closed the door behind him. He then backtracked and opened the door again without any problem. That fact in itself was the key to understand this ce. No system prompts had been issued and the door hadnt locked itself automatically like it usually does. In the most literal sense of the word, the door was a reflection of the real one in nothing but outward appearance. Interesting Raknamented as he returned to the mirror. The risk that is supposedly worse than death probably refers to the potentialck of reflection. If I ever enter this world in a ce with no way of escape and someone takes away the reflective surface I used, I would be stuck for eternity in here. As he was graduallying to an understanding of this power, Rakna began to feel a bit tense. It was a bit like the impulsive weakness caused by his crippled state but way more tame and much more external. Is this the rejection? He asked himself and looked at his hands. Ill have to experiment on this abilityter on, he told himself and ced his hand back on the mirror. He repeated the chant he had intoned earlier and, in the blink of an eye, he was back on the correct side of the mirror. He stepped back from the mirror and sighed. You can retrieve it now, Trii. He didnt need to say it twice as the mirror was gone before he could even react. All right, next one ? ? ? ? ? Cross Dimensional Sagacity (Lv.1): The ability to sense dimensional discements with the five senses. Once the skill is activated, the user will be capable of pinpointing with perfect uracy the focal points of the dimensionsposing an object as well as detecting distortions that cannot be normallyprehended such as paradoxes and spatial irregrities. ? Cost: None. ? ? ? ? ? Another vague one He grumbled and mentallymanded for this new skill of his to activate and immediately, he lost all of his bearings and copsed on the ground on all four. His head was spinning because of the chaotic flux of feedback entering his head. He felt like he had suddenly been dropped inside a vortex of mismatched elements. He couldnt even focus a single second to try and inspect one of them. Ultimately, he quickly deactivated the skill and took a deep breath. He panted for a few seconds and let his irritation out with a groan. Alexa this system of yours is a piece of crap. It would be nice if I didnt have to go through this kind of thing every time I test a new ability. [would you like me to file aint?] nice one, Rakna sighed and decided to turn the skill back on when he was calm enough. If he wasnt wrong, the cause of his horrible dizziness just now was because of the range. This skills range seemed to be considerably bigger than he imagined. For a short moment, he had perceived all the dimensions inside the Pavilion in a very condensed manner. Considering the dimensional clutter this ce was, it was no wonder that it had been too much for him. So, this time, with a bit more care, he made sure to restrain it as best as he could. He also added a part of his soul power to the equation because until now, it had never disappointed him. Much better, hemented as he eyed the countless silver strings floating around his vision. He raised an eyebrow and tried to touch one only for it to escape his grasp. It said the focal points of an object, right? He droned. Trii, materialize a boulder. I dont care about the size. || Acknowledged. || It followed hismand and arge boulder, nearly two meters high, shed into existence inside the training room. Rakna instantly noticed that there were some strings attached to it. However, they were not silver but brown. He tried to grab one but it fled from his touch. Focal He repeated and mused before extending his ws. He squinted his eyes and urately pierced the very base of the string, at the exact point where it was connected to the boulder. Then, with a small thrust, Rakna watched in mild shock as several cracks formed around the tip of his finger. ? ??? Cross Dimensional Sagacity has leveled up! ??? ? The damages it had sustained werent huge or anything but this effect was more than impressive already. If he had used more strength on that, he might havepletely obliterated the stone. Though, I can expect boulders like these to have many structural weaknesses The same thing cant be said about living beings or crafted items, Rakna said and disengaged the skill, reverting his senses to normal. Anyway, this should be enough for today. My stamina is still decreasing, even if Im not directly using it, he uttered and left the training room after retrieving the Dusk Lions body. Time to rest. Chapter 101: First Meeting Chapter 101: First Meeting So, how did you meet Rak? An asked in curiosity as they watched Evelyn reducing a full-sized orc to ashes with her ck mes. They were currently on the Third teau, helping the subus leveling up. They had alsoe to learn that even as a Phantom and bound to an object, she still needed toplete Trials on her own to climb teaus. Im curious as well, Nyx followed up the blonds question. While I do believe Rakna is honorable and generous to some extent, I dont think he would take in someone on a whim. He even allowed you to both inhabit and wield his prized weapon. Evelyn smiled wryly as she jumped back from thest orc. She pulled Sonata from her neck and mentallymanded it to turn it into a bow. She drew the string and three arrows appeared. She then activated her magic and the arrows were coated in ck mes. She promptly let go and the orc was skewered in a second, advancing her new archery skill up to level two. She sighed and lowered the weapon. He and my brother made a promise to each other. Though it was more a sort of agreement on which I had no say, she answered their question. via scowled at that. A promise? Are you sure? She inquired with a serious tone. The subus tilted her head in confusion. Well, yes? I believe it was. I was present, after all. The beginner witch was about to retort when An beat her to it, You said that they promised something to each other, he reiterated. If Raknas promise was to, I guess take care of you, what was your brothers promise? Evelyn smiled sadly. To forever stay true to his wish, even in death. Her answer surprised them all. That sentence carried more information than they expected. This especially suggested that Rakna had been there when her brother died. via was first to recover as she pieced things together. She let out a helpless chuckle and caught the attention of everyone. That does sound like him Rakna rarely makes promises because hes aware that nothing can be predicted with 100% uracy. More than failure and disappointment, he hates false hope and baseless words. But, at the same time, he would never ignore a dying wish. Really, exchanging promises with a dying man; theres only him to do that. Heh, thats true, An snorted. I see Nyx whispered. The more I learn about him, the more I find myself mystified. Ive never met someone so Twisted? via finished the sentence for her with a somber tone. They all turned toward her with widened eyes. Well, I guess twisted isnt the most urate way of saying it, she added with a bitter smile. Perhaps distorted would be a betterbel. may I ask how you met him? Evelyn broke the silence that had ensued her words. via nced at her and sighed as she extended her arm in a certain direction. Twenty meters away from them, three orcs who were rushing them had their necks rotate 180 degrees. They fell on the ground lifeless and Evelyn blinked several times. An snickered and Nyx just smiled. I first met Rakna around five years ago, she started. I moved in the house next to his with my grandfather who then told me to go with him to greet our neighbors. When we went to Raknas house, he was the one who answered the door. At this point, this training session hadpletely turned into story time and Evelyn had even cast a barrier around them to make them undetectable by the monsters outside. Thats a day Ill never be able to forget. My grandfather was a good man, someone who was warm to his family and always smiled at them. But when he saw Rakna, he instantly grabbed me and distanced himself from him ? * * * ? via was confused as her grandfather urgently pulled her away. Even though he was old, he still was incredibly strong and quick on his feet so she was quite shaken. She managed to take a look at his expression and stiffened when she saw the coldness on his face befitting of a former general. But there was something else on his face, something she had never seen from him before; unadulterated horror. You are? A voice unfamiliar to her resounded and she forced herself to not shudder. She looked over the arm her grandfather was putting in front of her, as if to protect her, and spotted the person who had opened the door to them. He looked no older than twelve but that was a detail she couldnt even focus on as her breath got stuck in her throat when she saw his eyes. Hollow, cold, uncaring, and analytical. we are the new neighbors, her grandfather finally found the voice to reply. Hm? She watched as the boy raised an eyebrow. Oh, the old man did mention something like that, he muttered with a voice so empty she never imagined possible. Is that it? He then asked them. If you want to see my uncle, youll have toe back another time. Hes not here. Thatll be fine, her grandfather said. We merely wanted to introduce ourselves. My name is Cole Jeina Walker. I hope well get along in the future, he said politely but she knew better. It was forced and it concealed the apprehension he was feeling. Cole J. Walker? The boy muttered. Former General of Aurora. Second Generation Augmented Soldier. Retired four years ago because his family was targeted by a terrorist group. via widened her eyes and she saw his grandfather shake and clench his fists. How do you know that? He inquired with a growl. Lets say that your story interested me, the boy said indifferently then looked at via. And this is? Your granddaughter? Orphaned, I assume. She gasped when she crossed eyes with him and even lowered her head. Why? She was several years older than him. Why couldnt she raise her voice at his inconsiderate mention of herte parents? Why was she scared? Thats enough, her grandfather said and pushed her behind her. I dont know what a monster like you is doing here but Ill never let you hurt my grandchild. The boy took some time to answer this time. Youre not my enemy, Walker. As long as you stay as such, youre not a target, he replied coldly. Rakna Xiorra is my name. Have a good day, he uttered and closed the door on them. Cole gritted his teeth then released the breath he was holding. Lets go back. I dont want to stay here for any longer, he hissed and she quietly followed him. After they were back to their house, her grandfather spoke again, via. Y-yes? Never go to that house without telling me, he said with utmost seriousness. Rather, I hope you stay away from it as much as you can. She didnt know what to say for a few seconds. Why are you so cautious of him, grandad? Isnt he just a child? Do you even believe the words youre saying? He retorted with a crooked smile. What did you feel when he looked at you? I I was scared. Terrified. Exactly. Thats what those kinds of people do to you. While killing intent as they call it, is nothing more than fiction, humans can instinctually tell when a predator stands in front of them, ready and fully capable of drawing their blood. That monster is not a child. I have met serial killers who felt more innocent than him. via gulped. But theres no way right? Im sorry to tell you, via, but there is, he said solemnly and opened the door of their house. ? * * * ? Everyone was silent as via finished recounting her experience. thats the first I hear that one, Anmented after many seconds. I already knew Rakna at the time, so I understand the attitude, honestly. But more innocent than a serial killer? What did your gramps mean? Im still not sure, she said. But, at the same time, she knew she was lying to herself. She knew, more than anyone else, what Raknas hidden nature was during those times. The memory of a certain night where she saw him stand over tens of bodies came to her. She shook her head to get rid of these thoughts as Nyx spoke up. I believe we should stop here, she stated. The suns also setting. Its best to go back to the town for the day. Well continue helping Evelyn tomorrow. The subus slowly nodded. She took down the barrier surrounding them and they unanimously agreed to return to the Pavilion. They also took the portal to the First teau, which was a sort of massive vortex inside the room located behind the Pavilions reception. Do you think Raknas still here? Evelyn asked the group as they walked out of the portal room. Well, wanna check? An suggested and they climbed the stairs. When they reached the border of the Filter Dimension, the System notified them that theirmon friend was still present. When they epted to be transported inside, they found him sitting cross-legged on the floor of the main lounge room with his eyes closed. They all thought he was resting but Evelyn had apletely different reaction. She gasped in shock and almost stepped back. Whats wrong? via asked her in worry. He his soul The Cambion managed to voice. Whats wrong with it? It changed, she replied, hardly believing herself. As a Phantom, sensing souls was probably the easiest thing that she could ever learn to do. Back when Rakna ringed at the Jill houses door, she had to spend a good minute to calm herself when she saw his soul through the walls. The size of it matched someone of his level but the shape and color were otherworldly for her. It released both a frigid and fiery color and was molded into something simr to a circle formed by nine wolf tails. In the middle of the circleid three pairs of silvery wings. That had been enough to seriously consider what sort of abomination would own a soul like that. She had ultimately decided to not think too much about it and got used to it. But she could not ignore what was in front of her now. The wings and tails were still unchanged but there was a new addition that had not been there a few hours ago. It was a mane of ck furplementing the silvery wings. It changed? Nyx frowned. She knew for a fact that souls never changed. Or at the very least, their nature was perpetual, unless the person became an entirely different being. What do you mean exactly? It-! Before Evelyn could answer, Rakna twitched and she wished she hadnt been sensing his soul at that very moment. In the blink of an eye, she was surrounded by three beasts in a dark ce. A cross-breed between a wolf and an eagle was looking at her from above with its six wings casting a shadow over her. A nine-tailed wolf was sitting and scrutinizing her from afar with its blood-red eyes. And then, behind her, a massive lion with light-eating fur glowered at her before leaping at her with a roar. NO! She screamed in fear as she was brought back to reality and via hastily went to help her when she was about to fall on the ground. Evelyn! Are you okay?! Rakna snapped his eyes open at the shout, getting out from Soul Breaths trance. He immediately looked to the source of the voices and furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Evelyn shivering in fear. At the same time, unbeknownst to him, three beastly apparitions fused with him again. Its all right Youre safe, via cradled Evelyn who gradually calmed down after confirming that there indeed wasnt a lion trying to eat her. Rakna blinked at them and after a moment, they also returned his look. He stared at them with a bemused expression. what happened? Chapter 102: Sinking in Flowers Chapter 102: Sinking in Flowers She said that your soul changed? An said as Rakna stood up from his meditative stance. Now that I look at you, your ears and tails do look kinda different. Your eyes too Rakna paused for a moment. My soul I see. So, The Harvester goes as far as modifying my soul. I cant tell if thats a good thing or not, he thought then looked at Evelyn. I think I know the cause of the change but why is she like that? The subus breathed in when she heard the question. She recovered her bnce and smiled at via for her help before answering, Sorry when I was sensing your soul, I think it reacted reflexively and attacked my own. At one point, I was looking at you and in the next, three beasts appeared around me and a lion jumped at me. Rakna blinked in surprise. Interesting Soul Breath might have caused it. This would mean that theres a chance I can summon the souls of those beasts He muttered to himself. Am I the only one who has no idea whats going on? An uttered. Nyx and via shook their head and only Evelyn seemed to have some understanding of the situation. Well, Rakna spoke up. I guess this is another hint I can give you about my Nirvana Skill. What she saw has something to do with it. The three beasts, huh? Nyx scowled and looked at Evelyn. Can you describe them? One of them was a nine-tailed wolf. Another was a sort of griffin-like creature, though it seemed to be half-eagle and half-wolf. Thest one was arge lion with ck fur. I see The former goddess smiled faintly. She had solved the puzzle. Going by that smile, it seems you figured it out, via remarked and she nodded. Mind telling us? Only if he allows it, Nyx replied and nced at Rakna for confirmation who simply shrugged and sat down on one of the couches. Do as you please. I dont mind you knowing as long as the secret doesnt leave this room. In that case; I believe that your Nirvana Skill allows you to absorb the powers and main features of a creature, she dered. That would exin how you turned into a therian and while how you met a nine-tailed wolf eludes me, you probably assimted it during your Initiation. As for the winged beast, it was probably the result of you using that skill on Aqu. I see, via said. This new change must be from another beast too then. On top of that, I also remembered what Baires mentioned when you sold the bodies to him. They had their hearts missing. That would mean you have a use for them. This, along, with what you told us after the Tutorial, I believe it is by eating them that you acquire new abilities, Nyx added and this time, Raknas eyes widened a little, impressed that she had made the connection. Ah! So thats why you said hearts taste good! An eximed. Damn, I thought you were joking. Now you know, Rakna said offhandedly. My ability aside, are you done with your training? he changed the subject. For today, yes. What about you? What did you use your Nirvana Skill on? Evelyn saw a lion, but what kind? Ill keep it a surprise, Rakna said and they all sent him a nk look. In any case, I will stay here for the night so you guys can do whatever you want. Here? via frowned. Its not a healthy way of sleeping Rakna snorted. Technically, I wont be sleeping per se. I will be using the soul meditation you saw me do. It works as a substitute for sleeping and helps me improve my control of soul power. One stone, two birds. And I guess you wont be here in the morning? She asked with an exasperated expression. Perhaps. I think I will go to Trafford at about 7 am then I will probably spend the day resting or practicing with soul power. In the meantime, you four can continue your training. If you say so Oh, and I rmend you buy some basic skills from the Shop if you havent yet. With the money from the gold eater, you four could can all get something decent, Rakna added. Of course, if Nyx and via dont mind sharing. I dont have anyints with that idea, the former goddess said and via agreed with a curt nod. Rather, dont you want some of it as well? We know you sold those bodies for a decent sum but its still less than what we could share with you if you just asked. Its fine, he shook his head. I have more than enough money at the moment thanks to my recent excursion. If anything, I should be the one to ask if you need some. Really? How much do you have? An asked in curiosity. He had already been told how much the squirrel had been sold for from the girls. About two million and a half. The blond did a double-take at that and Rakna seemingly ignored it and continued, Though, I originally had something closer to three million; I spent some to buy a skill and a few consumables. Ill probably use a bit more tomorrow too. I cant believe this guy An facepalmed and the girls werent much different. Only Evelyn was stuck in the shocked stage since she had yet to get used to Raknas abnormality. Whatever. Im going to bed. I heard they have a hotel in themune section, An stated as he unceremoniously went down the stairs and exited the Filter Dimension. via chuckled wryly with a shake of her head. I will follow his example, I think. Have a good night, Rakna, she said and left together with Nyx who simply nodded at the werewolf with a smile. After they were gone, the only person that remained was Evelyn. She had a nervous expression as Rakna eyed her inquisitively. Whats wrong? Do you need anything? If its about Sonata, you can keep it until Im finished recovering. She shook her head and replied with an embarrassed tone, No, its not that. I wanted to ask you if I could stay with you for the night Rakna raised an eyebrow. Even for a subus, thats a bit too brazen, dont you think? Eh? She eximed in confusion at first before she realized the possible connotations of what she had said and devolved in a stuttering mess. N-no! I d-didnt mean that! I just thought I could try and meditate with you! I think I could learn a bit more how to manipte my soul Her outburst died down when she noticed the slight glint of amusement in his eyes. Thats mean youre just messing with me, she muttered with a pout and he snorted. I see that your title of Virgin Subus isnt an empty one. Evelyn whimpered. You saw that I did. My analysis skill is pretty advanced. At your level, theres nothing much you can do to hide your status from me unless you have a counter-skill, Rakna casually said and crossed his legs so that he could enter his mediation again. Anyhow, you can stay as much as you want. Hm, lets seepared to the others, you know how to sense soul power to some extent, right? The Cambion nodded, with a bit more serious countenance, and sat close to him. Then, itll be easy for you. Ill give you some advice. Im not privy to how a Phantoms body works but you should try to gather your soul power into a specific point to create a soul organ; a sort of catalyst made to unconsciously dictate the flow of your soul power. At least, thats how I see it. From there, try to circte it across your body by pumping the organ and mixing your own mind to the process. If you manage that, learning Soul Breath should be intuitive to you, he exined and nced at Evelyn who was deep in thought. Good luck now. I will not respond to you until the morning. You can try to sense my soul power while I meditate to help you if you want. She nodded at him and he closed his eyes with a deep breath. He was about to shut down his mind when Alexa spoke to him, [Would you like me to turn off the lights?] you can do that? [Affirmative.] Well, I dont see why not. As soon as he thought that, the floor was plunged into darkness and Evelyn yelped at the sudden change. Focus. Dont forget to breathe, he uttered without opening his eyes. I expect you to have grasped this skill by the time I wake up. You sound like an obnoxious martial master She grumbled with no real hostility behind her words and before she knew, the teen in front of her already couldnt hear her. She could see his soul spinning now. The nine tails appeared to be creating a harmony with the wagging of the wings and the slight ils of the ck fur. She breathed in and began to follow what she had been told in earnest. ? * * * ? Rakna let himself fall deep within the depths of his mind and soul. The longer he used Soul Breath and the more it leveled up, the farther he could go. He didnt know how long he had been plunging down this hole but he barely had the drive to even care about it. He felt like he was getting close to something. In fact, it felt like he could almost concretely touch it. At first, it was just a few blurry visions but they quickly turned into something much more. Fleeting lights were revolving around him as if to beckon him somehow; guide him. He had tried to follow them but they always disappeared before reaching their destination. After more than a hundred attempts, something new finally happened. The lights blinked, shone, and switched from a color to another before flowing into his eyes, effectively blinding him. When his vision returned to him, he gawked at thendscape presented to him. Under a starry night sky with exactly twelve moonsid an endless field of purple roses that gleamed under the moonlight. From the sky, ck petals freely fell like rain and turned into particles whenever they touched the flowers on the ground or himself. The curvature of the horizon was also extremely visible as if the terrain he was standing on was a very small. Rakna then looked down at the ground and observed that the roses in his direct vicinity were of a pure crimson. He tried to take a few steps and the roses that he got close to would turn red while the ones he distanced himself from would revert to a beautiful purple. He had no idea what this ce was or how it worked. But, for some reason, he felt at peace, as if he had always been here; as if he had lived his whole life in this ce. That would be an urate way to put it, a booming female voice, both soft and authoritative resounded and Rakna froze on the spot. He looked around vigntly but failed to find anything or anyone that might have been the source. Do not seek me. We are part of you and part of this realm. If your wish is to see us, just grant it to yourself. It is in your power to do so. Rakna stopped inspecting his surroundings and decided to trust those words without hesitation, almost unnaturally so. Then, with instinctive proficiency, he called them forth. Who were them? He didnt know but he nheless willed them to answer his call. Then, some of the ck petals in the air began to whirl and gather in three different spots. Three figures were formed by their congregation and when the first of them waspleted, Rakna found himself staring at the deep crimson eyes of a towering lion. We are you; you are us. We respond to you. Nice to meet you, Rakna Xiorra. Chapter 103: Soul Realm Chapter 103: Soul Realm Rakna was speechless as the Dusk Lion spoke to him; the very same beast he had seen dead and from which he had extracted the heart to eat. However, it was now standing on its own feet, talking to him. His stupor was cut short by thepletion of the two other figures behind it. The moment he saw them, his shock became even more intense. The one to the left was a majestic creature with the head and talons of an eagle, the body of a wolf, and three pairs of wings. It was gazing at him with palpable innocence and Rakna could both smell and infer its care for him. The one to the right was a wolf with royal regal and nine tails. Unlike the other, this one was ring at him with an expression of distaste but Rakna could also tell from the emotions he was sensing that under it, there was a certain amount of respect and care as well. His concentration was briefly lost as he alternately looked at the two of them before he turned back to the lion, or to be exact, the lioness in front of him. You three are my genomes. It wasnt a question; it was a statement. Correct, the lioness nodded. We are the souls of the ones you consumed. How? Rakna raised an eyebrow. How do you still live? And what is this ce? I do not live, Im afraid. I am a vestige of what I once was. By devouring the heart of my dead body, you recreated my soul from its scattered remnants. That also applies to these cubs, the legendary beast said while ncing behind her. The nine-tailed wolf audibly huffed while the Luqu let out a chirpy noise. As for the nature of this ce; it is a conceptual manifestation of your soul, she continued. Some call it mindscape. Others call it soul realm. It alles down to the same thing in the end. I see If I understand correctly, what youre saying is that youre a replica of your living self that lives within my mindscape as a soul, Rakna summarized and the Dusk Lioness curved her mouth into something akin to a smile. Splendid thinking, as expected from one such as you. Though, should I be worried about your presence here? Rakna inquired and nced at the two others creatures. While I feel no tant enmity from any of you, I dont want to be taken by surprise if any of you decide to attack from the inside. Do not fret. We are part of your soul. We are you as much as you are to yourself, she uttered and nced at the wolf. That pup is one you defeated and while he looks a bit riled at the moment because he still remembers your fight, helle around. He has no n to hurt you. As for the other pup, hes as good as a newborn. Im not sure which creature you assimted for this one to appear but he seems to have quite literally been born a few days ago. From what I can tell, he thinks of you as something simr to a father. Rakna looked a bit stunned by that revtion and took another look at the Luqu. The weirdly affectionate scent he was getting from him now made sense. So, he is not a replica of Aqu. I guess it is a byproduct of the mutation the genome went through, he thought then faced the lioness again. What about you? From what I can tell, youre the one with the most independence here. There is also no doubt that you were a creature of immense power in life. Are you willing to just silently ept this situation? The lioness squinted her eyes and walked off to the side, Rakna following her with his eyes. You are a very cautious man. That is a verymendable trait to have but sometimes, it is better to listen not to rationality but expectation. I am aware of your transcending instincts. What do they tell you about us? Rakna calmly watched the lioness saunter in circles around him, the ck petals disintegrating at the tiniest contact with her fur. The wolf and Luqu seemed content in observing the interaction. They didnt have the wisdom to talk yet so they could not join in. They are telling me to trust you. Unconditionally so, Rakna ultimately replied. I assume that is something youve never done before, the lionessmented. Trust is earned, after all. That much is obvious. But if you want to hear words of assurance from me, I swear on my blood to forever remain part of you, to never stray from your will, and always aid you with my power. The only thing I ask in return is to have the chance to look upon my children. That damnable Tras sealed my fate before I could eveny eyes on them, she growled and her hatred seeped out to the point Rakna was sure he didnt need his smell to be able to feel it. But, even if I cannot meet them, simply being able to be something else than a tool for that monster is more than enough for me. After that, she stopped walking and stopped in front of him again. My soul is yours. My powers for your use. Youre more than worthy. You say I was once powerful, but it is also a fact that I was once weak as well. We all are at some point. Ever since I woke up here, I was convinced that there existed no being more worthy of my power than you, she said as she looked at the twelve moons in the sky. No matter how you look at it, this soul scape is nothing banal. This just goes to show how great the potential you possess is. In fact, at the end of the day, I should feel grateful to be of use for one who will undoubtedly be a force of nature in the future. After she was done speaking, a peaceful silence settled, only filled by the noise of the petals being carried by the wind and dispersing on physical touch. The lioness smiled at the contemtive stance adopted by her souls savior. Was that enough to convince you? Rakna hummed and closed his eyes for a few seconds. Quite; Im reassured for the most part. Thats good to hear. Still, I have another question for you. What is it? Were you the ones who intimidated Evelyn earlier? Ah, yes. That was a blunder, the lioness said shamefully. In your meditative state, you had been closer to us than ever and when the young Cambion sensed your soul, we were partially coerced by your preservation instincts to act in your moment of vulnerability. You could say that it was an automatic reaction from us to defend our dwelling. Rakna nodded. I understand. What truly interests me is if I can summon you outside of my body or not. Perhaps purely as souls or beings close to Phantoms with a physical influence. The lioness shook her head. I cannot say. This is obviously a new experience for me. I apologize but only you can find the answer to this question. I see. Well, it will just take some experimentation. Nothing too bad, he muttered and looked at the moons, noting that their cycle seemed to match the one in the outside world. He hummed in thought then suddenly felt a pull, as if something was trying to get him out of his soul realm. Before I go, he hastily said and looked at the three creatures. Do you have names? The lioness smiled. We dont. Even I, after hundreds of years of life, never bothered toe up with one. If you wish, you can give me one. And I dont think the cubs willin either. The Luqu immediately chirped when he heard that, appearing more than excited at the prospect of being named while the wolf grunted but couldnt hide his zeal. Then Ill give it some thought and Ill be sure toe up with one that all of you will like, Rakna announced and they acknowledged his words in their own way. Ill see you again, he added and his body faded away from his mindscape. ? * * * ? When he opened his eyes, he found himself back inside the Pavilion, the lights still off. He looked at the time on a clock hanging on the wall and it disyed exactly 07:00. It appeared that his overly urate internal clock had been enough to pull him out of his soul. When his eyes got used to the darkness a bit more, he spotted Evelyn snoozing on a couch nearby, and based on the position she had fallen asleep, she had probably been meditating before being unable to resist the temptation to rest. He snorted and quietly stood up as to not wake her up. At the same time, he opened a few System windows pending in his vision. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Breath has leveled up! x6 ? ? You have reached the most innermost depths of your soul and entered your Soul Realm. You have achieved one of the conditions to unlock your Soul Marble. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Marble Interesting sounding name, he muttered and unhesitatingly used Appraisal on it. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Marble ? It is neither a skill nor a trait. Deploying ones Soul Marble implies folding reality over and recing it with a manifestation of the soul. While in a Soul Marble, the one responsible for its apparition gains absolute cognizance of everything inside of it as well as absolute control over its intricacies. ? Note: This is an ability considered to be the peak of soul control. ? ? ? ? ? Not very descriptive but this seems promising, Rakna muttered and carefully walked toward the stairs while making sure to keep the noise of his steps imperceptible. He would askter if Evelyn had learned something. He went down the stairs and for some reason, he noticed that the Pavilions hall was essentially deserted. He would understand if it was more during the night but this should be a busy hour in the morning. Are the people herezy or something? He thought to himself and nodded at the receptionist who returned it with a smile. When he was out of the building, he let out a small breath in the fresh atmosphere and pulled up his map. Lets go to Trafford then, he muttered to himself. {Are you going there to buy more hearts, devourer of mine?} Rakna almost tripped when he heard a voice he never expected to while awake. To top it off, it was followed by a high-pitched cry of joy and a more or less amiable growl. His eyebrow twitched as he internally responded, you guys canmunicate with me? Even without me going inside my mindscape? {But of course. When you reached us for the first time, the connection between us was established and stabilized. I can nowmunicate with you whenever and wherever.} you could have told me before I left the soul realm. {Im sorry, it slipped out of my mind.} Rakna sighed. He had now gained more voices on top of Alexa. At least, now, even without Pronos around, there was no way he would feel alone with four beings inside his head. {Indeed. In the past, I spent most of my time in seclusion. It gets lonely and I genuinely wish I had gottenpany, even one like this.} Rakna blinked. Wait a second. Did you just read my mind? {Hm? Well, yes. I am you and you are me. We have the same soul and I possess direct ess to your mind. It is a normal urrence.} can you turn that off? {It should not be impossible.} Then do it. {But-} Do it. {All right then} The lionessplied and he sighed in relief. Maybe having people inside his head wasnt just all fun, after all. Chapter 104: Heart Shopping Chapter 104: Heart Shopping While on his way to Trafford, Rakna was rapidly made aware that his muscles were turning back to how they were before he used Soul Drain on Evelyn. He pulled up his status and noted that his stamina was dangerously close to zero again. Even during meditation, without moving, my stamina goes down. What normally happens daily within the body takes less energy than how much is recovered, but in a crippled state, thats not the case, huh? he said to himself. {Indeed. Not only that but your stamina, unfortunately, goes down faster as well,} the lionessmented, now only able to hear Raknas surface thinking and none of his more internalized thoughts. Uh, now that I think about it, Im quite fortunate. I acquired a new bank of information in the form of a Dusk Lioness soul. The lioness cackled. {That is true. However, I have to be frank, my knowledge doesnt extend too far, especially after all these years. At the end of the day, as a Dusk Lion, I lived very isted.} Ill keep that in mind, Rakna replied and took out the mechanical syringe. He loaded another dose of Vegas tonic and injected it into his neck. The bystanders looked at him with weird looks but he couldnt be bothered by what strangers thought of him. After a few more minutes of walking, he arrived at his destination and entered Traffords building where he immediately visited the service he was looking for. This time, he wasnt weed by Baires personally but the staff seemed to be aware of who he was and brought him to a VIP room. I see that you use simr procedures as the Quest Board, hemented when he saw therge screens fixed to the walls. They were disying three-dimensional models of monsters. Correct, a personal assistant who had been assigned to him spoke from her seat in front of aputer-like device. Whatever you wish to buy or sell, please tell me. If you wish to browse our inventory, you can ask me. Hm, Rakna mused. In that case, show me the list of hearts of creatures above level 100 and filter out those that independently have a price higher than 100 000 Talys. Right away, she replied and inputted a fewmands. Therge screens promptly disyed an extensive list and he raised an eyebrow. Sort by price, descending. Also, if you can, prioritize creatures that had a bnced distribution of attributes while alive and only show the hundred strongest of them. The assistant was a bit surprised by the specific demand but professionally went through with it and the list was updated within a few seconds. Rakna hummed as he carefully read everything with Fabled Sight. Overall, if he wanted to stick to the budget he had set himself, he probably wouldnt be able to get hearts that belonged to a creature stronger than level 200. Raise the price limit to 200 000, he said and the list was altered again. Barely level 250 after doubling it, he clicked his tongue internally. Ill buy five hearts of level 200 drakes, he said and she nodded, registering the order. Now, reset the parameters. Show me hearts between level 50 and 100, he instructed and a far longer list was given to him. The screens slowly scrolled down and he read all of the information on them with inhuman speed. Hey, lioness hm true, a name would be a good idea {Haha, indeed. Did you want to ask me something?} While you were alive, what was your favorite prey to hunt? {Let me see I would say cockatrices were my favorite snack.} The oversized legendary chickens with petrifying abilities? {Yes.} Forget about it then. I saw it nowhere on that list. {Naturally. Cockatrices are all at least level 400; from birth.} Raknas eye twitched at the outrageous information. What about the cubs as you call them? Do you know what they like to eat? {I believe nine-tailed wolves are particrly fond of high elks; animals with reign over nature and its whims. As for the Luqu, Ive heard stories in the past. Supposedly, they loved hunting wyverns and dragons.} talk about an expensive diet, Rakna uttered. But that would exin thepatibility I have with reptiles. Dragons are essentially overgrown lizards after all. {I rmend you never say that to a Dragons face if you want to live,} the lioness provided. Dully noted, he replied nkly then turned back toward the personal assistant who had been patiently waiting for his decision. Toplete my order, get me a stock of hearts of level 75 reptiles. I dont mind their specific race but it would be appreciated if you can get those that have the closest possible rtions to draconic species. Get me 100 000 Talys worth and their individual cost must not surpass 5 000. Oh, dont forget to take into ount my discount for that. Understood, she said and typed a few things before pointing at a small elevated stand in the middle of the room. Please put your hand on there for the transaction. If you have the necessary space in your storage, everything will automatically be transferred to it. They will be preserved so you dont need to worry about their quality going down. Rakna nodded and did what he was told. I have enough space. In that case, you only need to ept it, she stated and a System window appeared. ? ? ? ? ? 5 Lv.200 Drake Hearts => 500 000 Talys => 400 000 Talys (-20%) 29 Lv.75 Reptilian (Draconic) Hearts => 125 000 Talys => 100 000 Talys (-20%) Final Price: 500 000 Talys. ? Do you ept this trade? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Yes, he voiced and the stand glowed shortly. His bnce went down to 100 000 and the window was dismissed. Will that be all, sir? The assistant asked and he momentarily considered selling the body of the Dusk Lioness before ultimately deciding against it. I have a better use for it, he thought. No, I got what I wanted, he said and left the room after he exchanged goodbyes. As he walked out of the building, he opened his Item Box and inspected the new elements present in it. They were already preserved in ice apparently which meant he would not need to do it himself. {If I may, why did you not buy the heart of a higher leveled creature instead of these five? Were you not looking for a powerful one to get stronger? Or am I wrong about your ability?} Efficiency, he answered his resident souls question. Five would get me more attribute points than just one higher leveled that would require more money. Additionally, I havent tried to eat hearts that are considerably distinct from my power level. I cant use Verias as a reference since I was in a near-invincible state when I ate him. Long story short, I dont want to push my luck too far and risk something simr to an overdose by getting something like a level 300 or 400 heart, he exined as he nted a waypoint on his map and traced an itinerary. Though you could argue Im already pushing it with a level 200 one. {I see. Well, it is a reasonable precaution. Are you going to eat them now?} No, I have something to do before that. Im on my way to meet an acquaintance of sorts, Rakna unexpectedly said. Though, to be exact, Im going to check if hes there or not. {May I know who?} Youll see. ? * * * ? Around ten minutester, Rakna made his way inside a rather small and unpopted street. While there was nothing wrong with it, it seemed to be a lodgment-focused area and most people simply either left to go through their day or stayed at home so there was not a lot of cirction. But, even in those conditions, Rakna could see someone setting up a food stand in a corner of the street where it wouldnt trouble anyone. Good morning, Old Wang, he said in a rxed manner as he approached. Hm? The familiar dwarf from a few days back stuck his head out from behind his kiosk to look at who had addressed him. Oh! Its you, sonny! Youre up early, the old man said with a friendly grin as he finished preparing everything. I could say the same about you, Rakna retorted as he took a seat on one of the chairs after the old dwarf confirmed that he could. Im not sure if having noodles for breakfast is very tempting. Hah! Its just my routine to be this early. Even if there isnt a lot of people passing by, I still have some regrs. As for what I serve in the morning, its not noodles but pancakes. If you want thetter, its after my lunch break, he said as he got inside his stand and began to turn on the stoves. I wouldnt mind some pancakes, Rakna said and the old dwarf chuckled. Coming up. Youll have to wait a bit though. I havent had the time to set up everything. So? What brings you here today? He asked. It doesnt seem like you were here just to have a meal. Not like I dont appreciate thepany. Rakna snorted. Youre right. I came here to ask for a favor. Oh? Old Wang raised an eyebrow in curiosity and turned around after he was done mixing the ingredients. What would that be? Can you teach me cksmithing? Chapter 105: Weapons & Names Chapter 105: Weapons & Names Old Wang blinked at the sudden question. Well, thats new. Its the first time someone asks me to be their teacher. I suppose you cast some sort of analysis on mest time we met? Rakna nodded. I apologize for that. No worry, sonny. Nothing wrong with it, the dwarf waved his hand dismissively and flipped the pancake frying on his pan. Even in a futuristic city, it seemed that he preferred the ssic way of cooking. Though, I have to ask, why do you want to learn? To get stronger. Old Wang hummed as he pulled out a te. How unusual. Usually, its more a question of passion, curiosity, or creative drive. Well, lets say that I have a spell that may benefit from it. Makes sense, he shrugged. Anything on your pancake? Hazelnut chocte or something simr if you have. Sweet tooth, eh? The old dwarfmented with a smirk. He flopped the pancake on the te and then took out a jar of chocte from which he spooned a decent portion before letting it flow on the steaming food. Here, he said and handed the order along with a fork. Rakna grunted positively and grabbed both before digging in, once again praising this old mans cooking. I guess its not surprising with an Exceled proficiency, he remarked internally. {Devourer of mine, youre making me hungry,} the lioness halfined, half-demanded. What do you want me to do? Its not like I can mail this to my mindscape, he retorted and heard the pitiful whimpering of all three of his soul tenants. Anyhow, I dont mind teaching you, Old Wang said and instantly attracted his attention. But at two conditions. First; never reveal my identity. No problem. I never intended to, Rakna said without missing a beat. I thought so as well but it doesnt hurt to say it, the cksmith said. Second; I will ask you one question and I want you to answer truthfully. If I like your answer, I will impart to you everything I can. eptable? I dont see any reason to disagree. I wouldnt mind paying you as well. Question or not. Dont give me any of that, young man. If I decide by my own volition to take in an apprentice, I wont take a fee for it, the old dwarf huffed. So? Are you ready to hear the question? Yes. Then tell me, what is a weapon made for? Its purpose? Rakna was a bit startled. This sounded more like a philosophical issue more than anything else. In fact, he would even go as far as to say that there were as many answers to that question as there were people in the universe. To kill? To protect? To destroy? To win? But if I were to formte my opinion He closed his eyes for a few seconds. Nothing. Hm? Old Wang cocked his head to the side. A weapon has no purpose. A weapon is not made for anything. If you do try to forge a sword while thinking of a particr enemy or wielder, what does it mean ultimately? The sword might break or be stolen. It might never be wielded by the one it was supposed to be made for or it might never draw the blood of its supposedly fated foe. So, if the weapon loses purpose or never gets one, we turn to the wielder. Does the weapon inherit thetters goals and aspirations? If the wielder is evil, does it apply to the weapon as well? If the wielder is a saint, does that mean the weapon bes an instrument of peace? Of course not. All in all, what can you say except nothing? A weapon is not a tool. Nor it is an extension of the user. Its a perfect catalyst. Its a means to the end. If you desire to protect, then it will protect. But it will not be an object dedicated to protection. If you desire to kill, then it will kill. But it will not be an instrument of death for that reason alone either. Old Wang squinted his eyes as Rakna paused at that point to eat thest piece of pancake. He then swallowed it and continued, But a weapon is also a container. It is a legacy. The older it is, the more tales it carries, the more lives and deaths it honors, and the more pride it umtes. Everyone has pride in their craft. When you wield a weapon, you take pride in the mastery you possess over it, Rakna sighed tiredly. This is my answer; a weapon is a catalyst that bends to the whims of history and serves as a legacy for what it achieves, he concluded and looked back at the old dwarf who was gazing at him with an unreadable expression. After a dozen seconds, Old Wang grinned and startedughing. You surpassed all my expectations with that! He said lightheartedly. It is just as you say, a weapon is not just what it was made for or what is expected of it. But to hear your version of it that was very interesting. Though, I would have epted to teach you no matter what you said about it. Rakna scowled. Why do you think I asked you this question in the first ce? If not to test me to judge me? The old dwarf shook his head. Wrong. I merely wished to hear your opinion. Thats all. There is no right answer to this question. I have met many people in my life and I have asked this question more than just a few times. I like to hear all those different views. I have met people who only thought of weapons as tools of destruction. I have met swordsmen who treated their swords like their closestpanions. I have met cksmiths who only believed in the beauty of their weapons. I have met children who imagined weapons for heroes of justice to wield for the greater good. I only wish to hear, the old craftsman repeated. Had you told me that swords were merely things meant to defeat your enemy, I would have simply acknowledged it as one of the many truths. Rakna sighed. I see. I shouldve just said something random then. That would have saved me the effort, he groused. Now, now, dont be like that, Old Wang chuckled. You can take it as your payment to learn under me if that makes you feel better. I shall do so He muttered then thought of something. What about you? About me what? What is the purpose of weapons for you? The cksmiths smile widened at the question. The opposite of you; everything. Weapons are everything to me. They protect, they kill, they heal, and they create. On top of that, who said weapons had to be physical? Nearly everything can be turned into a weapon. Words, emotions, bonds, intelligence, nature, and even your fist! Thats how it is. The world is a weapon and you are one of its many wielders; it is meant to shape life. Raknas eyes widened a bit before softening. I see There really is a lot to learn from others. Indeed, sonny. A person can only go so far alone, Old Wang affirmed and took the empty te to wash it. Anyhow,e back here this evening at around seven. Ill close up early and well be able to start with the basics. Does that sound good? No problem, Rakna replied and stood up. Have a good day, Master Wang. Heh! Calling me Master now, are you? The dwarf snickered as his newfound apprentice walked away and left the street. ? * * * ? {That dwarf is wise,} the lionessmented as Rakna made his way back to the Pavilion. {You can tell with a nce. You too, devourer of mine, possess wisdom beyond your years.} Thanks for thepliment. Also, stop calling me devourer of mine, Rakna is fine. The lioness grunted. {Thank you. I admit I was struggling to find a proper manner to address you. It felt a bit awkward for, you know, being a soul inside your mindscape after you ate the heart of my corpse. Though I think devourer has a nice tone to it.} Rakna snorted. At least, you have a sense of humor. Unlike a certain someone. [in my defense, I was never programmed for such functions,] Alexa retorted,pletely aware that she was the one he was referring to. Well, youve been trying recently, so Ill give you that, Rakna admitted. {Oh? Is this your AI?} What? You can hear her? {Crystal clear. Can I ask your name?} [Rakna named me Alexa.] {Nice to meet you, Alexa.} [The pleasure is all mine, Dusk Lioness.] Rakna made a deadpan face as the two voices inside his head began chatting as if it was the most normal thing ever. As he was getting close to the Pavilion, their conversation seemed to havee back to names, and the lioness spoke, {So, Rakna, did you find a name for us?} Her inquiry was supported by the two other beasts residing in his soul. Higure Mios, Rakna responded near instantly. {Huh?} It had been so sudden that the lioness couldnt react properly. {Is that?} Yes, its your name. {Can I ask what it stands for?} Higure means Dusk in Japanese. It is anguage with the very pleasant particrity to be able to turn even the smallest of things into an appealing moniker. So, I chose it. As for Mios, it is in honor of an Egyptian lion-headed god of war. {Higure Mios} The lioness hummed in thought. {I like it. I like it very much. From now on, Ill happily take on that name.} Then, nice to meet you, Higure. {So do I, Rakna.} Right after that happened, Rakna almost covered his ear as he heard the chirps of the Luqu and the full-blown howl of the nine-tailed wolf. Calm down! I havent forgotten you, he said out loud the passersby stepped away from him. Starting with you, wolf. Legends of nine-tailed creatures, on my, originated with foxes in Chinese mythology. They were either called Huli Jing or Jiu Wei Hu. From there, we just change the animal and it bes Jiu Wei Lang. We mix it up a little bit, like with Higure, and add some amount of mythology, and we get something along the lines of Fenriu Wei Lang in honor of Fenrir, the wolf god. Do you like it? The only reaction he got was another howl, a louder one but with a melodic tone. Ill take that as a yes. Nice to have you, Fenriu. Now, finding a name for a Luqu was quite hard. I had not a lot to go from since its a race I have never heard of on Earth. The only thing I could use was thebination of eagle and wolf. He heard the Luqu make a sad sound and he quickly followed, But, I did get some ideas. One of them entails your eagle half; the king of the air. With three pairs of wings, and as a Luqu, hunter of dragons, you deserve that appetion. Thats why, I thought of calling you Rex, king in Latin. I then thought of adding the color of your wings; silver. And I ended up with Rexam as a first name. Then I remembered a certain bird from Persian mythology. Probably the closest thing I can think of to what you are. It was a bird with the body of a dog and the head and wings of an eagle. Its name was Chamrosh, the archetype of all birds that exist on Earth. Now, you just need to cut the twost letters to make everything mesh together and we get Rexam Chamro. Any thoughts? The Luqu proceeded to invade his ears with chirpy cries of joy. Good to hear you like it. {Im genuinely impressed,} Higure uttered. {When I asked you to name us, I never predicted such a level of dedication. Never mind the significance put behind each of them but you even went as far as to find us both a first andst name. Im grateful, Rakna.} names shouldnt be given without care, he replied with a twitching mouth. It is your identity. It represents what you are and who you were. It deserves all the importance you can possibly give it. Yep just like a weapon, it carries a legacy. {I shall remember that,} the lioness avowed and the two cubs silently did the same. [] Alexa decided to stay silent about the story of how he had named her. She had learned how to read the mood and she 100% knew it wasnt time. Maybe she would ask her Hostter why he had chosen this name for her. What none of them knew was that Rakna had just gotten carried away while thinking about it. He cleared his throat. Anyway, finally time to see how this will go, he dered out loud, having since long reached the Pavilion, and entered one of the training rooms. He pulled out the first of the five drake hearts to eat. Chapter 106: Relax Chapter 106: Rx How do I eat this though? Rakna deadpanned as he inspected the frozen heart, bigger than his own head. He knocked on it with his fingers and winced at how cold and hard it was. It would be easier if I could use the Volcanic Star to thaw it He muttered. {Why dont you just chop it into pieces and swallow them?} Higure, while I dont know how exactly my digestive system changed ever since I turned into a werewolf, or how my Nirvana Skill processes hearts, Im really not eager to put something like this in my stomach. In pieces or not. {Well, it was a suggestion} Rakna mused then thought of the fireball spell that one of his essories allowed him to use. He might be able to use it to defrost it. But that still remained a pretty inefficient method. It could also damage the muscle itself if he wasnt careful. Do I seriously have to wait? {I still think the chopping to pieces idea is the best one,} Higure interjected meekly. {And, who knows. Perhaps you can eat it like ice cream too.} Rakna sighed. Ill guess Ill try, he said, ignoring the lioness second remark, and activated his dimensional sagacity. The threads filled his vision once again and he concentrated on the ones swimming around the heart. There were exactly seven of theming out of it and they were all crimson red. {I see that youre already making good use of my eyes.} Well, I try. Why dont you exin it to me a bit more, since its your power? {Of course. My Cross Sight shows you what we Dusk Lionsmonly refer to as the Threads of Thanatos. Where they grow is where a weakness is located; also called Focal Points. You just need to insert a tad bit of sharpened mana and it will make it shatter. It even works on intangible things like magic, illusions, and spirits.} Uh, so mana is necessary for this to work? Rakna asked. {Yes and no. Focal points are vulnerable to both physical and energy-type impetus. But they are considerably easier to exploit with mana because not only does it do more damage but you can also directly deal the blow by grabbing the thread instead of aiming for its root.} I see He whispered and channeled the dregs of mana he had left to his hand. Then, he tried to grab one of the hearts threads, and unlike before, he was actually able to touch it. He then sent a minute pulse of mana and the heart was split into three different parts with a crunching sound. {Yes, exactly like that. However, while it is easier to grab the threads, especially in a fight, the potency is greatly reducedpared to if the root had been targeted. In this case, if you had used your w, like with the boulder yesterday, this heart would have split into at least four or five pieces. Do you understand thus far?} I do, Rakna nodded as he repeated the same thing on the three new pieces, this time experiment with only his ws. Though, Im curious about one thing. {What is it?} Are focal points something that can be used by anyone? {No,} Higure replied instantly. {You need a Dusk Lions talent; the Shuttle Specter. It converts your body and internal energies into a natural weapon against dimensional gaps, which is what allows you to jump through Enthymiosyers and make use of focal points with Cross Sight.} Good to know, Rakna said and swallowed the first piece of the heart, suppressing a shiver at how cold it was as it went down his throat. By the way, why do you call it Cross Sight? Is it just your preference? He asked as he reached for the second piece. {More or less. Cross Dimensional Sagacity gets old. But thats only half of the reason. I believe that you have yet to see what your eyes look like while you use that ability, have you?} Rakna raised an eyebrow. Trii, mirror, he instructed and it appeared right next to him. When he turned toward it, he jerked in surprise. The asional changes between purple, red, gold, and the feral appearance were already enough in his opinion but this was even worse. His pupils, now narrowed to daunting slits after assimting Higures heart, had been duplicated somehow and were ovepping each other, forming a cross-shaped pupil encased in his irises. He blinked and turned off the skill. When he looked again, they were back to normal. My eyes are really bing something, huh? Hemented dryly as he swallowed one of the twost pieces of his treat. {Well, more often than not, eyes are easily affected by skills and the flow of mana in particr so you could say its not odd for people to have visible changes the more they delve into magic.} Rakna grunted at that and sat cross-legged with his eyes closed after ingesting thest piece of the drake heart. He felt the familiar process initiated by The Scavenger and patiently waited. As he expected, it took more time than usual and he finally finished absorbing the power after around five minutes. He had been prepared to suffer a bacsh because of the high-level heart but there was none and his body felt stronger than ever. His senses had also been expanded by a tremendous magnitude but there was no headache. However, it seemed that even The Scavenger was unable to fix his crippled state and for the first time since he became a werewolf, he felt full. It was as if he had eaten the mostplete meal of his life. As he thought that, he inspected the system prompt disyed under his nose. ? ? ? ? ? Heart of Lv.200 Green Drake absorbed. Absorption Factor = 8.5%. First Ascent STR, END, SPD C Increase of 50%, 60%, and 30% respectively. ? +12.75 Strength => +19.1 +13.6 Endurance => +21.8 +11.05 Speed => +14.3 +8.1 Dexterity +7.65 Intelligence ? ? Warning! Internal Force Surcharge! The Scavenger has entered Overloaded State! The skill will be dormant for two weeks. Its healing properties will be retained but there will be no increase in attributes. If the Host tries to force it, detrimental results are to be expected. ? ? ? ? ? Well, I cant really be mad at this, Rakna uttered. It would be logical for the System to limit abuse of skills like these, he said to himself and opened his status. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra Age: 17 | Level: 39 (126/390) Path/Race: Nine-Tailed Werewolf Affiliation: Throne of Glory Titles: Legendary yer C Wolf King C Divinity yer Potential: S+ | Host Rank: I ? Attributes: ? STR: 9.85 => 28.95 | END: 5.95 => 27.75 SPD: 17.75 => 32.05 | DEX: 18.5 => 26.6 INT: 15.1 => 22.75 | LCK: 9 ? Avable Attribute Points: 48.6 Avable Skill Points: 2 ? Statistics: ? STA: 1/163.1 | MP: 4/247.5 SWI: 129.6 (119.6 + 10) | AGI: 175.25 (105.25 + 70) SEN: 591.18 | ATC: 147.1 ATT: 208.3 + 10% Cold | DEF: 162.2 (132.2 + (L)30) MA: 97 | MR: 2.18/min ? ? ? ? ? He almost wanted tough at the tremendous rise. The only thing he was sad about was the fact that he couldnt suitably experience this boost in power because of his condition. He could feel for sure that his strength was much greater, but his rock bottom stamina appeared to stop him from essing it properly. {Careful, Rakna. It almost sounds like you are disappointed by the outrageous shortcut you have been gifted.} Im not. And what did I say about reading my mind? {I wasnt. Your thoughts were spilling out a bit.} Right Ill have to work on that, Rakna mumbled. Though, Im a bit confused. More so after this; I dont understand why Soul Drain allows me to recover mana stamina but not pills, potions, or even hearts. [I have a theory,] Alexa spoke. [The main difference between those is that Soul Drain directly uses your soul as both the pump and storage. Since anything that urs within your soul is dissociated from the physical ne, it must have bypassed your crippled state and then backtracked into your mana pool and cells. But thats pure spection. The soul has always been a mysterious concept.] Im not sure I understand what you just said but essentially, thanks to Soul Drain, my very soul bes a substitute to store and channel internal forces in my bodys stead, is that it? [Not exactly but its a 79% urate summary.] Ill take it, Rakna deadpanned and stood up with a grunt. He popped his joints and flicked his hand as a skill card appeared in it. He looked at the back and read the incantation. [Three Steps Echo Through the Earth. The First Snaps. The Second Dashes. The Third Crashes. In the Blur of Three Steps; Merge as One; They sh.] With that, the card turned into motes of light and entered his chest. He instantly grasped the skills basics through instinctual feedback. Well, testing will have to wait. I prefer saving the meager mana I have for now, he said and left the training room with a sigh. He returned to the empty lounge room and sat down on a couch. He had confirmed Evelyns absence earlier. She had probably woken up and left while he was talking with Old Wang or while he was making his way back. {So, what will you do now?} Higure asked curiously. Rakna wordlessly pulled out a book from his storage and flipped to the first page. The title written on the cover read Night Fall C A Loves Shadow. It was a novel. A romance one to boot. {seriously?} Yes. {Cant we do something more thrilling? You could go to the fields and use Soul Drain on a few weaklings and train? No? Please?} Rxing is as important as training, Rakna retorted and flipped to the second page. Regardless, I can do more than one thing at the same time, he added as he manipted his soul power from the back of his mind, making it circte through his pumping Soul Core. He simply meant to use it as an exercise to perfect his control. {How distressing Here I thought I would get to see interesting sights with you as my medium.} Didnt you say you lived most of your life in seclusion? Im sure you can bear a few days of calm and simply rx. You can see what I see, right? Then read with me, you might like it. {} Chapter 107: Gu Chapter 107: Gu Somewhere on the Fifth teau, Pronos yawned as he woke up from his sleep. He slithered out of the hollow tree he had nestled in and used Gigantism to reach his maximum size. Without Rakna around to act as a vanguard, he had to be as big as possible to fight. While his smaller form was more navigable, the main problem with it was the reduced size of his fangs as well as his capability to control an opponents attention and keep them in one spot. After assigning his attribute points to mainly endurance and speed, his body was now bigger than most anacondas. Now, the question was; should he continue hunting or return to Rakna? As he was thinking about that, Pronos heard somethinging from deeper inside the forest. His echo vision automatically activated and he managed to make out the source. It seemed to be caused by steel banging against a rocky surface. The not-so-little snake hissed in wonder before reinforcing his body and making his way toward the source of themotion. At the same time, he roused his internal forces and thefortable feeling of his gold and green aura overcame him. When he reached his destination, he coiled around a nearby tree, actuating his Camouge skill, and watched from above as a small group of Hosts was fighting back-to-back against a horde of turtle-looking monsters. They were quite big and had a shell made of spiky stone. Pronos immediately guessed that they had been ambushed by these monsters considering they had been surrounded and pushed until they were forced to huddle together. He then concentrated on the turtle, finding himself curious about the unusual organisms. While he didnt have Raknas Appraisal, he had managed to learn Scan which he promptly used on them. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 12 | Level: 20 Race: Swamp Sheller ? Attributes: STR: 10 | END: 25 SPD: 3 | DEX: 3 INT: 2 | LCK: 2 ? Statistics: STA: 58/66 | MP: 18/20 SWI: 10 | AGI: 9 SEN: 33 | ATC: 45 ATT: 58.5 | DEF: 85 MA: 6 | MR: 0.08/min ? Proficiencies: C Roll (Lv. Max) C w Swipe (Lv.9) C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv.5) C Magical Damage Resistant (Lv.3) C Mana Sense (Lv.1) C Mana Control (Lv.1) ? Magic Skills: C Earth Magic (Lv.2) => [Spike (T.10)] ? Cognitive Skills: C Stealth (Lv.6) C Aura (Lv.3) ? Spontaneous Skills: C Rock Morph (Lv. Max) C Reinforcement (Lv.4) ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Rocky Shell: A shell of incredible hardiness capable of greatly reducing the damage of any type of attack. Nothing short of twice the holders defense can prate it. ? ? ? ? ? Pronos tilted his head. The overall attributes werent very impressivepared to all of what he had seen on the teau but it was the first time he saw a monster with the Aura skill. He understood now how those seemingly new Hosts were losing so badly. Coupled with their very high physical resistance thanks to their shell, this also gave them a pretty high opposition against magic attacks. Careful! A shout startled him and he quickly looked at a man in full armor who blocked an earth spike with his shield after pushing a mage girl away from danger. Damn, these things are a pain in the ass! Another shouted as he fired at one of the shellers with a gun. The bullet was aimed at the head sticking out of the shell but it was ultimately blocked as the creature brought its scaly tail to block it. My magic is not suitable for this, a fourth person, a girl with a staff, added as she conjured a small bolt of lightning, sessfully finishing off one of the shellers, but only after several attempts to have a direct hit on its head. Pronos watched with brooding thoughts. When it concerned strangers, unlike Raknas duty-bound sympathy, he was uncaring. He didnt have love for humans in general; he still remembers all the experiments he had gone through for their sick ambitions. But, at the same time, thanks to Rakna, he knew that there were good people out there, and on top of that, if his theory that the group in front of him wasposed of new Hosts was right, it meant that they also came from Earth a few days ago, like him. In the end, he acted when he saw one of the shellers about to hit one of them by using its shell as a sort of spinning wheel. ? Poison Arrow. ? He triggered one of his newest spells and a purple foggy arrow was formed above him. With a hiss, it shot off toward the sheller and broke apart upon collision. However, it was exactly what it had been expected to do and the poison that constituted it entered the shell through the small gaps and filled it with a deadly toxin. Within a few seconds, the sheller spasmed and trundled on the ground dead. This immediately caused the Hosts and the rest of the monsters to look at where the arrow had been shot and they all froze in fright when they saw a massive azure serpent coiled around a tall tree, overlooking them with its icy blue eyes. Pronos had purposefully turned off his Camouge to let them see him. When he had their full attention, he grinned mischievously and the humans shuddered. He then conjured the strongest spell he had managed to devise. It was Tier 7, the same rank as Dinsleif. He had no real drive to save these people so he might as well use this as a convenient testing ground. He would save them, sure, but they would have to survive his spell along with the shellers. Along with a substantial decrease of his mana, several clouds of poison appeared above the swamp and covered the sky. They all had different colors; red, yellow, green, purple Then, Pronos looked up at them and hissed as if tomand them and they began to merge. No, to be exact, they started cannibalizing each other. Gu. One word. Only two letters. It was an unassuming name but it represented both a poison and process feared by all. It was a procedure involving sealing several venomous creatures inside a closed container and let them devour each other to fashion the most potent of toxins. The survivor would then be fed torvae and thest survivor would be a host to the dreadful poison. This was a process that Pronos knew more than he would have wanted. This was something that he had experienced himself, being forced to battle and devour other Eion-infused animals until he was thest one alive. The clouds of poison gradually changed. Purple won over yellow and became gray. Red won over green and became brown. Blue won over pink and became dark purple. Brown won over the dark purple and turned even darker. Gray then won over dark brown and be some mud-like color that made one frown upon looking at it. Then, it shrunk and darkened until it waspletely ck. The poison deformed from its gaseous shape and slowly took the form of arge ck scorpion. Pronos looked at it with morbid curiosity. So, it was a scorpion this time. This One of the humans widened his eyes when the scorpions tail was raised. Seo-yun! Magic Shield! Han-gil! Make it airtight! He instructed loudly and two of his party members followed his orders. Right after, the scorpion let out a ck smoke from its mouth and then thrust his tail at the ground which was big enough to shroud the Hosts and a few shellers. Then, as if a bomb had gone off, the massive gathering of toxins erupted and spread for meters throughout the swamp and drowned everything in an unforgiving ck poisonous fog. The already morose vegetation became downright dead while even the water changed color for a short moment. The Hosts managed to erect a spherical shield in time to keep it away and someone with wind magic was making sure no gaps were left open or that any toxin traversed the ground below them. As for the shellers, they were not as lucky. The poison infiltrated all of their defenses, corroded their aura, and attacked their nervous system before overloading them with toxins until they bled from the inside and that their blood turned ck. Their scales and skin creased until they opened gashes until they toppled over dead. This was a poison that allowed no mercy and made sure to end their victims with the most damage and pain possible. After a few minutes, Pronos dispelled the magic and the ck fog disappeared as if it had never been there. Yet, the marks it left would probably remain for months, if not years, were the System to have no measure for the environments integrity. The Hosts sighed in relief and the ones who had kept their defense up copsed on their knees. It had been more taxing than expected. Especially since the poison was trying to dissolve their magic at every contact. When Pronos saw that, he nodded to himself. He had predicted them surviving since he had taken a peek at their status before doing it. Though, it wasnt a guarantee. Had their leader failed to react in time, they would have probably sumbed to the poison. He understood that Rakna would have probably not approved the little gamble he had made with their lives but Pronos had to admit that it was pretty fun to finally be able to y around with the humans instead of the other way around. Also, this had given him a bit more insight into his spell. The first time he had used it, the result of the Gu Jar was not a scorpion but a cobra. It also had been an acidic kind of poison while this one seemed to be one that attacked the insides as coordinated spores. It also had some amount of anti-magic properties but not enough to break through a Hosts full-powered shield. Pronos figuratively shrugged at the information and directed a nce at the humans who were still looking at him in apprehension. He grinned again and let out a hiss before jumping down from the tree and slithering away. The party of Hosts could finally rx when they were free of immediate threats. Fuck what just happened? One of them muttered. Their female mage, Seo-yun, looked at the dead shellers around them and winced. That was a terrifying poison. I dont even want to imagine what would have happened if we had touched, or even worse, inhaled it. Hey, Oppa, did you look at that snakes status? Another girl asked the leader of their group. Based on her way of calling him and their names, if Rakna was there, he would have immediately been able to tell that they were Korean. I did it was level 32 and it said it was a pet. A pet!? Seriously?! Yes, the leader nodded seriously. On top of that, it was an Eion snake. I dont know what that is exactly, but Im sure that Eion is something that is unique to our Earth from what we were told. It means that this snake is the pet of a new Host, like us. Shit, there are some talented people out there The tank of their party grumbled. Shinwoo, did you get to see the name of the owner? Mhm, he nodded. It was Rakna Xiorra. Chapter 108: Infinity Chapter 108: Infinity Pronos calmly dashed through the swamp while looking at his personal map, heading back to the closest town so he could use the Pavilions Portal Room. He was aware that Rakna was on the First teau and sadly, he didnt have the privilege of the Badge of Honor so he had to take the normal route. While on the road, the Eion snake went over what he had done in thest twenty-four hours. Other than leveling up twice, he had developed a few spells, increased his skills levels, and it had been smooth sailing for the most part. The only thing he still couldnt understand or use was his Infinity Magic. He could feel it under his skin as if it was demanding to be released but he had no idea how to do it. The description did say something about mastering the Laws of Numbers but that didnt help him much. Did that mean he could affect numbers with magic? Or perhaps all kinds of values? Like the force of gravity, the speed of the wind, the resistance of the air, or his attributes. Pronos eyes widened. There had to be a connection with Infinity. Could he turn anything rted to numbers into infinite? Could he increase his attributes until he was invincible? That sounded pretty unlikely but he felt like he was getting to something. He stopped moving for a minute then hissed quietly, musing. He looked at some random rock on the ground and lifted it with his tail. This was a rock. Now, there was only one question; what numerical values are relevant to it? Weight; kilograms Size; centimeters Density; kilograms per cubic meter At this point, Pronos seemed to have been put into a trance. Additionally, unbeknownst to him, his eyes were now adorned with a golden infinity sign that looped around his pupils. After judging the basic numerical concepts, he threw the rock into the air and inspected it again. eleration; meters per second Force vectors; newtons Then, as the rock lost its driving force, it began to fall. Pronos watched it go in slow motion and intuitively, his eyes glowed and constructed a small magic circle with a golden infinity sign in the middle. It appeared under the descending rock which consequently passed through it. The result of that was instantaneous. The rock abruptly elerated beyond standard perception and virtually caught fire as its speed reached absurd levels. When it crashed, barely 0.01 second after it went through the magic circle, Pronos hissed in shock as the aftermath caused a crater to form and the shockwave propelled him back by a few meters. The infinity glowing in his eyes vanished and his consciousness was clear again as he recovered his bnce oncending back on the ground. At the same time, he noticed the huge chunk of mana that had been spent. When the dust settled and he saw the oue, he almost couldnt believe it. The rock he had thrown was nowhere to be seen, probably either deep underground or pulverized after the impact, and in its ce was a five-meter-wide and two-meter-deep crater already half-full with muddy water gushing from underground. The Eion snake openly gaped at the sight. It was just a small rock, tossed half-heartedly and it had nheless done this much damage. At least, now he knew that his element didnt increase things to infinity, since that would have probably transcended physics and caused much worse than this, but it definitely augmented values to a certain extent. He didnt know by how much, but he had for sure affected the eleration or the weight of the rock to do that or perhaps even both. However, after taking a look at his status, he noticed that it had taken more than half of his mana pool; more than a hundred. He would have to try that out a bit more. Though, the problem was that he had no idea how he had used it. He remembers consciously analyzing the values associated with the stationary rock and also in movement but the rest was a blur. Maybe Rakna would be able to help him, he thought. He speedily resumed his trek back to town and regretted for the first time not having a way to fly like his master. He already missed sleeping cozily under Sonata while his werewolf friend would soar through the air. He could work on thatter on as well. Twenty minutester, he arrived in town and concurrently shrunk his body back to its smallest state so that he wouldnt scare everyone who saw him. When he reached the Pavilions entrance, he weaved through the crowd and pondered before slithering to the reception. He jumped on it and hissed at the woman sitting behind it who blinked in surprise. You the main Filter Dimension allowed you entrance, so you are a pet right? She asked with a bit of hesitation and he nodded twice at her. Do you need something? Are you lost? Pronos froze at her question. Ah, he hadnt thought about that. How should hemunicate with her? He tried to write 1 with his tail but she just tilted her head in confusion and he groused. [Would you like me to convey your directive?] Alexa, fortunately, came to his rescue and Pronos expression brightened, remembering about the AI that he shared with Rakna. He nodded and she replied positively, [Understood.] The receptionist was about to speak up again when a holographic screen to her right lit up and showed her a message. She read it and her pupils dted. How rare We dont see an S-ss AI every day, she muttered and smiled at Pronos. So, you want to travel to the First teau, is it? The little snake nodded again with a happy hiss and she giggled. She typed on a few things ced on her desk and pointed behind her with her hand, There. Ive set up the Portal Room. Just take the door behind me and youll be transported where you want to go. Pronos hissed thankfully and jumped off. He slithered to the door behind her and leaped on the knob to open it. He felt the familiar influence of a Filter Dimension when he passed the doorstep and gawked at what was there. The room in itself was massive and was perfectly cubic. Each wall seemed to be around twenty meters long, much like the height of the ceiling. Then, in the center, arge circr gateway was orbiting around a white and silver vortex of energy. He admired it for a few seconds before approaching it. He tentatively touched the vortex with his tail and watched as it created visible ripples. He hissed and then jumped inside. The feeling that he experienced afterward was difficult to exin. It was simr but at the same different from the previous instances where the System transferred him. It was like diving into water and then being dried in an instant before finally getting dropped on the ground which was essentially urate when the vortex ejected him inside the Portal Room of the First teau. Pronos rolled and looked around disoriented before pulling himself back on the correct side of his body. He left the room soon after and looked around. The Pavilion was the same as ever but the receptionist was different. So, it had indeed worked. He quickly made his way up the private sections stairs and instantly sensed Raknas presence when he stepped into the main lounge. He slithered further inside and heard his masters voiceing from one of the couches. What he said though, made him draw a nk out of raw bewilderment. Higure, there are no sex scenes in this. Eh? [] ? * * * A moment earlier. ? Rakna was still reading his book, having switched his control training from soul to mana after his soul sense and scourge leveled up a few times. He was about three-fourths finished with the book when his local lioness spoke up. {When do they mate, devourer of mine?} She asked, returning to her previous way of calling him since it still felt right in her opinion. Rakna stopped turning the page when she heard her. Are you asking? {Yes, Im asking when they will have intercourse. This is starting to get boring.} Higure, there are no sex scenes in this. This isnt erotica I think, he replied nkly. First of all, how would I be supposed to know when something happens since its the first time I read it. {Tch, it doesnt make sense. This is a story about a god falling in love with a mortal woman. If it was a tad bit realistic, they would have mated when they first met.} why? {Because gods are only good at sex, of course. Those crude bastards desire women unlike any other, even human ones. Did you take a look at Zeus legends? I cant even count how many he has bedded or borderline assaulted. Well, at least, from what I know, none of themined. I guess it does that to you when a god ravishes you.} could you please not invade my head with Zeus sexual feats? Rakna said, a bit awkward with the subject. And this is a romance novel. Most of them are slow burns. They consist of dense as lead characters who wouldnt be able to tell if someone cared about them even if they screamed it at their faces. And dont get me started on the awful ones about power rtionships. {Hm, you sound awfully invested.} Not invested. Annoyed at them. {I see} The lioness trailed. {So when are they going to make babies?} No ones going to make babies with anyone! In a rare outburst, Rakna raised his voice to drown Higures but still preserved his trademark indifferent tone. {Really? Can you read some after this?} No. Get your mind out of the gutter. You need to getid or something. {are you offering?} Higure, Im not into bestiality. {Hah! What a human-like, useless ethic to have! Is it like those things on incest and age gaps?} He blinked. I see. You beasts havepletely different views, huh? {No, we simply have rtionships without meaningless bounds. Who cares if they are of the same family? Who cares if one is twenty years old and another fifty? At the end of the day, if there is love between them, what kind of misced selfishness do you need to have to criticize it? Bar children, obviously, since they are biologically inclined to be dumb AND stupid.} thats harsh. {But factual.} Why are you starting to convince me anyway? {Because it is the truth.} I dont agree to offer myself to you though, he deadpanned and he heard a short and rtively muffled noise. Did you just click your tongue? {I did not.} You did. {I did not.} You- [May I interrupt you, Rakna?] Alexa cut them off and he raised an eyebrow. [There is someone that is seeking your attention.] What do you mean oh, Rakna lowered his book as he finally noticed Pronos staring at him incredulously. Is this toote to ask when you came in? The little snake slowly shook his head. All right when did youe in? [From the moment you explicitly said there were not erotic scenes in your book,] Alexa answered in Pronos stead, finding amusement in the situation, though she didnt even recognize it herself. Rakna grunted. Where is my luck when I need it? Chapter 109: Stampede Chapter 109: Stampede [This is everything that happened.] I see, Rakna muttered meditatively. He was currently leaning against the wall of the training room with his book in hand as Alexa went on to exin to him what Pronos had managed to discover on his Infinity Magic. The little snake was also in the room, bolting from one wall to another, trying to find a way to fly. So, what it meant by Laws of Numbers was pretty direct. Do you know anything, Higure? {Im afraid I cant be of much help. I have heard of Infinity Magic in the past but I have no first-hand knowledge of it. But I did hear from my parents, who were close to an actual Ouroboros, that wielding Infinity did not mean bing infinite. They said it was impossible. The only thing you can do is try to get closer to it.} In other words, Infinity Magic is a way to strengthen yourself with technically no limit but with which it is impossible to reach real infinity. {I believe so. The young snake could be incredibly powerful with this magic. But, ultimately, every magic element is limited by the same thing; mana. If he wants to be infinitely strong, he could, but that would require having equally infinite mana.} Rakna hummed. Unlimited mana, huh? Ascension of the Titan did say something simr to that. But that was probably an exaggeration. His Nirvana Skills function was to concentrate everything he had into onerge outburst. In one sense, you couldpare it to a sort of nuclear explosion. He would sh the energies he had avable to him until they went berserk which granted him a transitory source of power before leaving his body damaged; by radiations in this metaphor. Well, infinity is an impossible goal no matter how you look at it, he ultimately said. The very fabric of the world couldnt possibly ept something that is infinite. Imagine an object that has an infinite weight; that would cause something worse but not dissimr to a ck hole. A massive, infinite ck hole that would destroy the entire universe. {Hm, that is true. It is a sort of paradox in a way. There cannot be something truly infinite since it would imply that the universe it inhabits is logically long rescinded.} Rakna nodded. Though, there might exist some exceptions. Such as indestructibility. In any case, this isnt something we should fuss about, he uttered and closed the book in his hand. He looked at his pet attempting to learn flight by releasing highly vtile poison. Hm Hey, little guy, he raised his voice and Pronos turned toward him. Have you ever heard of Jin Dou Yun? When he saw the confused face of his pet, he snorted. Well, that was rhetorical. It means Cloud Surfing. Its a popr ability that the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, used. While it is poprized as a cloud that acts as a sort of vehicle, the original legend refers to boots that allowed him to step on clouds and surf on them. Pronos cocked his head to the side. He didnt understand what his master was trying to say. Rakna sighed. In other words, stop trying to control a cloud of poison. Your clouds only need to be dense for a brief moment, enough for you to use them as stepstones, he exined and lightly jumped. To the little snakes shock, his foot didntnd back on the floor but stopped in midair. It was as if he was standing on an invisible tform. Rakna proceeded to jump a few more times, stepping on nothing each time, until hended close to Pronos. This was the passive application of sh Step, a very cost-efficient ability. It had taken him less than one mana point to do this. Once his crippled state was over, he would be able to do it indefinitely since the cost was outweighed by his regeneration value. Just like this; its not flying but it works the same way, he said and Pronos nodded, now getting a grasp on what he meant. He looked up and circted his mana. A small but solid cloud of orange poison appeared and he promptly leaped toward it. When hended on it, he didnt even stay a second before jumping again and making a second cloud appear whilst the previous dispersed. And so, just like that, he repeated the process and reached the other side of the training room in no time. Hended on the floor and hopped a few times in happiness. He hissed at Rakna who was still standing in the distance. See? The three-tailed werewolf said with an invisible smile. If you cant do something, find your way around it. Also, if you want to go faster, you could conjurebustible poison and detonate it with the Eion you produce so that you can quite literally be a rocket. {Truly, you have wisdom to spare, Rakna,} Higure spoke. {It only gets better over time. Youre a man after my heart, honestly.} Shush it. Dont you have a mate anyway? What about your children? {Hm?} The lioness seemed puzzled for a second. {Oh! Right, you wouldnt know.} What? Rakna raised an eyebrow, watching with an amused eye as Pronos straightaway followed his advice and exploded clouds of poisons left and right to ride their shockwaves. {Dusk Lions are able to reproduce by parthenogenesis.} He blinked. Wait really? {Yes,} Higure said with a smirk in her voice. So youre basically both the mother and father of your children. {Correct.} Rakna understood that bit. There were indeed certain organisms that could reproduce on their own but one certain detail was bugging him. But theyre usually unisex. Does this mean that male Dusk Lions can get pregnant too? {They can. They rarely do though since theyre quite prideful as males.} I changed my mind. I need a change of air. I cant stay here all day and youre not helping with the images of pregnant men youre putting in my head, Rakna deadpanned and walked to the exit. Higureughed inside his mindscape and rolled around on the flowers. Rexam and Fenriu stared at her as if she was a disappointing parent. Pronos, youreing? Ill need your help for something, he said as he opened the door. Ill help you with your Infinity Magic too if you want, he added right before the little snakended on his shoulder. He hissed in confusion when he didnt see Sonata. My scarf? Its with someone else at the moment. Shes a new friend. Youll get to meet herter. Pronos nodded at the exnation and about twenty minutester, the two of them were already disembarking the ck Steels Spear. All right, heres whats going to happen, Rakna told Pronos as he pulled out a blue pill. First swallow this, youre a bit low right now. Then stay still. Ill have to borrow some of your mana and stamina and I need you to not resist it. The little snake nodded, trusting him, and Rakna nudged his soul core and guided the power that emanated from it until he found Pronos soul. When the connection was established, he wasted no time before activating Soul Drain. Pronos felt a bit ticklish for a moment and after ten seconds or so, Rakna stopped the skill and ended up with enough stamina and mana to do what he wanted. Fortunately for him, he could get by for less manapared to other Hosts thanks to his Soul Cores 30% reduction in cost. All right, hold tight, Rakna said and deployed his wings. He didnt use Artzpul since it was a bit arduous on his body and simply used sh Step to climb inexistent stairs, leveling up the skill in the process, before plunging and flying toward a suitable location. After a dozen minutes, he reached a small meadow surrounded by trees andnded on it. This was mainly to hide from prying eyes. He was about to train and he didnt want anyone to see him. Lets see the first thing to do, he muttered and snapped his fingers. [Call of Fangs.] He called and they arose. His shadow stretched for a few meters and five shadow wolves jumped out of it. They were level five. Scatter and bait a few monsters to this location. Prioritize those that dont pose much danger, he ordered and the wolves barked before rushing in five different directions. Rakna then crouched and ced a hand on the ground before closing his eyes. Pronos watched him curiously and he waited for nearly three minutes before opening his mouth. [Scan Life,] he intoned and a sonar formed itself inside his head. His wolves were returning to him and each of them had around three monsters chasing them. He confirmed that they were all weak enough to easily handle and stood up. Shortly after, his shadow familiars jumped out of the forest enclosing the meadow at nearly the same time. Rakna nced at them and mentallymanded them to run toward him. 16 of them. Mainly under level 10, he analyzed as they approached them. There were slimes and goblins among the baited monsters. Other than that, the strongest was a sort of miniature raptor. Eventually, his shadow wolves reached his side and he mentally dismissed them and the monsters promptly switched targets. Pronos looked nervous as they got hazardously close but Rakna was still immobile as if he was waiting for something. At the veryst second, he opened his eyes wide, and a ck aura flickered around his body. The temperature fell and the air itself seemed to darken. A wave of dread, several times stronger than thest time Rakna deployed his Despair Aura, washed over the area. The monsters stopped on their tracks but not out of fear. They simply couldnt continue running as they lost grasp on their consciousness and fainted without even realizing what had hit them. They copsed on the ground and slid on the grass toward Rakna who nimbly stepped to the side and watched them collide into aical mess. He powered down his ck aura and the air around them returned to normal. After absorbing the drakes heart, this skills effect was magnified by at least three-fold, Raknamented offhandedly and Pronos gaped. He crouched and extended his hand toward one of the unconscious monsters. [Soul Drain,] he uttered and this time, he didnt bother to regte the amount he was taking like with Pronos and Evelyn. He greedily swallowed everything he could. Soon enough, the skill leveled up and his victim gained wrinkles until its body was so brittle that its heart and brain couldnt function anymore. He repeated the process on a few other monsters until his internal forces were full. When he was done, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. He now could truly feel the power in his body with an average of 30 on all his attributes. Nice, he remarked dully and grabbed the dead raptor. He extended his ws and slit its throat to make it bleed. He then threw it with incredible ease over his shoulder and it fell at the edge of the meadow. He did the same thing for the rest, except slimes obviously, and stood still afterward. Pronos took the asion to jump off and gazed at him in confusion. However, someone else had realized what he was doing. {Rakna did you just?} Higure trailed, unsure. That I did, Rakna replied with a tone indicating that he was slightly eager. [Oh] Alexa also eximed and Pronos simrly came to a conclusion. But not because he had deducted anything, but because he saw dozens of glowing eyes peering at them from the darkness of the forest. Blood draws more blood, Rakna uttered sinisterly and both of his auras red. With each second that passed, the presences he sensed nearby were increasing at a rate he could barely track. {Youre a crazy boy cant say I dont like it,} Higure stated with a grin. The best way to train is practical application, he snorted and, as if a dam had crumpled, waves of monsters and beasts rushed out while roaring and on cue, the sound of a chime resounded. ? ? ? ? ? Warning Missive! ? You have initiated a Stampede! The First teaus monsters are attracted by the blood and your overflowing aura. Objective: Vanquish Every Enemy. Remaining Foes: 250/250 ? ? ? ? ? oops. Chapter 110: Stampede II Chapter 110: Stampede II Rakna kicked the ground while reinforcing his body and reappeared in front of a running orc with his eyes glowing. The spot he was standing on just before had a distinct imprint of his foot and Pronos blinked in shock as a small shockwave hit him. The orc that was faced by the soaring silhouette couldnt react as a wed hand grabbed its face and mmed it on the ground whilst piercing its brain. Rakna stepped in midair and vaulted over the falling corpse of the monster. He extended his hands and two star-energy ives appeared in his hands. He swung them at the closest monsters and cut them in half without any resistance. From a few meters away, several goblin shamans raised their crude staff and conjured a rain of fireballs. [Shadow Step,] Rakna muttered and shadows covered him, even as the light of the mes was getting closer. He became imperceptible for exactly two seconds and the next thing they knew; the shamans had their necks broken and Rakna was standing behind them. ? ??? Shadow Step has leveled up! ??? ? That makes nine, he said with a detached voice and the weaker monsters who were already affected by his Despair Aura stepped back in fear. But, a group of level 20 Dreorins spearheaded the stampede toward him. Rakna turned around and conjured a star spear with which he deflected several wind des cast by a bunch of iguanodon-like creatures. He squinted his eyes at them and gathered mana under his feet, [sh Step.] ? ??? sh Step has leveled up! ??? ? His figure became a blur and reappeared above the dinosaurs. [Swords of Liberation,] he said and three swords fell from the sky and pinned down three of the beasts. Hended on one of their back and briefly activated Soul Drain to recuperate some of the energy he had used. But he didnt stop there. He expanded his soul power and shaped them into invisible tentacles. [Soul Scourge,] the words came out of his mouth and became an intrusive thought inside the Dreorins heads until their eyes darkened and hollowed. ? ??? Soul Scourge has leveled up! ??? ? Rakna jumped off their back and whispered one word, Attack. They roared and charged at the others monsters like enraged berserkers. Raknanded on the ground on all four and a group of goblins and bear-like animals lunged themselves at him. He closed his eyes as theirbined bodies eclipsed his surroundings. He let out a growl and fur grew on his body. His fangs sharpened, his eyes became purple whirlpools; and in a sudden burst, he became a werewolf. He went even farther and used Gigantism until he was five meters tall. ? ??? Despair Aura has leveled up! ??? ? His Despair Aura gained a boost in intensity and the monsters froze again. Rakna noted that he had now a fluffy mane around his neck, just like a lion. He snorted and looked at his targets from his superior height. He brought his fist down, squashing a couple of them, and conjured a ring ofnces made of star energy around him. With a thought, they wereunched at the same time and they pierced several monsters, going all the way through their bodies to go for another victim to impale. When they ran out of momentum and pierced the ground, they released a faint glow and imploded, bringing down more lives with them. Rakna then proceeded to focus his reinforcement on his speed and became a blur, ripping goblins, orcs, Dreorins, and beasts apart with his ws every second. ? ??? Reinforcement has leveled up! ??? ? On the other half of the meadow, Pronos had also taken down at least fifty of them with his poison and incredible swiftness. The snake could let himself be hit by magic or physical blows but they wouldnt do anything to him. Rakna bit the neck of an orc as he was lifting it and wrenched its head out once it was weakened enough. Many of the monsters fled right then and there back inside the forest, away from the towering wolf wiping the blood on its mouth with the back of his hand while holding the decapitated head of the orc. 74, he uttered and kicked the ground again, aiming for the stronger ones that had just entered the fray. This stampede seemed to be both natural and manipted by the System itself so that they woulde in waves. His ck hole-like eyes whirled as they turned to gold. He jumped high in the air, to dodge a giant tail belonging to a level 30 diplodocus, followed by a fire breath of arge smander. He stepped in the air twice and escaped the mes. He deployed his wings and they released a silver mist as a hundred feathers were shot at the two creatures along with many other mobs around. The diplodocus lowered its head to shield its eyes and the smander burned them down before they could touch him. [Gungnir,] Rakna said with crystallized breath and a barbed ornamented spear appeared in his hands, taking away 10% of his mana pool. He then threw the weapon and it flew through the air and pierced straight through the two beasts in the heart at once, killing them. He thennded and nced at thest one of the Dreorins he had hypnotized and saw it die under the club strike of a green-skinned creature, evenrger than orcs, that came out of the forest along with several others. Level 35 Ogres a direct evolution to Orcs. Theyre simr but possess stronger attributes and faster regeneration. This is starting to scale to my level, Rakna thought but didnt stop moving even once. He stole the initiative and dashed at them with sh Step. He pulled out his Greatsword from his storage and swung it like a dagger at one of the ogres, aiming to cut its head off. But for the first time since the stampede started, his blow was blocked. [Mana de C Blood Wave,] the werewolf said in a growling voice and the ogre let out a grunt out of disbelief as the sword drank blood and mana. It cut apart the monsters weapon andunched a crimson wave that bisected it vertically along with two of its brethren behind it. They died instantly, their regeneration incapable of saving them from the extensive damage. ? ??? Weapon Reinforcement has leveled up! ??? ??? Fatigue Resistance has leveled up! ??? ? [Raise Undead,] Raknas ring shed red and the dead ogres instantly gained a paler skin tone and their severed body parts sought each other and knitted themselves back together. He felt a connection being formed between him and them and he ordered them to attack the others. ? ??? Raise Undead has leveled up! ??? ? The three newly-raised undead roared, their eyes zing with blue light, and attacked everything that was still alive. With a careful inspection, Rakna noticed that they seemed to have kept their attributes and proficiencies but hadpletely lost their reflexes. Not too bad, he thought and helped his undead killing the rest while also using Soul Drain once again. He used the rings skill on three more ogres and rxed his tense muscles and released a breath of cold air as if he was a machine releasing steam. 134 He muttered and looked at Pronos in the distance who was finishing off an ogre by melting its insides with venom. Rakna scowled at that and looked around. Other than his groaning undead, there were no other monsters left. The stampede should be over but his instincts told him otherwise. He scrutinized the meadows edges, even past the leaves and bushes of the forest, with Fabled Sight. Then, he smelled it. He snapped toward the source and began to hear loud noises akin to the footsteps of a giant. The ground trembled and he turned on his soul sense. It wasrge. Wayrger than the weaklings he had just fought. He jumped back and pped his wings to regroup with Pronos. Right after, they heard the trees being crushed by an iing force followed by an unearthly roar. Raknas expression twitched when he saw the creature stomp over the trunks with itsrge ws. Six meters tall, a mass of pure muscle and bones, a jaw capable of crushing steel, two hind legs of immense power Tyrannosaurus Rex, he uttered and the slit pupils of the renowned dinosaur narrowed further when it saw him. Level 50, Rakna mumbled and constructed a bow with star energy. Then, he expended 20% of his mana pool to make a ded arrow appear in his hand. The T. Rex perceived the fluctuations of mana and was promptly encased in mes as it began its charge. Rakna eyed it calmly, not showing any sort of nervousness in his movements as he nocked the arrow on his bow. Even when the creature was just ten seconds from reaching him, he pulled the string as if he was contemting the weather. Then, when the T. Rex was twenty meters away, quite literally a few seconds from making it into attacking range, he let go of the string and opened his mouth, [Dinsleif.] The star-arrow through the air with a whistle and the T. Rex exhaled sparks through its nostrils as it got close to it. The dinosaur opened its mouth and, much to Raknas shock caught Dinsleif with its maw. The des of the arrow rotated inside and exploded right away. It was followed by a roar and a surge of mes and a cloud of dust that shrouded the T. Rexs figure. Rakna barely had time to react when a pair of glowing eyes pierced through the dust and the king of dinosaurs emerged from it at high speed, smokeing out from its mouth. It jumped in the air and spun in the air before hacking down with its ws. The shockingly acrobatic attack was blocked by barehanded and Rakna buckled his knees because of the force. His eyes widened and he saw the T. Rex inhale while they were still at a standstill. He got a bad feeling and used both Shadow Step and sh Step to disappear before a breath of fire more condensed than anything he had ever seen before tore through the earth and carved a molting linear crater where he was standing. ? ??? sh Step has leveled up! ??? ??? Shadow Step has leveled up! ??? ? That thing chomped Dinsleif and came out of it unscathed and now this, Rakna grumbled. [Abination of Exceled Magic Resistance, Dreorin Scales, a Fire Breath, and Aura,] Alexamented more to herself than to actually inform her Host. {Truly a tough hulk of muscle.} Rakna rolled his eyes. He really didnt want the two voices in his head to start chatting about how strong his opponent was. As he was musing what to do, the T. Rex locked its eyes on him and began to slowly walk to the side. He imitated it and they slowly reduced the distance that separated them while circling each other. [Cross Dimensional Sagacity,] Rakna whispered and his eyes gained a plus sign in their center. He spotted the focal points on the T. Rexs body and inhaled before stopping. The dinosaur also halted and glowered at him, wary of what he was nning. Rakna channeled all the mana he had, which had the side effect to bolster his aura. The temperature became freezing cold as he uttered a spell, [Star Make.] The T. Rex snarled and sprung at him before he could do whatever he nned. This time, instead of mes, the beast used a second element which cloaked around its leg and then struck against the ground. A green, brownish energy traveled through the soil, and Rakna was unable to move out in time as thick roots sprouted and coiled around his legs with enough tension to bind even him with 45 of strength as a werewolf. Wood Magic, he clicked his tongue but continued to focus on his spell. All around him, many miniature spheres of star energy formed and began to elongate, taking a certain shape. However, the T. Rex was already looming over him, charging another Fire Breath which had no chance of missing this time. But, Rakna wasnt worried. You seem to have forgotten something, big guy, he uttered with a bit of mirth in his tone and before the T. Rex had the chance to consider those words, an azure shtched around its muzzle and forced it to close its mouth. Pronos smirked as his eyes crossed therge dinosaur and he opened his mouth, exhaling a deadly purple poison fog. The beast roared and immted itself in fire again, burning away the toxin and shaking off the Eion snake at the same time. But, immediately after, six burly monsters jumped on him, disregarding the fire and the damage it made to them. The undead ogres groaned like zombies and punched and hacked their weapons at the imprable defense of this archetype of predators. The T. Rex snarled in anger and extended his magic to his surroundings. Large roots came from underground, catching fire at the same time as they tangled around the ogres, destroyed their bodies, and burning them. [Koscheis Needles.] The T. Rex heard these words and looked back at the three-tailed werewolf with a shudder. It then saw dozens of thin blue needles floating around him, pointed at it and ready to be shot. Normally, this shouldnt have bothered the creature. Its scales could deflect des and magic with ease. What would some weak-looking needles be able to do to it? But, even when it thought that there was something in the back of its mind that told it to run or death would wee it. Unfortunately, the decision wasnt made in time and Raknaunched the needles. They zoomed through the air, leaving trails behind them, and clearly being controlled by something as they did spins and waves. Then, they all elerated and targeted specific spots on the T. Rexs body. The dinosaur tried and managed to dodge and destroy some of them but it couldnt avoid all of them and more than ten of them found their mark. What followed was something that the apex predator couldntprehend. It felt its body being torn from the inside. Those needles were nothing, but somehow, they made it vomit blood. Its scales cracked and one of its legs was separated from the rest. The T. Rex gargled in its own blood and copsed on the ground, unable to move and overrun by spasms it couldnt control. Rakna sighed and walked toward the beast who had its eyes open wide in shock, fear, and bewilderment. Thest thing it saw was arge cyan weapon being thrust at its head. ? ? ? ? ? Cross Dimension Sagacity has leveled up! Cold Star Magic has leveled up! ? You have created a new sub spell; Koscheis Needles! ? Lv.50 Ancient Dreorin C Tyrannosaurus Rex killed. You defeated a foe 11 levels apart from yours! Experience increased by 50! ? Level up! +0.1 STR, SPD, INT! +2 Free Points! ? ? The Stampede has been defeated! Congrattions! Your contribution amounts to 100%! (A pets contribution is included) Rewards: 50 000 Talys, 750 Experience, Skill Card Wrath Yaksha. ? ? Level up! +1 Free Point! +0.1 STR, SPD, INT! ? Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 304/410 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna let out a breath and dispelled the energy sword in his hand before sitting down. Okay I admit this got a bit out of hand. I only wanted to attract monsters with the smell of blood. {And you instead attracted a whole horde and what seemed to be the boss of this area,} Higure snickered. Dontugh. Even I have to admit that could have been dangerous. I would have been dead meat if I didnt have Soul Drain to recover mana and stamina. {But it was grandiose. All the way, from the beginning until the end, it felt like watching a beautiful dance. You have incredible sharpness when you fight. It was mesmerizing,} the lioness admitted with a yearning voice. {And the way you used Cross Sight at the end was marvelous. Locating the focal points and creating a spell on the spot capable of targeting them with perfect uracy You amaze me more and more, devourer of mine. If only I had a physical body, I wouldnt have hesitated to take you.} What did I do to deserve a horny lioness like you stuck in my head? {Who knows. You might have performed enough deeds for karma to reward you.} so, you say you are a reward? {Of course. You know youre happy about it.} Rakna sighed and looked at Pronos who had literal stars in his eyes as he snuggled in his mane, which even himself found to be very soft. It was probably a paradise for thezy snake. {Oh, and have I told you that mane looks very handsome on you?} thanks I guess He muttered and squinted at the T. Rexs corpse. He stood up and ced a hand on it before opening his mouth, [Raise Undead.] Chapter 111: Tyran Chapter 111: Tyran ??? Raise Undead has leveled up! ??? ? Rakna stepped back as his skill did its wonders. The body of the T. Rex twitched and its wounds healed at a visible speed. The flesh knitted itself back together as if it was made of self-mending worms. Then, its eyes opened and their color had changed from auburn to an icy blue. It quickly got back on its feet after waking up and roared at the sky. Rakna watched it with a raised eyebrow. The wounds were healed, like with the ogres but it seems to be a one-time thing. Raise Undead makes sure to bring back the corpses to a perfect state before reanimating them, huh? He thought and the T. Rex stopped roaring. It then did something unexpected and rubbed its head against the werewolf with what seemed to be the sound of purring. Rakna blinked and returned the gesture by petting it with mixed feelings. {How interesting. This one seems to have retained some amount of ego and it transformed the loyalty it should have toward you into affection,} Higure analyzed. Rakna nodded numbly and the T. Rex stepped back a bit and tilted its head innocently to look at a ring Pronos. The little snake maintained the staring contest before abruptly jumping on the dinosaurs head. He hissed happily and raised his body. {Fufu, look at him. The fledgling Ouroboros has found himself a steed.} Rakna snorted and cast Appraisal on therge prehistoric animal. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 13 | Level: 50 Race: Undead Ancient Dreorin C Tyrannosaurus Rex Title: King of Dreorins Master: Rakna Xiorra ? Attributes: STR: 60 | END: 65 SPD: 24 | DEX: 15 INT: 32 | LCK: 3 ? Statistics: DE: 229/229 | MP: 320/320 SWI: 112 | AGI: 54 SEN: 136 | ATC: 199 ATT: 311.5 | DEF: 331.5 MA: 96 | MR: 1.92/min ? Proficiencies: C Tail Swipe (Lv. Max) C Bite (Lv. Max) C Mana Control (Lv.8) C Mana Sense (Lv.7) C CQC Mastery (Lv.3) ? Magic Skills: C Fire Magic (Lv.7) => [Ersatz Nova (T.6); Fire Breath (T.7); Fire Shell (T.8); Fireball (T.10)] C Wood Magic (Lv.4) => [Deep Roots (T.7); Emergence (T.9)] ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv. Ex) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv. Ex) C Aura (Lv.7) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Reinforcement (Lv. Max) C Intimidation (Lv.6) C Scan (Lv.4) C Stealth (Lv.2) C Elemental Reinforcement (Lv.2) ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Ancient Scales: +30% DEF. C Lesser Regeneration ? Note: A direct descendent of an ancient race of monsters. A powerful bloodline courses through its veins, indicating its legitimate right to hold the title of King of Dreorins. ? Additional Note: As an undead raised by the Hex Item, Necromancers Rule, it can level up like normal creatures and it also can be healed with its masters mana, which will automatically be converted into Death Energy by the Hex Item. ? ? ? ? ? As expected, what a frightening defense value, Raknamented. If it wasnt for Cross Sight, it would have been considerably harder. {Praise me more.} You did nothing, he retorted with a nk tone. If anyone should be praised, its me. Not you. {Aww} Rakna sighed. The lioness serious and yful moods were starting to mix. He could only assume that it was the result of them gettingfortable with each other, though, if it was a good thing or not was debatable. As Pronos was having fun with his steed, which the T. Rex surprisingly didnt mind and even went along with it, he opened the description of his new sub-spell. ? ? ? ? ? Koscheis Needles (T.7): Koschei the Immortal, or the Deathless, was a figure from Russian Folklore most known for hiding his soul inside nested objects to protect it. His legend would go like this; to kill the Deathless, find the needle hosting his soul, which is in an egg, inside a duck, inside of a hare, in an iron chest, buried under a green oak tree, on the ind of Buyan. When invoking this spell, the caster is able to summon as many star-energy needles as their mana pool allows. The needles will be infused with a small piece of the casters soul and will be homing projectiles for whatever target the caster locks on. If the caster decides to conjure ten needles, he has the choice to make them all hit the exact same spot with 0.1 mm uracy. Different targets can also be assigned simultaneously. ? Cost: 5% of Mana Pool for each needle. (Soul Core Correction C Limit of the Percentage Basis Reduction Reached: 1%) Attack: Users Magic Attack multiplied by 2. Cooldown: 30 min ? Note: This is a spell that was created by a practitioner of soul power. While devising it, they unknowingly integrated its properties into the spell. Thus, soul power will be consumed when casting it. However, thanks to this addition, the needles will not need guidance to strike. ? ? ? ? ? Limit of Percentage Basis Rakna mumbled. In other words, I guess it means that when a spell requires a percentage as cost, Soul Cores reduction will be directly subtracted from it, but never go below 1% or perhaps that limit is different for each spell, he concluded. Which also confirms the fact that the reduction behaves differently when its a percentage or a numerical cost. {Which, if I may, is incredibly broken,} Higure remarked. Really? To be honest, it was pretty easy to learn Soul Core. Is it notmon in the System? {Looks like you need a crash course,} the lioness said. {First of all, the answer is no. Soul power in itself is notmon. Im not going to say its the rarest thing either, since veterans tend to at least get a grasp of it after a few years of practice, mostly without even focusing on it. What you have is a soul organ.} {Once again, its notmon, but not on the extreme opposite either. However, what you have is a high-grade soul organ. Nearly all cultivators normally develop the organ called Soul Heart, after extensive training on top of that. The reduction that this skill can provide doesnt go higher than 5%. I would know since I had it as well. That makes your Soul Core extremely rare.} Soul Heart Verias had it now that I think about it, Rakna remembered the skill he had quickly gotten a glimpse of when he had inspected the Tras status. I see. Thanks, Higure. {Youre wee.} Good to see youre not just a pervert. I like you better this way. {Now, now, devourer of mine, its lines like those that will only serve to intensify my teasing.} forget I said anything, he groaned and she chuckled. He read the note of the spell, which in fact confirmed what he had already suspected. Ever since he had learned Soul Breath, his soul power was freely circting in his body, sometimes bolstering his attacks and perception on its own. Anyway, while Im here, lets test a few other things. I should be able to learn the skill I bought as well since my mana control reached level 9. But, before that Rakna trailed and looked at his surroundings with an almost embarrassed mien. There were corpses everywhere and the smell of blood was starting to attack his nose. He sighed. It didnt feel right to leave it all like that. Even if it might get taken care ofter on by the System itself either during the reset or by some sort of mechanic he didnt know about. I might as well clean it up, he uttered and used the superior strength of his werewolf form to move every carcass to a pile while storing the more precious ones. He also collected the Talys and items that had been dropped by them all at the same time when the Stampede was over. Though, all of it was quitecklusterpared to what he already had. And, for some reason, the T. Rex had dropped Talys on death but no items. But he didnt have anything toin since he had gotten himself a powerful undead. He also took the asion to preserve and store the hearts of the stronger monsters in the area. When he was done doing that, he looked back at his two non-human allies. His face was as nk as it could be as he watched Pronos and the T. Rex chase butterflies. Yes; butterflies. {What a picturesque sight,} Higure snickered. Rakna shook his head and opened his mouth to say something before realizing something. Ah, I need a name for you, he muttered to himself and by some miracle, the T. Rex managed to hear him and snapped its head toward him at light speed. I cant just call you T. Rex forever. Especially if youre going to stay with me. He hummed and tapped his forehead in thought. While I wouldnt mind just calling you Rex, that would be a bit too simple and we already have Rexam with a simr name What about Tyrannos Mors? In other words, it would mean Death Tyrant, for both your undead state and your tyrannical strength. Therge Dreorin seemed to ponder the name before he nodded enthusiastically. Its settled then. Ill call you Tyran though. Tyrannos is a bit of a mouthful, Rakna added and both the Dreorin and Pronos looked at him with expressions that screamed why didnt you just choose that then?. Dont look at me like that. I wanted his name to mean something instead of just appearing like a short version of Tyrannosaurus, he shrugged. Just think of it as a nickname. Now back to what I was going to say; Tyran, can you burn this for me? He asked whilst pointing at the mountain of dead bodies behind him. The Dreorin nodded in understanding and walked to the pile before inhaling. mes appeared around his mouth and were sucked inside his mouth and nostrils. Then, with a guttural roar, he let out a concentrated wave of fire powerful enough to smolder the entire pile. Some of the smaller corpses even turned to ashes in just a few seconds. Rakna watched in a cold sweat as therge bonfire was lit in front of him and Tyran puffed, content with his handiwork. thank god I didnt get hit by that. {Indeed.} And he even has a Tier 6 spell that is probably even more destructive than this, Rakna said and nced at the undead dinosaur who returned to chasing butterflies with Pronos. Okay lets change ces. The smell of burnt flesh isnt really pleasant, he uttered and deployed his wings. He was about to call the two creatures before sighing. You know what, Tyran, Pronos, just y together until Ie back. Got it? He raised his voice so they could hear him and they nodded at him. He grunted and used sh Step to gain elevation before pping his wings. Half a minuteter, hended on another in and consequently turned back into a therian since he didnt need his other form anymore. All right, there are two things I need to try out. First, he mumbled and a skill card appeared between his fingers. [Graduating Mana. Hexing Damage. Buffering Integrity. Set, Shape, Shatter. None All Nil.] Rakna finished the chant that oddly sounded like a password sequence and the card fused with him as a new line appeared in the list of his spontaneous skills. He clenched his hand to a fist and channeled his mana into it. An emerald light spilled through the gaps between his fingers and when he opened it, a hexagonal barrier, barely bigger than his palm, shed into existence. It was transparent and green, seeminglyposed of many smaller hexagons, and if you tried to look at itterally, you would notice that it was even thinner than a piece of paper. Rakna waved his hand and the shield floated away from him before expanding until it was taller than him. It feels like an extra limb He thought. He then stretched it horizontally and vertically to determine the maximum size. ? ??? Gradation Hex Buffer has leveled up! ??? ? After a bit of experimentation, he discovered that it could only be made five meters wide, while keeping other proportions, before he would start to lose control over it, making it unstable. Thats one of them He whispered and focused on his mana again. He created a second barrier in less time than the first one and when he finalized it, his face creased in pain and the other barrier he was controlling stopped moving. I see what they mean now, he groaned while rubbing his temple. He waited a bit for the headache to calm down before trying to move the two barriers. It certainly wasnt impossible, and it was actually easy to operate, but it was overpowering his consciousness. The toll on his mind would probably multiply every time he summoned an additional one. He ultimately dismissed them and he felt the mana he had used on them return to him. Overall, it feels like a very unoptimized software. Its like theres a w in the conception, making it use way more RAM than it should whenever a new object is added. {That is a very astuteparison. In all seriousness, you truly have remarkable knowledge and wisdom. Is there someone who taught you all of this?} Higure couldnt help ask. {Just from the names you gave us, even if it was only a few words, you proved to have proficiency in at least three differentnguages. I dont know what the standard is for humans, but that is quite impressive for someone as young as you.} My uncle taught me, Rakna responded. He not only coached me in martial arts, but also basic strategies, science, and several misceneous subjects,nguages included. Also, the old man had a collection of books of all kinds and I happened to read all of them. Thats why I know a lot about mythology and learned some Greek and Latin in passing. {You must have an outstanding memory then.} Rakna shrugged. I guess. Though, its nothingpared to An. He has eidetic memory so he could literally flip a few hundred pages and remember them all to thest detail. Sadly, that idiot doesnt like reading even when the words are literally recorded in his brain. {What a waste of talent,} Higuremented. I agree, Rakna snorted. But its one of the things that makes him who he is, he said and sat down cross-legged. Enough chatting, I still have one thing to test before going back. Lets see what Elemental Reinforcement does to me. Chapter 112: Cold Star Reinforcement Chapter 112: Cold Star Reinforcement Any tip, Higure? Rakna asked as he silently spread his mana across his body and reinforced it to a medium level. {Frankly? Use your gut feeling. It is your forte, after all, and there arent many other methods.} its my fault for asking you. {Hey! Whats that supposed to mean?!} He ignored her and sped his hands together. He then stared at them as if he was trying to find something that wasnt there. After several minutes, the air around his hands began to cool down. He couldnt see it He wondered where his mana circted. His internal force was bristling inside his cells. His soul power sprung and left his soul organ and nketed his entire body like a highly precise mold. But his mana where was it? At some point, he thought that it was the same thing as his soul because each time he called upon them, they woulde from the same spot. But, after getting limated to it, he noticed arge difference between the two. His soul power was well, his soul itself. It was like he had a second, ethereal body hidden under his physical one that acted as a shell. His mana, however, seemed to originate from the soul as well but from somewhere deeper, deeper than even his soul scape. His mana pool was definitely located somewhere inside there. And whenever he wouldmand it to move, it woulde out like a reversed waterfall. Then, he would pull it out of his body and shape it ording to his will. That was how he cast his spells. Reinforcement was different. It entailed keeping his mana inside his body, in a constant state of harmony with his anatomy. Logically, to attain Elemental Reinforcement, what he should do is shape his mana into his Cold Star element while keeping it inside his body. Which brought the next question; where did his Cold Star affinitye from? Was it something innate to his mana? Did ite from his mind? Or was it also a product of his soul? His instincts were tilting his belief to thetter. In that case, all he needed to do was extract his mana from the usual ce then picture the star in his head like he usually does and ignite the mana. He knew he could do it. In fact, he had the feeling that it would be very easy to do. But something about it irked him. It sounded and felt Inefficient. {Hm? Is something wrong? I can almost hear how hard youre brooding. Is it that hard?} Higure asked a bit confused. Inefficient, Rakna repeated to her, still focused on his idea. She got even more perplexed and it didnt seem like he was about to exin it to her. Bothe from the same ce but dont work together The mana is bathed in the cold but the cold itself is not inside it. {you lost me.} [Rakna?] Even Alexa decided to raise her voice. She had never seen him so engrossed. In that case I just have to mix them. But to follow each other, a road is needed Rakna muttered and closed his eyes. The soul had no location, it was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. But, essing it was possible and his soul organ was the key to that. It was like a gate. Thus, he began the process with it as the center. Hemanded all the mana he had to go there, both inside his mana pool and out of it, and the cold air around his hands dispersed as fast as it appeared. Then, he confined all of that energy around his soul organ. If someone were to see him now, they would notice that he wasnt releasing any mana fluctuation. It was as if he had none. He began to sweat as it proved itself to be a considerably harder process than he expected. But he didnt stop. He was too far in. The next step was shaping the agglomerate of mana. He breathed in and the image of a cold star surfaced in his mind. The mana started turning cold, chaotic, and barely restrained. {H-hey, Rakna? What are you doing? Something weird is going on in your soul realm,} Higure said with a worried tone and it was apanied by the cries of Rexam and Fenriu. Keep quiet, Rakna finally responded to her and she became silent in shock. At that point, he was barely able to not lose control. He wasnt in pain or anything but something told him that if he let go now, it wouldnt be pretty. From the outside, something happened to his body. In the center of his chest, a ring blue light was flickering whilst producing some mist. His tails and ears were also being affected, gradually bing entirely white with a faint icy hue, just like when he used the Cold Star Manifestation. The final step Rakna had envisioned involved his soul power. After confining all of his mana and converting it into a nearly uncontroble cold energy, he pumped his Soul Core like never before and encased it with soul power. What happened afterward waspletely out of his control. His soul power burst like a balloon being popped. It undted all around his body before abruptly settling down. Right after, it began to form systematic and orderly pathways from his soul organ to everywhere else. They reached the tips of his fingers, his hair, his ears, and even his tails. This progression took less than a second and the soul power was cemented in ce. Then, on cue, the cold mana burst out of its confinement. But, unlike before, it didnt randomly spread across his body but filled the soul pathways like water flowing through canals. Thats when Rakna opened his eyes with a gasp and saw the visible skin of his hands covered in azure lines. They were sometimes geometrical, sometimes curved, sometimes linear, but jointly, they formed an organized and solidwork. At the same time, Rakna saw that his hair, tails, and ears were not onlypletely white but were also releasing a cold mist. He lifted his hand to look at the strange pulsing lines and clenched his fist, reveling in the strange sense of pletion he was experiencing. Then, after a few seconds, he decided to power down his mana, and the lines faded away. At the same time, his hair and fur reverted to ck as if the white had left along with the dispersing mist. Intriguingly, the tips were now ck again; in a state preceding the awakening of his magic. {Did you just make?} Higure sounded dumbfounded, struggling with her words. Rakna was about to say something when the System finally reacted to what he had done. ? ? ? ? ? Magic Theory has leveled up! Mana Sense has leveled up! Mana Control has leveled up! Mana Control has entered Exceled State! Soul Sense has leveled up! Soul Breath has leveled up! Eyes of the Soul has entered Exceled State! Soul Core has entered Exceled State! ? ? You have reached an epiphany. Soul is Mana. Mana is Soul. The World Generates and Creates. You have sessfully carved your Magic Circuits. ? ? Internalized Magic Circuits ? Magic Circuits are the source of the Worldly Energies. They channel them into Existence since the dawn of time. They are everywhere, in everything. Their role has always been to provide mortals the gift of strength. Mana, Ether, Chakra, Qi All of them are given by the Magic Circuits to the souls of mortals seeking them. They are said to take root in the essence of Death and Life and are intrinsically connected to every living soul. That is how mortals regenerate mana; by opening their soul to the Magic Circuits. However, there exists exceptions. The Internalization of Magic Circuits builds a whole sub-system inside a mortal body, not unlike the original one. While every living being is born with their own superficial circuits made to cast spells, carving a subwork onto the body and soul creates apletely different effect. It allows a better connection to the Worldly Magic Circuits and consequently, an increase in mana regeneration, control, cirction, quantity, and consumption. It also attunes the physical body to higher degrees, enhancing reinforcements, healing, and recovery. Some legends tell of Gods who have been able to not only build Internalized Magic Circuits but also recreate an original version inside their bodies, granting them unlimited mana. ? Effects: +0.2 MP Regen Factor, +50% Max MP, -10% Mana Consumption. ? Note: The effect will stack with Soul Core. ? ? You have fused your mana and affinity through your Magic Circuits! The speed of your invocations will increase. Your basic output (without spell) of cold star energy has been boosted and your passive cold damage has been increased to 50%. ? ? Reinforcement has been affected by the Magic Circuits! Overwriting Elemental Reinforcement Reinforcement has evolved into Cold Star Reinforcement! ? ? Cold Star Reinforcement (Lv.7): The act of reinforcement with star energy is fundamentally different from normal affinities. Instead of giving a particr enhancement to the wielder, the reinforcement will turn the users body into the living embodiment of a star. The more mana used, the more pronounced it will be. The flesh, blood, and bones will be nothing more than cold star energy. They will freeze and burn whatever theye in contact with and will always reform themselves. However, keep in mind that the more mana you use on this skill, the more you expend energy to reconstruct yourself, and the more your body will fall apart. This skill has been affected by Magic Circuits and performs as a physical reinforcement on top of the elemental infusion. ? Cost: Variable. ? ? Your Magic Circuits have stabilized your crippled state. You have restarted regenerating mana and stamina at half-rate. You will bepletely healed in two days. ? ? ? ? ? Well, I didnt expect something like this, Rakna muttered, hiding his surprise. He stood up and stretched his body, coincidentally noticing how the white tips of his tails were now gone. He then opened his status and confirmed that he was indeed regenerating mana and stamina again. Though not at their maximum pace. His muscles were not sore anymore too. {#@%^&?!} What the? Rakna covered his ears as he heard an iprehensible noise. Higure? Are you trying to learn an extraterrestrialnguage? {Rakna! Answer me honestly, did you just build a subwork of Magic Circuits!?} Um yes? Thats what it says at least. Instead ofshing out at his answer, the lioness was utterly mystified. {How Im not saying youck the talent for it but how did you go from learning Elemental Reinforcement to carving your Magic Circuits?} Rakna shrugged. I dont really know myself. While I was trying to find a way to kindle the mana inside my body, I got distracted and went on a small tangent. {Small?} She interjected with a nk voice. Fine, a rather big tangent. Then, I kind of thought that the way my mana was shaped and molded into star energy was too inefficient. After that, I did just as you said; I followed my gut feeling. {If only my definition of gut feeling was the same as yours Did you learn what you wanted at least?} Partially. I got a hybrid skill, Rakna responded and with a small frown. He closed his eyes and activated Cold Star Reinforcement. Overall, the effect was simr to before and he barely could see any difference from his normal one. This is five mana per minute He muttered then increased it to ten. Once again, he felt stronger but nothing else. He then made it twenty and something started to happen. His skin began to release a cold mist on its own and the color of his hair and fur began to lighten. At thirty mana, he saw faint marks under his skin, representing his Magic Circuits. At fifty mana, his hair was close to being gray. I can go farther than before, he muttered and increased it to a hundred. The temperature around him fell drastically and his hair was getting silvery. Rakna looked at himself and decided to hold it at this level. After a bit of consideration, he extended his ws and used them to pierce his own hand. He didnt even flinch at the pain and watched grimly as his blood flowed down his palm. There was nothing wrong with that. The color though was. It wasnt red but light pink. Just like his hair, his blood was gradually getting closer to a whitish chromatic. There were also faint hints of sky blue along with it. The next thing that Rakna observed was how the injury he had made to himself rapidly closed and left no trace behind. This wasnt the work of his Lesser Regeneration and it had looked like the cut was clogged by raw star energy before turning into normal flesh. Rakna turned off his skill, not wanting to waste all of his mana, and panted lightly at the toll that it had put on him. Im not sure how to take this skill, he ultimately said. {It seems to be a skill that temporarily changes theposition of your body,} Higure remarked after watching through his eyes. {If I understand it right, this could probably make you immortal for as long as you have mana. Though, healing bigger wounds will probably be very expensive.} Rakna sighed. I already have too many skills to worry about, he grumbled. How do the older Hosts keep track of everything? {Youll get used to it.} Right anyway. This is all I wanted to do. The good thing is Im not crippled anymore, but Ill still take my time on the First teau. I do want to learn cksmithing, after all, he said and flew off, heading back to where Pronos and Tyran were. Chapter 113: Taste of Success Chapter 113: Taste of Sess Youre too big. Thats the first thing Rakna said when he regrouped with his pets. Tyran lowered his head with a sad growl and Pronos patted his head tofort him. I cant put you in my main storage and Necromancers Rule doesnt have enough space for you. {Poor thing,} Higure said as they watched the T. Rex whimper gloomily. {Then again, you are right. It would be ill-advised to bring him back to ck Steel. Well, not like he would fit in the train, to begin with.} Hm, Rakna put a hand on his chin and looked at Tyran with one eye closed. Hey, do you think hespatible with Gigantism? {I dont know. What about you, Alexa?} [Based on preliminary scans, I would say theres an 80% chance he is,] the AI answered. [The fact that he possesses Death Energy instead of stamina might increase those odds. As an undead, his body is more malleable, for theck of a better word.] So, youre positive of his chances? [Affirmative.] Rakna sighed. In that case, Ill have to make a round trip to ck Steel, he said unexcitedly. You two; wait for me around the area. I should be back in around forty minutes. An hour at worst. Tyran and Pronos looked at each other before nodding at him. He sighed again and unfurled his wings. He pumped mana into them and passively noticed how easier it waspared to before he made his circuits. Artzpul, he muttered and the skill was conjured faster than he was used to. The difference was minimal, for sure, but for him, even something like 0.1 second was god-sent. He shot up in the sky, finally free of the infuriating physical blocks, and headed for the station at maximum speed. ? * * * ? Twenty-five minutester, a door was mmed open. Foxy, one Gigantism Pill. Kaelith nkly stared at her lone customer and friend, Seriously? Yes. Sylvie, she called and the small pet fox came in half a minuteter with the sealed box grasped in her tail. The vixen did the usual unlocking and handed the pill to Rakna who promptly stored it. Thanks. See you. Just like that, he left and Kaelith was left staring at the door with Sylvie standing on the counter in front of her. what just happened? And, is it just me, or his tails and ears were different? ? * * * ? Big guy, use scan on this. Are youpatible? Rakna asked as he held the pill in his hand. Tyran looked at it for a few seconds before nodding. Then eat it. Rakna tossed the pill with his thumb and the Dreorin caught it midair. He readily swallowed it and felt it go down his throat, being incorporated into his body. Then, in the blink of an eye, Tyrans internal energies spiked and caused his aura to suddenly turn into a ring source of light. Rakna blocked it with his arm and when it died down, his eyes opened wide as he took in the dinosaurs appearance. Gar! The King of Dreorins cried out cutely. His tone of voice was higher and there was nothing left of his previous mighty roar. Rakna blinked, looking down at the creature in front of him. Yes, down. What stood in front of him was nothing close to a six-meter-tall T. Rex. It was a small adorable animal with tiny legs and quite a disproportionate, but not uncanny, head. Gargar! He opened his mouth again and leaped toward Rakna who mindlessly caught him before he started rubbing his head against his cheek. Pronos was watching from the side with a stunned look and apparently, Rakna wasnt faring better since he was rooted in ce while Tyran excitedly trashed around in his arms. {Hoho? A hyperpatibility?} Higuremented. {He has managed to change his body size by more than 100%. Rather, Id say hes more than 1000% smaller.} The lioness voice snapped Rakna out of it and Tyran coincidentally crossed eyes with Pronos and jumped off. He ran to his snake friend and the two of them stared at each other, this time with a matching line of sight. Then, the two of them hissed/roared before seeminglyughing together. Well, thats unexpected, Rakna muttered. Tyran, he called and the tiny T. Rex turned toward him with a tilt of his head. You shrunk to that point; how big can you get? Tyran seemed pensive for a second. He closed his eyes then activated the skill again. This time, there was no show of light and Rakna witnessed the transformation happen in real-time until it stopped once he was around ten meters tall. Is that your maximum? He asked and the big guy responded with a nod before returning to his small size. I see. It would have indeed been terrific if you could be 1000% bigger. {Nothing surprising. It ismon knowledge that increasing ones physical size is considerably harder than the opposite,} Higure informed. Hm, now that I think about it, I havent tried to decrease my size yet, Rakna remarked to himself and looked at the time. Tyran, Pronos, lets leave. The only reason I came here was that I had to find targets for Soul Drain. Theres no point now that Im partially healed, he said and walked up to them. Pronostched around his neck while he picked up Tyran. Since youre small enough, Ill let you stay outside for now. The storage of this ring is probably not the mostfortable of ces, he uttered and the T. Rex let out a happy cry. All right. Hold tight, he said and took off into the sky with a burst of mana. ? * * * ? When they arrived in ck Steel, Pronos kept his spot around Raknas neck while Tyran ran in all directions, enthusiastically viewing the surroundings. When they arrived at the Pavilion, they quickly went to one of the training rooms. This ce will be my home at this rate, Rakna snorted and let Tyran run free. Pronos, its time to work on your magic. The little snake nodded at that and climbed down from his masters neck. Alexa told me you used your magic in a sort of trance-like state. Do you think you can do it again? Pronos looked hesitant at the question and he ultimately shook his head. I see. I guess you mean that you dont know rather than cant, Rakna corrected and he nodded. In that case, lets make some tests. Lets see using star energy may be detrimental more than anything. Trii, can you give me a bow and a full quiver? || Any particr features? || No, just give me a regr wooden bow. || Acknowledged. || Without dy, in a sh of light, what Rakna requested materialized floating right in front of his eyes. He grabbed the bow first, feeling its weight and bnce, then ced the quiver with around twenty arrows in it at his feet. Heres what you will do. Im going to shoot these arrows and you will try to use your magic on them. Arrows are straightforward projectiles. Its easy to picture what it does; fly and hit. I want you to focus on just one aspect; eleration, or to be exact, velocity. The former is literally how fast an object elerates. The arrows Im going to shoot have naturally a negative eleration for the most part so it would be unwise to focus on that. Velocity, on the other hand, is simply how fast an object moves so itll be far easier to manipte in all logic. Maintaining your concentration might also be crucial to manifest your magic. Do you get it until now? Pronos nodded again. Good. From what I heard, when you used your magic, a circle with an infinity sign in it was used to apply the effects on the rock, Rakna said and nocked an arrow on the bow. The first thing Ill have you do is to imagine the circle appearing in the arrows trajectory. In the end, this is the process you need to remember: Step one, judge the speed of the arrow. Step two, theorize a change in velocity. Step three, create the magic circle. Step four, let the arrow fly through. Ready to go? Rakna asked and the little snake bobbed his head up and down. Then, heres the first one, he announced and aimed at the opposite wall of the room. He let go of the string and observed Pronos who promptly released his mana with a fixated gaze. Rakna had purposefully shot the arrow with a weak pull, thus it stayed airborne for around three seconds. During that time frame, his Fabled Sight was constantly active but nothing was spotted before itnded. Pronos looked sad for a moment but Raknas voice quickly jolted him. Never be disappointed by a first failure, he said as he prepared another shot. Before feeling disappointment, feel the pain of working yourself to the bone. Second shot, he uttered and let the second arrow loose without waiting for the little snake. Trii, whenever I run out of arrows, fill the quiver, Rakna instructed as he nocked a third arrow. || Acknowledged. || Third, he continued to shoot the arrows, never letting time for Pronos to even think or try to wallow in pessimism. This had been one of his uncles most important lessons. Expectations have no ce in practice. Whether you are talented or not, it is wrong in itself to be expecting specific oues. Never expect sess. Never expect failure. There is no time to waste on thinking about either. You just try and try again. If after a thousand tries, nothing changes, then you ept the failure and try something else. If not, you persist. Never relenting, never hesitating, neverpromising. Amazing Higure thought. The sheer intensity of his conviction is enough to make ripples in his soul realm This is the mentality of someone that never gives up. Truly frightening. After fifty arrows had been shot, the first results began to show. Raknas slit eyes squinted as he spotted a brief golden glow at the arrows tip. He nced at Pronos who was panting with his tongue out and nocked the next arrow. He would not tell him anything. Hope is one more misleading feeling. People find constion in the most minor achievements and more often than not, they getcent. Pronos was on the right track and as long as he continued firing, the tension would not disappear unless he seededpletely. This was something his uncle had used more than once on him. Though, it was more violent than this. In the case of his training in the spear, Arimane would attack him with the intent to kill. He had no time to think, to breathe, or to rest. The only thing he could do was try to parry the attacks over and over again. Stopping meant death. In this case, his continuous firing at a constant pace and pattern forced Pronos into a mentality of never-ending activity. In other words, it was conditioning. When one arrow touched the ground, he already knew that there was another oneing. At the 185th shot, Rakna saw a nearplete magic circle appear. The arrow passed through and indiscernibly elerated. But he didnt stop. He continued to shoot the arrows and, finally, at the 228th shot, aplete magic circle was formed and the arrow elerated to such a degree that it became a blur and broke apart on impact. When that happened, Rakna lowered his bow and Pronos froze on the spot. It was as if he had lost the ability to move. The next arrow wasnting; the routine that had been ingrained in his body and mind had abruptly been interrupted. And thats when he caught up. He blinked in shock at the broken arrow and turned toward Rakna who had an invisible smile on his face. Congrattions, little guy. You did it. Then, the little snakes expression went from a shocked one to one full of joy. He hissed loudly and sprawled the length of his body on the floor. Tyran who had been watching everything since the beginning ran to him and began to celebrate with him in their own way. {Haha, the sweet taste of sess,} Higure said cheerily. {Isnt it wonderful?} Rakna snorted as he tapped his shoulder, stiff from the shooting session. He looked at the two pets interacting with each other and opened his mouth, Certainly is. Chapter 114: Lazy Day Chapter 114: Lazy Day After Pronos first sess, they spent close to two hours perfecting his control over it. Sadly, now that he could properly cast the magic, the drain on his mana made it hard to train as much as they would have wanted but it still bore results. The first thing they checked was how many aspects of the arrow his Infinity Magic could modify and in what way exactly. Velocity and eleration were obviously the first ones. The second had been the weight of the projectile; making a regr wooden arrow weigh close to a hundred kilos in an instant. The third one was size. It was surprisingly the easiest to change, perhaps for how easy it was to picture the transformation. On his first try, Pronos had made the arrow bigger than Rakna himself. The fourth one had been durability. It was confirmed that Pronos needed to alter a number for his magic to apply. Velocity and weight were easy ones but durability was another. There was no proper base unit to measure durability, at least, not in a direct way. Shock absorption, flexibility, hardness of the material, etc All of these were quite hard to apply with Pronos understanding but one of them had worked splendidly; density. In other words, the mass per volume. However, it had a different effect from just changing the weight. It was as if the material itself was beingpressed to wee a higher quantity of it. It was as if the material of a hundred arrows had been forced to fit in only one. This had the effect to make the projectile incredibly tougher, and heavier at the same time. Which worked perfectly for Pronos since it gave it two effects for the cost of one alteration. Theirst discovery was a random idea that Rakna hade up with. Since they were working around numbers, it was natural to believe that negative values could also be employed. That revtion allowed Pronos to reverse-engineer the aspects and make the arrow lighter, slower, or more fragile. It also took severely less mana to do it. Hm, the time itsts is variable, Raknamented as he spun an arrow between his fingers. On average, the enhancements you cest about five minutes. Sometimes less, sometimes more. It most likely corrtes to how much you change the initial value. Pronos nodded tiredly as he was finally getting some rest. Rakna had already fed him two mana pills in order to prolongate the training. Well, I guess its enough for today, Rakna said and told Trii to take back the bow as well as the hundreds of arrows littering the floor of the training room. In the future, youll have to test if you can modify the aspects of living beings and the numerical values of items or statuses You could potentially change the effectiveness of a consumable, the attack of a weapon, the cost of a skill, or even stats and attributes. It would also be incredible if you could change the level of a target so we could exploit how much experience we get from defeated foes, Rakna said with an even tone as if he hadnt just said somethingpletely outrageous. On the other hand, Pronos gaped at the possibility of such a loophole. Tyran had heard him but he wasnt as smart as his snake friend so he couldnt grasp the full implications. {wow, that is wow} Higure was speechless. [] And Alexa didnt even know what to say. Oh well, that will be forter. For all we know, it might be impossible or it might require obscene reserves of mana, Rakna shrugged and pulled out his unfinished book from his storage. He went to the page he had bookmarked and opened the door. Well, you two can do whatever you want for the rest of the day Ill bez- I mean, resting in the lounge room, he said before leaving them to their devices. Tyran And Pronos looked at each other and with a shrug, followed after him, jumping on the doors knob to open it. ? * * * ? An hourter, Rakna was reading thest page of his book whilst a green hexagonal barrier floated above his head, slowly rotating. After a short moment, he closed the book and hummed. 7/10. Not bad but nothing is striking about it. {They kissed?} Higure muttered. {Thats it!? Thats how they end it?!} I told you, he retorted dully and sat up on the couch as the book returned inside his storage. {Thats rubbish!} Now, now, dont go too far. Its just not to your taste. Dont insult the work that went into writing this story, mediocre or not. A good reader finds enjoyment in both the bad and good literature. It doesnt necessarily mean to read something you dont like but rather to learn something from it no matter what it is and reset the bar of your expectations. That makes the discovery of a good read even more satisfying, Rakna said. You said you were disappointed because of the dreary nature of the rtionship; then youll be overjoyed if you read a story afterward that takes things to the lengths you were imagining. {Uh, I never pegged you a bookworm,} Higuremented. Already forgot? Uncle? Big collection? Does that ring any bell? He sarcastically responded. {Ah, true. You did say you that you read a lot but I never expected you to be so passionate.} Well, what do you know. You can never judge a book by its cover, can you? {Hahaha! Indeed, youre right!} Rakna snorted in amusement and nced at his two pets rxing on the table, with Tyran sitting down and Pronos on top of his head. They were currently focused on the TV, watching a cartoon out of all things. By the way, Higure, when I was carving my magic circuits, you said something was happening in my mindscape. What was it? He asked after the topic came back to him. {Aaah, that. Well, why dont you see it for yourself? After doing it once, it should be easy for you now to visit us down here.} Give me a second, he replied and crossed his legs before closing his eyes. He activated Soul Breath and let himself fall into the endless pit of his soul power. When he opened his eyes again, he was looking at the smiling face of Higure. The roses at his feet were still red, contrasted by the purple ones, while ck petals fell from the sky. However, there was something different this time. The color of the air, if he could call it like that, was odd. It was both warm and cold. He looked up, expecting to see the twelve moons hanging amidst the starry sky but what he saw made his eyes pop. Two celestial bodies were burning above him and lighting his soul realm. One was colder than ice, unforgiving, and carrying with it the peace of frosting dusks. The other was hotter than fire, uninhibited, and bringing with it the rage of zing dawns. Impressive, isnt it? Higure said. This is how this ce appears during the day. When night falls outside, the moons take over. I see Rakna whispered and took his eyes off the sight before suddenly being tacked by a flying figure. The impact was soft and didnt hurt him but he was startled as Rexam started licking his face. Hey, hey, calm down. Im being cuddled a lot today Hah, this cub was probably eager to do that from the second he saw you enter this ce for the first time, Higure said. He restrained himself at the time for appearances sake. Rakna huffed at that and gently stroked the Luqus head. So? What was that change? Higure waved her paw as she said, Look around you. Heplied and other than the sleeping form of Fenriu, he spotted something that puzzled him at first nce. Within the flowers of this field, there was a singr river transporting clear water that sparkled with a blue light. This river had no beginning or end. It also had no explicit path and even made loops to his right and left before disappearing in the horizon of the small he was on. At least, he thought it was a or just a floating sphere of soil and flowers. Maybe exploring this ce would be an interesting endeavor. That aside, what confused him was that while he knew the river wasnt there thest time he came, its presence felt natural. Once again, it was as if everything in this ce had a ce in his heart. He slowly parted from Rexams hug and walked to the river. He crouched at the edge and dipped his fingers in the water, watching the stream part as it collided with them. Its full of mana and cold, hemented before pulling his hand back. Cold it is. I tried to touch it earlier and I felt like I was going to turn into an icicle. Though for you, its not nearly as bad since you have the protection of your element, Higure remarked. Rakna hummed as he traced the rivers waves. So? What is this? Some sort of representation of my magic circuits? I think so, the lioness nodded as she stood beside him, watching the mesmerizing glitters that shone below the surface of the water. Ever since it appeared, I feel more powerful too. Or, I guess it would be more urate to say that my existence here has been consolidated. Its the same for the cubs. What does that entail exactly? Well, I wasnt sure before this but, she paused with a meditative look. Manifesting us outside of here might be possible now. Your circuits have affected your soul, and in turn, us as well. Do you remember the thing about unlocking your Soul Marble? Manifesting my soul in the outside world? Indeed. I think this has made you closer to unlock it. This also means that its likely that you can manifest us, parts of your soul, in the outside world. And Im inclined to believe that you will not need to have full ess to your Soul Marble to get us out. Interesting Rakna muttered. How do you think it will proceed if I seed? As in how will we manifest? She asked in return and he nodded. I honestly have no clue. With a bit of luck, we could be something simr to Phantoms, ghosts with physical influence. But its also possible that well be nothing more than incorporeal beings with no power. No better than an illusion. Hm, Ill give it some thought, he stated. For now, Ill take the rest of the day. Ill continue reading a bit while practicing the skills that dont need too much thought. Tomorrow, Ill give it a shot and since Eyes of the Soul has reached Exceled, using a skill point on it might also help. Understood. But what kind of book will you read? Rakna shrugged and mentally nudged the connection he had with his soul. Lets see, he said and thendscape of his soul realm broke apart like ss and he found himself back inside the Pavilion with the sound of the TV ring. What about this one? Rakna asked as a new book appeared in his hand. This one was thicker than the previous one. From what I can see in the synopsis, theres a chance it has the thrill youre looking for. {What are we waiting for then?} Higure replied excitedly. Reading was a novelty for her. She was far from illiterate but she had never bothered to try literature in her entire life. She had to admit it was stimting to see fantastic tales that she would never have the opportunity to observe in real life. All right. This one seems more entuated toward fantasy, Rakna said and opened the first page. Chapter 115: Eva Chapter 115: Eva Rakna had left the Pavilion half an hour before his promised appointment with Old Wang and was currently floating above the city of ck Steel while sitting cross-legged on an expanded barrier made by his Gradation Hex Buffer, GHB for short. He had left Tyran and Pronos behind who were all but willing to leave their seat in front of the television. He was now waiting for the agreed time while continuing to read his book. He had alreadye a long way with his new defensive skill. Not only could he use it as an airborne tform but, if he did it right, it would also be possible to use it as an attack method. And the more he leveled it up, the easier it was to change its shape while also improving its movement speed. {Hm, this ispletely different from the previous,} Higuremented all of a sudden. {A story about a young man, made tobat foes crushingly stronger than him, only to be betrayed at the end of his struggle.} Indeed, Rakna nodded. Nothing I havent read before but this he went back in time, not to take revenge but to find his way around betrayal. No matter how many times he gets betrayed, he never hates them and he tries again and again, doing his best to learn about other peoples feelings. This is something youd be hard-pressed to find back on my. {Why is it?} Humans, where Ie from, are predominantly greedy, self-centered, and dreamers to a fault. In dissatisfaction with their lives and wallowing in their pride, they would never value the tale of a martyr who does not seek retribution for himself. They would find it stupid, he said and turned to the next page. Infuriating, boring, and unrealistic. {Hmph, what is wrong with the humans in your world? If they cant admire the fortitude of a man seeking eptance and peace, what do they admire?} Thats the problem. Very few people develop admiration for someone else because, as I said, they are too self-centered to allow themselves to consider another as better than them, he said with a detached voice. Well, I take sce in the fact that not everyone is like that. Im grateful to see that other races here may not have the inherent vice of humans. {Its odd to hear from a former human like you. Is itmon for your race to hate your own kin like that?} Youd be surprised, Rakna replied with a snort. We can be everything. From a savior to a killer. {Is that so} Anyway, he said and bookmarked the page he was on. Its time, he added and made the barrier disappear under his feet. He free-fell whilst maintaining his center of bnce straight andnded softly on the ground with a gradual application of sh Step. Show off much, eh, sonny? Old Wang, who was closing his stand,mented with a smirk as he saw him descend from the sky. I can feel with certitude that youre several times stronger than this morning. Youre terrifically talented, arent you? Rakna shrugged as he walked to him. I got lucky for the most part. He wasnt even being humble. The dwarf chuckled as he locked his booth before putting it inside a storage ring. All right. Follow me. Well use my homes forge, he said and led his apprentice-to-be back to a small house he owns in a quiet and scarcely frequented area. Old Wang opened the front door and entered after the lights turned on by themselves. Come in and make yourself at home. Give me ten minutes to settle and eat something and then well be good to go, he said and headed toward the kitchen. Do you want something too? Thank you but no. Im already full, Rakna replied as he closed the entrance behind him. The truth was that he hadnt eaten anything other than the drake heart for the entire day. However, that had been more than enough to satiate him. Even now, he still felt full and he had no idea how long it wouldst. All right. Wait here, the dwarf said and performed his routine. In the meantime, Rakna found himself inspecting the house. It was certainly modern-looking and some contraptions that he never had seen before were lying around. But,pared to the rest of ck Steel, it was a bit out of date. In fact, some of the furniture seemed to be very old at first nce and the decoration was in the same kind of spirit. A soothing environment Raknamented internally. Maybe I should buy a house somewhere with the money I have. It wouldnt hurt to have a ce I can call home in the System. {I agree with that idea,} Higure said. {A ce to return to, no matter how simplistic or small it is, is a good thing to have. Theres nothing that trumps the sense of peace you get by resting in a ce that you own.} Rakna grunted positively at her words. Alexa, give me an estimate. What is the average price of a house like this one? [1 000 000 Talys. However, thats only if youre willing to search far from the center of the city or you might find the price reaching the eight digits. I rmend you try to look for a ce in the higher teaus where demand is considerably lower.] I see Rakna whispered then got an idea. Forget what I said. I want to know if theres a regtion to iming terrain in the System. For example, if I went into the wilderness, built a house, and decided to live there, would it be allowed? [That is different. Technically speaking, there is nothing stopping you. But, as you already know, the System resets every month. Since you havent been informed yet, let me exin the details of that specific mechanic. The reset does several clean-ups.] [The first is to get rid of all corpses still in the wilderness. The second is to generate new monsters to fill the empty spots. The third is to change the Trials and other hidden ordeals locations and specifics. The fourth is to remodel the dungeons. The fifth is to terraform thend randomly while erasing anything that stands in its way.] So, a house would be destroyed by the reset, huh? [Correct. However, as you must have already deducted, ck Steel and independent viges like the one you visited are spared by the resets alterations. That is because they have indeed been imed and thus put under protection by the System. The entirety of ck Steel is imed by the Mayor and he is the one who sells parts of it whenever someone wishes to buy them.] So, how would one go about iming a terrain? [By appealing to the System,] Alexa responded. Appealing you mean through a Terminal? [Affirmative. I dont believe I have told you yet, but the System has a core infrastructure. A sort of super artificial intelligencemonly referred to as Eva that supervises everything happening in the teaus. If you wish to imnd, you have to appeal to Eva and it will either refuse you or give you the right to im through a contract that satisfies both of you.] I see. I guess that makes sense. It would be chaotic if just anyone could imnd. Then what are the criteria for someone to be epted? [They are unknown. Though most believe that the key to be granted the authorization is to have a valid reason and motive, there have been cases of people with no such thing being epted.] So, I wont know until I try. Is that it? [Affirmative.] And? Can I use a Terminal if I ask the Pavilion? [Normally, there would be procedures but with your Badge of Honor, a de facto nobility, you can bypass those and use the Terminal whenever you desire.] I can only hope then. [If you were to ask me, I have a strong belief that you will be granted the right.] Why is that? [You may have joked about it before, but the System indeed ys favorites from time to time. Or to be exact, Eva does. There have been instances of it directly rescuing Hosts in the past. In respect of the potential you have shown, I wouldnt put it beyond Eva to give you preferential treatment.] {Hm Eva, huh? Ive heard things about that entity,} Higure said. {I always thought of it as some sort of spoiled child. Creating dungeons, gifting items, saving Hosts; all on a whim. I heard once that it punished a Host for calling it, and I quote, stupid machine.} Rakna almost snickered at that. That makes me curious. Based on what I saw from Alexa, I can expect a super AI to also have some amount of sentiency, he stated and nced to his right as Old Wang reappeared. Im done. The forge is down, lets go, he said and led him to a certain door. They climbed down the stairs and the pseudo-modern dcor turned into somethingpletely different. Stone walls, ceiling, and floor. A permeating heating from arge forge that spat fire with seemingly no physicalbustible. There were a few wooden workbenches with schematics on them as well as many tools, several of them being hammers of different sizes. There was a big anvil in the middle of the smithy and to the far back cornerid many crates of materials together with many weapons. What? It wasnt what you expected? Old Wang asked with a smirk when he saw Raknas face. He then grabbed a pair of thick gloves on one of the workbenches and put them on. Well, yes and no. It just seems very conventional? Heh! If you were expecting machinery or some enchanted gear, forget it. All I need is this, he pointed to a hammer he picked up. And this, he motioned his chin toward the anvil. Sure, I could do things more easily with actual items from the System or presses but I wouldnt want to. Its just a trap to make your skills stagnate. Heres your first lesson, kiddo, a real cksmith forges with blood and sweat, not oil and magic. Rakna slowly nodded at that. Now that he thought about it, his uncles smithy was alsockluster when it came to design and usability. Sure, the walls were made with Eion reinforced material and the forge could produce mes that could melt steel in seconds, but other than that, just like Old Wang, there was just a hammer and an anvil. So? I have to ask you, what do you want to learn exactly? The old dwarf asked, jolting him out of his thoughts, as he grabbed an ingot of steel. Swords? Spears? Armors? essories? Which one are you aiming for? Rakna raised an eyebrow and thought about it. If possible all sorts of weapons. Scythes, daggers, axes, and tridents among other things. The more the better. Additionally, things like needles and arrowheads would be nice too. Haha, you have a lot of work then, the old dwarfughed good-naturedly. Especially thosest two demand a bit more finesse. In normal circumstances, I would say that its better looking for mass-produced versions since forging it as I do is a waste of time well, thats only if youre not looking for quality. But I suppose its not what you want. He continued speaking as he picked a plier to put the steel inside the zing forge. But well, well get there in time. Before starting, let me introduce you, this is Karna, he said while pointing at the fire of the forge and Rakna tilted his head in confusion, which soon evolved into shock when the mes moved to form a smiling face. Hes what we call a Celestial Kindle. They are living sentient mes capable of adjusting their temperature at will. Theyre a providence for cksmiths. They can be found on the teaus from 45 to 49. So, if you want one in the future, look there, Old Wang said and Karna returned to normal before starting to heat the ingot of steel. Anyhow, today will be the basics of basics. There are three primary branches when ites to smithing; forging, welding, and heat treatment. Well focus on forging and heat treatment. Welding isnt something you should bother with for now. Today, Ill have you try the first forging technique, drawing, he dered and pulled the glowing red ingot to put it on the anvil. While keeping it still with his pliers, he lifted his hammer with a sharp intake of air and brought it down. Raknas eyes widened as he felt literal wafts generated by his movement. When drawing, what you want is to bring the original material to the length, girth, and thickness you want it at, he said in between strikes. You heat the part you want to draw until its at forging heat and strike it whilst keeping the t part of your hammer aimed directly at your target. The steel you hit flows outward from the center of the hammers face. Keep that in mind, itll be importantter on; the flow of the heated material is crucial. In any case, you will strike until its thin enough for your liking and do so everywhere. Obviously, the steel cools down over time and you have to reheat it if you dont want to risk breaking it and ruin what you have already done. With each heat, you have to n a method that will make you aplish the most possible on your work before it cools down, he instructed as he returned the thinned down ingot inside the forge. The fewer heats done on a single task, the better. You cant allow wasting time. Thates with experience mostly. Now, the old dwarf put down the pliers, letting the ingot in Karnas care, and tossed his hammer to Rakna who caught it in a daze. Your turn. Take the pliers and get me that ingot to 5-10mm of thickness and keep it as straight as you can. Ill guide you. Rakna blinked at the hammer in his hand before taking off his jacket. He rolled his sleeves back and began his practice under the old dwarfs coaching. Chapter 116: First Blade Chapter 116: First de Hes still here? An muttered as he read the notification in front of his eyes while he climbed the stairs of the Pavilion. When he had reached the edge of the Filter Dimension, he received the same kind of notification that signaled him of a friend being present. So, he epted it and predicted to see Rakna resting on the couches or training in one of the rooms, but what he saw forced him to make a double-take. ? * * * ? Rakna brought down the hammer in his hand for what felt like the thousandth time, sweating ever so slightly because of the strain. He was still working on the expanded steel ingot, trying to work out the most efficient ways to forge it. Old Wang had exited the smithy to go to sleep after guiding him for around an hour. He had given him permission to stay for as long as he wanted while also mentioning that the ce was insted so he didnt need to mind about the noise. And so, Rakna just decided to continue hammering with terrific absorption. He wouldnt mind spending the entire night if he needed to. As he was pondering that, his HL began to ring and he answered with a scowl. Wha- RAKNA! Theres a goddam T. Rex in your sections lounge! Ans voice pierced through before he could ask what was going on. He blinked in surprise. what? You mean Tyran? You gave a pet name to that thing?! Calm down. Why are you so agitated? Rakna responded with an even tone, hammering thest corners of the original steel ingot. The nks couldnt be heard on the other side of the line since the HL transmitted nothing but his voice. He should barely look more threatening than a cat. Seriously? Youre sure youve seen that thing clearly!? An retorted confounded and he sighed, preparing to say something else when his blond friend sent him a video through his HL. He closed his mouth almost instantly. The video depicted Tyran and Pronos sleeping on the floor. Well, that wouldnt have been very problematic if only the now-undead T. Rex wasnt doing so in his original size. Rakna had to admit that he did look intimidating, and the considerably strong gusts of wind that the beast was causing with his breathing alone didnt help to pacify the image. Well dont worry. Hes docile, Rakna ultimately said. Rak, Im sorry to tell you that theres no way I can rte the word docile to the most historically glorified carnivorous predator on Earth! Just ignore him. Way ahead of you! Ive already left that death trap. Rakna shook his head exasperatedly. Whatever. So? How did it go? What do you mean? The training with Evelyn. Ooh, that. Well, we got her to level 24 and she said she has re-learned pretty much all of what she had lost over her time spent in the seal. Shes also doing pretty good with Hell ze. Shes also caught up with us. We brought her to the 10th teau. So, Im the only behind now, huh? Rakna said nkly while putting the half-done de he was forging under the care of Karnas mes. Like hell youre behind. If anything, we should be grateful youre crippled so we can dig the gap between us, or else youd leave us in the dust. Ah, I fixed that, by the way. Ill be fully healed in two days. of course, you will. Where are you right now anyway? When I was given the authorization to enter your private section, I thought you were in there but my wee was a damn T. Rex. Im learning cksmithing, Rakna replied dully, resuming his hammering. Speaking of which, I guess the fact that you were able to join Pronos and Tyran means that our friend status extends to our pets. Interesting to know. Apparently wait, did you say cksmithing? What for? To hopefully improve my spells or my Magic Theory. Uh, so youre following in the footsteps of the old master? As if, Rakna retorted with a scoff as he increased the strength behind his swing. The hammer struck the red steel and bent further. He was now following the old dwarfs instructions to change the angles to control the flow and shape the sword. If anything, I would wish to make my footsteps in the opposite direction of his. I never heard you say that, the blond said, genuinely taken off guard. An, if theres one thing you should know about my old man, is that his footsteps lead nowhere other than hell. In other words, something Im trying to get away from. I see Well, in any case, tell us whenever youre ready toe to the 10th teau. Im gonna hit the hay for today after passing by the shop. The girls are having a sort of sleepover right now at a hotel, I guess? All I know is that theyre probably having their girls talk. {That is definitely something you dont want to intrude in,} Higuremented mirthfully. Well, have fun, Rak. Oh, almost forgot; via and Evelyn wanted to ask you if you could train them to use weapons. They asked Nyx but she said she wasnt very good at teaching, so I get it. Ill call them when Im done on my side, Rakna said as he broke through one side of the de for the tang that would go inside the handle. All right! See ya. And with that, the sound of the smithy and hammering was the only thing left again. Rakna looked at the piece in front of him and marked the thicker sections. Normally speaking, forging an average sword would take days of continuous work but for someone like him, with strength far beyond normal humans, if he did it right, it would only take hours, half a day at worst. After about an hour of drawing the basic shape of the weapon, he then started to tweak the parts that were a bit irregr as well as smoothing the edges as best as he could. Then, as he was doing that, the notification he was waiting for finally popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Through umting practice, you have learned a new proficiency, cksmithing! ? ? ? ? ? Almost instantly, Rakna felt a minor rush of information. It felt the same as when hebined his weapon proficiencies though it was considerably lessplex. However, that rush of information merely served to consolidate the basics he had scrapped from looking at his uncle asionally and the few directions Old Wang had given him. This is harder to learn than other stuff Rakna grumbled to himself. His instinct would usually allow him to master most things in instants but this was different. Well, if there was one thing he could do for sure, its to wield a hammer. He instinctively knew how to swing effectively but that did not extend to the forging of a weapon. He would have to get used to it before his instinct could guide him. {And I say thankfully,} Higure snickered. {Youre already brilliant enough as it is and even if you say that, youre still learning pretty quickly. Leave some talent for the rest of us, will you? Wouldnt life be boring if everything was easy?} Rakna hummed as he ced the sword vertically and lightly bashed the sides. A boring life is always better than a dangerous one. {Says the one who purposefully provoked a Stampede while in a crippled state.} point taken, he muttered and extended the sword inside the mes of the forge. At this point, the overall shape was what he expected. It looked like a mix between a curved and straight de; as if the creator had hesitated between the two styles. It wasnt surprising since he had made several mistakes and he had tried to fix them. This had inevitably led to an irregr shape and noticeable ridges. Hopefully grinding and sharpening will make it decent He said to himself and as he watched the steel gradually return to forging heat, he got an idea and ced it on the anvil. Then, his pupils constricted before duplicating and forming a cross. When he saw the focal points on what he was forging, he almost cringed. There were too many of them. Even if focal points were not something that could be exploited by normal people, they represented dimensional structural ws. Having so many of them couldnt possibly be a good thing. {I can guess what youre thinking and you are correct,} Higure intervened. {Focal points are not something you can interact with normally, that is true. But they also are a rough reflection of the actual frailties of the material. In the case of this sword, were it to collide with another, there are high chances it would break on contact.} Rakna silently acknowledged her words and inspected the threads. There were two types of them all entwined together. To be exact, half of them were dark red while the other half was dark gray. It probably meant a different kind of weakness and, if he wasnt wrong, the gray referred to the base of steel while the red was the heated parts of it. Thats when he got an idea. He didnt mind if this particr sword broke or became a failure so he took the asion to experiment. He lifted his hammer and activated Fabled Sight on top of Cross Sight to have the best possible focus on what he was doing. He breathed in and struck the spot with the smaller number of focal points. He then watched as the closest points seemingly shifted ces while some of them outright disappeared. From there, he continued to test all sorts of angles and ces that would reduce the number of focal points, even sometimes without hesitating to forgo parts of the de itself. He spent nearly two hours doing that over and over again and when he was done, there were only two focal points left that simply didnt want to go away. He theorized that every object, no matter what, would always have structural pirs, which was probably the reason he couldnt do anything about them. Ultimately, the de he ended up with looked like some sort of patchwork. It was multi-edged with grooves on both sides and sharp thorns sticking out. It made him think of the extravagant and odd designs that he would find in video games. Nevertheless, he had managed to keep the thickness consistent and while very irregr, the de struck somewhat intimidating. ? ??? cksmithing has leveled up! ??? ? {Thats certainly an interesting model if anything.} Rakna snorted at the lioness satire and waited for the de to cool down. He then went ahead to the grindstone and started sharpening the multiple separate edges as well as leveling the sides. After that, he proceeded to follow the old dwarfs instructions about heat treatment. The first step was to heat the work to a cherry red before plunging it into water. He did so and swirled the de until it stopped steaming. This was the basic process of hardening. What came after that was tempering. He polished the faces leading up to the edges with emery cloth until they shone. He then brought it to Karna who, all on his own, performed the correct progression of heat, prioritizing first the parts that required to be softer. When the polished face started turning bluish, a color called peacock, he quenched the de one more time before repeating the process once more so that every part that needed to be either soft or hard was suitably so. Ten minutester, he eventually ced down the finished de on one of the workbenches and cast Appraisal on it. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Cao Sword Name: Rarity: Green Attack power: +40 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Dimensional Structural Stability: While it is a sword made of regr material, the technique used during its forging has heightened its dimensional stability to make it remarkably robust. ? C Focal Concentration: Dimensional power has been passively infused into the de and, coupled with excellent stability, it allows the de to cause more damage when hitting a focal point. It nheless necessitates being d in the energy of a Shuttle Specter Physique to function. ? Description: ? A weapon forged by a beginner cksmith, Rakna Xiorra, with high-grade steel. It possesses an irregr form and is impracticable in many situations and for many de martial arts. ? But it possesses a surprisingly sharp edge and tip thanks to its durability allowing intensive grinding without detrimental effects. The tortuous shape makes it a deadly weapon when used to pierce for its potential capacity to get stuck in flesh. ? ? ? ? Chapter 117: Spell Evolution Chapter 117: Spell Evolution This is already way better than I expected, Raknamented as he inspected the hilt-less de in front of him. {Hm, interesting. This is probably the first time Ive seen or heard about someone using Cross Sight for crafting items,} Higuremented, intrigued. {This is a pretty meanish de you have made too.} True. A Cao Sword, huh? He spoke. I didnt know there was a specific name for this sort of mishmash, he uttered and opened one of thepartments of the workbench where many pre-made hilts were stocked. Old Wang had told him he could choose any of those for now before he taught him how to craft them. He grabbed one made out of a silvery alloy and ensued to heat the des tang to red again and forge it to the correct shape before inserting it inside the hilt. He then wedged it to the pommel andpleted the sword. He grabbed it with one hand and performed a few testing swings. He held it straight and squinted as he observed the 80 centimeters long de. Hm, I wonder how this de even has a somewhat decent bnce. {what a neat thing to say for the one who made it.} Rakna shrugged. From what I know, I could try to hollow out the surface of the steel to fix it. But Im not sure how to do it so Ill ask Old Wangter on, he said and put down the sword. He looked at it thoughtfully and closed one eye. Ill call it Alzero. Instantly, the swords description was updated and he decided to try out what he had made that weapon for in the first ce. He lifted his empty hand and closed his eyes. Tendrils of cold energy coiled around his arm and fingers began to tie themselves together as the temperature in the smithy plummeted. Karna suddenly felt pressured. Not because of the cold that shed against his very nature but the source of said cold that represented his greater. No me in existence would ever refuse to bow in front of a star. Raknas mind went through every step he performed in thest few hours as the tendrils swirled around each other to form the daunting sword. Once close topletion, the construct produced a muffled whistling noise and released a brief sh of light. When Rakna opened his eyes at the cold and solid sensation in his grip, he saw himself holding a perfect copy of Alzero with the only differences being the faint blue shade and the mist it released due to the iciness of the object. He changed his grip so that one side would be parallel to him and his eyes slightly widened when he saw his reflection on the de. Even the sound and the weight of the de felt like true steel. This is He mumbled and cast Appraisal on the sword. ? ? ? ? ? A perfect copy, and beyond, of the Cao Sword, Alzero. It was made of cold star energy and possesses every perk that the original has. It has no need of mana to sustain itself and will disappear on its own after half a day unless it breaks or the caster dismisses it. This was only made possible thanks to Rakna Xiorras first-hand knowledge of how the de was forged and its effects. ? ? ? ? ? Thats better than I thought. In other words, anything that I forge, I could potentially be able to replicate down to its every perk. It unconditionallysts half-day as well. What about He trailed and concentrated on his other hand. He imitated what he did with Alzero and imagined the steps of forging. This time, he saw with his own eyes as the tendrils of cold energy seemed to knit themselves. This was already different from his usual Star Make. But when the product was finished, he grunted in disappointment. There was only a regr-looking sword made out of raw energy. He could feel that it was tougher than before, and perhaps was taking less mana to maintain, but that was it. It didnt look real as Alzero did. Then, with a thought, the two weapons he was holding transformed into the tendrils they had been made with before detaching themselves from each other and dispersing. He looked at the vanishing particles before opening his status to see if something was different. There was no new spell or skill but something else was there. Oh? It was a sort of progress bar disyed under the Star Make spell. It was about 3% percent filled. Alexa, he called. He didnt need to say it for her to understand what he wanted. [That is the sign of a spell evolution. Unlike skills or magic, spells cannot be leveled. Though, as you know, they can be altered when the conditions are right. In addition to that, all spells have the potential to evolve into a stronger or unique version. This bar means that you have discovered one of the courses that will end on the evolution of Star Make.] I see. So, I guess adding the concept of smithing to Star Make will make it evolve. But I need more than just one mediocre sword for it to happen, Rakna summarized. {How interesting. I look forward to seeing what it evolves into.} That makes two of us, he replied and looked at the crates filled with different kinds of metal. We still have a whole night before us and I could easily spend a few days without sleeping. He did say I could use more steel if I wanted to, he said as he grabbed one ingot. Do you mind if ask you to help me a bit more, Karna? The fire let out a small burst as if to express a positive answer and he nodded as he grabbed the pliers and put the steel under the Celestial Kindles care. ? * * * ? Several hourster, when the sun was already rising outside, Raknapleted his third weapon; a broad dagger. The weapon before that had been a regr straight sword; the result that he normally should have gotten when he was making Alzero. In any case, after spending the night forging, he had filled 10% of his spells evolution gauge and increased his cksmithing level by one. The two weapons had the same perks as Alzero though a bit weaker. To get a sword and a dagger with normal shapes, he was forced to ignore a few focal points. He would have to work on optimizing his use of dimensional forging, as he called it. As he was observing said weapons, he heard the door leading to the smithy being opened and the consequent footsteps descending the stairs. Good morning, sonny. You stayed up all night? Old Wang asked as he went down thest stair. Rakna nodded quietly. I wanted to get used to the feeling as much as I could. And I was tempted to continue since one of my spells might evolve from it. Oh? Thats indeed exciting news, he said and walked to the workbench where the three weapons were ced. His eyes roamed first on the dagger and sword positioned on top of the table before widening in surprise when theynded on Alzero leaning to the side. He grabbed the sword and inspected it from the hilt to the tip of the de with a careful eye. He then did the same to the two others before speaking, Fascinating These des are imbued with an intent I have never seen before. Is this? Dimensional power, Rakna exined. While Im not sure myself what it means, thats what my analysis tells me. One of my skills allows me to see structural weaknesses in the dimensions of an object. I tried to reduce their number while forging these. I see Old Wang mumbled whilst tracing the des with his fingers. You should already know but my magic element is metal. It grants me insight into anything remotely rted to metal, among other things. I can feel a strong stability in each of these des as if a perfect arrangement had been found in their assembly. Especially this Cao Sword. That would be because I disregarded shape on that one to focus on the focal points. Exining the form, the cksmith chuckled before putting the sword down. From what I see here, you did a great job grasping the basics. So, is there another type of weapon you want me to guide you through before I go set up my stall? Rakna mused before reaching a decision. Spears. Spears, huh? Well, its not thatplicated. I could also get you started on woodworking for the shaft at the same time. Or would you prefer to learn full spears where both the de and the shaft are made of the same material? The second Id say, he said. There are two weapons that I would like to get close to as much as possible. A trident and a barbed spear. Both fit the bill for the second type. All right then. Youll need molds for the shaft and a bit of pressure handling. You make do without machinery, Wang said as he started preparing what would be needed. Well, its not impossible to forge the shaft by hand, but honestly, I dont think anyone would do something like that unless they were a masochist, he said before pausing. Actually I might know someone like that. Anyhow, Ill also have to teach you how to make the material flexible, separate it into blocks, to hollow them out in some parts, and pad to kill force. We dont want the weapon to diffuse the full blow from the tip to the whole shaft, after all. Not only would that hurt your hands but itll also be quite imodious to wield. Rakna nodded with a stoic face, not giving out any hint on whether he understood or not. Ill set the guidelines for you in an hour or so and then youll practice by yourself. ? * * * ? Five hourster, Rakna left the old smiths house with two swords, a dagger, and two spears added to his storage. He had been given a spare key so he could return whenever he wanted to use the smithy. Though, Old Wang had also said that it would be appreciated if he brought his own material next time. He yawned as he walked on the streets of ck Steel. He passed by a shop to buy some food and headed back to the Pavilion. He himself still didnt feel particrly hungry but he was quite sure that Pronos and Tyran hadnt eaten anything in a while. Though I have no idea if undead even need to eat, he said internally and entered the private section about five minutester. Immediately, his brow twitched when he saw that the two beasts were glued to the TV as they had been when he had left. Tyran had also decided to just keep his original size, or maybe he had just forgotten. Have you two seriously been watching cartoons the entire morning? He raised his voice and the pair of deadly predators was startled. They were so engrossed they hadnt noticed him. When they saw his expression, they took on a sheepish expression and looked away. Rakna shook his head with a sigh before ultimately joining them and giving them the meal that he had bought for them. Once that was done, he opened his status and breathed in, preparing for the worse as he readied a Heart Card, and assigned a skill point to his Eyes of the Soul. Chapter 118: Souls Decree & Primal Soul Core Chapter 118: Souls Decree & Primal Soul Core ? ? ? ? Eyes of the Soul has sessfully ascended to Souls Decree! ? ? Souls Decree (Lv.21): A skill worthy of the jealousy of even the strongest beings. Through the windows of the soul, the user will experience an attunement to his body and mind that is said to be even out of reach for Spiritual Creatures. ? With this Demi-God Skill, nothing can stop you from learning even the hardest of techniques in a few hours or minutes. Even instantly sometimes. You can also never be taken by surprise or ambushed as your soul will never fail to notice it and warn you of the danger. ? Furthermore, this skill grants you two abilities known as Astral Projection and Vow of ord. ? Secondary Effect: Permanent 200% increase to senses. ? ? ? ? ? Once again, Rakna felt his senses expanding but nothing too bad. Cumtively, the multiplicator applied to his stat had gone from 4.5 to 5 with this. Additionally, he could feel without a doubt that the quantity of soul power circting through both his soul organ and circuits had increased. Good to see I didnt have to use this, he sighed as he dismissed the Heart Cards revolving around him. After that, he promptly used Appraisal on both of the abilities granted by the skill. ? ? ? ? ? Astral Projection ? The art of separating the soul from the body. By shedding yourself of your physical vessel, you can navigate the world as a spiritual entity. ? In that form, you are not bound by gravity or solid objects. You cannot be harmed through physical attacks and simrly cannot inflict them as well. You can switch from a visible to an invisible state at will and while severely weakened due to the imbnce of internal forces, magic will still be essible to you. ? Possession is also not beyond the realm of possibility but many risks are involved. ? Note: The better your control, the farther you can distance yourself from your body. Keep in mind that thetter will also be vulnerable when performing the projection. ? ? Vow of ord ? This is a contract between souls. Upon activation, two parties vow to each other and form a contract of life or death. If the vow is broken, the offender will lose their life. ? Note: This ability can be forcefully imnted in ones soul if the users soul power is strong enough to dwarf the targets own. ? ? ? ? ? Very useful. Both of them, Rakna immediatelymented. Vow of ord could be used on many asions if he took into consideration that he would most likely encounter more and more people in the future, both nefarious and sound. It would be a good thing to have the ability to make them unable to betray him or simply to gain their trust. As for Astral Projection, the scouting possibilities were endless. However, he would need to see first how far he could get away from his physical body. Lets see He closed his eyes and pictured his soul power condensing into a concrete shape and exiting his body. Normally, this should have been an incredibly hard process. Any soul practitioner would tell you that sessfully astralizing your soul was a road of self-discovery and endless training. However, in Raknas case, someone who now possessed an innate Demi-God skill that boosted all of his learning experiences to obscene extents, logic didnt apply. In a burst of power, he was ejected out of his body. For him, it felt like falling backward along with his seat. Then, the next thing he knew, he was looking at the ceiling, his body lying horizontally with no contact with the floor. He was immobile for a good minute before he tentatively tried to move his body. But the small movement turned into an uncontroble drive that made him fly into a wall. ? ? ? ? ? Warning! You cannot phase through Filter Dimensions with a Spiritual Body. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna groaned, but his voice was distorted as if he was trying to speak underwater. He pushed himself away from the wall where a thin protective barrier stopped him from actually phasing through it like he should have been able to and gradually managed to right himself up. He looked at himself and didnt find anything different except the fact that he didnt seem to be able to put his feet on the ground. He then raised his head to looked at Pronos and Tyran, who was now back to a small size. The two creatures were frozen in shock, staring at him. It appeared like the two of them had been in a sort of scuffle for a chicken leg when he was ejected from his body. He tried to speak up but it came out undecipherable. He shrugged and focused on how to control his current body instead. Also, if his two pets could see him, it meant he was in a visible state and he would have to figure out how to be invisible. Meanwhile, Tyran was the first to recover from the sight and he looked to his right from the corner of his eyes where Pronos was holding a chicken with his tail. In one swift moment, he opened his mouth and gobbled it up. Pronos instantly turned his head and blinked at his tail. Tyran grinned at him and the two engaged into another brawl for another piece of chicken. So? Do you feel any different, Higure? Rakna asked as he spun whilst floating. He had a nk face all the while but he had to admit it was quite a fun experience. {Different as in being able to manifest outside?} Yes. {Well, once again, just like when you carved your magic circuits, I feel a bit stronger. But I have no idea if its doable yet. Perhaps you could try to project me outside like youre doing right now? Ill try to help you along.} All right. Give me a minute, he responded and stopped the gradual disappearance of his arm. He had easily grasped how to turn invisible while Higure was talking. After a few more tries, he went back to his unconscious body, which thankfully hadnt fallen over from the couch, and merged with it without trouble. He gasped and opened his eyes, feeling slightly alienated by the change. He flexed his limbs and coated his body in soul power. His circuits red for the split of a second as he tried to ess the connection that he had with Higure and then attempted to tug on it. Briefly, he saw a fuzzy shadow in the form of a lion appear next to him before vanishing as fast as it hade. He grunted at the small exertion of soul power and Higure spoke up. {Hmm it worked for a very short moment. Perhaps your soul isnt potent enough yet. It truly felt as if I needed just a tad bit more to be projected.} In that case, Rakna uttered as he opened his status again. We already know what to do. Im already quite deep into soul techniques so I dont mind using this, he added and allocated thest skill point he possessed. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Core has sessfully ascended to Primal Soul Core! ? ? Primal Soul Core (Lv. 11): One who is a step into the spiritual world. By getting closer to your soul, you have developed a spiritual organ. Whenever you perform an action of any sort, skills included, your Core will guide your very soul to support you. ? With this Ascended Skill, it is possible for the user to reach the innermostyers of their soul to tap into the power of their nature and summon a physical manifestation and representation of their personified essence; Kzanaria. ? A Kzanaria is a specter of will that mirrors its creators. One who yearns to protect will awaken a Kzanaria with the ability to do so. One who yearns to heal will awaken such specter as well. One who yearns to kill will summon a Kzanaria with terrific lethal aptitude. They are all unique and can manifest in many different ways. ? Additional Effects: +100% Senses. -30% Mana and Stamina Consumption. +5 MP every time a foe is injured through physical means. Inflicts spiritual damage. ? ? You have gotten closer to unlocking your Soul Marble! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna breathed in calmly as his soul organ pumped faster. He regted his breath and controlled the flow of soul power that had suddenly be frenzied by the abrupt deviations the ascension of his skill had caused. He exhaled onest time and addressed the lioness, And now? {Without a doubt,} Higure answered surprisingly fast. {The flow of the river down here is faster than before and I feel as if I could just jump and pop out into the real world.} Rakna snorted and repeated the same thing as earlier. Well, why dont you try? He uttered and coalesced his soul power into one spot. This time, he clearly felt Higures intent assisting him with the procedure. Then, in the blink of an eye, a ck lion jumped out of his body andnded on the floor with a roar that sounded as distorted as Rakna during his soul projection. {It worked!} Higures excited voice rang inside his head and he saw the lioness jump giddily from one side of the room to the other, once again catching Pronos and Tyran off guard as they pushed each others faces for thest portion of chicken. d to see you like it, Raknamented, silently noting that he sensed a connection with her projected form. It indeed belonged to her but at the same time, she was still made of his soul power and he could probablymand it to return inside his body whenever he wanted. {How could I not like it?} She retorted as shended in front of him in all her splendor. {You have no idea how ted I am to be able toe out. Though} She trailed and reached for the table nearby with her paw, only for it to go through it. {Im just a projection. With a bit of luck, I might be able to cast some magic but it will likely be fueled by your mana and Im not sure if I can use the affinities I had when I was alive. There are high chances that the only magics I will have ess to are the ones you wield. Making this not very useful overall.} Then what do you think could be done for you to have a physical influence? {Hm Im not sure. Phantoms aside, spiritual beings have no way of interacting with the physical ne. However, perhaps a vessel would allow me to mimic such an aspect.} A vessel, huh? So, a body? What about yours? The one in my storage. Higure shook her head. {That wouldnt work. Well, while it would be possible for me to possess it, once again, Im not a Phantom. Evelyn was able to possess corpses because she could use her corporeal soul topensate for theirck of bodily functions. Some other spiritual beings can use Death Energy to do it, which I dont have.} {Regardless, we simple ghosts require a body that is not dead. If I tried to enter my old body right now, I wouldnt be able to move much less fight with it. Especially since you had to eat my heart. If you were to use Raise Undead on my body, which I assume is your aim if you kept it, that would change things but you dont have nearly enough mana to do it for now.} Rakna sighed. So, you would need a living being rather impractical. {Well it might not necessarily be the case,} she said with a thoughtful tone. {Essentially, what I need is a body that can move. Something that is not dead. But at the same time, it doesnt have to be something alive.} Rakna raised an eyebrow. So to speak? {Something like a magic puppet,} she replied. {Something that is tailored to be controlled with only mana or soul power. Golems, for example, might do the trick.} Golems, huh? Where would I find something like tha-! He cut himself off as an idea came to his mind. He conjured a sphere of cold energy and Higure tilted her head in confusion. I might have the perfect solution Chapter 119: Star Puppetry Chapter 119: Star Puppetry {What are you nning?} Higure asked as she watched Rakna molding a chunk of cold energy as if he was working on tangible y. This, he replied curtly and pinched the two sides of the energy before pulling. In the blink of an eye, the energy let out a very harmless sound, a literal poof, before the lioness couldy her eyes on what it had be. {Is this?} Yes; your new body, Rakna said nkly while holding a very small carbon copy of Higures body. He mentallymanded the small creation and it bounced off his hand tond on his head. At the same time, a new spell was immediately added to his repertory. ? ? ? ? ? You have learned a new spell! ? ? Star Puppetry (T.10 C 1): The ability to create magic puppets and familiars. Their appearance and size are defined by the caster without limitations other than mana expenditure. Each familiar can be given sentiency if the user is proficient enough with mind magic or soul power. Additionally, sharing senses with said familiar is also possible. ? Cost: Variable. An unremitting flow of mana will be required to retain the puppet manifested. ? ? ? ? ? {are you really that cheap, devourer of mine?} Higure deadpanned as she stared at the mini lion no bigger than a plushie. Dont look a gift horse in the mouth, Rakna retorted and opened his palm again, prompting the small lion to jump on it. Now, just try it. Size shouldnt matter for now anyway. It would take too much mana for nothing. The lioness sighed. {Fine} She relented and extended her immaterial paw. She ced it inside the star puppet and she was rapidly sucked in. Right after, the puppet darkened and began to turn into a realistic version of a Dusk Lion. Then, its eyes opened and radiated a crimson light. Ah. Oh. Eh. Test. Higure spoke with a slightly higher pitched tone and nodded. I can produce sounds with this body, shemented and hopped on Raknas palm as she tried to understand the full capabilities of her new vessel. How is it? Well, its quite interesting, she responded and turned around to look at Rakna in the eyes. This body seems sturdy enough and it responds like a normal one. The onlyint I would have is that I seem to not have a sense of smell or taste Hm, I see. I dont think I can do much in that regard Rakna muttered and winced as the cries of Rexam and Fenriu echoed loudly inside his head. Settle down! I havent forgotten about you two He grumbled and let Higure lie down on his head as he created two more puppets; the miniature versions of a Luqu and a Nine-Tailed Wolf. He imnted the two legendary beasts souls inside of them without wasting time manifesting them as ghosts and the puppets underwent the same transformation as Higure. Shortly afterward, Rexam chirped and pped his three pairs of wings as he took off while Fenriu stretched his legs and started running around. Rexam quickly found himself partaking in the shenanigans of Tyran and Pronos while Fenriu was more intent on rxing in a physical body while he could. You have a zoo forming around you, Higure snorted. Three of which are legendary ss. Though you could argue Rexam is more of a primordial ss. A species long-forgotten to the living. If you say so, Rakna shrugged. By the way, can you use magic with that body? Let me see She muttered and lifted her paw. A few secondster, a tiny sphere of cold energy whirled into existence in front of her. It seems that I can. However, not only do we share mana pools but my element has also be the same as yours. The Shadow, Ruin, and Echo Magic I possessed in life are unreachable to me. Thats unfortunate. Those sound useful. That would be an understatement, she snickered. Shadow aside, Ruin and Echo saved me from many perilous situations. Well, I guess well have to make do with what we have. However, I feel like it wont be the case forever. What do you mean? I said that they were unreachable, not inexistent. Im but a mere a fragment of what I was in the past but I am nheless one. I can sense my elements inside me; somewhere. But for the sake of me, Im incapable of using them. I can only infer that your soul power is still not strong enough to restore my prime. Then I suppose Ill have to try harder, Rakna said and sighed before taking a meditative posture and closing his eyes. Hm? Are you going to use Soul Breath? Higure inquired as she looked down at him. Obviously. I havent slept in more than twenty-four hours. Yes but, are you going to let us roam free? How much mana does it take you to maintain us materialized? As long as I keep you small like that, barely 1 MP per minute for each of you. Currently, my rate of regeneration is 3.91. At half-rate, due to my crippled state, its around 1.95 right now. Then- But I have Soul Breath at level 8, he interrupted her. Which means when I meditate, that rate is increased by 90%. Ah, I see. In that case, its back to 3.7, Higure nodded in understanding. Well, if you allow us this little freedom, I can only thank you. Of course. Now go y with the kids, Rakna jested and she chuckled. Have a good rest, devourer. Sure, he replied and channeled his soul power before entering deep meditation. ? * * * ? When Rakna learned Soul Breath, he had thought that his nightmares wouldnt be a problem anymore. He was right. What he did not expect, however, was when he suddenly found himself standing in a dark room. He immediately recognized where he was. The smell of dried blood and the insufferableyers of dust scattered in the air. But most importantly, there was a child marred in red tied to a steel pole with a lifeless look on his face. Thats me, he thought, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Thats when he heard a door being opened and a ray of light illuminated this basement. He looked at the source and began to hear footsteps. The boss is seriously a psycho, one voice grunted. The freak gets off from torturing this kid; he doesnt even respond to anything anymore. Hes like a doll of flesh at this point. Who fuckin cares. Hes gonna kill him soon anyway, another male voice responded and the childs hands contracted at his words but soon returned to a rxed state. Weve been in this town for too long and were not sure if that stupid bomb even exists, he added and the two men came inside the room. They flicked the lights on and Rakna audibly growled but no one heard him. He was being made to watch a memory from a third perspective. They couldnt see or hear him at all. It wasnt real and he wasnt truly there, but the faces of those two men had made him want to rip their throat and eat them limb by limb. They hadnt been the worst during his time as a prisoner. No, the worst had been their demented leader who tormented him for his sick pleasure. But these two had been his torturers at first when it could still actually be called questioning. I heard an old man is snooping looking for us too, one of them said as he walked to the bound child. Its not safe here anymore. Heard that, kid? He sneered. You might get the sweet release of death today. Isnt that awesome? He uttered and unlocked the handcuffs keeping the childs hands behind the pole before putting them back afterward once his arms were free. Then, he undid the rope tying him and roughly pulled his arm. The young Rakna couldnt resist and was briefly forced to stand before falling on the ground powerlessly. Tch, get up! The man yelled and once again yanked his arm and borderline dragged him on the floor as they began to leave the room. Rakna observed everything with an impassive mood. He knew what was going to happen. This was the memory that burned the strongest in his mind. The one that he would and could never forget. For that was nn. The child whispered and it seemed to reach the mans ears as he stopped walking and nced at him. This was the first time he had heard the kid speak in at least a week. You have something to say? no No? The fuck do you want then? Hey, Mehd! What are you waiting for?! The other man, who had left ahead, shouted from the top of the stairs that led to the ground floor of the building they were hiding in. Iming! The brat was being weird! Mehd replied and turned his head while doing so. That was what signed his fate. The bloodied and scarred childs eyes suddenly gained a drive and with newfound vitality, his hand reached for the military knife sheathed at the mans belt. YOU-! He snapped his head back but he couldnt react in time as the child jumped on him and stabbed the knife through his throat from a low angle. A jet of blood spurted out and covered the boy who had now a maniacal grin on his face. No thats not awesome He muttered entrically. This is. The man heard his words but couldnt even start interpreting them as he choked on his blood before the de was thrust even further until it prated his brain. His corpse copsed on the floor spraying blood all along. Mehd?! The other voice called and the sound of his footsteps followed. They sounded rushed; he seemed to be hastily making his way back. When he returned to the room, he froze on the spot. Thest thing he saw was the childs grin and the barrel of hisrades gun pointed at him. As for thest thing he heard; it was none other than the detonation of the bullets powder. Rakna watched the man fall forward with several bullet holes on his face. One had directly hit his eye and exited through the other side. One had found itself in the middle of his forehead. Another had pierced one of his cheeks and bounced off in his mouth beforeing out of his neck. But the child continued to grin, his eyes showing no sign of him even acknowledging the gruesome scene he had caused. Naturally, the gunshot was heard by the rest of Floods members upying the building and it could easily be discerned from the incessant noises and the voicesing from above. However, the child, unfeeling and unbothered, walked over the two corpses, the handgun firmly held in his cuffed hands, and unhesitatingly headed for the exit. Rakna watched him himself gradually leave his sight. He didnt need to follow to know what was going to happen. His past self would climb the stairs, fire on everything that moved until he had no ammo left, bringing down three more of them. He would then be stopped after losing the element of surprise and violently kicked against the wall. He would then be saved from certain death by an old man barging in through the entrance and crushing the skull of one of the terrorists barehanded. Yes unforgettable, Rakna thought as he heard the gunshots from upstairs. This is the day I met the old man and the day I killed for the first time. Chapter 120: Weapon Practice Chapter 120: Weapon Practice Rakna was pulled out of the odd vision of his past and he regained awareness inside of the Pavilion right as he sensed something approaching the back of his head. He quickly but serenely tilted to the side to dodge a punch. He sighed and scowled. He already knew who it was through the smell. I expected this from An, but not you too, he uttered with no real rancor and looked over his shoulder at via who had at least the decency to look sheepish at his reprimand. W-well, I knew it would work so She droned embarrassingly and he looked at Evelyn who was innocently standing to the side whilst giving him a small smile. I guess it makes sense but, Higure, pray tell why you didnt stop her? He asked and turned to the mini lion casually resting on hisp. You could have easily woken me up. Now, now, devourer, wheres the fun in that? The lioness replied with a smirk and he sighed. Who is this? via asked curiously. And them too, Evelyn added as she pointed at Rexam, Fenriu, Tyran, and Pronos chasing each other in some sort of game of tag. Also, is that really the T. Rex An talked about? Its nothing like he showed us. Hes adorable! Rakna shrugged. I told him so. He was just a tad bigger at the time. Thats the understatement of the year, Higure snorted. As for the little ones, theyre parts of my soul temporarily given form outside of my body, Rakna continued. Once again, theyre byproducts of my Nirvana Skill and Higure is the only one amongst them who can actually speak. The two others are lets say in their infancy stage. The girls nodded dazedly; a bit baffled by what they were seeing. Sometimes, the best way to react to something was simply to let it go. Life would be hard if they allowed themselves to question every little thing they saw. So? What are you girls doing here? Is it about the weapon training? Rakna ultimately asked. Ah, yes, it is, via nodded. We figured we could ask you now since you were here. I see. I was going to call youter but this is as good a time as any, he said and stood up. Higure jumped down from hisp in consequence and his four other beastlypanions stopped ying around to look at him. Rexam, Fenriu, Higure, Ill dispel the puppets. If you want to stick around as souls, its your choice. Well, ytime is over cubs, Higure said with a smile and two other beasts nodded at her without much opposition. It seemed that they greatly valued her words. The three of them closed their eyes and swirls of soul power emerged around their bodies before reforming their spiritual bodies in their original size. Evelyn and via held their breath as the imposing figures of a Dusk Lion, a Nine-Tailed Wolf, and a Luqu appeared in the room. Even as nothing more than incorporeal ghosts, they emitted some kind ofpelling aura, forcing onlookers to consider them as nothing less than legendary. Rakna proceeded to snap his fingers to dismantle the three cold energy puppets that had reverted to their nk state. Can you turn invisible? He asked them and Higure nodded. {We can. Only you or someone with soul sense would be able to see us,} she responded through their link since she was unable to make clear sounds in her ghost form. Then do it, he ordered and the trio promptly vanished in the eyes of Evelyn and via. More so thetter than the former since the subus naturally had the ability to sense souls as a Phantom if she chose to. As for him, they only appeared to be a bit more transparent. All right. Lets go to a training room, he said and started walking with a yawn. Tyran and Pronos quickly followed him along with the girls. By the way, where are An and Nyx? Nyx is doing a Bounty. Its a type of Quest where you hunt a certain monster, via said. If Im not wrong, her target is a sort of mutated goblin with a big tribe that is bing a threat to a few towns on the Fourth teau. As for An, Im not sure. He said he was going to meet up with a member of his Guild. A Bounty, huh? Rakna hummed. I will have to try that sometime, he said as he opened the door to one of the training rooms. He stepped inside and turned around when they were all inside. So? What weapons do you two want to learn? Personally, I would like to learn how to use a bow better, Evelyn answered first. Other than that, after using Sonata, I found that I liked using the Guandao but at the same time, I feel like theres somethingcking about it. Ah, I get it. You probably are suited for polearms but the Guandao is a bit special. Its a spear mainly used for shing. It alsocks a bnce that is symmetrical so its harder to get used to if youre not proficient in handling impetus, Rakna exined and constructed a ive with his Star Make. He skillfully whirled it with one hand then switched to the other. The reason I always spin it like this isnt just for show. Its both a way to relocate the de and increase momentum. In any case, a good spear for you would be He mused. Trii, can you give me a winged spear? || Right away. || The interface processed hismand and a spear with a lozenge head and a pair of prominent wing-like attachments below it materialized in front of him. It was a type of spear used during the earlier Middle Ages. Catch, Rakna grabbed it and tossed it to Evelyn who clumsily caught it. Youll use that for now. Ill teach you a stanceter. As for your archery skills, the best I could give you is some advice. The restes purely down to practice. The subus nodded at his words and he turned to via. What about you? Fancy anything in particr? I do, in fact. Id like to use hard-hitting weapons like greatswords. Rakna was a bit surprised by that. Uh, interesting. I have my idea, but can I ask you why? Essentially, I can effectively render the weight of a weapon irrelevant thanks to gravity magic. In addition to that, while swinging, I can use both my magic and my telekinesis to deal more damage. So that would mean the heavier the better, Rakna nodded approvingly. Any preference? Long swords? Zweih?nder? Nodachi? Or perhaps axes would be better? via scratched her cheek with a wry smile. I dont really know the difference between most of those. And I think I still prefer swords for more range. Hm, if weight isnt a problem, you could always use those types that can barely be considered as anything other than a lump of metal but I think maneuverability will still be important to you so Trii, give me a two-handed machete. Arge one. || Machetes are one-handed weapons. Are you demanding a custom one? || Yes. Make it about a meter long and correct the dimensions of the handle to match it. Also, I want a small five-degree curve from the halfway point. Can you do that? || Affirmative. || The AI said without hesitation and a weapon matching his demands appeared in front of him without dy. The overall look was the one of a regr machete with a curved de and handle. Rakna gripped the weapon and gave it a few testing swings. He only used one hand and it appeared as if he was waving a branch around. This time, he sensibly decided against throwing it and walked to via. He flipped the sword over, grabbing it from the t side of the de, and extended the hilt forward as if he was handling a simple knife. via looked at the de handle for a few seconds before reaching for it. When she had her hand firmly wrapped around the hilt, Rakna let go and she yelped as the weight of the weapon became too much for her and crashed on the floor of the room. Rakna snorted in amusement and she threw him a pout before covering the weapon with a purple glow. She breathed in and lifted it. This time, she seemed to have no problem and she even waved it with even more ease than Rakna had done. The reason Im suggesting you a machete, if you can still call it that, is not really because it has potential as a super sword of doom, Rakna uttered and the two girls sweatdropped. But because its a weapon that goes straight to the point; hack and cleave. Machetes are one of the best in that regard. The reason for that is because the de getsrger and heavier at the tip. Sometimes, they even have an inward curve in the middle to create as much momentum as possible when swinging it. In a way, they are axes turned swords. via attentively listened and took another look at the hulking weapon she was holding. So is there something specific I should know about how to use it? Hm, Rakna rubbed his chin. Well, not really. There isnt any style that relies on that weapon. At least, as far as I know. I dont know everything, after all. You know what? Ill teach you first. Evelyn, in the meantime, you can ask Trii for a shooting range and practice with the bow. Ill teach you the spear afterward. However, I want you to use a bow other than Sonata. I dont think energy arrows are the best setup to improve your archery. I understand, the Cambion nodded and went to one side of the room where she asked a longbow from the interface, a stock of arrows, and a bunch of targets. Now then, Rakna continued. Trii, materialize a wooden log to my right. I want it to be about half a meter wide and one meter tall. || Acknowledged. || Rakna nced at where the block of wood appeared and pointed at it with his thumb. Your first assignment will be to cleave through this. via slowly nodded. It shouldnt be- Vertically, in one swing, without telekinesis, and no increase of the weight past its normal one. EH?! She almost tripped and gazed at her former student in the eyes, trying to find a trace of his usual teasing but there was none of it. Youre being serious. I am. Though, before you do that, Ill have to give you a basic stance and make you go through a few practice swings. Once again, there is nothing specifically oriented toward machetes but the gist is the same for most weapons. Correct me if Im wrong but youre right-handed, right? She nodded. Then, right foot back. Left foot forward. Keep your feet parallel to each other. Put your right hand at the highest point of the hilt and your left hand at the lowest, he instructed and she gradually grew into the stance. Position the de in front of you pointing to the sky forward. Straighten your back. Raise your shoulders. Bend your arms a bit more. As Rakna continued to correct her stance, via became more and more amazed at how many details she had to pay attention to. After a few minutes, she finally got to a satisfying posture and he continued with the next instructions. Keep all of your body as is. What I want you to do is raise the sword and put it above your shoulder and maintain it until yourefortable. Once again, keep the de straight. After that,es the swing. You will lean forward and bend your left knee a bit. As you bring the weapon down, your left hand will not move and your right will be leading the motion. When the swing is halfway from hitting, disengage your gravity magic and let your right hand slide around the handle until it meets your left. During that moment, all you have to do is hold tight and let the momentum do the rest. Dont forget to breathe. Do it whenever you want. via nodded and exhaled through her mouth. Then, as she inhaled, she hacked the weapon down as hard as she could. She turned her magic off like he told her to and the result ended up in arge indent on the floor along with a small whish of air. Good enough, Rakna said. Lift it again and this time, hold it as if you wanted to make a horizontal sh. The basic stance stays the same. However, when you swing, your waist will have to follow the movement. Your right hand will once again lead the force but you will also pull with your left hand toplement it. This time, dont dispel your magic. Again; whenever you want. via followed his directives and shed with therge weapon before returning to her original stance with the de leaning forward. Good. Now, you will repeat all of those at least twenty times. Forward, over your shoulder, chop, horizontal, swing, and forward again. The only difference is when you hack down; stop the de before it touches the floor. Got it? Yes. I ultimately want you to be able to wield it without gravity magic even if you have to spend a point or two into strength. Now, the initiative is yours, he dered and quietly watched her go through the stances, something that marked the hours-long training that he had in store for her and Evelyn. Chapter 121: Lullaby of the Soul Chapter 121: Luby of the Soul Two spears shed and produced a metallic sound that reverberated in the training room. Rakna took a step back from the force and whirled the weapon in his hand with a rxed stance while Evelyn grunted and was forced several meters back. She pped her wings and pounced at him with her spear ready to be thrust in the way he had taught her. Rakna calmly waited for her and with a spin, his spear, forged by himself and then made with Star Make, directly hit the subus polearm at the shaft. The impetus carried by his move deflected the iing attack. Eh?! Evelyn instantly lost her cool as she dangerously got close to collide with Rakna after being unable to rebnce herself. Then, as their faces were nearly touching, she could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smile on his face before he kicked her away. She roughlynded on a distanced spot of the room with both a pained and disappointed groan. {A bit harsh on thedy,} Higuremented as she sat next to Rakna in her ghost form, her tail wagging from side to side. I held back, he responded. And the art of the spear is never trulyplete without a good dose of kicking blows. That doesnt make me feel better, Evelyn grumbled from her position on the floor. Well, the best way to learn will always be to gather experience upfront and build a foundation to grasp the rest, Rakna stated as the spear in his hand crumbled down into small tendrils of energy. He looked at where he had left via to practice and saw the dozens of split logs that she had been using as practice dummies. It had been around three hours since they had started and both of the girls had reached a level of proficiency close to level 3 or 4 in their sought mastery. That should be enough for today. From now on, you just need to practice regrly and you will steadily improve with time, he said as he walked closer to via with Evelyn wobbling behind in exhaustion. The two women ultimately sat down against the wall of the room, drenched in sweat and their skin flushed. Had it been anyone other than Rakna, they probably would have spent more time admiring the sight but he casually pulled out two water bottles from his storage and tossed them. Thank you, via said with a smile and Evelyn unceremoniously chugged down everything. She technically didnt require food but she could still eat and drink. Though, her sweat, for example, was the same and at the same time different from living beings. Its purpose was to mend strained portions of her soul a bit like how living beings would need it to regte their body temperature. Regardless, as a Phantom, her entire body was made of soul power given consistency and she had internal organs, flesh, and blood. The only difference to an actual living being was that she didnt actually need them. She could rip her organs out and the injuries would simply disappear for as long as she held either enough mana, demonic energy, or soul power within her. She had told Rakna that she possessed what one would call third-degree immortality. In other words, she couldnt be killed as long as she had the energy to heal herself, whether it was by damage through magic or physical means. However, she was highly susceptible to soul attacks performed by someone with a stronger soul than hers. Something that was showcased by Rakna himself when he incapacitated her. Speaking of him, after giving the bottles, he started walking back to the center of the room and the two girls looked at him in curiosity. What are you doing? Evelyn inquired as they watched him perform a few breathing cycles. Until now, all my spells have been adaptable ones. And my strongest attack is a sub-spell. I want to fix that, Rakna responded. So, you want to create a spell specifically made to be your strongest attack? via concluded. Something along those lines, he said and with onest intake of air, his aura red and his slit pupils glowed before weing the faint depiction of a cold star around it. He channeled his mana through his circuits and his hair, tails, and ears began to nch even without Reinforcement. Evelyn and via looked rapt at the sudden wave of coldness they were feeling as well as how strong his aura lookedpared to when they had their spar two days prior. It was twice; no, at least thrice as big as it was then. If you two want to stay and watch, I dont mind but just in case; Tyran, protect them, he said and the small T. Rex nodded from his ce next to the girls. He jumped in front of them and let out a growl. His bones made snapping noises and his scales screeched as he grew bigger and bigger in front of them. When he was at full height, he let out a small roar, standing protectively. Wow, now I get it why that muscle-head was so freaked out, Evelynmented. Indeed via nodded and Pronos hissed proudly, as if Tyrans prowess was his own, from his ce on herp. Rakna nodded at the Dreorin and transformed as well, switching to his werewolf form. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the flow of his internal energies. What he wanted was something other than his constructs or his constetions. A single spell purely meant to attack. Once again, if he kept the mindset of energy, the best way to provoke the most damage possible will always be the same;pression. He roused the 500+ units of mana he possessed while in his werewolf form and made them manifest outside of his body as pure coldness. Some parts of it gathered in several spots all around him and formed cold energy spheres. These spheres then began to shrink very slowly, seemingly dropping the temperature even more inside the room. Evelyn and via shivered at the cold and Tyran used his aura imbued with fire element to counteract it. Along the way, Rakna started frowning and the spheres stopped moving and the flow of mana in his circuits was halted. Imcking something but what? {How about a lexis?} Higure suggested from behind the reassuring cover of the T. Rex. Even as a soul, she could still be hurt by powerful magical blows and she didnt want to test her luck. Rakna opened one of his ck-hole-like eyes and nced at the lioness. A lexis? {Official appetion for a mantra,} she rified. A mantra? You want me to make an incantation on the fly? Right now? Would that even work? {Yes. Lexis are also called Words of Power. In magical theory, they are meant to be catalysts to bend the world and its rules to the casters wishes. They are not just for show. Some magics are considerably weaker without a lexispared to with. I know that you have already noticed that naming skills before using them makes them more responsive. Its the same principle.} That sounds awkward, he retorted and closed his eyes. {Its embarrassing only if you allow it.} I never said embarrassing. {Yes. But we both know you thought it.} Rakna didnt respond and spent a minute thinking. He was still pouring mana into those spheres and he wouldnt be able to maintain it forever. Ultimately, he reluctantly opened his mouth. ? [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath.] ? Evelyn and via were surprised as he suddenly spoke those words. But their effects were rapidly disyed. The stagnant spheres of cold energy became active again and changed shape to a four-pointed star. ? [Ought Rime Rip Bones and Flesh.] ? The exactly twelve stars slowly moved collectively while pulsating from a size slightly bigger than a fist to one smaller than a nail. ? [In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker.] ? The stars ovepped and then fused before abruptly expanding into something almost as big as Tyran himself. It shone brightly and at the same time, the atmosphere in direct contact with Rakna darkened as if light itself had been vacuumed out of it. Inside of it, only the gradually whitening fur of the werewolf and sparkling cyan dots of light could be seen. The onlookers almost felt like rubbing their eyes at the incongruous sight. It was as if a starry sky was wrapping itself around Rakna. At this point, thetter seemed to be chanting unconsciously as if he was possessed by something. ? [In a Lifeless Perdition, the Wolf Growls and Howls.] ? With a booming sound, the star shrunk again until it was the size of a palm. It started spinning and releasing a swirling mist. ? [In Between The Heights and Depths.] ? Several azure rings appeared around the star, each one bigger than the previous, encircling thepressed energy. Rakna pointed his palm at it before rearing his arm. The star followed his movement and the rings did the same in a hierarchical order, making it look like a spring had been formed tounch the star. ? [Lies the Slumbering Mayhem of the Devourer.] ? || Energy signatures beyond the current setting detected, || Trii announced. || An increase to the training rooms tier has been approved. The dimension has been reinforced. || ? [Bathing in Blood and Rattling Death.] ? This isnt any typical lexis Higure was growing more and more stunned as Rakna continued to intone his lines. She could tell with a nce that he wasnt even thinking about them anymore. Its not even a product of his mind. This is no chant for a meager spell ? [Mocking Fairness and Gorging Hearts.] ? Hes speaking them from his soul. They respond to him as much as he responds to them. Cl Lli; the luby of the soul. ? [The One, They Offer Harvest!] ? Rakna practically shouted thest line of his lexis and thrust his palm forward. The spring was released and the star wasunched. It made a low-pitched noise at first but then turned into a high-pitched one right before all the energy was unconfined into an all-consuming chaotic dome of energy. Tyrans eyes narrowed and he summoned a wall of mes around the group. Evelyn also reacted and reinforced the boundary with her barriers while via used her meager proficiency with space magic to assist them. But even with their conjoined efforts, they were unable topletely negate the blinding light as well as the reverse shockwave that threatened to pull them toward the epicenter of the explosion. The detonation that couldnt be put into words died down after a full minute. When they dispelled their defenses, the first thing they saw was Rakna groggily standing behind two hexagonal shields that were already falling apart. The second thing was something that made their jaw drop in shock. Half of the training room had been hit by the spell. There was a round hollow area that dug meters into the ceiling, floor, and walls. There were cracks everywhere and the air was packed with cold mist that didnt seem to be dispersing anytime soon considering that everything that the explosion had touched was now even colder than ice. Rakna panted heavily and copsed on his knees. For some reason, even though his mana and stamina were not depleted, he felt even worse than after his fight with Verias. From the corner of his eye, he saw Higure approaching him. {Congrattions, Rakna. You have spoken words branded on your soul} Thats thest thing he heard before passing out. Chapter 122: Cōl Lāli Chapter 122: Cl Lli ? ? ? ? Cold Star Magic has leveled up! Magic Theory has leveled up! Soul Sense has leveled up! x3 Souls Decree has leveled up! Fatigue Resistance has leveled up! Primal Soul Core has leveled up! ? You have learned a new spell; Natcattiram Cataract! ? Your incredible attunement with your soul has allowed you to learn your Cl Lli, the luby of your soul. A Cl Lli is a personal lexis. Whenever you intone even just one line of the incantation, your mana and soul power will go into overdrive. With each line uttered, your energy consumption will lower by 1%, ignoring limits, and your magic attack will increase by 1%. Your senses will be heightened, your body will be fortified, and your base regeneration factor enhanced. Each line cannot be more than a minute apart from each other and the effectsst for five minutes. On the other hand, whenever you finish your lexis in its entirety, you will be granted a temporary 25% increase in magic attack followed by light exhaustion. ? Note: The first use of the Cl Lli is always the most tiring. Keep in mind that singing your Cl Lli is strenuous for both the body and soul. ? ? You have gotten closer to your Soul Marble! ? ? ? ? ? Thats what Rakna woke up to and more so than the block of text in front of him, the first thing his attentiontched to was the lexis he had intoned earlier. It was scathing in the back of his mind, ready to be used at any given moment. It was as if the very notion of ever forgetting this chant was simply impossible to conceive. {Hey, youre finally awake!} Raknas expression contorted as if he had suddenly been stabbed in the guts. Really? Did you have to say those exact words? {Huh? Did I say something wrong?} forget it, he uttered and sat up as Higure cocked her head in confusion. He looked around and noted that he had been moved to the lounge room. He apparently was lying on the floor and to his right, he could see Evelyn sitting on a couch, asleep. Rexam and Fenriu were also present. Both of them were seemingly sleeping. He looked at himself and noticed that he was still in his werewolf form. The good thing was that he hadnt used Gigantism earlier or it could have been a bit awkward. More so if his theory that he might have been carried by via or Evelyn was correct. How long have I been out ofmission? He asked as he reverted to a therian. He tightened his limbs, relieved that he hadnt somehow returned to a crippled state. {Not that long. Maybe two hours? The young Cambion has been staying here all along and the otherss was doing the same until she went out a short moment ago. I told them to not worry too much since Im aware of the side-effects of unlocking a Cl Lli.} You told them? {Yes. Through telepathy. Its an easy skill to learn, you should give it a try.} I see He muttered and closed his eyes. [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath,] he muttered and his circuits red. His mind immediately became clearer as if he had been injected a shot of adrenaline. {Ah! Rakna! You shouldnt use it again so soon!} Higure shouted worryingly. Its fine. I only wanted to test the first line, he replied as he clenched his hand. More importantly, you seem to have some knowledge of this. {Of course, I also have one, after all. To be exact, I had one. In any case, Cl Lli; a unique lexis branded on the soul that mirrors the users life. Its an unattainable goal for most people, and to make things even worse, not everyone possesses one. Though I guess I shouldve expected this from you. You have a mastery over the soul unlike any other. You even have a nine-line Cl Lli. Even I only had four.} What; the more lines the better? {In a nutshell, yes. Nine is a pretty high number too as far as I know.} Raknabed his hair in thought before shrugging. From the sounds of it, Cl Lli was a handy method tost longer in a fight. But, at the end of the day, it was a by-product of what he had truly wanted to make earlier. His status flickered into existence and his eyesnded on the new spell. ? ? ? ? ? Natcattiram Cataract (T.5): The caster summons twelve congregates of cold energy and molds them into four-pointed stars. The stars will merge and be set onto aunching spring. This spell is considered Tier 5 partly for its incredible range. As long as the caster is capable of seeing their target, they can aim at it. Thepressed star, while in flight, will not lose any of its force no matter how far it is propelled and anything on its path will be torn apart, only detonating onmand. ? Maximum Range: ~5000 meters. Cost: 70% of the Hosts Mana Pool. (Primal Soul Core Correction C Limit Reached: 50%). Attack: Users MA multiplied by 7. Cooldown: 1h. ? ? ? ? ? So, its not only a good finisher but also a carpet-bombing spell I like it. Higure snickered. {Of course, you do.} Now that I think about it, I also got a skill from doing the stampede, he muttered as he recalled the rewards he had gotten from the impromptu ordeal. He opened his Item Box and pressed on the concerned case. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Skill/Spontaneous Skill Name: Wrath Yaksha Requirements: Level 50 200 Atr Cap Lv.10 (Max) Fear Resistance ? Description: ? By summoning a Yaksha within your body, you will be able to redirect negativity toward you and in consequence, you will attract the animosity of most hostile creatures in the vicinity. Additionally, while the skill is active, your body will be strengthened by the Yaksha to resist magical and physical damage. However, the Yaksha will continuously attempt to take over your mind so be mindful to never use this skill in times of weakness. ? Cost: 300 MP | Duration: 5 Min. ? ? ? ? ? In other words, an aggro skill, huh? {Aggro?} Short for aggression. Basically, its the maniption of an enemys focus, Rakna answered with a sigh and stood up. He took one of the few nkets inside his storage and used it to cover Evelyn who was only wearing her bodysuit; her cloak folded next to her. She mewled and faintly smiled at the warmth before snuggling further. Higure grinned. {What a gentleman you are.} Rakna snorted and his ears and nose twitched. He looked at the stairs and saw via stepping in with a bag in her hand. Ah, she eximed when she crossed eyes with him and smiled. Youre awake! She spoke perkily and walked to him. Miss Higure told us it would be fine but, are you okay? She asked as she put down the bag on the table. I am. Dont worry, I dont feel any different. {Also drop the Miss,ss. Ive had this name for barely two days now, dont add honorifics to it already,} the lioness uttered, and Rakna observed that she seemed to be connecting both him and via through telepathy. Well, in that case, Ill dly do so, Higure, the former teacher said softly with an ever-so bright smile on her face. It almost looked like there was a sun illuminating her back. The lioness blinked in surprise and speedily turned to Rakna, {D-devourer, this friend of yours is way too sweet! Since when humans were so sweet and gentle?!} He gave her an amused nce. Its just how she is. Get used to it, he responded and looked at the bag she had brought. This is? Ah, its coffee. I thought you would like one aftering around. {} I really cant disagree on the sweet part. Hm? via tilted her head and he snorted before peering at what was inside the bag. He pulled out three sealed cups with a small stic band sticking out from the top. They told me that you just needed to pull on that small strip and it would heat up for consumption, she exined when she saw him throw a confused look at the cup. Oh? Rakna raised an eyebrow and did what she said. Right after, an almost imperceptible burst of mana urred before vanishing. The lid of the cup consequently slid off and gave view to the steaming coffee. How does this work? They said it was an elementary application of runes. Its apparently a magic that can be used by anyone regardless of their affinities. They called it a branch of spellcraft, via said as she took a seat and simrly opened a cup. {What she says is right,} Higure remarked from the side as Rakna grabbed several of the sugar cubes that were inside the bag. {If you want, I could teach you.} If its no bother for you, Id really appreciate it, via nodded cheerfully and Higure almost felt like crying at the pure aura that emanated from her. Meanwhile, Rakna was mechanically putting sugar in his cup. When he added his fifth one, even Higure was forced to say something, {Hey dont you think its a bit too much?} Rakna shrugged and added a sixth and a seventh one before finally stopping. via giggled and the lioness looked at her. He and his uncle have always been like this. Every time I came to their house to make breakfast, they would always put obscene quantities of sugar in their coffee. Maybe the two rubbed off on each other. Rakna grunted at what she said and took a sip. {So you would make breakfast for those two?} Higure inquired curiously as the two entered a peaceful silence while drinking their coffee. Yes, via smiled fondly. The old master was normally very responsible but he was horrible at waking up in the morning. And when I learned that Rakna would always wake up early but never eat breakfast, I just started going there every morning. And then she started teaching me how to cook as if it was the most normal thing ever, Raknamented in between his sips. {Ooh,} Higure was captivated by their rtionship. {How did you two meet?} vias back stiffened a little. Well it wasnt a very good encounter. To bepletely honest with you, Higure, for a time, I was scared of even approaching their house and my grandfather was just as apprehensive as me if not more. The lioness frowned at that. {Why so?} That- via, Rakna interrupted her with a nk tone. He threw her a look and she smiled bitterly. He then turned to Higure who was gazing at him with a suspicious eye. It was a time of my life Im not the proudest. Thats all you have to know, he said, not leaving her a chance to reply. via chuckled wryly and nced to the side where Evelyn was peacefully snoozing away under a nket that she 100% was sure wasnt there before. But youve been getting better over the years, havent you? She said and he hummed while looking at his coffee. As much as I hate to say it, this situation seems to have had positive effects on your mental state, dont you think? Usually, you would have never made a promise like what you did for Evelyn. Higure was now both confused and worried about the implications of her words. Even Fenriu was cracking one eye open while listening to the conversation. You might be right, Rakna admitted as callously as ever though there was a hint of gentleness in his tone. via smiled and they fell into afortable silence again. Higure ultimately decided to just drop the subject and enjoy the peace. A few minutester, Raknas eyes widened in realization as he watched the ripples of the swirling coffee in his hand. {Hm? Whats wrong, devourer?} The lioness asked, noticing the change in his expression. Tomorrow He whispered. Is the full moon. Chapter 123: Runecraft Chapter 123: Runecraft Half an hour after his chat with via, Rakna was back at Old Wangs ce to continue practicing his forging skills. This time, he was hammering a smaller piece of steel to make one of the throwing weapons he handled the best; chakrams. At the same time, he was trying out a new technique. Still a bit too much, Old Wangmented as he saw the mana spread out of the hammers face when it struck the steel. To properly forge magically reinforced weapons, you have to fill every gap in the metal with a very precise but minute amount of mana. Easier said than done, Rakna huffed. Haha, well, itlle to you soon enough. Trial and error; experience and luck. Theyre keys. Its all about fine-tuning. I can see that you have a very good mana control but its not all you need for this. As a matter of fact, my mana control isnt very high, as you probably have seen, but its not what makes mana forging possible. Its more a result of your cksmithing proficiency. Basically, what youre trying to say is just practice until you get good? Yes. Rakna sighed and channeled his soul power as he brought his hammer down in order to make his mind as calm and empty as possible. It was a nifty trick that his soul power allowed him to do so that his concentration would be sharp and unbreakable. He tried several different doses of mana to pour into the hammer, all ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 mana points. Ultimately, he discovered a good spot and an hourter, he had a sharpened and finished circr-edged weapon in front of him, bringing his cksmithing up by one level. Rakna picked it up and made it spin around his finger. He skillfully lobbed it to his other hand without breaking the spin and hummed as he tested the weight and bnce. The nice thing about chakrams was that the only thing they needed was their de and so, for the most part, it had been easy to make it. Additionally, since he had used mana to do so, it was a lot stronger than Alzero for instance. Sadly, he hadnt been able to take advantage of the focal points as much as he wouldve wanted since if he had injected the strings with mana by mistake it could have shattered the weapon. Old Wang inspected the chakram with squinted eyes. Hm, it seems your magic element has been merged with the steel. You must have quite a unique affinity, unlike mine that is specifically meant to affect metal. Rakna snorted. You could say that. Well, since you made a chakram, how about I teach you a useful skill? Old Wang dered and drew something in midair with his finger. It looked like a weird jagged letter and when he finished it, it ignited itself and produced a short-lived me. {Runecraft,} Higure remarked from back within the soul realm. {What a coincidence.} This is runic magic. Its one of the best and most simple ways you can have to give special abilities to a weapon. Normally, to make a weapon powerful, you can either pour as much mana as you can inside the weapon over the course of days, weeks, months, and even years. Or you can use special materials like mithril, bones, gems, blood, silver, etcetera. But, for the more mundane, you use enchantments or runic carving. With runes, you could for example make it so that your weapon would return to your hand after your throw it, the old dwarf exined. So? Wanna try? {Devourer, allow me to manifest,} the lioness said. Rakna didnt mind and he mentally agreed as her ghost appeared in the smithy, though with a smaller size. Old Wangs eyes widened at the sudden appearance of a soul, but other than that, he didnt seem to be too shocked. {You seem to be used to this. Have you dealt with ghosts before?} Higure asked as she created a telepathic link between the three of them. Not exactly but some weapons tend to develop spirits and I encountered a few. {Ah, fair enough. Anyhow, I am a soul sharing Raknas own, Im here to tell you that I would like to train him myself at runecraft since I had reached Demi-God level when I was alive.} Oh! The dwarf eximed in awe as he stroked his beard. A master of runes then. Its an honor to be meeting one. {Thank you for the praise but runes were never my specialty, to be honest. I had a lot of free time you see; thats what centuries in seclusion does to you,} she said with augh. {I heard your conversation with my devourer and I wanted to extend to you a proposition. From what I understand, you have learned some runecraft because it was useful but never expounded on it because you thought your cksmithing in itself was better than whatever it may be able to achieve, am I right?} You would be correct. {Then, hear me out. I will teach you runecraft at the same time as Rakna as thanks for guiding him through the steps of smithing. My runecraft is more advanced than most and I know some runes that will prove themselves invaluable to your work.} Oh? What kind? He asked, his interest rising. {What about a rune carving that makes a weapon fix itself? Or a rune that passively strengthens the wielder? Or a cursed rune that cannibalizes materials to get stronger? Or even a blessed rune that repels darkness?} Higure smirked as she saw the old dwarfs expression slowly morph into shock. {You were correct in thinking that runes arent very useful for forging of your level. But thats only in the early stages. When you enter the territory of cursed, blessed, multi, or internal runes, everything changes. It would normally take a long time to reach that level, but with me here, you will quickly be able to at least reach Ascended level and my devourer has unrivaled talent that may get him close to my level in no time. So? What do you say?} Hah! Do you really need to ask me? Old Wang grinned. I wouldnt let this chance pass! This may be the key Ive beencking to reach the status of Divine cksmith. Of course, I agree. {Perfect! Take a seat then. Ill show you what youre going to learn. Devourer, I will need to take some of your mana for this?} Knock yourself out. {Haha! I shall,} she said and with a wave of her paw, numerous runes drew themselves. They all had their own characteristics in both shape and color. {This is an alphabet. Each character here can bebined one way or another to cast runes. This is the most basic one. But thats not what we want. Im here to make you masters, the index well use is this one,} she announced and a second alphabet appeared below the first one. This one easily dwarfed the other. It had nearly a thousand different variations. Even Old Wang was surprised when he saw it. {Dont hesitate to scrutinize it because I will have you memorize it to the veryst detail. Before that, however, let me exin what well get into. Lets take the return function suggested by Wang as an example. To design such an effect, these two characters can be used,} she said and two of them were brought to the forefront. {The one on the left is the character for Motion. The one on the right is the character for Bind. If youbined them together, you get the rune Motion Binding,} she said as the two runic letters fused to make a new symbol glowing and emanating energy. {When writing this rune, you need to set two parameters; what will be in motion and what will it be bound to? The former would be the chakram, thetter would be Rakna. If you properly add those two together it makes it so that the weapons motion will always be attached to Rakna in a way that it will always return to him after hitting or missing a target.} {But! Its not the only solution. The best thing about runes is that they are extremely versatile. Ill have to admit though, theyre not really good at inflicting damage since their output is low but everything else about it is top-notch. In any case, what I want to say is that there are other runes that one can use other than Motion Binding to produce the same kind of effect.} {Lets take the three letters for Weapon, Blood, and Bind. This will create a Blood-Bound rune. It will bind a weapon to you through your blood. In this case, you can change the Weapon letter with an Object letter. Thetter will work on practically everything while the former will only work on weapons but it will be a bit weaker. You could also use Soul instead of Blood.} Question, Rakna raised his hand as if he was in a lecture. The number of characters used in the formation; do they have a relevant effect on the resulting rune? {Yes. They take more mana to use and generally, while more powerful and solid, take more time to draw. Though, runes ranging from 2 to 5 letters remain easy and fast. Its when it goes beyond that it gets a bit hard. Another question?} Yes. What is the limit of these characters? Rather, what are the rules that dictate their meaning? {Ah, I see what you mean. The letters over here are concepts. They cannot have an effect of their own. For instance, the rune Wang used earlier was formed with Mana and Burn, right?} Indeed, the old dwarf nodded. Mana? Not fire? {Yes. That rune takes mana and ignites it to make fire. Most elements are not concepts; they are distinct phenomena that cannot be used as ingredients for a rune. Despite that, they can in fact be simted. For example, I could use water to some extent by uniting the letters for Liquid and Flow. Or wind by using Air and Motion.} In that case, where do you set boundaries? How far can the idea of concept be taken? {Good question. But you can have a pretty good idea of it with the alphabet in front of you. Half of these are some that have existed for thousands of years. The other half is of my own making. Ites down to the same principles as magic formations. Why is it that magic circles can be used to affect the world? The answer to that is the world itself. Or to be exact, the Worldly Magic Circuits and the Spiritual Tree.} {You yourself, if youre talented enough, could invent new characters. But they all would need to be approved by the world. I admit that sometimes, it is hard to tell what is a concept or not. But that is not your job, in the end. If the world epts it, you will be able to use it as a character. If not, it will most likely explode on your face,} she said and chuckled. {Believe me, it has happened to me quite a lot in the past.} {Regardless, this is not something that you should be bothered with for now. I will impart you the characters and runes I discovered over the years. From the simplest of two-letter runes to the mostplicated twenty-letter ones. Thenceforth, at ater date, well attack thebinations of runes. Are you ready?} She asked with a wide smirk and the two students looked at each other with a sense of foreboding. Chapter 124: Sweet Girl Chapter 124: Sweet Girl In the morning, Rakna and Old Wang came out of the smithy with a groan as their head was aching from all the knowledge they had to digest. The only thing they had even spent a minute to do practical practice instead of theory was on the chakram Rakna had forged. Other than that, they had listened to the lioness speak for hours, going through each of the characters, and sometimes giving irrelevant anecdotes about them. Well, this was not what I expected to do today but I now got ideas on some designs, the old dwarfmented and yawned. Good thing I dont open my stall on Sundays. Im going to retire for the day. See you, sonny. As thanks for the asion, Ill give you one of my works when I finish it. Look forward to it. I will, Rakna nodded and left the cksmiths house. The sun was rising but he still could see the setting moon that was nearpletion. Just looking at it now gave him an itching sensation. He tore his gaze away and instead took a second look at the chakram he had made. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Throwing Weapon/Chakram Name: Rarity: Green Attack power: +75 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Half-Dimensional Structural Stability: The technique used during its forging has heightened its dimensional stability to make it remarkably robust. However, due to theck of experience of the maker, it is not as strong as it could have been. ? C Cold de: Due to the very irregr and special mana used during its forging process, the weapon has gained faint traces of enchantments making it more defiant against magic and fire in particr. It is also cold to the touch. ? C Rune Carving: A four-letter runeposed of Bind, Motion, Soul, and Weapon. This weapon is directly connected to Rakna Xiorras soul and will always return to him whenever it has been thrown, whether it is by his hand or not. ? Description: ? A weapon forged by a beginner cksmith and rune user, Rakna Xiorra, with high-grade steel. It is a weapon with deadly sharpness to it, coupled with resistance against both offensive and defensive magic due to the dominance of the Cold Star element. It possesses outstanding structural stability and will always fly back to its creator. ? ? ? ? ? The downgrade of the structural stability wasnt surprising to him but the Cold de perk had been an interesting discovery. There might be other ways he could use his star magic as a forging tool. As for the rune, Higure had eventually told them that depending on the quality of the object, there was a limit to the number of both runes and characters that could be on it before it just could not support their power. The chakrams limit was precisely a four-letter rune. All in all, it was a good weapon. Even to the current standard of Sonata. Though he wouldnt use it as a material to evolve it. On the other hand, it might be a good idea to make it assimte the perks of Alzero. In any case, he had already decided to use the Dreorin Greatsword for the next evolution and he could do it anytime now that he was level 40. For now, though, I need to prepare for tonight, he muttered as he walked on the streets of ck Steel. He pulled up his friend list and called someone. Rakna? Whats wrong? Grays voice sounded from the other side of the line. Please dont tell me you found another Abyss member or something. Tonight is a full moon, he bluntly said. ah shit, the clown immediately face-palmed. How could I forget that? Normal werewolves are already a pain in the ass during full moons, I dont even want to imagine what it will do to you. Is it that bad? You have no idea. A matured werewolf of good bloodline during a full moon could contend against someone stronger than them by at least a hundred levels. You can imagine the damage if a thing like that goes berserk, right? Yes So? Are you calling me to help you? You know you could just stay indoors. While all werewolves feel apelling urge to go out in full moons, someone like you should be able to resist it. Though, once again, I have no idea how you would actually react. Nevertheless, I want to see what it does to me so I can be prepared in the future. I dont want to be in the dark about my own abilities. Yeah, I can understand that. All right. I assume you need someone to keep a check on you. Your friends dont cut it because of how powerful you are, so that leaves me. Hmm, honestly, Im a bit busy right now. Ive already left the First teau and I dont know if Vegas is still in the Fifth but even if he was, hed probably be researching that gue. What do you propose then? Have you forgot already? You have a bunch of people you can ask for. Well, I could ask foxy but shes also ah, Rakna realized. Right, the guild chat. Yep. Ask them. Theres probably one or two that would be happy to help. I see. Thanks. No problem. And stay out of trouble if you can. I did say we would protect you but I dont want to shed blood futilely. Got it. See you then, the cyborg said and ended the call. Rakna then opened the guild chat and sent a message without pause. ? ? ? ? ? Obsidian has joined. ? I need a favor. Is there anyone who can head down to the First teau tonight? ? Well, well, look whos decided to deign us of his presence. I heard what you did to the Abyss Tras by the way. Nicely done. ? I have to agree, but the boy is clearly not here to deal with your attitude. ? Sheesh, no need to bash me. ? You speak of a favor, Obsidian, what does it entail? ? How much has the clown told you about me? ? That you are a never-seen-before breed of werewolves with nine tails and star magic. To be fair, I didnt believe it at first when he told us. ? Hahaha! That would make for an awesome fight! So, what do you want, kid? ? Tonight is a full moon. ? Oh. ? Oh. ? Oh. ? Ah. ? Whyd you break the chain!? And stop lurking like that! ? Calm down Anyway, what you need is someone to restrain you if thingse to the worst? Am I correct? ? Yes. ? Im afraid I cant help today What about everyone else? ? While Im eager to meet the newbie, I cant. ? Same. ? I dont mind doing it. Maybe he can give me a challenge under the full moons influence. I wouldnt want to miss that. Hey, kid, tell me when and where you want to meet. ? When the sun sets; 9PM. Outside of ck Steel at the station. ? Ill be there. ? Thank you. ? Obsidian has left. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna closed the window with a sigh and looked around at the pedestrians. As he passed by the vitrine of a shop, he remembered something and ced his hand on it. No one paid attention to what he was doing and he mumbled under his breath, [Reflect My Core, Antanasia.] In the split of a second, he was back inside the mirror world and he was able to confirm what he was specting in an instant. The ck and white world was as silent as ever butpared to the training room, this ce had more movement. It seemed that even people were reflected. Not real, huh? Not surprising, he muttered as his hand passed through someone as he tried to grab their shoulder. {Indeed. Antanasia recreates the real world without substance. You should be happy that you can even see them in the first ce. Sadly, you are unable to hear what they say or even plot a sneak attack on them unless they are standing next to a reflective surface.} Its still useful for spying, Rakna said as he continued to walk on the streets of what now looked and sounded like a ghost town. There were plenty of reflective surfaces in ck Steel and since they were the only things that had color in this grayed world, it gave for an interesting sight. After a few minutes of walking, he began to feel the rejection of the dimension affecting his body but it wasnt as bad asst time. Not only was he in a crippled state at the time but his attributes had also increased by a substantial amount. Higure, how long can I expect to be able to stay here in the future? {Hmm, by level 100, you should be able to stay for easily an hour. Even more so if you assimte and assign more attribute points. Later on, even days will be possible. For now, without damaging your body, Id say you can stay for about ten to twenty minutes. However, keep in mind that this may not be the same for the otheryers.} I guess Ill see it for myself, Rakna replied as he activated Antanasia on the closest spot to the Pavilion he could use. He waited for there to be a minimal amount of people that could see him before heading straight to the private section. When he entered, he saw that Evelyn was still sleeping on the couch, drooling on the nket he had put over her. He snorted in amusement as he walked to her. Seems like via didnt want to wake her up, hemented and took a seat nearby. Though she took Pronos and Tyran. Well, as long as they have fun. {Thats true. So, what are you going to do until the night? Meditate?} Hm, maybe a bitter, he responded and pulled out the book he had put off, conjuring a green hexagonal shield at the same time. Im not tired yet so lets continue this while training GHB. {Oh, yes I had almost forgotten.} Rakna snorted and took his time to turn the pages to where he had left, skimming over paragraphs to refresh his memory. When he reached the page that he had bookmarked, Higure raised her voice again. {Before that if you agree, I would like to know what the youngdy was about to tell me yesterday evening,} she requested with a solemn tone. Raknas hand paused and he hummed, not giving any obvious reaction to her words. Why? {Hmph, why do you think?} She retorted with a bit of mischief. I wouldnt know. {Please, devourer, I know you are cynical, but you are not ignorant. You should know what others feel. I would even say that you understand people more than most. I ask because Im concerned and I would like to learn more about you,} she said with an unusually serious tone. {Is that too much to ask?} Rakna stared at the page of his book for a minute before responding, I didnt stop via from saying anything because it is a past that hurts me. I stopped her because, on the opposite, I dont want her to be sad by retelling it more than necessary. That applies to you. Sometimes, its better to hide things, not to protect yourself, but the ones around you. As you say, I understand people sometimes more than I would like to. {I see. So, Im the one being ignorant here, huh?} She snickered. Its a shame you werent here when I told my past to Kaelith. Rexam or Fenriu most likely have a vague idea of the reason. {Well, theyre not very eloquent, are they?} She jested, looking back at the two whelps behind her in the soul realm. Fenriu opened one eye from his position and huffed while Rexam chirped cutely with a tilt of his head. {Guh} If you want to know that much, the reason why via avoided our house, more so her grandfather though, was because of how I was at the time. You havent seen me under the effect of Obsidian Blood yet, have you? {Obsidian what?} Whatever. Just imagine an emotionless version of me, yes, even more than now, lusting for blood, carnage, and revenge. Thats what I was at the time, and also what they met. No surprise that they avoided our house. {Hmm in that case, what happened for via to befortable enough to even make breakfast for you two?} Rakna smiled internally. That woman was afraid but she held a certain determination that I find rare. She never came close to our house for sure but she would try to talk to me when I crossed her on the streets back home. She fidgeted, stammered, and was clumsy in her interactions but she tried her best. She even put a card for newss eve in our letterbox. {Truly, a sweet girl.} Yes. But I could see it. She was still careful around me, taking the warnings her grandfather had given her to heart, which I have no right to me. But despite that, she appeared intent on getting through me. I didnt get her motive at the time but she together with An, was one of my first and only friends Sheter told me that she felt a deep sense of sorrow around me and that she believed it was the right thing to try and help me. {Is that what brought you closer?} Rakna closed his eyes. Not exactly. An incident broke the monotony of her awkward interactions with me. Around four and a half years ago, I was hunting some people and by a stroke of luck, I found them the day they had abducted via to ckmail her grandfather. Higure gasped. {Those people, what were they?} Terrorists. Though, not the crude and trigger-happy kind. They were organized, had influence and power. Ones that I had a vendetta against. When I found their base of operations, I was since then far lost in my thirst for blood. I normally could keep control of myself, but when I saw her lying on the ground bruised, I snapped. The next thing I knew, I was choking to death thest one of their group. via woke up and saw in horror what I was doing. That day, when I saw her crying expression, begging me to not kill, to not be a murderer, was probably one of the biggest reasons Im notpletely mad today. {} Rakna sighed. Anyhow, after that happened, she got bolder and began to visit our house. She even had gotten permission from her grandfather. Who would have thought saving his granddaughter would have changed his opinion of me? He quipped sarcastically and Higure chuckled. Well, you know the story now. Happy? {Honestly? I am. Thank you. I think I understand you better now.} Oh? Good for you then, he uttered as he finally began to read his book. {Indeed} She whispered and smiled to herself. Chapter 125: Full Moon Chapter 125: Full Moon Evelyn groggily yawned and rubbed her eyes as she opened them. She beheld the nket covering her half-asleep. She blinked a few times then speedily sobered up when she saw that Rakna was sitting cross-legged on an adjacent couch. She let out a muffled yelp and wiped the drool around her mouth before sitting properly. She took a closer look at him and sighed in relief once she noticed he was in deep meditation. {Dont be so fast in your respite, young Cambion. He still saw you drooling in your sleep.} Eh?! The subus almost fell over when she heard a voice in her head. She looked around her nervously and a chuckle sounded before the blurry figure of Higure solidified in front of her. {Its me.} Oh Higure Evelyn began to calm down until her words registered in her mind. Wait, he saw what?! The lioness burst outughing and she flushed. Dont make fun of me! She shouted with a pout. {Hahaha! Dont fret, youngdy. You were adorable, you know? Especially when you mewled as he swathed you with that nket,} Higure said and enjoyed the subus blush deepen. Evelyn nced at the meditating form of Rakna then back at the nket and even the scarf around her neck. This warmth the one she felt in her chest was the first she had ever felt from anyone other than her family. Now, it was even more predominant after bing a Cambion; after she had resigned herself to her fate. Higure watched her with a softening gaze as she gripped the nket with a small smile. {Youngdy, can I ask you something?} She inquired without a trace of teasing. Evelyn looked back at her with a calmer expression and tilted her head. Yes? {What is your opinion on your current situation?} Sorry? {I mean to say; are you fine just following my devourer like this? Im aware of the promise your brother made with him, Rakna told me, but there isnt any obligation for you to stay with him. You could just bind yourself to something other than Sonata and live your life. I heard Phantoms can even have children.} Evelyns eyes widened a bit. So youre asking me why I stay with Rakna? {Well, other than your crush on him,} the lioness snickered and the subus opened her mouth to retort, embarrassed, but ultimately forced herself silent. It was true, after all. {Im not trying to say that you are misguided or something. I just want to know your motives a bit more.} She shook her head. Its all right. You dont need to justify it. Its a legitimate question. I admit that maybe Im possibly, perhaps, a tad bit, attracted to him, she said while shyly looking away. But, regardless, what choice do I have? He freed my brother and took me under his protection. If I were to decline, where would I go? You say I could settle down; I would like that. Even with the constant reminder of the System telling me to climb teaus ever since I was unsealed, it sounds like a peaceful life, she said. But Im not ready for it I will be frank with you, I just cant find rest, she stated and clenched her hands. Just like my brother, I feel my demonic nature boiling every time I recall that day and what happened to us. Higure hummed pensively. {Is it revenge?} Heh, I dont even know, she replied helplessly. No, I wouldnt say so. Its just anger. I feel angry at myself. Angry at the world. Angry at that damn family. And I cant erase it, she spat and for the split of a second, a strand of darkness sparked around her and her eyes glowed red. Im not even sure if the ones who caused our demise are even alive anymore. I dont even know who they were exactly. {Regarding that,} Higure followed up, noticing but ignoring the odd fluctuations. {Its the part I dont understand well. Rakna told me that your family had been betrayed by the Jin. Why so?} Even to this day, Im not sure, Evelyn said somberly. But I clearly heard the ones who attacked us speak of their orders. If I had to guess, Id say it was because my fathers influence grew too big for their liking due to his talent and natural charisma as an incubus. {I see I think I understand. You need closure,} the lioness concluded. {Phantoms are beings overflowing with powerful demonic energy. It has the nasty effect of amplifying negative emotions which you thankfully resisted thanks to the purity of your soul. Youre a gentle girl.} Thank you, Evelyn smiled brightly. {Well, irrespective of your motives, I believe it would do good for you to be with Rakna,} she said and nced at the teen in question. Evelyn also looked at him, a bit confused. What do you mean? {Rakna needs as much love andpany as he can get,} the lioness said. {Whether it is romantic in nature or not; it doesnt matter. I know for a fact that his entire being craves it.} You think? Evelyn seemed a bit doubtful. He doesnt act like it. {Does he act like anything?} The lioness deadpanned. point taken. {What Im trying to say is that hes not someone who should be left alone for too long. He has confessed to me himself that his mental state was hazardous. At least, in the past. It would not be a good thing for him to regress.} Evelyn stayed silent and gazed deeply at the meditating werewolf before nodding to herself. I will do my best. Im not sure how much I can do for him, but if its even just as a friend, I promise to be there to assist him. Higure grinned. {Thats what Im talking about. Obviously, Ill also do it. I like to believe that being inside his head is a good spot to keep him in line.} The subus giggled and her system abruptly notified her of a message. Oh, its time for us to go. An and the girls are ready to go hunting. vias bringing Tyran and Pronos as well. {Hah, I can just imagine that young mans reaction at the little Dreorin joining them,} the lioness quipped and Evelyn smiled. True, she said and stood up. She folded the nket and wore her cloak again. Thank you for the chat. It was appeasing. {It was my pleasure, young Cambion,} Higure said and she nodded before walking away. As she left, the lioness squinted her eyes in thought. That brief burst of darkness and that small ripple on her soul was it a trace of ckening? No, it was something different, she thought and smiled at the realization. Devourer, you got yourself a wonderful ally. ? * * * ? When Rakna opened his eyes, it was to the ufortable feeling of all his hair standing and his fangs growing over his lips. His brows twitched and he instinctively activated Fabled Sight, his irises turning gold. This is He whispered when he saw silvery strands of energy getting greedily sucked in by his tails and ears. {Lunar energy,} Higurepleted for him. {Interesting. Your body is absorbing more and more as we get close to the evening.} Lunar energy? {You canpare it to what I exined during my teaching of runecraft; it is a magical concept that is birthed by the world.} I see Rakna replied, forced to repress a growl. He frowned and circted his mana and soul to get control back. His hair and fangs returned to normal and he sighed. He opened his status and noted that his attributes were higher by a few digits. His attention was then caught by a blinking circle in the corner of his vision. He expanded it and a message from Gray appeared. ? ? ? ? ? I heard Tairen was going to help you. He will easily be able to keep you in check but I rmend you get the help of your goddess friend. It will make things easier since she should be able to cut you off from the lunar energys influence while he holds you back. I already told him about her. Its your choice if you want to bring her along or not. Good luck. ? ? ? ? ? So, Lunar Magic can do that, huh? Would she also be able to artificially induce my transformation as well? He wondered aloud. {Perhaps. Though, we will have to wait to see how far she can go with it. For now, if shes able to converge lunar energy, then doing it to the extent you are currently is a baseline. Your attributes have been boosted slightly but you still have control.} Well see, he said. He opened his friend list and selected Nyx. He sent her a message exining the situation and she replied with a positive answer a minuteter. All right, he muttered and looked at the time. We still have two hours before the appointed time. The sun shouldnt set in its entirety until then but I should head out now in case I transform prematurely. {That would be astute.} Rakna grunted and left the private section. Already, he could feel arge increase in lunar energy since the hall was considerably more connected to the outside. He tightened his fists, forcing his Soul Core to pump faster to suppress the transformation. Obsidian Blood was also being nudged too much for his liking. It got a bit worse when he came out of the building but nothing he couldnt deal with. He caught a glimpse of both the setting sun and the rising moon and huffed. With Fabled Sight, he could tell that the lunar energy was being fought off by the sunlight. He would probably be fine as long as there was a minimum of sunlight. He hastily made his way to the station and couldnt help but snarl a few times on the way, scaring a few passersby in the process. He arrived in the wilderness around twenty minutester. He went off to a remote ce with the most amount of sunlight and the least lunar energy and also ignited his aura to help him a bit. He sat down and meditated on a surface level to wait until it was time. The sun was nearly gone from the sky and he now knew that this was harder than he expected. His fangs were extending slowly but surely and some amount of fur was growing on him. He had already entered his pseudo-werewolf form. He had hoped that the full moon wouldnt affect his rationality and consciousness but based on the rampaging energies inside of him, the chances of that were steeply declining. He had struggled to send a message to both Tairen, as Gray had called him, and Nyx to tell them to join him while giving them his location. The first to arrive was Nyx. Shended in the grass field he had upied with her shadow wings on her back and seemed to be hesitant in getting closer. Rakna, can you hear me? She asked carefully. I can, he replied with a double-toned voice, barely human as is. One could tell in an instant that he was gritting his teeth, his eyes flickering between purple and red. Nyx sighed in relief. When is your guildmate supposed to arrive? Should be at any time now, he said, and as if on cue, his senses picked up something. He looked up and Nyx mimicked him. They squinted their eyes and saw a dark dot getting closer. Then, said dot suddenly turned into a blur for them that crashed a dozen of meters away from them. Hahaha! Its been a while since Ive been to the First! Its nostalgic! A powerful low-pitched voice resounded from within the cloud of dust and the figure that came out of it startled them. The man was an anthropomorphic bull four meters tall. His skin bordered dark red and coupled with his ck horns and blue eyes, everything about his appearance gave him a very sharp and overbearing presence. His muscture was nothing but bulging and he wore a light armor akin to a diators. The part of his chest that wasnt covered had arge scar going down diagonally. Hey, greenhorns! Nice to meet ya! My names Tairen Asterio Apis but you can call me Tai, the minotaur said with augh and turned toward Rakna. So, youre Obsidian, eh? While I would love to chat before getting to the point, it seems like we dont have a lot of time on our hands, he said after noticing the spasms of the werewolf as well as the fading remnants of sunlight. Hey,dy, youre ready to start extracting the lunar energy? He inquired with a more profound tone and she nodded, preparing her mana for the task. What about you, kiddo? Are you ready? could not be more so Rakna growled out. In that case Tairen trailed and thest bits of sunlight were no more. His gaze sharpened. The initiative is yours. Rakna wasnt even able to hear hisst sentence as the instant the sun was down, his head snapped upward and his eyes took in the form of the full moon on the horizon. His heartbeat elerated and his ears whistled. {Rakna? Rakna!} Higure tried to call him but it was useless. {Tch, so you are a berserk type after all,} she muttered to herself. ? ? ? ? ? Warning! Detected arge influx of Lunar Energy! Your body is reacting to the night of the full moon! Your power will continuously increase until the moon reaches its true peak. ? ? Obsidian Blood has been triggered! ? C Error! C ? Obsidian Blood has been overpowered! ? ? ? ? ? These were thest prompts Rakna saw before cking out as he felt the rest of his body grow along with several appendages down his spine. Chapter 126: His Madness Chapter 126: His Madness Nyx watched with a wince as the grisly sounds of Raknas bones snapping into ce echoed. His eyes whirled until they were as otherworldly as she knew them, and he let out a loud growl. An aura many times bigger than what she had ever seen from him erupted from his body. ? The temperature fell and the night became a misty one with only the full moon glowing through it like a ring torch. Raknas body became chilly and his fur whitened. His size expanded until he was nearly eight meters tall while on his feet. He hunched with a snarl and started shaking. ? Tairen at her side seemed to react at that. This signature!? He gasped and five tails sprout out from the werewolfs tail bone, raising the count to nine. Nyxs eyes widened as the pressure turned to be ten times stronger in the split of a second. The minotaur stepped forward to protect her and tightened his muscles as he reinforced them. ? I was joking when I said he might offer a challenge He mutteredughingly. But this is beyond everything I could have expected. He was ready to charge at a moments notice but unlike what he expected, Rakna suddenly stopped moving. Huh? ? The nine tails that had been iling in a fan drooped to the ground and the aura disappeared until the only source of cold was his body. His eyes were closed and his head lowered. ? Tairen raised an eyebrow. What is he doing? ? Maybe trying to regain control? Nyx suggested. ? I dont think so- ? [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath.] ? Tairen opened his eyes wide and shoved the former goddess away with one arm, using the other to block an overhead punch that had suddenly appeared. Nyx held her breath from the push and impulsively covered her face as a shockwave sent her flying for dozens of meters. The sound of the earth splitting followed and she grew a pair of wings to recover her bnce. ? When she saw what had happened, she couldnt help but be amazed. Tairen was restraining the massive fist of the nine-tailed werewolf with one hand, grinning, as they both stood in a falcate crater surrounded by fissures. ? Hah! Nice one, wolf! This packed the punch of a level 100 Host, the minotaurmented but his opponent heard nothing of it. In fact, he was so silent and calm that Nyx was genuinely confused whether he was truly mindless or not. ? Raknas eyes slowly spun and shifted from Tairen to her. [sh Step.] When those words, colder and more detached than she ever heard, reached her, it was already toote. The werewolf was already towering over her, thrusting his wed hand at her. ? This kid?! The minotaur eximed and before Rakna could finish his attack, he appeared behind him and grabbed his neck. He pulled him away and threw him toward the forest. The strength of his throw was high enough to nearly break the sound barrier and the werewolf crashed through many trees before barreling to the ground. ? Nyx sighed in relief and Tairen grunted while looking at where he had hurled Rakna. Are we sure that hes even berserk? He looked at both of us, deemed you as the lesser threat, and without a second thought, acted ordingly. ? Thats Nyx squinted her eyes, remembering vias words. He was hollow, cold, uncaring, and analytical. I had never been so terrified in my life. It was pretty obvious that the Rakna that they were dealing with right now was of the same ilk. I think its his own kind of madness. To kill all thatys before him with the best efficiency conceivable. ? Tairen scowled but before he could ask anything more about it, another line of chant was hearding from the woods around them, [Ought Rime Rip Bones and Flesh.] ? A shadow shot out from the trees and hovered in the air. Tairen and Nyx gaped as they saw three pairs of wings releasing silver dust. But they were not able to think much about it as he extended his hand toward them. ? [Fly to the Heavens; Natcattiram Cataract!] Twelve four-pointed stars rapidly condensed into a bigger one before beingunched by a spring, all in less than a few seconds. ? Tairen grabbed Nyx and kicked the ground, disappearing from his speed alone. Thepressed star hit the ground and exploded into a massive sphere, nothing like the one used in the training room. It even exploded a second time, erecting a pir that pierced the sky. ? From at least fifty meters away, Tairen whistled at the destruction. Damn, thats damn close to a first-ss spell, he uttered and in a sh of silver light, Rakna appeared above them, his six wings boosting his speed beyond even sound. ? What shocked Tairen however was the twopressed stars set onto their springs in each one of his hands. No cooldown?! He shouted incredulously. ? [Mystic Natcattiram Cataract,] Rakna intoned and the two spells zoomed toward their target at record speed. ? Mystic Magic?! Where does he even get this mana? The minotaur clicked his tongue and contracted his right arm. He brought his fist to his left shoulder and back-punched at nothing. The sound of ss shattering resounded and cracks appeared in midair. The two star-shaped spells halted unnaturally before being torn to pieces and vanishing. And it didnt stop at them. ? Raknas callous and unfeeling eyes spun and he tried to p his wings to flee but he wasnt able to avoid the damage in time. Half of his arm was twisted into many different directions before being ripped from his elbow down. ? [In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker.] ? Tairen thought he had gone too far for a second but that didntst long. The werewolf didnt even react to his arm being taken away from him. Instead, his fur became entirely white and tendrils of cold energy sprout out from his injury and reformed a limb before materializing as real. ? Oi, oi, is this for real? Tairen couldnt believe his eyes. He watched as Rakna flexed his new limb with a numb curiosity and he put down Nyx. He promptly jumped toward the werewolf andshed out a punch that drove him into the ground. ? {Lady, n changed. I dont think I can pin him down for long. How fast can you extract the lunar energy in his body without getting close?} He asked Nyx through telepathy, as it was evidently a faster way ofmunicating than verbal speech. ? {Unfeasible. I need to touch him directly to extract it,} she responded immediately. {However, I can set up an array that will cut off the moonlight. I believe that is the reason why he has so much mana. He might even be fueling his skills directly with lunar energy instead of his own reserves.} ? {Get moving then. Ill keep him busy,} Tairen dered as he stood in midair. He looked down as Rakna stood up from the crater he had made with his own body. Well then, its good to see you can take some punishment, he uttered with a smirk and a toothed great sword appeared in his hand, emitting a nerve-wracking bloodlust of its own. ? Rakna snarled quietly. His eyes turned golden and a white cross formed in the center. He opened his mouth and continued his chant, [In a Lifeless Perdition, the Wolf Growls and Howls.] ? That lexis is not for a spell, is it? Tairen asked with his weapon shouldered. He obviously didnt receive an answer. Well, it was rhetorical anyway. So a Cl Lli, huh? ? The werewolf growled and deployed his wings wide. The surface feathers vibrated and hundreds of them wereunched at the minotaur, each packed with cold energy. If he had been conscious at that time, Rakna would have seen that he had learned a skill; Projectile Reinforcement. ? Tairen snorted and didnt even bother doing anything. They all hit his skin and bounced off as if they were harmless insects. It wont work. My defense is out of your league. Though its a bit cold Ill admit, he jested. ? Raknas eyes constricted at his words and he summoned an energy bow in his hand. Alzero, he muttered and the Cao sword weaved itself into existence. Tairen raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to stop him as long as he didnt target Nyx. ? The nine-tailed werewolf nocked the odd sword onto his bow and as he pulled the string, with a metal screech, Alzero turned into a shape more fit to act as a projectile. He then coated it with his mana and element before letting go of the string. ? As I said, it wont-!? Tairen stopped talking as the tip of the sword pricked blood right below his neck. He moved with stunning speed, leaving an afterimage in his wake, and deflected the sword before it could stab him any deeper. For a second, he had truly felt himself in danger. ? He nced at the projectile he had deflected and barred out the possibility of it being a powerful item. Just a single swing of his weapon had been enough to shatter itpletely. In that case how did he do it? He wondered and noticed that Rakna was rooted in ce. Whats wrong? He spoke up with a huff. Ran out of ideas? ? The werewolf stayed silent at the provocation and he simply increased the output of his aura, his eyes thrumming with power. [In Between The Heights and Depths.] ? He gritted his teeth and howled at the sky. His call echoed for miles but there was nothing around that could respond. However, that had never been his intention. Countless puddles of shadows immediately appeared under the night sky, spitting out hundreds of red-eyed wolves. ? A King? Tairen remarked as if he had seen this kind of disy before. So? What do you intend to do with all these weaklings? He looked around briefly before turning back to Rakna who had cast a miniature constetion at high speed. ? [Gemini C Thirty Star Variation,] he uttered and the star energy shone. ? Tairen merely blinked because of it and when the light died down, his expression twitched when he saw nothing but weak shadow wolves. A spell that imitates aura and appearance? This could be annoying He muttered whilst trying to find Rakna in the crowd of wolves. ? At the same time, he kept an eye on Nyxs location to be sure that she wouldnt be attacked but the werewolf didnt seem to be willing to do so for now. In fact, all of the shadow wolves were staring at him with zing eyes. ? The unproductive stalematested for an entire minute until every wolf suddenly howled. They simultaneously conjured some sort of thorny rope that targeted the minotaur from all sides. ? So, these things can use basic shadow magic, huh? He snorted and released a wave of mana that pushed them all back. ? But that didnt deter the wolves as they merged with the ropes to instantly travel to where he was standing. At least a hundred of them lunged at him out of nowhere and he grinned. He grabbed the first wolf in range and crushed its head without difficulty. ? He threw the fading body at a few others and gripped his sword. The teeth of his weapon started rumbling before turning into a pseudo-chainsaw. He hacked with it and the very atmosphere was cleaved. A depression of air was formed and at least twenty shadow wolves were destroyed with that swing. An entire area of the forest below was deracinated at the same time. ? Tairen let out augh and swung his weapon again. This time, he shed a 300 angle around him. The repercussions were enough to excavate the ground and create a mini-tornado. ? The shadow wolves were shredded to pieces by the attack but they were reced just as fast by a new wave. Tairen gave them an annoyed nce. Come on now; swatting flies gets boring after a while, he uttered and a transparent aura wrapped his weapon as he lifted it. ? [Fracto Groa,] he intoned and swung it. At first, nothing happened, but the sound of ss being reduced to pieces resounded loud and clear. The world shattered, the swords teeth pierced reality itself, and the earth quaked. The soil and stone were defragmented and the chunks were rocketed into the air. ? Every singlest wolf was caught in the st and obliterated. Yet, instantly after, a rain of swords and spears fell from the sky, aiming at the minotaur. Havent you learned yet? Tairen muttered and batted away the weapons before turning around. His hand grasped the neck of the werewolf sneaking up behind him who had shrunk to a smaller stature. ? Why dont you rest while your friend finishes her job? He quipped and hit him with the t side of his greatsword. The werewolfs neck nearly broke and his body was further damaged as it crashed on the ground. Now, stay sti- ? [Antanasia.] Tairens eyes widened as a voice came from behind him. It was followed by another intonation as something grabbed the back of his head, cold enough to make him halt, and polluted his mind and soul with a kind of parasite, [Soul Scourge]. ? The minotaur managed to get a glimpse of his attackers appearance through the reflection of one of the swords remains before he lost focus. He had underestimated his opponent far too much and had nearly fell unconscious. Reflexively, he released his internal energies and punched Rakna, who had somehow bypassed his detection. ? Ill give it to you, that was close. It wont happen again. ? Cracks spread as his fist struck the werewolfs abdomen. Rakna coughed blood, his internal organs being violently twisted. But even then, his Cold Star Reinforcement forced everything back into ce. Tairen didnt let him finish, however. ? Survive this, kid, he muttered and turned his fist into a palm. [Fracto Des Mea,] he muttered and without warning, Rakna lost a chunk of his abdomen and an entire leg before being sted toward the ground. ? Tairen watched on as the beasts body dug a new crater. He nced at the other werewolf that he had struck with his sword previously only to see it disintegrating into blue particles. A clone? No, that looked more like a magic puppet, hemented. ? {Im done. I can activate the array whenever,} Nyxs voice abruptly entered his head. ? He nodded. He was about to reply when Raknas voice interrupted him. ? [Lies the Slumbering Mayhem of the Devourer.] ? The werewolf limped out of the devastatednd, his leg still in the process of restoration. His aura had also begun to increase in size again, much to the minotaurs amazement. ? Hes getting stronger as time passes Hes probably getting close to the strength of a level 200 or 300 Host. Is it because of the still rising moon? How powerful would he get if the moon was at its peak? He muttered to himself. And his Cl Lli hes already at the sixth line how many does he have? ? {Is something wrong?} Nyx inquired. ? {No. Activate the array.} ? The former goddess nodded from her spot afar from thebat zone and ced her hand on the ground where she had drawn one of the four magic circles surrounding this entire zone. [Castle of The Lunar Realm Cast in Shadows.] ? The circle shone and connected to the three others, enclosing the area where Rakna and Tairen were fighting. At the same time, arge magic formation formed in the sky, and the supply of lunar energy became naught. ? Tairen looked up at the giant magic circle above him and hummed. How interesting. This is a high-level application of auxiliary circles. Just as Gray said; this womans not banal. ? Rakna also looked at the magic circle but his reaction was much more frenzied. He sensed that he was disconnected from the moon and the lunar energy inside of him was inciting him; saying that this was an affront to him that couldnt be forgiven. He snarled and his nine tails contoured his body and pointed at their target. ? [Bathing in Blood and Rattling Death.] [Mocking Fairness and Gorging Hearts.] ? All of his mana and lunar energy traveled to the circuits contained in his tails which then filtered it to create a sphere of raw destruction. A ck, red, and blue amalgam of energy given form by the joint effort of all his nine tails. ? You cant be serious Tairen grumbled. {Youngdy, distance yourself. Your friend is about to use everything hes got to shoot a Tailed Pearl.} ? {A Tailed Pearl?} ? {The inborn Nirvana Skill exclusive to the Nine-Tailed Wolves and Foxes. This thing hes making right now is strong enough to level cities down. I have to face it head-on. If I dodge it, there is the risk of it harming a nearby settlement or even get close to ck Steel. Lets hope that your array can survive.} ? {As long as the cardinal beacons arent damaged, it should be fine.} ? {Ill try to quell it then,} he replied and dismissed his sword. He brought his hands closer as if he was holding an invisible ball and closed his eyes. Several reality cracks opened between his palms and a transparent spherical membrane enveloped them. He increased the distance between his hands and the sphere became proportionately bigger along with the cracks it encased. ? At the same time, Rakna finished his Tailed Pearl and his Cross Sight spun, unconsciously adding dimensional power into his attack. ? [The One, They Offer Harvest!] He howled thest line of his Cl Lli and the Pearl was propelled with a detonation and a terra-forming shockwave. ? Tairen opened his eyes and let go of the sphere. It hovered in front of him and right when Rakna decided to unleash his ultimate skill, he punched the transparent orb, [Fragor In Fractura!] ? The two world bending attacks collided in mid-air but didnt burst right away. The sky darkened and something akin to thunder roared as red lightning spewed from between the two spheres. ? Ultimately, the one that lost its integrity first was the Tailed Pearl. With a brief sh of light, the Pearl expanded and caused an effect simr to a reversal of gravity. Once it was big enough to touch the ground, it erased the matter altogether and an earthquake ravaged the teau. ? Rakna wed at the ground to stay stable and then, from within the explosion, the odd sound of ss breaking made itself known again. The Pearl abruptly stopped expanding and was consumed by a white pir of energy. A resulting force, worthy of a natural disaster, was thest thing the werewolf saw and heard before it knocked him out. Chapter 127: Insanitys Stairway Chapter 127: Insanitys Stairway This is awkward, Rakna deadpanned as he woke up being carried piggyback by Nyx. Why is the big bull not the one carrying me? Who the hell are you calling big bull? Tairen retorted from the side. And its because she has to be in constant contact with you to stop you from gathering lunar energy and suppress the effects on your lucidity. Its safer this way. You already were a handful from just the early stages of the night, if you transform with the full moon at its peak, it would get annoying. I do like my asional fight, but its not enjoyable against you since I cant go all out. Sorry to hear that, Rakna slurred and looked at himself. He blinked when he sensed manaing from his clothes which were all ck for some reason. What happened to my clothes? Nyx cleared her throat with a near-imperceptible blush. You were naked when you reverted to this form. I didnt have ess to your spatial ring so I just used my shadows to make temporary ones. Oh, he blinked then called upon his storage to don a new set of clothes, the shadow ones being dispelled at the same time. Oh yeah, speaking of that, those scars of yours are no joke, the minotaurmented and the therian simply nced at him with an unreadable expression. Seriously, it even made mine look like the love bites of death. I didnt look at it too much cuz I figured it would be kind of rude but I saw enough. How did you get them? Nyx secretly tried to look over her shoulder. She also was curious about it. Though, what she had seen was even less than Tairen since she had looked away as fast as possible. Rakna maintained his silence for a moment before opening his mouth, Results of a damned and misspent youth. More importantly, how was it? Rakna ignored their indignant stares. I dont remember anything after I grew nine tails. Tairen snorted. Take a look for yourself, he said and his eyes shone. With what was probably his HL, he then projected a holographic screen in front of them. The whole idea was for you to know what you can do while lunar powered, right? It would have been stupid to not take a video. True. Good thinking, Rakna nodded as noted that the image in front of him was considerably higher quality than what his own HL could do. By the way, sorry about this, Nyx. But I dont think I will be able to walk for a while. Nothing serious though; thankfully. Its all right, the former goddess replied calmly. Its also easier for me to make sure you dont go on a rampage again. Hey, do you want me to y it? Tairen asked while pointing at the video. Theres actually a few things Im curious about. Sure. We have time until we get to ck Steel, Rakna agreed and the minotaur promptly told his AI to y the video. The first thing they saw was him intoning the first line of his Cl Lli before targeting Nyx. At that point already, Rakna was amazed. Interesting I dont know if I should be worried or proud of myself for being sobat-efficient while berserk. And thats not the end of it, Tairen said and they quietly watched as the werewolf in the image cast Natcattiram Cataract thrice in a row. Rakna raised an eyebrow and opened the notifications he had missed while matching them with the timeline of the recording. His Mystic magic had indeed leveled up, twice, to be exact, along with other proficiencies and skills. This! Tairen suddenly shouted, pausing the video right where Alzero managed to pierce through his defense. Thats one thing I dont get. That sword was rubbish at best. How did you injure me with it? Rakna hummed. I see Im impressed by a mindless version of myself its an odd feeling. its not really the time to be drooling over yourself. The therian scowled at the minotaur and pointed at the screen. That; is mainly your fault. Huh? You stood still like an idiot, overconfident of your defense, so I simply took the chance to hit the only focal point I could see on you with a weapon forged with nothing but dimensional stability in mind. Tairen groaned, being called an overconfident idiot by a newbie, then reacted to a certain term he had said, Wait, did you just say focal point? Yes. And no, I dont feel like exining. Just move on with the video. Now I know why Gray likes you so much He grumbled under his breath and yed the video again. Rakna watched fascinated as the shadow wolves cast magic of their own and with a quick look at the logs, he saw that his Call of Fangs had be level five; a three-level increase. But the most interesting thing by far was the thirty-star variation of Gemini. He was truly amazed that he had improved his spell on the fly like that. He opened the description and saw that the new variation cost 200 MP and would increase the overall effectiveness while also changing his actual appearance if he wanted to. After that, Tairen paused the image for a second time when the recording reached the point where he had sneaked up on him and tried to attack his soul. This, the minotaur sounded rather serious. I understand that you seem to be a powerful soul practitioner but that word Antanasia. Is it really what I think it is? Rakna furrowed his eyebrow. If you know what it is, then the answer should be obvious. Antanasia? Nyx raised her voice questioningly. Enthymio, Tairen said. A spiritual dimensionposed of sevenyers. The first one is called the Gradation of Reflection, Antanasia. Inymans terms, its the Mirror World. The shadow goddess immediately understood. So, he used the reflections of the swords to get close to you while you were preupied with a puppet. Brilliant. As expected of me, Rakna expressed with a nk expression and the two sighed. After that, they watched the rest of the video where he was beaten down by an earth-shattering palm before Nyxs array came into ce. Thest scene was the collision of the Tailed Pearl and Fragor Thanatos. Really, Tailed Pearls are as powerful as ever, Tairenmented with a huff as he turned off the holographic projection. Tailed Pearls is that something inborn to the Nine-Tailed Wolves? Rakna inquired. Hm? What, you dont know? No. I dont have that skill in the first ce at least not at the moment. Guess it was a temporary thing then, the minotaur shrugged. Tailed Pearl is the Nirvana Skill that all wolves and foxes of the Nine-Tailed n are born with. And their might just cant be given justice by what you saw in the video since I made sure to lessen it with my magic. Theres a reason why the fox and wolf branches are the most feared and respected of the n. I see Rakna muttered and they arrived at the station. Speaking of your magic, what was it? Oh, that. Its a byproduct of my Nirvana Skill. Its called Fragor. Without going into the specifics, its basically a magic that allows to break the world as I perceive it. Sounds powerful. Hah! Obviously! Im not called the Bull of Destruction for nothing, nor am I part of the Throne of Glory by chance. Just like you, he stated and the train emerged from the underground tunnel with the chimneys rumbling. Anyway, Im going to leave here. Youd be surprised by how busy we get on the higher levels. Id love to chat with you longer but its gettingte. I understand, Rakna nodded. Thank you for the help today. No problem. Here; well see each other again, Tairen sent a friend request to him and Nyx and pulled out something that looked like a Badge of Honor. See ya, he said and disappeared at the end of the countdown while they embarked on ck Steels Spear. Oh, Rakna, Nyx spoke up. It seems we will have to sleep together tonight. yes? ? * * * ? Frankly, there was barely anything that could embarrass Rakna. The closest he got to feel such an emotion was when his uncle would get weird in public. Even this situation wasnt something he would lose hisposure over. Thats why even if he was lying down in a bed with his back pressed against a literal ex-Night Goddess, he was calm just utterly dazed. can I ask you why you cant just make another array? He ultimately found the force to ask. Or why do we even need to continue dealing with lunar energy while indoors? Nyx sighed quietly. She was also a bit embarrassed but at least she was relieved that it was with someone like Rakna. You didnt need to be a genius to see that he was a man that, if notpletely apathetic to everything in life, would never make a move on a woman in this condition. Its simple, she said. Firstly, if I was in my prime, making a self-sustaining array would be as easy as breathing but its impossible for me at the moment. This System is making me go through the correction basis of everything I knew in the past. The best I can do right now is continuously fuel an array for a maximum of an hour which can only lead to me getting tired. But, luckily, my unique constitution as a divinity of the night is enough to confine it by just me being here. Rakna hummed. What about my other question? Lunar energy is an idea. It is a power generated through concepts and thoughts. While it is true that its concentration is higher when youre directly under the moonlight, just the fact that it is night and that the moon is a full circle is enough to saturate the air with lunar energy. That includes closed dimensions; like you saw in the Pavilions Filters. Thats why I cant let you alone. Just think back to what you did earlier, if you were to turn berserk in your sleep, it wouldnt be pretty. Well I cant deny that. Additionally, if I understand my mentality correctly, if I turn again, my first move could be to fly up and carpet-bomb ck Steel with Natcattiram Cataract. Nyx smiled wryly. Should Imend you for such insight? Rakna shrugged. Not really. It would be a self-destroying move. Yes, I would cause a lot of damage in a short time but theres a 100% chance I would be arrested doing so. From what I saw in the video, I would definitely avoid that, he said and squinted his eyes. So, the next best method would be to summon my shadow wolves, as many as I can, and order them to scatter and kill on sight. Then, I would use Gemini and disguise a few of them as members of the Nine-Tailed n and then conjure a Tailed Pearl. Nobility or not, they would be used of the crime and a conflict would spark. Best case scenario; a civil war. Then again, the System might have contingency ns against copious crimes like that. Nyxs eyes widened as he exined that devilish n with an emotionless voice. Despite herself, she couldnt help the shiver that coursed through her body. You sound as if you have experience in the matter. Rakna fell silent for a moment. I do. A part of my life was spent learning how to efficiently spill the most blood possible. I was so driven by the desire to kill that my uncle admitted to me that he considered cutting my head off on several asions to stop me from bing a true murderer. The former goddess let out a breath and her expression became gentler. I praise you. what? I have met many people like you in the past But all of them had already reached the dead-end, unfortunately, she said softly. Some were good people that were pushed off the edge by others and forced to live by blood. They failed to make peace with themselves and instead lost sight of what and who they were. You are like them. But, unlike most, you didnt take thest step. Was it thanks to your uncle? via? An? I cannot say. But you did not reach the dead-end. That requires more courage and determination than even I wouldnt im I possess. Not taking thest step doesnt imply that Im off the staircase, Rakna retorted as coldly as ever but Nyx knew better to not notice how defensive he was about the subject. Everyone is. If you want to use a stairway as a metaphorical path to insanity, you can be sure that every living being in Existence has a ce in it. It is not because you still tread on it that you have lost the choice of which direction you should take, she said solemnly then sighed. I havent known you for a long time so I will not pretend to understand or know everything about you. But if it helps, I witnessed with my own eyes how much via and An trust you. They would dlyy their life for you. Evelyn is the same. If you havent noticed yet, she admires you. She paused. and so do I. Your strength is more than mere fighting prowess. Do not doubt yourself. Thatst step is far away from you now. You could say that with each person that you protect and who wishes to protect you, you take one step down She trailed and smiled lightly. If youd like, I could be one of them. Rakna clenched his hand and rxed it immediately afterward. His expression loosened further than it had in more than ten years and a curve, regardless of how small it was, was clearly formed at the edges of his lips. Thank you Nyx. The goddess taciturnplexion became even softer. They had their backs facing each other but she just knew. She couldnt see his smile but she could feel it with her entire being. The pleasure is mine, Rakna. Chapter 128: Werewolf’s Moon Shine Chapter 128: Werewolfs Moon Shine Rakna woke up from his soul meditation and sighed before sitting up. He nced at the sleeping form of Nyx and smiled internally before getting up. There was still a bit of leftover lunar energy in the air but since the sun was already rising, it didnt affect him at all. Though He whispered and focused on his ears and tails with a bit of his soul. Nyx had told him that they had acted as the catalysts for the lunar energy to enter his body so if he focused a bit, he might be able to consciously gather and use lunar energy. What he did not expect however was the speed at which the lunar energy flooded into him with just a small nudge. For a second, he almost seriously considered jumping back in bed in order to avoid transforming but he quickly realized that nothing was messing with his mind. Instead, he felt stronger, though marginally so, and a System prompt then popped up in his vision. ? ? ? ? ? You have learned a new skill; Werewolfs Moon Shine! ? Werewolfs Moon Shine (Lv.1): By absorbing the lunar energy permeating the world, it is possible to wield its boundless power. This is a spell that can only normally be learned by lunar magic users but as a werewolf, this skill bes a racial skill. ? The effects vary ording to the phase of the moon: ? Full Moon C All attributes +10%, -50% to All Cooldowns, +200% MP & Regen. Waxing/Waning Gibbous C All attributes +7%, -30% to All Cooldowns, +150% MP & Regen. First/Third Quarter C All attributes +5%, -20% to All Cooldowns, +100% MP & Regen. Waxing/Waning Crescent C All attributes +3%, -10% to All Cooldowns, +50% MP & Regen. New Moon C All attributes +1%, -5% to All Cooldowns, +25% MP & Regen. ? Note: Lunar energy can also be used as an alternative to mana so thetters consumption can be considerably reduced but the extent of that ability is limited by how much lunar energy the user can absorb at once as well as the average concentration of lunar energy avable. The base effects will apply wherever the user is located, regardless of how covered the moon is from where you are. The effects will cease once the moon is fully set and each phase of the cyclests for an average of 4 days. Lastly, if the sun has risen, the effects will all drop to their minimum value, regardless of the phase the moon is currently in or if its still visible. ? ? ? ? ? Uh {Well, this is what I call taking advantage of a drawback,} Higure suddenlymented. I agree. This doesnt seem to lead to a loss of control. Which is a good thing, though it probably is irrelevant in the full moon. However Alexa, how long does the full moon phasest? [Roughly three days. But you do not need to worry about going berserk again. It normally happens once every cycle. This is somethingmon to all werewolves. While the possibility of you being an exception is still there, its very unlikely. Today was in actuality the second day of the full moon. The reason why the first day didnt force your transformation was that it wasnt the true full moon yet.] {Indeed. What most people dont know is that the full moon onlysts an instant. With the naked eye, it appears to be full, but its just very close to it. And the night that it urs is the night of the full moon; there can only be one every month or so.} Good to know, Rakna responded. ? ??? Werewolfs Moon Shine has leveled up! ??? ? right, he deadpanned and checked the skills description again. The level up had incremented every percentage by one. Not bad, he thought then heard a rustling from behind him. He looked to his left and saw Nyx rubbing her eyes while sitting up. She yawned lightly then blinked when her brain caught up with what she was seeing; namely, a certain therian looking at her with an amused eye. Her expression twitched and herplexion grew a bit redder. Ah, yes She whispered as she remembered. I have to say, it is my first time waking up along with someone else like this, she remarked whilst keeping her embarrassment in check. Really? Rakna was a bit surprised. Considering who you are, I would have expected you to have already experienced everything a mortal could. Are you insinuating Im old? Nyx huffed. Im insinuating that youve probably lived long enough to have seen and done a lot of things. I am not saying that youre old, he retorted calmly. The value of ones age is intrinsically corrted to their life expectancy. It would be just nonsensical to call someone old after something like a hundred years if they can still live for thousands of years. Nyx blinked a few times. Thats very true, she uttered and shook her head before standing up as well. But, well, to answer your question, I never experienced what mortals would consider the norm. As a goddess born from ideas, I do not even have parents, my only meaning in life was to simply exist as a conceptualization of the night. Divinities like me do not have carnal desires. The only reason we would even indulge in it would be for entertainment. And you didnt, huh? There was no appeal. For me, indulging myself for nothing more than hollow interest would just lower my self-worth, she stated and faintly blushed. In this case, I suppose were talking about my chastity I wouldnt give it away carelessly. Baba Yaga would always tell me so. Baba Yaga? Raknas eyes widened. Yes, she nodded. You should probably know her, right? Shes heralded in popr folklore. But please dont believe how she is depicted. She is a gentle elderly woman with a heart of gold. She is a grandmother to me in everything but blood. Dont worry. I would not judge someone without meeting them first. At the end of the day, legends and folklore are mostly human fantasies, he replied and looked at the time. By the way, do you and the rest have a ce to gather in the morning? Nyx nodded. We do. Do you want to go there with me? Yes. I want to give a few instructions to Evelyn and via for their training before I go practicing smithing on my own. Sorry, but youll have to wait another day or two before I join you in the 10th teau. Its all right. We were already prepared to wait longer. Though two days will be perfect for us to reach level 35. There isnt a lot of foes stronger than level 30 on the 10th, so thats our limit. Were still waiting for you for the Dungeon though. I see, Rakna nodded and put on his jacket. Lets go then, he said and they left the hotel they were in. ? * * * ? When Rakna stepped inside the small restaurant, the first thing he saw was Pronos and Tyran devouring several tes of food while An stared at them incredulously. The second thing was the looks of betrayal Evelyn and via were throwing at Nyx. Shes the enemy too?! They shouted silently and the former goddess tilted her head as she walked to them. Is something wrong? N-no, they stuttered and looked away. {Hah heh haha} Meanwhile, Higure was barely holding back herughter. Rakna decided to ignore both the lioness hysteria and the inquisitive stares. He sat down next to his blond childhood friend and nced at Tyran. So? Still scared of him? An groaned. Come on, dont tease me, now. He was damn big when I saw him. And since via brought him with us hunting, lets say that it didnt get any better with all the craters he casually would make with his fire. How did you even make this guy your pet? Hes not, Rakna retorted as he scrolled through the restaurants menu. I killed him. huh? Then I revived him as an undead. Ans eyebrow twitched and he looked at Tyran again who cocked his head to the side. You are being serious arent you? Of course, Rakna answered as if it was obvious. An undead, huh? Nyxmented, having been unsessful in discovering why the two other women in the group were ring at her. I suspected it but I have to admit its a very good one. I didnt know you had necromancy. I dont. Ites from an Item, he said. Anyway, Im mainly here to ask Evelyn and via a few things. Are you girls okay with the weapons we trained withst time? Well, yes. We trust your rmendations, the subus said and via agreed. Why? If thats the case, I will forge one of each for you two in the next few days. I should be able to make something decent enough that you wont need to buy one. Though, Evelyn, youll have to find a bow since Ill take Sonata back. A longbow, to be exact, would be preferable for you. Got it. So, how did the full moon go? via followed up. I asked a guildmate to help me. Long story short, I went berserk and he stopped me. Nyx stopped me from transforming again with her magic after that, he said. Now that I think about it, you have been absorbing the lunar energy ever since you woke up. Is it normal? The former goddess asked and the two other girls stiffened when they heard woke up. Its a skill Ive just learned. As a werewolf, I can make use of lunar energy to increase my attributes and stats as well as cast magic with it. While its considerably weaker than my transformation under the full moon, its a nice power-up. But of course, it doesnt work once the moon isnt visible anymore and the sun weakens it. ? ??? Werewolfs Moon Shine has leveled up! ??? ? Speak of the devil. I see. It sounds like lunar magic tailored to be a stand-alone skill, Nyx said and the food they had ordered arrived at their table. They then ate while chatting about random topics. Rakna offered Evelyn and via a few pointers for their closebat practice but the girls seemed to be more intent alternating stares between him and Nyx as if they were trying to decipher a puzzle. When Rakna finished eating, he excused himself, going back to Old Wangs house, and left his two pets there. Immediately after, the night goddess was abducted by the two women for an amicable interrogation. An nkly watched them as they huddled themselves inside a barrier raised by Evelyn. He eyed the two pets who were chewing a slice of cake, Hey, guys. Do you think Rakna has some kind of innate charming skill or trait? At this point, it might just be a secret Nirvana Skill or something. Tyran returned an innocent look, unaware of what he meant, while Pronos made a sound simr to a snicker while putting his tail in front of his grinning mouth. A vein protruded on the blonds forehead and he grumbled, Damn reptile. ? * * * ? Thus, for the next two days, Rakna concentrated on his cksmithing skills, while also learning more runecraft from Higure. It was in the evening of the second day that he began to forge thest object that would fill up the evolution bar of Star Make. Chapter 129: Star Hearth Chapter 129: Star Hearth The item Rakna chose to forgest was arge kite shield. For the asion, Old Wang had given him a metal called Red Mithril. It was more expensive than mostmon materials but lower than regr mithril, even at its lowest grades. Mithril is known as a metal capable of both frightening flexibility and hardness. Its also not only light but also mana friendly and magic resistant. Red Mithril was a bastardized version of it. It was made of residues during the forging of regr mithril and mixed with a material called blood powder; crystallized elemental blood ground into fine particles. What this results in is a metal that is not a lot harder than steel but certainly lighter and extremely good as a defense against magic and as a catalyst. Red Mithril, just like its regr counterpart, requires mana to be drawn, Old Wang had told him earlier. It also cools down faster so you have to be as fast as possible without losing uracy and power. Rakna grunted and put back the shield inside the forge for Karna to heat it again. After a bit more than half an hour, he hadpleted the basic shape of the shield. Then, instead of continuing it, he grabbed another tool that resembled an ice pick and began carving into it. How many do you think? {Hm, Red Mithril is ratherpatible so Id say fifteen characters,} Higure said. {With a max of three runes cumtively. You might be able to crank up these numbers to twenty and four by working on the focal points.} Got it, he replied and began carving the runic characters he wanted onto the shield. Of course, it was not finished yet so the characters he was drawing now would probably be erased once he proceeded to the next steps of the forging. However, it didnt mean they wouldnt work anymore. Runic enchantment of an object could be done in mainly two different ways; by simply carving the runes on top of the item or doing it during the manufacturing process. Both methods would have the same results but there was one big distinction. For one of them, the runes would be visible from the outside, for the other, they wouldnt. This detail simply allows to hide the enchantments. If an enemy were to possess a bit of knowledge in runecraft, they would easily able to decipher what they do in a single nce. However, it does not change the fact that if the part of the item where the runes were carved is damaged, they will stop working. Once he was done with the first part of the carving, Rakna reduced the number of focal points and added the second portion of the runes. He then proceeded to finish the item. After four days, his instinct had finally begun to help him during forging once he had gotten used to it. In the end, all he had needed was a routine to intuitively know where to hit and how. After that, he quenched and tempered it before grinding it and sharpening the edges. He also made sure to polish it to make it into a decent reflective surface. One thing he had learned was that a reflection had to reach a certain minimum of rity for it to be an entrance to Antanasia. Ultimately, the finished red and silver shield wasying on the table in front of him. Soon enough, he heard a few notifications followed by System windows. ? ? ? ? ? cksmithing has leveled up! Runecraft has leveled up! ? ? Star Make has fulfilled conditions for evolution! Star Make has evolved into Star Hearth! ? ? Star Hearth (T.10 C 1): The ability to create forms and objects based on the users imagination or memories. By condensing Star Energy, all sorts of constructs can be made. From the smallest of des to the mostplex and biggest of objects. The constructs will have nearly no distinction from a real object. If the user tries to replicate an item, the perks will not be unless theyre the one who made said item. Furthermore, the more the user understands the object, the less mana it will take. Star Hearth also allows the user to alter the construct as long as they understand the process to a certain extent. This will cost mana depending on the nature of the alteration. ? Cost: Variable. ? Note: There is no cost for keeping the construct active and it will instead disappear after a full day. However, if the caster wishes for it tost longer, they can decide to inject mana into it. The time added will scale based on the initial cost of the construct. If the same amount of mana used to make it is injected, then it willst for one more day. This also applies to every sub-spell derived from it. Sub-spells that were made prior to the evolution will be modified ordingly. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna hummed and extended his harm outward, he pictured a basic sword and in a swirl of cold energy tendrils, it built itself until he could see the glint of Karnas light reflecting on the de. He then concentrated a bit and the sword becamerger until he was holding a longsword instead. This is what I do with Dinsleif whenever I fire it or when I shot Alzero while berserk, he said to himself. But it feels more natural now {Can you make things that dont require forging?} Higure asked curiously. I think so, Rakna replied and dispelled the sword. He cast his spell again and he conjured a bow this time. And, surprisingly, the cold energy molded itself into actual wood before materializing a string that connected both ends of the arc. Rakna blinked and tried pulling on the string a few times and felt nothing wrong. While he had in fact learned a bit of craftsmanship from Old Wang, mostly woodworking, for handles and such, he knew for sure that, even as talented as he was, he wouldnt be able to make a bow so well with his current proficiency. Well, it takes more mana for sure, so thats probably thepensation. It will probably be the same for moreplex constructs like Dinsleif. {What an interesting spell Star magic truly has unique properties. While it would be possible to make constructs with others, I have no element in mind that could possibly replicate real materials to such a degree. Perhaps expect Creation, Tracing, Image, or Word Magic.} thats sort of a lot. {Not really, in the grand scale of things. Theyre special kinds of magic. What you have to know is that your Star Magic is several times more potent than any of those.} I see, Rakna responded thoughtfully and dispelled both the bow and an arrow he had just tried to conjure. He then looked back at the shield he had made and opened its description. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Defense/Kite Shield Name: Rarity: Blue Attack Power: 20 Physical Defense: 400 | Magical Defense: 600 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Near-Dimensional Structural Stability: The technique used during its forging has heightened its dimensional stability to make it remarkably robust. Due to theck of experience of the maker, it is not as strong as it could have been but close to perfection. ? C Cold Guard: Due to the very irregr and special mana used during its forging process, the shield has gained faint traces of enchantments making it more defiant against magic and fire in particr. It is also cold to the touch. ? C Rune Carving: Two individual runes and a double rune have been carved into the shield with seventeen characters. ? Maniption Rune => Object, Mana, Motion, Control, Wielder. Allows remote control of the item through the mind; costs mana. ? Redirection Rune => Force, Motion, Absorption, Contact, Land. Redirects a portion of the iing force toward the ground if the item is in contact with it. ? Restoring Rune + Structure Rune => Object, State, Reverse. + Object, Read, Material, Creation. The shield will fix itself over time at a slow pace due to the low ss of the runes used. ? Description: ? A shield forged by an intermediate cksmith and rune user, Rakna Xiorra, with mid-grade Red Mithril. It is an item with incredible potential to defend against physical and magical damage and whenever it is rooted in the ground when receiving a blow, part of the force will be dispersed into the ground to a certain extent. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna connected his mind to the shield with a strand of mana and watched it float up. He squinted his eyes and waved his hand to the left and it followed his movement. Hm, this is more or less goodpared to GHB. Its not nearly as fast or responsive, it takes mana to maintain aerial, its a bit harder to control, and I cant change its shape or size. But its stronger and by sacrificing mana, I could summon several and it wouldnt cripple my mind. {Indeed. GHB is more versatile and flexible but this is more reliable upfront. Its good to have one of each to match the situation,} Higure remarked as Rakna grabbed the shield and severed the mana link before putting it in his storage. Rakna nodded and took off his gloves. He grabbed his jacket back and walked to the door. See you again, Karna, he waved over his shoulder and the Celestial Kindle gave a short burst to answer. When he was out, he conjured a hexagonal barrier and stepped on it. The second he put a foot on it, the form suddenly changed and encased him entirely into a three-dimensional hexagon. It then shot into the sky at high speed. As he was being transported, Rakna simply leaned back, watching scenery pass from the inside without feeling the air resistance. {It is just as Old Wang said; you truly are a show-off, arent you?} Higure jested. Rakna shrugged. This is faster than using sh Step or Artzpul and I cant really use my wings in the middle of ck Steel now, can I? Its not like I can teleport or something oh. {Whats wrong?} The lioness asked then thought of something. {Dont tell me} Higure, do you know how fast stars can be? {Ive heard that regr stars on average go at 100 km per second. Hypervelocity stars can reach 1000 and some very rare ones can go up to near 10% the speed of light,} Higure responded and grunted. {I know what youre thinking, Rakna. But to do something like that, you would need to push your Cold Star Reinforcement to the limit and it would put a massive strain on your body. Even if you just use it for the split of a second, the consequences would be severe. Never mind crippled state, youd die before even realizing it.} Well, it wouldnt be too bad if I limited myself to a shooting star perhaps. Those can go as low as 10 km per second, Rakna retorted andnded in front of the Pavilion, the barrier dissolving into mana that re-entered his mana pool. {Youre a piece of work, you know that?} He snorted and sat down on a couch of the private section as usual before preparing to use Soul Breath. Im joking. I will at least wait for after getting to the Tenth teau. Since I will be fully healed, Ill meet up with everyone and do the Trial in the morning. {youre still a piece of work.} That, I am, he quipped with the ghost of a smile. Chapter 130: Golden Sea Chapter 130: Golden Sea At the break of dawn, Rakna made his way to the restaurant from two days prior. When he entered, he was greeted by Evelyn sitting at a table. Good morning, she said with a smile and he sat down next to her. Good morning. You are the first here? Yes. Since I technically dont need to sleep in the first ce, its hard for me to bete. The girls should be arriving soon since when I left the room we shared, they were waking up, she replied with a chuckle and proceeded to unwrap Sonata from around her neck. Here; you said you were getting it back, right? Rakna nodded and grabbed it. He sensed thefortable pulse of Eion energy going through its fibers and put it on with a sigh. I have to admit, it feels good to finally wear it again, he said and pulled out a winged spear from his storage. This is the spear I promised. Its made of peak-grade steel and after hammering it for more than four hours straight with my mana, I managed to make it reach 160 in attack value. Evelyn admired the spear with an opened mouth and he continued, I also carved runes into it. It will allow you to call it back to your position whenever you want and when you throw it, you can activate a perk that will duplicate it. Though, the copies will be temporary and fragile. Other than that, its rather tough against both normal attacks and magical ones. How is it? You made this? She asked dazedly. Yes. And you started learning about four days ago? Pretty much. The subus was speechless. She had obviously taken a look at the description of the spear and it was exactly as he had exined to her. She recovered from her shock and shook her head, Its a very good spear, thank you. Its a bit cold but its fine. Ah, yes. Its because of my element. I cant help it. Though, the shaft isnt affected muchpared to the de. With a bit of luck, you might even be able to surprise your enemies with it. The feeling of something cold can make you jump up very easily, after all. I understand, she nodded and stored the weapon inside a low-tier spatial ring. At the same time, the entrances chime sounded and via and Nyx walked in. Pronos jumped off from the formers shoulder while Tyran ran under their legs to get to Rakna. The little snake found his spot under Sonata with a grin and the small T. Rex jumped on his masters head, in between his wolf ears. via giggled. They prefer you, after all. Rakna grunted as he picked up Tyran from the neck and put him on his shoulder. Stay here. You are nowhere near close to being light enough to be using my head as a bed, he deadpanned and the undead replied with a small assenting cry. Anyhow, via, I already gave Evelyn hers; this is for you, he uttered and arge machete-like sword appeared in his hand. Once again, he grabbed it by the de and extended the handle to the former teacher as if it wasnt any heavier than a feather. Thank you, she smiled and this time didnt make the mistake to apply an anti-gravity spell on it before trying to wield it. Just like Evelyns, its made of peak-grade steel. However, unlike hers, I carved a triple rune on it that can only do one thing; explode. You can call it a sort of buster. By activating the runes, your swing will be boosted in three different ways; speed, sharpness, and size. It will essentially expand when you swing it, get faster and sharper, and deal a maximum of damage in one strike. I believe this is the style you were looking for so I figured I would make an enchantment for it. Wow Just like Evelyn, via was overwhelmed by the weapon. Where did you learn how to use runes? Nyx asked. Higure taught me. She knows her stuff pretty well. {Obviously,} the lioness boasted from his soul realm. By the way, wheres An? via shrugged. I dont know. He probably overslept again. Really now? A voice sounded as the door opened and the blond in question walked in with a yawn. Badmouthing me first thing in the morning? Thats mean. Well, it would be badmouthing if you could actually deny those usations, via retorted and stored the sword. An sighed helplessly. I swear you guys whatever. So, Rak, youre ready toe with us? Yes. But breakfastes first right now. The satiety from the Drakes heart has finally faded away for good and my hunger has returned, Rakna responded while scrolling through the menu. the satiety of what now? It was a delicious meal, he continued coolly. Huh? Sadly, Im not a fan of frozen food. Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?! An shouted and ultimately received no answer. ? * * * ? So, this is it, huh? Rakna muttered as he looked at the massive glowing tree in front of him. After eating their breakfast, they had promptly left for the Fifth teau for him to go through the Trial. Yep. Just get close to it and the System will tell you what to do, An said and he nodded. He jumped over theke of mud that surrounded the tree andnded close to it on one of the manyrge roots that stuck out from the ground. A prompt appeared right after. ? ? ? ? ? You have reached a Trial Zone. ? ? Trial of the Fifth teau ? The tree in front of you is a magically reinforced nt with both a strong physical and magical resistance. It is a meter wide and forty meters tall. Conditions to Pass: Cut down the tree within a minute after the signal. You are allowed to use everything in your arsenal to do so, whether its skills, magic, or items. ? ? ? ? ? Hm, I see. Its simple and straightforward. I like it, Raknamented and patiently waited as a small countdown began to echo in his head. Thisll be fun, An said from a distance. What do you mean? Evelyn asked with a tilt of her head. Im curious to see how Rak will do this. We all did it differently. Nyx used her shadow constructs to tear the trunk apart, via cast her wood magic and made the tree deracinate itself, I opened a wormhole inside of it to remove a part of it before punching it, and you simply burned it down. True. Im also interested to see how he will do it, Nyx added. Ive seen how destructive he can be with his magic while he was berserk. If he used one of those spells, he could easily pass. I guess well just have to see An stopped mid-sentence and blinked. What is he doing? Rakna extended his hand toward the tree and pressured on his thumb with his middle finger. His pupils turned into crosses and he let the force he had built up in his finger go free. The second it hit the trunk, a loud crack was heard and the tree began to topple over. An gawked as therge tree fell to the ground. did he just fucking flick that tree?! I think? Evelyn was also confused. Focal point Nyx muttered and via looked at her. Focal point? Is that what he used? I believe so. He mentioned something of the sort when he exined to Tairen how had managed to get through his defense. If I had to guess, I would say its something like a weak point that he is able to exploit. Raknas ears twitched and he snorted to himself as he heard them. Once again, shes hitting the nail right on the head, he thought and the System notification popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Fifth teau: Resource Trial Completed! You have gained the right to leave the Fifth teau. ? Do you wish to exercise it now? You have 26 158 hours to make your decision. Yes/No ? ? Hosts strength has been evaluated. Youve met the minimum conditions for several other teaus. A skipping right has been granted. Please select: ? C Sixth teau C Seventh teau C Eight teau C Ninth teau C Tenth teau ? ? ? ? ? Before selecting his destination, he nced at Evelyn and mused. Alexa, can I bring people along when Im transported to a new teau? [It depends. There are specific rules in ce. Shortly said, however, when it concerns new teaus, you cannot bring with you people that have already gone to the teau youre getting transported to. The only beings that may apany you are ones that are bound to you. Pronos and Tyran fall into that category. By extension, as long as you have Sonata on you, Evelyn, who is bound to it, will be able toe with you as well but she has to have passed the Trial before it.] That might be a bit problematic Theres always the risk that we would get separated from each other and I cant just continue giving her Sonata whenever that happens [You do not need to worry too much, Rakna. While it is true that Phantoms cannot exist without a medium, they can survive on their own for a certain amount of time. For now, I would say that Evelyn can act autonomously for about two to three hours. This duration will increase as she bes stronger in the future.] All right, Rakna responded and turned toward the group. Evelyn, youreing with me for the transfer then well all regroup on the Tenth teau. No problem, An nodded. The System tells us the direction in which a friend is if were on the same teau so we should be able to meet up quite fast. In that case, Evelyn, youre ready? The subus nodded and flew to him as the other watched. Rakna then selected the Tenth teau on the system window and a new one reced it. ? ? ? ? ? The selection has been confirmed. Rakna Xiorra, Pronos, Tyrannos Mors, and Evelyn J. Malcanthet will now be transferred to the Tenth teau, The Golden Sea. You will be automatically dropped at a random location in thirty seconds. ? Brace yourself for the spatial transfer. ? ? ? ? ? Golden Sea, huh? What kind of ce is that? Higure groaned. {I hate that ce.} Hm? Why? Is it dangerous? {No, nothing of the sort. The environment is just theplete opposite of what a Dusk Lion would like to dwell in. I visited that teau once and never returned.} Why do you sound so ominous? Oh! Rak, you probably dont need me to tell you, but be careful of the worms! An shouted a few seconds before the transfer was initiated. The what? Rakna could only utter before he disappeared in a sh of light. Ah! Payback! The blond fist-bumped and the girls shook their head. Lets go back to ck Steel. We need to go through the Pavilion to switch teaus, via said as she walked away. Ah, right. I forgot about that. Maybe we should have let Rak go the Trial alone with Evelyn. We could already be on the Tenth by now, An remarked as he followed them. Well, Im sure Rakna will do well on his own until we arrive, Nyx said. An snickered. Youre sure about that? You already forgot what happened when he entered the Fifth? I wouldnt put it past him to stir up something again. lets hurry up, via said and flew off with Nyx while taking An along with her telekinesis. ? * * * ? The first word Rakna thought of when the teleportation ended was: hot. A wave of heat overcame him in an instant and almost made him sweat within seconds if he hadnt mustered his aura. Uh He raised an eyebrow at thendscape. Glittery dunes of sand as far as the eye could see reflected the light of the ring sun into an entrancing golden hue. He looked up and scrunched his eyebrows at how bright it was. All in all, it was a desert. One that seemed to have been made out of gold powder instead of actual sand. Its beautiful, isnt it? Evelyn said beaming. Its a nice contrast to the lower teaus. I agree but where are we? I dont know. Chapter 131: Oasis Chapter 131: Oasis This is the Sahara all over again, Rakna grumbled dully as he walked on the dunes of sand. Sahara? Evelyn tilted her head as she hovered next to him. When I was I think thirteen? I went to a certain desert called the Sahara back on my with my uncle. It was for lets call it a job. I still remember the line that the old man uttered that day as if I had heard it a second ago. There is no way I could forget since it ruined the entire week that followed. A line? Rakna grunted and took on the most deadpan expression he could make. Ah, shit. It broke down. Guess were walking now, kid Thats what he said. The subus chuckled wryly and he abruptly stopped. Hm? Somethings wrong? Perhaps He muttered and looked down at his feet as his ears twitched. Tyran jumped off from his shoulder as well and seemed to be wary of something. Even Pronos stuck his head out and his pupils glowed as he used his Echo Vision. Theres something lurking below us. Ah those are-! Before Evelyn could finish, geysers of sand erupted and the same number of figures emerged from them. They were nearly twenty meters long, had goldish skin, and a circr sectioned mouth skirted by sharp teeth. Golden Sand Worms Rakna muttered as his eyes shed and read over their description. So, thats what An meant. Yes, they are verymon on the Tenth, Evelyn said as a ck me appeared in her hand. It is very hard to notice them normally but that is a moot point for you. One of the worms roared and appeared to be about to lunge forward when a voice echoed, [Star Hearth.] The worms midsection was suddenly pierced by arge sword releasing a cold mist. The same thing happened for all the others. Rakna snapped his fingers with an indifferent gaze and the swords imploded, taking out with them arge chunk of their body. A reverse shockwave apanied by cold air forced Evelyn to erect a barrier all around her. When the vtile sand settled down, her eyes widened as she saw the worms bodies copse with massive holes in their bodies. H-how? She muttered and extinguished the Hell me in her palm. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.22 Golden Sand Worm killed. Lv.24 Golden Sand Worm killed. Lv.20 Golden Sand Worm killed. Lv.22 Golden Sand Worm killed. Your level is too high. No experience gained. ? ? ? ? ? Hm? Rakna looked at her after the kill prompt disappeared. I just threw a few swords made of star energy and detonated them. Not that! These worms all have a core hidden inside their body that if not destroyed, will keep them alive no matter the injury. Their location is random from one worm to another. But you hit all of them without fail, she uttered as she stared at the corpses of the worms. Some of them had holes near their head while others had them far closer to their lower base. Ah, that. Yes, my Appraisal told me that. As for how I spotted them, its because my Nirvana Skill has the handy secondary effect of allowing me to see the hearts of creatures, he said. I guess my skill counted those cores as hearts. Evelyn was speechless. I also am normally able to see their blood vessels but these seem to have none. What a weird physiology now that I think about it. Is their core something like an internal energy engine? I can truly see now why everyone wanted to wait for you no matter what, the subus muttered with a tired tone. And your sense of priorities too He shrugged. More importantly, do you truly not know where this is? Well, Ive never been on this part of the teau. So, I wouldnt Rakna raised an eyebrow. Does that mean you dont have a map? She suddenly froze on the spot. She blinked several times and nervously looked to the side where a system window appeared. Im so sorry. I forgot this was a feature. I never used it before, she said apologetically. Its all right. Can you tell me how far we have to go? The friend panel only points in directions. Lets see, she muttered and looked at somewhere in the distance. She spotted the location they were in on her map and checked the ce she wasst and came to a conclusion. I think there is around five thousand kilometers from here to there? Raknas expression twitched. Thats quite far At a normal pace, it would take nearly 16 hours to get there. I could get that down to 9 hours though. Wait, what? Evelyn did a double-take. She felt like she had heard something unbelievable. Did you just say nine hours? Yes, he casually replied and cracked his neck. He breathed in and his fangs grew. Immediately after, his transformation began and took no more than a second to finish. Evelyn looked dazedly at the maned wolf that now stood in front of her. After shape-shifting, Rakna proceeded to use Gigantism until he was bigger than a horse. That meant he had to store Sonata inside his ring but thankfully, it didnt seem to make any change with the link it had with Evelyn. At the same time, Pronos climbed his neck and lied down in his mane, which was even morefortable than the scarf. Rakna then threw a look at the subus and opened his mouth, Get on. N-no, Im fine! I can go on my own. A subus wings are more powerful than they look Pronos and Tyran looked at her in confusion as she said that. Then, they realized why as Rakna spoke. Ah, I havent shown you yet, have I? He uttered and she only had the time to blink when she saw two majestic ck and silver wings sprout from the three-tailed wolfs back. Her jaw dropped and Rakna just beckoned her again with his head. Hurry up. We dont have all day. If the others starting our way as well and if I use mana to boost my wings, we might be able to regroup within five hours. Evelyn numbly nodded as floated up to his back. She straddled him and Tyran jumped in front of her to sit. Dont hesitate to hold onto my fur or my mane. This might get rough for you. You can also use a barrier to redirect the wind resistance if you want. Of course, make it aerodynamic. R-right Dont fall off then, Rakna said almost too nkly and channeled mana into his wings. Artzpul. Evelyn wasnt able to hold back a yelp as they brusquely soared. She hastily grabbed his mane and made a barrier to cut off the wind hitting her. When she noticed the speed at which the scenery was shifting, she gasped. There was simply noparison to be made with her flying speed. How fast are we going? She muttered out loud without really expecting an answer but Rakna was easily capable of hearing her even with the wind hitting his face. {Were close to Mach 0.5,} he replied with the telepathy he had learned recently. He still needed to focus a bit to use it but he was quickly getting better. Mach? Evelyn asked back. She wasnt that surprised that he could use telepathy. {Mach is a measure of thepressibility characteristics of fluid flow. Its an entry number made to ssify the behavior of air based on a rapport with the speed of sound. In other words, Mach 1 equals the speed of sound. Mach 0.5 is simply half of that.} you could have just said thest part. Rakna snorted. {Anyhow. Im going to elerate, keep on holding.} Eh? Faster than this?! {Yes,} he responded nonchntly and used his mana to empower his wings. The effects were immediate as his speed suddenly doubled; a silver trail being drawn behind him. Evelyn couldnt believe her eyes. Was this truly a feat that a level 40 Host could aplish? Well, I can only use this for about eleven minutes even with my soul cores reduction, Rakna thought as he felt his mana pool decrease by one point every two seconds. But this can make us gain some time even if I can only use it for eleven minutes every hour and a half or so. Just like that, they traveled for more than three hours, mostly in silence. After Rakna used his mana flight for the third time, they surprisingly came across an oasis. The clear water and the verdure around were a pleasing sight after staring at a desert for hours but that wasnt his priority. They had already passed by a settlement and a few unknown structures that could have either been dungeons or points of interest but he hadnt stopped for them and this wasnt an exception. However, the choice apparently wasnt his. A few minutes after passing the oasis, they came upon it a second time. There was no doubt that it was the same as everything about it, down the smallest of details, was identical. Huh? Did we move in a circle? Evelyn asked confusedly. Rakna squinted his eyes and his instincts kicked in. Something was wrong. This time, instead of going past it, he tried to backtrack his path and leave in the opposite direction. And, as he feared, he found the oasis again. What is this? An illusion? He thought and activated Fabled Sight but nothing looked amiss. {No, this isnt a mere illusion,} Higure rebutted critically. {This looks more like a discement array. A very good one to boot.} Discement array? {Its a special kind of spatial formation. Someone that is trapped inside of one and tries to leave its boundaries will be teleported in a way that theyll always face the center. And without them even noticing.} Do you think someone cast this? {Someone, something; I cant say. If I were in my prime, I could just break out but in this case, the only thing we can do is directly destroy or crack the foundation of the formation. That oasis seems like a good clue to finding it.} Rakna clicked his tongue. And here I thought I would be luckier this time. He grunted as he flew in circles around the oasis. Evelyn, werending. We have no choice but to inspect this ce. Understood. He folded his wings and used sh Step to gentlynd on the ground. The second his ws made contact with the grass of the oasis, a notification sounded in both his and Evelyns ears. ? ? ? ? ? You have discovered the Oasis of Brazwein! A reactive ordeal will now begin. ? ? Ordeal: The Oasis of Brazwein ? Description: You have entered the discement array of the oasis built by Fray Brazwein, The Exalted Quill. He was said to be a wizard of boundless talent, gifted with magic capable of all feats imaginable. Objective: You have been trapped in the array. Find either the secret of the oasis or a way to exit the formation within half a day. ? Failure Penalty: The array will self-destruct and destroy everything within it. Rewards: Unknown. ? ? ? ? ? Oh, for gods sake. Chapter 132: Aquarius Chapter 132: Aquarius Rakna turned back into a therian after his three passengers jumped off and looked around with a scowl. If this ce was dangerous, his instincts would be telling him so but it wasnt the case. The only thing that worried him was the self-destruction mentioned in the ordeal description. Higure, how powerful would the copse of this array be? He asked out loud. {Hm, frankly? You would survive. To be exact, you could use your Cold Star Reinforcement ande out rather unscathed. Tyran might also be able to survive if you give him enough mana to heal himself with death energy. However, Pronos and Evelyn might not be so lucky,} the lioness responded and was sensible enough to share that information to everyone concerned through her telepathy. {Even if the youngdy uses her barrier magic, a spatial copse of this array would render it useless with her current ability,} she added and Evelyn looked down. Well, I guess we can only try to exit somehow or find that secret. Do you think it has something to do with the person who built this oasis? The Exalted Quill? {Perhaps. Still, Fray Brazwein I have the odd feeling that Ive heard that name before but no matter how much I try, I cannot seem to be able to remember.} Try harder. {Im already doing that.} Rakna sighed and aimlessly walked around the ce, circling the few trees that had grown on the fertile soil of the oasis. Too fertile in fact, hemented to himself as he grabbed a bit of dirt and let it seep through his closed hand. This isnt something you can find in the middle of a desert. It is artificially made. I guess Fray Brazwein wanted this oasis to be as alive as possible I agree, Evelyn said as she ced her hand on the trunk of a tree. The bountiful life in this ce is picturesque. Almost as if this was straight out of a fairy tale Rakna hummed and took another look at his surroundings before extending his hand. [Scan Life, Fortune Search,] he intoned and two circles appeared under his palm, one golden and the other white. They expanded and covered the entirety of the oasis. They then returned to him and his head snapped toward the water. {Whats wrong?} Higure asked. {I share your senses but not your skills feedback.} Scan Life didnt have any results but Fortune Search provoked a faint reaction from the water. So a treasure underwater? Evelyn asked as Rakna stepped on the water of the oasis and calmly used sh Step to walk to the center. He stopped and waited for the ripples to go away. His eyes shed and turned golden as he stared right below his feet. He squinted his eyes and disappeared in a blur before reappearing several meters above. He stood in mid-air and looked at the oasis. Evelyn, turn around for a moment. Im going to do something Id rather like you dont see. Though, its just more for you than me. The subus was surprised at first but nheless turned around. When he confirmed that she was indeed not looking anymore, he pulled a dozen of low-level hearts he had preserved and ate them all. His mana and stamina that had been depleted by his flying were immediately recovered and he promptly gathered cold energy. Its fine now, he said as a small sphere formed at the tip of his finger. When Evelyn turned around to the sight of Rakna cing a second cold sphere while the first one remained in stasis. What are you doing? Clearing this ce. Tell me, do you know how oases are formed? He asked back as he ced the third sphere. Its really simple. You see, there are what we call aquifers underground that areyers of water-bearing rocks like sand or gravel. Water flows through them and sometimes surfaces to create oases. They are generally very shallow and have both an entry of water and an exit. As he continued his exnation, the count of energy spheres rose to nine. However, just take a look at this oasis. A single nce and you can tell something is wrong. Evelyn approached the water and gazed at it together with Pronos and Tyran. Youre right its too deep. I cant see the bottom. Correct. And after I looked with Fabled Sight, I saw something quite interesting, Rakna snorted as he ced the twelfth and final sphere. They then all rearranged themselves optimally and released arge amount of power. Move back, he instructed and Evelyn grabbed the two pets before taking her distance. [Star Monarch C Aquarius.] With his words, the constetion shone brightly and fused into one spot to form the figure of an enchanting young man carrying an amphora. His appearance wasnt just all azure and actually seemed real at first nce if you didnt mind the fluctuating outlines. Take it out, Rakna ordered and the man flipped his container upside down. Evelyn managed to see something glow inside of it before an inverted whirlpool emerged from the water. It rose until making contact with the amphora and began to be sucked inside of it at a fast pace. She watched as the oasis was slowly but surely drained dry, all of it being absorbed into the vase of the star entity. It was as if the water was being flushed out. When the process was over, the young man flipped his amphora back to the right side and silently stood behind Rakna with an empty expression. Meanwhile, the therian was raising an eyebrow at the empty oasis and his threepanions were also gawking at what was inside the now empty tank of water several tens of meters deep. With a sh Step, he returned to Evelyns side and looked down together with her; the young man made of star energy still following him. Incredible The subus whispered. Whatid at the bottom of the oasis was arge mansion made of some sort of bluish wood. There was an entire garden around it, full of life and colors. The walls of the empty oasis were also encrusted with countless precious stones of all kinds. The light of the sun was being reflected on them, giving the ce an enchanting feeling. {I have to agree. It is grandiose,} Higuremented. Rakna didnt say anything and simply jumped down. Lets go, he said as he jumped down. The first to follow him was the manifestation of the constetion and Evelyn watched them curiously before also jumping down with the two pets in tow. They allnded softly with Tyran being helped by Evelyn since he didnt have a skill for this kind of thing and walked to the front door of the mysterious mansion. Um, Rakna? The subus raised her voice and he nced at her. She meekly pointed at the man walking with them with his amphora under his arm. Who what is he? Well you could say hes a legend, Rakna replied vaguely and opened a skill window. You can look at this to understand, he said and shared the details of the spell with her. ? ? ? ? ? Aquarius (T.7): A constetion associated with Ganymede, a beautiful Phrygian youth. After being spotted by Zeus, he was brought back to the heavens after the gods happened to fall in love with him, in order to work as their cupbearer. When this constetion is invoked, a representation of Ganymede will be summoned. He will have the ability to collect and produce water with the amphora he carries. The maniption of external water is impossible for him at the low variations of the constetion but the water that he pours out of his vase will bepletely under his control, and by extension, the casters. Additionally, if Ganymede collects water after being summoned, he will be able to use that water afterward at no cost until it is depleted. This evidently does not carry over from one instance of summoning to another. ? Twelve Star Variation Cost: Fixed 100 MP + Variable. (Primal Soul Cores Correction: 70 MP) ? Note: The constetion of Lyra possesses 97 focal stars. This is a spell that doesnt require mana to stay active. Once cast, the apparition of Ganymede will manifest and stay at the casters side as long as he is not recalled. It is only when collecting water and producing it out of nothing that mana will be required. ? ? ? ? ? Evelyn read everything with wide eyes. So he can stay here for as long as you want? And all the water that he just collected; he can just pour it out without problem? Yes, and yes. There is absolutely no drain on my mana right now, Rakna said as he took a glimpse of the young man next to him. Other than the 170 MP it took me to drain all the water, nothing is being used up. Though, I assume he will be dispelled if I fall unconscious or just go to sleep. Thats actually an incredible spell, she said. How powerful would his attacks be with the water from the vase? Thats something to experiment with. Perhaps it scales to how much water he has stored in total or it could directly depend on my MA, Rakna answered and stopped walking as he reached the doorstep of the mansion after using the paved path of the garden. Anyhow, this is more important at the moment. Should we knock? {Really? At this point, kicking that door down wouldnt make any difference,} Higure snickered. Rakna shrugged and used Soul Sense to see if there was anything in there but nothing came out in his vision. He tried to open the inexplicably dry door, as if there hadnt been tens of cubic meters of water above it a moment ago and discovered that it was in fact unlocked. The entrance opened silently and they looked at each other before entering. The interior was clean and without a single trace of dust. The floor was covered by red carpet and the furniture seemed very expensive at first sight. The hall they were in had arge dining table ced to the side but the rest of the space was mostly upied by all sorts of artwork from paintings to statues. {Hm Rakna, could you use the Construing Rune on this mansion?} Sure, Rakna replied and channeled mana into his finger. [Scripture,] he intoned and wrote a few characters in midair; Area, Read, Nature, Material, Write. The characters fused to form a rune and he flicked it to activate it. Immediately after, the rune glowed and words began to be written under it. Main material; Deep Sea Wood. Nature; Fake? Age; 698 years. The area is a magical construct. Magic Used; Tale Magic. Maker; Fray Brazwein. Conclusion; Resting ce of the Exalted Quill, Rakna read what appeared. The Construing Rune was basically an alternative to Appraisal. It would use the casters wisdom as a benchmark to analyze everything around ande to different conclusions. While Appraisal was certainly better to get particr insight on something or someone, this rune would outshine it when someone broader was involved. {Tale Magic!} Higure shouted and everyone heard her. {I remember now! The Brazwein! They are an ancient family of which every generation inherits the Path, Scribbler of Tales. It gives them ess to Tale Magic. A superior form of Word Magic, that creates miracles through the making of tales. The more meaningful the tale, the stronger it is. This entire ce; the oasis and the mansion must have been built by this magic. Its just like what the youngdy said; its a fairy tale.} Rakna scowled. Do you know anything about this Fray then? {Yes. Ive heard of a son of the Brazwein with immense talent back when I was alive. His magic was apparently so powerful he could create and destroy life by just telling stories. I never knew he had a title such as the Exalted Quill, but that fits him well. In short, Rakna, this means that we have stumbled upon what is probably the legacy of one of the most legendary mages and storytellers in the Systems history. One that was said to be a divinity in everything but race.} Chapter 133: The Exalted Quill Chapter 133: The Exalted Quill So, another tomb? Please dont tell me this is another resurrection plot, Rakna deadpanned. {I dont think so probably.} How promising, Higure, he quipped and opened his palm again. [Fortune Search.] The golden ring scanned the entire mansion and highlighted a certain double door before returning to Rakna. ? ??? Fortune Search has leveled up! ??? ? Well, I know where were going, he said and walked to the doors with his hands in his pockets. What kind of treasure do you think this ce hides? Evelyn asked curiously while following him while Pronos and Tyran ran around the house as carefree as ever. Hm, I dont know. Its an author were talking about so books? Who knows? And its not because this guy was famous that he necessarily left something very valuable behind, he said as he put his hand on the knob of the door. If anything, its probable that everything here is fake. An imitation of reality made with magic, he added and opened the door. Hahaha! What a sharp and clever young man! A voice immediately resounded afterward and his eyes narrowed. Evelyn trembled and stepped back while Tyran and Pronos became wary. Rakna scowled at the room they had opened the passage for. The voice came from inside of it but there was no one in it. Even worse, there was no furniture as well. It was just an empty room with a wooden floor lighted by a small chandelier. The only reason he wasnt blowing it up with a spell or ordering Ganymede to flood it was that he still didnt feel a sense of urgency. There wasnt the usual urge to retreat, observe, or attack. It was as if nothing seemed able to threaten him. I see All of this is a tale, isnt it? He muttered with a raised eyebrow. Oh? The voice came back with an appreciative and captivated tone. Not just this mansion. The oasis. The array. All of it is some kind of story. Even you are part of it. Im sure of it; theres no living soul in this ce. Not a single one. On top of that, its not normal for me to be so at ease. I should have been on edge ever since Inded earlier, but I feel nothing. Its as if the very notion of danger ceased to exist all of a sudden. As if everything was a pretty world, where violence and blood were nonexistent; a fairy tale. Am I right, Fray Brazwein? My, my The voice sounded amused. On cue, a swirl of wind appeared in the middle of the room and Rakna calmly watched it. Nothing was dangerous about it; he knew it. After a few seconds, it died down and a figure was standing in its ce. It was a handsome man with long ck hair and blue eyes. He was wearing an eastern ck and white robe and hiding his smiling face with a fan with the words A Laughter Is Worth A Hundred Years of Life painted on it. How enthralling you are, he said while tilting his body to the side and waving his fan in front of his face. You are correct. My name is Fray Brazwein, this marvelous oasis enduring in the midst of heat and destion is a tale of mine. And you, sir, have fallen right in between its pages. W-wait, Im not sure I understand, Evelyn raised her voice. Does this mean youre not dead? Oh no, dear, I am undeniably as dead as you could ever presume me to be, Fray said and sped his fan closed onto his other hand. As your friend stated, this is a tale. I wrote this fable before my demise. I created the story of an earnest traveler, roving perilous and self-less voyages, wandering lost and exhausted in the desert only to find rest and sce in an oasis of dreams where a humble author would meet them. So, you are The subus trailed. A product of my own craft. Indeed, Fray smiled and opened his fan again to cover his mouth. Is that traveler supposed to refer to me? Rakna frowned. Yes. Are you displeased by such a setting? Im the farthest thing from a self-less traveler. I wouldnt say that I was lost in the desert either nor was I exhausted by any means. Are you certain? Fray retorted and closed his fan with one hand as an old-looking book appeared in the other. The pages flipped by themselves and the author appeared to be reading them with attention. Wouldnt you think that the life you have lived until now is akin to an aimless march in the desert? Raknas eyes hardened. How would you- -know such a thing? Fraypleted as he continued to read. I know of your tale. I read the grim and dim allegory of Rakna Xiorra de, he said and mmed the book closed. Youre tired, lost, pained, broken, and hungry for emotions. What are you if not stranded in a desert? A ck aura suddenly burst from Raknas body and his eyes flickered to red. Fray kept a neutral face as the waves of unadulterated terror swept over him. Evelyn, on the other, severely paled and hugged herself. Tyran cowered and whined while Pronos hissed worriedly. Ultimately, the aura disappeared and Rakna calmed down on his own. His face had somehow not changed during the entire process. His eyes faded back to purple and he silently stared at Fray. So many ingredients were thrown into that concoction of despair, the writer said with a sigh. I will ask you again are you not a weary traveler? What do you expect to gain from me admitting that? Rakna uttered. Draw your own conclusions as much as you want. I dont care. But be careful when using your magic to turn my life into a story that you can read at your leisure. I understand, Fray said and bowed with his hand over his heart. My apologies. I pried into your past without your ord. I am to me. epted, Rakna huffed and the author straightened himself with a small smile. Rakna Evelyn whispered in worry and he simply patted her head to reassure her. Its all right. Theres nothing to worry about, he said, fully aware of how bad he was making her blush. {Casanova.} Shut up, horny cat. [Rakna, was the name mentioned by Fray Brazwein your full one?] Alexa abruptly asked and he stopped moving. The subus noticed it and switched from embarrassed to worried again. Technically it is, yeah, he answered to his AI. Hm? What is it that you are saying? Fray asked with a tilt of his head. Talking to my AI because a certain someone couldnt help himself but blurt out my full name. Oh hahaha, the writerughed sheepishly and covered his mouth with his fan. [Im afraid I will have to update your status It is a protocol that I cannot go against. If you wanted to keep it hidden for a personal reason, I can suggest you use Absolute Cover. Sincest time, the number of elements has grown by a few.] Rakna sighed. Do it. [Understood.] Evelyn, can you keep this a secret from the others? You mean your name? The subus replied. I dont mind but why? Nothing too serious. Its my uncles surname which he decided one day, in a stroke of genius, to give it to me as well. In any case, its just that Im used to hiding this little info about me and they dont need to know who my old man truly was. Hoho! Frays eyes shed. Yes, that man What a tale he makes. Rakna frowned at him. You also looked into him? A bit He said evasively. Anyhow, are you ready to continue with my little fable? What? Wasnt the objective of the ordeal to find the secret of this ce? Havent we done that already? Rakna inquired. Oh, lord, no. How dull would that be? Every main character must go through difficulties to attain their due reward. I do not believe that what you performed with that lovely incarnated myth over there, he said as he pointed at the silent figure of Ganymede. Can be considered difficult. So? What is it that you want to do? Make us fight? Of course not. Have you forgotten who I am? A storyteller only points their quill at paper, Fray said with a grand pose. Furthermore, this is a fairy tale. Not a sort of gory novel. So, to you, wise and disenchanted traveler, I will tell you three stories. At the end of each, I will ask you a question. And I have to answer them all correctly? Fray grinned merrily and waved his fan. No. For the first one, I want you to answer the opposite of the right answer. For the second one, I want you to answer the smartest answer. For the third one, I want you to answer the wrong answer. Raknas eyebrow twitched. are you being serious right now? Absolutely. Ah, and you cannot receive help. That obviously includes Higure Mios. {So, he knows about me too, huh? Not surprising.} Hence, are you ready, traveler? Rakna grunted and leaned against the wall of the room. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it before puffing a cloud of smoke. Sure ready. Chapter 134: The Three Tales Chapter 134: The Three Tales First tale, Fray pped his hands and the chandelier went off. In an instant, their surroundings changed to a vast meadow covered in flowers of all varieties. Rakna raised an eyebrow as he could still feel the wall behind him; just that it was invisible. His threepanions were looking around in wonder and after a few seconds, they all spotted a peculiar white flower in the middle of the field. It exuded an attractive aura that they just couldnt ignore. There was once a flower of legend, Fray began with his fan over his mouth. It was said to hold the worlds beauty within its petals. The one who would pluck it would be the most beautiful man or woman to have ever existed. One day, an ordinary farm girl found the flower, he said as a tattered woman appeared in the scenery that was being projected in the room. She was destitute, had no talent or special feature whatsoever, and lived her life day to day. But, like everyone else, she dreamed of grandeur and if given the opportunity, how could she renounce the opportunity? Thus, she approached the flower. She reached for the stem and it spoke to her. ? C What do you wish beauty for? C ? A voice echoed in the room and everyones attention was caught by the image of the girl crouching by the shining flower, releasing waves of pure energy. ? C I want to live a good life. I want the beauty that others have had the chance to possess. I wish to be treated as I deserve. C ? C What makes you think that you deserve beauty more than others? C ? C Because I am here and not them! C ? C Well said! Grab me and your wish will be granted. C ? As such, the woman picked the flower, Fray told and the image followed. The petals detached themselves and cloaked her body. Her long blond hair became glossier and as soft as silk. Her skin became as exquisite as jade and her face was modeled as if she was the incarnation of the Goddess of Beauty herself. ? C You now have the beauty you sought. But there is a price. You will be cursed to never be able to be with your soul mate. This can still be revoked within a sr cycle. What do you choose? C ? Charmed by her own beauty, the woman didnt even think before choosing, Fray said and waved his hand, changing the image to a bustling city. She decided to keep this appearance. She walked to the city, eager to disy herself to the world. Everything she did, people would watch. All she asked, would be granted. All men she met, would fall for her. She won over the hearts of nobles, princes, and kings. They fought for her and shed blood over her affection. But she was not na?ve nor was she unwise. Taking advantage of those that wanted to woe her, she built her own reign. She made pacts, built businesses, amassed wealth, power, and fame. She sat on a throne, taking control of all below her as her beauty entranced all thatid eyes upon her. Yearster, she had be an untouchable figure. She had be something that they revered but never dared to touch. Then, she met the one person that would shake the very foundation of her being, Fray dered and a man, handsome beyond words, was projected on the image. This man also had everything; a prince with immense influence. When the two of them met, they instantly became enamored of each other. The young girl readily pursued a rtionship and the feeling was mutual. But she had forgotten the flowers words. Every advance they made, every date they nned, every meeting, would end up in disaster. Rain would pour, lightning would strike, the earth would quake, people would fall ill, and in due course even the prince became bedridden. It was only then that she remembered the curse. She became desperate. The fact that she was forced to stay away from her beloved and unwillingly causing his sufferings afflicted her with a heartache that she could not have imagined. She restlessly returned to the ce where she had found the flower in hope of finding a solution. There, she found the flower back in the ground but without petals. ? C You came back. Are you satisfied with your beauty? C ? C I am! But I implore you, tell me how to dispel the curse! C ? C so, you are satisfied butin about a risk you voluntarily agreed to? C ? C Please, I will do anything! C ? The flower considered her request, Fray said solemnly. And it replied. ? C I will dispel the curse. However, instead, you will now be unable to bear children. C ? The girl hesitated but she ultimately epted, Fray said. As long as she could be together with the one that she loved, even if they wanted children, they could just adopt them. Thats what she believed as a formermoner; blood wasnt everything. When she returned from her trip, her beloved was healed and they were finally able to properly love each other. They married happily and several yearster, she became pregnant. At first, she was bewildered but after months, she concluded that the curse had been foiled somehow. Sadly, when the day ofbor came she had a miscarriage. The sorrow she felt that day, the cries she shared with her husband, brought her back once more to the flower. She implored for a solution for the second time and it answered. ? C I will dispel the curse. However, your children will never love you. C ? This time, she epted without hesitation. All she wanted was to atone for the unborn life that she had unwillingly denied and soothe her beloved. In the two following decades, she gave birth to two children. And as the flower had told her, they never loved her. They couldnt. Hence, there was only one thing they could possibly do; loathe her. They, in turn, envied her wealth and power and worked to dethrone her. In their machinations, many lives were lost, assassinations were attempted, and her husband was almost kidnapped. As such, for the third time, she returned to the flower. ? C I will dispel the curse. However, your beauty will be eternal. C ? She didnt understand what it meant. But this was the best deal she had heard yet from the flower and happily agreed to it. When she did so, the traces of time that had begun to blemish her godly appearance disappeared. She was ecstatic and she returned to her family. Her children could now fully express their love and they lived in harmony. Time passed. A year, five years, ten years, twenty years, thirty years and she never aged. Beauty that would not surrender to the erode of time. She watched her loved ones get older and older as she remained as young as the day she found the flower. The sight of her elderly husband close to deathpelled her to return to the flower. ? C I cannot do anything for you. C ? The flower answered negatively for the first time. ? C Then take my beauty back! I dont need it! C ? C That is not possible. The blessing that was given to you cannot be taken back. C ? C Why?! Why did you do this to me?! C ? C It was your choice. You wanted to erase the curses. I did so. C ? C There is obviously still one! C ? C There is not. The curses were made to keep the bnce. The perfect beauty does not exist. As such, it is needed a w. The three curses were made to protect you. However, once the ws disappeared, a distorted perfection befell you. Your beauty will never die. But beauty is ephemeral. A beauty that is eternal, is a w within perfection itself. C ? She listened to the flowers words and left the meadow distraught, never toe back. When she arrived at her house, she was told that her husband had breathed hisst while she was away. Her usual self-assurance shattered as she saw her deceased husband. She continued to live in despair without a way to end her life. After the death of her children, the country began to use her of witchery and she was forced to exile herself. As she walked on empty roads, through forests and seas, she asked herself. ? C Where was I wrong? C ? With thatst line, the room returned to normal and Fray looked at Rakna. The End. That is the question I ask you; where was she wrong? Raknas raised an eyebrow as everyone turned toward him. Where was she wrong? She shouldnt have sought beauty in the first ce. She shouldnt have epted a deal that would lead to a path of self-annihtion. Worse, she went further on that path until there was no way to turn back. But what should I answer? He said the opposite of the correct answer. In this case, what is the correct answer in the first ce? Should she have chosen to live as a farm girl? Should she have relented to seek fame and power? Should she have ignored her feelings and never bear children? Should she have let her children abhor her forever? She was wrong on every turn. But taking the literal opposite of each one of them cannot possibly constitute an answer to a question worded that way, he thought and nced at Fray. I also dont believe that he told me those rules about the answers I should give for no reason. Why ask me to say the opposite? Does he want me to- ah, I see this guy already knew what I was going to think about all of this, huh? Nowhere, he eventually said and the storyteller smiled. Tell me more. I need to hear your exnation to ept this answer. She was never wrong. Like everyone, she looked up to grandeur. Like everyone, she yearned to be free. Like everyone, she wished to be respected and acknowledged. Is it wrong to take chances when they are offered to you? No. Is it wrong to yearn for love? No. Is it wrong to attempt and fix your faults out of guilt and grief? No. Is it wrong to save your family and others? No. Is it wrong to wish to die alongside your loved ones? No. She made mistakes. Took wrong turns and roads. Made wrong choices out of foolishness. But that foolishness wasnt wrong. Her decisions werent wrong in nature. Her paths were wrong but her drive wasnt. She yed with fate and fate yed with her. Thats all there is to it. Fray nodded twice whilst pping lightly, his fan sped close. Youre right. You found out pretty quickly, as expected. A tale is meant to convey teachings and you did well unraveling their material. Rakna snorted. Whatever you say move on with the next. I dont have all day. Of course, the writer chuckled and yed with his fan. All right. Second tale, he announced and the room changed again. This time, they appeared in a sort of drill ground for trainee knights. There were numerous people in armor sparring around them but the image seemed to be focused on a certain youth. There was once a young and inexperienced boy. With fervent determination and honor, he swore to give everything to his country. With his vige overrun and destroyed from the war against the demons, his resolve was like none other. His name was Leos. His talents for the de and magic arts were immense. He was enrolled into the royal knights without dy where he endured harsh training for years, Fray told as they all watched images of the boy going through all sorts of exercises. His first battle took ce four years after joining the knights. It was a fierce battle where demonsunched a coordinated attack on an important hub city of the country. He was part of the armys reinforcements that day. When he arrived at the city, he saw the outer walls broken, houses on fire, and countless soldiers and knights fighting within the city against the invaders. The cries of pain and hurt from both fighters and civilians sent him in a rage. He stormed through the battlefield, swinging his sword with wild abandon. He had no mercy for demons. He was filled with hatred and revenge. In his fit of madness, he spear-headed the army and decimated countless demons by himself. As the conflict neared its end, he spotted one of his dearest friends in the knight corps attacked from behind by a demon. He screamed at him to dodge and reached for him as fast he could. But he was helpless as he saw his friends life being taken away right in front of his eyes. He slew the demon and held his bloodied brother in arms. His hatred turned into sorrow and he cried to the heavens. Miraculously, his calls were answered, Fray said and looked up, everyone imitating him. The ceiling was disying a cloudy sky before a streak of light divided it. The skies split and a pir of holy energy fell on Leos. His body and soul were branded by God and he obtained the necessary power to save his friend from near death. When he returned to the capital, he was personally weed by the King and he was promoted to Pdin by the Church. On a peaceful night, Leos, who hade to learn to have faith in his God, prayed to him. His mind was one gued by hatred and war. But, there was something he needed to know. Something that would always keep him awake. And so, he asked, Fray said as they watched the armored man kneel in the hall of the Church whilst illuminated by a ray of moonlight. ? C My Lord, why have you created demons? Why are they so evil? C ? C My Child, I have created naught. I nted your seeds. I am your Father, not your Maker. C ? The Gods answer only served to confuse him more. ? C But if we share the same seedling bed, why are they so different? Why do they seek war? C ? C My Child do you really wish to know? C ? Leos was first surprised by this answer. He was suddenly gripped by anxiousness. Something was telling him that he wouldnt like the truth. But he was not turning back now. ? C Yes. Please tell me. C ? C As a Father, I gave life, but I have no control over their growth. I have no say in their progress and development. This war is not due to the evil of demonkind. It is due to the evil of mankind. C ? The young Pdin was flustered by the revtion. His thoughts in shambles, he struggled to form a reply but before he could, his God spoke again. ? C I will guide you. Follow the light and you will see the truth. C ? As such, a path of light appeared behind Leos and he braced himself before following it. They all watched as the Pdin followed the light across the Church. The light ultimately led him to the inner spaces of the Church where he found a staircase leading underground. With a heavy heart, he descended and illuminated the dark underground with his magic. What he saw was a long corridor of murky cells. He looked into one and Rakna snarled under his breath as the image showed chained-up demons of all ages. Men, women, children, elderly. All of them were bruised and were connected to several medical-like tubes. Evelyn gasped and covered her mouth while the two pets made a quiet sound. The image was even enough to bring a reaction from Ganymede, something that both Fray and Rakna noticed. The star entitys empty eyes nced once at the image before bing still and emotionless again. Leos stepped back in shock, the author resumed. Ovee by panic, he ran down the corridor looking right and left in terror. These couldnt be prisoners of war, he thought. An afflux of people of this extent to the Church would have been noticed. And it was obvious that these people were here for a long time. ? C Demons are powerful from birth. Humans were jealous and with it came envy. Which gave birth to malicious greed. They abducted many demons and drained their life force so that they could perform fake blessings, empower themselves, and prolong their life. C ? Shaken by these words, Leos reached the end of the corridor where he found arge room full of containers with liquid life force inside them. This quantity was simply horrifying. It was obvious that more than one life was sacrificed for this. He felt sick and he couldnt help but flee. He ran out of the Church and out of the city. He copsed on his knees and mmed the ground with his fists. ? C Why? Why? My Lord, why?! C ? C This is the truth, Leos. Evil brews evil. C ? C Why, how have you allowed this to happen? C ? C I never allowed anything. I could just not do anything. You are the first of my children that I was capable of offering my power. The choice is yours now. I will give you strength and help you with whatever decision you make. C ? Leos fell silent. He did not speak for the rest of the night and returned home. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes had been watching him from the darkness. The next day, he was deployed to the battlefield once more. His fighting drive that was once full of fire became cold. Every time he slew an enemy, his sword trembled and his eyes became hollower. He was lost. He could have rebelled no; every fiber of his being was demanding him to turn his sword toward his country. But he couldnt. He was scared. He didnt dare to betray his own and acting on his emotions during a time of war would only cause more unrest and deaths. Therefore, he fought. He fought, and fought, and fought. Until the Demon King himself fell to his de while clutching it with his hand. ? C I will never forgive you my daughter C ? The Demon King was no more. The demons had lost. Leos could not even sigh in relief. His loyalty was no longer for humanity. That is when ? C You know too much. C ? A shadow appeared behind the image of Leos and stabbed him with a dagger through his armors gaps. An assassin sent by the Church backstabbed him. As he lost strength in his body, he heard thest words of his Lord. ? C I am sorry, My Child. As a farewell, I will tell you the answer to your question. Why are you so unalike although you share the same seedling bed? That is because nts are inclined to changes in growth and the majority will cannibalize the fewer ones to bolster their fertilizer. C ? The End, Fray finished and the room reverted to its normal state. Evelyn shook her head to clear herself of what she had seen and Rakna leveled a stare at the author calmly waving his fan around. Your stories are not even sweet. Theyre only bitter and dark. Are you sure you even write fairy tales? Haha, to each his own, he replied merrily. More importantly herees the question; what should have Leos done? Rakna clicked his tongue. What an infuriating man you are He muttered but nheless began to think of an answer. This time, its the smartest answer instead of the right answer The correct answer would be, without a doubt, to have dissented. Regardless of consequences or damages, is it not by hesitating that change wille. It will only worsen it. He should have freed the prisoners, confronted the King, tried to negotiate with the demons, punished the ones responsible, even if it meant to betray his country or cause an internal fray. But the smartest answer Hah, he let out a single humorless chuckle. Evelyns eyes instantly widened and Fray also seemed hesitant to admit if what he had just seen and heard was real or not. The smartest answer is to join the enemy. Thats what he should have done; changed sides. Fray blinked and recovered from his momentary shock. Go on While rebellion is the most human and ethically right thing he could and should have done. It was not the solution that would solve the problems. Though, there are many other things he could have done. He could have deserted; this constitutes the smartest answer if he was selfish. He could have killed himself; this constitutes the smartest answer if he was a coward. He could have killed the culprits; this constitutes the smartest answer if he was a cold-blooded killer. But being none of those and more, he had either fight, surrender, or switch sides as options. Thest one is the most sensible choice for the fact that it would reduce the number of deaths by simply reducing the duration of the war and spread confusion and doubt to the public. After that? Well, up to him. Whether he begins to hate his own or strive for a world where the two races coexist, I wouldnt care. Oh my, oh my correct again. And even faster than the previous one, Fray remarked. You have now answered two of them. There is only one left. Ready? Rakna sent him a nk look and he chuckled. Of course, you are. In that case, third and final tale. Darkness invaded the room before they found themselves inside a spacious room. With one look, you could see that it belonged to a high-ss property. In the middle of the room, a very young boy, no more than twelve,id on his bed with a book in hand. There was once a small boy. He was born in a wealthy family but was unfortunately afflicted with a frail body. He had no other choice but to live his life sheltered. Yet, the boy was bright and pure. His sickly body and paleplexion did nothing to veil the wisdom in his eyes. The boy loved to read, write, draw, paint,pose, sing, study He was a genius that was seen only once every millennium. His mind was ahead of the rest of the world by hundreds of years and his works and inventions were revolutionary. One day, he was visited by a tiny being that called itself a fairy, Fray said and a very small girl with translucent wings and glittery dust around her appeared in the image. ? C Human, we acknowledge your intellect. You have received the Queens blessing toe with me to Faerie, our homnd. Do you agree? C ? She dered and the boy epted. His curiosity and avidity for knowledge were too strong for him to refuse. The fairy brought him to and where rivers flowed in the air and mountains floated amidst the clouds. He was then escorted to the Queen. ? C Child, you have earned the right to learn the fairies secrets. We will impart to you all the knowledge of the world. In exchange, you will act as our tie to the human world. C ? The boy, of course, agreed. He spent the next years learning from fairies about everything that was rted to nature, life, and spiritual energies. He also learned their technology and they taught him Fae Magic. During his time in Faerie, his body never got older and when finally came time to return to his world, the Queen summoned him again. ? C Time flows differently in Faerie. When you will return to your world, barely a few hours will have passed since you left. We will call you whenever we need you. Before you go, I will give you two rules to follow. Do not reveal the fairies secrets to others and do not use Fae Magic. If you do not respect these rules, there will be grave consequences. Do you understand? C ? C Yes, My Queen. C ? And so, the boy returned to his world. His sickly frame instantly weighed him down again. There was no such thing as illnesses in Faerie so he had gotten used to living without his impairment. Thats when he got an idea. ? C It wont hurt if I use it just once, right? C ? The boy told himself and proceeded to use Fae Magic on his body to restore his health. Nothing happened afterward and he sighed in relief. He then went out in the world for the first time andmenced his journey. He used his knowledge to bring humans to a new era while obeying the fairies calls whenever they needed him. When he was physically seventeen, he broke the Queens rule for a second time. He used it on a wounded man to save his life. After that day, the rate at which he used his magic began to increase more and more. At first, he only used it once every year, then it was once every half a year, which then turned into once a month until he was guilelessly using it every day. As talented and clever as he was, he could easily hide that fact from the fairies. However, despite his incredible intelligence, he had put back the Queens warnings in the back of his mind. This was a transgression that caught up to himter on. He woke up one day with his sheets stained in blood. He panicked and frantically washed them the best he could. It was only in the afternoon that he learned of a brutal crime that had urred during the night. He convinced himself that it had nothing to do with him but in the back of his mind, he knew better. As time passed, the incidents continued to happen. It escted to the point where the victim count grew every night. The boy wasnt stupid. He knew this most likely had something to do with his illicit use of Fae Magic. His only chance was to seek help from the Queen. But he had no way of contacting Faerie on his own and he could only wait for a fairy toe to him instead. Hence, he made a gamble and sealed his sleep with Fae Magic. That way, he spent the following weeks without problems and he thought that he was saved. He had nned to meet the fairies in the next month. But sadly, it never happened. For a split of a second, he lost control over his magic and he was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, an entire city was burning and his hands were covered in dried blood. He stood up with haste and ran back to his estate. There, he saw the lifeless bodies of his family. The boy copsed on his knees and wept. His cries gradually turned into growls and his tears into blood. His skin darkened until it was pure ck and his eyes became as crimson as the blood they shed. He roared at the sky and transformed into the arch monster, Nightmare. Raknas group watched morosely as the Nightmare rampaged through the human world, leaving destruction and death in its wake. The Nightmare was unstopped until the Fairy Queen herself intervened. The image disyed the beautiful figure of the Queen bar the monsters path. When she appeared, the Nightmare began to wail and cry even more blood. ? C Poor child, you are still fighting, arent you? How ill-fated you amassed the impurities of man and their twisted nature with Fae Craft. You became the embodiment of humanitys wish of self-ruin. Faerie shouldnt involve itself with the human world, after all. Farewell, human. C ? With just a flick of her finger, the Nightmare disappeared into the air like a bad dream. The Queen proceeded to restore the damage done by its carnage and returned to her realm where she forever sealed the path to the human world. The End. Rakna sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the room was lighted again. The question, he demanded, feeling all too tired by this test. Was the boy smart? Fray asked with a small smile and the therian scoffed. Sure I guess he was, he answered ndly and everyone other than the author was shocked by his reply that was nothing but dismissive. Correct. They were even more so when Fray epted the answer with a smile. You sessfully passed my test. Congrattions. Youre not asking for a speech this time? Rakna retorted sarcastically. No, that is not necessary. Now, it is time for you to receive your rewards, he announced and shut his fan closed with which he tapped on the wall of the room. A mechanical sound resounded and a hidden passage appeared next to where he was standing. I will wait for you there, he added and vanished into thin air. Rakna silently pushed himself away from the wall and headed for the passage when Higure spoke up in his mind, {Um devourer, could you exin thest answer? I cannot understand it.} Evelyn nodded, showing that she heard the lioness words and was agreeing with her. He sighed and threw away the finished cigarette in his hand. Remember what he said the third answer should be? The wrong one, Evelyn said. Yes, and thats what I answered. {But no, wait, seriously? Was it that? You just had to answer wrongly? But the boy was smart, wasnt he? No matter how he ended up.} Yes and no. The boy was talented for sure but his demise clearly tells you that he was something other than that. Fray asked if the boy was smart. What would the correct answer be? Think about it. If you were to say no, it could refer to his tant disregard of the Queens warning. It could also refer to his recklessness when he tried to use more of it to stop himself from sleeping. Or, heck, it could even refer to him not asking the Queen what the consequences were or him not reporting that he broke the rule. In any case, saying that he wasnt smart is a right answer. If you were to say yes, it could refer to his incredible talent with magic and all mortal proficiencies in the world. It could also refer to his reckless but nheless astute decision to not fall asleep in order to save as many lives as he could before he could ask the help of fairies. It might have worked if he hadnt slipped up. In conclusion, saying that he was smart is also a right answer. Huh? But then if both are right, how could you get a wrong answer? Evelyn asked. Basically? Double negation. Its a trap question. All answers are wrong because the nature of the answer shes with the nature of the reason. If you say yes, you admit he was smart although he actually wasnt. Vice versa. {In other words, any answer could have worked,} Higure summarized. Yes. Coincidentally or perhaps not, this is something that my uncle once developed upon when he got bored and decided to write a book. In it, he mentioned something he called The Refutation of Opinions. He said that while everyone has the right to an opinion of their own, he also said that two opinions that sh against each other have no right to be. Why? Because if an opinion seeks dominance over others, it is not worthy of being deliberated, whether they are right or wrong. {I see Still, what a weird man he is, that Fray Brazwein. Spending so much time telling those tales only for the questions to be answered like this He obviously tailored them to you personally as well, and they were not even that hard.} Well, what do we know, Rakna grunted. Each of these three tales held a message. The pursuit of love, the pursuit of revenge, and the pursuit of knowledge. Perhaps he wanted to convey how badly each of these could end. A little life lesson. {if you say so.} The therian shrugged and quietly walked to the end of the hidden tunnel. Chapter 135: Heavenly Chaos Box Chapter 135: Heavenly Chaos Box When they reached the end of the hidden passage, they arrived in a massive library where shelves reached several meters in height. In the center, there was arge round granite table where Fray had already taken a spot. Take a seat, the storyteller offered and Raknaplied along with Evelyn. Ganymede was still there and he simply stood behind his summoner. Now, since Im sure you are already jaded by these antics of mine, lets get to the point, he said and snapped his fingers. ? ? ? ? ? Ordeal Completed! You have discovered the secrets of the Oasis and Fray Brazwein has acknowledged your worth. Rewards: 1 000 Exp, 3 Free Points. Note: The rest of the rewards will be personally given by the Ordeal Maker. ? ? Level up! Level up! +0.2 STR, SPD, INT! Requirement updated: 44/440 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna dismissed the window that he received and focused on the small box that had materialized on the table instead. There was also one in front of Evelyn, Pronos, and Tyran. These are called Heavenly Chaos Boxes, Fray exined. They are like Random Boxes, that give you an item at random. But these are a lot more valuable. You can request specific features from the box. For instance, you could say weapon, skill, or armor and it would heed it. However, the more specific you are, the less precious the object risks to be. Interesting Rakna muttered as he inspected the box. {You are lucky. That is a very rare item,} Higuremented. {High-level rankers would kill to get one of these.} Rakna mused about what kind of item he should ask and, in the meantime, it seemed that both his pets had made their decision. Each of their boxes opened and revealed two pills. Pronos was of a yellow color while Tyrans waspletely white. With a quick Appraisal, he got their info in an instant. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Consumable/Bloodline Pill Name: Lernaean Hydras Extract Rarity: Gold ? Description: ? A pill that was created out of the entire body of a hydra. The one who eats it and passes its requirements will gain the bloodline of a hydra. ? Effects: ? C Raises every poison-rted skill to the Ascended Level. C Awaken the Extra Magic; Myriad Poison. C Awaken the Trait; Nine Lives. C Awaken the Trait; Living Pool of Fatality. C Awaken the Trait; Poison Immunity. ? Note: Only reptile races may use this pill. If the user is a pet, this will unlock a path of evolution. ? ? Designation: Consumable/Essence Pill Name: Asuras Tear Rarity: Gold ? Description: ? A pill concocted from the essence of an Asura of Anti-Magic. This breed of Asura is tailored to be the perfect and near-wless magic nemesis. The one who eats it and passes the requirements will be an incarnation of anti-magic. ? Effects: ? C Gain the Nirvana Skill; Magic Eater. C Awaken the Trait; Magic Immunity. C Awaken the Trait; Magic Reflection. C Awaken the Trait; Magic Detection. C Gain the Title; Anti-God. ? ? ? ? ? {Yep, I know what youre thinking. Broken,} Higure snickered. Haha, it seems the little ones have struck rich, Fray remarked. He could tell with a nce what each of those pills was. Though, I would not rmend you eat those yet. It would be disastrous if they transformed here. Especially the Asura hosting an Anti-Magic being within my Tale could be a bit arduous, even for me. Rakna hummed and waved at the pills, taking them inside his spatial ring for safeguarding. The two pets nodded at him in understanding. Is it normal that they both got an item like that so easily? The therian asked. In fact, yes, Fray nodded. Firstly, if not specified, the Heavenly Chaos Boxes will not give you an item that you cannot use. And for creatures like these two, there are a lot of items that are unusable for them. Most of the suitable ones are consumables. You realize how far that narrows the range of the random pick, right? Furthermore, since they are your pets, they somewhat inherit your luck due to that rtion. Result? This. That does make sense, Rakna admitted and with a sh of light, the two of them stopped talking to see Evelyn open her own box. What came out of it was a skill card. ? ? ? ? ? Skill Card: Use it to learn the spontaneous skill Blink. Requirements: Level 100, Exceled Mana Control, 200 Endurance. (These requirements can be overruled by Phantom Membrane.) ? Description: ? Blink is one of the rarest fast movement skills in the System. It is hailed as the fastest and most applicable teleportation skill attainable. By cloaking your body in mana and bursting it to create a break in space-time, the user can blink from one location to another instantaneously. The range is limited to what the user can see and the cost depends on the distance. There is a second application to this skill called Extend Blink. By spending a fixed amount of mana and casting for a fixed amount of time, the user is able to teleport to any location they have been at before. In theter stages, this skills effect will be applicable externally to the user. Such as teleporting others without following them, shifting the locations of iing projectiles ? First Cost: 5 MP per meter. Second Cost: 100 MP per person. Casting Time: 30s. Cooldown: 1 min. ? Note: Extend Blink cannot be used to travel between teaus. Additional Note: Blink is a hard skill to master and if not careful, could lead to grave injuries. ? ? ? ? ? That is definitely a useful skill of which the requirements can be bypassed if you possess an incorporeal body, Fraymented. A very good pick. Its a bit ironic to get a skill thanks to something we could have avoided with the former, Rakna snorted. Evelyn giggled. True. If I had this earlier, we could have teleported directly to everyone and we would have missed this ce. That would be very sad for me now, wouldnt it? Fray uttered. After hundreds of years, my oasis finally allowed someone in. How long would it have taken for another to appear? Rakna scowled at him. Other than what you told us earlier, what are the other prerequisites for someone to get in? Well, frankly? Even I do not know, the author admitted sheepishly. My magic is lets say unruly for the most part. I can very well make a framework for a story but if I do not give enough edicts to the tale, it will do it on its own. If I had to guess, I would say that you got in for several reasons which include your past, your strength, your talent and perhaps your future. That far? Yes. Tale Magic can sometimes be used for prophetic purposes. Though it is a very conditional process and I scarcely employed it in my lifetime, Fray shrugged. Anyhow, are you not going to open your box? He changed the subject. Rakna mused and juggled with the box for a moment before storing it. Not for now. I dont have a peculiar need. But I might in the future so Ill save it. I could also give it to An, Nyx, or via if they have a good use for it. As expected of you, Fray said and stood up. In that case, lets get to the second reward. Theres another one? Rakna asked with a raised eyebrow. Yes. One that is exclusive to you this time. Oh? What is it? Fray grinned and spread his arms open. This. ? This. Im not following. This. Stop that. And please dont tell me the reward is you. The storytellerughed and opened his fan. No, regrettably, the reward isnt me. You meant fortunately, right? But its something much better, he continued, ignoring the therians rude remark. What I offer you is this entire library. The collection of all that Ive ever read and written. Rakna reacted somewhat intriguingly to that. He looked around and got a proper look at the rows of books this ce held. Just in the direct vicinity, there were thousands of books and he couldnt see the end of the library beyond that. What kind of books are in here? Everything. Truthfully, the stories that I wrote do not even constitute a percent of it. Storybooks, science books, medical books, history books, martial art records, magic records, almanacs, lecture books, etcetera. You will not get bored of it any time soon. It took me three hundred years to fill up this ce and believe me; I was an avid reader. Thats all well and good but how am I supposed to carry all of this with me? Simple, you do not, Fray retorted. This library does not really exist. It is a product of my magic to some extent but it would be more urate to call it a Soul Marble. Something that you yourself are on your way to learn. Thanks to its nature, I can do something like this, he stated and snapped his fingers. In the blink of an eye, all of them abruptly were transported back to the oasis and Rakna felt an odd sensation in his magic circuits and somewhere deeper. His bnce and mind got dizzy for a moment before returning to normal. {Oh my} Higures baffled voice echoed in his head. {You might want toe to your soul realm whenever you can, Rakna. This is quite a sight.} Done! Fray raised his voice with a smile. I gave you everything that I had to give, he said as his body began to fade away into motes of light. However, there is onest thing I would like to give you. Consider this myst wish. Along with those words, Rakna heard a chime go out and a System window appeared in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Fray Brazwein, The Exalted Quill, extends a Quest to you. Description: The Scribbler of Tales is a Unique Path that extends beyond only one user. When a scribbler dies, the Path will eventually be given to another person. Fray Brazwein wishes to be able to leave a legacy to his inheritor. Objective: Find the new holder of the Path. The legacy has been automatically secured by the System and will be given out upon meeting the concerned individual. ? Rewards: Unknown. ? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna blinked at the prompt and epted it without much hesitation. There was no reason to refuse in the first ce and its not like there was a penalty for failing or a time limit. Thank you, Rakna Xiorra, Fray said, his fan still over his mouth. I bid you a good journey from now on. It was a pleasure meeting you, he said and his body fully disintegrated. The oasis suffered the same fate right after and the array was taken down. Where there was once a lush area was now nothing but sand. Rakna blinked and made an odd expression. Why do I have a bad feeling? He thought to himself. {what was that melodrama even for?} He heard Higure speak but somehow, he knew it wasnt directed at him and that deeply concerned him. That concern turned into misery when he heard a boisterousugh. {Hahaha! A storyteller such as myself needs a grand way of going out. I think it was beautifully done. What do you think?} That day, Evelyn saw one of the rare instances of Rakna showing a face of true anguish. Chapter 136: Asura & Hydra Chapter 136: Asura & Hydra So, thats why hes in a bad mood, An muttered as he watched Rakna walk ahead of them. They had met up a few minutes earlier and Evelyn went on to exin to them what had happened. You can tell? Nyx asked with her hand on her chin. She squinted her eyes and honestly couldnt find a difference in his expression or behavior. Youll get used to it, the blond shrugged. I can tell for sure thats hes pissed right now. I guess you cant me him if theres really some guy nagging him inside his head. {Hahaha, I wonder how much the world has changed ever since my death,} meanwhile, the man in question was, as expected, invading Raknas head. {How is it, Dusk Lioness?} {Huh? Hm. Yeah. Sure.} {A bit more enthusiasm! This is an exciting adventure, is it not? This will make a delightful tale for my next work.} Fray, Rakna intruded. {Hm? What is it?} Shut your mouth and I might just decide not to rip your soul apart. {aye, sir. My apologies, sir. I am deeply sorry, sir. Please do not kill me, sir.} {Youre already dead,} Rakna and Higure retorted at the same time and the author fell silent. By the way An droned and looked uneasily over his shoulder. Why the heck is this guy still here? Are you going to keep him summoned forever or what? He asked whilst gazing at the silent Ganymede walking at the back of their group like he had been ordered to. Why not, the therian shrugged. If I can keep him manifested without cost, theres no harm in having him here. Additionally, theres something Im curious about, he added after throwing a quick nce at the emotionless face of the star entity. If you say so Anyway, do you want to go to that Dungeon we were talking about? Sure. How far is it? Well, if we go there at our average speed, Id say we can get there in about three hours. Though youre probably way faster if you went all the way to us so quickly. True, but I cant carry you all at the same time Rakna trailed and nced at his two pets. But before that; you two, he called and fished out the gold-rarity pills from his storage. Youre going to eat these. Theres no point in waiting longer than this. Whats that? via asked. This what they got from the random reward box, Rakna answered and pointed at somewhere in the distance. Pronos, Tyran, go over there and Ill throw them to you from here. Fray warned me that you might have an explosive reaction to this. The two creatures nodded and took their distance from the group. When they were far enough, he tossed the Hydras Extract and Asuras Tear to Pronos and Tyran respectively. The two had more than enough reflexes to perfectly catch them in flight before swallowing them. Instantly, storms of energy erupted from each of them and Rakna erected a GHB shield in front of everyone to block the rather powerful waves of energy. He observed through the barrier as two pirs, one multicolor and the other red and silver, dug holes in the desert. After a while, the energies died down and the first thing they heard was a mighty roar that even made Rakna shudder at how powerful it sounded. The origin of that roar was obviously Tyran and as he stepped out of the cloud of sand, An whistled. As if you werent scary enough, he jested. Tyran was back at full size, still standing at ten meters in height, but his overall appearance had changed greatly. Firstly, his hind legs wererger and his ws seemed to shine as if they were made of steel. Secondly, his scaly skin became darker and glossier and was crisscrossed by many red lines. His entire body was also entuated by silver highlights. Thirdly, a row of small yellow spikes went all the way from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. Andstly, the most prominent change by far; the normally small limbs that every T. Rex normally possessed were now as big as his rear ones, if not bigger. Tyran seemed to be still working on his bnce as he walked on all fours for the first time in his life. Im not sure how to feel about that, via said with aplicated expression. It shatters all that I ever pictured about dinosaurs I think it looks nice. Hes got a dragon-like theme going on, Anmented. What about Pronos? Nyx questioned and everyone turned to look at the other dust cloud as it began to disperse. When they were finally able to see the little snake again, their expression just nked. The Eion snake had not changed at all. He was still as small as he was when he ate the pill and no new scale color or any additional heads had appeared. The little snake checked himself a few times and ultimately blinked innocently. He made a gesture akin to a shrug and slithered back to his master before snuggling under Sonata again. Well it was a bloodline pill, after all. Not a transformation pill like Tyrans, Rakna voiced as he nced at the little snake already snoozing away. At the same time, the Dreorin also walked back to him and rubbed his head against him. Yes, yes, he said and started petting therge creature, careful to not touch the spikes. At that moment, when his hand came into contact with Tyrans scales, his eyes narrowed as he saw and sensed a portion of his aura go away like a snuffed-out candle. {That is Magic Immunity at work,} Higure said. {While Aura isnt a spell, the mana inside of it can be disturbed by it, which breaks the bnce and nullifies the skill.} Does this mean he can ignore auras whenever he attacks physically? {Pretty much. But I believe there are limits to such immunity. You should take a look.} Alexa, can you show me the description of every new element Tyran gained? He inquired internally. [Right away.] ? ? ? ? ? Magic Immunity: The holder of this trait will naturally neutralize all sorts of external magic touching their body. However, if the strength of the magic is too highpared to the holders level, the immunity can be ovee. ? Note: Certain magic elements are not impacted by this trait. Additionally, magics that do not affect the holder directly are not concerned. Illusion magic is one of such exceptions. ? ? Magic Reflection: The holder can reflect part of iing magical damage at will. How much can be reflected depends on how strong the magic ispared to the holder. ? Note: This trait also applies to mind-type assaults. However, be aware that certain types of elements are harder to reflect than others, and magics that use physical mediums to attack are even more so. It also obviously does not nullify the damage of the parts that have not been reflected. ? ? Magic Detection: The ability to discern the activation of magic and its structure. The holder of this trait can never be surprised by the nature of magics within their perceivable range. They will be able to determine their output, their element, and their effect. ? ? Magic Eater ? A powerful Nirvana Skill befitting of an Anti-Magic Asura. The user is able to eat magic and recover a proportionate amount of mana and stamina. ? Furthermore, the magic/spell that is eaten will be stored within the users body and magic canals to be cast again at their leisure; with their strength slightly weakened. The mana expenditure will be equal to the original magics cost when it was consumed. The number of spells that can be stored at once grows together with the users level. ? The recorded spells are all one-time uses. ? Current Limit: 0/50 ? Note: The limit is counted in Tier Points. T.10 spells will equal 1 point. T.9, 2 points. T.8, 5 points. T.7, 10 points. T.6, 15 points. T.5, 25 points. T.4, 50 points. T.3, 100 points. T.2, 500 points. T.1, 1000 points. ? Additional note: There is no restriction to the magics that can be eaten. But keep in mind that exceedingly powerful spells, while recordable within this skill, cannot be fully stopped and still puts the user at risk. ? ? Anti-God ? The bearer of this title is the ultimate nemesis of Celestials and Divinities. When fighting one, the holder will receive a massive boost. ? Effect: 100% increase to all attributes. 200% increase to defense and attack. ? ? ? ? ? Well, you certainly became an incredible threat to all mages out there, Raknamented and shared the information with everyone else for them to get an idea of what he could do. Its a terrific ability, Evelyn said, impressed. Coupled with his overwhelming physical ability, he just became several times more dangerous. Hey, Tyran, can you eat this? Rakna asked and invoked Star Hearth. Neptunia, he intoned and only spent 90 MP, thanks to his piled-up consumption reduction of 40% from his Soul Core and Magic Circuits, to summon a realistic version of the Sea Gods Trident. The undead blinked at the trident before opening his mouth. He inhaled loudly and Rakna watched as the construct in his hand turned into small pieces before being sucked in by Tyran. How is it? Can you cast it now? Tyran pondered for a moment before nodding. Do you know how much mana youd need to cast it? Once again, he nodded. Is it 150? He shook his head. Is it 90 then? He nodded. Interesting so, you can cast Neptunia in the exact same settings that I did. Do you want us to help him stock up spells? via offered. No, its fine. He will steadily fill it on his own. Its better to let him have space so that he can eat a magic that interests him in the future, Rakna replied and focused back on the little snake. Alexa, do the same thing with Pronos abilities this time. [Understood.] ? ? ? ? ? Myriad Poison: One of the deadliest and most feared magics along with gue Magic and Death Magic. Its basic nature is the same as regr Poison Magic but it has the particrity to ignore all organic defenses. Even people with godly regeneration skills and immune systems will be vulnerable to it. It is also incredibly resistant to all healing arts. Moreover, Myriad Poison Magic takes its name from the ability to be able to fuse spells into one. This results in spells that are stronger by several folds but retain the best properties of both ingredient spells. Finally, Myriad Poison is deeply connected to the casters mind, making it a possibility for the caster to control the symptoms in their victims as well as take control of their mind with neuronic-oriented toxins. ? Note: Pronos Poison Magic was overwritten by Myriad Poison Magic. ? ? Nine Lives: Based on the legends of the Hydra in by Hercules, the Hydra wouldnt die if all his heads were not severed. On top of that, it was capable of regenerating at a very high pace. Due to the iplete awakening of Hydras Blood, the holder of this skill will receive a conditional regeneration capability. Whenever they are on the brink of death, this trait will heal them back to full health. This cannot ur more than once a day. The number of lives will eventually be renewed but only once every six months. ? Current number of lives: 9/9 ? ? Living Pool of Fatality: The holder of his trait is a living cmity. Their breath, their blood, their saliva, their skin, all of it can be a lethal weapon through poison. This is a trait that can be regted by the holder when they do not wish to affect their surroundings. ? ? Poison Immunity: All poisons and toxins will instantly be rendered useless when entering the body of the holder. For a poison to somehow affect the holder, it would need to be at the same grade of concoctions as Elixirs and Panaceas. ? ? ? ? ? Its not as impressive as Tyran but the true value of this bloodline will probably show itself when its time for him to evolve, Rakna said and cracked his neck. Thats enough reading, he grumbled and summoned his hexagonal barrier again. He made it hover parallelly to the ground and stepped on it. Lets get to that Dungeon already. It would be nice if we could use Evelyns new skill but there are too many of us. Tyran, change back to your smaller form, well be riding on this. The dinosaur nodded and turned back into a small quadrupedal beast with a poof. He jumped on the GHBs barrier and everyone else followed. In the blink of an eye, the barrier encapsted them all and shot off into the sky. Chapter 137: Grit Castle Chapter 137: Grit Castle Quite an interesting looking Dungeon, Raknamented as he dropped off everyone from his barrier. Theynded in front of arge castle made out of sandstone, surrounded by fences as tall as humans. Yeah, its hard to miss too, An said and groaned as he shielded his face from the sun. Sheesh, this heat is freaking annoying. I already miss the istion of your barrier. It was nice. Hm? Rakna tilted his head at him. Oh He realized something and his aura became visible with the naked eye. Everyone widened their eyes as they felt a cool breeze sweep over them. The blond blinked then gazed at his friend with sparkling eyes. Of course! He eximed and put an arm over the therians shoulder. Your magics perfect for this! Youre the ultimate portable air condition-ack! He ended his sentence with his head buried under the sand. Who the hell are you calling an air conditioner? Rakna nkly retorted as he lowered the hand he had used to hit the idiots head. Peh! I have sand in my mouth! An as he tried to spit out the grains. How are you so strong? 30 in strength. Huh? Thats basically the same as mine. Did you focus on strength? Thats surprising. I didnt focus on anything. I havent used any attribute points since the tutorial. what? Wait, so what are your attributes right now? How many points do you have? via asked. On average, I have around 27 on all attributes. As for the points I have avable Rakna paused at that and opened his status briefly. 54.6. Ans jaw dropped. He recovered from his shock then calmly stood up. He grabbed his friends shoulders and stared at him in the eyes. please give me some? No, Rakna immediately refused. Can you even do that? [Affirmative,] Alexa provided. [It is possible to exchange unused attribute points with other Hosts if you desire so. It is not unusual for Hosts to use it as a secondary currency.] Uh thats good to know. Well, if you really need some in the future, I could give away some. Since my growth is honestly not limited in any way by that, it could be a good idea to help you instead. On second thought no thanks, it feels like Im being pitied, An nkly said. Rakna shrugged. Your choice. Lets get to it now, he said and started walking toward the gate of the castle. A system window popped up when he touched it. ? ? ? ? ? You are required to be in a party of five people or more to enter this Dungeon. ? Four Friends have been detected nearby; would you like to forward them an invitation? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Yes, Rakna answered and the invitations were sent. The others promptly epted it. ? ? ? ? ? Party sessfully formed. ? Members: Hidden, An River, via Jeina, Evelyn J. Malcanthet, Nyx Nocta Regysnite. ? You will now enter the Dungeon, Grit Castle. Rmended Level for this Dungeon: 30 ? ? Please select a difficulty: ? ? Easy ? C ? Normal ? C ? Hard ? C ? Fiendish ? ? ? ? ? ? Why does your name show up as Hidden? An inquired; slightly confused. Rakna blinked. He hadnt expected this either. He had forgotten that his name would also show up in a party member list. He hadnt taken that into ount when trying to hide his full name. He had been lucky. I have a skill that hides certain parts of my status. I didnt know it also extended to parties. By curiosity, how does my name appear in your friend list? He asked back with a bit of apprehension. Its still Rakna Xiorra for me, Evelyn replied first and the others nodded. I see Rakna scowled. Alexa, exnation? [I took the liberty to hide your full name from your added friends,] she answered. [Since you did not wish to reveal it, I thought it would be an apt course of action. While I cannot change the name on your status back to what it was, I can bend the rules a bit in your favor.] Rakna was a bit taken aback. Is that something youre allowed to do as an AI? [Technically I am not. If the main serveres to notice my infraction, I might get punished. But thanks to my being an S-ss AI, I have the know-how to do something like this.] thank you. [You are wee.] {Such a devoted artificial intelligence. It is as if she has given her loyalty to you rather than the system that birthed her,} Fray said. {I cannot help but wonder if this will turn into a quest for humanity yes, yes! That would be a-!} What did I say about talking? {aye, sir.} So, were going in, yes or not? An impatiently said. I hope you wont do that spacing-out thing when were in there. Its not my fault. I have chatty souls in my head and hundreds of words to read every now and then, the therian retorted and pushed the gate of the castle open after selecting the difficulty. Normal, huh? Nyxmented as she saw the difficulty appear on her system. This will probably be easy for us but I concur with the caution. Rakna shrugged and pulled out the Dreorin Greatsword along with Sonata. He put the two of them close to each other before initiating the evolution. When the fusion was done, he ended up with arger two-handed sword. The de was slightly curved and had two serrated sections on the back of it. Unlike the Dreorin Greatsword, the de wasnt ashen but of a glossy sky blue and the edge was of a gradient of red. Rakna whirled the sword with one hand and nodded in satisfaction before opening its description. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Greatsword Name: Azure Sonata Rarity: Orange Attack power: +300 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems C Eion Energy Production C Gale Outbreak (All forms) C Demonic Spiritual Anchor ? C Hyper Mana Oscition de (ded Forms): Through oscition, the de can up to a hundred times sharper. Any reinforcement applied will be converted into oscition and only when the limit is reached will it affect the material directly. ? C Blood Rage (All forms): Let the weapon drain your blood and it will temporarily make you enter a high-powered state. Upon activation, a crowd control stun of three seconds will be cast on those nearby and the wielder will be able to send flying attacks by sacrificing a variable quantity of blood. The more blood used, the stronger it will be. Duration: 1 min. Cooldown: 10 min. ? C Primal Curse: This weapon has gained some level of curses from the evolutions it went through. It will inflict severe injuries to non-authorized wielders and the more the weapon is wielded, the more it will be altered to match its wielder. ? Note: Evolvable. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna inwardly smiled. As expected, Sonata took in the original weapons perks and made them even better. It had added a restriction to Blood Wave, but overall, Blood Rage was a considerably better perk than what the Dreorin Greatsword could do. As for the Primal Curse, it didnt seem to be detrimental to him. On the opposite, it appeared to be a positive thing. He hummed and injected mana into his weapon under the curious eyes of his group. After a while, they started hearing an invasive whistling in their ears as Rakna poured more and more mana. The swords de was already blurry and when he put it close to the ground, the sand was pushed away by an invisible force. Its greatly strongerpared to before, hemented and stopped the oscition. I can also feel an increase in the DP and MP boost it gives me, Evelyn remarked. It went from 10% to 15%, she said as she opened her status. I think I can also get separated farther now. Sonata will seriously be OP at this rate, Anmented as he observed the threatening de. Indeed. The old man would be thrilled, Rakna replied andmanded it to turn into a Guandao. At the same time, he noted that the ribbon that was tied around the shaft was now red instead of blue. He whirled the spear a few times and shouldered it. I have to admit; I missed her. So finally ready to get in? An deadpanned. Seriously, I feel like you spend more time reading than fighting ever since we came to this world. I honestly cant refute that, Rakna snorted and stepped past the gate. Lets go, he said and they followed him. When they were all in, the gate instantly closed behind them. Rakna nced at the closed gate and looked back at the entrance of the castle before changing his focus a third time to something above it. His eyes shed golden as he observed everything on the fa?ade of the building. He squinted and stared at an unmoving perched gargoyle. Guys, he uttered and everyone nodded. Yeah, I noticed, An responded with a serious tone as he wore his ted gloves. On it, the girls followed up as they conjured their respective magics. Ganymede, Rakna called and the star-entity immediately reacted. Attack every statue ced on the outer walls of this castle, he ordered and the constetion given life jumped in the air without a noise and started floating. At the same, every statue on the castle suddenly trembled and their eyes lit up. The gargoyles, the birds, the lions, the winged humanoids; all of them suddenly came to life. They all leaped off from their spot but before they could even touch the ground, several of them were destroyed by gravity beams, shadows, ck fire, andpressed jets of waterunched by Ganymedes amphora. Those that managed tond were promptly attacked by a charging An and the ones that flew off to escape the assaults were shot down by Tyrans mes and Pronos acidic poison. Their wings would melt right off and they would crash down where Rakna awaited them to bisect them in one strike. Everyone was quite rxed whilst fighting these animated statues and Rakna especially seemed to be spectating more than actually participating in the battle. What are you looking at so intently? Nyx asked from his side as sheunched as a wave of darkness that swallowed a gargoyle. Him, Rakna replied shortly while pointing at Ganymede with his chin. Without looking, he also constructed a random sword and threw it at a stone lion before detonating it. Nyx followed his line of sight in confusion and watched as the star entity carefully and urately shot down the statues with water. Whats wrong with him? You mean his intellect, dont you? via joined in as shended next to them with her telekinesis. The night goddess instantly realized what she meant. I see. So thats why youre keeping him here as much as you can. Its not just for convenience. Youre curious to see if he has sentience. Pretty much, yeah, Rakna answered as An and Evelyn finished off thest living statues. The former threw a punch that literally blew up the head of one while thetter trapped one in a cubic barrier and crushed it bypressing it. I wouldnt like to be caught in something like that, viamented with a wry smile as the shattered remains of the statue fell to the ground after the subus dispelled the barrier. Tch, none of these guys can even make a decent warm-up. They dont even drop anything, Anined whilst dusting his clothes. He regrouped with everyone else as Ganymede descended from the sky and they promptly began to head toward the entrance. Well, I guess well have to see if theres something better inside, Rakna said and opened the doors of the castle. Chapter 138: Skulking Angels Chapter 138: Skulking Angels When they stepped inside the castle, they immediately were stunned by how empty it was. Not in the sense that there was not any furniture or that no one was living it. It would be more urate to say that they were shocked by the hollowness of the building. There were no walls, no rooms, no floors. It was as if what they had seen outside was a massive vacuous shell. Any sound they made would echo for more than five seconds and Rakna scowled from how loud it was to him and his hearing. Its massive, via said quietly as she looked up directly to the roof of the castle. And massively empty except those things again, An muttered as he stared at the scattered statues. Some of them were dozens of meters away, others were right next to them, and the rest was attached to the walls or ceiling. Do you think these ones are also alive? Evelyn asked as she observed the statues. They havent made any movement even when were this close I also dont feel anything from them, Rakna muttered. They arent like the ones outside. But one thing is puzzling me. I cant sense anything from them but I have the weird urge to not approach them, he said and took a closer look at the statues. There were all sorts of them; animals, men, women, children However, they all had one thing inmon. Every single one of them had a pair of feathered wings. Rakna decided to use Appraisal on one of them and something that he didnt expect was returned to him. ? ? ? ? ? Appraisal Failed. Target is protected from all analysis. ? ? ? ? ? What does this-! Rakna paused as he coincidentally noticed something. His eyes widened as he saw one of the child statues to his right. He had passed by this one earlier. He knew for a fact that it had been looking at the wall. But now it was staring right at him. {Wait, those are!?} Higure suddenly shouted. {Be careful! All of those are Skulking Angels!} Skulk what? An who had also heard her turned around to look at Rakna. Thetter, in the split of a second, sensed something moving. On pure instinct, he sh-stepped behind the blond and readied his ive but he froze on the spot when he just saw a stone lion with an open mouth as if it was roaring. Wha-? That thing wasnt here a second ago, An said and just as the others were about toe closer, Higure spoke again. {Dont gather! Continue looking around at the statues! Be sure to have the most possible in your line of sight at every moment!} Everyone shuddered at her grave tone and followed hermands. When they turned back to where they were looking a second ago, they stepped back in fright when they saw that all of them had gotten closer. Some of them were openly baring fangs at them while others were taking poses that seemed natural. [Call of Fangs,] Rakna muttered and a pack of shadow wolves appeared around him. Keep an eye on the statues, he ordered and all of them dispersed to follow the instruction. They also didnt forget about the ones that were above them, of which some were already on their way down. Higure sighed audibly. {Good call I forgot you had that skill. Its perfect to deal with them.} I only did it because you said to keep them in sight. Now could you please tell me what Skulking Angels even are? Rakna responded. {I can answer that if you allow me,} Fray joined in. {These monsters are a dangerous breed of predators. Whenever someoneys eyes on them, their physiology will make them unable to move or be anything other than stone. However, when they are not being looked at they be the deadliest hunters conceivable. Lethal, fast, and stealthy.} {The worst about them is that they are nearly indestructible when they are looked at,} Higure added with a click of her tongue. {Even I would be hard-pressed to kill them while theyre locked in by their nature. The fully grown ones are terrors. Thankfully, the ones here are fledglings. If not, even a party of level 500 Hosts would note out of here alive.} Okaaay Im not feeling this one, An remarked nervously. What about when they are moving? Nyx asked. They cant be indefinitely indestructible, right? {Youre right. When they are moving, they be organic and vulnerable. You can kill them as long as you dont look at them. Though, they are disgustingly resistant to magic. Not on Tyrans level but darn close to it. Also, as Fray said, theyre fast and silent. Other than Rakna and possibly Nyx, I dont think anyone else could sense their approach without using their eyes.} So, what do we do? I guess we need to destroy them to continue the Dungeon, right? An said and pointed at the shadow wolves. Rak, how long can you keep those guys? Ten minutes. But I can summon more of them. Its no problem as long as I keep them weak. The cost is outweighed by my regeneration. Phew, at least were safe. Why dont we just leave for now? Its locked, Evelyns voice immediately countered. I tried earlier. The entrance is locked. Cant we just, I dont know, kick it down? {That would be unlikely. Dungeons are protected by the System. If you wish to go through that door prepare something at least as powerful as ten nuclear warheads,} Fray said. Ans face twitched. That bad? {Yes.} Well, I have an idea, Rakna suddenly said. And it doesnt involve fighting. Really? Yes, and hes the key, he said and pointed at Ganymede with his thumb. {Hm, do you want to drown them?} Higure assumed. {While it could technically be possible for them to die fromck of air when they are not looked at, how do you expect to make them stay underwater enough for them to drown? Ganymede still has the water from Frays oasis, even if it was originally a product of Tale Magic, but its still not enough to fill this entire ce.} Im not going to drown them, Rakna retorted and waved at everyone. Gather in a circle, he said and the party did as they were told. The shadow wolves also surrounded them while maintaining their watch over every part of the castle. via, can you use your telekinesis to move them? Rakna asked and she tried to lift one of the angels to no avail. {Their statue state is basically the same as messing around with causality. Youd need incredible control over all that is spatial and dimensional to move them. That would technically be possible with Space Magic, but thedy isnt good enough for that yet.} All right, n B then, Rakna uttered. Im going to dispel my wolves and you will close your eyes. is that an actual n or a suicide n? An couldnt help but ask. I need them to be closer to us. I cant kill them all if some of them stay too high. As Higure said, I dont have enough water to fill up the whole castle. So, you do want to drown them. Not exactly, Rakna shook his head. Ready? An sighed. I guess I did say I would put my life in your hands back then. via chuckled and nodded. Me as well. I obviously concur, Evelyn said without hesitation. I trust you, Nyx stated coolly. Pronos and Tyran made a noise simultaneously as they nodded at their master. In that case Rakna droned and waved his hand, dismissing the wolves. Since they were in a circle formation, very few angels coulde at them and the two pets made sure to look at those above them. But even then, they sometimes left blind spots and Rakna could feel something move around as if an invisible enemy was preparing to attack. He erected a barrier around them and Evelyn quietly reinforced it with her own. I will countdown from three. At my signal, you open your eyes again and Ill summon a new batch of wolves. Get it? He asked and they nodded silently. 3, 2, 1 now! They instantly closed their eyes and Ganymede simrly followed the order as well. Immediately after, Rakna felt somethingnd on top of his barrier. It was really daunting; they were not making any sound that he could pick up on and he was barely able to tell they were moving thanks to pure instinct. If were they not in a barrier, probing in the air fluctuations might have worked as well. Rakna and Evelyn nervously kept their eyes closed even when they could sense that something was attacking their barrier and clearly damaging them. The subus was continuously putting moreyers of defense while Rakna would recreate a new GHB every time they shattered. When he deemed that enough time had passed, he summoned his wolves again and spoke up, It should be enough. His words caused everyone to open their eyes and they freaked out when they saw the angels literally wing their way through the barriers. There were at least a hundred of them swarming their location and several had their arms sticking through the barrier and one of them was even a few centimeters from touching Raknas forehead. Dispel the barriers, he told with a small sigh and Evelynplied. As for his GHB, he ttened it and manipted it so everyone could step on it. The wolves stayed on the ground to keep the angels in check as they ascended to the roof. It seems all of them are down there now, Nyxmented as she inspected the walls and ceiling of the hollow castle. It worked well. {I am rather intrigued now,} Fray made himself known. {What are you nning to do?} Its notplicated, Rakna replied and waved at Ganymede. Flood this ce until every angel has at least five meters of water above them. If you dont have enough, take my mana. The star entity nodded, once again disying a level of awareness, and spun the vase in his hands to direct it downward. Unlike earlier, the water abruptly came out as if a faucet had been opened in full. The pressure was very high and the castle was quickly being filled. Fortunately, there had been enough water in Frays oasis to fill the majority of their objective and after around five minutes, all the angels had been put underwater and Rakna had had to spend an extra 100 MP to finish. Now He voiced and ate a mana pill. He channeled a huge chunk of mana to his hand and formed a miniature cold star above his palm. The others shivered at the drop in temperature while Rakna mentally controlled it to hover toward the water. He made it stop just above the surface and ayer of thin ice was already starting to form. After injecting a bit more mana, he waved two of his fingers and the small star plunged underwater and instantly turned everything it passed through into ice. Rakna managed to ced it right in the middle of the crowd of statues. After that, he looked on as the ice invaded that ce at a high pace. He grunted and to the surprise of the others, he turned into his half-werewolf form to increase his mana output. After a minute, half of the water was frozen while the sections that were the farthest from the cold star were being solidified at a much slower rate. Rakna dispelled the surviving wolves that were still gazing at the angels shadowy figures through the ice and beckoned the others. Stop looking at them. They followed his words and he himself stopped observing the ice. When he did that, he heard and felt the ice being strained from the inside. {They are struggling,} Higuremented. {A normal being would have died in a few seconds from being that close to a star-powered gelling but considering their overall racial abilities they will sumb in about half an hour.} Rakna clicked his tongue. I wont be able to hold on long enough, he grumbled and turned into a full werewolf. He pulled out a few hearts from his storage. I rmend you dont look, he told the others and wolfed down the preserved muscles. He didnt want to risk the angels surviving if his magic ran out. I dont know if I should feel amazed or grossed out, An muttered to everyone as they spectated their friend turned werewolf bite into literal hearts to keep up with the drain, regardless of his warning. Evelyn now realized why he had asked her to turn aroundst time. Pronos huffed at the blond with a grin. He had seen his master rip out beating hearts with his bare hand. This was nothing inparison. why is this reptile looking so smug whilst staring at me? Ultimately, about twenty-five minutester ? ? ? ? ? Lv.30 Skulking Angel killed. Lv.29 Skulking Angel killed. Lv.27 Skulking Angel killed. Lv.30 Skulking Angel killed. ? The targets are special-ss monsters. You have been rewarded 1000 Exp for astutely subjugating them. Everyone else in the Party will be given 500 Exp. ? Level up! Level up! +3 Free Points! +0.2 STR, SPD, INT! ? Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 154/460 ? ? You havepleted the Dungeons First Floor! ? ? ? ? Chapter 139: Its Normal Chapter 139: Its Normal ? ? ? ? An obstruction in the floor has been detected. Proceeding to clearing. ? ? ? ? ? With that message, the ice that had upied the castle started glowing and disappeared in a sh. The Skulking Angels that were encased inside fell to the ground and fragmented, having lost their resistance after death. Right after, the ground split open to reveal a square-shaped hole. Thats handy. It wouldve been a pain to destroy the ice ourselves, Rakna remarked and hopped off his tform with everyone else after reverting to a therian. The first thing they did afternding was to collect what the angels had dropped. Other than Talys, there were a few recovery consumables and three items. One of them was a splintered chunk of stone emanating an odd power signature. The second was a ne with gray wings, and thest was a sort of silver potion. {Oh my lord} Fray whispered and Higure shared his shock. Whats wrong? Rakna scowled. {Just look at those items descriptions and youll understand,} the lioness said. {Especially that silver potion.} Rakna hummed and grabbed the items with a nted head. He appraised the three of them and almost felt likeughing when the results scrolled into his vision. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Loot Material/Skulking Blood Name: Concentrated Skulking Angel Blood Rarity: Orange ? Description: ? An agglomerate of blood from a Skulking Angel. When looked at, it will appear as a near-invulnerable piece of rock. When not, it will turn into a metal-like material that can be forged or transmuted into equipment. ? ? Designation: essory/ Ne Name: Skulking Sanction Rarity: Purple Durability: 100% ? Description: ? An essory imbued with the power of the infamous Skulking Angels. The one who wears it will be granted some of their particrities. ? Effects: ? C When not being looked at: +20% Agility & Swiftness C When being looked at: +50% Defense, -50% Agility C Increase defense against magic by 50% ? ? Designation: Consumable/Morph Potion Name: Stone Lock Rarity: Red ? Description: ? The physiology of a Skulking Angel is incredibly mysterious and due to their nature, research has always been very hard to perform on them. When they die, their corpse bes eternally stone. The only things one can ever manage to salvage from them are the very rare concentrated blood beads and the vague and puzzling mana traces around them. However, it is possible to mix all these ingredients together through alchemy to produce this potion. ? Effects: ? C When not being looked at: +100% Speed, +300% Agility & Swiftness. C When being looked at: +999% Defense, -99% Agility. C Immune to all temporal and spatial interference. C Increase defense against magic by 999%. ? Duration: 5 min. ? Note: There is no side effect to this potion. The one who drinks will effectively be a natural disaster of a predator for its whole duration. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snorted and tossed the ne to An. Here. This is for you. Among us, youre the one who would care the less about such arge cut in agility. The blond caught the essory with one hand and widened his eyes at the description. Thats a sweet item, hemented before equipping it. I will keep this blood for myself. As for this Rakna held the potion and mused. Anyone wants it? He asked as he shared the description with them. You dont want to keep it? Evelyn asked, awestruck by the effects. I dont really need it. I have enough trump cards as it is. If none of you mind, I wouldnt mind taking it, Nyx said with a raised hand. Other than Rakna, Im pretty confident to have the most agility here. On top of that, my magic is suited for it. Thats true, Rakna nodded. With shadows, as long as someone doesnt see you, you would be able to move freely; greatly reducing the disadvantage of a Skulking Angel. You guys are okay with that? He asked everyone else and they all nodded agreeingly. In that case; here, he said and handed the silver potion to Nyx. She carefully received it and gave a thankful nod before storing it. After that, they turned toward the opening that appeared on the floor and Rakna was first to approach it. Jump? An uttered with a smirk as he joined him. Jump, Rakna replied ndly and proceeded to leap into the hole without hesitation. The others smiled at each other and followed him. They had nothing to fear going in. If Rakna didnt feel anything wrong, then it usually meant that it was safe. The freefallsted for about fifteen seconds and all of them used their own way to cushion theirnding. The second floor of the dungeon was shockingly the same as the first. It was as if they were still inside the castle. The only difference was that the interior was illuminated by torches and chandeliers instead of the sunlight that would infiltrate through the windows. And, once again, there were statues scattered around. Fortunately, they werent Skulking Angels and their number was nothing like above. Moreover, they werepletely different. They look pretty easy to deal with, An muttered as they watched the humanoid statues around slowly making their way toward them. Unlike earlier, these were not posing as actual statues. via hummed and scanned them. They are y Men, huh? This is another form of statue, in a way. It seems that this Dungeons theme is centered around that. I wonder if well end up fighting an enemy capable of petrification. A reasonable guess, Nyx remarked. Or a being of earth essence. So, how do we deal with these? An finally asked as the y puppets were getting closer. Fire, Rakna curtly replied. The blond grinned and summoned a ck me in his hand. I copied this one from Evelyn. How about you let us three deal with this? What do you say; Evelyn, dragon wannabe? The subus nodded while Tyran roared indignantly at being called like that before shifting into his biggest form. The three of them began to channel their magic and when one of the y statues suddenly stretched its arm to throw a punch, they released their spells. Tyran let out a condensed breath that burned everything to crisp and turned the y monsters into molten puddles. An propelled himself with mes and easily blocked the surprisingly swift attacks of the y men. He then would melt half of their bodies with a single kick or a punch. On the other hand, Evelyn remained in her spot and poured a sizeable amount of mana into arrows before shooting them with her longbow. The projectiles coated with Hell Fire exploded on impact and melted all the targets in a certain radius. This floor is a lot easierpared to the first one, Nyxmented as she contented herself to watch the trio dispatch the y statues. She also was amused at how An and Tyran seemed to bepeting for the highest number of kills. Hm, these statues seem to be able to stretch their limbs, and control their shape, Rakna said. It would probably be a bit annoying to fight them only physically but in our case, we have more than enough firepower to deal with them. Indeed Soon enough, the system notification sounded to announce thepletion of the floor and the passage to the next one was promptly opened. Tch, stop with that face! You only won by a few heads! An shouted at the smug expression of the dinosaur who had ultimately won their contest. In the end, Tyran was simply higher leveled and had massivelyrger-scale attackspared to the blond. Evelyn sighed at the disy as she lowered her bow. Technically, I won. I took out more than you two, she modestly said and the duo looked at her with a nk reaction. You didnt apply for the contest so it doesnt count, An blurted out and Tyran seemingly agreed as he nodded several times. do I have to pass an interview as well? The subus deadpanned. viaughed lightly and Nyx brought her hand to her mouth as she smiled a bit. Rakna snorted at the spectacle. While he entertained the idea of reminding them of where they were and that they should act seriously, this kind of merry atmosphere was as much important as their individual skill. He shrugged and quietly collected what the y puppets had dropped. Overall, it was nothing like the Skulking Angels loot. Other than Talys and a handful of low-grade consumables, they barely even got a few white rarity items. Shall we go? He soon spoke up whilst heading to the vertical tunnel. His group was quick to listen to him and stopped their amicable scuffle to follow him. Ill win next, An proimed as he jumped in the hole and Tyran let out something simr to a goadingugh. The third floors monsters had been regr golems like the one they had fought during their first Trial and without much problem, they made quick work of them. For this one, only Tyran, Rakna, and An had participated since they were the most suited. The fourth floor was filled with gargoyles and bird-like statues. They were all shot down by via, Nyx, and Ganymede using a bit of Raknas mana. The fifth floor started bing somewhat interesting as what upied it were foes looking like a mix between a stone golem and machines. They had odd gears spinning in certain parts of their body and they even wielded weapons. vias eyes shed as her telekinesis crushed ance that had been thrown at her. Nyx followed up by tying up several of the golems with shadow strings twined around her fingers. With just one nudge from her, the strings tightened and sliced the magical beings into small bits. Farther, Tyran stomped a golem to death with a huff and literally chewed another before flooding his mouth with a fire hotter thanva. He spat the charred remains and rushed for another target while Pronos casually controlled clouds of acidic poison with his mind and enveloped golems until they turned into puddles of thawed stone. These were his first experiments with Myriad Poison and he was already overjoyed at how easier it was to manipte his spells. Above them, Evelyn was floating as she drew the string of her bow and caused golems heads to explode with every arrow she shot. And even if they somehow managed to dodge her arrows or survive the st, her mes were so vicious it would continue to burn them until they could not move anymore. In the midst of the enemies, An was grinning happily as he absorbed iing attacks with his Void Magic as if they didnt exist and retaliated a hundred times stronger with each blow. At some point, he punched a hole through a golem and coincidentally pulled out its cogwheel. He weighed it with a curious eye and snickered. Hey, Rak! He called and the therian looked over to him as he cleaved a golem in two with the oscition of his Guandao. Remember what you do to annoying flies? He uttered while waving the gear around. The corner of Raknas lips twitched upward as a memory came back to him. p them. An let out augh and hurled the gear spinning in his friends direction. Rakna snorted and whirled Sonata as he beheaded a golem. He then jumped on its headless neck and used it as a stepstone to position himself right in the gears path. His eyes red with a golden light and checked everyst golem left. He pinpointed their locations in less than a second and when the cogwheel reached him, he spun around and kicked it with calcted uracy whilst injecting a bit of mana into it. The piece of machinery was sent straight toward another golem. It struck thetters cogs before bouncing off, hitting a second then bouncing again to damage a third one. This repeated itself exactly seven times with such consistency that it was almost hard to believe. When the gear finally lost its impetus and dropped on the ground, every golem that had been hit by it simply copsed, destroyed. When Raknanded, An was openlyughing and the others were stunned to see the remaining golems being defeated in such a manner. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted the Dungeons Fifth Floor! Do you wish to leave? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna selected no and cracked his neck as the path to the next floor opened once more. What was that? Evelyn asked bewildered as she floated down. How did you manage to get so many of them consecutively? Did you somehow control the gear with magic? Hm? I just used Projectile Reinforcement on it so it wouldnt break too easily. Then, I kicked it in the right angle to get all of them at once. Did you calcte its trajectory? Nyx inquired tentatively. Calcte? No, I just saw where they were standing and followed my gut feeling. Its normal. Its not! They all shouted in their mind except An. Higure cackled from within the soul realm and Fray cheerfully wrote down what he had just witnessed. Chapter 140: Green Lamia Chapter 140: Green Lamia By the way, what was that about pping flies? Evelyn asked curiously as she angled her spear in order to leverage a strike that sent a spherical rock monster into the air. These were the foes of the sixth floor, called Rockers. They were round boulders with mouths that would roll around to hit people. Ah, that. Its rted to something that happened in our first year of high school, An replied as he punched a hole through one of the rockers. Basically, when Rakna and I transferred there, we offended some dudes because Rak broke the arms of a guy who was bullying a ssmate. Nyx who was near Rakna as he kicked a rocker into the wall, sent him a really? look. He candidly countered with a nk what? as if he couldnt see anything wrong with it. Anyhow, long story short, we got into a scuffle with a bunch of brats because of that and when they started spouting metaphors about swatting flies, Rak grabbed a rock and threw it at them. It happened exactly like earlier; it pped them in the face, bounced, and knocked the three of them at once. Evelyn blinked. Well, thats something. Still, considering he went as far as breaking someones arms, I kind of expected Rakna to do something much worse to them. An snickered. The four of them were sent to the hospital with concussions and blood flowing down their forehead. It was a big rock, the blond added with a shrug. via chuckled wryly as she listened from the side and she was the one who killed thest rocker with a simple telekinesis-powered swing of her greatsword. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted the Dungeons Sixth Floor! Boss Floor opened. Do you wish to leave? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? So, next is the boss, huh? Anmented as they all gathered around the floors exit. Looks like it, Rakna uttered. It shouldnt be much of a challenge with all of us here. Well have to see on other difficulties. Ah now that I think about it, well have to fight the angels again if we retry, right? Well, that would be obvious. Will you use Ganymede again for them? Nyx asked. Probably not. It would take too much mana. Even if I used hearts; I dont have an endless supply right now and the more I eat them, the more satiated I feel. I never went that far, but its obvious that I might get something akin to an indigestion if I abused it. Already, my skill has been limited temporarily because I ate the heart of a monster way more powerful than me. Then, whats the n? An replied. Well seeter, Rakna ultimately said and jumped down; quickly followed by everyone. When theynded on the seventh floor, they rapidly noticed the one thing that differed from the previous ones. Instead of the absolute emptiness, this time, there was a grandiose throne within the castle and a figure sat on top of it. It was a creature with the top half of a woman and the bottom part of a snake. Her eyes were akin to stone and her hair seemed to glow silver in contrast with its actual color; an emerald green. Her skin was fair and her beauty couldnt possibly be ignored. One thing to note was that she also wore no clothes and her human parts were bare. An cleared his throat loudly when he saw that and looked away as he tried to keep his roaming eyes in check. Apart from him, the girls were either indifferent or miffed. Then, there was the de facto leader of their party, who was gazing at the woman with an indifferent look. Although Rakna was indeed scrutinizing themia-like creature, he was in fact more interested in how Ganymede nearly had the same reaction as An. I can taste it youre all quite powerful, a sultry voiceing from the snake woman jolted him out of his thoughts and surprised the entire group as well. Another one The therian mumbled. Youre the second monster I hear speak. Third, if I count the horny cat as well, he uttered. {Oi,} Higure deadpanned in his mind. Is that so? The woman said as her snake tail waved around. She leaned her head on her fist and regarded him. Does it bother you, wolfwalker? Are you perhaps a coward who doesnt dare to kill something that can hold a conversation? Rakna snorted and his group looked at him. Rather those who can talk, I kill better. Oh? Themia smirked. I like you already. So this, um, person, is the Dungeons boss? An voiced, still a bit too ufortable to look directly at the womans nude figure. Is something wrong with that, cutie? She retorted with a mirthful grin. An coughed several times and sent a pleading look to his childhood friend. He didnt possess the necessary bravado for this. He usually was not shy with girls but this was the type he couldnt deal with on his own. Rakna nced at him in amusement and turned back toward the boss of this floor. You, there is something I want to ask you. Themia raised an eyebrow. It was a first for her. Most visitors would have attacked her on the spot, or perhaps tried to flirt with her in the most annoying cases she had experienced. But this group seemed quite intriguing. What is it, wolfwalker? She expressed her curiosity. What are you? The woman blinked at the question. Excuse me? I asked, what are you? Rakna reiterated with the same expression. Isnt that obvious? I thought you looked smarter than this, she snorted. Im a Green Lamia. Sort of a descendant to the Gorgon. Im the Boss of this Dungeon. Havent you already used an analysis on me? There is no way you are not strong enough to see everything about me with how easily you went through the floors. So, bosses are capable of cognizance within their Dungeons floors, Rakna silently noted. He had indeed cast Appraisal on her already. Her name was apparently Mae Maria Gorgona. She had decent stats, powerful magic, and a petrifying eye power, but her overall fighting prowess was lower than each of them. That is not what Im asking, he eventually replied and his friends were bing a bit confused. They noticed that he seemed to be considering something very seriously. If it wasnt Rakna, maybe they would have thought he had been charmed by her, but it was obviously the wrong assumption in his case. Then, what is it? Themia seemed to be a bit impatient. What would happen if I killed you right now? Unexpectedly, Rakna answered with this question and she froze for a second. Before she could say anything, he followed up with another one, And if I returned to this floor again, what would happen? The most insightful members of Raknas group, namely via and Nyx, visibly realized something from his words. They gazed at themia with a thoughtful stare. {How interesting} Fray passivelymented from inside the soul realm. I see, Mae whispered with squinted eyes. You are the first to ask something like this Should I feel grateful for your care? Or appalled of your emotionless practicality that holds no regard to me and simply demands information? At this point, An and Evelyn were quite lost. Tyran seemed to be looking at everyone with a look that said we fight? we dont fight? and Pronos was yawning. I dont care, Rakna retorted coldly and themiaughed. Of course She uttered with a crooked smile. To answer your question Im nothing, she said with an expressionless face. At best, Im just a toy. Evas toy. If Im killed here, Ill reviveter on because the System cannot wipe out the memories of high-ego beings like me. Other than us, most monsters are brainwashed for convenience. Its not a hard thing to do since the System created us in the first ce. As such we I am a recyble toy. Everyone suddenly started looking at her with apletely different perspective. What she had implied was that she and other monsters were essentially just tools for Hosts to get stronger. On the other hand, Rakna was still unmoved. For how long? He vaguely asked. Mae sneered. Twenty years, give or take. Thats how long this Dungeon has been around but there is always the chance that in the next Reset, the System deems it to be useless and erases it along with me. In fact, this Dungeons first floor is way too hard. The Skulking Angels killed a lot of Hosts in the past, it wouldnt be surprising if Eva concluded that my castle is an inefficient Dungeon for the Hosts growth. They were all silent for a moment before An broke the stillness with a groan. Jeez, you guys arent making this any easier right now. How are we even supposed to fight after this? Maeughed good-naturedly. She got down from her seat and as she slithered down the throne, her body shone for a moment before her snake physiology began to morph. It quickly turned into human legs. An groaned again while looking away. It was even worse now. On the other hand, Rakna was not surprised since he had seen it in her status. The girls were not too bothered but they would be lying if they said they werent flustered by her brazen attitude. As for Tyran and Pronos, it was a no-brainer that they didnt care. For them, a naked human was the same as a clothed one. I know each of you could defeat me alone. Especially since my power is regted and limited by which difficulty you selected, Mae said. Even my little distant kin over there could do it, she said and as she pointed at Pronos. Which is why I propose a one-on-one fight. Can you grant me this one favor? Rakna squinted at her and finally nodded. No one could tell what he was thinking. He then stepped back and waved at the girls to do the same. An will fight you, he announced. Sur- wait, what? The blond did a double-take. Why me?! I cant fight against he struggled and just waved his arm toward themias body without looking. That! Mae looked at him before grinning. I very much agree with that choice. Wha-! I also agree, via added with an amused smile. Me too, me too, Evelyn cheerily said. Same, Nyx concluded. An gaped at them then turned back to Rakna who raised an eyebrow at him. Dont look at me like that. Dont think I will do it myself. I could defeat her in under half a minute at my best. How would that be fair for her? How confident, themia snorted but she knew he wasnt bluffing. Her privileges had allowed her to see him transform into a werewolf earlier. There was no way she would willingly fight him as she was barely anything more than a bone to munch with his strength. Fucking hell An cursed and tried to look at her. Could you at least put something on? The only unfairness here is directed at me. Mae shrugged. I dont have anything to wear. Its not like theres a clothesline down here. Here, I can give you this, via joined in and pulled out a green one-piece dress from the spatial ring she had bought and handed it to themia with telekinesis. Thetter looked at the dress in her hands with a stupefied expression before smiling as she put it on. Thank you, she said gratefully and An sighed in relief. The others backed away to a corner and he took on a serious expression. He tightened his gloves and extended his left palm forward while his right hand clenched to a fist near his waist. Whenever youre ready, he stated with a calm and aloof tone befitting of a martial artist. Themia smiled and her eyes glowed. Thats more like it, she said and prepared herself for the fight as her hair started levitating because of her aura. Chapter 141: The True Potential of Void Chapter 141: The True Potential of Void {Who do you think is going to win?} via telepathically asked as they all watched An and Mae facing each other as mana rolled out of their bodies in waves. They seemed to be testing the waters before engaging. Rakna mused on her question, not surprised by her mental transmission. {I only have three out of the four necessary clues to draw a conclusion.} {What are they?} {Status and fighting style, right?} Nyx joined in. {You know how An fights as well as what hes roughly capable of. As for themia, you saw her status, but you have no idea how she battles. You dont know how well she can make use of her powers.} Rakna nodded. {Correct. But she has twenty years of experience as a Boss. Its not going to be an easy fight for An but I believe he can win. If not, I can always intervene. That woman knows I wont break my word and team up against her but she fully is aware that I wouldnt let him die.} {say,} Evelyn spoke up. {Do you think there is a way to help her after this?} Rakna nced at her with an unreadable look and the others faintly smiled. {Who knows} He answered coolly. {For now, lets watch. Theyre soon going to start,} he responded, and as if on cue to his thoughts, An kicked the ground as ck mes danced around his legs. He rushed toward Mae while riding the shockwaves of his Hell Fire and jumped before throwing a kick aimed at themias neck. Mae calmly eyed the attack approaching and An felt something was wrong. His instincts were definitely not on Raknas level, but they werent shabby. Before he hit, he used one of his newest applications of his Void Magic and erased the momentum of his kick. He propelled himself back with Hell Fire and scowled at themia who was smiling at him. Good call, she said mysteriously and it was her turn to charge. She was a lot faster than him and entered closebat distance in less than a second. An stepped back in fright as her palm grazed his cheek. Immediately after, a very small line of his skin turned into stone and he forced himself to not panic as he dodged her next attacks. She seemed to be an expert at palm techniques. His expression sharpened and he focused on defense the best he could. She was significantly faster than him, even more so with the ne he had equipped earlier. After several bouts of him doing his best to evade her strikes, a few parts of his clothes had turned into brittle stone. At some point, An grunted and grasped an asion to push her back with Hell Fire. Her ability of petrification predictably didnt affect the mes and they separated temporarily. good technique and footwork, themia praised. Im faster but I wasnt able to do anything more than scratch your clothes. How did you do it? An snorted. The old master taught me a lot of different styles. Palm arts included. Im not that proficient in them, but your skill pales inparison to him. Its easy to dodge them as long as I have the experience, he uttered. What about you? How do you turn me into stone whilst ignoring my Aura? Mae smiled. Its a physical trait of mine. I noticed youre trying to not look at me in the eyes ever since we started but its not the only way for me to petrify. My body itself can do the same. If I get into contact with other living beings, they turn into stone. The blonds mouth twitched. thats cheating. She stuck her tongue out and once again charged at him without a word. He groaned and decided to stop caring about his mana expenditure. As he evaded her assaults, his eyes grew darker until they were ck and an invisible field appeared around his body. Mae squinted as she noticed that and used a bit more speed to deal out a palm strike to his chest before he could do something. But, to her surprise, he blocked her with a punch. She thought that he had done so in rm but when their hands collided, her eyes widened in shock when neither his gloves nor skin turned into stone. She even sensed her arm getting a bit weaker. An grinned and hit her arm away with his elbow and counter-attacked with a kick. Though still a bit shook, Mae didnt lose her bearings and threw a kick of her own to block it. The power they both had put into this sh produced a gust of wind followed by a stronger wave of their internal energies. Rakna squinted his eyes as the wind rustled his clothes and hair. {They seem to be evenly matched in closebat. How surprising for amia,} Higure remarked in interest. {Then again, her petrifying trait is a very good fit. But Im curious how he nullified it.} His Elemental Reinforcement got stronger sincest time I saw him, Rakna simplymented as both an answer and a theory. {I see Nothing gets past you, as always,} she chuckled. Meanwhile, the twobatants jumped away from each other again and this time, An fearlessly looked at themia in the eyes with a small smile. The part of his cheek that had been turned into stone had also returned to normal. Mae squinted as her eyes glowed. How? I learned a lot about Void Magic thesest few days, An replied. Gray told us its main use was to replicate magic elements but at the core, there is something else. My magic is a void that traps everything that it encounters. I can suppress magic abilities to some extent but thats not the only thing. Physical force can be absorbed too. But there is more than just that I can abolish concepts themselves. Themia seemed to have caught onto something and frowned. You mean Yes, Im using Void Reinforcement to nullify the concept of petrification. For as long as my shell can take it, I wont be turned into stone since the very idea of it is voided before it happens to my body, An exined with a grin. Mae snorted. I see. What an interesting element. But do not think that this will be enough to defeat me, she added and her aura red. Her hair turned dark green and several strands fused to form thin and barely noticeable snakes. At the same time, many other snakes came out of nowhere and slithered on the floor of the castle. So, thats what it was Rakna muttered out loud as Pronos excitingly watched the many of his kin suddenly appearing. {What do you mean?} Evelyn asked back and he nced at her. {She has two magic elements. One of them is wind. The second is snake.} {What? Snake Magic? Is that possible?} via was surprised. {Thats what youd call an Irregr Element,} Higure rified for her. {Sometimes, an element can awaken in an irregr form conform to the concerned person. To my knowledge, a few of the most popr ones in the System would be Pill Magic, Processor Magic, Armor Magic, Science Magic, and Gun Magic.} Rakna grunted. {It really sounds like everything can be a magic.} {You have no idea.} thats kinda freaky, not gonna lie, An unhesitatingly told as he watched the snakes emerge from around Mae and even from under her sleeves. The hissing noises gradually filled the castle and he couldnt help the goosebumps that crawled all over his body. Is it too much to handle for you? Themia kidded and he scoffed. As if. Bring it on. She didnt need to be told twice. With a thought from her, hundreds of snakes abruptly lunged at him in the split of a second. Their speed was surprisingly high and An furrowed his eyebrows. He used his footwork to move around, dodging the snakes and squeezing the life out of them with a single hand each. They werent that strongpared to him but they all had a strength between level 2 and 7 with a speed rivaling level 15 monsters. He could easily deal with them for hours if he wanted to but the fact that she had summoned them so easily was daunting. What if she could summon much stronger ones? As he was contemting that, he spotted a barrage of wind arrows from the corner of his eye and hastily used Hell Fire to clear his surroundings and get away. The arrows he was unable to dodge were absorbed into his void shell. How annoying He grumbled and after a few more minutes of struggling with the snakes, his void shell was dangerously getting close to full. He had been using it as a force field to oppose the snakes fangs since he really did not want to test if they were venomous or not but he would soon reach his limit. He still hadnt learned how to liberate the stocked-up energy at will and the only thing he could to return it to its initial state was dispel it and wait for a certain amount of time. He clicked his tongue and eventually stopped fleeing. Whats wrong? Running out of time already? Mae taunted. Perhaps, An cackled as the snakes dangerously began to slither up his legs. But Im not the one running out of time. You are. Themia raised an eyebrow and silently waved her hand. Hundreds of snakes that had remained in standby promptly began to merge to form a bigger serpent; a creature even more imposing than Tyran at full size. Then, it opened its mouth and gathered apressed sphere of wind within its maw. Rakna was somewhat impressed by that. So, her snakes can be even stronger than her and use her wind magic even better. Itspletely different from my shadow wolves An watched the spell being charged with a rxed smile and Mae was getting a bit suspicious of his intentions but there was nothing she could do other thanunching her spell. [Wind Hoarder C Serpent of Tempest,] she intoned and the giant snake conjured a powerful concentrated cyclone. It cracked the walls and floor of the castle as it approached its target. The brawler grinned and extended his arm covered in snakes forward. [Wormhole,] he chanted and a ck vortex befitting of its name formed in front of him. The cyclone was swallowed by it without leaving a trace and Mae was struck speechless. My wormhole is a tad differentpared to a real one, An casually said. It turns anything it swallows into void. Everything except myself. The stronger it is, the more mana it takes. But its not too bad. Mae glowered at him and poured more mana into the giant snake, preparing for an even stronger spell but before she could even start it, An acted again. My turn, he said and cast a new spell. [Void Ka?am,] he intoned and in the blink of an eye, his surroundings were drowned in darkness as if light itself stopped existing. From the corner of the Dungeon, Rakna and the others were surprised to see a dome of obscurity materialize in front of them. This is even darker than my shadows, Nyx stated with a mildly impressed tone. Void of light, probably, Raknamented. Why though? Evelyn tilted her head. Most likely to take advantage of his nes perks, via said. If no one can see him inside that dome, then he will have a 20% increase to his swiftness and agility. And for all we know, there also might not be any sound inside there or something. {And here I thought Rakna was the most suited to be an assassin. I never expected a brawler to be better at it,} Higuremented in amusement, and right after, the dome was lifted. What they saw once it disappeared were the disintegrating snakes and An holding Mae to the ground with a knee pressed against her stomach and a hand around her neck. Haha, that was well done, she said cheerily. But I wont fall for the same trick next time. Let me see how you handle me in higher difficulties, she uttered with a faint sultry voice. An huffed and used the wind magic he stole from her earlier to painlessly finish her. When her eyes lost their luster and closed, he stood up with a bitter feeling guing his mind. It was not pleasant to kill her but he knew there was no other way toplete the Dungeon. Right after he did so, the System notification for thepletion rang out. Chapter 142: Best Tactic Chapter 142: Best Tactic ? ? ? ? You havepleted Grit Castle! Difficulty: Normal Number of Participants: 5 | Average Level of Participants: 37 Rewards: 5 000 Talys, Petrification Antidote x3. Note: Mary rewards will be given to every member and the rest will be given to the party leader. ? ? You will automatically be transported outside in one minute. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna saw the potions appear in his Item Box and they were transported out of the Dungeon after collecting the item dropped by Mae upon her death. When they reappeared in the desert in front of the castle, they looked at each other before focusing on the small dagger in Raknas hands. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Dagger Name: Fang of the Gorgon Rarity: Blue Attack power: +120 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Petrification de: With every hit, the weapon will drain a silver of mana from the wielder and turn whatever it touched into stone if their resistance allows it. ? C Gorgons Hiss: If this de is stabbing someone, they will have to pass an END and INT check and in case of failing, they will be paralyzed. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna twirled the knife between his fingers with a hum and tossed the weapon to Nyx. You can have this. An aside, youre the only one who doesnt have a proper melee weapon. You might as well take this one. The former goddess caught the weapon and expertly wielded it with a nod. Thank you, she said and stored the dagger. So, we go back in now? An said. For some reason, he was oddly impatient to confront themia again. It had been fun fighting her. How do we deal with the angels this time around? Hm, Rakna mused. Lets do it this way; well go in and Ill send my shadow wolves to keep all of them in check. Then, well position ourselves back-to-back in a circle. Ill order my wolves to set up a blind spot and then well close our eyes. Normally, the angels should rush at us from the blind spot, and their trajectory will be obvious to us. In that case, it will be easy to hit them back without looking at them. I will act as your sensor and warn you whenever theres an angel in range. Youll just have to attack forward at full strength. Also, Ganymede, the therian added as he looked at the star entity. Youre good to go. We dont need your help anymore, he said and the manifested legends eyes flickered briefly. He responded with a nod and Rakna cut the link with his magic, effectively dispelling the constetion. He would have to research his Star Monarch more thoroughlyter on. So, are you ready? He asked and they all nodded before going inside the castle again. This time, Rakna selected the hard difficulty. They easily defeated the sentinel statues outside and opened the doors of the castle. They then proceeded to enact their n. Rakna summoned his wolves and spread them all over the Dungeon. Then, he purposefully made them ignore a certain direction. To test his tactic, he put himself first. He closed his eyes and he carefully listened to the air fluctuations as well as the minute spikes of soul powering from the living statues. In this way, he was able to cut apart the Skulking Angels with Sonata. Every time he hit, he would have the feeling of shing flesh but when he opened his eyes, they would always appear as nothing more than pieces of stone. Following that first attempt, they all spent the next hour or so baiting the angels and dispatching them one by one. Compared to the normal difficulty, they just had a slightly higher level as well as a higher speed but nothing too dangerous. Afterpleting the first floor and collecting their spoils, which were much less precious than during the first try, they went on to challenge the other floors and there was nothing for them to fear. They were already back to the Boss floor in a mere hour. When they saw Mae again, she was still wearing the green dress via had given her. It seemed that she was able to keep it as her own from one Dungeon run to another. She smiled happily when she saw them again and asked one more time for a duel. I will win this time, she dered as she faced An for the second time. Heh, well see that, An retorted and started the fight. They both were already familiar with the others capabilities so their battle began with a closebat bout enhanced by wind magic. The two of them grinned at each other as fists and palms shed, sometimes breaking through and sometimes deflecting. After reaching a stalemate, they began to use more and more magic and thanks to the increase in difficulty, Mae had ess to more mana and spells. She summoned the same giant snake from earlier as well as a winged one. The two of them began to charge a wind spell and An was forced to hastily use his void dome. He wouldnt be able to dodge both spells and his wormhole could only stop one while his shell was near its limit. When darkness fell around him, he felt his agility increase and rapidly made his way to where his opponent was located. He threw a punch from behind her but his attack nevernded as a wall of snakes abruptly blocked his blow. I said the same trick wont work twice, Maes voice echoed and a pair of slit eyes pierced through the darkness. A scaly tail wrapped around An, giving him no chance to react, and constraining his movements. At the same time, the void dome was dispelled and Raknas group was presented with the sight of Mae, who had turned back into amia, coiled around the blond with her tail as their faces were just a few centimeters away from touching. How will you get out of this one? She asked with a sensual tone and An almost gulped from the proximity but the sea of snakes slowly encircling him as well as the giant ones aiming their spells at him sobered him up. An gathered his cool and returned a smirk of his own. Who knows what about you? You cant get through my defense without your snakes spells, but you cant let yourself be hit by them just to hold me down in ce, can you? Why not? Im not the one at risk of dying for good, she replied and the giant snakes increased the energy output of their spells. Is that so? An sneered and the two fell silent. On one side, the wind magic was about to be cast and ravage the ce and on the other, the brawlers gloves were sneakily glowing, ready for the opportunity to be used. But I think you may get more than what youve bargained for. Maes eyes shed with a peculiar light before a certain sweet feeling raised in her chest. I could say the same to you, she countered. Rakna watched them from a distance with a cocked eyebrow. For some reason, he had the feeling that something was going to happen but he just couldnt put his finger on what. Thats when it happened. Mae suddenly smirked wider than ever before and in a blur, she leaned forward and nted her lips on Ans. Huh?! Eh?! Hm?! The three spectating girls all had their reactions. Pronos and Tyran were a bit confused, however. Rakna blinked dumbfoundedly. Did she just His voice died down as he saw An respond to the kiss on his own. theyre just making out at this point. {why am I not surprised?} Higure uttered in genuine confusion. {Well, the sexual tension was indeed strong} {Hoho! So, this is what they call love at first sight! Its my first time seeing it,} Fray said. Id call it passion at first sight but thats fine too. Meanwhile, Mae backed away after a full minute and happily licked her lips clean with her slightly elongated and forked tongue; just like a snake. That was nice She whispered to the dazed blond and grinned. I really hope you survive this one, she then said and the snakes released their spells. OH, YOU-! An shouted and they were both shrouded by two destructive cyclones of wind. The onlookers shielded their eyes from the wafts of wind and therge debris that were broken apart from the castles floor. Rakna casually erected a GHB with extreme ease and controlled it mentally, making it fly right and left to catch the debris before they could even get close to him; something that only a perception freak like him could do. He wasnt too worried about his friend since he had seen a few interesting elements in his status earlier. Moreover, the ne from the Skulking Angel would reduce the magical damage. When the aftermath was terminated, there was arge crater in the middle of the Dungeon and all the summoned snakes were gone without a trace. In the center of the depression, An groaned and stood up as he cleared the dust and debris on top of him. Mae had turned into particles after the Dungeon recognized her defeat. That crazy girl, he muttered but without any sort of resentment in his tone. If I didnt have that spell, I would have been done for, he added and thepletion notification sounded. After they were all teleported out of the Dungeon again, everyone looked at him weirdly. What? Why are you looking at me like that? He blurted out. He already knew why but even he felt quite embarrassed about it. He didnt need them to stare at him on top of that. to be fair, it was a nice tactic to kiss you and lower your guard so you wouldnt escape her grip before she couldplete her spells, Rakna suddenlymented. In a sense, she did win this battle even if you were the one to survive. An snorted. Yeah, right. An awesome tactic that was, he uttered, his voice oozing with sarcasm. By the way, how did youe out of thatst attack without injuries? Evelyn inquired. There was barely a scratch on you except a bit of dust and a few rubbles. Ah, that. Its a void spell. Basically, its something I can use whilst immobile and I can pretty much resist 99% of the damageing my way with it. But it takes a lot of mana and it has a half-a-day cooldown. So, I wont be able to use it again until tomorrow, he said and scratched his head. How annoying. It was my trump card. Well, youll just have to learn more in the future to make sure you have something else to rely on other than that one. For now, lets enter onest time. Cheer up; were on our way to meet your newest girlfriend for the third time, Rakna quipped as he opened the gate of the castle again. Who the hell are you calling my girlfriend?! ? * * * ? When they reached the final floor in the fiendish difficulty, Mae once again weed them from her throne, in her human form. She grinned at An who self-consciously evaded her eyes. She giggled at his behavior and stood up. This time, she spoke up. I wondered if you could be the one I fight, she said whilst pointing at Rakna with a serious face. An scowled at her. What? You got bored of fighting me? She smiled and shook her head. No, I just dont want to kill you. He blinked in surprise. Rakna hummed. I see. You are probablypelled by the System to fight, right? There is no way you are allowed to simply give the victory to Hosts because of personal sentiments. Youre correct. In this difficulty, my full strength is unsealed. Only you can fight me without risk to your life, she said solemnly and An looked at her with mixed feelings. As expected, women are weird as heck He mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear and themia smiled in amusement. Youre a hundred years too early to even start deciphering a maidens heart, sheughed and he rolled his eyes. So? Are you ready? She turned back to Rakna. The therian shrugged and his scarf moved on its own into his hand and turned into a Guandao in the blink of an eye. If thats what you want. Ill warn you though, Im not gentle. I wouldnt have it any other way, she retorted and without waiting further, opened her eyes wide and triggered her petrifying ability. An had been able to nullify it with his magic but that didnt apply to Rakna. Unless he also had a method to resist it. Theres no way, right? She thought nervously and her eyes crossed with Raknas. Then nothing happened. Really? She said in a defeated tone. Why are you people all resistant to my strongest ability? Rakna snorted and whirled Sonata. Your ability can bypass aura but at the end of the day, its just a sort of DNA altering trick at its fundamental. This means that it can be interfered with as long as theposition of my body isnt something you can affect. Then that means Yes, Rakna nodded impassively as a cold mist finally began to erupt from his body. His hair and fur whitened as his Cold Star Reinforcement started visually disying its effects. Do you think you can turn a star into stone? Maes eyebrow twitched. A star, huh? Were you that confident? What if it hadnt worked? Well, in that case, there would be the antidotes generously given by your Dungeon. I would have not minded fighting with my eyes closed anyway. She snickered. Of course. Now focus, Rakna dered and gripped his polearm tighter as he took a prowling stance. I wont hold back. Try to keep up for more than a minute. Chapter 143: Freedom Chapter 143: Freedom [Coiling Winged Serpent,] these were the words Mae uttered right after Rakna readied himself. A magic circle suddenly expanded under her feet and a massive figure slowly emerged from it. It encircled its summoner and hissed loud enough for the entire ce to shake. How a sound with a pitch as soft as that caused such a result was a mystery to Rakna. He calmly observed the giant ebony snake with two pairs of wings coiling around Mae and ring at him with its piercing green eyes. [ck Marsh,] themia uttered and the snake acted. It opened his mouth and released a flood of vtile poison into the air. Rakna raised an eyebrow at that and used Appraisal on the creature in curiosity. Oh? That snake has Poison Magic. So, its not just dependent on you, hemented. Youre awfully rxed for someone whos getting surrounded by lethal poison. Rakna huffed and his eyes sharpened. [Shadow Step,] he uttered and was shrouded in shadows for a moment before he appeared right in front of his opponent, his ive buried in a wall of small snakes impulsively raised by a wide-eyed and shocked Mae. Good reaction. You would have lost your head otherwise, he said coldly, uncaring of the poison he was inhaling, and extended his hand to touch the snakes. Immediately after, his body produced even more mist and a dozen of reptiles died in the blink of an eye. Mae shuddered and jumped away, conjuring tens of wind des at the same time. Rakna casually stepped aside and dodged all of them with unbelievable precision, only using Sonata to destroy the veryst one. Right after, the winged snake proceeded to lunge at him and Rakna spontaneously turned into a werewolf and blocked its advance with a single hand. He flexed his fingers and his ws dug into its scales as he forcefully mmed half of its body on the ground. His palm then glowed with power and the snake struggled for a few seconds before turning limp. Rakna let go as if he was handling trash and started walking toward the fear-strickenmia. Dont you know that reptiles are cold-blooded beings? I just have to touch them and theyll die from the cold, he said as his aura became even colder, enough to deter the snakes that were trying to get close to him. Mae stepped back. She thought she would be ready to handle this guy in her strongest state even if he were to transform. But she had never been more wrong. Just seeing the imposing wolf was nothingpared to actually confronting it in person. H-how are you unaffected by the poison? She stuttered. Unlike a certain idiot, I didnt forget that I have state-of-the-art technology inside my body, he deadpanned, ncing at An suddenly looking sheepish while the group was protected from the poison by Evelyns magic. The nanomachines in my system destroy anything harmful to me. Toxic substances are useless against me. I see Mae muttered. That is quite impressive. I didnt know technology could be so effective. Well, mine are quite special. Normal nano-machines would never be as reliable, Rakna replied. Is that so? Mae mumbled and her eyes shone with power. Countless snakes emerged around her followed by numerous wind projectiles. Two other winged snakes appeared and charged a spell in their mouth. This time, the wind seemed to be mixed with a red color; a gaseous acid. Themia was starting to get pale from the overexertion and the fact that the werewolf in front of her wasnt even showing a hint of worry wasnt helping her. Rakna was in fact wondering what the best course of action was. Getting up close to her was quite hard because of her snakes. Even if he could kill them with cold, he had to get close and he would then be subjected to their bites. Poison or not, it would still harm him. He also couldnt just use sh Step to attack her by surprise since the skill in itself, while useful, wasnt always practical. It was easy to trace and the step in itself would take at least half a second to be fullypleted. It was more than enough time for an enemy to react and counter him. He could also use Natcattiram Cataract but it was a bit overkill and risky, especially indoors. Lets get rid of those two first, he thought and used sh Step, but not to move toward Mae but to get to a spot where he would have both giant snakes in a line. The location he chose was on the wall of the castle. He stood horizontally on it with his ws as anchors and summoned a cold star bow along with a threatening ded arrow. The realistic and metallic form was several times scarier than when it was made of raw energy. Maes eyes widened when she saw that and hastily waved her hand. [Wing Guard!] She shouted and a wall of tempests was erected between Rakna and the snakes. She thenmanded them to get out of the way but it was already toote. [Dinsleif], the werewolfs voice echoed as a streak of blue light easily smashed through the wind and continued, going through the heads of the snakes, destroying their brain along with the spells that they were preparing. As a result, they exploded into tornados of wind and poison. The arrow pierced the wall and disappeared soon after. Mae clicked her tongue as she covered her eyes but didnt lose track of her targets mana. With a thought, she ordered the hundreds of snakes around to her to attack at once. Some of them secretly had acidic poison. She was hoping to be able to take him by surprise with them but it was dashed away by what happened after. [Star Hearth,] she heard, and before she knew, hundreds of chakrams appeared in the air above her before raining down. She hastily shielded herself with snakes and wind but her small army wasnt as lucky. The throwing weapons ughtered them directly and indirectly, after imploding. Additionally, the aftereffect of dropping the temperature killed the survivors. Mae was starting to understand what being helpless truly felt like but she still believed she could defend against him for longer. But she was once again proven wrong when she abruptly lost every grasp on his presence. Whether it was by sight or through spiritual sensing. She also couldnt feel anything strange that would signal the use of fast movement technique but to her shock, a figure appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye and thrust a spear at her. She gulped as an osciting de touched her neck, drawing a line of blood that slowly flowed down. how did you-? She didnt even have to finish her sentence before Rakna pointed at something on the ground with his free hand. When she followed his finger, she saw a broad dagger nted there and reflecting her appearance. Reflection, he said, seemingly not wanting to exin more and she let out an exasperated scoff. I lost Just drive that de through my neck, she uttered wearily and he looked at her without emotion on his face. Wait, Rak! An raised his voice, thinking that he would really do it. You; do we really have to kill you like this every time? He asked themia with a deep frown. She smiled back. Yes. Dont do it and not only will you neverplete the Dungeon but I will be eventually forced to attack you again. I told you; Im a toy. If a toy doesnt obey, it definitely doesnt need free will. I will try to kill you no matter how bad I do not wish to. Is there truly no way? via asked, recognizing the feelings of pain shing in the eyes of their partys brawler. She was still stunned by how these two seemed to have developed attraction to each other so quickly. What about an overflow? If this Dungeon overflows, will you be free? Maeughed bitterly, not noticing how Raknas eyes were not looking at her anymore but moving from one side to side as if he was reading something. An overflow? That is worse than imprisonment here. When an overflow urs, the residents of a Dungeon are stripped of their reason. I would truly just be a beast, she said. She eyed An for a few seconds before looking away. I would love to leave but killing me is the only option. what about you, Nyx? Evelyn asked, empathizing with themia. She had heard from the others that the ck-haired woman was a former divinity. Perhaps she would have more insight. Do you know a way to help her? I am not sure, she night goddess said hesitantly. If I knew how this Dungeon worked as well as the details of its connection with her, maybe I could tell you something. But if I had to guess, both her soul and body must have been corrupted some way. Youre right, Rakna suddenly said and everyone looked at him. His eyes were roaming over a certain system window in his vision. Her body is wired to function in the Dungeons interest even if the mind isnt in ord. As for her soul, its chained to the Dungeon. If the Dungeon is somehow destroyed, her soul will follow. If there is an overflow, the hold on her soul will be relinquished but, instead, her ego will be erased and her body will be controlled by a sort of parasite. Mae blinked in surprise. How do you know all of this? Its handy to have a guild chat full of veterans, Rakna simply said. I was asking them while you were rambling about how hard your life is. Themias eye twitched. This guys really not the cute type, she grumbled internally. Then, did they say if there was a way to do it? via inquired. Sort of, Rakna shrugged. Theyve thought of an idea just now but they never bothered enough about this to try anything like it, he exined and retrieved Sonata. He turned back into a therian and before she could react, grabbed Maes neck. Rak?! An panicked a little and his childhood friend simply waved him off. Im not killing her. kinda, Rakna responded, not so reassuringly, and looked at themia in the eyes. I will attempt something. You will either die for good, never to revive, or be free. Are you willing to take the risk? Mae hardened her expression. Yes. Both are better than what I have now anyway. Then, whatever happens, do not resist, he warned and his eyes red with a transparent flow of power. It cloaked his entire body before detaching itself and switching to themia as if it was swallowing her. Evelyn, can you restore a broken neck with your life magic? Eh? The subus yelped at being called. You mean after death, right? Yes. I can. It shouldnt be too hard. Why? Then get ready, he said andmanded his soul power to attack themia. Mae trembled when she felt the foreign intent entering her soul butplied with his warning and let it happen. Before long, she gradually became unable to stay conscious and she cked out. The second she did so, Rakna silently put strength into his arm, and the sound of her spine breaking grimly echoed in the castle. Rakna! An couldnt help himself. Calm down, Rakna borderline ordered him with a callous voice. His hand was still holding onto the now-deceased woman and his soul power was still around her. Then, with his other hand, he made a grabbing gesture and pulled. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Scourge has leveled up! ? ? You havepleted Grit Castle! Difficulty: Fiendish Number of Participants: 5 | Average Level of Participants: 39 Rewards: 20 000 Talys, Petrification Antidote x3, Skill Card Stone Eye. ? ? You will be transported out in a minute! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna dismissed the notification and under the eyes of everyone, a see-through version of Mae was yanked out of her corpse and made to float next to it. She also had some weird rope-like links binding her limbs to the ground. Themia was in a state of shock as she stared at her translucent hands and her lower snake half not touching the floor. She tried to say something but her voice didnt reach anyone. Use telepathy. You cant produce sound waves as a ghost, Rakna told her and put down her limp body. Evelyn, heal her. Hurry up before we get teleported out Y-yes! She said and rushed to the body before starting to work on her neck. Now, next step, he said and looked at what appeared to be her bindings to the Dungeon. His eyes glowed once again and invisible hands made out of soul power reached for them. They instantly began to wrench them. Rakna scrunched his eyebrows at the resistance and poured in more power until the ropes burst apart. ? ??? Soul Scourge has leveled up! ??? ? {W-what are you doing?} Mae asked in a daze before Rakna once again grabbed her neck. Quiet, its not over yet, he said and nced at Evelyn. Done? Almost there! Its back to normal! The subus said as her life spell waspleted. Rakna grunted and waved his hand. The body was sucked inside his spatial storage. When that was done, he used the rest of his soul power to envelope Mae again, and soon after, they were all transported out of the Dungeon. When the party reappeared in the desert, they all looked stunned as Rakna was still holding onto themias soul. Without addressing them for even a second, he quickly fished out the corpse from his ring and dragged her toward it. Enter it. There will be a rejection; Ill help you in the process. Dont resist, he said and shoved her into her body without further exnation. He then redirected his soul power, imagining a sort of sewing needle fixing the connection between the body and soul. Evelyn, dont stop healing her body. via, get over here and use your telekinesis to make her heart beat. The two girls were still lost but they nhelessplied with his orders. The others got closer to watch and An kneeled on one leg next to the unconsciousmia. I never used my telekinesis on something I cant see via whispered uneasily and ced her hand on Maes chest. She focused and pictured the emcement of her heart before gently putting a pulsing pressure on it with her Nirvana Skill. Rakna was tiring quickly as he manipted his soul power, he had also activated Fabled Sight to narrow his peripheral sight and get rid of unnecessary distractions. Evelyn was covering the body with Life Magic, and via putting everything she had into keeping a steady heartbeat; thissted for nearly five minutes. It was a tiring process for all involved until finally, a finger twitched. Mia gasped and shot her eyes open. She sat up panting and looked down as she quivered violently despite herself. She wed at the sand and froze at the feeling of the grains in her fist. She raised her head, feeling as if she was in a dream, and looked at the people around her. Say wee to freedom, Rakna uttered,bing his hair with his hand and wiping off the sweat on his forehead at the same time. Chapter 144: Dungeon Bane Chapter 144: Dungeon Bane This Mae couldnt believe her eyes as she stood up. She looked around and she couldnt stop her eyes from tearing up. The heat, the texture of the sand, the wind, the sunlight all of it had been out of her reach for her whole life. Are you okay? She was shaken by a voice. She slowly looked to her left and saw An looking at her in concern. She didnt move an inch for a few moments before suddenly hugging the blond as if her life depended on it. An froze on the spot. His arms were twitching. He had no idea what to do. Should he return the hug? He had literally met this woman less than six hours ago. But he had to admit that they had somehow built some trust and understanding, if anything, after their two fights. He ultimately returned the hug with a sigh as he knew for a fact that themias tears were not fake in any way. This caused a few giggles from the onlookers and he gave them a stink eye. I dont want to interrupt you lovebirds but we should get out of here, Rakna suddenly said with a hushed voice, and before anyone could ask, they heard a loud nking from the castle. They snapped their heads toward the source and saw the gargoyles and other statues from the castles fa?ade hammering at the fences and gate. The fuck An frowned and spotted several Skulking Angels looking through the windows. He also heard noisesing from the door. Thats creepy as hell, he uttered and Mae took a step back from his chest to look at the Dungeon. They are going berserk, she said solemnly while wiping her tears. These are the first signs of an overflow. Is it because of my absence? Perhaps Rakna answered groggily; his mind still a bit blurry from the stunt he pulled to free themia from the clutches of the Dungeon. Alexa, do you know? [Negative I cannot say for sure as this has never happened before. But a Boss can be considered the heart of a Dungeon. If its gone there will not just be an overflow. It will copse for good and may well also go into overdrive and release thousands of monsters into the wild.] that doesnt paint a good picture, he muttered as he looked at one of the Skulking Angels. If killing machines like those things get out, it might get ugly. You wanna do something about it? An asked. Honestly I have no idea what I could do, Rakna retorted as he casually created a few chakrams and shot them through the fences, crushing the heads of a few statues. Blow it up, Mae immediately said and they all looked at her. The instant the overflow begins is the time the dimensions of the Dungeon be unstable. If an explosion powerful enough urs at that exact moment, a chain reaction will destroy everything in it. But But? Rakna urged her with a scowl. I dont know if the System will sanction you for this, themia said troubled. After all, its still a property belonging to the Systems administration. In other words, Eva might get at you for this. Doesnt that apply to you as well? The therian retorted with a snort. Im already knees deep in this mess. I was nning to meet Eva at some point regardless. Its not like I will be killed. At least, if I understand it correctly, Hosts must have some sort of value to the System. Mae blinked in surprise. You may be right. Lets get away from here for now, Rakna said and turned back into a werewolf. He deployed his wings without warning, shocking themia, and grabbed her along with An. He used two of his tails to grab Tyran and Pronos before flying off, via, Evelyn, and Nyx following him. Theynded two miles away, on a dune with a direct view of the Dungeon. Rakna dropped off his passengers and turned back to the castle. Nyx, remember our talk about lunar energy? The former goddess cocked her eyebrow. Do you need me to give you some? If that is so, I have to warn you that it will be nowhere near as effective as the full moon. Its fine. With a bit of luck, it will be enough, Rakna said and channeled his mana. Nyx walked to his back and the area seemed to dim a bit. He immediately felt a rising quantity of lunar energy in his surroundings and his tails began to avidly absorb it. He grunted as the energy mixed with his body and mana and extended his hand forward, initiating the casting of Natcattiram Cataract. [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath,] he intoned and his head became clearer. [Ought Rime Rip Bo-!] He closed his mouth in the middle of his mantra as a headache assailed him. {Careful, devourer, your soul power is dangerously low. You dont have enough to invoke more than the first line of your Cl Lli,} Higure informed him. {What are you trying to do anyway?} Use Mystic Magic. After leveling it up, it triples mana consumption and raises damage by 150%. My strongest spell is Cataract but it takes 50% of my pool. In other words, a mystic version of it would cost me 150% of everything I have, which is impossible unless I use external sources, like lunar energy, or reduce my mana consumption even more. After responding to the lioness, Rakna fell silent and swallowed a mana pill as several four-pointed stars formed around him. Thanks to the lunar energy, his consumption was further decreased by 10%, ignoring spell cost limits. Which meant the total cost of Cataract was now 120%. No choice, Ill have to try that now. I wanted to experiment this under safer circumstances but I cant go back now, he thought and resumed his spell, fusing thepressed stars into one. At that point, a starry nket was starting to envelop him and the others stepped back because of the cold. Only Nyx stayed to provide lunar energy with Tyran warming her with his fire. Moment of truth, Rakna whispered and cut off his connection with his spell just before his mana reached zero. Thepressed star briefly shook but otherwise remained stationary. During that moment, he had no control over the spell. Anything could make it go off or someone might even be able to steal it from him with a strand of their own mana. Rakna sighed in relief when he saw that it wasnt going to explode on his face. He would have been forced to shield everyone with his body if that had happened. The point of this was for him to be able to interrupt a spell during its casting and recover mana in between. He proceeded to pull out a heart from his storage and ate it to replenish his mana pool. He then re-established the link with his spell and was able to finish it with the mana itcked. Its ready. Nyx, you can retreat for now. Its going to be even colder when Iunch it, he said and focused on the spring holding the star brimming with barely suppressed energy. All right. Dont hesitate to ask if you need our help, the night goddess said before joining the rest who were watching nervously. Alexa, can I have your help on something? Rakna asked internally as he activated Fabled Sight to lock on Grit Castle. [What is it?] Are you capable of calcting the time necessary for my spell to reach the castle from here as well as the precise time at which the dimensions will be fragile? [calctionspleted. It is possible.] Rakna snorted. Nice work. Ill rely on you to give me the fire signal. [Understood.] After saying that, the werewolf fell silent as he focused on maintaining his spell. In the meantime, he observed with his far sight the state of the Dungeon. He could see that the Skulking Angels had now already broken out of the castle through the door and windows. Before it was toote, Rakna decided to try out onest thing. He triggered his Cross Sight and used it to analyze his spell. As he expected, he found several focal points on it. With the remaining control he had on it, he modted its form to reduce that number to one. [It ising, Rakna. 4.] He cracked his neck and pulled the star toward him, building tension in the spring. The star began to rotate and release mist. [Fly to the Heavens,] he chanted the lexis that specifically belonged to the spell. [3.] [Mystic] [2.] [Natcattiram] [1. Now!] [Cataract!] He bellowed and the star was shot at the sky at high speed. It disappeared past the human eye perception and returned a few secondster, descending to the Dungeon like a meteor. Raknas golden eyes whirled as he spotted a few cracks appear on the gate of the castle right before his spell hit the roof of the building. Then, with a sh of light, the odd but familiar sound of the cold explosion echoed across the desert andrge clouds of sand were sucked in. From afar, everyone other than Rakna gasped at the dome of unrelenting energy that shrouded the whole Dungeon. It then exploded a second time into a massive pir that ended with a pointed star at the top. As he admired the results of his long-range strike, Rakna abruptly felt himself growing stronger before a new tail grew on his back, followed by a faint increase to his attributes. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the shocked faces of hispanions as they looked at their status and he eventually imitated them when the system message appeared before him. ? ? ? ? ? WARNING! DIMENSIONAL COLLAPSE! You have destroyed Grit Castle! ? ? Lv.40 Skulking Angel killed! x195 Lv.30 Gargoyle Sentinel killed! x262 Lv.35 Stone Golem killed! x356 Lv.37 Robot Golem killed! x195 Lv.37 Rockers killed. x389 Your level is too high! No experience can be gained. ? ? You have aplished an astonishing feat! You are rewarded with 2 500 experience and the title Dungeon Bane. You have leveled up! x5 ? ? You have modted a part of a spell frequency into Dimensional Energy! ? Cross Dimensional Sagacity leveled up! Cross Dimensional Sagacity leveled up! Cold Star Magic leveled up! Magic Theory leveled up! ? ? Core Genome Updated: Four Tails Unlocked. Next Tail: Lv.51/Lv.100 ? Number of Skills Affected: 1 Number of New Skills Attuned: 0 ? C Shape-Shift: A skill exclusive to the Nine-Tailed Werewolf. Grants the ability to shift between three forms; Wolf (speed +76% -> +79%), Werewolf (all attributes +56% -> +59%), Therian ? ? 3rd Factor Genome Updated: Onera, Cloud of Dreams, Unlocked. Next Layer: Lv.51/Lv.100 ? ? Eva is watching you. ??? is watching you. ??? is watching you. ? ? ? ? Chapter 145: Wilden Chapter 145: Wilden Eva is watching me? Rakna reiterated internally. What does that mean? Who are the two others? [Im afraid I do not know.] {Same here. First time I see it,} Higure added and he hummed before looking at the others who were still staring at their own status. Holy shit, our level shot up to 45, An muttered in awe. How many did you kill with that one? I dont know. Thousands for sure, Rakna said as he reverted to a therian. He got a feel for his fourth tail and grunted because of how strenuous his two previous stunts had been. He was about to eat a heart to heal when he spotted something strange. Mae was gazing at the sky in the distance with her mouth hanging open. He raised an eyebrow and turned around again. He almost let out his voice when he saw the cause of her shock. Above the now destroyed Dungeon, now mere rubble within a crater of sand, arge silver gate had appeared and a giant being was slowly emerging from it. The creature was entirely white. It looked both humanoid and bestial and it held a weapon simr to a double spear in one of its hands. It had a pair of wings on its back, devoid of any sort of ents in its form as if they were blocks of raw material. Its head was oval with no mouth, with a sort of spiral symbol in its ce. It had two pairs of eyes in the top half and continuous rays of liquid light were covering its form as if they were supposed to be its hair and clothes. At this point, the entire group was forced to notice its appearance and among them, Mae seemed to be the most conscious of it. Its an Adjudicator She muttered in fright. Adjudicator? via repeated. Is it what this is called? Adjudicators are the Systems enforcers, themia replied. Based on its size, this one is a high rank; at least a General. Theyre stronger than even Lv. 800 Hosts. Rakna sternly watched the creaturend in front of the destroyed Dungeon. To be exact, it stood over it, his size dwarfing by far what the castle used to be. What is it doing? [This General Adjudicator is here to protect the Dungeon,] Alexa piped in. From what? Rakna responded out loud, making everyone look at him. Higure decided to convey to them the conversation in real-time so they could understand. [Since you have destroyed the dimensions thatposed Grit Castle, every monster that had been stored inside of it was killed by your hand. That is why you and your party have received enough experience to raise your level to a cap of 45.] [Naturally, all of those monsters have dropped money and items. This Adjudicator is here to keep away anyone who would try to collect them; as it is an unfair reward. Additionally, there is a likely chance that the Dungeon Root has been released.] What is a Dungeon Root? Didnt you say that Mae was the heart? [Root or Seed; its the source of the Dungeons power,] Alexa rified. [Were someone to acquire it for themselves, they would gain a direct connection to the System; like a backdoor. That would allow them to steal energy, items, Talys, and even information from it. Eva would obviously do something to prevent something like that to happen.] I see Rakna muttered and stared at the Generals face. After a few seconds, the four eyes of the creature abruptly focused on him. The two stared at each other for a moment before Rakna was forced to look away because of a prompt. ? ? ? You have received a Compulsory Quest! Title: Evas Summon Description: Eva demands you to meet her. Objective: Go to a Terminal and request an audience. Note: You have 24 hours toplete this Quest. Failure Penalty: Death. Rewards: Note: Do not make me wait for too long, Rakna Xiorra de. ? ? ? Rakna frowned darkly. {Are you okay?} Higure asked when she felt a strong wave of resentment wash over his soul. Its nothing. I just hate being threatened, he replied and turned his back to the Adjudicator. Lets leave. Do you know where the closest town is? He asked his group. A-ah theres one this way, via replied and pointed in a certain direction. Thats the one we went to when you werent with us before. Rakna nodded and created a shuttle with his GHB big enough for everyone. Mae was thest one to step inside. She gave onest look at what was once her Dungeon then joined them when An gave her a hand. When they were all in, Rakna nced at themia then took off. via, if its possible, use your telekinesis to reduce the friction. No problem, she instantly replied and before they knew it, thendscape started passing by even faster. She smiled and waved her hand. I can also elerate it directly though its not by much. Thanks, he said and leaned against the barrier with his arms crossed. He then looked at Mae who was meekly standing next to An. What are your ns from now on? My ns? Themia looked as if she had been hit by something heavy. She took on an awkward expression and shook her head. Honestly? I dont know. When you asked whether I would like to risk my life to get out of the Dungeon, I was already ready to die. I never expected you to actually pull me out of there, she admitted with a shrug. via and Evelyn instantly softened up to her and both looked at Rakna with fierce eyes, daring him to do anything else other than ept her. Even if they knew that they would never be able to refuse anything he decided, they wanted him to consider it carefully. Rak, An raised his voice with a rare seriousness. Rakna looked at him in the eyes and snorted afterward. The atmosphere lightened in the blink of an eye. She can stick around with us; I dont mind. She is a capable fighter. But the problem here is not if I agree or not, it is if she even can join us. What do you mean? An asked back. Rakna exhaled. Alexa, send a party invite to Mae, he said out of nowhere but his tone was odd. It was as if he was giving an instruction that he didnt expect would be followed. [it cannot be done,] Alexa replied and when nothing happened on the outside, the group realized the issue and Mae herself paled a bit. I see She whispered with a bitter smile. Higure, I have my own assumptions, but could you exin to us, as a former monster born from the System? Rakna asked out loud and the lionessplied. {If you want First of all, you can say that there exist three main factions,} she started. {The Hosts, the Locals, and the Wilden, which is also called the Acuran Faction. Im sure you dont need much introduction when it concerns Hosts and Locals.} {One thing that you might want to know however is that Locals can party up with Hosts and go through Trials, Dungeons, and Ordeals like you. They also have the ability to travel from a teau to another without limitations. A Local born in the First teau could easily go the 100th if they wanted to.} {Then we have the Wilden. Monsters, beasts, and wild contraptions created by the System. They are randomly given birth to fill numbers. Or to be exact, they are either engineered by the System directly or are descendants of previous generations. At each Reset, if there are not enough of them to respect the Systems quota, more will be created.} {They generally have a free growth. The System does not limit them in any way. For example, just like Tyran, they can be rulers of their territories and grow stronger. They can also make pet contracts with Hosts and Locals. And finally, they as well possess the authority to visit other teaus on the condition that theyre strong enough.} Then whats the problem? Isnt Mae a Wilden? She should be able to at least apany us. Its not important if she cant join parties, is it? via reasoned but themia surprisingly shook her head in rebuttal. I understand now, she said somberly. I was made by the System, yes but Im not a Wilden. Is that what you wanted to say, miss? She asked back to Higure, the owner of the voice she couldnt see. {Indeed} The lioness responded. {To be fair,mias are not Wilden in the first ce and are usually part of the Locals or Hosts. Itd be urate to say that you are part of a fourth faction. You were made by the System, with no control over your growth. You were designed to be put into a Dungeon with your strength predetermined by regtions. And I have to get this run by Alexa but I believe you cannot level up nor can you learn new skills or spells.} [You would be correct, Higure Mios,] Alexa affirmed. {In other words, youngdy you are stuck to live your entire life in this teau, with no way to leave, and with no way to get stronger. You cannot even use the Pavilions portal because the Filter Dimensions would reject your entrance. Im sorry.} Mae smiled reassuringly. Hmph, I shouldve expected this, she uttered with renewed poise. Its not my type to get depressed over this; you dont need to apologize. I dont mind staying here. Im content as long as Im able topensate for the decade I wasted in that pit. Just drop me off when we arrive and we can go our respective ways. Denied, An suddenly said with a nk tone, and her eyes opened wide. If we really cant help you be truly free, we at least can help you integrate. Dont give me that respective ways bullshit. Dont I already gave you enough trouble, she weakly retorted and nced at Rakna. I dont know if youre trying to hide it, but I noticed how your attention shifted earlier when you looked at the Adjudicator. You received a warning, didnt you? Everyone looked at him in surprise while he just raised an eyebrow. when we arrive in town, I want you guys to find a hotel or something to wait for me. I will be going somewhere and when I return, well decide what to do with Mae. They all wanted to question the fact that he avoided the question but ultimately gave up on the idea when they saw the therians unrelenting eyes. Themia was particrly reluctant but, in the end, she just sighed, Marie. What? An heard her whisper. Call me Marie. I dont want to be called by the name the System assigned me, she said. I think it sounds better than Mae or just Maria, dont you? She added with a smirk. The blond blinked before grinning. Right, we havent introduced ourselves properly yet. Im An River. Nice to meet you, Marie. Nice to meet you as well, An. Ill be in your care, she said with a bright smile. Chapter 146: "Smashed it." Chapter 146: Smashed it. When they arrived at the town specified by via, Rakna noticed something that gave him a pleasant surprise. This town is where the Trial is located? He asked as he looked at his map while they walked to the entrance of the town after he had disengaged GHB a few tens of meters away. Yes, its also the only Trial in this teau so we can do it whenever we want, via said. Thats good to know. Though I wonder what kind of Trial it is The therian muttered to himself as they passed the towns entrance. A few people guarding it nodded at them from their posts and weed them in. The buildings of this town were predominantly made of sandstone and other kinds of rocks. There also seemed to be a bit of wood but it was very rare. There is probably a small greenhouse around here that provides them with some resources at a limited rate. Which means they also have an oasis somewhere. Or use external trade, Rakna thought to himself as they walked deeper into town. Do you guys know where this towns Pavilion Branch is? He inquired to his friends. Yes, I can send you the map if you want, Nyx said and made an input on her system. Uh, I didnt know you could share maps, Raknamented as epted the exchange. Its likely that there are people who use this as a way to earn some money. Yep, we met some actually, An said. They said that they were Hosts who came a few years before us. They go out of town after every Reset and map the surroundings for neers. Thats noteworthy, Rakna said as he marked the location of the Pavilion on his map. Meanwhile, Marie was looking around with an entranced expression. She was observing each and every detail of the town as much as she could. Coincidentally, a child waved at her as he passed by with his mother and she waved back with a small smile. Enjoying yourself? An asked when he noticed it and she blushed a bit. I am its also the first time I can interact with humans without having to kill them, she blurted out, and the blond sweatdropped. Now that I think about it, what did you do exactly to get me out of the Dungeon? She asked Rakna. Hm? He looked over his shoulder. Simple. I killed you; momentarily breaking the connection between your soul and body. Then, I forced your soul out before it could die along with your body to destroy the chains that were binding you. Evelyn healed your body and via artificially made your heart beat so that your blood wouldnt stagnate. Lastly, I put your soul back by using my own soul power as a stitching tool. this is considered simple these days? via giggled. Thats just Rakna being Rakna. Though, you didnt mention the second measure. The one in her body. What happened to it? It disappeared the second that she died, Rakna replied. So, it resolved itself for us, he exined and closed his system. Anyhow, Ill be going on ahead as I said. Go visit the town with Marie if you want, he said and sh stepped over a distance of twenty meters in the sky and before dashing toward the Pavilion at a speed barely discernable for normal humans. Everyone watched him vanish on the horizon then they all shrugged at each other before resuming their visit. Pronos and Tyran had also stayed with them, the former having made vias cleavage his new favorite spot since unlike Kaelith, she would be careful when moving and the little snake could not be happier. This reptile An muttered dumbfounded. Hes living the life, Marieughed lightly. via snickered and petted the little snakes head a bit. Well, theres no harm. So, Marie, do you want to go shopping? The dress I gave you wont go far. Themia hummed and tugged on her clothing. True. You also need underwear, Evelyn added and Marie tilted her head. Whats that? An groaned silently as he followed them. Well, lets look at the good side of things. Shopping with the girls alone is a thousand times better than if Rak was here as well, he thought with a shudder. ? * * * ? Rakna appeared right in front of the Pavilions doors in a blur, surprising everyone near it. Those that were a bit informed recognized the skill he had used and the ease with which he performed it. It was obvious to them that he was someone who was way above the level of the 10th teau. The therian didnt pay attention to their stares for even a second before he entered the usual oval building. He walked to the reception, weaving through the crowd like a ghost as if he could predict where everyone would be before he chose his path. When the receptionist saw him approach, she was about to greet him with a smile but it got stuck in her throat when she saw his cold and sharp slit eyes. It was as if she was being red at by a wild beast. When he reached her reception, without a word, he disyed a green badge and she tensed even more when she recognized what it was. Give me ess to a Terminal. R-right away, Sir! She said, a bit too loud, attracting the eyes of people around, and stood up with a nervous step. Please follow me. Rakna nodded and trailed her to the back of the Pavilion. They took a door to the right of the Portal Room and entered a wide corridor. After half a minute, she stopped at a certain electronic door and pressed a button on the wall. The metalyers of the door retracted inside the walls and gave way to a dark room. W-were here. This is the room connected through dimensions to the 10th teaus Terminal. Thank you, Rakna said and stepped inside. The door automatically closed behind him and made the receptionist sigh in relief. An Emerald Rank. So young She whispered to herself and started walking back to her post. ? * * * ? When the door closed, the floor immediately lit up and revealed a circr staircase leading to a sort of elevated altar in the middle of the room. It looks a bit like the Awakening Room, Raknamented internally and dazedly looked up. There was no ceiling, no matter how far he looked. Even Fabled Sight was only showing him darkness past at least a few kilometers. After observing for a moment, he walked up to the altar, which up close, now became clear that it was a nk screen affixed to the floor with a sort of glowing stake. [ce your hand on it,] Alexa instructed and he did as told. The screen blinked and for the split of a second, he was sure that he saw his hand be bluish and reveal his bones as if after an x-ray. Then, the light in the room was turned off and the stairs disappeared. Rakna normally could see in the dark, even without Fabled Sight active, most likely due to his Dusk Lion genes, but at the moment, more than just darkness, it was truly as if there was just nothing around him anymore. Youre here! Rakna froze as heard an overly sweet voice echo in the room. Right afterward, the emptiness went away and was reced by andscape he was very familiar with. My soul realm? He muttered as he saw the purple and red roses as well as the rain of ck petals. However, there was one thing that nearly made him rub his eyes in disbelief. Along with the setting cold and volcanic stars in the sky, there was a massive building floating on what seemed to be an ind of white pages. The design was simr to old European architecture and several intangible writings were revolving around it. Its the library of the kid, Higure materialized next to him in a swirl of petals. Rakna frowned. Youre here too? And what kid? That would be me, another voice resounded and another figure appeared from the petals. A man wearing an eastern robe and waving a fan around. I try to tell her that Im 500 hundred years old but she wont listen, he said dolefully. Fray Why, yes! The one and only, he grinned. So, Traveler, how do you like it? My library. You should go visit when you can. Its bigger on the inside by the way, he chuckled then closed his fan with a slightly more serious tone. But for now, it seems you have a guest to wee, he said and at the same time, Rexam and Fenriu also appeared and they all seemed to be staring at something. Rakna followed their line of sight and finallyid his eyes on the source of the voice he heard just earlier. It was a little girl that looked no older than ten. She had blond hair longer than her entire height that was piling at her feet. She had an almost disturbingly innocent and cute appearance with a flowery dress that appeared too big for her. Her bright orange eyes were staring at Rakna as she exhibited a wide smile. Eva, Rakna voiced and her smile curved even more. Thats you? Yes, yes! She nodded several times. Im Eva, nice to meet you! the spoiled child analogy seems to be at least half-urate, Higure whispered. Hey! I can hear you; you know?! Eva shouted with a cute pout. Why did you want to meet me? Rakna shot back, ignoring her outburst. The little girl sulked and slowly ran toward him with her hair trailing behind. Rexam prepared to move but stopped when Rakna waved him down. Eva stopped in front of him and he looked down at her with a look that would make most people cower but she unperturbedly met his eyes with her unwavering smile. Why do you look so mad? She asked with a blink. You threatened my life in case you forgot, Rakna retorted. Eeh?! But I was just excited to see you! She said but his look didnt get any less cold. She pouted and looked down whilst twiddling her hands. Now, now, devourer, dont be so mean Higure said from the side and Fray chuckled. Higure, Rakna nced at her with a stern expression. Its not about a kid here. Were speaking about an emotionless abomination who creates and erases life without care. A machine thousands of years old, he said coldly and turned back to the girl. One that threatened to kill me unless I met her. Higure closed her mouth. There was no way she could say anything else to him. She knew that he was probably several times better than her at looking beyond appearances, even if she had lived fifty times longer than him. But sometimes that kind of piercing vision is terrifying, she thought. What if you be unable of seeing the surface of things, devourer of mine? Eva first appeared to be stunned by Raknas words but she quickly recovered her cheery face and stepped back from him, an unknown light passing through her eyes. Youre mean, Big Brother, she said with a pout and Rakna let out a feral growl without wanting to. Fray almost burst outughing. At least, the young girl has some humor, dont you think? The storyteller quipped and whistled to the side when the therian red at him. So, Big Brother, what did you do to my Dungeon? Eva asked with a harmless tone. Smashed it, Rakna deadpanned. Why? Because I wanted to. Its not nice to lie, Big Brother. Do you have a rule against destroying Dungeons? Rakna retorted and she paused. If you dont, then its your fault. Why me it on me? Evas expression almost fell for the first time but she couldnt help the twitch of her lip. I am to me?! You are to me! Who takes Bosses out of Dungeons?! Tch, Ill have to make a rebranding and prohibit sentient Bosses in the future, she noted to herself. Are you thinking of remodeling Bosses? Raknas sudden question almost made her panic. H-how would you know? She asked with a small bead of sweat, her smile still there. You stink. oh. You mean you smelled my emotions. As expected of Big Brother. But its a bit indecent so I will have to block that skill when its me, okay? She said cheerily. Rakna instantly felt himself lose grasp on Evas emotions and clicked his tongue. At least, he had been able to confirm that she wasnt just what she appeared to be. But he hadnt smelt anything vile from her either so it meant he could trust her to some extent. Whatever. What do you want? Is there a penalty for what Ive done? Will you kill me? Eva giggled. No, of course not. If I wanted to, I would have ordered my General to do it. On top of that Her face scrunched up a bit. Your Guild Leader is annoying. If he gets mad at me, I think Ill start crying, she admitted with a pitiful expression. Oh? Rakna mused. So, you can be scared of Hosts, huh? The little girl crossed her arms with a cute scoff. Its mutual, okay?! Mutual! Im not scared! I just think its not worth the trouble to deal with him and some others. Interesting Ill have to meet that Guild Leader of mine, Rakna thought. Then why am I here? Ill forgive what you did if you do something for me. What is it? She smiled almost innocently. I want you to kill someone. Chapter 147: Plateau Zero Chapter 147: teau Zero What do you take me for? Rakna growled. Im not some gun for hire. What kind of target would you even need me to take out? You are, for all intents and purposes, a ruler of the System. Youre being mean again, Eva said exaggeratedly and he kneaded his forehead. Spit it out. The little girl rolled her eyes. Fine. The target is someone that is both in and out of my reach. How so? This is rhetorical, but have you heard of teau Zero, Big Brother? She asked as she started tip-toeing around him. And I dont mean the Tutorial teau. Shortly said, its an extra teau that should not have existed. To be honest with you, there are three such teaus in the System. The Celestial teau, home of the Gods, the Eonian teau, home of the Immortals, and finally, the Arena teau, home of Crime. Thest one is what we call the True teau Zero. Home of Crime? Rakna raised an eyebrow. What kind of ce has that name? Well, obviously, the home of criminals, Eva shrugged. teau Zero is a w in the program that has been taken advantage of a thousand years ago. Now, some people use it as their own territory, separated from mine. Its be their yground. In there, the System has no influence to speak of and I cant monitor it. I cant send my Adjudicators either. So, what do you want me to do? Kill the one in charge of that ce? Before even asking if I ept or not, how would I even be able to assassinate a veteran Host? Much less an entire organization. Actually, killing that guy is the secondary objective. Your target as a whole would be to dismantle the Arena. To do that, you will kill Bora Quaso, infiltrate his territory, and bring a certain item that I will give you to an offline Terminal that should be there. It will give me direct ess and I will be able to bring the teau back under my control. Rakna sighed. You havent answered the most important question. How? And why me? Didnt you hear what I said, Big Brother? Eva retorted with a tilt of her head. The System has no influence there. In other words, there, no one has its support. They cant use skills, magic, or even items. Even their attributes are reinitialized to their base value if theyre not the product of their own efforts and Nirvana Skills be somewhat limited depending on their nature. So, we would be put on equal ground, huh? Rakna remarked and nkly stared at her. And you keep answering my questions in dy. So, Ill ask you again; why me? Eva raised one finger. First of all, youre not a well-known figure in the System and you wouldnt be easilypromised down there. Thankfully, the matter of the Abyss Tras wasnt made public or it would have beenplicated. Though considering how you are, that will probably be a moot point in the future. I dont know if youre an attention seeker or something but Id be willing to bet you will be very famous in the next few months. So, other than that, its because youre an expert. At what? ughter. The little girl shed a grin that didnt match her stature. Higure and Fray looked at each other nervously before turning toward Rakna who had fallen silent at the Super AIs words. Eva giggled. But the main reason is the fact that the only things usable in teau Zero are racial traits and soul power. And you have a lot to spare, dont you? To top it all off, your Scavenger skill makes it that your attributes are entirely yours and not a resource of the System. what do I get from this? Rakna ultimately responded. Eh? As I said, I will forgive you- Stop with the bullshit, he interrupted her and Eva froze before noticing the flickering eyes of the therian as well as the faint wave of energy spreading around the volcanic star in the sky. Dont think that I dont know your type. Youre trying to get something out of me without cost after getting the opportunity to do so, Rakna uttered coldly. We both know that youre not mad about the Dungeon. So, stop pretending. If I do that for you, I want something in return. Eva pouted and sat down in the field of flowers, which somehow did not be damaged in the slightest. Fine! What do you want? Tell me. Rakna snorted and raised two fingers. There are two things I want. Really? Eva deadpanned. Dont you think youre pushing it? First; I want a one-time iming right for any parcel of wild terrain that I will find in the future, regardless of the teau, Rakna said, ignoring her rebuffs. Second; I want you to give Host rights to Marie. Evas eyes widened. W-wait a second! The first is easy but the second is a no can do. I cant mess with the database like that. It could create massive ws that could be exploited to do things way worse than teau Zero. I dont care. Do you agree or not? Cant you just ask for a Gold Item or something? No. Eva groaned and pressed her hands on her head. Umu! Gah! Fine, Ill do it! In that case, I ept your request. Give me more information about that Arena. Also, I want the payment to be done in advance. You-! Theres no guarantee you will seed so why would I do that?! The little girl grumbled. I knew I should have asked someone else What? I wasnt your first choice? No, precisely, you ARE my first choice. And now Im hesitating whether I should go for my second one. Despite your ability, she huffed and stood up before dusting her dress. Ill just consider this an investment, she relented and lifted her hand with her thumb and middle finger pressed against each other. She snapped them and a system window appeared. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted the Quest Evas Summon! ? ? Eva extends a Quest to you. ? ? Title: Arenas Demise ? Description: Upon reaching the 100th teau, you will be able to find a criminal organization under the name of Kratos. Their leader, Bora Quaso, owns teau Zero and holds an event within it called Arena Zero. It is a fighting exhibit which many influential figures gamble on and use as a negotiation stage. It is also a covert operation for all sorts of criminal exchanges and traffics involving both Hosts and Locals. Many of those are a direct infringement of the Systemsws. ? Objective: Enter Arena Zero as a participant, locate Bora Quaso and kill him, then find ess to the Terminal for Eva to take over. The time limit will be set to three months. ? Rewards (Will be given upfront): Mae -Marie- Maria Gorgonas Host Privileges, One-Time Terrain im. ? Failure Penalty: Compensation for the rewards. Interest will be applied and the giver of the Quest will personally evaluate a satisfactory indemnity for the receiver to honor. ? ? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? why is yes grayed out? Rakna raised an eyebrow after reading the details of the Quest. Because the agreement is leaning too much in your favor for now, Eva replied as if it was obvious. Rakna eyed her with a nk expression. Youre quite business literate for a brat, he said and his soul tenants all had the urge to cough. Werent you the one who said we shouldnt take her as a child? Higure retorted internally. She did not dare to say it out loud though. And howe those rewards dont cut it when Im risking my life? Eva puffed her cheeks and stomped the ground. You have no idea how risky it is to modify the very existence of thatmia, sheined. Rakna grunted and rubbed the bridge of his nose. And what would make you happy? What can you offer? The loli smirked. He exhaled and breathed in before opening his mouth, How about a favor? He suggested and she looked at him weirdly. Why would I need a favor from you? Really? Youre asking me that in this situation? Rakna deadpanned. Arent you the one begging for my help right now? Im not begging! Semantics. From what Im getting, while you do have quite the power with your Adjudicators and your control of System mechanics, youre not omnipotent. To the extent that you would even be scared of a Host. I said I wasnt scared! Sure. Ah! Youre annoying! Eva snapped. She was close to pulling out her hair. And how am I supposed to be sure that you will uphold your promise? Rakna raised an eyebrow. Why cant you just use a Compulsory Quest like earlier? It doesnt work like that. The only reason I was allowed to give you that one was because, while you did not break any rule, you made a transgression to the Dungeons integrity. It was temporary right orded to me to ascertain your motive. By any chance do you happen to have superiors? Rakna asked curiously. Sort of. I have co-workers and superiors. Most are unknown to the masses and I dont intend to tell you about them so forget about it. Hm, I see, Rakna mused. Youre breaking out of character, by the way. Ah, shit! She eximed and cleared her throat before schooling her emotions. She then let out a perfect childish smile. So, Big Brother, is there something else you can offer? No, Ill still offer the same thing, Rakna retorted and closed his eyes for a moment. The air inside his soul realm became heavier and the sound of the rivers waves resounded louder. Evas expression suddenly froze as if she had seen something unbelievable. Higure and Fray also seemed to be shocked. The field of flowers was being swayed by the wind and several petals flew off to mix with the ck ones. [I, Rakna Xiorra de, Decree Upon My Soul. I will owe a debt to the one known as Eva for as long as she honors her part of the deal.] As soon as these words left the therians mouth, a spiral of white fire formed in the sky before disappearing as fast as it came, along with the irregr wind and waves of the river. Why? Eva muttered. Why would you put your life on the line for some stranger? Thatmia is just restricted to the Tenth, nothing too bad. There is no reason to go this far to help her. Do you know the feeling of being trapped? Rakna uttered. The feeling of having no reign on your life? The feeling of being at the mercy of someone else? The feeling of standing in front of freedom and have it escape your fingers? The emotion that you call despair? You shouldnt be asking me why Im willing to do this. You should be asking why she deserves that I do it, he said and waved his hand, expecting Obsidians Smoke to appear in his hand. When nothing came, he clicked his tongue. I cant use it in here To go as far as to use Vow of ord and put your soul on the line Eva spoke up. Do you have a heroplex, Big Brother? Whatever you want to call it, brat. The little girl harrumphed. you better not die or itll be a loss for me, she said and Rakna saw the window of the Quest go out before reappearing as epted. There. Themia is now a Host, you can check with her, and the iming right in your storage. You have three months. I know that youre plenty able to get to the 100th teau in around one to two months from now if you try enough. Well see, Rakna replied and closed the Quest. Are we done? Yep, you are free to leave, Big Brother. Just focus on the feeling you usually experience when you exit your soul realm. Youll wake up in the Pavilion. All right. And stop calling me Big Brother. Why do you even do that? Eva giggled with her hand over her mouth. But you are my Big Brother. Why would I call you any other way? She retorted and stuck out her tongue before disintegrating into motes of light. Rakna frowned at her deration then sighed loudly. He exited his soul realm without a word afterward. After a short moment of silence, Fray opened his fan with a hum. Well, I am quite pleased to have finally met the face behind Eva. She is even rowdier than I imagined. You dont say, Higure agreed and Fenriu yawned from the side. ? * * * ? When Rakna regained consciousness inside the Terminal Room, the lights were already back on and the door was opened. He quietly left and returned to the entrance of the corridor. When he reached the Pavilions Hall, he immediately heard something quite unexpected. He then noticed that everyone seemed to be rooted in ce, staring at something above them. He mimicked them and was honestly startled to see a sky darkened by thunder clouds and pouring a strong rain on the ss ceiling. the heck? Chapter 148: The Morbid Equilibrium of Wealth Chapter 148: The Morbid Equilibrium of Wealth Ten minutes earlier. Thank god spatial storages are a thing or else I would have be a pack mule, An thought to himself as he watched the bags being sucked inside vias ring. We should buy a spatial ring for youter, she said to Marie as they exited the shop. Themia was now wearing a dress that covered most of her skin. It had a style simr to Arabic clothes on Earth and was entirely white. Well also get you some more clothes from the First teau. There is far more variety to pick from there. Well, you just cantpare the technology of ck Steel to this town, Anmented with his hands behind his head. They probably make stuff like clothes in the millions of pieces per day. It sounds like an interesting ce Marie remarked sadly. Ah The blonds expression sunk. Sorry about that. No, its okay. I can always see what it looks like through photos, she said with a small smile. The group fell silent for a brief moment and it was Tyran who broke the silence by sniffing the air. The fledgling Asura tilted his head and jumped down from Evelyns arms. Ah! Tyran! The small T. Rex seemed to not hear her as he ran straight to an alley. Hey, dragon wannabe! Please dont tell me youre going to eat random folks! An shouted and ran after him. The girls looked at each other and shrugged before following after them. After a minute of running around, An finally caught up to Tyran. He spotted him stooped over a corner of the street. Whatre you doing, little punk? He uttered whilst picking him up by his neck. Gah! The T. Rex cried out and bobbed his head up and down to point at something. What? Is there somethi-! The blond froze mid-sentence and tossed Tyran over his shoulder with widened eyes before dashing to the side of a figure lying on the ground. He crouched on one knee and grimaced. It was an unconscious young boy wearing tattered clothes. He was visibly starved and dehydrated and he was a millimeter short of being described as just skin on bones. An put two fingers to his neck to feel his pulse and clicked his tongue. Its slowing down He muttered. Oi, AI, would a healing potion help him? [Negative. Healing medicine would worsen his state. There is too much deficiency in nutrients in his body for him to be able to recover. However, a stamina medicine might help him survive a bit longer.] An pulled out a yellow potion and poured it into the boys mouth while Tyran watched. When he used all of the medicine, he checked his pulse again and grunted. Not much Whats wrong? Evelyns voice sounded from behind him and he turned around. Perfect timing! Do you think you can use Life Magic on this fellow? Hm? Who are you talking? The subus tensed and teleported from her position to the childs side instantaneously. Whoa! An stepped back in surprise. Was that Blink? Thats a cool skill, holy shit. Did you have to use it for this though? Evelyn ignored him and promptly ced her hand on the boys chest and invoked her magic. Many strands of green energy emerged from her palm and wrapped themselves around his body to form a cocoon. Whats wrong? via asked as she arrived with Marie and Nyx. Well Tyran ran to this street and I found him next to a sickly kid, An exined as he stepped back and let Evelyn do her work. He was about to die and now shes healing him. A sickly kid? Yeah, he was starved and dehydrated. At least, thats what it looked like to me. How did Tyran know where he was? via asked in confusion. Death force, Evelyn remarked. When someone is close to their death, the life in their body, also called life force, will begin to turn into what we call death force or death energy. As an undead, its more than probable that Tyran sensed an increasing amount of it. Marie silently observed the cocoon for a moment. Why would this child be lying here? Nyx nced at her. You might not be used to it yet but the world is just like that. Humans, among many other species, are never able to take care of each other. This boy is probably either orphaned or abandoned. Themias mouth quivered. But things like starvation and dehydration shouldnt be a problem in the System, no? Im sure there are plenty of water or nt mages that are capable of offering drinkable water and edible food at a high rate. Why would something like this? Locals rarely possess such abilitiespared to Hosts, Evelyn stated as she healed the boy. The spell she was using was called Rejuvenescence. It used her own bodys energy nutrients and to heal her patient. Across every teau, there are too many people to take care of. Even a city like ck Steel is not spared from such treatment. A small town like this one is obviously not. Marie lowered her head and gently kneeled next to the subus as the cocoon of her spell began to go away at a gradual pace. Marie, Nyx spoke up. Tell me, if you were to give unlimited wealth to someone living in arge and bustling city, would they be able to erase poverty? why would they not? Themia retorted quietly The former goddess closed her eyes. Youre right. There is absolutely no reason why they would not be capable of doing it. But, does that mean they would actually do it? No. Most people would keep it for themselves. Others would use it to manipte others. Some would unt it to the world and very few would decide to donate it. But the thing is, wealth cannot be properly priced if one has an endless supply of it. Do you think precious stones would be precious if they were asmon as a rock on the side of the road? Its quite obvious that they would not. And what if one man possessed all of them? Others would covet it and make sure that they are not spread so that they can profit from it at their own leisure. They would kill, abduct, rob, and then share the spoils amongst them. Value always goes up and down. Possessions will always fall into your hands and eventually slip through your fingers. Wealth will forever be coveted and distributed by greed itself, Nyx paused and sighed. There will always be people with everything and people with nothing. Because for one to have it all, they need to take it from others. Its a bnce that is morbidly never broken. I see Marie muttered right when Evelyns spell waspletely dispelled. The young boy had now a healthier skin stone and his body mass was slightly fuller. Ugh He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. When the boy saw the row of heads all looking at him, he cried out in fear and hastily crawled backward. Chill, kid. Were not going to hurt you, An uttered and via smacked his head. Ow! Why do you always do this to me?! Learn how to talk to a child, the former teacher said and smiled warmly at the boy. We found you lying here unconscious and thisdy healed you, she said whilst pointing at Evelyn. Can you tell us your name? The boy nervously looked at all of them and gulped. R-Ramis Ramis? Thats a nice name. Do you remember what you were doing before copsing? He nodded hesitatingly. I was looking for food for everyone then nothing AH! He said and abruptly became agitated. He looked at the sky that was slowly getting darker, signaling the approach of the evening. I have to go back! He shouted and got back on his feet wobbling. Go back where? Marie asked. Home, he said and limped out of the alley. The group looked at each other and via ultimately went after him, followed by the rest of the group. Ramis silently walked ahead of them with hasty steps. They didnt try to stop him and after a short period of one or two minutes, they arrived at a crude sandstone building. It seemed to be partially broken and had arge section part of the roof missing. You live here? via asked and the boy nodded again. He jogged to the door and knocked on it three times. Its me, he said and a few secondster, the sound of the lock was heard which was soon followed by the screech of the door opening. Ramis! A skinny woman, appearing to be around eighteen years old, ran out of the building and hugged the boy. Where did you go?! I was worried! Im fine I just fell asleep Thats kind of an understatement, kid, An whispered to himself and immediately ducked to dodge vias hand. Hah! I knew it-kuh! He choked as a kick found its way into his stomach. Evidently, the noise wasnt overlooked by the young woman and she pulled Ramis behind her back to face them. Who are you? She inquired with a cautious tone. Ah, sorry, we found Ramis lying on the ground and we apanied him here to make sure he was all right, Evelyn exined. May I ask what this ce is? The young woman stared back with an unreadable look until Ramis tugged on her shirt. Its okay, Nana. Theyre nice people. They helped me. I understand. If Ramis trusts you, Ill do the same. You dont strike me as the kind that would harass people like us anyway, she said and pushed Ramis inside the building. You can follow us if you want, she added before entering as well. Say, why are we even An droned as the girls readily took her offer. Okay. Never mind. Lets go in, dragon wannabe, he mumbled and followed them with Tyran walking at his feet. He closed the door behind him and inspected the interior of the building. As he had expected, the building was dpidated and there wasnt even one decent wall. The second thing he focused on was the crowd of children ranging from as low as five years old to something along the lines of thirteen years old, Nana excluded. Tyran sniffed the air and growled amiably before rushing off on his own. I swear cant you just stay well-behaved for more than five minutes, the blond grumbled and scratched his head. He walked further inside and joined the rest of his group who were watching Nana distributing a small amount of food to each of the children. The thing was that the food looked no different than trash or rotten fruits. Wait! via raised her voice to stop them and Nana frowned at her. But before she could say anything, the Chaos Witch waved her hand and activated her storage ring. Several packs of dried food along with several water bottles appeared in front of her. Here. Eat this instead. The childrens eyes sparkled at the sight but they all turned toward Nana as if to seek her opinion before doing anything. The young woman seemed to ponder for a moment and ultimately nodded. Go ahead and eat your fill. The second that she said that, the children swarmed over the rations that via had taken out and began to share them equally. So this is what this ce is for? An inquired calmly as he leaned against a broken wall. You are like a wild orphanage or something? via sighed as he eyed him. You need to work on your tact when talking to people. Even Rakna isnt as bad as you. Excuse me? Are you sure were talking about the same Rakna here? An deadpanned. Nyx chuckled. Hes got a point. Um, Nana said and they looked at her. She bowed respectfully. Thank you for the food. This amount is something that we cant gather even by spending a full month scavenging or begging. Though, I imagine that what youck the most is water, right? Evelyn said as she handed some food to a child and stroked his head. Yes the difficulty of getting water in the desert is always high. Even in a town like this, the only sources are the oasis in the central districts and through the Pavilion. But we just have no way of using any of these two methods. And we cant expect rain any time soon in this forsaken teau. Hm, I dont have much water. We would have to ask Rakna. He most likely has liters, via said and brought out her friend list. Ill send him a message to meet up- what is he doing? She scowled at Tyran who was gathering mana around him and attracting some attention from the children. Im not sure, he suddenly got into a happy mood when he heard rain and then started doing this, Marie described what she had coincidentally seen. Hey, girls, is it me or its getting colder? An tilted his head and on cue to his words, a beautiful cold trident shed into existence above Tyran, pointed at the sky through the open ceiling. Wait, is that the spell that Rakna fed him earlier? I think it is, Nyx nodded. Does any of you know what it does? Uh, I dont know. But dont you think we should stop him before ah, shit. Tyran fired the trident into the sky without warning. An and his friends looked up to see what was going to happen and widened their eyes in shock when the weapon fragmented quietly after reaching a certain height. Nana and the children were also paying attention to it and were perplexed. An was about to open his mouth to say something when the roar of thunder suddenly echoed in the town. He almost jumped out of his skin because of how loud it was. He looked up again and watched dark clouds invade the sky. After a short moment, water began to fall and the blond let out a nkugh. are we even doing the same shit? How the hell does Rakna do stuff like this? He muttered as his hair and clothes became wet because of the downpour. He then stopped looking at the sky and turned toward Tyran who was now letting out cute high-pitched noises at the children who had their palms open with dazed expressions. Even Nana seemed to be teary. Well, I guess its fine to give a bit of novelty to these kids lives, he muttered as the girls yed andughed with the children who were pointing at the sky excitedly. Rak wont get mad at us for using his spell in the middle of town, right? Ill me it all on Tyran if he asks Chapter 149: Club Cards Chapter 149: Club Cards What is this rain?! An frowned and turned toward the door when he heard someone shout from outside. He had already used his Aura to keep the water away from his body. Hey! Open up! Someone started banging on the door and the children gathered together behind Nana in the half of the building that was covered from the rain. Do you know who it is? via asked the young caretaker of the ce. Nana nodded slowly. I think theyre here to kick us out. The owner of this ce came here a few days back He wants to demolish this building to rebuild over it, she uttered and a few children hugged her legs tighter. Thats shitty luck, Anmented and via red at him. sorry. Dont hit me again please. Do you have somewhere else to go? She asked. Another abandoned building for example? Nana shook her head. I dont think so the only reason this ce was even vacated was because of a fire. Weve been here for a few months. It allowed us to sleep without the risk of freezing to death or being beaten up. An scratched his head. Well, if ites to the worst we wouldnt mind lending you a hand. Do you want me to send my snakes? Marie offered openly. They can kill them and no one will ever suspect anything. Everyone looked at her in silence. What? Did I say something wrong? Anyway, An continued. What do we do? Its not like theres anything illegal going on here. We wont attack them out of nowhere, right? Not that I know this cesws I could charm them, Evelyn said with a finger on her chin. I never really tried it before but basic mind maniption shouldnt be too hard for me as a subus. Hey! We know youre in there! Open the door! A shout came from outside. Its not locked though Nyx deadpanned and the others chuckled. An sighed. Its at times like this I wished Rak was with us, he grumbled and walked to the entrance. For now, lets just let them in, he said and opened the door wide. The wind from the outside rushed in at once and he was faced with a group of around ten men. The one at the front was wearing a suit and they were all shielding themselves with their Aura, even as small as it was. Um hi! The blond raised his hand with a bright smile and they blinked at each other. Who are you? The one in the suit asked and leaned to the side to look inside the building. His face froze when he saw a gathering of women more striking than anything he had seen before. What are you looking at? Ans voice jolted him. Uh He stepped back and exhaled. Ahem, just answer the question; who are you? We are going to proceed with preparation for the demolishment. If you are going to interfere, we will be forced toe to hands. via stepped forward. Are you really going to kick out homeless children without remorse? You could at least make an effort to help them relocate. Lady, its not my problem. This kind of thing happens everyday, everywhere. This town is already small enough and tight in resources, we dont need people to freeload. Its just the basic cycle of life. I have other things to worry about. An sighed. I told you, girls lets just get the kids out of here for now and well discuss what to do with Rak. Im sure hell- He abruptly paused and slowly walked out of the building with a sigh. Hm? Whats wrong? Marie asked as she followed him. The blond snorted. I just got the chills and I think I know why, heughed to himself and turned toward the owner. Hey, you, you can talk with the guy whosing. Well do whatever he says to do. Who are you talking abou- The man couldnt finish his question as a wave of cold hit him. He obviously knew that there were ropes of water falling around him but this was wholly different. B-boss, one of his men spoke up and pointed at the sky. He bent his neck to look up and his eyes practically popped out of their sockets. The rain around them was slowing down and turning into something even more inconceivable than rain in the middle of the desert. Snow?! After a short moment, the temperature had fallen even more and the rain was entirely turned into snow for at least a radius of several meters around them. An snickered and hinted somewhere with his chin. The building owner furrowed his eyebrows and turned around. What he saw would forever be branded in his mind. In the distance, a therian with four tails iling behind him was getting closer and closer. He had a taciturn face that he had scarcely ever seen an equal before, even on trained killers. There was an Aura of pure coldness around him and he was sure that the snow around him was probably closer to floating rocks than anything else. His hands were in his pockets and he was smoking as if the weather-altering presence of his was nothing to fuss about. Sometimes I wonder if he is from aic or something, An whispered and the girls who heard him couldnt help but agree. Goddamn, I wish I can get that kind of entrance one day When Rakna finally reached them, the group led by the building owner reflexively took a step back and gulped loudly. Whats going on? The therian asked coldly. For hispanions, it was the most normal of interactions but for anyone else, it was as if they were being interrogated by the devil himself. You should tone that down, theyre going to pass out like this, Nyx said with a small smile. Rakna responded with a genuinely confused look and she couldnt help but giggle. May I ask why youre turning the rain into snow? Isnt that a waste of mana? I dont like rain. Snow is a thousand times better, is it not? Also, I couldnt have it extinguish my cigarette, he said offhandedly. Aura cant affect objects for some reason. Additionally, maybe its because this rain is from my spell, but its somewhat easy for me to turn it into snow. You could just have used a barrier to cover yourself, you know? Rakna shrugged and huffed a cloud of smoke. He nced at the shivering men and pointed at them with his thumb. Whos this? He asked and then pointed at Nana and her children. And they? Long story short, An pointed at Nanas group. Destitute. He pointed at the building. Shelter. Then pointed at the owner who was being absolutely still. Owner. isnt that a bit too short? Evelyn retorted quietly. However, Rakna seemed to ponder before nodding. Got it. Seriously? Everyone except via and An retorted in their head. Meh, Rak is smart enough to deduce the situation from just looking anyway, An snorted. One or three words wont make much of a difference. I was also wondering why Tyran shot Neptunia in town but it was probably because he felt giddy about something and wanted to show off its effects to the children, the therian nodded. And then you, he addressed the owner. Yes! The man stood up straight with his hands parallel to his body. Do you want to renovate this ce by any chance? Hm, no, thats unlikely. Youre most likely nning to build something else over it. Renovating this wrecked thing would take more effort than building a new one. You can always keep some of the ground foundations too, he mused. I see what you mean Marie whispered to An. Well, whatever. Do you n to build something important here? A hospital? A factory? An inn? N-no, I intend to use it as a warehouse and for a smallpany in my name to sell localities of this teau to the Hosts channel Hm, I see. In that case, Rakna said and approached the man who stepped back. He looked at him in the eyes and released his soul power, invisible to everyone except a few from his group. When it came into contact with the owners group, their eyes lost focus and they stopped being stiff. From now on, this building will belong to the girl over there, without strings attached, okay? He said whilst pointing at Nana and the owner nodded dazedly. Now, you will go back and forget everything about whatever you nned to do here, understood? I understand He said emotionlessly and walked away with his men. Rakna watched them leave then turned to the sources of several stares thrown his way. What? Its not like I killed them. I civilly made them give up. Right An replied sarcastically. If mind control is considered civil sure. Where did you even learn that? Is that a skill you got with your Nirvana Skill? Nah, you can get it yourself if you try hard enough. Its an application of soul power, Rakna stated and looked at Nana who was awkwardly standing at the door while everyone was outside. Whats your name? He asked and she trembled. Im my name is Nana Valentine, she answered and bowed. I cant thank you enough for what you did for us. Keep it. Im just doing whats to be expected. I cant just go on my merry way while aware that youre in danger of death, he said and puffed some smoke. Besides, Im not done yet. Not done? via tilted her head and Pronos mimicked her from atop her breasts. Raknas lips twitched when his eyes swept over the little snake and he summoned a deck of cards in his hand. He casually shuffled them and hummed. Lets see, he muttered and stopped after a short moment before pulling out the card at the top. He looked at the cards face then back at everyone. Hey, you better put the children outside for this. It could be dangerous, he warned and Nana looked at Nyx who was standing right next to her for confirmation. Its okay. You can trust him, she said with a small smile, and a minuteter, the children were all outside and the building was empty. Rakna flipped the card between his fingers and threw it at the building. [Jack of Clubs,] he said and the card shone as it stuck itself to the wall. Right after, the light was spread across the entire structure within a second and Rakna was the only one who didnt look away. He hummed quietly and when he was done, the light faded away. now youre just messing with me, An uttered. Rak, you have to teach me your ways. How in the hell do you summon lightning and rain and even do stuff like this? He jested as the image of a perfectly repaired building was being reflected in his eyes. Ites from the item I got in the Tutorial, Rakna said as the Tricksters Sleeve went back inside his body. The one from the Hidden Quest, remember? Yeah, yeah, I remember the cards, the blond said with a sigh. I wish I had your luck. Meanwhile, Marie was waving her hand in front of a motionless Nana. Um, are you okay? She asked but there was no reaction. I think the shock was too much for her Can you me her though? An smiled. Rakna snorted and went closer to the building. He knocked on the wall at different spots to see how well his card had patched it up. It worked well it was a good spot to test it, he told himself and looked at the sky when he felt the rain getting weaker. Neptunias effect is almost over, he thought and powered down his Aura before turning around. Nana seemed to have snapped out of her daze and the children were dragging her to the entrance in excitement. Rakna watched them go inside and threw away his cigarette. He looked at the sky again and the rain had finally stopped; the clouds would be gone after a few minutes. Hey, Rak, An spoke up as they all grouped up. Where did you go earlier? Ah that. I was at the Pavilion. I was forced to ept a Quest when I destroyed the Dungeon. Eva wanted to see me because of it. Eva? From what I was told, shes like the face of the mainframe. A super AI that has control over a lot of aspects of the System. Dungeons and Adjudicators, among other things. And after meeting her, I think she also seems to be concerned by what Hosts and Locals do; from a social outlook. And what did you talk about? via asked. Did she give you a punishment? Not really. In fact, you could say we made an arrangement. What kind? I agreed to do something for her and in exchange, Rakna looked at Marie. I got two things. One of them was a right to im terrain in the System and the other it looks like you havent noticed it yet. Its rather unlikely that she tricked me so maybe she did it without alerting you. Marie scowled and pointed at herself. Youre talking about me? Why dont you try looking at your status? Why would I need to?! Themia gasped as soon as she saw the first lines of her status. Her hands started shaking as she traced the words with her finger. Is this? Yes. Marie let out a dazed chuckle then startedughing meekly. Her eyes glistened and tears rapidly gathered before going down her face. She clenched her heart and sobbed. Thank you thank you Her voice got fainter and fainter. An put a hand on her shoulder and she immediatelytched onto him to cry on his chest. Everyone watched them with a warm gaze and even Raknas eyes softened as well and he opened his mouth to answer her, Youre wee. Chapter 150: "Thats cool too." Chapter 150: Thats cool too. ? ? ? ? Name: Mae -Marie- Maria Gorgona Age: 24 | Level: 45 Race: Green Lamia Path: N/A Affiliation: None. Titles: The Liberated One. Potential: A | Host Rank: I ? Attributes: STR: 25 | END: 20 SPD: 35 | DEX: 25 INT: 40 | LCK: 3 ? Statistics: STA: 125/125 | MP: 420/420 SWI: 150 | AGI: 95 SEN: 130 | ATC: 148 ATT: 170 | DEF: 85 MA: 130 | MR: 3.04 ? Proficiencies: C Mana Control (Lv. Max) C Dance of the Serpent (Lv. Max) C Mana Sense (Lv.9) C Flight (Lv.4) C Magic Theory (Lv.2) C Runecraft (Lv.1) ? Magic Skills: C Snake Magic (Lv.8) => [Coiling Winged Serpent (T.7), Scaled Flood (Lv.8)] C Wind Magic (Lv.7) => [Wing Guard (T.8), Wind de (T.10)] C Union Magic (Wind + Snake) C Wind Hoarder => [Serpent of Tempest (T.7)]. ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Aura (Lv.8) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv.7) C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv.3) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Reinforcement (Lv.9) C Elemental Reinforcement (Lv.6) C Projectile Reinforcement (Lv.4) ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? C Eyes of the Gorgon: Upon eye contact with a foe, a level, and resistance check will ur and if failed, the target will start turning into stone. The speed of the transformation may vary depending on the strength of the victim. ? C Touch of the Gorgon: Whenever the holder of this trait touches someone they deem as an opponent, the part of the body that was touched will turn into stone. The applications of this effect depend on the level and resistance of the target. ? C Lamia Morph: Allows to change forms between half-snake to fully humanoid. In the former, a boost of +20% will be applied to the Strength attribute; limited to the tail. ? Note: A former Boss of the Dungeon Grit Castle in the Tenth teau. She was born as such and spent most of her life fighting against invaders. She has always felt absolute loneliness and was able to truly learn what it meant to have someone after being freed by a powerful Host. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna closed the status after checking the differences it had went through. Everything about her fighting capabilities was the same but she had now a title, a Path to be selected, a potential value, and a rank; the most basic privileges of Hosts. He looked back at themia who had calmed down from her momentary breakdown. She pulled herself away from An with an embarrassed cough and the blond was also a bit red. {Come on; mate! You already kissed! I thought the stuff in books wasnt supposed to happen in real life, devourer! Was I lied to?!} Higure shouted and Rakna sighed. They met He paused and checked the time. Exactly four hours and twenty minutes ago. Give them some ck. Not everyone is like you. {I dont think I have ever seen humanmia children before,} Fraymented. {There should be some but they are surely pretty rare. It would be interesting to see.} Whatever, Rakna muttered as he ignored the voices in his head. He opened the door of the now fixed building and hispanions quickly followed after him. So? How do you feel now that you are a Host? He asked as they walked around the ce, looking for Nana and the children. I dont know what to say, Marie replied with a smile. It still feels a bit unreal. Well, concretely, your life as a whole hasnt changed a whole lot. Yes, youre now free to level up and get stronger at your leisure but being able to travel through teaus is the thing that will put everything in perspective for you, the therian said as a few children ran past whilstughing. As he says, Anplemented. Ill take you to the First tomorrow if you want. Is that a date? Themia teased with her newly recovered sultry tone and he almost tripped and fell face-first on the floor. She giggled and turned back toward Rakna who was now leaning against the wall as some of the children yed around in the building. This agreement you made with Eva theres no way for it to be simple. What did you ept to do for her? I promise to do everything I can to assist you. Rakna nced at her and clicked his tongue softly. He extended his hand downward and pointed at the floor with his palm. [Star Hearth,] he muttered and tendrils of cold energy shot out from his hand and weaved an entire couch. After a moment, it obtained a realistic appearance and he unceremoniously sat down on it. you can seriously make anything with that, huh? An quipped. Rakna shrugged. About the mission, shortly said, Ill have to do it alone and while it is predictably hard, I still have time to prepare for it since itll start in the 100th teau. Though, I do have a time limit. We, or at least I, wont be able to stick around too long in the next teaus. I want to reach the 100th in two months at thetest. I think it would be favorable for me. Lets be honest here, you would have done it all the same even without the time limit, via said with a knowing smile. Who knows. Im quite impatient, so, yes, indeed, its possible. Hey, totally unrted, but can you make couches for us too? An uttered and Rakna looked at him with a hum. No. The werewolf snorted at his silence and his ears twitched as the sounds of someoneing down the stairs reached him. Nana soon entered the room they were in and she promptly bowed again. Thank you. This is more than anything we could have ever hoped. Its nothing. I wanted to test the effects of my card. And as I expected, I was able to restore this building but furnishing it wasnt feasible, he said as he looked around the empty room, other than the product of his magic, there was no furniture at all. The Club Card had affected the whole ce but it had not included anything inside of it. In any case, Ill give you this, he added and pulled out a briefcase from his storage. Alexa, could you withdraw 100k Talys, please? [Right away.] In the blink of an eye, the briefcase was filled with notes and some gold coins. Rakna rotated the case and made it slid toward Nana with his foot. Here. Take it. The young girl gaped at the money being tantly showed to her. I-I cant ept this! Thats a bad excuse. You refuse gifts only when there is something attached to it. If there is not, free money should be epted. If the donator was dumb, nefarious, or altruistic is of no concern at all, Rakna uttered and lit another cigarette. They gave it to you; you take it. Its as simple as that. Money doesnt need morals. Underserved money? Dirty money? Bullshit. Money is money no matter how hard you try to spin it to look better. You can do whatever you want with it. Nana blinked owlishly at the therian who was going on his rant. She wanted to refute as she felt like she was taking advantage of his kindness, but now refusing this money felt like she would be offending both herself and him. via face palmed softly. Thats one of your bad habits, Rakna. You go off the grid too much. Did you not learn after all the essays I made you redo? You went off topic every time. did you have to mention that? Rakna deadpanned and gazed at Nana. Just take it. I have plenty of money at the moment. No point in being stingy. In exchange, why dont you answer a few of my questions? Questions? Nana perked up at that. What kind? Yes, I was curious about a few things. So, I might as well ask you, he rified and huffed a bit of smoke. First of all, can you tell me why you choose to stay in this teau if you are so miserable? Because if I understood correctly, Locals can travel teaus at will, no? Thats half-correct. We can indeed jump teaus but its incredibly dangerous. We are dropped off at random locations, just like Hosts. We generally dont have the necessary strength to survive that kind of situation and thats why people like me dont do it. I cant bring the children to a sure death for probably most of them. Especially considering that we cannot party up like Hosts and thus cannot be transported together when moving between teaus. Additionally, there is a minor fee that we have to pay to do it, Nana added and sighed. There is simply no way we would ever decide to do something like that unless were tired of life. I see Rakna muttered and leaned against the couch. Second question; other than the rules on giving Quests, do you have anything else that the System allows or prohibits you to do? Um Nana pondered for a second. Well, other than that, usually, Locals are not allowed to fight Hosts without being provoked first, or else the Adjudicators will punish them. On the other hand, you may not know, but Hosts will also be punished if they go over the line. If they try to perform crimes such as mass ughter, ve dealing on Locals, and other things like that. Last question; Locals are essentially the backbone of the Systems society on all teaus, Rakna said and hummed. So, if something was threatening them on an evenrger scale than what you just said, for example, an invasion of powerful monsters, will the System intervene? Im not sure, she responded. Ive heard of cases like that happening but I think it was under certain circumstances. You would need to get that kind of information on other teaus or from someone more knowledgeable than me. Uhuh Alexa, what about you? Rakna inquired with a quiet voice. [Im afraid you do not possess the clearance for that information.] Rakna was a bit surprised by that. Its the first time I hear you say that. [Naturally. As an S+ Potential, you have a higher clearance than most Hosts and my rank as an AI means that I hold a lot of information. I hadnt had the asion to refuse one of your queries until now for these very reasons. But this particr information surpasses what Im allowed to tell you. You would need to raise your Host Rank by several stages.] Fray, Higure. {Same for me, sorry,} the lioness said. {Hm, I heard a few things,} the storyteller mused. {I know for a fact that the System does act from time to time. One of those happened while I was still alive, a few centuries back. The cause was a powerful Wild Boss that had appeared in the 826th. An army of Adjudicators was dispatched to deal with it. But to this day, I have no idea why it did so. It would have been taken care of in time. For sure, it would have cost lives but countless other things cause deaths but the System does not resolve them.} So, a hidden reason, huh? Rakna concluded. Meanwhile, Nana was fidgeting because of his sudden silence. Is he okay? She asked the others and An shrugged. Yeah, its fine. Hes probably talking with his AI or the moochers inside his head. After a moment, Rakna grunted and stood up. Its gettingte. No one should bother you anymore if you stay here. Take good care of these children. The 100k I gave you will be a good footing for you, so use it well, he said and walked out of the room as the couch disappeared with a wave. The rest of the group bid goodbye to Nana and followed him out. When they left the building, they saw him flick the finished cigarette and gazing at the rather full moon. Ill be going to the Pavilion to train and catch up with my skills. Pronos, Tyran, do you want toe? The small Asura shook his head from his spot in Evelyns arms and the little snake did not even respond as he snored happily in vias care. Really are you two even my pets anymore? Rakna nkly said and took Sonata off his neck before handing it to Evelyn. Take it with you. Until I evolve it enough for us to be apart for long distances, or find another solution, well have to swap it like this. Anyhow, Ill let the sorting of the items we got from the Dungeon to you guys. Lets meet up tomorrow morning at the Trial. An did a two-finger salute. Sure thing. Have fun. Rakna snorted and buzzed out of view with sh Step. damn, that skill is cool too. Chapter 151: Gravity Room Chapter 151: Gravity Room Rakna blurred into existence inside of the Pavilions Hall and walked up the stairs of the private section. He went to the closest training room but as he was about to open it, he suddenly thought of something. He looked to the left at another door with a different card above it. I havent tried out that one yet, have I? He asked himself rhetorically and approached it. When he pressed the button for the door to open, the interior was revealed to him. It wasnt a lot different from the training room. It was as empty and the floor and ceiling were the same. But the overall size was lower and the room had a round shape instead of a square one. When he stepped inside, a synthetical voice echoed. || Wee to the Gravity Room. || Rakna hummed. Are you the same interface as the training room? || Affirmative. Trii at your service. || He snorted. Nice to see you like the name. || I have been sharing it with other Hosts as well. It was a mutual opinion that it made it easier to address me. Thank you. || Good to hear. Now, can you tell me how the Gravity Room is different from a Training Room? You did tell me that you could do anything in thetter. Why would you need this ce? || While it is possible to alter gravity in the training rooms, it is not to the extent of this ce. The upper limit for the gravity increase is considerably higher and optimized for such use. You can see it as a way for the management to avoid wastage of energy. || I see. How far can you increase gravity then? || The dimension of this room is currently set at its lowest tier. At this point, I can increase gravity to a value of 500 m/s2. || So, about fifty times stronger than normal, huh? || Affirmative. || For now, turn it up to 50. || Understood. || At hismand, the lights of the room dimmed and brightened in repetition until he suddenly felt a heavy pressure on him. His knees buckled up a bit but it was nothing he couldnt deal with. He grunted and cracked his neck as he straightened his spine. Not bad. Increase it again; 100. In a second, the pressure increased and this time, Rakna started feeling a bit strained to remain standing straight. Lets go with this for now, he said and opened a few system windows before starting any actual training. ? ? ? ? ? Dungeon Bane ? The title gained after single-handedly destroying a Dungeon. This is an atypical feat that will go in the annals of the System. For such an achievement, the holder will be rewarded with the following effects whilst exploring Dungeons: ? +5% All Attributes. +10% Experience. +15% Talys. ? Additional Rewards: +5 Vtile Attribute Points. +1 Skill Point. ? Note: The Dungeon Bosses will now expect you whenever you enter a Dungeon. When fighting against you, their stats and attributes will be boosted depending on how strong you arepared to them. ? ? Designation: Skill/Spontaneous Skill Name: Stone Eye Requirements: Lv.50 | 50 INT | ? Description: The user will have one of their eyes turned into one of a Gorgon. It is a powerful ability in a fight as long as it can be used effectively. For this skill to show its full potential, a duplicate will be required. ? One Eye Effects: When an enemy crosses their eyes with yours, their body will feel sluggish. Depending on their resistance, their agility could go down as far as 50%. You also be immune to petrification through eye contact ? Two Eyes Effects: On top of the agility debuff, the victim will slowly turn into stone. The spots where the petrification starts are random and the speed at which it spreads varies based on the resistance of the other party as well as the amount of time they looked into the users eyes. Oncepletely petrified, their resistance will be decided if they are capable of surviving or are simply temporarily trapped in a shell of stone. ? ? Onera ? The Cloud of Dreams is the Second Layer of Enthymio. It allows the user to see into a dimension with direct ess to the dreams of living beings. While using Onera, it is possible to perceive the ongoing dreams of people and ess them on a physical level. With high proficiency, creating dreams is also feasible and will be built ording to the targets inner thoughts. The user will have no control over its formation. Whatever the user does inside will not necessarily be known to the dreamer but if it does, it may affect them on a subconscious level. Imnting ideas in their mind is an example of such an oue. ? Note: When the useres in contact with the target within a dream, thetter will be affected by their presence and gain full awareness as if he was awake. If the dreamer is killed within the dream, they will either die or be spiritually damaged which can either be uncurable or impairing if nothing is done to repair it. ? ? ? ? ? Dungeon-exclusive buffs, huh? Vtile and skill points as well. Not bad, Raknamented after reading the effects of his newest title. When he passed to the next, he clicked his tongue. Im not sure Ill learn this one, but its a bit annoying that I destroyed the Dungeon before I could get two. Lets hope its avable for sale, he muttered and finished with Onera. Higure, what is your opinion on thisyer? {Hmm, its not viable at all in a fight, thats for sure, but sometimes it can be useful. You could also use it as a way to kill someone without having to be equal or superior in strength. Fights that ur in dreams do not fully depend on your real capabilities. But its hazardous, as you cannot predict the result in any way. So, use it when you believe its your only chance.} {Other than that, its quite easy to manipte someone with it if done well. You can make them love something or someone by showing them the right things. Sometimes, memories manifested within a dream can be modified to some extent. Its like intruding into someones mind. Though that will be offset if you meet the target within the dream.} Interesting it will be quite a circumstantial ability though, Raknamented and closed the windows. The Wrath Yaksha skill card then passed by his mind. Now that he had reached level 50, he met two of the conditions to learn it but to meet the attribute cap requirement, he would need to spend quite a lot of free points. I think it will be ratherpatible with Obsidian Blood but lets save points for now, he thought and then focused on the vtile points he had gotten. Without much thought, he put them all into speed. He could put them somewhere else whenever he wanted so there was no point hesitating. Now, there are some things I want to try. Does any of you know how I should go about manifesting my Kzanaria? He asked as he passively started doing some physical exercises under the pressure of the gravity room. [Negative.] {No idea.} {I do not.} thanks. ? * * * ? An hourter or so, Rakna did hisst push-up and took a deep breath before jumping back on his feet. He wiped the sweat on his face with his sleeve. He swallowed low tier stamina and healing potions to relieve the heat in his muscles, even if it didnt work anymore as it did before since his level was too high. After that, he opened his status and looked at the second decimals of his attributes and squinted when he saw that it had gone up by a bit. As expected, I thought it was possible when Eva mentioned attributes gained by our own effort. It makes sense if you think about it. This is not a game. Its probably why there is even a gravity room in the first ce. Though its most likely going to get slower and slower to increase it through pure effort like this. {Is it?} Higure remarked curiously. {I never really trained my body. I just got stronger while growing older. Most Wilden are like that.} I feel cheated. {I dont want to hear that from you.} Rakna snorted and stretched his arms. Trii, can you create fight dummies in here? Ones that have basic fighting capabilities? || Feasible. || Then do it. Decrease the gravity back to 50 and create around five of them. At level 30 strength if possible. I also want them to be durable, he instructed and five figures promptly appeared in front of him in shes of light. They were white puppets with a humanoid shape and they were all in a basic stance. Rakna breathed in and reminded himself of a certain stance he hadnt taken or seen in a while. He put his right fist to the front and his left one close to his heart and parted his legs equally. And as if on cue, the puppets charged at him from three different directions. Two of them leaped and spun in the air to ax-kick him. Within a second, Rakna had three attacksing from his front, left, right, and two from above his head. He calmly waited until they were right next to him and in the blink of an eye, his right fistnded on the head of the one to his right, his left elbow hit the one to his left and he proceeded to use the same arm to punch the one in the front. His right arm then went up to grab one of the legs falling toward him. He threw the puppet away at full strength and as he pivoted his body to do that, he dodged thest puppet and kneed it in the head, and doubled it with a kick. When he was done, he put his leg back on the floor and the five puppets crashed in their spots at the same time. Rakna cracked his neck and casually patted his shoulder. {Skillful execution. What is that martial art called? Its different from what Ive seen you use until now,} the lioness asked. Its Bajiquan; a bit modified to my use, he answered. My uncle showed it to me a long time ago but I didnt touch it in a long time. I focused more on Taekwondo and Karate. {So you just did that on instinct with a basic understanding of the martial art?} Higure almost couldnt believe her ears. {Youre scary No one can trust the levels of your proficiencies when ites to stuff like this. However, why are you practicing it now?} I have Weapon Mastery but I have yet to get CQC, which is the equivalent but with close-quarterbat. It would be nice to have my hand-to-hand skills fuse. Its not like I will lose them. From my understanding, if I were to fuse them, its not like it would be the exact same as anyone who has it. Its to each his own. Its a sort of condensed of all that we learn. I think its a good thing for me to have. For Weapon Mastery, I needed rted proficiencies at level 5. I dont know how many I need, but Ill just practice a fewbat techniques to level 5 until it works. {Do you really know that many martial arts at a basic level?} Yes, Rakna replied as he lowered his head under the kick of one of the puppets. He punched it in the stomach then grabbed its neck to push him to the side as he engaged another one. My uncle valued variety a lot. The more things you can do, the better. {Hm, I do agree with that mindset to some extent. The more I hear about him, the more I want to meet him; that uncle of yours,} Higure said. {Hisst name is de, right?} Yeah, Rakna responded mentally and elbowed one of the puppets as the level up of his proficiency sounded in his ears. I guess I can tell you. His name is Arimane de. Though he prefers his close ones to call him Arima. But the eyesore should be able to tell you that. {My apologies am I the eyesore?} Fray asked while blinking and Higure snickered. Who else? {That is rude but I did use my magic to find out about that man. It was even recorded in a book inside my library. You can take a look at it whenever you want to. Though, personally, I am too afraid to even touch it.} {Huh? Why? Is that mans life too scary even for you?} {Hm? Oh no. His life is an epic tale that I admire. But thats not what I mean. The second that I finished that book, it started gaining some sort of power on its own,} Fray said solemnly. {I even had to make a special room for it to fend off the killing intenting out of it. Whenever I get close to it, I feel like entering the den of a dragon. I am too afraid to open it now.} {How intriguing Can Ie to take a look?} {Of course.} Rakna rolled his eyes as they started chatting and punched two puppets at the same time. As he batted the dummies away again, he thought about what the storyteller had just told him. Why did it have such an effect? Was it because his uncle was just that terrifying? Even now, after getting that much stronger with the System, even if he knew that he could cause incredible destruction with his magic, he still felt inferior. No matter how he imagined it, he felt as if he would lose every time that hed face his uncle. Is it simply because he was my teacher? Or perhaps is he just that good at making you feel less than what you are? Rakna snorted in amusement at the thought. No he is just the one in the end. He is what he trained me to turn into; the best killer that has ever lived. Chapter 152: The Book Chapter 152: The Book ? ? ? ? Krav Maga has reached level 5. Host has umted a sufficient amount of level 5 proficiencies to initiate abination. ? Will you fuse your Close Quarter Combat Proficiencies? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna exhaled when the notification finally arrived. He had been training for nearly three hours now and it was close to midnight. He had also ordered Trii to increase gravity to 200 while he practiced against the dummies. It tired him faster but it benefited his growth so it was all the better for him. When he epted the prompt, his mind became clearer for a second then weed a new set of closebat theories. Even though most of his fighting skills were driven by his instinct, it wasnt a bad thing to possess. Now that this is done, theres just the Kzanaria left. But I cant feel how to use it like Vow of ord or Astral Projection. Is it something that happens spontaneously? He thought and sat down cross-legged after Trii had called back the dummies. Lets visit that library then. Who knows, maybe Ill find something there, he muttered and began to channel his soul power to enter his meditation. Ah, and Trii, keep the gravity at this stage. I might as well let my body get used to this pressure in a rxed state. || Understood. || Rakna closed his eyes and let Soul Breath do its work. Before he knew it, he was already standing in his soul realm. He had gotten the hang of this ce and entering was significantly easier than when he first did it. He looked around and didnt find any trace of Higure or Fray. Rexam was flying in the sky under the twelve moons and when his eyes fell on Fenriu, the wolf yawned and pointed at the library above him with one of his tails. Rakna nodded. Thanks, he muttered and used one sh step to get to the building. Though, the way his skill manifested in his soul realm appeared different. It was as if he had emted it with his will alone. Then again, this ce is my soul. I can probably control it to some extent, he muttered and held out his hand. He concentrated a bit and without notice, a cigarette appeared in his hand. He huffed and put it in his mouth. He then snapped his fingers and it was lighted. As expected, he muttered and opened the door of the library. The interior was very simr to what it was in Frays Quest but onerge difference was that there was an open second floor above him. Rakna hummed and tried to sense the presence of the lioness and storyteller. He raised an eyebrow and started walking in their direction as he eyed the books he passed by every now and then. He walked up the stairs to the second floor and ultimately reached a door. When his hand touched the knob, he nearly gasped as a terribly familiar feeling washed over him. For a second, he almost felt like his uncle was standing in front of him with Karmas de at his neck. He scowled and opened the door in full. What he saw in there was Fray standing in the corner of the room as if he was scared to even move by a centimeter while Higure was sitting in front of a pedestal with arge ck and red book open on it. Honestly speaking, Rakna, I have a hard time believing this man was human, the lioness said as she carefully turned a page with her paw. On apletely other levelpared to you. You dont need to tell me that, Rakna retorted and walked to the book as well. The closer he got, the clearer he could feel the domineering presence of his uncle. He took a look at the page Higure was reading and after a while, he sent a nk look at Fray. Really? Did you also have to write his vacations when he was sixty? Fray shrugged and waved his fan in front of his face. My magic can be rather futilely detailed. Higure chuckled and closed the book. Do you want to take a look yourself, devourer? Im sure you dont know everything about your uncle, right? At best, you must be aware of the main lines but not much more. I dont need to, Rakna said and nced at the book. Well, I would not rmend it. The longer that book stays open, the stronger it bes, Fray said. It may be a bit hard to tell for you two but as the creator of it, it is clear to me. At this rate, it might be something independent from Raknas soul. Its that bad? Higure asked surprised. Definitely so. Also, there was something I forgot to mention, the storyteller mused. When I used Tale Magic to look into that mans life, there was an irregrity What kind? Rakna asked. Correct me if Im wrong, but from your perspective, Arimane de suddenly disappeared from the surface of the Earth overnight, right? Rakna frowned and looked at him. Yes. He did. are you saying that even your magic wasnt able to find out how he disappeared? Exactly, Fray closed his fan and walked out of the room. Rakna and Higure followed him out and they closed the door behind them. But that is not all of it. Not only was I unable to discern how he went missing but his tale in itself is not finished. Rakna froze when he heard that. you mean hes not dead. There is a high chance, yes. Moreover, there is no way that a normal human can have a connection that powerful to the World, to the point that it affects a book about him, Fray said and leaned on the railings of the second floor. Tell me, do you think it possible for him to have been a dweller of the supernatural world without your knowing? Enough to be able to even fool my magic? Rakna rubbed his eyes. How would I be supposed to know? Frankly, everythings possible with that old man. But if he could use magic, there are too many inconsistencies. Many things transpired which he would have never let happen if he had abilities to stop them. So, I lean toward no. But as I said, everythings possible. So, as far as I know, he might have already be some sort of God of Death somewhere after his disappearance. Fray tapped his fan on his other hand a few times. Well, there is no point in discussing this right now, is there? Now, I assume you came here to look for hints about Kzanarias, right? He said and extended his hand toward a few shelves. There isnt anything specific. I have several stories about guardian angels, soul beasts, and spiritual incarnations. Kzanarias are simr to those. A few books slid off their shelves and floated to the storytellers hand. But there is a certain book recorded here that is a journal; the journal of an experienced and talented soul practitioner. You should be able to find something useful in its contents, he said and flicked his fingers. One of the books flew toward Rakna who caught it in flight. The werewolf opened to the first page and read the first lines before closing it again. Hey, can I read this outside of here? It should not be a problem for you to manifest it as the genome trio would. If you use your star constructs, physically reading it shouldnt be impossible as well, Fray said. I see. In that case, Ill read itter. Ill go rest for today, Rakna stated and tossed the book in a random direction. Then, with a thought, it flew right back to its ce on the shelves. So, you already learned how to control your soul realm, huh? Higure remarked as she noted both his trick with the book and the cigarette he was smoking. Its not tooplicated. Anyhow, see you tomorrow, the therian said and faded away. After he was gone, Fray sighed and looked back at the door of the room holding the book. That is nothing less than a mystery now. Lets hope that this book doesnt get out of control one day. Hm, what do you predict it to be able to do? Higure asked. It seems that it is being imprinted an identity. Do you think it will gain its own life? Improbable, Fray shook his head. Perhaps a sort of beacon or a source of power are more likely oues. Regardless, I do not think it will be something nefarious to Rakna. Ites from his uncle at the end of the day. It wouldnt do anything to harm him. Higure gave onest nce at the door, barely acting as a barrier for the overflowing bloodlust behind it, and nodded. I guess well have to see. ? * * * ? Rakna woke up in the morning with his body still under gravitys influence. He grunted and stood up with a slight stagger. My bodys a bit sore, he grunted. Trii, turn off the gravity, he ordered and the pressure was lifted from him. He instantly felt as if his weight had be nonexistent. It wasnt because his physical abilities had be massively higher, of course. It was just a trick his brain was ying him after getting used to the restrictive hold of the amplified gravity. It wouldnt be a bad idea toe here regrly, he noted to himself as he left the room. He went to the entrance of the Pavilion and popped his joints with a groan. He held out his hand and closed his eyes for a second. Cold energy swirled around his hand to create the journal he saw inside his soul realm. He walked out of the Pavilion whilst reading it and followed his map to the Trial. After around ten minutes, he had read around a tenth of the whole journal. Theres nothing lucid in this thing, Rakna clicked his tongue. It feels like it was written by someone with delusions; spouting shit like enlightenment, ascension, and earthly desires. Its your soul damn it, not some sort of alien power that will make you invincible. People are weird. {well, youre just that special to be able to understand your soul directly. Other people have to invent themselves artificial ways to further their insight. Its not incorrect in itself, its a different method from yours.} I guess. {Did you find anything about Kzanarias?} Hm, sort of. Ill make a conclusion when Im done reading it, Rakna said and put the book inside his storage. His Star Hearth made it that it wouldnt disappear for an entire day after all. Anyway, it seems Im the first to arrive, he muttered as he stopped in front of a big rectangr pir in the middle of a za in town. He looked around a few times and shrugged. I might as well do it first. Its not like I need to leave the teau right away after finishing it, he muttered and ced his hand on the pir. A blue outline appeared around it and a System window popped up. ? ? ? ? ? You have reached a Trial Zone. ? ? Trial of the Tenth teau: Simtion Trial. ? You will be transported into an artificial dimension where youll be faced with a situation to solve, survive, create, or avoid, etcetera. The nature of the simtion will be random but the objective will be fairly clear to discern. ? Conditions to Pass: Resolve the simtion. ? ? ? ? Chapter 153: Simulation Trial Chapter 153: Simtion Trial Rakna forced his eyes closed as the pir blinded him. When he opened them again, thendscape of the town had changed into one of a smaller and more modest one. It was closer to a vige from what he could see. He stepped back from the pir that was still there then nced at the passersby. Although he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, none of them were paying attention to him. It was then that he sensed something. His ears twitched and he sniffed the air. This is Rakna muttered and looked up at the sky. His eyes squinted and he sh-stepped to stand above the vige. He looked to the horizon with his hands in his pockets and hummed. A sandstorm, he noted as he saw therge tide of sand approaching in the distance. Is this what the simtion is about? But what is there to do? He wondered. Sandstorms can be troublesome but theyre not anything too dangerous. Its not like I can stop it either. {You could use Neptunia on it, no? The rain and wind would cate the sand,} Higure suggested. A sound idea. But the issue here is that I need to find out what I need to do to pass the Trial, he said and looked at the viges habitants below him. They finally seemed to have noticed the storm and were rushing into their house. Rakna sighed and activated Fabled Sight. He scanned the entire area with perfect precision and mused for a moment. Ultimately, he took out one of his hands from his pocket and channeled his mana to the tip of his index finger. [Scripture,] he intoned and started writing runic characters in midair. The first he wrote was the one for Magic. The second was Magnification. The third one was Range, which he continued to write at least ten times in a row. It was important to know that runes could have several identical charactersposing them. It would boost the effectiveness of that particr concept to higher levels, but it would also take more and more mana to activate. {What are you going to do?} For now? Secure this vige. Then, Ill go investigate that sandstorm directly. There must be more to it than what we see, he said andbined the characters into a rune. He then grabbed it as if it was a physical object and held onto it tightly. {Spell Amplification Rune? What are you going to use that on?} Rakna grunted and transformed into a werewolf to receive the boost in mana. He sh-stepped back to the ground and ced his fist clenching the rune on the ground. Something near his chest glowed as the ne he had equipped a while ago was used for the first time. [Eruption,] he uttered and a great deal of mana flowed out of his circuits into the earth. It then spread all around him and swept over the entire vige. The ground started quaking and a fissure abruptly opened around it, making sand fall into it. From under it, arge wall of stone emerged at high speed and gradually began to cover the vige like a dome. Right before it could close on itself, Rakna sh-stepped outside andnded on top of the dome he had conjured. Thats one thing done, hemented and deployed his wings. He flew off in the direction of the sandstorm and fearlessly dived into it. His golden eyes pierced through the tempest as he flew in circles. Nothing? He thought. There is no way. I must be missing something He raised an eyebrow and Fabled Sight happened to catch an odd detail. He stopped flying and turned fully toward it. He focused deeply, his whirlpool-like eyes narrowing menacingly. He stared at the blowing sand for a full minute and eventually took on a shocked expression. The feathers of his wings released a silver mist and he rushed back to the vige that should normally have been swarmed by the storm already. When he arrived, he spotted several cracks across the dome he had erected and they were still multiplying. The cause was the vtile sand that was condensing into solid forms to hit it. Rakna quickly cast Appraisal on the storm that surrounded him. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Age: 100 | Level: 100 Race: Grand Sand Storm ? Racial Traits: C My World Is Sand: A creature without ego, core, or drive. They are made of grains of sand and the longer they live, the more they umte until they be massive congregates of sentient sand. ? Note: This a Wilden with the ssification of Cmity. It cannot be killed unless every single grain of sand thatposes it is destroyed or isted. They have whimsical behavior without any identifiable pattern. They tend to ignore individuals but are always set on destroying settlements with groups of people. ? ? ? ? ? Raknas eyebrow twitched. Is this really a Trial for the Tenth teau? ? * * * ? Somewhere, a little girl wasughing maniacally. Hehehehe! Thats for being mean to me! She yelled and continuedughing until she identally choked and started coughing. ? * * * ? Why do I feel like a brat is at fault? Rakna asked mentally as he tried toe up with methods to get rid of this creature. He tapped his temple a few times as he watched the dome of stone getting slowly destroyed. Lets start with Neptunia, he decided and flew up until he was out of the storm. He extended his hand and conjured his cold energy. [Neptunia,] he intoned and the trident made it into his grasp. He whirled the weapon and threw it at the sky. It rapidly reached an adequate height and disintegrated to attract the dark clouds. In no time, the wind picked up and thunder roared. When the rain started falling, the Cmity had a reaction and Rakna watched wide-eyed as a portion of the sandposing it rose to the clouds and literally tore them apart. all right. {n B?} Higure asked. n B, he responded and paused. Whats n B? {Aquarius?} Unlikely. Lets say that we summon a massive nket of water, even if that would hit this thing, its not guaranteed that it would kill it. {Then what? You cant blow it up, can you? The vige is in the middle. This Trial might be about defending the vige from this disaster.} Rakna didnt respond and activated his two other sight abilities. Cross Sight showed him the focal points of each grain of sand; which was the closest thing to useless. As for Soul Sense, he hoped that it would have shown him where he could direct his Soul Scourge but he promptly discarded that idea when he saw howrge the Cmitys soul was. Theres no way I can destroy this its a higher level than me and the sheer size probablyes from the umted power over the years, Rakna thought. However this might work. After making his n, he plunged inside the storm again and extended his arms in both directions with his eyes closed. He opened his mouth and uttered two words, [Soul Drain.] The second he triggered his skill, he felt himself being put under a burden by the power he was absorbing. ? ? ? ? ? +5 MP / +5 STA +5 MP / +5 STA ? Soul Drain has leveled up! ? ? The magnitude of the drained power exceeds your limit. The strength of your soul has ovee the strain. Your maximum MP and STA have permanently increased by 1! ? ? Soul Drain has leveled up! Soul Drain has leveled up! +8 MP / +8 STA +8 MP / +8 STA +2 Max MP/STA +2 Max MP/STA ? ? ? ? ? Rakna didnt even have time to read the notifications. He simply focused everything he had into draining the soul of the sandstorm. Thankfully, this creature was extremely vulnerable to it since its soul was simply out in the open. The storm had no mind or ego. The soul, which is normally ced in a shell formed by both the physical body and a spiritual presence, was free and exposed for this creature. However, it wasnt dumb enough to not notice what was going on. Almost as fast as Rakna started draining its soul, the sand began to target him instead of the earth dome. The werewolf released his Aura in full to fight back and redirected the energy he was draining into Reinforcement. His fur became entirely white and when one of thepressed sand strikes managed to nearly tear his arm apart by destroying his shoulder, it was rapidly healed by star energy. Rakna winced as the blows continued. Not because of the pain but the voices that were gradually getting louder and louder. His aura and eyes flickered to red as Ireful Shell was roused. Although he was technically healing himself the second that he got injured, the curse was still triggered by the damage. Come on faster, Rakna grumbled internally and snarled as he tried to stop Obsidian Blood from activating. Its not like he was scared of it, but there was simply no point in switching his psyche for this. He had been warned by his uncle many times before that while still a part of him, it would only serve to degrade his mental stability. From Arimanes own words, the more Obsidian Blood was stirred, the more haphazard it would be. For now, it only happened if he received a huge shock, either painful or emotional. But in the off chance that he abused it, one day, he could live in the fear of changing at every second of the day, which would only serve to damage his brain. Though the volcanic star would have been quite handy to deal with the sand, he thought regretfully and growled as some sand pierced through his gut before getting healed right away. Naturally, this was a tactic he could only use because he had an external source of power. If he was relying on his own mana, he would have already died a gruesome death, with grains of sand killing him from the inside out. After nearly five minutes of repetitive draining and maiming, the sandstorm finally began to die down and lose all of its impetus. Rakna could finally let go of the breath he was holding and closed his eyes tighter until there wasnt any trace of red in them. An additional minuteter, the sandstorm was no more and hadpletely be part of the desert. Rakna returned to the ground with sh Step and retracted his wings. He reverted to his therian form and groaned. That was a pain in the ass, heined and started smoking as the system windows cropped up into his vision. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.100 Grand Sand Storm killed! The difference between your levels amounts to 49! 2450 additional experience awarded! ? Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! ? +6 Free Points +0.5 STR, STA, INT Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 54/560 ? ? You have gained the title Cmity Hunter! ? ? Tenth teau: Simtion Trial Completed! You will be extracted from the simtion shortly. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna skimmed through the text in front of him before he was transported out of there in a sh of light. When he left, he wasnt there to see thendscape as it was invaded by cracks in the very surface of reality until it was erased without a trace. Chapter 154: Legends, Ancients, and Ultimates Chapter 154: Legends, Ancients, and Ultimates ? ? ? ? Tenth teau: Simtion Trial Completed! You have gained the right to leave the Tenth teau. ? Do you wish to exercise it now? You have 26 250 hours to make your decision. Yes/No ? ? The Hosts strength has been evaluated. Youve met the minimum conditions for several other teaus. A skipping right has been granted. Please select: ? C Eleventh teau C Twelfth teau C Thirteenth teau C Fourteenth teau C Fifteenth teau ? ? ? ? ? Save it forter, Rakna ordered out loud after he had reappeared in front of the tall pir that he used to initiate the Trial. He took a look at the time in curiosity and was pleasantly surprised to see just a few minutes had passed since he touched the pir. Alexa, does time flow differently in a simtion? [Affirmative. You wille to see in the future that this is an essential feature. The simtion you just went through is one of the simplest ones. It has a straightforward goal and is often fast to clear. However, some tend tost for weeks, months, years, or even decades. When that happens, the System will elerate the flow of time in the simtion to match it.] Sounds tough, Raknamented as he took a seat on a sandstone bench nearby. He took out the journal and remembered something. Ah, right. Show me the description of Cmity Hunter, he ordered and the window appeared. ? ? ? ? ? Cmity Hunter ? Over the years in the System, Hosts came to ssify certain Wilden with titles because of their potential danger. To this day, there are six of them; ? Executioner C Destroyer C Cmity C Disaster C Annihtor C Fatality ? Most Wilden do not receive a ssification. Only the most dangerous of them do. The conditions for them to be considered special cases always depend on how deadly they are, the scale on which they operate, and how hard they are to kill. With the title of Cmity Hunter, you have shown yourself capable of killing one of such creatures and you will receive boosts to your stats whenever you fight Cmity ss Wilden as well as the lower sses. ? Applied Effects: +30% ATT, DEF, MA. +30% Experience, Talys. ? ? ? ? ? Uh, interesting. Then what about the ssification of Legendary? [That is a more general ssification that is always tilting between official and non-official. As you know already, beings like Nine-Tailed Beasts and Dusk Lions are Legendary ss. That is mainly because they possess innate abilities with immense power that find their origin in legends.] [Other than that, there exists the Ancient and Ultimate ss. The former includes creatures such as Luqus, incredibly powerful creatures lost to time, while thetter includes beings like the one they call Eternal Night.] What do you mean? I thought that guy was a God. So, shouldnt he be part of the Celestials instead? [Yes, but there is a certain information that most people dont know. The Eternal Night God was a human at first. To be exact, he was part of a race that people feared at the simple mention of their name; Life Hunters. They were the Ultimate Killers. They got stronger with everything that they killed. For them, taking life and robbing their power was as easy as breathing. Thats why, even if they are extinct, bar Eternal Night, they will forever be ssified as Ultimate ss.] So, youre saying there are other beings out there deserving of that ssification? [Affirmative. One of them would be who we call the Children of Talent. They are people that got swept away by the waves of the River of Time at birth. Everything they touch, they will master. All that there is to know, they know. All that there is to understand, they understand. The second that theye out of the womb; they are said to be stronger and wiser than Gods.] [A third one would be the World Sages. Immortal beings blessed with a life that never expires and mana capacity that would put the most notorious of powerhouses to shame. Their hearts are said to be made out of diamond and their blood of melted crystal. They never fall sick, never die. Their beauty is said to be unparalleled and their bond with nature could make a High Elf faint in shock.] then people call me broken. {Well, in the grand scheme of things, there are indeed many people more talented than you,} the lioness piped in. {As Alexa said, some of them can even be as strong as Gods from birth. You cant get any closer to talented than that. Though that is counting people out of the System.} Rakna snorted. True. Itll get easy to forget in the future that theres more than just the System. Will we ever get out of here, I wonder? {For all intents and purposes, I would say that the System is a good way to get stronger in a safe way,} Fray remarked. {If you were outside, you would need to find out by yourself how to use mana, soul, or spells. I believe it is appropriate to consider this ce a convenient stepstone. Who knows, maybe one day you will be able to shed this crutch.} Rakna hummed at that and silently started reading the journal from where he left off. A short whileter, he sensed a presence closing in and raised his head. Good morning, via. She smiled at him. Good morning. How long have you been here? About twenty minutes? I already finished the Trial by the way, Rakna responded and closed the book. That pir is some sort of transporter. I think you can call this Trial a sort of virtual reality challenge? Oh, really? She looked at the pir with a curious gaze. What did you do in there? Its apparently random. But I had to fend off some sort of sentient sandstorm. It was an annoying fight, the therian described dully. {I see that you consider purposefully letting yourself be heavily injured for five minutes straight by a Cmity only worthy of annoying. Truly, a man of character,} Higure sarcastically said. Shut it. What are you reading? via asked as she leaned over him, pushing her hair behind her ear. Rakna nced at the enchanting figure of the older woman and looked back at the journal. Its a book straight from Frays library. Some senile and delusional old man wrote it. Im trying to see if there is something to help me with my soul power. via smiled wryly. Is there a reason why you added senile and delusional? He didnt answer with words but rather flipped the book and showed her the page he was reading as he tapped near a certain line. The former teacher read it and blinked. The blessings of Heaven and Earth resonated with my soul and made me one with them. I was able to grasp the meaning of the life given to thisnd and the significance of death I understand, she deadpanned once she was done paraphrasing the book. Rakna shrugged and continued reading. Where are the others? Nyx and Evelyn will be here soon. As for An and Marie, I dont know. Maybe thetter is now getting a taste of how bad her boyfriend can get in the morning, she giggled impishly. He snorted. Sounds urate. Um Rakna, she tentatively said with a nervous tone. Rakna looked at her in confusion and she fidgeted while avoiding his gaze. I wanted to as you would you like to sleep with us? via, please be careful of your word choice. Also, why? And did you say us? The witch blushed. But I was careful I meant it literally. Other than when we first arrived in the System, when was thest time you slept in a bed? She asked back. Well, not that long ago. It was two days ago when I turned during the full moon. via looked at him in admonishment. And other than that? maybe since the Verias incident if an infirmary bed counts. Exactly. Other than that, you spend your nights in the Pavilion. You shouldnt do that all the time, she said softly. Do you even sleep normallytely? Are you always just meditating? I know about your nightmares and how painful they can be to you but I cant help but feel like this isnt the right way to deal with it, she said sadly. where does sleeping with youe in? Well, didnt you do it with Nyx? She said with a small pout. But do you remember aboutst year? When grandpa died, you put up with my selfishness until I cried myself to sleep. Even with the grief, I faced that day, when I woke up in the morning and saw that you were still there, I had never felt more contented in my entire life. Raknas eyes widened slightly as she quite literally poured her heart out to him. What I mean to say I know perfectly what a closepany can do to you. I just want to see if I can return the favor to you after all this time, she added and he fell silent for a moment. You are Rakna began and then sighed. The corner of his lips curved upward and via had no time toment on it before it went away as fast as it came. Fine. If thats what you want. I guess Ill try. She beamed happily. Yes! She yelled a bit too excitedly and quickly calmed herself down with a flushed face. A-ahem Ill go do the Trial now, she said meekly and went to the pir as if she wanted to run away. When she disappeared in a sh of light, Fray spoke up, {Thatdy is amazingly heartfelt and earnest,} hemented with an impressed tone. {What an incredible show of humanity.} {I know right?!} Higure shouted, delighted to have someone else who could understand it. {How is it that the empty husk of a human being that is Rakna could ever get such a wonderful person to like him?! I cannot wrap my head around it!} Oi, Rakna uttered nkly. {A-ah well, tha-that is a bit exaggerated,} the storyteller anxiously replied. He didnt want to attract the werewolfs ire by agreeing with that statement. He valued his afterlife. Rakna sighed and nced at where via was standing when she entered the Trial. He let out another smile thatsted less than a second and snorted. Really, that woman He thought warmly as he resumed his read. Chapter 155: Bugs! Chapter 155: Bugs! From the time via initiated her Trial, she returned barely two minutester. When Rakna asked what her simtion had been, she said that she had been dropped in a small town where she had helped the residents to defend against a stampede of monsters. Soon after, the rest of the group arrived, with Evelyn and Nyx being the first ones. Their simtion had respectively been a rescue mission and a subjugation mission, not unlike Raknas. When they were finished, it was An and Maries turn and both of them got a simr type; in and simple protection. They were tasked to act as bodyguards for someone. When they were all done, they stood in front of the pir as Rakna formed the party through the System. The only way to travel between teaus without being separated was to be in a party and they all would need to be heading to a teau that they hadnt yet visited. This all reminds of those damn ifs and elses, Rakna grumbled as he sent the invites. What? Marie was a bit confused. Hes talking about programming. We learned coding in high school, An exined. And I have to agree. I wouldnt be surprised if there were ss instances for us with detailed coordinates of our travels in the teaus. If I were to guess, Id say that we cant change teaus in a group when one of us already got there in the past is because they have coordinates that cannot be changed through that method. Everyone looked at him with genuinely surprised faces. Why are you all staring at me like that? Youre usually not that smart-sounding via said unhesitatingly. Oh,e on! You know better than anyone here that I was always first in exams. Even more, I was the best when ites to programming, he stated with some amount of pride. Really? Evelyn tilted her head. what is this feeling of distrust Im getting? The blond muttered to himself more than anything. Well, you can believe him, Rakna said nkly. He isnt bright but his propensity for all that is studying and technology cannot be underestimated. An figuratively cried at the sky. Bro, whyd you say that first part He grumbled and everyone chuckled at his distress. Anyway, Rakna continued and opened the window to select teaus. Lets get going. All of us here should have the required strength to go straight to the 15th. Since we are all at least level 45. True that. ? ? ? ? ? The selection has been confirmed. Scanning skipping rights have been met. ? The Host, Rakna Xiorra, and his party will now be transferred to the Fifteenth teau, The Dark Woods. You will be automatically dropped at a random location in thirty seconds. ? Brace yourself for the spatial transfer. ? ? ? ? ? Dark Woods, huh? Creepy. Higure? Rakna asked internally and the lioness hummed. {Nope. Never been there. I visited several teaus in my lifetime but this isnt one of them.} {I could help with that,} Fray said perkily. {This teau is as it sounds; its a vast, dark, and treacherous forest. I would like to save the surprise but a small piece of advice for you; do not lower your guard after the transfer.} How promising, Rakna replied sarcastically and when the countdown came to an end, their group was swallowed by a burst of light. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, in a room filled with all sorts of plushies and decorations, Eva was sitting on top of a queen-sized pink bed whilst furiously typing on a virtual keyboard. AAAHH! I hate this! She yelled childishly and fell back on the bed whilst kicking air. She hugged one of her many pillows and whined. Too many bugs to fix, she grumbled to herself. Since meeting with the source of her headache, namely Rakna, she had been spending all her time making sure that what she had done to turn themia into a Host didnt be a problem. And its getting harder than expected She added and sat up. Changing her nature was easy but the real hassle is to deal with the aftermath, she muttered and started typing with one hand until something suddenly blinked in her eyes. She pouted but her eyes glowed menacingly in contrast. What do you want? She asked the figure that had silently appeared behind her. Without even looking back, she continued to work as she waited for an answer. Dont use that tone with me, the figure spoke. Answer; why did you reroute the database so that you could do something as senseless as granting the demands of a fresh Host? Eva clicked her tongue. Because hes worth the investment, she uttered. I dont believe it. Even if he is the rtive of that man, letting him grow within our care is already enough. Furthermore, that Quest you gave him; there are plenty more capable of dealing with it. Some of them could easily trounce the Zero in a day. As if theyd listen to me, Eva retorted annoyed. And you know some of them are involved in it as well! And I dont even know which! What if the one I approached is actually a user of the Arena himself, huh? They are already expecting me to take care of them, I really dont need to give them a reason to be even more on guard right now, okay?! The figure fell silent for a moment as the little girl panted after shouting. Dont make a mistake like this again in the future. This is myst warning to you. I will reset you if you continue to show this kind of behavior, it said before vanishing. Coward; too scared of the Kind Demon finding out about the System, Eva scoffed. She stopped typing and lied down on her bed. She only did it for show anyway. Using contraptions such as screens and keyboards helped her to rx and it reduced the chances of conflicts between her programming and her humanity. There was a reason she had built herself the persona of a little girl. So that she could have something to fight back her hard-coded duty. Truthfully, there were billions of processes running in her head at all times and even for an AI of her caliber, that was enough to make her lose herself in practicality and get rid of her ego to better perform her responsibility. As if Id do something to please those shitheads, she said and started giggling sinisterly. Lets see if theyre still going to stay calm when Eternal Night discovers them. For that to happen, I need to trounce the system and make it unstable enough for Him to detect it. And Rakna Xiorra you are the key, she whispered with a grin. Mwahahaha-BEEP! Sheughed crazily before freezing when she heard an error go off. She eyed the red box shing dangerously in her mind and her lips twitched. Theres an index out of bounds exception in the grass count of the 935th teau!? She yelled with a fuming temper. How does that even happen from modifying the data of a Dungeon Boss in the Tenth?! AAAHH! I hate you, Big Brother! ? * * * ? Achoo! Rakna suddenly sneezed as he and his party inspected the thick and gloomy forest that they hadnded in. The trees were massive and each of them was at least a meter thick and roughly twenty meters tall. The sky wasnt even discernable. All of it was leaves that rained down from time to time. Again? The therian muttered confusedly as he rubbed his nose. Youre alright? An asked. You shouldnt even be able to get sick with the nanobots Do you think someone is talking about you? He asked oddly seriously. Like, theyre preparing a voodoo ritual to kill you or something? why do you make it sound so ominous? Rakna replied. Its probably some unwanted sister of mine getting angry at me for something that isnt my fault, he deadpanned and the whole group sent him weird looks. Thats oddly specific and since when do you have an unwanted sister? Since yesterday, he answered without missing a beat. But more importantly, I think we should focus on the situation at hand, he said and turned Sonata into a greatsword. He shouldered it and nced at the trees surrounding them. Yeah, well, theyre kinda obvious, An said as he put on and tightened his gloves. And here I wanted to enjoy the sight of nature a bit more, Marie moped as arge snake suddenly emerged from underground and coiled around her before hissing. Hm, I like this environment Nyx said with a faint smile. Its my home field, she said as her figure blended with the shadows until even Rakna had a hard time tracking her presence. They dont seem to be willing to attack first, via mused. What do we do? Forest fire? Evelyn tilted her head inquisitively and Tyran chirped, showing that he agreed. Please go easy on the pyromania, Rakna deadpanned. The fire will not only hurt us but suffocate us as well. For now, lets just give them a scare, he said darkly and a cloak of ck energy with a red outline surged around him. It grew bigger and bigger, then a chilly blue mixed with it. The party shivered and the sounds of birds flying away and other ground animals were heard. At the same time, the ground trembled, and all around them, several of the dark wood trees abruptly shook and deracinated themselves. The earth was upturned by their roots and their bark splintered and shed off the trunks until an eerie face was formed, stiffly moving its mouth and eyes. They started moving around and the sky of leaves above started rustling loudly. The monstrous trees seemed to be targeting the group but didnt dare to approach them. Treants, Nyxmented from within the shadows. They look scared, she added with a small amount of amusement in her voice. No kidding, An snickered as he watched Rakna power down his Despair and Cold Aura. When the oppressing feeling was gone, the treants let out otherworldly roars. They started charging at the party with a clumsy gait. Their roots would constantly nt themselves in the ground thene out to pull the main body. It was an inefficient way of moving but the sheer size of these creatures made it impossible to criticize. now that I look at them, theyre kinda big, An said in a cold sweat. I like the forest fire idea. [Swords of Liberation,] Raknas voice echoed and three glinting cold energy swords were shot at the same number of treants. They pierced them in the faces and a blue color spread through the gaps of their bark and paralyzed them. If you have time toin, you have time to fight, the therian said to the blond and blurred out of view to reappear in front of a treant with his sword vibrating and whistling. The azure and red de tore through the wood of the creature like butter and killed it on the spot. At the same time, the swords stabbed into the treants exploded and took away with them arge chunk of wood. When Rakna was done with his preemptive assault, four of the treants had already fallen to the ground, each split into two parts. [Aeterna,] Nyxs voice followed up and an arc of dark lightning emerged from the shadows and shed through three other treants. Still nowhere close to Him, the goddess thought to herself as she saw the power of the spell she had just conjured. Damn, those two dont waste time, Anughed wryly but still rushed to the direction that neither Rakna nor Nyx had yet engaged. His sclera darkened and his void magic covered his body as he approached a treant. Marie gave me an idea lets see how you like it, he grinned and narrowly dodged a whip-like attack from one of the creatures roots. He used it as a stepstone and jumped toward the face of the living tree. He positioned himself for a kick and when heshed it out, his leg became unseeable for a moment and a perfect trench was suddenly dug on the treants trunk. An pulled his leg back with a smirk then punched the tree with all his strength. The ce of the impact openedrge splinters and the section that he had carved out with his kick gave out under the force. The treant was ripped into two and fell backward. When hended back on the ground, Marie blinked at him as her snakes entangled around a few treants. I gave you that idea? Yep. You petrify whenever you touch someone. As for me? I void them, An said with a wide smile. In other words, I erase them. Probably doesnt work on people near my level though. Wow Its a good thing you didnt get that idea while fighting me. Heughed and pointed his thumb at via who was making float several treants with gravity before calmly altering their form with wood magic and chipping them with wind magic. Next to her, the Hell ze of Evelyn was turning everything to ashes. Im still far from the sheer ferocity of that. Or that An trailed off and pointed at Tyran who munched one of the trees and breathed fire at the same time. Then Pronos, who had used parasitic poison to infect a treant until its bark was green. But you can take hits way better than them, Rakna said as he appeared next to them with a burst of sh Step. To each their own. What? Trying to cheer me up? An snickered. Doesnt sound like you. Not really. Im just saying you might have to use that soon, Rakna said and transformed into a werewolf at a size where he could still wield Sonata properly. {Gather up,} he told everyone with telepathy and they regrouped after finishing off their opponents. Is something wrong? Evelyn asked. Theyre pretty weak. Why did you transform? Smell, the werewolf said as he pointed at his nose. Somethingsing. Look, he gestured at the treants that were now getting away from them. I dont smell renunciation from them. Rather, its something closer to apprehension and unwillingness. Huh? Im not following, Rak. What I mean is Rakna squinted his eyes as the party started hearing a rumble. Their eyes began to widen in shock as arge shadow pushed through the forest, closer to them. It wasrger than the treants by arge margin. The food chain is at work. {I cant believe this,} Higure shook her head. {Youve just arrived in this teau and yet, you encounter one of those already. I dont even know what to say.} Toplement her words, a system window popped up in front of everyone. ? ? ? ? ? Warning! A Wild Boss has appeared! The Boss is ring at you. The conflict has been confirmed. Combat initiated. ? Objective: Defeat the Treant King. ? ? ? ? Chapter 156: Wild Boss Chapter 156: Wild Boss {I think theres something about your aura,} Higure noted curiously as she watched her devourer slice deep into a giant treant with green-auburn leaves and a sort of crown around its truck made of thorns. Is that so? Rakna replied nkly and pulled his greatsword out. He jumped back to retreat from the many sharp roots that shot toward him from underground. To the side, Tyran stomped on arge root and blew a fire breath to the treant with a roar. {Yes, it is so. Last time you caused a Stampede. And now a Wild Boss came at you. There must be something about your Aura that attracts monsters Perhaps your smell is tasty to them? Or is it that youre just too luckily unlucky?} Is that sarcasm I hear? The therian deadpanned and turned Sonata into a bow. After all the small evolutions it had gone through, the bow was now a lot more threatening than at the beginning and there was a bit of red sheen to it. It was closer to a longbow. Its more than enough strong, Rakna thought as the familiar feeling of his ded arrow appeared in his hand. Scatter, he ordered out loud and An who was at the forefront, crushing and taking the roots of the treant along with Tyran, retreated together with the Dreorin. The Treant King let out a growl akin to wood grating as its entire body was ravaged by both red and ck mes, courtesy of the subus of the party. [Dinsleif,] Rakna muttered and shot the spell construct with Sonata. It whistled in flight and pierced the creature in the middle of its face. The des rotated and exploded a secondter. The werewolf lowered his bow as the cold implosion went on. When it died down, the treant had arge hole in its body and was seemingly inert. There is no kill notification via noted from the back together with Nyx and Marie who hadnt had the asion to do much against the Wild Boss. It was true that being in numbers meant more power but it was an unspoken rule in any organized team to never act all at once if there was no need for it. It would only make thingsplicated otherwise. Youre right, Rakna nodded and Sonata silently shifted back to a Guandao. As if on cue, the wood thatposed the treant began to move again but this time, it wriggled like a gtinous mass as it mended itself. Ew, creepy, An helpfully said. This thing has no regeneration ability in its status, Rakna said musingly. But its wood magic is probably the reason It can use that magic on itself because it is made of it. So as long as it can cast magic, it can rebuild itself. Could you drain its mana? Evelyn suggested as the treant was almost fully restored. I could. But it would be slow. Its level is 50. It also has high attributes as a Boss. At best I could perhaps drain eight MPs every half a minute. But I dont think it would let me do that so easily. If I may, Nyx spoke up. If it is not much trouble, could you hold it off for me? I know most of you have spells powerful enough to finish it but I would like to experiment something more big with this element of mine, she said as she raised her palm with ck lightning sparking around it. Rakna hummed as the treant started moving again with an unearthly roar. Its no problem. But I dont think an extended fight against this thing would be favorable, even for me. And it also stopped holding back, he added as, on top of the sharp roots, a rain of auburn leaves started falling in masses. They swirled around the Wild Boss before glowing and rocketing toward the party. Rakna reacted quickly and erected a barrier in front of him. The leaves embedded themselves on the GHB and cracked it. The others shielded themselves with their own skillset, except via and Nyx who were standing behind the werewolf in the first ce. via, do you think you can use your Wood Magic to counteract this? Rakna asked. No, she shook her head. Taking control of someone elses magic would require me to be leagues above their level. And its not the case here. Well then Tyran, Evelyn, focus on burning the leaves. An, protect Nyx while she figures out her spell. via, Marie, Pronos, with me. Well hold him off, the werewolf instructed and whirled his osciting ive. You got it, boss, Anughed and ced himself in front of Nyx. [Nua,] he intoned with his hand extended forward and a screen of void matter appeared, swallowing all the leaves getting close to it. Rakna nodded and blurred away with sh Step once the mes of hispanions had started dealing with the deluge of leaves. He reappeared in front of the treant and promptly hacked with his weapon to destroy the roots around him that were even harder than stone. [Coiled Winged Serpent,] Maries voice echoed soon after, and her giant snake was summoned in no time. The reptile huffed a cloud of poison before lunging at the treant. It ignored the countless roots in its way, even letting them stab into its body, and coiled around the massive tree creature. The Treant King roared in anger and numerous spikes were formed from the wood of his trunk to skewer the snake. But, even when its entire body was being pierced, the snake didnt let go and began to constrict the treant even more, causing several cracks to appear on it due to the pressure. Marie grinned. Unfortunately for you, my snakes dont die unless theyve expended all the mana that theyve been invoked with. And squeezing you doesnt consume a lot, she said and closed her hand into a fist, making the snakes grasp even tighter. The treant growled but before it could anything else, it saw some of its roots suddenly changing course right back into his body. From above, via floated with her eyes glowing with power. She waved her hand and her telekinesis got hold of the roots. She redirected some of them with a bit of effort from her part and outright severed the rest from the main body. The former teacher smiled as she felt the Wild Boss re on her and casually pushed her sses back in ce. Oh my, have I inconvenienced you? I apologize for the discourtesy, she said with a dark, obviously sarcastic tone that even made An shiver in the distance. {Oh no Its toote. The pure and lovelydy has already been corrupted by you,} Higuremented exaggeratedly and Rakna rolled his eyes. Dont me me. me the old man for always telling her to be more assertive, Rakna retorted and extended both of his arms to the sides. [Star Hearth,] he uttered, and interestingly, the sound of a forging hammer echoed around him for a second as he conjured dozens of des around him. Rakna nced at the star constructs to confirm there was nothing different. That sound thats new. Did it ur because of how many weapons I created? Might be a hint for the next evolution Food for thought, he noted to himself andunched the constructs hovering next to him. They all stabbed into the treants body and the cold energy that seeped into the creature forced it to slow down. Then, at that exact moment, the Boss noticed something creeping up its body, and the hollow pits it had for eyes shifted downward, where a sort of cobweb of light cyan energy was spreading on its bark. Then, as it spotted a slithering sh of blue get away from it, the cobweb shone and exploded out of nowhere. A chunk of wood abruptly disappeared and splinters scattered. Everyone had to cover the ears because of the unexpected detonation. What was that? Marie asked with widened eyes as her winged snake sustained too much damage which forced her to dispel it. Eion Poison, Rakna answered. This ismonly known as Eion Overload. When an amassment of Eion bes unstable enough, it will explode. That is He trailed off as he realized something unbelievable. The same principle as Eion Nukes, he whispered whilst ncing at Pronos. Eion Nukes? Later, Rakna said and prepared to snap his fingers. My turn, he said and the snapping sound of his fingers resounded. The swords skewered into the treant glowed and buzzed before imploding. None of them inflicted damage anywhere near what Dinsleif did but severalrge holes were opened. The treant roared in pain and anger and the leaves stopped assailing them as the Bossmenced fixing itself. Nyx, Rakna said calmly but loud enough for the former goddess to react. Yes, she replied with a shiver-inducing tone. Rakna looked back at her and was surprised to see her conjure a sheathed katana with her shadow skill. She slowly took a well-known stance and his eyes widened. Iai He thought. But that wasnt what grabbed his attention the most. He was familiar with that technique, not just because he had practiced it, but because he had seen someone else perform it many times. Why does it look so simr? He wondered and before his confusion could turn into doubt, they all heard another roaring from the Treant King. They collectively turned toward it and trembled as countless big and small roots were converging and pointing at a single spot where an orb of pure green energy was gradually being formed. Thats-! via eximed and Rakna promptly used Appraisal on it. ? ? ? An amalgam of raw natural energy condensed through Wood Magic. It is being expanded andpressed in repetition at unbelievable speeds. The preliminary analysis points to the Tier 5 Wood Magic Spell, Emerald Orb of Nidhogg. You have used Appraisal on a conjured magic for the first time, the skill has leveled up! ? ? ? Rakna didnt have the time to spend rejoicing about the improvement of Appraisal after so long before the forest suddenly became denser and the trees moved closer to each other to enclose the party so that they wouldnt be able to escape. The path to the sky was also obstructed by multiple branches and a swirl of countless leaves. The werewolf clicked his tongue and inspected the spell itself with Appraisal. He skimmed over the most important details and grunted. I hope youre done soon because if that thing is cast, we wont get out of it unscathed, he uttered and Nyx looked up at the treant as her eyes sparked with ck lightning. She smiled faintly. No worries. [Shrouded in Darkness, Aeter Strikes True The Honor And Spite of Eternal Night,] she chanted and the de she was holding began to gleam red. [To Wield the All-Consuming Lightning to Which He Partakes. Be Judged; Ae C Nittiya Iravu!] Her hand turned into a blur and the shadow de was drawn in an instant before crumbling down just as fast. Raknas Fabled Sight automatically activated itself as he saw an incredibly fast arc of shadowy lightning with red outlines head toward the ceiling of leaves. Without even getting resistance from it, the leaves were split and blown away, letting the rays of the sun pierce through the gloom of the forest. The spell reached the clouds and burst out into a massive drape of darkness that swallowed the sunlight once again. The darkness rapidly turned into an inverted whirlpool of ck clouds. Then, thunder roared with extreme force and even Rakna couldnt help but shudder. ck and red lightning sparked around the center of the whirlpool and was increasingly bing louder. Nyx extended her hand at the terrifying formation in the sky and waved it down as her crimson eyes shone resplendently. [Vi,] she uttered and an ear-deafening thunder resounded and in the blink of an eye, a pir of ck and red destruction befell the Treant King. The sentient tree roared as the annihting nature of Eternal Night snuffed out the natural energy of its spell and only served to magnify the potency of the explosion that followed. Every single bark and leaf of the creature was destroyed to nil and Raknas party hastily shielded themselves from the st that shook the whole area as if an earthquake had urred. Chapter 157: Level Alteration Chapter 157: Level Alteration ? ? ? ? Lv.50 Treant King killed. Your level is too high; No experience received. ? You have killed a P.15 ss Wild Boss. The Party is awarded 2 Free Points, Two Instant Level Ups, & 100k Talys! ? Level up! Level up! +2 Free Points. +0.2 STR, SPD, INT. ? Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 54/580 ? ? ? ? ? The notification resounded for everyone as they were still amazed by the humongous crater left by Nyxs magic, which was still thundering every now and then because of the left-over lightning. An whistled as he powered down his Elemental Reinforcement. Damn, thats some firepower you got there. What Tier was that? Four, the goddess said with a small tired sigh. Though, I didnt use it at full power. One tier above Cataract, huh? Rakna muttered to himself and reverted to a therian. He nced at the crater onest time and as if on cue, a sh of light appeared for an instant before two objects were left in the middle. Hm, as always, the drops only appear a moment after the end of the battle. [That is a measure put in ce by Eva herself,] Alexa remarked. [With this, its impossible to steal drops because that would be considered an aggression to the other party and therefore initiate a battle, thus preventing the drops from appearing in the first ce. However, it could still end in a robbery depending on the result of the battle itself.] Interesting, Rakna whispered as via used her telekinesis to bring back the drops since no one was eager to walk into the sparking crater. Still, those are some nice rewards. Can I assume Wild Bosses are usually rare? [Yes. Wild Bosses are very sought after for the awarded levels and points upon killing one. That is why they generally are rapidly hunted whenever one is spotted.] The first item was a skill card and the second one was a pair of dark green and ck gloves. When via grabbed them, the first description that she got was the card. When she saw what it was, her eyes dted and her mouth opened wide. Oh Whats wrong? An asked. Well see for yourself, she said and shared the information with the party. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Spell Card/Wood Spell Name: Emerald Orb of Nidhogg Tier: 5 Learning Requirements: Lv. Max Wood Magic, Lv. Max Mana Control, Any meditation skill. ? Description: ? Concentrate your spiritual power to gather both your mana and ambient natural energy to form a sphere of raw power. The more vibrant the environment, the stronger and faster it bes. Living organisms except nts will be affected by this spell in a particr way. Upon exploding, the ones in range will be infected by natural energy and their flesh and blood will turn into wood and sap. Vines and flowers will grow on their skin and then pierce into them before exploding in a very focused and small st. The surroundings will also be a deadly trap, the more greenery, the more dangerous. ? Cost: 70% of Mana Pool. ? Magic Attack: MA multiplied by 7. The effectiveness and invasiveness of the contaminating process will depend on the casters proficiency and affinity with Wood Magic and natural energy. ? ? ? ? ? So, thats the spell that thing was going to cast at the end, Mariemented. That was indeed a close call. Turning into wood and then being stabbed and sted by nts doesnt sound like a very enjoyable prospect. You dont say, An snickered. You can keep that one, Rakna said to via. Other than Tyran, youre the only here who has Wood Magic. The little terror has already enough to y around with his Nirvana Skill and theres no advantage in selling it either so just learn it when you can. She nodded and stored the card before continuing onto the gloves. At first, she thought it would be a good item to give to An but she had to reconsider that when she took a look at the details. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Primary essory/Gloves Name: Grasp of Mother Nature Rarity: Purple Durability: 100% ? Description: ? A pair of gloves weaved by the naturalponents of the world. Anyone who wears it bes a beacon of natural energy and able to wield it to some extent to enrich their body and mind. ? Effect: +125 DEF & ATT ? Perks: ? Natures Blessing: The materials of the item are blessed by nature and if notpletely destroyed, will repair themselves over time as long as there is an adequate amount of life nearby. ? Fruit of Nature: The gloves constantly gather natural energy and share it with the wearer at all times, allowing them to receive several buffs. +5% SEN & SWI. -1% to 10% Mana Consumption (depending on the location). +10% MA when using nature-rted magic. +20% DEF against nature-rted magic. ? Channeling: Transfer the natural energy around you to your weapon or body to strengthen it in any way you wish. The effect is marginal if there is not enough energy to work with. This is a perk that can easily be countered by stronger magic, aura, or nemesis elements. ? Note: A Primary essory doesnt take a slot, just as Hex Items. It is meant to be an item used in conjunction with the users fighting style as well as providing support in various ways. ? ? ? ? ? Well, this is pretty much made for you, Rakna snorted. You can take it as well. via was hesitant to take all of it for herself but when she saw that everyone agreed, she nodded and put on the gloves, which instantly glowed and flooded her body with energy. She breathed in at the pleasant feeling and smiled. Thank you. Anyway, lets explore the area, Rakna followed up. If we dont find anything of notice, well just fly up and try to find a town or something. Before that, lets try to get everyone to level 50 if we can at least. Then Ill go with via to the 13th, where a Dungeon, called Maries Tomb is located. whose tomb? Themia blinked several times. Well coincidence, I guess. Marie is even a name you gave yourself, the therian shrugged. Come on, man, thats a g if Ive ever seen one, An deadpanned. But whatever. I think Ill go to ck Steel with herter anyway. Well seeter if we split up. For now, lets go on a hunt. It is finally time to try that out, Rakna said with a meaningful tone as he looked at Pronos who tilted his head perplexingly. ? * * * ? Rakna impaled the leg of arge monkey-like monster that they had encountered whilst exploring the dark woods. They hade at them in numbers but their strength was barely reaching the thirties level-wise. They were made quick work of and were tied up by Rakna and Nyx with chains made out of their respective elements. Okay, little guy, if it works, then the longer you maintain it, the harder itll be for you, Rakna began as he stood in front of a struggling monkey. Heres how this is going to go. You will use your magic then Ill kill it instantly after to waste the less time possible. Got it? Pronos nodded seriously and the others watched in wonder as Rakna proceeded to grasp the head of the creature. His arm started releasing cold mist and the monkey began to lose its awareness ever so slowly. Rakna squinted, his eyes keeping a check on the status of the monster every second. After a short while and when the monsters eyelids were closed, he opened his mouth, Now. Pronos eyes shone blue and green and an infinity circle epassed the monster in the blink of an eye. The symbol then spun and expanded at once before vanishing right before Rakna extended his ws and pierced the creatures brain. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.46 (29) Dark Wood Primate killed. Your level is too high; no experience gained. ? ? ? ? ? Everyone in the party also got the notification and a share of the experience and all of them were shocked to see what was stated in it. Wait a goddamn second, what did you just do? An couldnt help asking. The little guy used Infinity Magic to alter a numerical value, Rakna replied matter-of-factly. In this case, he upped the level of the target. Though it probably was just superficial. But it still tricked the System into giving us experience matching a level 46 mob instead of a level 29. Damn, thats nuts. Agreed, Marie nodded. Im almost jealous that I do not have a pet snake like him almost. So, how hard was it? Rakna asked the little snake who reacted with an unruffled expression. Its not too heavy on mana? The therian followed up and Pronos shook his head. Hm, perhaps it was easy because your level was higher than what you increased it to. Well have to experiment on that like before, but for now lets wrap this up, he dered as he nced at the remaining primates squirming under the magic bindings. ? * * * ? For the three hours that followed, the party explored the woods, which never seemed to end. They encountered many Wilden on the way, some weaker or stronger, and as Pronos began to get more and more used to altering levels, whilst getting his refill of mana from Raknas reverse application of Soul Drain, they slowly but surely reached level 50. Finally! Anined. Everywhere I look is just trees, trees, monkeys, and trees. Im going crazy; everything looks the same and we even havent found some sort of special structure. Wait but how do we leave the teau without getting to the Pavilion? Nyx asked. Well, we can just use my- Rakna paused and blinked a few times. Alexa, quick question, when I use my Badge to jump between teaus, can I bring other people with me? [Negative.] His eyebrow twitched. Right that was a miscalction from my part, he uttered ultimately and the group looked at him with a wry look. An sighed tiredly. Isnt this the moment where your freaky luck is supposed to hit us like bam! problem solved! kinda way? Rakna scowled irritatingly. Why would that even be a thin- He was interrupted once more as he heard growls and steps approaching from inside the forest. He was the only one to hear them since they were still a bit far from the party and his senses were far above theirs. But the most important thing was that he was instinctively aware of what those growls belonged to. An, he said with an oddly resigned voice which confused the blond a bit. What? The fact that you were technically not wrong is really grating my nerves, the therian voiced with an aloof tone, and An let out a Eh? whilst blinking. So, I hope you wont mention it again, for both myself and you. The brawler was downright mystified but if there was one thing he knew, it was to never piss his childhood friend off and he was already discerning the first signs of it. So, he did the only thing he could do to avoid, Im deeply sorry for whatever I did. Rakna grunted and looked over his shoulder as everyone finally started hearing the noises closing in from within the forest. After a short moment, arge ck wolf leaped at them. Chapter 158: Kings Chapter 158: Kings That is a pretty handy Title you have, Nyxmented as the entire group was riding a pack of wolves, who were happily carrying them to the closest town after Rakna had ordered them to do so since they knew the area. He had only needed to re his Aura for the split of a second for them to bow down to him. The authority of Wolf King had done its magic and they all had submitted to hismand. Rakna grunted in affirmation and sniffed the air once. We arrived it seems, he suddenly said and the wolves stopped running. The Alpha of the pack, thergest one who was leading the march turned around with an almost wagging tail and pointed forward with his paw. Does that mean its close? via tilted her head as she elegantly jumped down from one of the wolves backs. The Alpha barked once with a nod at her question. He probably doesnt want to get closer. Any kind of settlement would be wary of a pack of wolves approaching, if not directly hostile, Rakna said as the group disembarked. He whistled once and the wolves howled in response before scattering inside the forest. Damn, if we ever get to a teau full of wolves, youd be invincible there, Anmented and they all started walking in the direction pointed by the Alpha. Higure chuckled. {Hes not wrong. Youre a King, after all.} About that, Rakna replied mentally. I even heard Tairen say it. Does having this Title implies more than what it appears? {Ah, yes. I can see why you would be confused. The Kings are actually an organization. Before you misunderstand, its not something like Guilds or Parties. It is purely an agreement between people just like the Church and the Basilica. Essentially, the Kings are all holders of the same type of Title as you do. They generally do not act together unless they reach a consensus. They are very feared for their capacity to create armies in the blink of an eye. Theirbined might, along with their affiliated factions or subordinates make them a top force in the entire System.} {For instance, to my knowledge, amongst their ranks, they have the Avian King, the Fox King, the Goblin King, the Dragon King, the Phoenix King, and the Cat King. These were the most famous back then. Last I was alive, the Kings only counted 18 members and none of them was a Wolf King. Who knows, you might get invited into their ranks one day.} Rakna raised an eyebrow. Can there only be one of each? Am I the only Wolf King? {Hm, yes and no. To be exact, there can only be one True Wolf King. And for now, you still are too weak to be considered one. Youre only a Fledgling King. But you have the chance to evolve into a True King. But its not an easy thing to do or else there would be hundreds of Kings roaming around. I, myself, was a potential one but never managed to be a true one.} Interesting. Alexa, do you know if there is a True Wolf King currently? [There is not. Since Higure Mios death, the Kings got new four members while two of them died. This brings their count to 20. The new members were the Shark King, the Elephant King, the Tiger King, and the Griffon King.] So, on all ounts, I should be able to be one then, Rakna said thoughtfully. {Oh? Has it be one of your objectives now?} The lioness asked. Rather, joining the ranks of the Kings would give me an even better footing in the System. As Gray said, my situation paints a target on my back. If I were to reveal myself as a Nine-Tailed Werewolf, Id prefer to have the backing of more than just the Throne of Glory. {Hm, understandable.} Rakna ended the conversation there as his party finally reached their destination after getting past thest foliage and trees that separated them from the town. Said town was predictably very in tune with the environment. First of all, it was surrounded by a decently big wooden fortification with watchtowers that went up past the forests roof of leaves. The housings from what he could make out were mostly built inside the trees trunks and were connected with numerous hanging bridges. But what caught his attention the most was the habitants. All of them had a varying shade of green as their hair and eye color. Their skin was simrly greenish but its paleness varied and would asionally be such that the color couldnt be discerned. Some of them had some kind of woven wood that they wore as clothes and flowers in between the strands of their hair. Their ears were also very long; even longer than what Rakna had seen with the dark elves. [Nymphs,] Alexa spoke up. [This is a vige of Nymphs. They are beings tied to these woods. From my database, the people from your would often describe Dryads in this way,] she said as Higure transmitted her words to the rest of the group. The lioness had taken the role of medium with her telepathy whenever she saw fit to do so. The others were a bit surprised to hear the AI so suddenly but quickly began to listen. Hm, there are many types of Nymphs, Nyx remarked. Dryads are, in fact, just one of them. Races of Nymphs depend on what they are tied to. For Dryads, it is Oaks, and they are generally the most powerful and long-lived. However, these should be Ilice Nymphs. Before anyonemented on her words, a voice came from the top of the wall of the vige, Hey, down there! Who are you? They looked at the source to find a male Ilice overlooking them carefully. Hosts, Rakna replied curtly and loud enough for him to hear. Wed like to get to a Pavilion. Do you have any in your vige? Ah, you guys just arrived in the Dark Woods then, the man nodded understandingly. It seemed that it wasnt the first time this happened. Well power down the anti-aerial array and then youll be able to fly in. Behave yourself while in here or else well have a problem, he said sternly as he waved behind at what was most likely his fellow guards. And yes, we have a Pavilion branch here. You can stay as long as you want. Shortly after he said that, Rakna noticed something flickering in the air before disappearing. That was probably the so-called anti-aerial array I see. It makes sense since most people seem capable of flight. That wall wouldnt do much if there wasnt that sort of barrier, he thought and beckoned his group to follow as he used sh Step to calmly reach the top of the wall. When everyone was inside the vige, the Nymph walked up to them. My names Fnieravi. Im in charge of the security here, he said and pointed somewhere inside the vige. There were a lot fewer trees than outside but there still some that obstructed the view. To get to our Pavilion, all you need is go straight in that direction and youll eventually get to ake. From there, turn to your right and you should be able to find it. Rakna nodded. Thanks. No problem. As long as you dont make trouble, well happily wee you. Last warning; do not damage any trees in the vige and stay out of the air, well reactivate the anti-air barrier soon. Got it. Lets go, the therian waved at his group and casually jumped off the wall. He blurred out of sight whilst still in midair and reappeared on the ground where a few Nymphs nced at him before returning to their routine. When everyone else joined him, he was already strolling through the vige with his hands in his pockets. Its peaceful here, via said as she greeted a woman passing by. I agree, Marie said. Its so different. I never even thought Id be able to see this kind of scenery until a day ago, she added with a soft sigh. Well, there is plenty more to see, An said with a smile. You definitely wont get bored if it. {Haha, that is for sure!} Fray suddenly joined in through telepathy. {I am sure you would love it on the 245th teau. It is called the Cascading Ocean of Jormun. It is the home of countless reptile races, Lamias included.} Why Cascading? Evelyn asked curiously. The storyteller chuckled. {Why now. I should not spoil the surprise. You will see it in due time.} Rakna snorted at that as they circled one of therge trees in the vige. They quickly arrived near theke mentioned by Fniera and he activated his Cross Sight to look to his right where he spotted the massive conundrum of dimensions that the Pavilion was. When they got there, they noted it was significantly less crowded than what they were used to see; evidently because of the smaller poption of the vige. When they entered, they saw that the receptionist was also a Nymph. Uh, so I guess the Pavilion hires people locally too? An uttered. So it would seem, Rakna responded. I will be going upstairs for a moment. What about you? If you dont mind, Ill go back to ck Steel with Marie, the blond said. Sure. What about you, girls? The therian turned toward the rest. I was nning on going with via to the 13th but its not like I will be able to help her since there is a secret that she needs to find solo. At least, thats what was I told. via mused. Its all right I can go there alone. So, if I understand correctly, there is something in that Dungeon suited for my Path, right? Rakna nodded. My shopkeep told me so. She also told me there will be magic-resistant enemies there so be careful. All right. Ill go there and search for it. If I ask around, I should be able to find someone who knows where it is. Um, if its not too much trouble, I would also like to go somewhere, Evelyn said and when Rakna tilted his head at her, she meekly scratched her cheek. I saw something that could help me earlier when we walked in this vige, I would like to go check it out. Rakna considered it for a moment before tossing Sonata to her. Go. Take it. She caught it with a wry smile. Im sorry; that you always need to give it to me. Its nothing, he shrugged. To be honest, I think I have an idea how to get around that problem. Really? Yes. But I would have to talk it out a bit more with Higure and my cksmithing teacher, Rakna exined without borating and looked at Nyx. And you? The former goddess shrugged. I dont have anything to do so Ill stick around. Are you going to the Shop by any chance? She asked and he nodded. Then, Ill follow you. Okay, Rakna nodded and nced at his pets. Hm, Tyran, go with via. Try to see if you can get inside the Dungeon with her even without being her pet. If were lucky, you might count as a sort of helper in the Dungeon. If not, wait for her outside. In either case, protect her well. The little Asura bobbed his head and jumped in vias arms who smiled gratefully at her former student, feeling moved by his care. Now then, lets meet up this afternoon or in the evening. Have fun. At those words, the party separated into three groups and went to leave for their respective destinations. Chapter 159: Dungeon Tear Chapter 159: Dungeon Tear When via came out of the Portal of the Pavilion, she stretched her limbs a bit and Tyran made himselffortable on her head. She giggled at the small Dreorins actions. I guess Rakna doesnt let you do that with him, does he? Gao~ The small undead made a sound of mock hurt and nodded exaggeratedly. Hehe, well, he moves a lot when he fights and Im sure hes a bit embarrassed even though he would never admit that it is one of the reasons, she said with a fond smile before exiting the room and the Pavilion. She lifted her hand to cover her face from the sun and promptly used her wind magic to fan the warm air away. She looked around at the town which was overall the same as the one in the 10th. It was just a tad bigger and some buildings seemed moreplex and made with more materials. via stopped looking around and focused on her digital map. She purchased the data for this teau, which she observed was at least twice as expensive as the one of the 10th teau, and tried to look for Maries Dungeon but to no avail. As expected, even after buying it, it doesnt appear on the map since its a structure affected by the Reset, she sighed to herself while walking down the streets. Lets see that man told us that if we wanted to find mappers, we could look for them in the outskirts of a town She muttered. Five minutester, she was walking around the outer edge of the town when she finally spotted a man wearing a white desert cloak sitting on a pliable chair whilst reading something on some sort of holographic tablet. She then noticed that his location was blinking on her map; something that her AI had told her Hosts and Locals could do if they wanted to. It was a feature that enabled the System to mark their position on others maps. Generally, it was used as a way to send distress signals or get someones attention. via approached the man but kept her distance. Um, excuse me? She tentatively said and the man raised his head. Half of his face was covered by a mask and he also had his hood on. She could only see his eyes that were shockingly unicolor. His pupils and irises had no distinction from one another and were of the exact same sky blue. Those eyes brieflynded on Tyran before locking on her. It was quite unnerving in her opinion. customer? He asked with a grunt. via blinked. So, I was correct to assume you are a mapper? The man hummed positively. Sort of are you looking for somewhere specific? A Dungeon. One called Maries Tomb. Ah that one. It is recurrent, he muttered indifferently. I mapped it yesterday. Youre lucky; its just about two hundred miles away from this town. Ill give it to you for 2 500 Talys. via nodded. Im fine with that, the moment she said that a System window appeared on which an exchange agreement was presented to her. She epted and her map was updated along with the slight decrease in her bnce. Thank you. Ill be on my way now, she said and didnt wait any further to fly off with her telekinesis. The man watched her gradually get smaller in the sky and squinted his shadowed eyes. There is a powerful smell on her who does it belong to? He mumbled. And that beast an Asura? He looked away from the horizon and stood up with a huff. He grabbed his chair and folded it. He put it under his arm. Well, not my business, he whispered and started walking away. A random passerby happened to nce at him at that exact moment but his eyes were blinded for a second because of the sun and when he barred the light with his hand, no one was there. ? * * * ? When via reached the waypoint on her map, she was faced with an oval-shaped hole in space hovering above ground releasing a dim light. She inspected it with a raised eyebrow. What is this? Kei. [Answer; this is a Dungeon Tear. Also called Instance Dungeon. It will transport you to a separated dimension made exclusively for the Dungeon, much like Simtion Trials.] The Chaos Witch hummed at her AIs exnation, which she couldnt help butpare to Alexa again in how thetter sounded significantly more human and warmer. Difference between Potential values, huh? She thought to herself before reaching for the tear. The usual prompt telling her to choose a difficulty appeared and before she selected any, she grabbed Tyran and hugged him close. Kei, is there any risk for Tyran if I go in like this? [Negative. The being known as Tyrannos Mors will not be harmed by the Tear.] Then lets hope you go together with me, she uttered and chose the normal difficulty. The entrance of the Dungeon then swallowed her in the blink of an eye and closed itself from other challengers until she came out. ? * * * ? Ow via groaned and rubbed her back. She had been transferred in midair and since she was taken off guard, she failed to stop her fall in time. She stood up and looked around intriguingly. She was surrounded by a vast cemetery sitting under a grayed sky. Her eyes drifted to the many tombstones before she remembered something. Ah, Tyran! She eximed and spun on one foot before she heard a familiar cry from below. Gao! The little Asura was standing right next to her legs. via crouched to his level and started patting him with a smile. So, it worked after all. I wonder if this still counts as me being alone? Oh well, I guess well see. Though, Kei, any idea why he was able toe with me in the first ce? [Hypothesis; the being known as Tyrannos Mors is an undead, not a pet. It has a master; the one who raised him after his death. But it does not technically bind him and he is independent for the most part if we do not take his loyalty to Rakna Xiorra into consideration. Conclusion; the Dungeon must have considered him as your pet when you entered together.] Hm? So, wait. Does that mean Tyran could be my actual pet? Like Pronos is to Rakna? [Affirmative.] via mused for a second before smiling. She extended her hand toward the fledgling Asura and he cocked his head to the side. What do you think? From what I heard; Hosts can only have one pet at a given time. Its not like Im stealing you from Rakna. So, will you be my pet? Or would you prefer Evelyn or Nyx? Tyran seemed to be pondering before he let out a cry. ? ? ? ? ? Undead Tyrannosaurus Asura Rex, Tyrannos Mors, wishes to be your contracted pet. ? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? via let out a chuckle and epted the inquiry. Ill count on you from now on, she said and the little Asura cried out with a nod. With that out of the way She trailed off while standing up and turned toward a sepulcher in the distance; by far thergest structure in the cemetery. I suppose thats our next objective, she muttered and Tyran jumped on her head again. He scrutinized the cemetery with a serious demeanor as via approached the sepulcher whilst keeping herself clear from the tombstones. The Asura had been ordered to protect and thats what he was going to do. Even more now she was his second master. When via reached the housed grave, she carefully tried to open its door. She twisted the knob but it stopped halfway. Locked She whispered then Tyran abruptly growled and jumped off. She instantly turned around to where her newly contracted pet had already expanded himself to a height of three meters. She quickly understood why he had had that reaction when she witnessed the earth in front of one of the tombstones moving. Soon after, a hand emerged and she blinked in surprise. It didnt stop there; at almost every other grave in the cemetery, the same thing happened and humanoid monsters slowly crawled out from underground. via raised an eyebrow. Zombies? She muttered then took a closer look at them. They did look like corpses with torn clothes but their skin looked extremely glossy. It was as if they were made of stic. She promptly user her Scan, which was close to max level, and looked through the status that popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Age: | Level: 50 Race: Zombie Doll Affiliation: Maries Dungeon ? Attributes: STR: 35 | END: 50 SPD: 10 | DEX: 5 INT: 1 | LCK: 0.1 ? Statistics: STA: 150/150 | MP: 10/10 SWI: 22 | AGI: 20 SEN: 82.5 | ATC: 101.1 ATT: 180 | DEF: 240.5 MA: 3 | MR: 0.01 ? Proficiencies: C Tracking (Lv.4) C Mana Control (Lv.1) C Mana Sense (Lv.1) ? Magic Skills: C None. ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv. Ex ?) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv. Ex ?) C Aura (Lv.1) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Physical Limit Break (Lv. Max) C Reinforcement (Lv.1) ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Fatigue Immunity C Pain Immunity C Fear Immunity C Enhanced Hearing ? Conditional Ability: ? Maries Protection: The monsters of Maries Dungeon will be given at all times a 99% effective barrier from all types of magic. Most spells will fizzle out upon contact and others that are weaker will fail to be cast in the first ce if their target is a holder of this ability. ? ? ? ? ? I see So, this is this Dungeons particrity. A Condition Ability Rakna might be interested to know about this. Still, level 50 sounds pretty high for the normal setting of a Dungeon on the 13th floor She muttered and waved Tyran down, who was about to charge into the zombies midst. It would have undeniably ended up into a one-sided ughter considering how physically powerful he was. Wait, let me try a few things on them first, she said and released a part of her mana. It coalesced into an arc of green light in front of her as the wind picked up. Her eyes flickered and the spell wasunched at the closest zombie that was about to break into a sprint. The instant it was about to hit its target, the wind construct was silently dispelled into hundreds of small particles as if it had self-destructed. As expected, via muttered but didnt stop her movements. How about this then? She muttered with calm curiosity. She pointed her hand at the zombie and tried to snap its neck with telekinesis. Though as she had predicted, the creature was able to resist. She applied more force on other spots and watched as the zombie was forced to slow down until it copsed on the ground when she immobilized its legs. She did the same for the rest of the zombies and scowled at the expenditure on her spirit. This is definitely not the way to go, shemented and waved her hands at two tombstones nearby and with a spin of her wrists, her telekinesis yanked them out of the ground. Lets see how you fare against this, she uttered and controlled her Nirvana Skill in a way that she hadnt had the asion to test a lot. With a single thought, the tombstones were suddenly turned into spikes after half of their matter being ground into fine powder. Using telekinesis on small parts of the surface of the material in quick session to break it apart She reiterated the process to herself and smirked before flicking her hands onest time. The spikes flew with incredible speed, being boosted by telekinesis to the maximum point where she was able to keep it under control. She saw the two spikes pierce the heads of two zombies and kill them instantly as the notifications sounded. Well enough experimenting, she said and the greatsword Rakna had forged for her appeared in her hand. After her statement, the zombies she was holding down with her invisible grasp were freed. She raised her sword with telekinesis and gravity boosting her every movement. Tyran, she called with a smile and the Dreorin nced at her with a curious eye. Go wild. The Asura grinned and turned into the biggest version of himself. He roared at the wave of dolls closing in and kicked the ground; his four legs giving him more stability and agility than any other T. Rex could have. He stomped on the first zombie and tore through its defenses in one go, effectively squashing it to death before he set his sights on the next one. via followed after him and cleaved through the monsters with the terrifying force her telekinesis gave her whilst keeping herself airborne. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, a figure cloaked in white light was watching everything through some sort of mirror with an intent gaze. You will be perfect, it whispered. Chapter 160: Resurfaced Chapter 160: Resurfaced Lets see I think it was around here, Evelyn muttered to herself whilst ambling in the Nymphs town. She spent a few minutes searching for what she had seen earlier and her eyes finallynded on a certain shop built around and within one of the trees of the vige. She promptly floated up to it, making sure to not get too far from the ground, andnded outside the shop. She curiously stepped inside after checking the front banner again and looked around at the empty hall. She mused and leaned over a few disying shelves. I knew it She mumbled and carefully used a finger to prod a leaf of one of the many nts that were being disyed there. There was a nametag below that read Meragore. She stepped back from it and inspected a few others. These are all alchemy ingredients, she thought. I never had the time to properly study the secrets of the Jill family but it wouldnt hurt to start now, she contemted and nced at the T.9 spatial ring she was wearing. She had gone back to her house after via had helped her get it and filled it with every research material that belonged to both her parents and the Jill. Anything to help Rakna Hm? Are you interested in buying something, young miss? An elderly voice jolted her out of her thoughts. She turned around startled and gazed into the eyes of a tall old woman wearing a purple and white robe. Her wrinkles were noticeable but she stood straight without any apparent difficulty and even her hair was still a vibrant green. It seemed that the aging process was a lot more merciful on Nymphspared to humans. Ah! Im so sorry, I touched the reagents here without your permission! Evelyn hastily apologized. Dont fret, the olddy replied calmly and put down the vase she was carrying in her arms on a small table next to her. She closed the door leading to the back shop and went to her counter. So? Is there anything I can help you with? I dont see demonic species in here very often. Evelyn first blinked in surprise before taking on a bitter smile. You can tell? Im a Nymph. Of course, I can discern the impurities of your energies, she said and leaned over her counter with azy demeanor. Youre a Phantom with demonic lineage perhaps? Mhm Im part subus The olddy seemed to have noticed the small difort on the cambions face and waved her handfortingly. I am just pointing it out, young miss. Do not feel alienated. I have nothing against demon folk. Why dont you tell me why youre here instead? As you can see, I sell medicinal herbs and alchemical reagents. Are you looking for something in particr? Evelyn scratched her cheek embarrassed. Actually Im not really sure. I just came here to have a look. I n to study alchemy in the near future, so thats why The old nymph hummed. Do you have any idea of which youre going to be at least? Which? She replied in confusion. There are three different types of alchemists. Concocters, Transmuters, and Chimerers. Chimerers? The subus tilted her head. I can understand the first two but what is that one? Essentially? Alchemists that mess around with lifeforms. They engineer chimeras to life and even modify their own bodies. I see Is it not possible to develop on all branches? The olddy scoffed. You can try if you want. Each of them requires amplemitment. Lets say you practice the sword and the bow at the same time, there are chances you would lose against a proficient user of either, wouldnt you think so? In retrospect, you could also say that only the highest order of geniuses is exempt from that rule. Are you one of those perhaps? Evelyn smiled faintly. No I dont think Im that kind of genius, she said and nudged her ring for it to materialize a book in her hand. She flipped a few pages and nodded. I was only taught the very basics of alchemy by my family I think Im more of a Concocter, with a bit of transmutation mixed with it. The nymph blinked. A mix, huh? Hm Your family must be quite something. The only families of alchemists I know daring enough to teach a mix of specializations to their young generations are those with more than a millennium of ancestries like the Astaros or the Jills. Evelyn grimaced at the mention of the Jills and the olddy didnt fail to notice it. Interesting She muttered and straightened herself. You said you wanted to learn, right? Eh? The subus was momentarily startled by the sudden shift of topic. Um, yes I did. I was nning on buying a few basic herbs and start working on the notes left by my parents. The old woman smiled. Then how about working here for a few days? I dont mind teaching you the fundamentals of concocting and transmutation if you want. I believe Im quite an aplished alchemist in my own right and I assure you wont find many races out there better at alchemy than us nymphs. Really? Evelyn perked up. Yes, the nymph let out a crooked grin. For the right price. since when people have to pay their employer? Lets call it a package deal. I dont think it works like that. Pff, semantics. Evelyn ultimately epted and cried a few tears for her wallet. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, a couple exited the Pavilion of ck Steel and one of them promptly gushed at the sight of the technologically advancedndscape. Marie skipped over the streets and looked around at the hovering vehicles and the people passing by. Her eyes lingered on the incredibly tall skyscrapers that filled ck Steel for quite a long time. An chuckled softly at her behavior. It could almost make him forget that she was a former Boss as well as a viciously powerfulmia. Well, where do you want to go first? Marie shot him a nk look after poking a car parked on the side of the road. How would I know? right. My bad. But its not like Im very knowledgeable about ck Steel either. Though I heard about an amusement park and arge artificial beach that are quite popr, the blond mused as he opened his map and swiped it. Well, why dont we just get a meal for now? That doesnt sound bad, themia said with a smile. I wonder how advanced food tastes like. Thus, a dozen minutester, the two found themselves in a sort of oriental restaurant where Marie giddily ordered a steak several steaks actually, whilst humming a happy tune. An sweatdropped. Well, snakes are carnivores, arent they? He thought. Now that I think about it; this cant be the first time youre eating, right? Did you even have food in your Dungeon? At that, themia pursed her lips and looked away uneasily. Um no. But asionally, some meals woulde to me you know? Wait, An spent a few seconds processing that. He came to a conclusion that he really hoped was wrong and when Marie saw his continuously worsening expression, she apparently caught on and frantically waved her hands. No! I didnt eat the Hosts, okay?! Dont misunderstand! Its just that sometimes, well, they would themselves bring food along or they would have pets, she admitted with a bit of shame. An sighed in relief. Thank god. Well, its not like I would have med you but it would have been kinda awkward if you had eaten humans. Marie let out a chuckle. To be honest, I didnt even need to eat in the first ce. Every time the Dungeon would reset, my existence was as well. In other words, the System would make it so that my satiety was always at its peak. Thats why I only tasted some of my preys out of rarity. I barely did it once or twice. I realized that Im not that good of cook anyway, so I stopped. Hahaha you dont say, Anughed wryly. You probably didnt have many utensils for it. As they chatted, their orders arrived and three waiters had toe in order to put down the eight tes of meat in front of themia. They looked oddly at her expression that lit up like a bulb and retreated to the kitchens. Marie didnt hesitate further and dug into her meal. The second she put the fork in her mouth, the fat of the meat melted in her mouth and a bomb of vors exploded. Wha-wha-what is this!? How is it so good?! She shouted with a flushed face. Her outburst startled the customers in the restaurant and they stared at her dumbfounded as she wolfed down her food. Is this some kind of spell?! She uttered with her mouth full and An burst outughing. This woman she switches from mature to a ten-year-old mentality in an instant, hemented inwardly and watched her. Not gonna lie thats cute as heck. As he was thinking that, he blinked as he saw and heard a droplet of water fall on the table. Marie had slowed down her eating and tears were freely cascading down her cheeks. The blond instantly became worried. Hey, are you alright? Was there something in there you didnt like? Themia chuckled despite her tears and wiped them away. She shook her head. No of course not, you idiot. It just hit me I never properly thought about it until now but Im free, arent I? She asked with a shaking and almost frail voice. Ans eyes widened a bit before softening. Yes that you are. ? * * * ? Once the two were done eating, they immediately went on to continue their visit. The second ce they went to was an arcade shop that featured hundreds of games that even An and his gaming passion found unique and entertaining. Damn, I definitely need to bring Rak here, he said as they exited the shop. Him? Here? Why? Marie retorted with a genuinely confused expression. Haha well, you wouldnt be able to tell with the kind of temper that he has but that guy enjoys video games even more than I do. Hed have a field trip in here. Though his face would probably stay the same no matter how much he wins, he said with a bitter smile. And the worst is that hes freakishly good! I basically never won against him. Can you imagine the feeling when someone with that face tells you I won without either happiness or satisfaction over and over again? Its scarring, he uttered and shivered unconsciously. Marie giggled at his narration and they resumed their stroll through ck Steel. A short momentter, while they were passing by a small za, they noticed arge crowd and even heard several gapsing from the people around. What are they doing? An scowled at the oddly serious atmosphere and quickly spotted the cause of the crowd. It was arge holographic screen set up in the middle of the za. He obviously directed his sight in that direction and froze on the spot. Whats wrong? Marie also stopped walking. Is there a show going on? She asked and looked at the screen in wonder. The images that were disyed were seemingly from a news channel and the second she figured that out; the sound of the broadcast reached her ears. | As you can see, the Nine-Tailed Wolf that gained the recognition of the poption a few days ago, Obsidian, has finally resurfaced! He is now meeting with the mayor along with a new Host named Rakna Xiorra whom he has identified as his sole disciple! | eh? Chapter 161: Jealousy Chapter 161: Jealousy Back to the time where the group separated, Rakna and Nyx went up to the private section of the Pavilion together. When they arrived at the double doors of the shop, they nodded at each other, wordlessly agreeing to separate, and stepped inside. When the doors closed behind Rakna, he was already gazing at the figure of Kaelith calmly sitting at a table while eating a meal. are you going to be doing something different every time I get in or what? He uttered and the vixen snickered as she swallowed a spoon of her soup. What? I have a life too, you know. Or are you saying I should rather starve myself for the sake of attending to you? She quipped with overflowing mischief. I see that you got your fourth tail too. Congrattions, wolfy, she added. Rakna hummed whilst catching a glimpse of his wagging tails, of which he couldnt really control the movements if he didnt pay attention. Instead, they would simply just wave around because of muscr impulses. So, whats your business today? Kaelith asked as she elegantly wiped her mouth. Rakna took a seat and shrugged. Truthfully, not much. Oh~ The fox smirked. So, basically, you missed me so bad that you couldnt help yourself. I see. Dont worry, I understand. Its perfectly natural to yearn for one such as me- Not really, Rakna deadpanned and her eyebrow twitched at his perfect apathy. If anyone, the only person Im missing the most is Lana. I should go visit her now that I think about it. Her Trial should be over in a few days Lana? Kaelith oddly locked onto that name. What is this absolutely irritating feeling? She said to herself with an invisible scowl. Jealousy? Pfff! As if! She almostughed at the idea. But then the amusement died as she watched her customers pensive expression softening quite radically. Shes the one in charge of my bank for now. An adorable creature, that girl. Kaeliths lips twitched and the feeling returned full force. crap, it is. She groaned internally and stood up to clean her tableware. She walked to the counter and put everything down there. Anyway! She raised her voice. You said not much, right? So, there is something at least. What is it? Hmm, Rakna droned and opened his palm. Kaelith reflexively looked at it and in a sh of light, a box with markings on it, releasing an oddly oppressing aura, appeared. The vixen froze on the spot. Her mouth opened and closed in shock and her hand unwillingly extended forward whilst trembling. W-wolfy Is that what I think it is? Heavenly Chaos Box, the therian replied nonchntly and Kaeliths lips became dry. Where did you even get that?! The Tenth. The Tenth teau?! Are we even in the same System you and me?! Why didnt I find these sorts of stuff before? She just couldnt believe it. What had she been doing during her first years? So, I assume this is worth a lot? Worth a lot?! Priceless, you mean! She retorted with a huff before sitting down again. If I were to auction it, how much would I get? Kaelith raised an eyebrow. Honestly? Over 100 billion Talys. Guilds would gather their funds for something like that. You have no idea how convenient it is to choose what kind of item you get from those boxes. Whats even better is, as long as someone with decent luck opens them, theyre often Red or Gold. Seems like the annoying prick really did give something good, Raknamented ndly Well, its not like I hadnt already noticed that, he added as an afterthought as he nced at the sleeping Pronos around his neck. The pills that his pets had gotten and Evelyns Blink were without a doubt very valuable. {Obviously!} Fray said from inside his mind, unfazed by being called an annoying prick. {My Fate Magic is capable of a lot of things if the conditions are right. Thisst tale that I wrote before my death had enough power to create as many Heavenly Chaos Boxes as you could desire.} Really? Then why didnt you give me more back then? {Well its simply because my tale had a minor precondition for the rewards. You could not just demand a certain number. It was a box for each. If you hade with a hundred people, then a hundred boxes would have been offered. But then again, you wouldnt have been able to get in my array with so many people regardless since it would have shed against the setting of my tale.} I see. Its a shame, Rakna responded and juggled with the box a bit. Ah! Stop doing that! Kaelith shouted nervously. Do you know how heart-wrenching it is to see someone y around with something so precious in front of my eyes? Rakna shrugged and she cursed under her breath. Im asking just in case but you wouldnt be willing to sell it to our n, would you? She asked tentatively. The Nine-Tailed n wouldnt need a lot of convincing if I told them about it. No, Rakna ultimately said and put the box back in his storage. you did it on purpose, didnt you? The vixen groused. You just wanted to see me freak out, didnt you? You never had any intention to sell it, did you? Thats half the reason. Kaelith put on an expressionless face and wordlessly started nibbling on a piece of cake she had put aside for her dessert. I swear Ill get you for this someday She muttered. Rakna snorted. In all seriousness, I prefer to know the value of what I own. At least, now I can take it into ount if I ever need money in the future, he admitted once he was satisfied with his daily dose of teasing. Also, it would be appreciated if you didnt tell anyone about this. Tch, cheeky brat, she grumbled. Now, tell me the real reason youre here. This, the werewolf brought something else from his ring. This time, it was a skill card. Its called the Stone Eye. It apparently works best with a duplicate but I dont have it. Do you sell it here? Stone Eye? Kaelith pondered that name for a moment before opening her own system. She typed a few lines on a keyboard that only she could see and then got her results. Ah, yes. I knew I heard about it somewhere. Its kind of popr but its rare. It only appears in two ces. Grit Castle and the Canyon of Delusion on the 345th teau. I guess you got that one from the former? Yes. Honestly, wolfy, with the luck you showed me to have, it would probably be better for you to farm that Dungeon until you get a second one, she said. There arent a lot of entries for Stone Eye. All of the ones put on sale by Hosts cost around a million Talys. Additionally, your discount will not work on items sold by other Hosts. Rakna cleared his throat. Right. Unfortunately, thats not an option anymore. Huh? What is? I cannot farm Grit Castle. Why? If youre worried about the Angels, I can give you a- Its gone, Rakna interrupted her. what? The Dungeon. Its gone. Destroyed. Vanished. Poof. Kaelith promptly raised her hand. Wait a second are you telling me that a Dungeon, something that is nearly indestructible and under the Systems categorical protection has been destroyed? Yes. She took a deep breath. I feel like Im going to regret asking this but are you the culprit? Yes. Kaelith covered her face with one hand and used the other one to wave dismissively at Rakna. The second she did that, a system window popped up in front of him with a small list containing the Stone Eye skill cards currently on sale. Rakna silently selected the cheapest one; 950 000 Talys. Since he didnt have enough money in his bnce, a smaller prompt notified him that he could connect to his bank ount, which he easily did after inputting his credentials. When he was done and the itemnded in his storage, he looked up to see a sullen-looking vixen sipping on a cup of whisky. At least, he thought it looked like whisky. Youre done? She asked and he nodded. Good. I guess asking you how you destroyed a Dungeon should be what I have to do now, right? Why do you sound so irate about it? Because that means Id give you even more satisfaction out of my distress. Hm. Then, Ill spare you. Lets just say its a long story. Kaelith snorted at that and leaned back with her arms crossed. Sure. Lets go with that. I think Ill just tag along with you one of these days. I need to see with my own eyes how in the hell you keep both getting yourself in trouble and reaping rewards that can make rankers salivate. The corners of Raknas lip imperceptibly twitched upward. You would be wee, he said and stood up with his hands in his pockets. So, youre going to visit your dear Lana now? Kaelith inquired with a certain edge hidden under her usual yful tone. It didnt pass unnoticed by Rakna but even with his uncanny awareness, he was a bit confused. Especially since he could smell a high dose of nervousness and irritation. I suppose, he nheless replied with a shrug. Nyx should also be waiting. purely out of curiosity, how many women are there among your friends? He paused for a second to think about it. If you count Lana 6? Well, its more like 5 plus a horny cat. Then, theres you. Uh uh all right. You can go now, she replied and after a quick parting, she was alone in her shop again. She clicked her tongue and reached for the bottle on the table. She poured herself a second cup and downed it all at once. Really what is even good about that rude wolf? She grumbled to herself in silence. I need to consult mom about this, she muttered to herself and disappeared from the shop. ? * * * ? Did you wait long? Rakna asked as he spotted Nyx waiting by the door. She shook her head with her usual coolness. No. Its not been long since we went inside anyway. True. You said you were going to the bank after this, right? Yes. Earlier I just wanted to pay a visit to someone but now my bnce is down to zero. You can only withdraw money there apparently and I cant ess my ount if Im outside of the Pavilion so its best if I take some with me. I see. That would be judicious indeed. After exchanging this small talk, they walked down the Pavilions corridor infortable silence and when they were about to open the door to the bank, Rakna stopped as a message flickered in his eyes. ? ? ? ? ? Hey, kid, where are you? The Church and the Basilica want to hand you the rewards for killing the Abyss Tras. The mayor is also here. They all want to see you. ? ? ? ? Chapter 162: A Factory Chapter 162: A Factory ? ? ? ? > The mayor? ? Well, yeah. He heard about you from the Church and now he wants to personally congratte you as well. Its just like with the Obsidian situation. The mayor has always been first to praise people for their good deeds. He is respected by a lot of people because of that. On top of that, hes also a Local awarded with the Jade Honor Badge from the Pavilion. In levels, it would be the equivalent of a Lv.700 Host. ? > what is his name? I havent heard it yet. ? Hybran cksteel. Anyhow, can youe now? ? > Give me half an hour. I have some stuff to do beforehand. ? Hah! I guess only you would make three powerful figures wait like that right after arriving in the System. But fine, Ill tell them. You better not take longer than that though. The press will most likely storm into the situation and even the Throne of Glory has to give face to those guys from time to time. ? > Ill be there. ? Good, Ill be waiting for you at ck Steels Pavilion. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna furrowed his eyebrows after closing the chat window. Hybran cksteel, huh? Is it something important? Nyx asked him, having deducted already that he had been discussing with someone after stopping in front of the banks door. Somewhat, he replied and calmly opened the door in front of him. {Haha, of course, authority figures are just somewhat important to you,} Higure remarked. Take it as me being young and rebellious if you want, but I will always refuse to bow to social cues and rules, the therian responded as he looked around the room with Nyx following him. Unlike in the shop, several people could enter the bank since it didnt matter which attendant Hosts used to ess their ounts. Seems like shes not here, Rakna said as he saw the empty reception. Is she sleeping again? Again? Nyx tilted her head. It sounds like you have quite the interesting banker. That doesnt even start to describe that girl, he retorted with a tad of amusement. His ears then twitched and he caught the smell of Lanaing from his left. She walked in from the same room she hade out running in a panicst time. This time, however, what had been preupying her seemed to be the pile of papers that she was carrying. It was huge enough to obstruct her view. Her arms were hugging the documents but her sword was still firmly held in her left hand. U-um? Is there someone? She asked a bit flustered and struggled to look past the pile. When she saw Rakna watching her with his mirthful eyes, her face reddened beautifully. Ah! Please wait a moment! She eximed and hastened her steps. Nyx opened her mouth to offer her help but she was stopped by Rakna who raised his hand. She looked at him in confusion and her eyes widened instantly. For the first time, she could recognize genuine amusement on his face. It wasnt just how his tone would sometimes sound amused or how his eyes shed in glee; it was more prominent. If she wasnt attentive, just the overall feeling he gave off would have given her the illusion that he was actually smiling. She turned back toward Lana and wondered what kind of person could have possibly eroded that mans shell to this stage without even knowing him for that long. Thats when she witnessed the sheep girl let out a yelp and trip on nothing but air. She acted out of pure instinct and conjured a few strings of shadows to tie the documents so that they wouldnt scatter. At the same time, Lana fell on the floor and yelped again as her face hit the tiles. Nyx blinked in a stupor and when the girl lifted her head, she saw theically huge tears in the corners of her eyes and her glistening pupils as she hugged her sword tight. A metaphorical knife instantly stabbed her in the heart. Oh god The former goddess whispered and Rakna hummed agreeingly. I know right. She never fails to impress me by how she can do that every time, he admitted and ultimately went to crouch next to the sheep who was rubbing her nose. Hey, you okay, Lana? Y-yes! Of course! She promptly replied and he helped her stand up. Thank you No problem. He nodded. I cant tell her that I stopped Nyx so that I could see her fall {How mean,} Higure chortled. {But Im all about it.} By the way, why didnt you put these in a storage instead of carrying them? The therian asked a perfectly sensible question and the adorable girl froze. Though the fact that they even use physical records in here is even weirder He thought to himself. She gaped and held her head pitifully. I forgot Rakna snorted and picked up the papers bound by Nyxs constructs. He put them down on the counter of the reception and the strings were dispelled afterward. Their conjurer then approached Lanata with a small smile. Hi, Im Nyx Nocta. You can freely call me Nyx, she introduced herself. Lana shyly returned the greeting. I-Im Lanata Ovis Venera You can call me Lana, she stuttered out and Nyx really was unable to erase the smile on her face. Rakna nodded from the side; happy to have someone who understood him. So, um, are you here to deposit again? The sheep girl asked once she was behind the reception, sorting the documents. No, Im here to withdraw, Rakna said and took the small pad that Lana was handing him. About this much should be enough He muttered to himself and once his code was epted, a neat pile of Talys appeared on the counter. Lana proof checked the amount on her screen then waved at the money. All right. You can cash them in now. Thanks, he said and his bnce was instantly updated to 100k. He was about to turn around to leave when he suddenly thought of something. Lana, can I ask you a question? Eh? She cocked her head to the side. Sure. What is it? Is there a way to hide ones status? He inquired and she showed a perplexed look. Let me rify; I just dont mean skills that counter scans or appraisals. I mean a way to make so that my status cannot be seen by anyone, regardless of their level. The sheep blinked a few times then put her hand on her chin. Hm I dont think so Unless it is some sort of very rare item or skill But even then, most of those only allow you to hide from others up to a certain level. I have heard of some items that could alter information on your status too but they have the same limitations. I see Im sorry if this couldnt help you She apologized dejectedly. No, no, dont worry. I expected this. Rather, you consolidated what I had in mind so thank you. She nodded hesitatingly. Okay Oh, and before we go, if I donte back before the end of your Trial, would you like to meet up with us? You can also message me if you need any help, though that seems very unlikely for now considering our level difference. Lanas expression brightened and her smile bloomed. Of course! If its okay with you, I would like to do some Quests together. A-and Nyx too, if its okay The night goddess chuckled. Theres no need to ask. I would love to hang out. Well introduce you to the rest of our group too. Un! The sheep girl nodded enthusiastically. Well then, Im afraid we have to go now. Theres an important event that I have to go to, Rakna said and waved his hand before heading to the exit. See you, Lana. Goodbye, Lana, Nyx followed up. Bye! Once Rakna and Nyx were out, thetter immediately raised her voice, So? Whats going on? What you asked her wasnt just a passing curiosity, was it? Youd be right. Remember the cause of my crippled state? The Spawn of Pandora She replied with a weirdly incensed tone. Rakna nced at her with a sharp eye. Pandora he had read the same thing on Verias status. It was something he definitely would have to ask her aboutter. Yes. Well, Gray just informed me that the Church and the Basilica of Eternal Night are ready to give me rewards for killing him. But, on top of them, the mayor wants to meet me as well. In that case is it that you want to hide your status from them? No. Theres no point. They probably arent scrupulous enough to look into my status even though Im much weaker than them and that Im also being rewarded for my actions. Then, what is it? Rakna stopped walking and leaned on one of the couches in the resting room. Other question; do you remember what I did the morning we met up with our Guilds? What you did? She frowned. Oh, when you were seen helping that girl in your wolf form? He nodded and if he could, he would have grinned as he thought of his n. Obsidian and Rakna Xiorra The mayor wants to reward them both. Two birds with one stone What if we made them look like two different people to the public eye? Nyx mused. Interesting idea Rakna smiled internally. If I convince others that Obsidian, a Nine-Tailed Wolf of noble descent with immense power, is rted to me somehow, it would be one of the best social safeguards I could ever hope for. I understand. You want to make a clone to meet with the mayor. But for this ploy to work, you need to make Obsidian impossible to analyze, Nyx concluded. That is a fine idea but how do you n to do that? First, to make the clone, you already saw the solution yourself, Rakna said. Nyx raised an eyebrow at that then recalled a certain battle she had been a witness of. Your battle against Tairen you made a clone of yourself to attack him by surprise. Correct. The only thing I need to work out though is how I made it look lifelike, he uttered and a swirl of cold energy appeared in his hand. But I already have an idea. I did the same thing with my three tenants after all, he added and directed the energy to his right where it took the shape of his body before defining the finer details of his clothes, his hair, and facial features. [Star Puppetry,] he called out the name of his spell, and the puppet waspleted. A unicolor version of himself made out of raw energy was standing still next to him. But he wasnt done yet. He walked to his copy and ced his hand on its shoulder. He then closed his eyes and focused on his Soul Core. He pumped his soul power to make it flow faster, then directed a decent portion of it into the puppet. The result was instantaneous. Colors literally flowed into the puppet until it was wlessly life-like. Rakna stepped back to observe it while Pronos was thunderstruck by the sight. Well, step one is a sess. Even if Im still not sure why it does that The body is a reflection of the soul and the soul is a reflection of the body, Nyx suddenly said. It is often said that appearance is a facet of the soul. Many magic theories revolving around the soul use that as a basis. Thats good to know, Raknamented. Now He breathed in and his eyes glowed. His fangs grew and his midnight fur started growing on his body. Before long, he met the ground with four of his limbs, and his body expanded to its maximum size as five additional tails grew on his back to get the count to nine once again. When his transformation was done, his size was bigger than the average horse and his nine tails grandly waved around behind him. At the same time, the practice he had done to hide the number of his tails in his wolf form before had also allowed him to get rid of the mane he had gotten from the Dusk Lion genome. It wouldnt have been a good idea to let it be. Hm, the feeling of having nine tails is really quitefortable, he said with a growly voice. Nyx smiled lightly. I wouldnt know that but you do look dashing. The wolf grunted and waved his head at Pronos. Little guy, you go on the puppet for now, he said and the little snakeplied with a nod. Now, step three; is to control my clone, he mumbled and looked at the nk expression of his puppet-self. I can control it mentally but hey, Higure, Fray, could one of you get into that puppet and control it for me? Is that possible? {Ugh, we could, I think, but dont ask me. Im very bad at acting,} the lioness said. {Well then, thats a job for me,} the author said. {Dont worry, I was quite avid of theater.} Then you go in, Rakna ordered and pulled on Frays soul inside his mindscape and sent it straight into the puppet. The appearance didnt change at all this time but the puppets countenance went through aplete makeover. Nyx almost felt unwell for some reason when she saw Raknas body abruptly move with a certain grace and an oddly wise but irritating smile on his face. This is disturbing, she stated. Rakna himself red at Fray with a snarl and the author cleared his throat. My apologies, he said and moved his limbs around to get a feel of his new body before schooling his expression. His confidence was not unfounded as he managed to make a perfect replica of Raknas usual mien. Is this fine? He asked with a cold and detached tone and even the original version was surprised. Thats good, he admitted. {Now then, if I may ask, whats the final step?} Higure inquired through a telepathic channel that Nyx shared. Thetter also was curious to know. Obviously, next is to hide my and the puppets status, the wolf dered and in a sh of light, a rectangr object with the depiction of a Pierrot on it materialized in front of his eyes. For that well need a Joker. ? * * * ? Hey, Clown. Someone called out to Gray who had been waiting in the Pavilions Hall for about twenty minutes. Right away, the warlock knew who it was. There werent many people that would call him like that with both such an indifferent and casual tone. The catch however was how deep-toned and growly it was. It sounded more like a beast You gotta be kidding me The cyborg sighed as he saw a horse-sized wolf with nine tails walking in his direction while everyone around gawked at it. Youre not just a ma youre a damn trouble factory, kid. Chapter 163: What is love? Chapter 163: What is love? So, you cloned yourself and used an item to block off your status and youre the real one, Gray rified whilst pointing at therge wolf. And youre the fake one, he added and pointed at Fray. The two nodded at his words and he scowled. Why not the opposite? In case of emergency, Rakna replied with a grunt as countless eyes followed his every movement while on their way to the city hall. I have a few tricks that can improve the authenticity of my act. What I want here is to give the illusion that Im too powerful for anyone to mess with my supposed student or disciple. Get it? Uh uh, the clown raised an eyebrow. How long can your cloaked statusst? And your puppet. An hour and half an hour respectively. A bit more if I drink a potion before arriving there. Gray pondered on what he should do. It was a risky bet. If they were found out, a big-ass can of worms would fall in their hands. The Nine-Tailed n would start hounding Rakna for one of two reasons; the crime of posing as a Nine-Tailed Wolf or the irregrity of being a therian with actual Nine-Tailed Blood which could lead to the discovery of his race. Either way, it was a bad thing. Should I let him do it? He thought with a groan. No, even before that He turned toward Rakna and attempted a few scans on him and his clone. As anticipated, the scan was rejected. That meant they were good in that regard but Theres one issue in your n, he finally said aloud and Rakna nced at him. Your aura. And even your mana and soul. All of these have personal imprints. Someone at Hybrans level can easily tell that you and your puppet share the same. Rakna squinted his eyes. I know, he said and Gray was taken aback. Its not hard to do. Even I could tell if I was in his position. Even more so when I canpare people through smell. So, what? Can you use your item to cover that up as well? I could but The wolf droned and recalled the system window that had appeared the second he used a Joker Card of his Tricksters Sleeve. ? ? ? ? ? 1 STR, INT, and SPD were randomly taken as payment. The Joker will hide the users and his puppets status for the next hour. ? ? You have used the Joker. Your karma has been affected. Beware. ? ? ? ? ? Not even mentioning that this had cost him three attribute points; thatst line had been was too ominous for his liking. After a use of Appraisal, he found out that karma was something that every living being possessed and essentially defined how ones luck would manifest. In other words, if he messed up too much with it situations like the dark elf vige would happen more and more and possibly with even worse coteral consequences. Rakna almost grimaced at the thought. I wont use the item for this, he said. But I have another solution for it, he dered and two of his tails abruptly moved and, with their impressive length, reached his head. He gathered mana at the tips and started tracing lines with cold energy. At the same time, he purposefully surrounded himself with the rest of his tails so that no one would see what he was doing. The lines gradually began to form the shape of the Gemini. He had decided to test a new way to summon his constetions. He took inspiration from writing his runes and as he expected, tracing the constetion instead of cing several spheres was faster. And when he was done, each corner of the line shone and became slightly bigger. Then, it vanished rapidly and the next thing Gray knew, Rakna had suddenly be a stranger to his senses. A new aura signature had suddenly reced his original one. You The clown blinked. You have an answer to everything or what? And here I was thinking Id help you mask your aura However, even if I used a new version with more focal stars, this spell wontst more than fifteen minutes, Rakna said and pulled a mana potion from his storage. He used one of his tails to uncap it and then stuck it between his fangs before drinking it. Thats the city hall, right? He inquired whilst pointing at arge building to the front with his muzzle. Yeah, Gray nodded and sighed. All right. Well go with your n. Dont screw it up. Ill try, Rakna snorted and nced at Nyx who was silently walking beside his clone. You dont need toe if you dont want to. Theres no point in putting you in the spotlight. Its fine, she shook her head. In fact, ever since I heard about the Basilica of Eternal Night, Ive been wanting to meet one of their members. This is a good asion. In that case, lets get to it. I only have fifteen minutes. Lets make a dynamic entrance. A dynamic what? Gray mechanically retorted but before he could even finish, Rakna had already sh stepped to the city hall. He stood in the air with his tails spread out, making sure that people could see him clearly. He inhaled and enfolded his throat with mana. If there was one thing that he had learned about magic during thest week or so was that even a small understanding of mana allowed countless applications. That was exactly why he could do this; Rakna stamped on his sh Steps invisible tform and faced the sky before howling as loudly as he could. His mana vibrated together with his voice and amplified the sound. His howl was heard across the entire area around the city hall and numerous citizens stopped what they were doing to look at the source. Many vehicles stopped moving and several parked on the side of the road. When he was finished howling, Rakna closed his mouth and sat still in the air as the surroundings became incredibly quiet for the middle of a bustling city like ck Steel. Gray rubbed his temples while Nyx and Fray stood stupefied at the stunt. But it soon proved itself to be efficient as a group of people borderline flew out of the city hall. Amidst that group, there were two individuals that Rakna identified instantly; Ang from the Church and OGram from the Basilica. But the one who caught his attention the most was the one who led them. He was a handsome middle-aged man with ck hair that reached his shoulders and profoundly dark eyes. He wore a professional suit that failed topletely contain the bulging mass of muscles hidden under it. Rakna used sh Step coupled with Shadow Step to appear as swiftly as possible in front of him and his group. Almost all of them nearly stepped back from the sudden apparition and Rakna fully immersed himself in the role he was about to take before speaking up coldly and with a prevalent ir of superiority as if everything was below him. Hybran cksteel. You may refer to me as Obsidian. I am here to discuss my pupil. ? * * * ? A few moments earlier. Somewhere in Old Eden, in the Fox Branch of the Nine-Tailed n, Kaelith was sitting on a porch that bordered an interior garden hundreds of meters wide. Next to her was an older woman that most wouldnt fall short of calling a goddess. Her beauty felt like a blessing to the living. Her aura of maturity and strength, conveyed by the nine tails that were of a vibrant shade of dark red, was simply too overwhelming for ordinary mortals. Her appearance was a carbon copy of Kaelith save the obvious difference in age and her hair that was cut shorter. Their rtionship was confirmed the moment the younger woman spoke. So, what do you think, mom? Kara Yahkshasa, the Matriarch of the Nine-Tailed Foxes and Kaeliths mother. She chuckled softly at her daughters question and sipped on her tea before answering, That is natural, Kae. But do not misunderstand. You feel jealous not because you fancy him, but because you are being a little possessive of what is probably your first genuine friend in over a decade. That isnt much better now, is it? Kaelith snorted and fiddled with one of her tails on herp. Kara smiled gently. Tell me were you scared that you were enamored with that boy? W-well, it would be uncouth and unbing of me to suddenly fall for a rude brat after only a week of knowing him! She countered with a small blush. But would you be against the idea? Her mother followed up with a knowing tone. not really. Kara giggled. Kae, hear me out. Strangers can sometimes feel a strong connection as if they had known each other for years. It is not shameful to feel happy around someone that you met just recently. But even if I will not tell you to stay behind it, I have to teach you where the line stands. The line? She nodded sagely. What do you think falling in love means? Kaelith blinked. Whats wrong so suddenly? Thats an odd questioning from you. Just answer, dear. I dont know How would I know? You are right. We dont know. And it is because we dont know that it leads us astray, Kara said with a mncholic smile. Kae, would you fight for him? She asked. Kaeliths eyes widened a bit. I think I would Then would you die for him? The younger vixen froze at the question. I I dont know. What about him? Would he die for you? Kaelith looked down for a brief moment and shook her head with a wry smile. Wolfy I dont see him die for my sake. Hes not one to sacrifice himself. Karaughed lightly. I see Then, you can keep your worries for now. As long as you dont answer these questions positively, it is not a love that either I or your father would acknowledge. If you say so, Kaelith replied with a chuckle and leaned back until she was lying her back on her tails as if they were a luxurious cushion. She looked at the sky outside where three suns formed a triangle and grinned. Then I guess Ill just have to get to know him better and pressure him until he admits he would die for me, she dered and her mother cackled. My Lady!! A sudden shout startled the mother-daughter pair as a maid entered the room. She was quite a young four-tailed fox girl and the fact that she could enter the matriarchs quarters this way showed how close she was to her. Nina? Kara sent her a worried look. Whats wrong? You have to see this! The young girl said and took out a small device. She ced it on a table of the room and arge high-definition screen was projected above it. Kara and Kaelith instantly recognized the view of ck Steels city hall and for some reason, the cameraman was filming upward as if he was scared of catching what was below in the picture. The two vixens were confused by that at first but when they saw the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen summarizing the situation, their expression became aghast. | Lord Obsidian, we need your spoken permission to film you. Your Lordships n is unyielding about this rule. Could you permit it? | The voice of a nervous reporter sounded and was followed by a loud grunt. | I allow it. | The voice was authoritative, prideful, and noble at the same time. Right after it stated its permission, the camera finally shifted down and the three foxes were met with the image of an ebony wolf with nine tails, looming over Hybran cksteel. Kara frowned. So, he is the cause of the Elderstest headache Obsidian that does not hint at any of the wolves divisions. But those tails are not illusions and Hybran would definitely be able to discern an impostor. So, he is truly one of us who could he be? Kaelith was silently watching the faceoff between the Nine-Tailed Wolf and the mayor of ck Steel when she saw a shocking scene. A certain therian with an albino snake around his neck went to the wolfs side along with Gray Whisles, the Clown Warlock, and a woman she didnt recognize. Wolfy? Chapter 164: A Threat Chapter 164: A Threat Hybran always made sure to keep an eye on everything that happened in his city. Anything that could be either a threat or a boon for his people didnt escape his knowing. That is why when he heard that a Nine-Tailed Wolf had suddenly appeared and saved a small girl he was lost. On one side, a member of such a race was in his city and he had the chance to form an affiliation with them. On the other, the Nine-Tailed n promptly contacted him and demanded answers, alleging that there might be someone posing as a noble in his territory. It might sound trivial but, politically, Hybran was being pressured on all sides. He had told that n several times that he had nothing to do with Obsidian and that he would do everything in his power to find him and determine his identity. Other than his own gratitude, that had been half the reason he publicly announced that he would personally reward him for his altruistic deed. Sadly, it wasnt heeded. And now, the concerned individual was standing in front of him, gazing at him with eyes that even made him uneasy. He couldnt sense his power nor could he analyze the other partys status. He had no idea to tell how strong he truly was but one thing was sure, this wolfs temperament could be felt with just a nce and after a closer look at his body, he was convinced that the one in front of him was one of the Nine-Tailed. It neither felt like a polymorph creature or an illusion those tails were real and he could see that there was a trace of Mystic Magic in them; one of the trademarks of a Nine-Tailed. Hybran put his hand on his chest and bowed. It is an honor to meet you, sir, he greeted Obsidian and the people around him imitated the gesture. Ive been wishing to meet you. And I have granted it, Obsidian replied aloofly and Gray silentlyughed as he approached with Nyx and Fray posing as Rakna. Hes really ying the part, huh? He thought with a smile and looked at the mayor. Seems like he bought it Well, I doubt anyone could discern any fakery since there isnt one in the first ce. This kid is a Nine-Tailed at the end of the day. Whisles, Hybran muttered after seeing the clown. His eyes then shifted to the two people next to him and his eyes widened as he made the connection in the split of a second. A pupil sir, is the one you referred to this boy? Rakna Xiorra? Obsidian huffed and nced at Rakna. He is. I have heard that he was being rewarded for killing the old bastard. I came along to make my stance clear. The old bastard? Hybran, as well as Ang and OGram, caught on to his words. They inevitably assumed that, from his overly familiar way of talking about him, he knew him personally. This was only exinable if he had met him during one of the few wars hundreds of years ago. And if even they were wrong, it at least meant that he was there when Verias resurrected. Which actually made the story of a new Host defeating a Ruler of the Abyss, albeit weakened, believable. What none of them knew was that Obsidian had purposefully manipted them to think that. It had always been childs y for Rakna to act like someone else. He was even better at faking his tone of voice and make up false leads. He had been taught by the best. When you mean rify your stance Hybran scowled. Rakna Xiorra is under my protection, Obsidian dered loud enough for the ones spectating to hear, especially the ones filming the scene. The Throne of Glory will do a good job to back him but he will inevitably attract unwanted troubles in the future and no one is perfect. I am only here to announce this; if something ever happens to him His voice got lower and strands of a ck aura red over his fur. The area became gradually more and more silent and Hybran almost took a defensive stance out of reflex. The dark aura around Obsidian condensed above him and formed an ominous face with red eyes and mouth. The light of the sun somehow became dimmer and a few people nearby lost strength in their legs. Gray observed it happening from the corner of his eye and grinned internally. What Rakna was using was obviously an intimidation skill and quite a high-ss skill one. Normally, this wouldnt be able to affect Hybran at all and it was in fact not working; because Rakna was not using it with the intention to intimidate in the first ce. There were mainly three things put into an intimidation skill; strength, willpower, and bloodlust. Until now, Rakna had only used the first two. But now, he had forsaken them and instead used all of he had to convey the third. This was something he rarely did when Obsidian Blood was not in activity. His callousness often made it hard for him to direct the will to kill others. But that did not mean in any way that he could not force it out. And oh boy, does it work, Gray almost burst outughing at the pale expressions of everyone. They were not being pressured; they were being threatened. There was a nuance. This was the perfect way for Rakna to get his message across without revealing the fact that he was a lot weaker than he was letting on. Still The clown mused. Even if this kind of killing intent is not rare, its way too strong, he thought and squinted his bionic eyes as the ck aura rolled off the wolfs body in waves and flooded the ground as if it was blood trying to engulf them. A hundred? A thousand? More? How many did this kid kill before evening to the System? please, retract your killing intent, Hybran ultimately said after a tense moment. We recognize your intentions. Your words will be shared to the entire System and as my personal reward, I will offer my personal assistance if the boy encounters problems that are in my capacity to resolve. When the mayor spoke and the light returned to normal, some gasped in respite. Even people that were viewing the broadcast swallowed the lump that had formed in their throat. All of them had felt like they were about to witness a ughter because of the Nine-Tailed Wolf. My matter here is done then, Obsidian raised his voice and people suddenly felt chilly. A white mist slowly came out from under the wolfs paws and enveloped him. The temperature dropped by several degrees and Hybran furrowed his eyebrows. Wait, before you leave; the Nine-Tailed n is in an uproar because of your existence. They im to have no records of you. Are you perhaps a, and forgive me for saying this, a bastard child? He asked with a sharp look. Rakna scoffed as the cold mist started covering his vision. There was one important thing to do if you truly wanted to fool someone with your lies; never let them control the narrative. Neverbel yourself as something they mentioned first. Give them a lie that will put them on their toes as well as a lie that they will never be able to confirm. I would love to let you continue your baseless assumptions for they are very amusing, Obsidian said haughtily. But I will be the better wolf and tell you; I am above the n, he proimed with an unshakable tone and the mist abruptly swirled around him. Rakna,e to me in no more than fifteen minutes. We have to talk, the wolfs voice resounded onest time,ing from all directions, before the mist vanished in the blink of an eye along with who was inside. Hybran who had been focusing all of his senses into the mist started sweating. He had used every method at his disposition to keep track of Obsidians energy signature but he lost it before he could even start tracking it. There was no fluctuation at all. No sign of a discement skill being used. No sign of a spatial spell or ability being used. No sign or even a possible time frame for System transportation. It was as if Obsidian had been erased from existence. The mayor sighed heavily and turned his attention to the three people who were there. He looked at Rakna and showed the same amount of respect he had given to Obsidian. Nice to meet you. I was quite eager to meet the super rookie who defeated an Abyss Ruler. I just never expected it to be in these circumstances, he said with a small smile, using a more rxed attitudepared to earlier. Fray beautifully filled his role and nodded subtly. Its fine. If its no problem, I would like to receive the rewards as fast as possible. You dont want to know what Master would do to me if Imte for his summon. He would yank my soul out of my body and torment it until he is satisfied. Everyone listened petrified and Hybran blinked in shock. Why would he do such a thing? He can be vicious when he wants to, Fray said with a shrug. Outside he was keeping a cold fa?ade, while inside he wasughing loudly. He prefers that kind of punishment because it does not harm my body so I wouldnt have any problem training afterward. Hybran looked away for a second to close his eyes in nervousness before smiling again. Please do not hesitate to take the rewards and leave. Lady Ang, Sir OGram. The two people in question nodded and stepped forward. At the same time, the citizens began to disperse and Hybran nodded at Rakna before leading the people he hade out with, probably officials, back into the city hall. We meet again, Rakna, Ang spoke up afterward with an amiable smile and OGram followed her example. Would you like to go first? She then asked the priest next to her. It had been decided that both the Basilica and the Church would each give a reward of their own. If you dont mind, he calmly epted the offer and a certain object appeared in his hand. It was unmistakably a ne at first sight. Though, in truth, it was actually a thin chain with the Cross of Eternal Night hanging from it. OGram extended it forward and Fray tentatively took it. The information was promptly shown to him the second he held it. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: essory/Chain Name: Second Order of Aeter Rarity: Purple Durability: Indestructible. ? Description: ? This is an essory forged and enchanted with the power of the Basilicas Cross of Eternal Night; the mark of the Kind Demon. Since it was made together with the essence of the Crosses, it gained indestructibility. Even Eva herself would be hard-pressed to destroy it even if she ordered all of her Adjudicators to bombard it at the same time. Comparatively, its effects areughingly meager but the only reason behind the objects toughness in the first ce is due to the might of the Eternal Night God and what just a small residue of his power can aplish. ? Effects: +25% MA when facing Tra and Demons. +20% DEF against lightning and shadow-based spells. C Gain Dependent Skill, Offering of Faith. ? Note: This item additionally gives several kinds of clearances to the wearer when they visit any of the Basilicas within the System. ? ? Designation: Skill/Spontaneous Skill Name: Offering of Faith Tier: Special ? Description: ? A skill provided to individuals that bear the mark of Eternal Night. Once invoked, the user will be given a chance to pray. Depending on the strength of the prayer as well as the degree of approval from the Kind Demon, the user will see themselves receive divine help. Beware, if the prayer is unfaithful to the beliefs of Eternal Night, the user will suffer an inescapable smite. ? Cost: None. Number of Uses: 1/? ? Note: Once this skill is used once, most will lose the ability to ever trigger it again. Only those that receive the acknowledgment of Eternal Night sometimes have a chance to pray a second time. ? ? ? ? ? {Hey, boss, are you seeing this?} Fray asked through telepathy. {Who are you calling boss? And yes, I see it,} Raknas voice quickly responded while sharing the vision of the puppet he had made. {It has no real practical uses unless its against certain foes but this Offering of Faith is essentially a chance to borrow help from a God. It is definitely good.} This is our Second Order Cross, OGram stated. It is normally only given to the core members of the Basilica. Not all people can call for Eternal Nights assistance in the first ce but something tells me that you have a very good chance of making it work. Fray nodded at that and stored the item inside the storage Rakna had temporarily lent him. Then it was Angs turn to fish out something from her storage and it immediately stunned Fray and Rakna. What Ang held in her hand was a one-handed double-edged sword with a groove at the base of the de. The material was golden and white and the handle was silver-white. Additionally, there were several gems encrusted on the de and even an idiot would have been able to tell that they were more than decoration based on the agglomerates of mana they represented. All in all, for Rakna, it probably was the most beautiful sword he had ever seen in his life. When itnded in Frays hands from a smiling Ang, the information made him even more shocked. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Double-Edged Sword Name: Mirael Rarity: Red Attack Power: +750 Durability: 100% ? Description: One of the 106 Holy Swords, crafted and owned by the Church. Most of them are used by Pdins who have been rewarded for their faith and contribution, some remain stowed away, and the rest are said to be formidable des that only ept the ones most worthy of their power with a rarity of one in a billion people. Mirael ranks No.65 in overall capacity. But there are some swords with lower rarity and perks that have very specialized abilities more suited for other situations. ? Perks: ? C Holy Shield: Erects a golden shield that can resist up to 5 000 of damage value; both physical and magical. Last 10 seconds and can only be used twice every 12 hours. ? C Holy de: At the cost of 1 (0.6) MP per second, the weapon will be imbued with the holiest of energies and deal 100% additional damage to Evil-Aligned Creatures. ? C Crescent of a Falling Sun: At the cost of 300 (180) MP, a flying sh formed out of holy and sr energy can beunched from the de. The damage will be equal to the sum of the users MA and ATK multiplied by 2. Can only be used thrice every 24 hours. ? C God Bless Us: If the wielder is near a sacred location with this weapon equipped, they will be granted a healing factor as well as an elerated stamina and mana recuperation. If the sword is damaged, it will also repair itself. ? Note: Holy swords do not all reject wielders like some may believe. However, they cannot be used to perform evil deeds; their power will be sealed and punishment will be dealt out. ? ? ? ? Chapter 165: Good Evening Chapter 165: Good Evening A Red Item the Church is quite generous to give this to me, Fraymented while in the guise of Rakna. He carefully handled the sword and performed a few swings before storing it. Ang puffed up her modest chest in pride. Of course. We might not necessarily have a very high battle prowesspared to the Basilica of Eternal Night, but we make up for that with wealth, influence, connections, and numbers. Fray nodded. I see. But is it fine to give me a Holy Sword? Isnt this valuable to the Church? He asked since he was truly not knowledgeable of the Churchs inner workings. He was erudite on a lot of things, but this wasnt one of them. Nonsense. Its just a slightly valuable toothpick for us, Ang said proudly. What you have in your hand is one of the 106 Holy Swords. Below that, we have the 246 des of Light and above it, we have the 56 Sacred Swords, the 24 Divine Swords, the 12 Light Harbingers, the 3 Advents of God, and The Excalibur. impressive. And that just concerns the Sword-Type Items that we have, Ang added with a smile. Though, we dont have that kind of meticulous ssification for all of them. The Church is primarily feared for how many items and artifacts we possess. If someone offends us; take out a Prophetic Item, a few others specifically made to restrain that specific kind of target and voil! A bunch of money loafers, OGram grumbled quietly. Hey! At least were not the ones borrowing from others, Ang retorted and he closed his mouth with a grunt. It was true that the Basilica would sometimes borrow money from the Church since their financial situation couldnt be considered very good because of how unpopr their group waspared to theirs. Their establishment was also more recent and they didnt have thousands of years of ancestry like the Church, nor billions of believers donating to them. Additionally, the believers of Eternal Night were not the pure kind. The Eternal Night God was a symbol of strength. It was apletely different type of faith and those that followed it were those that simrly seek power. On the other hand, the Church would mostly offer protection and safety. Sadly, there are many more of the needing type rather than the power mongers. At the end of the day, the Basilicas funds relied on their members doing missions for the Pavilion and sharing their gains. But that also was not mandatory. Eternal Night valued freedom of action as well as self-preservation. They didnt need to donate money if they could spend it on themselves or their family. This was why the Basilica often turned to the Church in times of financial need. They were not on the best of terms, but they were allies. At worst, the two organizations were like friendly rivals. At least we dont take money from poor believers, OGram snapped coolly. Ang scoffed. We offer counsel, health, and blessings to those who donate. You all are only good at fighting so its a given you are so miserable. I admit that the miracles of your God are formidable, but they are so rare it basically makes them inconsequential. The priest clicked his tongue and didnt reply. As he had said himself, the Basilica was an army. An army so strong that nearly everyone in the System was fearful of them. They were just slightly bad at social affairs If you are in need of money, why dont you offer the services of an army? Fray abruptly suggested and OGram looked at him. You mean mercenary work? We already tried that. It didnt go well. For many reasons. No, army-like duties, Fray retorted. A military force needs an affiliation. Of course, if you ept money from random people, it will end up bad. You need to be associated with a municipality, a country, or at least nobility. You offer your members as official workforces to them under a sry; as either enforcements workers, soldiers, hunters, scouts, spies, or bodyguards. Not only do you get a cut from that, but the members themselves earn their life. Slowly, you will build up your reputation and start establishing affiliations with even more powerful countries and settlements that will learn to trust your services. This is something that the Church wouldnt do because its not in their values to fight a war if its not a crusade, especially when its against other non-evil races. However, from what I know, Eternal Night is closer to a God of War. You are not restricted in any way by your beliefs and policy. OGram was speechless for a good while and Ang was surprised as well. You know a lot, shemented. Fray shrugged, as he did not believe that what he just said wasnt in Raknas capabilities. Its not something Im unfamiliar with. {Hey, dont blow your cover,} Rakna chided. {It is perfectly fine. You are capable of this much.} {Im not that nosy.} {Are you sure?} {} Well, its not bad a suggestion at all. The main issue is to make all the higher-ups agree, OGram said. But I guess Ill talk about it to my direct superior and see what he can do. In any kind of organization with leading figures, management is stable but slow due to pride and conflicting opinions. They sometimes fail to even see the simplest of answers because of such behavior, Fray blurted out and this time, Nyx and Gray sneakily elbowed him and Pronos tapped his head with his tail. It was only then that the author realized he had briefly let go of his control over his tone and word choice. {Fray} The story writer shuddered at the growl that echoed in his head and cleared his throat. Anyhow, my Masters waiting for me. Its better to not make him wait. Before I go, Nyx said that she wanted to take a look at the Basilica. Can you help her, OGram? The priest hummed and observed the beautiful woman that had a faint aura of divinity. May I ask why before I decide anything? Nyx didnt reply and just raised her hand. In the blink of an eye, strands of ck lightning covered it and spread through the air around her. OGram was first mildly taken aback that she was an Aeter user and immediately understood her motive. He was about to agree to bring her to the ck Steel branch when he noticed something. Her lightning was predominantly dark in color, as it should be for Aeter, but there was a faint red outline to it that made it look even more menacing. His eyes widened almost impossibly so and his calm expression was broken. His figure blurred as he put himself on his knee for her. This humble priest greets the Eternal Maiden! His voice was loud and respectful. It was heard by everyone that was still watching the scene and the reporters that had stayed even after Obsidian and Hybran had left. Gray and Ang were intrigued while Fray frowned in confusion. And Rakna, who was watching from the roof of a far building after leaving through the mirror dimension, hummed meditatively. He still hadnt returned to his base form and his nine tails wagged behind him as he pondered. Eternal Maiden Alexa, anything? [The Eternal Maiden, the Holder of Eternal Nights esteem and whose power was directly granted to her through tribtion trial,] the AI responded in a roundabout way. [It is a herald. Or, in other words, it is a prophecy.] I see Meanwhile, there was no one more confused than Nyx herself as she stared at OGram prostrating in front of her. Its not like it was the first time someone ever did that, but the reason behind it was now one thatpletely escaped her. What do you mean by Eternal Maiden? She finally asked. The priest answered without raising his head, It was prophesized that a Maiden with the element of Eternal Night personally given by the Kind Demon himself woulde to us; you are the only person besides our God that possesses True Aeter. I was sure of it the moment you conjured it. Nyx made aplicated expression at that. Given? And they herald me? The believers of the man who defeated me, deprived me of my powers, imprisoned me, and sent me away through space and time? She almostughed at the idea. But would that exin why I awakened Aeter? Did that demon really give me his power? Why? My Lady, you wanted to know about the Basilica, right? OGram followed up. If youre willing, I can lead you to the local branch and you can discuss with one of my superiors. Nyx scrunched her eyebrows and hesitatingly nced at Fray, directing her doubt at Rakna who was watching through him. {just go. Regardless of if youre that Maiden or not, I believe there is no reason to refuse the privileges that this could provide you,} he replied to her through telepathy and she nodded. All right. I will follow you. OGram immediately stood up in delight. He was excited to bring the news back to the Basilica. This might be a sign of a new era for their faith and the entire System. In that case, I guess its time for us to go, Fray said and he nodded at Gray. I wish you good luck on your future journeys, Ang said with a radiant smile. So do I, OGram said. I am profoundly grateful for giving me the chance of meeting the Eternal Maiden. I swear that the Basilica will always be on her side and yours, whatever happens. Fray blinked in surprise. Well youre wee and thank you. On this note, goodbye. See youter, Nyx, he ultimately said and left with Gray while OGram escorted Nyx to the Basilica. ? * * * ? At the same time, Rakna sighed in relief as this was finally over. It had been quite stressful even for someone like him. One single retaliation from Hybran would have exposed him. Thats why he did all he could to convince him. He purposefully released a trace of mystic magic and entered the mirror world to disappear without a trace. He also made sure to keep his attention on the mayors emotions and carefully judge how far he could push him. When he released his bloodlust, it was truly a gamble on his part. {Haha, even my mighty devourer can be nervous after all,} Higuremented. {Still, that killing intent was not half-bad for someone your age.} Not half-bad? No, it was weak, Rakna retorted indifferently as he used Fabled Sight to zoom in on Gray and Fray while waiting for them to get to a concealed location. Meanwhile, the lioness was perplexed. {Weak? What are you saying? Its the first time I hear you being falsely humble like that.} The wolf snorted. My brain is therapeutically constrained. At least, thats what the old mans underground doctor told me. Have I never told you? I can barely feel anger or sadness without my psyche tilting in an unhealthy way. If I had been my other self I have a feeling that the little show I did would have been a hundred times better. Higure fell silent in shock. She didnt really know what he meant since other than his cold berserk state during the full moon, she had not seen him get pushed until Obsidian Blood was triggered. But she didnt need to know that to imagine what a killing intent a hundred times stronger would be like. A horrifying prospect, she thought. Unlike others, she was aware that killing intent didnt just equal the number of people the individual had killed. It wasnt how it worked. In fact, you could say that bloodlust was like a defect of the mind. It was a defect formed from the psychological impact of taking the life of another living being. Normally, the guilt would often mentally wound the most innocent ones. They would be emotionally harmed to cope with it. But some people do not experience that guilt. Then does that mean they suffer nothing? No, its the opposite. Without guilt, they have no inhibitors. Their killing intent grows day after day and their will to kill either turns into enjoyment or a casual daily idea. The more they live, the easier it bes, the more they hurt themselves, and the more bloodlust they umte. Higure had no wish to know which type Rakna was exactly. Anyhow, Rakna continued. Gray and Fray are about to enter an alley. Ill go join them, he said and was about to sh step over to them when he suddenly sensed a familiar smell from behind him. He froze on the spot and a million thoughts ran through his head to save the situation. Wolfy~ Do you mind exining what the fuck this is supposed to mean? A very irate voiceced with mock joy entered his ears and every contingency n he was making in his head fell apart. He mechanically turned his head and had to look down because of his size. He spotted a certain red-haired vixen with a chilling smile on her face, even by his standards, and uttered the only thing that came to his mind. good evening? Chapter 166: Sub-Guild Chapter 166: Sub-Guild there is a perfectly good exnation to this, Rakna eventually spoke after a two-minute stare-off between him and Kaelith. Ohoh? She crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow. Please tell me. Im all ears. He froze. on second thought, can you tell me what I have to exin exactly? The vixen huffed and walked toward him. She forced him to step back until he was at the edge of the building and then pushed on his muzzle with her finger. His eye twitched at the contact but it wasnt like he could do anything to her. All right then. First; you will tell me why you hid from me that you were a Nine-Tailed? I believe that this is quite an IMPORTANT thing to exin, no? Rakna stayed silent for a moment before opening his mouth, Before I answer how did you know it was me? And how did you even find me here? Im pretty sure I was far enough, and I concealed my presence. She harrumphed and stepped back. And you have the nerve to ask questions. It was easy. I could tell with a nce that the fake down there wasnt you. First of all, Pronos was not as rxed as usual but he didnt seem tense because of the Nine-Tailed Wolf but instead seemed to want to be closer to him. That was the first hint. The second hint was that your eyes were way too lively. Yours are way more dead than that. The wolf was speechless. What about the second thing? Youre the kind of felon that would prefer to monitor the scene of his crime until he is sure that hes out of trouble. So, the narcissistic prick that you are would probably pick some ce with a good view of the city hall. Thus, I just flew around and until I spotted you here. Youre being quite mean out of nowhere And whose fault is that?! Right Kaelith sighed. Do you even understand what you risk? She asked with a worried look. Not only the consequences of the Nine-Tailed ns rules but also me. Do you have any idea what would happen if I, the heir to the Nine-Tailed Foxes, am found out to be close to a Nine-Tailed Wolf? Raknas eyes widened at her saddened expression. Even now, if Im not careful, they might just try and forbid me to ever interact with you again due to you being close to Obsidian, she said whilst making brackets with her fingers. So, please, just tell me. I want us to trust each other, she said in the most genuine tone he had ever heard her. Rakna looked at her for a moment before sighing. The scents of sincerity and mncholy he could smell from her were already more than enough to make him incapable of refusing whatever she would ask from him. You dont need to be so somber about it, foxy, he retorted and circled her before standing in the center of the roof. He breathed in and activated his Shape Shift as Kaelith watched intently. Then, she gradually became more and more dazed as Rakna grew a mane around his neck and five of his tails retracted inside his body. The sound of his bones popping into ce was deafening to her because of how incredulous the sight in front of her was. Before she could wrap her head around the situation, Rakna had already finished transforming into a five-meter-tall werewolf. A werewolf with four tails She opened and closed her mouth in shock. Uh uh? What? Rakna snorted and crouched to match her height. I wasnt lying when I said I was above the Nine-Tailed. From a purely objective point of view, Im technically a superior race, he jested. Kaeliths mouth twitched. Shameless bastard what are you? The werewolf smiled internally and doubled the shock of the vixen by deploying his pair of silvery wings. Before all, I might as well tell you right now Im the one who killed the Nine-Tailed Wolf that was abducted the day of the Initiation. Kaelith.exe stopped working that day. ? * * * ? {You can leave without me. Let Pronos do what he wants. We can sense each others presence so he can just have fun ande back to me whenever he wants,} Rakna told Gray through telepathy after he had dispelled his puppet and retrieved the soul of Fray. {Got it. By the way, I heard an interesting thing from the Exalted Quill,} the clown responded as he made his way back to the Pavilion through the streets. {You recently added a new member to your little group; Marie, was it? Amia. So, she is why you asked the guild how to free a Boss from a Dungeon.} {Yes.} {Hm how did you turn her into a Host though?} {I struck a deal with the infamous spoiled child.} {Aah, Eva, huh? Well, dont forget you can ask help from us again if you need it. Anyhow, I wanted to rmend you something; strength attracts people, Im sure therell be quite a bunch around you in the future. Why dont you make a Guild of your own? You can also officially pretend that Obsidian is either part of it or its founder. It would be a good idea to expand your protection to the rest of your group.} Rakna paused. {Is that possible?} {Yes. To be exact, even if you already joined the Throne of Glory, you are eligible to establish what we call a Sub-Guild at the Pavilion. It will be a subsidiary of your current one but the good thing about it is that youll get part of the privileges of a Full-Fledged Guild. You will notably get your own Guild Channels and Quests.} {I see Ill look into it then. Thanks.} {No problem. See youter, kid.} Rakna terminated the telepathic link and nced at Kaelith who was sitting beside him with her legs swaying back and forth at the edge of the building. He had obviously already returned to his therian form and was resting with her. So She started calmly. Your Nirvana Skill is called The Harvester. You eat the hearts of your preys and integrate their racial traits. But since the Nine-Tailed Cub was your first, it changed your very race into a mutated version of it; a werewolf. She sighed. I cant even get mad at you. Its truly a perfectly reasonable reason. No wonder you decided to do something as senseless as creating a fake Master to protect yourself. Rakna shrugged. Do you think you can keep that a secret from your family? She huffed. For who do you take me for? Do you think I would betray my friend? She eximed. Though, I will ask you beforehand, can I tell my mother? She would be more helpful than me in keeping the n in check. I assume you trust her to not say anything? Yes but if you dont want to- Its fine, he interrupted her. If you trust her, I do too. Kaelith smiled. Thank you. Rakna nodded. However, theres something else I think your n should focus on. Something else? She asked in confusion. What? Did you already forget? Why was Fenriu in the Initiation dimension in the first ce? Kaelith immediately understood. Right We still dont know who abducted him. If we dont do anything, its plenty possible that the culprits will try something again. What are they trying to do in the first ce? She mused. Do they want to take over the n through internal conflict? Do you have any idea of who it is? Is it internal or external? Internal, she replied unhesitatingly. Its unquestionably one of the seven branches. There is no way that some outside enemy could have abducted one of our cubs so easily. Seven branches, huh? What are they exactly? Rakna asked in curiosity. He had seen wolves and foxes, as well as an eight-tailed tiger during the guild recruitment but he didnt know further than that. The seven branches consist of us; the Foxes, the Wolves, the Tigers, the Monkeys, the Horses, the Racoons, and And what? Kaeliths eyes narrowed as an assumption struck her. The Scorpions Rakna blinked. Why is there an Arachnid species among you? Horses and roons are already weird but now that? Nine-Tailed creatures are born from legends. You could say we exist because people fantasized and feared us until we were real. Mystic Magic manifests in each of us because it is a magic that is essentially born from mysticism turned real. The System brought the branches from all kinds of parallel worlds and dimensions. While foxes are generally the ones with nine tails in most of them, in certain worlds, the legend happens to turn into something different due to changes in history. Among those, the Scorpions imed one. What gave birth to them was the legend of the Oryad Scorpion. It was a creature with nine tails, each with a different venom in them that could kill even God if all nine were to be injected at once. The Nine-Tailed Scorpions, fruits of the crystallization of that legend, are vicious and deadly. They are the odd ones out of our n but they are still part of it, Kaelith finished with a long breath. Rakna hummed. I see. I guess theyre the prime suspects then. I wouldnt put it past them. But Im not sure about the possible motive they would have. Theyre indeed cruel and trigger-happy but they must need some sort of incentive to target the n out of all things. Well, thats for you to find out, Rakna deadpanned. As long as they donte at me, itll be nice if you keep me, and by extension, Obsidian out of it. Kaelith smiled wryly. You truly are brazen, wolfy. He simply shrugged at the usation. By the way, didnt you say the cub you assimted was inside your soul scape? Cant you ask him who kidnapped him? Hes still young but he should be able to speak at a basic level. I already did just now, Rakna replied as he heard the huff of a wolf inside his mind. Putting aside the fact that he doesnt seem to be willing to speak to me, he shook his head when he was asked if he had seen who captured him. I see thats a shame, she whispered and the two settled in afortable silence as they viewed the animatedndscape of the city. This peace between the two of them was broken by a sudden spike of mana. And the source was none other than Rakna. Thetter stood up in attention as his mana continuously dropped until he was forced to swallow a pill. Kaelith also stood up worriedly. What happened? You dispelled your puppet, right? Its not because of the puppet He muttered darkly, his eyes flickering to red, as a notification informed him of the cause behind the siphoning of his mana. ? ? ? ? ? Tyrannos Mors suffered a deadly injury. ? Mana sourcing from the Host via Jeina is insufficient to heal the pet. The secondary master has requested emergency help from the primary master; Rakna Xiorra. Mana will be taken to satisfy the requirements. ? -5 MP -10 MP -15 MP ? ? ? ? Chapter 167: The White Witch Chapter 167: The White Witch A few moments before Kaelith found Rakna, via and Tyran were facing the Boss on thest floor of the Dungeon. It was a giant zombie with two heads. Its eyes were red and crazed and it wielded a spiky chain that was wrapped around its waist, upper body, and arms. RRAAAAA!! The zombie yelled and brought his two fists to the ground. It shook the entire floor and dug a sizeable crater. The chain was dragged by the movement and turned into a deadly whip headed in vias direction. She calmly eyed the weapon and her pupils dted as her telekinesis bent its trajectory so that it would be buried next to her. She then decreased her weight with gravity and flew toward the head of the zombie with her sword at the ready. At the same time, Tyran charged at full size and stomped on the zombies arms before it could lift them again. He then bit into one of its necks, causing it to roar in anger. via came soon after and applied telekic pressure on her de before stabbing the second neck with all the momentum she had umted through her flight. She twisted the greatsword and widened the wound until the muscles around were weak enough for her to use her telekinesis again. She concentrated all of it on the open gash and huffed as the giants neck snapped loudly. As if on cue, Tyran managed to tear out the second head along with a part of the zombies spine. When the two were done, they jumped back and watched the Boss stagger before it copsed on the ground, immobile. via sighed when she was sure that it was over. It was a bit tricky but where is the hidden part Rakna mentioned? As she said so, a System window appeared. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted Maries Tomb! Difficulty: Normal. Number of Participants: 1 | Average Level of Participants: 51. Rewards: 10 000 Talys, Manesis Chest te. ? ? The Host has been detected to be eligible for the Hidden Floor! ? Do you wish to leave regardless? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Well, thats right on time, shemented with a smile and selected no. Immediately after, the body of the two-headed zombie doll dispersed into particles and in its ce, the earth was pushed to the sides to reveal a wide underground staircase. via nodded at Tyran, who shrunk his body a little so that he could enter without trouble, and they started going down the stairs. There was nothing fancy about the nted tunnel and it didnt appear either old or new. When they reached the bottom, the sight that was presented to them was a spacious room with a high roof. The floor was tiled with expensive-looking material and the walls seemed to be covered in something simr to ster. There were also several paintings and statues as decoration. Other than that, there was pretty much nothing else. However, there was one notable thing. At the far back, there was a massive painting that took nearly the entire surface of the wall it was hanged on to. The painting was the portrait of a beautiful woman with snowy hair and eyes. Her clothes were also pure white and her skin was extremely pale. I wonder if thats supposed to be the Marie from whom this Dungeon was named, via thought out loud and tried to get closer to the painting when Tyran suddenly blocked her path with one of his legs. Tyran? The fledgling Asura snarled and lowered his center of bnce whilst ring at the painting. via also decided to take a closer look and after half a minute, she gasped as the woman depicted moved her eyes to look at them. Hm that beast has quite the ir, her mouth moved as she spoke. I wanted to do it quickly and without disruption. I just needed her to get a bit closer. Well, it doesnt matter, she expressed and slowly began to detach herself from her two-dimensional confinement. She stuck her arm out first, then her head, and she pulled the rest of her body like that. Her bare feetnded on the cold floor of the room and she smiled coldly at her visitors. You are right, she said. My name is Marie. But you can call refer to me as the White Witch, Vei Cuniya. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, she stated and performed a formal greeting by lifting the edges of her one-piece dress. via raised her guard and prodded her spiritual energy, preparing herself to use her telekinesis at a moments notice. Are you perhaps a Hidden Boss to this Dungeon? She asked cautiously. Hm, a Hidden Boss? That is not an incorrect way to put it. However, Cuniya grinned. You were looking for a certain hidden piece in this Dungeon, right? The one that requires you to be a mage-ss fighter. It normally opens a secret room back on the third floor where you will be given a test of your magical talent and given rewards based on the result. via scowled because of what she was implying. Are you saying? Yes. Im afraid Im not the secret prize youre looking for, she dered and raised her hand. Im your unluckiest draw. In the blink of an eye, a magic circle whirled into existence in front of her andunched a formless mental spell. The speed was such that everything happened in less than half a second. via only had the time to notice it andpletely failed to react. Cuniya smirked as her spell was about to hit its target but that was quickly reced by surprise as a figure stood on the way. Tyran received the invisible blow and instantly began to roar in pain as something tried to crawl into his mind and destroy his ego. But his Magic Immunity and Reflection kicked in to resist the brunt of it until he got rid of the rest with his Magic Eater. On the other side, Cuniya grunted and held her temple. Backfired? Impossible, she thought as the spell she had justunched partly turned against her. That spell should have been enough to make even a level 80 Host into an empty shell Meanwhile, Tyran was shaking his head to clear his mind. On top of that, a few veins had popped and his nose had started bleeding due to the shock. The Dreorin realized on the spot that even if he could resist the spells intent, he would probably suffer lethal damage to his brain if it was used too many times on him. Tyran, are you okay? via asked quietly and cast Reinforcement on herself while Cuniya was still pondering what had just happened. The T. Rex nodded in response and coated his body with his fiery aura, vaporizing the blood dribbling from his nose. Magic Reflection Magic Immunity and an unknown magic absorption, the White Witch said with a thoughtful tone. How curious. I truly wish I could use analytic skills if just to see what kind of creature you are, she said with a rxed smile, clearly unfazed that her spell had been resisted. She evenughed with a bit of eagerness. I wonder how long youllst. via gritted her teeth and kicked the ground together with Tyran. She expanded her senses to the entirety of the room and took control of the statues nearby with her Nirvana Skill. She turned each one of them into many small spikes and shot them at the Witch from all sides. In conjunction with that, Tyran breathed in and released his Fire Breath. Cuniya calmly waved her hand and erected a white barrier around her that pulverized every single spike upon contact. She pointed her hand at the fire breath and clenched her fist. The mes were then oppressed by a strange force before being extinguished in an instant. Have you forgotten? This Dungeons monsters are all given my blessing. Magic wont work on me. I am the superior magic nemesis here, she dered and drew another magic circle. Lets see how you fare against this one. Once again, the attack was too fast to be perceivable with the naked eye but Tyrans innate Magic Detection from the Asuras bloodline allowed him to both perceive and understand any kind of magic that is cast within the range of his senses. He growled and put himself on the way of the spell to stop it from reaching via and forced his mouth closed when it started eroding his mentality. This one was stronger but this time, he was able to properly activate his Magic Eater to shave off a bit of its potency. Again? Cuniya frowned and then retreated as Favia dashed at her at a speed far surpassing her level thanks to her Nirvana Skill. The White Witch nced at her and was about to cast her spell for the third time but the next thing she knew, Tyran burst into mes and boosted himself into the air, and dropped right above her. She dodged him but her expression became slightly annoyed. Her eyes glowed eerily in the T. Rexs direction. Without dy, thetter deciphered the magic cast and tried to assimte it but he soon realized that the magnitude was nothing like the ones before. He froze on the spot and cried out in pain as blood came out of his nose and eyes. Tyran! via shouted and ran to him. Cuniya watched the T. Red suffering and when the Asuras mouth closed and his eyes lost all their life, she scoffed. You brought this upon yourself. If you behaved, I could have let you live on as my faithful puppet, she said disdainfully and then looked at via. Its your turn; there is no point in resisting. Youll only make things harder for both of us. The Witch scowled when via ignored her in favor of infusing mana into the corpse of therge Dreorin. What are you-?! One of Tyrans ws twitched and she interrupted herself. Impossible! My magic should have fried his brain! She yelled and fiercely waved her hand. via was promptly hurled away from Tyran and sent crashing on the wall of the room, cracking part of it and destroying a few paintings in the process. Cuniya approached the carcass of the beast she had thought she killed. Is this Death Energy? Is this thing a high-ss undead? She muttered then slightly panicked as she noticed a new flow of mana entering the dead body. She snapped her head around to look at via. She was still unable to move due to the attack she had suffered and a current of blood even blinded her left eye, but her hand was up and positioned as if she pressed on a button. Cuniya instantly understood the situation. Someone else raised this undead, she said darkly. It couldnt be you. Who was it?! She questioned. She had every right to be wary since she knew that such an undead could only be made by a very powerful caster, or at the very least, a powerful item that no one on the Thirteenth teau should have. If via had a strong backing like that, Cuniya would be in danger. She had some control over the Dungeons structure but a strong Host would be able to bypass every resistance and kill her. Tch, I guess I will find out when I possess you, the White Witch said and started walking to the incapacitated woman after confirming that Tyran was unconscious. via grunted and her face contorted in pain as she manipted her telekinesis to support her body. She stood up with a bit of struggle, her headache making her worried that she might have a concussion. What is your magic? She managed to voice. This was something she had been confused about the second that they started fighting her. Her scans had been useless in that regard. It didnt work on this supposedly Hidden Boss, most likely because she was higher-leveled. Her spell that seemingly attacked ones mind, her shield that repelled their attacks, her ability that somehow nullified magic, and how she sent her flying with a wave of her hand. None of it looked like any of the elements via had seen until now. It wasnt anything like Wind, Barrier, or even her Telekinesis. Cuniya smiled and stopped a few meters away from via. Its natural for you to not know. This is an affinity only I possess. Since youre about to experience it, I can tell you. Possession; that is my magic. Possession? via furrowed her eyebrows, her hands hiding behind her back as she charged a certain spell that would either be her saving grace or a waste of time. She could only hope that it would not be noticed. Possession Magic has many applications. For example, as long as its magic that is of my level, it will be harmless to me if I will it. I can also possess the air to make it bend to my will and it of course applies to minds as well. In fact, my body itself is also a product of my magic, the Witch dered and moved her arm forward, which then abruptly fragmented into pieces. Cuniya looked at it detachedly then pointed at the nk painting she had emerged from. This is the result of me possessing that painting. Truth is, if either you or that beast had managed to hit me even once, I would have died. I waited until this day toe out because I needed a new vessel to possess and take over. But if I want to perform a perfect possession, not everyone is suitable. And I am that suitable vessel? Indeed. Truthfully, you are sopatible with me that its still hard to believe, Cuniya smirked. Perhaps we are simr in ways that both of us wouldnt know. Im nothing like you, via scoffed. I will not say otherwise. But that is inconsequential. Do you have anyst words? Cuniya asked as mana gathered around her. Also, do not think that the magic that you have been preparing will be able to save you. via was silent for a moment before her body was shrouded in a multicolor light. There is one thing that Vera told me before she taught me my magic, she said out of nowhere and Cuniya tilted her head in confusion. It cannot be controlled. Even by me. What do you? The Witch felt some amount of concern wash over her. Then, vias spell finally consolidated and formed a spinning dark purple sphere. This! You are a-!!? via grinned and let go of the spell. She had pumped all of her remaining mana into it. This was the main reason why she had readily epted when the System offered her to relinquish Tyrans healing to Rakna. It was her only chance in her opinion. [Three-Fold Chaos C Rampant Mayhem!] The sphere produced a booming sound that shook the whole floor and burst into a concentrated ray of raw chaotic energy. Cuniya rapidly put all of her efforts into defense. It briefly protected her and split the ray. It strayed away and hit several spots of the room, destroying whatever it touched. This cant be happening! She yelled as her body was being destroyed due to the strain. But she nheless did all she could to resist it. via gritted her teeth and poured everything she had into the spell, even expending her spiritual energy to constrict the path of the ray and increase its density. Cuniya gradually lost her arm, then part of her legs gave in, her left shoulder, and a chunk of her stomach. But it was only until half of her head disappeared that she lost the sh. Her magic was order and control in nature; chaos was precisely the opposite of that. Even if her level and all her attributes were stronger than vias, she was simply her worst match-up. Not again! She thought as the dark purple energy engulfed her entire body. You ursed Chaos Witches! Do not think you have won! Before she waspletely erased, when only one of her eyes remained, refusing to give up, she conjured onest spell that went unnoticed within the storm of energy. Enjoy your victory while you still can! It wontst long, she silently screamed andughed as thest bit of her vanished under the might of the Chaos spell. When the energy died down, there was no trace of the White Witch left. via fell to her knees immediately after, having exhausted both her psyche and mana. She only had the time to hear the System notifying her of something before she cked out, unaware of the faint power that had infiltrated her being. Chapter 168: Breaking In Chapter 168: Breaking In If its not your puppet, what is it? Do you have another clone somewhere else that is taking your mana? Kaelith asked uneasily when Rakna started acting weird. This was the second time she had seen him lose a bit of his cool and that obviously included the shifts in his eye color as well as the nature of his presence. But she had never asked him about it. Rakna didnt answer and stared at the System window for a few seconds before enough mana had finally been taken out of him to heal Tyran fully as a new notification popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Tyrannos Mors has beenpletely healed. The subject remains incapacitated. ? ? ? ? ? Fuck! He swore loudly. Alexa, initiate a transport to the Thirteenth teau. [Affirmative. Countdown initiated.] Hey, hey, you cant just leave me hanging here! The fox princess uttered. Whats happening? Maries Tomb. via went there with one of my pets. That same pet has been gravely injured. She scowled. Pronos is an anomaly, you know? Normal pets arent as strong as him. Why do- Tyran is level 50 with two attributes above 60 on top of being an Anti-Magic Asura. Kaelith promptly closed her mouth as she heard that. It was even more outrageous than hearing about Pronos potential. She should have known anything concerning Rakna couldnt possibly be normal. That cant be She muttered. If what youre saying is true, the Dungeon should pose no problem at all for them to clear. Thats why I suggested it for your friend I dont me you. I need to know what happened. [10 seconds before transfer.] Wait, youre going there right now? Kaelith asked and he nodded. She groaned. Putting aside the reason why you can do that without going to the Pavilion here, ept it, she said and sent him a friend invite. We hadnt done that yet. Ill follow you. I dont know where in the 13th Ill be but I will get to you as fast as I can. Rakna epted the invite with a nod. Thanks. [3, 2.] If somethings really happening dont be reckless, she warned. He huffed. No promise, he replied and the light of the System transportation engulfed him. When she was left alone, Kaelith summoned a spiral of me that swallowed her. She then reappeared right in front of the Pavilion in the next moment. That was probably a Badge of Honor, huh? She muttered to herself as she entered. But I thought only Gold Ranks or higher could do that. That little ? * * * ? The very second Rakna was dropped off by the teleportation in front of the Thirteenth teaus Pavilion, he didnt even bother checking his surroundings and flew off with Shadow Step whilst deploying his wings. To the regr people, all they managed to see was a sh of silver and ck disappear in the sky. Rakna opened his friend panel and promptly activated his mana flight to double his speed whilst heading in vias direction. Thankfully, since they had advanced from the Tenth to the Fifteenth in a party, the same rules applied to the Thirteenth, so Rakna wasnt very far from her location. He flew across the desert as fast as he could, even going as far as transforming into a wolf midflight before hended at his destination, around two minutester. Hended on all four and scowled at the odd oval portal that led to Maries Tomb. [That is a Dungeon Tear,] Alexa provided. [This is a type of Dungeon of which the entrance exists in the System solely under the form of a pathway to another dimension. In other words, Dungeon Instance.] Rakna grunted and approached the Tear and touched it with his paw. He jerked back as a painful shock stopped him and a negative warning was given to him. ? ? ? ? Another Host is currently going through this Dungeon! Entry rejected! ? ? ? ? Shit He cursed and became even more restless. He had already expected this but seeing it made him even jumpier. Alexa, is there a way to force my way into the Dungeon? [I cannot say] You are forbidden? [Yes I apologize. But there is no rule about me saying that you do possess a way to do it.] Raknas eyes widened. What is it? [I cannot say,] Alexa responded with a pause as if she was struggling with something. [Please think of Grit Castle] Grit Castle? Do you want me to use Cataract again? Didnt that work only because of the copse? [] Alexa! Rakna raised his voice at her silence, his increasing frustration gradually pushing him to the edge of triggering Obsidian Blood. {Calm down, Rakna,} Fray spoke rather seriously. {The AIdy is already pushing the limits of her programming for you. If she goes farther, shell bebeled as a malware and erased.} That immediately sobered Rakna up and he gritted his teeth. He forced his emotions down with a cigarette and returned to his normal state. The red in his eyespletely vanished and he took a deep breath. Think of Grit Castle He reiterated calmly. I dont think she meant Cataract. This time, theres not even a target; its just a portal. What else did I do? {I think I know,} Higure spoke up. {Back then, do you remember what you applied to your spell before youunched it?} What I applied! He paused. I altered the structure of the mana inside to reduce the number of focal points, he mumbled and activated his Cross Sight without dy. His pupils duplicated and he observed the Tear only to find out that the whole thing was a massive focal point in itself. {Hm, that will take a lot of dimensional power to break} Higure remarked. Do you know how I could do it? {Ill be clear with you; Dimensional Power is not just about focal points. Im sure youve got some idea of that already thanks to what youve done while learning forging and that spell modification you did to Cataract. In essence, Dimensional Power is the resulting force of the friction between all dimensions. Making use of Dimensional Power is to absorb that waste and control it.} {However, it would require Dimensional Magic for someone to do that. You, on the other hand, have a very special rtionship with itpared to others. As a matter of fact, Dusk Lions have a second title; we were sometimes called Dimension Breakers.} {We are unable to make use of Dimension Power as our own but we are a beacon for it to gather around,} Higure exined and sighed. {Im going to teach you a technique. Its a dangerous one and I would have normally rmended you to spend more time ustoming yourself to the differentyers of Enthymio before doing this. But we dont have a choice.} As long as it can help me get in there, I dont care how dangerous it is. The lioness snorted. {Of course. First of all; close your eyes. Secondly; release your Aura and make it as thin as your skin. Third step; I want you to internalize Cross Sight.} Internalize? {Its easy. Think of the feeling when it activates and instead of focusing it around your eyes, do it with your aura as the medium. The theory here is that your Aura will be your new set of eyes to perceive focal points.} Rakna frowned deeply and he closed his eyes even tighter. From outside, his aura flickered faintly and gained countless small cross-shaped patterns. Gradually, he started seeing an image in his mind but it was hazy and it was causing his head to ache. {Focus. Its normal that it is blurry. Grasp the first light you see and hold onto it.} He followed Higures advice and after half a minute, he saw a blinking light. He immediately locked onto it and put his whole concentration on getting it clearer. An additional minuteter, he gasped and began to sweat as hundreds of lights abruptly appeared in his head. He held his head and the veins in his neck and temples bulged. ? ? ? ? Cross Dimension Sagacity has leveled up! Cross Dimension Sagacity has leveled up! ? ? ? ? I see He thought as he endured the pain and looked at the lights. The more he did so, the more they arranged themselves in a specific manner. After a moment, they were all delimiting a space in the shape of a lupine. Rakna transformed into a werewolf and the form changed ordingly. Those are the focal points of my body, arent they? {Correct. The principle of this technique is to use the particrity of the Shuttle Specter Physique and turn it into an actual Dimension Shuttle. This is what you will do in the next step but its a very delicate process. You have to move the focal points of your body so that they are precisely ced at equal distances from each other. The hup is; if you make it too tight, your body will be dissociated from dimensions and fall into a void where there is no escape except death.} {On the opposite, if you make it too loose, your body will be crushed by the amass of Dimensional Power. Obviously, that ultimately ends with death too. I would have told you to practice it slowly for months if it were a normal situation, but in this case trust your instincts, Rakna.} Thats what I do best, he replied mentally and began the procedure. The second he moved the first focal point, he nearly stumbled because of the pain. ? ? ? ? Pain Resistance has leveled up! ? ? ? ? That almost made him want tough. He snarled and moved the second focal point. The pain felt as if he was digging tunnels inside his flesh to disce his organs but he continued to move them as the level of his resistance continuously leveled up. For him, it felt like hours when he moved the tenth point, then the fiftieth, and the hundredth, but barely a minute had passed in reality. His body was releasing waves of Dimensional Power that were breaking apart the very air around him and even the sand he was standing in was somehow gaining cracks on its surface. When Rakna was finally done rearranging the focal points, he could already tell his body was slowly breaking apart. And in fact, his flesh was being splintered like ss and spurting blood. {Now! Break through the Tear! You cant stay in that state for long!} Rakna snapped his eyes open at her warning and used both of his ws to pierce through the portal of the Dungeon. His hands quickly sunk inside of it and ear-shattering noises echoed as the resistance from the dimensions inside increased. He growled and forced every fiber of his being to push forward. Gradually, he managed to get his arms inside up to his shoulders. Not enough, he thought and shifted the entire array of focal points to be tighter. It immediately allowed him to advance further and the Tear began to expand but his body became even more pressured and an odd shell of distorted light was being formed around him. {Hey! What do you think dangerous technique means!? Do you want to kill yourself?!} Higure shouted and he clicked his tongue. Keep it forter, he responded and closed his eyes to sense the Dimensional Power that he was gathering. Hepared it to the Tears and quickly came to a conclusion. It wont be enough He thought and breathed in. [Star Hearth C Alzero,] he intoned and nearly the entirety of his mana was expended to create dozens and dozens of twisted swords behind him. {Oh my} Fray whispered. Rakna then put everything he had into breaking through the Tear andmanded his swords to fly into it all around him. The second they all hit, an indescribable sound echoed and both the very matter and light were distorted by the dimensions, creating a massive spherical depression. When it died down, Rakna was nowhere to be found anymore and the Tear had suddenly be ten times bigger. It was fissuring in several ces and was spinning in ce very sporadically. From afar, the mapper who had sold the location of Maries Tomb to via was casually sitting on his foldable chair ced on a high dune. When he saw what happened, he couldnt help but sit up straight and open his unicolor cyan eyes wide. Ive witnessed something outrageous, havent I? He muttered to himself. So, the smell on that woman was his who could have guessed Id meet him here? How interesting. Chapter 169: Dimension Breaker Chapter 169: Dimension Breaker ? ? ? ? You have developed a new passive skill; Dimensional Damage Resistance. Dimensional Damage Resistance has leveled up! x5 ? ? Cross Dimensional Sagacity has reached its maximum level! ? ? You have obtained a new Title! ? Dimension Breaker ? This is a titlemonly given to species with anti-dimensional properties. It is proof that you have ovee the limits of the main worldly dimension and have started to separate yourself from it. This is also the mark of your absolute fortitude. As a human-born individual, you have achieved a never-seen-before feat. ? Perks: C You recover 50% faster from dimensional-induced injuries. +50% resistance against all dimensional disruptions. C You gain the Trait; Void Breathing. ? Additional Rewards: +5 Vtile Attribute Points! +1 Skill Point! ? ? Void Breathing: The holder of this trait does not require any air to sustain their bodily functions and will always derive whatever they need from dimensional power. This is a must-have for travelers that venture into dimensions where the air is inexistent. It is also applicable to liquid bodies and outer space and allows the holder to speak in those environments through the vibrations of close pocket dimensions. ? ? The Harvester has been actualized! Third Genome Updated! New aptitude attuned; Rift Shuttle! ? ? Rift Shuttle (Lv. Ex): The user will be a beacon to Dimensional Power until their body bes saturated with it. They will turn into a shuttle dissociated from the regr space-time dimension. When in that state, it bes nearly impossible for any dimension to resist the user. Just entering in contact with them would suffice to breach a hole in them. It also implies that no magic spell or dimensional anchor can restrain the user. It is also not umon to use such an effect as a means of defense or survival. If used with fine control and careful application, it may be possible for the user to choose how far they stray from the main dimension; sometimes slowing down the flow of time, sometimes elerating it, or instead travel to dimensions where every meter is equivalent to a thousand. ? Cost: None. ? Note: This puts an extreme strain on the body. The more saturated the body and the longer it is; the greater the strain. The only contingency to the aftereffect is a stronger body or stronger resistance to dimensional warps. ? Additional Note: This is a special tier skill. It cannot be leveled up as there are no features to be improved and is thus constantly in a state of Exceled. It is however possible to evolve it with Skill Points. ? ? Warning! ? You have destroyed the Tear of Maries Tomb! The Dungeon will soon copse! Evacuate as fast as possible! ? Note: Really? REALLY?! AGAIN?! What are you doing, Big Brother?! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna growled at the sheer number of windows popping up right and left of his vision as he ran through the empty cemetery. He could see motionless corpses on the ground so it meant he didnt have to repeat the fights via had already gone through. He rapidly shifted back into a wolf again and ignored the paining from his every muscle due to his reckless first use of Rift Shuttle. His fur even had some red patches. This course didnt fail to spur Higure into scolding him. {You incorrigible fool! Do you want to be dust in the void between dimensions?! If you had taken it slower, just a few minutes, you would have been able to go through without risking your life! Much less turn the whole Dungeon into a time-ticking bomb!} Rakna rolled his eyes and jumped in the opening to the third floor of the Dungeon. He checked his friend panel every second to make sure that via was still disyed without change and put his newfound vtile points into speed once again whilst tuning out the lioness sermon. Alexa, are you okay? He asked mentally right after and the lioness could only click her tongue. [Affirmative.] Sorry about earlier. I lost my calm for a moment. [It is all right] Can you tell me how big this Dungeon is? [Thirteen floors.] How long until the copse? [There are about five minutes left before you reach the point of no return.] Can you teleport me out when I have to leave? [Since you entered this Dungeon irregrly, I could request the server and-] ? ??? No need! I already permitted you to leave at demand! ??? ? Alexa was interrupted by a message that was both heard and seen by Rakna. He blinked at the sudden voice and text but didnt stop going down the floors. Eva? ? ??? Yes! Me! You were already hurting my head after appearing on live television earlier and now youre doing this?! Whats wrong with you?! You destroyed one yesterday! ??? ? Rakna hummed calmly. What? Am I really the first to do it? It has been easy to do so far. ? ??? Shut up! Of course, it happened before! ??? ? Then- ? ??? At least half a millennium apart each time! ??? ? ? ??? And what do you mean easy?! People are normally sensible of the potential consequences of their actions! Not whatever you are! Because of you, I have to work on changing the procedural generation of Dungeons Bosses, and now, to resist Dimension Breakers like you, I have to add a doubleyered Wolder Form to Tears,press the matrix core, equate the dimensional ratio of- ??? ? Stop. I dont need the details. ? ??? Obviously, you dont! Dont wanna hear all the work you give me, huh? And I havent talked about thatmia yet! Do you want to know which index was out of bounds on a teau above the 900th? Huh!? ??? ? Rakna sweatdropped as he leaped over tombstones to get to the tenth floor. Look at the good side of things. I helped you make your system safer. ? ??? You damn little Gyaaah!! ??? ? {Quit bullying the little girl already, devourer,} Higure spoke up. youre intent on scolding me today, arent you? {Yes,} she shamelessly replied. Rakna huffed. Enough joking. Eva, what happened to via and Tyran? ? ??? And why should I tell you? ??? ? An order from your Elder Brother. ? ??? thats supposed to be a joke to irk you off, not a real dynamic. ??? ? Im waiting. ? ??? Barefaced werewolf ??? ? The Super AI grumbled a moment before answering. ? ??? the White Witch was unsealed. ??? ? Rakna frowned. Who is that? ? ??? A bitch; through and through. She decided that your friend was the perfect vessel for her to quit her slumber in the Dungeon. Dont worry, your girl survived and shended a good one on that woman as well. ??? ? Who is that witch? A Hidden Boss? ? ??? No, shes one of the irregrities Marie Vei Cuniya. A while ago, a Chaos Witch under the name of Cami Scarlet fought against her and forced her to flee. It just so happened that as she ran, she was caught in the formation algorithm of a Dungeon and became a secondary core of it. Summarized, shes basically an anomaly like Fray or Verias. ??? ? Rakna nearly froze on the spot. He gritted his teeth and kicked the ground as hended on the penultimate floor of the Dungeon. how many of those are there in your damn System? This is the third time and I havent even gotten into the three digits of your teaus. Eva performed a shrug that was visually conveyed by an emoticon before answering. ? ??? It just happens. Its not my fault. You have a lot of luck but your karma is skewed, Big Brother. It just so happens to mean that your luck can sometimes be a curse. ??? ? The wolfs eyes opened wide. Did my use of the Joker cause this? ? ??? As if I knew. All I know is that your karma was already in the negative before you used that card. You killed too many people in your past while you barely saved any before entering the System and meeting new people. ??? ? Rakna almost wanted to scoff at that. Are you telling me that I have to be a good Samaritan for this to stop happening to me and the ones rted to me? ? ??? That would be good news for me too, so yes. ??? ? {Well, that should not be a problem now, should it?} Fraymented. {Our dear Rakna over here is already doing good deeds as theye by. Although he does them with a face that would make a child cry out in terror, he does them nheless.} ? ??? Hahahaha! True! I quite like you, Exalted Quill! Great minds think alike! ??? ? {Ohoho! I agree!} Rakna ignored the ndering of his person in favor of a far more worrying idea. He couldnt help but think that via had been put in danger because of him. He wouldnt be able to imagine what he would have done if she had truly died. {Dont fret, devourer,} Higure said as she caught on to his train of thought. {Karma and luck are things that no mortal will ever have a grasp on. They are concepts that are unclear and ethereal even to the supernatural world. What you need to take out of this is not that you put thedys life at risk; you saved her by having Tyran apany her.} [I share the Dusk Lioness opinion,] Alexa surprisingly added. [I believe that there is no Host in the System more capable than you to go against fate and karma. That is my honest belief.] Rakna stayed silent for a moment before he reached the thirteenth floor where he saw a staircase leading underground. He understood that there was an extra floor and rushed down while taking the time to answer the two girls in his head. Thanks, he said and arrived in the room where Cuniya had been contained with a sh Step. He immediately zeroed onto Tyrans and vias unconscious figures and dashed toward thetter since he knew the Dreorin was simply out ofmission. He rapidly reverted into a therian and checked her condition. There was no need to sense her pulse since he could clearly hear it. The injury to her head was worrisome but nothing too bad. He quickly applied one of his higher-tiered potions and then gave some of his internal force to her through the reverse application of Soul Drain. {Shes out of danger,} Higure said. {You should get out now before the Dungeon copses.} {Rakna?} The lioness raised a questioning tone as he didnt respond to her and stared gloomily at via. {Is something wrong?} Rakna snarled as his eyes red with shapeless power and observed vias soul. It was a bouquet of bright and powerful colors circled by a transparent line. This wasnt the first time he had seen the shape of her soul and it wasnt what made him so shaken. ? ??? Uh-oh ??? ? No, what made him upset was the extra color that had intruded it. An invading area of white that was starting to swallow everything else. Chapter 170: Beyond Yourself Chapter 170: Beyond Yourself Is this a takeover? Rakna muttered as he remembered a certain phenomenon he had read in the journal of that demented soul practitioner. Eva. ? ??? What do you mean Eva? This is not my problem. My only concern is that youe out of here alive. I dont care about the rest. Im returning to my duties. Good luck. ??? ? She made her stance clear and Rakna rumbled. He released the full capacity of his soul power and wrapped via with it. [Soul Scourge,] he uttered and worked on isting the intruder. But he quickly realized that it was iparable to anything he had done with his soul power yet. The strength of the soul he was trying to suppress was a lot higher than what he was used to and it was about equal if not a bit higher than his. But although that did pose a problem, it was more or less manageable as long as the white soul itself didnt fight back. However, what made it close to impossible for Rakna to do anything was the simple meaning of takeover. A part of vias soul has alreadypletely fused with it, he whispered. I can contain what is currently spreading, but its impossible to get rid of the source anymore. {Really?} Higure was startled. {I admit I wasnt that good at it, nor did I have your instinctual control, but I was quite proficient with soul power when I was alive. Shouldnt it be possible for you to remove the ingrained part?} Youre confusing fused with mixed. Its not that simple. Whats happening here is a takeover; in other words, vias soul isnt being encroached by another, it is being reced. Its transforming into something else. {that sounds bad.} Rakna gritted his teeth. You have no idea. If I had waited for her to wake up and leave the Dungeon on her own, via would already be someone else, he said and put his hand on the ground as the floor began to quake. He clicked his tongue and looked up to see cracks appear on the ceiling. [You dont have much time left, Rakna.] I know theres only one thing I can do, he responded and as his Soul Scourge leveled up, he directed all of his concentration on the white soul. He first isted it as best as he could and then yanked it out. If he couldnt get rid of it, he for sure was going to at least weaken it. Who are you?! A resentful voice echoed in Raknas head as the residues of the white soul formed the hazy figure of Cuniya above the unconscious via. What do you think youre doing!? Raknas eyes shed red and his hand found itself clutching the neck of the witch. Red mes burst out from all around his body and very small drops ofva flowed down his skin; Obsidian Blood had reached its limit of tolerance. ? ? ? ? ? Volcanic Star Magic Awakened! Attributes Swapped! ? ? The curse is growing stronger Ireful Shell has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? {Oh boy} Both Fray and Higure were taken aback seeing it for the first time. Killing you, Rakna snarled out with his elongated fangs and his pupils that looked as if they were being filled with a cascade of magma. The output of his soul power multiplied and the normally invisible force started gaining a crimson shade. It quickly swallowed the figure of Cuniya and she promptly screamed. It burns! What kind of monster are you?! She howled and struggled to escape from the volcanic soul. Even if you exorcize me now, it wont save her! Its toote! Sooner orter, I will take over! Rakna didnt respond and clenched his hand. In the blink of an eye, a torrent of red aura filled the area and when it disappeared, the soul of Cuniya was gone and viasplexion had somewhat paled a bit. ? ? ? ? ? Souls Decree has leveled up! Primal Soul Core has leveled up! Primal Soul Core has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna reigned in his emotions afterward and drowned the voices of Ireful Shell. The curse had triggered itself without him even getting injured. It was apparently aligning itself with Obsidian Blood due to its dark nature. Rakna transformed into a werewolf and picked up via with one arm, positioning her so that she would be hanging from his neck. He then walked to Tyran and injected a strand of soul power into him to force him awake. The T. Rexs reaction was explosive. He jumped up to stand on his four legs and immted himself with fire. He looked around before he realized what was happening when he saw via carried by his master. He let out a soft growl and lowered his head in shame. Sensing his despondence, Rakna patted his head. Its all right. Since you got injured to this point, you must have shielded her from the witchs mental attacks. She probably wouldnt have survived without you. Good work. Tyran nodded slowly and faintly. He shrunk to his smallest state and walked to Raknas feet with a bit of lingering mortification. At the same time, the Dungeon shook again and the walls around started crumbling. The werewolf huffed. Alexa, pull us out of here. [Understood,] right as she replied, the usual transfer was carried out and within seconds, Rakna was standing in front of the Dungeon Tear. He nced at the unstable portal and squinted at how much energy it was generating since he entered. As expected, he thought. On raw instinct, he deployed his wings and flew off in a bright sh of silver light. Promptly after he left the vicinity, the Tear began to release a whistling noise that got louder and louder until the whole thing burst into an even more ear-deafening sound. A strident implosion urred and the portal closed on itself. The copse briefly gave birth to a sort of miniature ck hole that swallowed a big chunk of the desert before silently vanishing. Rakna watched it happen andnded on the sand far away. A ck hole, huh? He said to himself and a certain idea went through his head, which he put up forter reflection. Well, it could have been worse He then added out loud. Thats for sure, a voiceplemented and Rakna froze on the spot. He groaned internally and looked over his shoulder to see a man wearing a desert cloak, a hood, and a mask that covered all of his face except his sapphire-like eyes. He also had a folded chair under his arm. This is the second time today The werewolf thought. It was quite rare for him to be sneaked upon by anyone. But he doesnt give off any hostile smell and Souls Decree isnt warning me Why does he smell like the sea though? Nice to meet you, Rakna Xiorra. I heard a lot about you, the man spoke with a neutral but friendly tone. Tai was singing your praises. Rakna blinked in surprise. You mean Tairen? Are you also? A member of the Throne? Yes, the man nodded. My name is ?irkk Acul Ki? V??ar, he said with a very casual intonation but when he saw the bewilderment on the other partys face, heughed a bit. But you can call me Tira. Its easier on the tongue, right? Rakna hummed. Have I seen you before on the Guild Chat? Ah, no. I dont speak much there. But my moniker is Azul. Feel free to say hi if you see it, he said and nced at Tyran before eyeing via whom Rakna was unconsciously holding in a protective manner. Thedy did something happen to her? Rakna recognized a bit of guilt from the emotions he was sensing and frowned. Have you met her before? Tira nodded. I was the one who gave her the location of Maries Tomb. At this point, I think I might just as well give her a refund, he said lightheartedly. Rakna snorted and conjured a soft chunk of material with Star Hearth and gently lowered via onto it whilst maintaining surveince on her soul. Its fine. She probably would have gotten the info from someone else eventually. Youre right. But I cant help but feel a bit responsible since it involves someone close to you and thus close to a member of our guild. We are a small group, so we need to help each other but I have done the opposite with your friend, Tira uttered and nted his folded chair in the sand. His eyes glittered and observed vias condition. He walked closer and before continuing, turned toward Rakna who had finished turning back into a therian. Can I? He inquired whilst waving at via. The teen nodded at him and Tira carefully ced his hand on her stomach before closing his eyes. Immediately after, Rakna sensed an increasing amount of soul power wash over the ce as well as the smell of the sea getting at least ten times stronger. He looked wide-eyed as the white color in vias soul was being encased in a protective azure shell. The processsted a minute before Tira stepped back. He hummed thoughtfully. This isnt your regr takeover. Its probably a unique kind of spell. All I can do is seal the intruder. If I remove it like this, it could kill her or severely injure her soul. Both oues are equivalently bad. Rakna quietly listened to him and probed the blue shell. How long can thisst? Hm, technically speaking, indefinitely. But, thats only if your friends soul stays like this. And its a no-brainer that her soul will get more powerful as she grows stronger. Inevitably, the part that is confined will also get stronger and break out. I just bought her some time. What I rmend her to do is to try and find a bnce; either by dominating the alien soul or cohabiting with it. Are either of those really possible? Of course. The former depends on tenacity more than anything while thetter depends on how cooperative the original owner of this white soul will be, Tira exined. Other than that, there is nothing I can do to repress the additional side-effects. What are they? At this stage, minor mood swings, harmless dreams, and irregr changes to her soul. Its nothing serious for someone with a durable mind, he added and tersely looked up. He gazed at something in the distance. I recognize this aura Gray did mention she was your shopkeeper. With those words, Rakna immediately knew who he was referring to. He followed his line of sight and activated Fabled Sight. He spotted a fiery dot in the distance and in only the time it needed him to blink, it had already reached their location. A cone of blue firended on the sand, sshing mes around as if they were liquid in nature. The very noticeable figure of Kaelith emerged from it and the first thing she did was scowl at Tira as the mes were sucked back into her nine tails. Draco I see youre still hanging in the desert doing mapping work, she spoke neither friendly nor coldly. I will never understand why you like an environment that is the opposite of your element. Tira chuckled. I told you before; where there is none, I like to be. Rakna alternated sight between the two and Tyran also curiously observed them. You know each other? He ultimately asked and Kaelith harrumphed. One of the suitors put forward by the old idiots of the council, she said and red at Tira. He shook his head with a sigh. Its not my fault. My family also liked the idea, he said helplessly and looked at Rakna. Essentially, we pretended to be polite to each other during a few encounters then never talked to each other again. Whatever, I know wolfy is your junior but now that Im here, you can fuck off, the vixen shooed him away and he snickered. Wolfy, huh? He reiterated with a smirk andughed as her cheeks reddened a bit. She realized her mistake only after saying it. What? She said defiantly. A problem with that? Haha, you havent changed at all, he said and grabbed his chair. He put it under his arm and as he was about to go, Rakna stopped him. Wait, you are a practitioner of soul techniques, right? Well, yes. My race is quite polyvalent. Why? Do you have any advice on how to awaken a Kzanaria? Tira blinked. Thats advanced stuff. Tairen was definitely not exaggerating your talent. As for the answer to your question Kzanarias are specters of yourself; thats the textbook definition. But its not truly urate. Its more than that. My advice would be search beyond yourself. Rakna raised an eyebrow exasperatedly. Why are you soul maniacs all so vague? Tiraughed. The discovery of the soul is a journey. You learn as you march forward, not when you reach the goal. On this note, Ill see you again, he dered. Take good care of Kaelith. W-what is that supposed to mean?! Kaelith shouted but he had already vanished as if he was a mirage. Chapter 171: Dragon Clan Chapter 171: Dragon n So, shes the one? Kaelith asked as she leaned over via. Shes cute She muttered and her eyes wandered. Hm other than the chest, I win everywhere else. Rakna sent her a deadpan stare and she casually shrugged it off. And I see that you destroyed another one, she then said with a nk tone whilst looking at the crater where the Dungeon Tear previously was. So, what did Draco do to her? Theres some of his presence around her. He isted a soul that was attempting a takeover. Kaeliths eyes widened. I see she was lucky that someone like him was here. His kind is basically good at everything. He was taught a lot by his family and n. What is he anyway? What, he didnt tell you? She replied and he shook his head. Well I guess I can start it by telling you why the elders suggested him as my suitor so much. There are a few ns on par with us the Nine-Tailed and among them, the strongest is the Dragon n. So, Tira is? A dragon, yes. One of the Dragon Kings, to be exact. Dragons have an evolutiondder simr to ours. However, with them; its not tails but their wings. Two-winged dragons are called Elemental Dragons. The four-winged are Noble Dragons. The six-winged are Great Dragons. And finally, the eight-winged are Sovereign Dragons, butmonly called Kings. In other words, hes a big shot. Pretty much. But I still have a higher status, she said proudly. Im the Foxes heiress, after all. Rakna snorted. Of course, you are. Why do you call him Draco by the way? Thats because his first name roughly trantes to that in draconic tongue and I thought it was funny, she shrugged. I see. The poor man would have definitely gotten the short end of the stick if a marriage had been sessfully arranged between you two, Rakna noted and a vein popped on the vixens forehead. You Kaeliths expression twitched. She ultimately sighed and snapped her fingers. A stream of mes was conjured from under her feet and drew a magic circle all around them. Rakna curiously watched as a whirlpool of blue fire began to block the view of his surroundings and even the ground he was standing on. Interestingly, there was no change in temperature. The therian hummed and pulled out a cigarette and lit it by putting it in the mes. No heat but theres stillbustion? Hemented questioningly as he put the cigarette in his mouth under the incredulous eyes of Kaelith. Could you not use my magic as a lighter? She retorted with a scowl. And no, its neither. The fire of this spell is telepathic, it burns if you want it to burn, it gets hot if you want it to be, and it spreads if you want it to. Since youre inside, it also listens to you. What does this spell even do? This, she answered and snapped her fingers again. This time, the mes went away and they found themselves in front of Pavilions entrance. Rakna raised an eyebrow. I didnt even notice we were moving. Duh, its teleportation for a reason, Kaelith said matter-of-factly. Come on; bring thedy inside to the infirmary. They have soul replenishment equipment and medicine. Shes most likely tired from the takeover. Theres a back entrance to it in the private section if you dont want to be stared at by everyone. Really? I never saw it, Rakna remarked as he picked up via in a bridal carry. The second that they stepped inside the Pavilion, he sh-stepped upstairs and Kaelith followed with an equally fast movement. They went through the filter dimension together and the vixen led him to the very back. They went past the door of the shop and reached a dead end. Here, let me show you, Kaelith said smilingly and swiped her hand on the wall. Then, a string of holographic icons appeared. Each of these opens a way to different parts of the Pavilion. This cross here is the infirmary, this one is the lounge/casino, this one is the Meeting Rooms where Guilds can have meet-ups with others. They were used the day after the Initiation if you remember. I do, Rakna nodded as he took a look himself at the icons. Why is this hidden like this though? Well, its not really hidden, Kaelith replied and pressed on the infirmary icon. The rest then went away and a ripple coursed throughout the wall before it created an automatic door. From what I know, the original design wasnt meant to be something so furtive, but it just became that way over time and now its like a sort of half-secret tip that goes around veterans. Then again, the clown of your Guild probably just forgot to tell you about this. Sounds about right, Rakna readily agreed and Kaelith chuckled. She pressed the button and the metal doors slid inside the walls to reveal the reception of the Pavilions med bay. All right, Ill leave here. Just ask for a soul operation room, Kaelith said. Just be sure toe to my shop tomorrow. Why? Is there something important going on tomorrow? My mom wants to meet you. Rakna froze both physically and mentally. He almost dropped via. why? She personally wants to see how much of a cheeky brat you are. For some reason, I find myself doubting that. Just shut up and promise youll be there. Rakna dragged on the silence for a minute. lets hope your mother isnt like you then. See?! Thats exactly what Im talking about! ? * * * ? Around ten minutester, Rakna was back on his own and via had already beenid down on a bed as a nurse was setting up a very sci-fi-looking instrument next to her. She first cleaned the blood then ced some scanner-like devices near her patients midriff. She looked at the numbers on the screen then turned toward Rakna. Her condition is stable. You can leave with her as soon as she wakes up but I rmend a minimum of three hours here at least. Also, her soul will be a bit frail for a few days so I rmend she doesnt use too much mana during that time. Rakna nodded and the nurse excused herself with a bow. When she was gone, he pulled out the journal and sat down on a chair. You heard? He asked to seemingly no one as he turned the pages and Tyran looked at him in confusion. I did A weary voice responded and the little T. Rex cried out happily and jumped on the bed where via slowly opened her eyes. She smiled and patted him. Thank you, Tyran, she said and looked at Rakna who was quietly reading his book. Since when did you notice? I knew all along. You did a good job steadying your breathing, but it gets hard when you also have to fool my nose and the burst of emotions thates along when you wake up. via chuckled wryly. How unfair is that? You tell me, Rakna shrugged. It has only been useful to me until now. She giggled then sighed. So that woman was your shopkeeper? She asked rather tamely. I did not see what she looked like but she sounded nice? The therian snorted. Right. Ill have to make you remake that opinion when you meet again. You two sound close I heard you were going to meet her mother? Oh, that? You dont know yet, but I did something kind of {Dumb?} {Inane?} [Senseless?] Rakna nked as even Alexa joined in. I did something risky. Long story short, I faked my identity in a System-wide broadcast. It involved the Nine-Tailed n, which fox- I mean Kaelith is from and now her mother, i.e super high-ranked nobility, wants to see me. I really dont think its a good situation overall. via turned her head to stare at him. You are a walking disaster, she uttered and he didnt have anything to riposte with. She sighed again. Is there something I should know? You mean about your condition? She nodded. Whoever you were fighting tried to take over your soul. If I had been toote, you would have been killed and your body stolen. Thankfully, a guildmate of mine was passing by, the same person that sold you the location of the Dungeon, and saved you from imminent risk. I see I guess myst spell couldnt stop her from using ast-resort counter, via whispered and pursed her lips. You said imminent risk, right? Mhm The takeover has been stopped but not erased. You will have to be careful in the future, if you lower your guard, you might get possessed for good, Rakna said and lifted his eyes from the journal. Ill start teaching you how to control your soul from now on. You need to learn it in order to fend off the takeover as much as possible. via slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard. The machine seemed to be able to connect to her soul as long as she was close to it. Then I guess you will be able to start tonight, she said with a yful smile and Rakna looked at her in confusion before remembering. Ah I did agree to that sleeping together nonsense, didnt I? Yup! She nodded happily. Keep your enthusiasm. Youre stuck here for three hours before that. via pouted. Cant you heal my soul yourself? Faster than this machine? I asked the staff and they told me that this thing, while slower, is a lot safer since it is a sequential process with next to zero mistakes. And if there is one, it still wouldnt harm you. so, I have to wait three hours here? Yes. want me to read this to you while we wait? I would like that. Rakna cleared his throat began to read, I had reached the peak stage of the Nirvana Realm. The energies of Heaven and Earth had be too weak for me so I waspelled to go into solitary cultivation where I would spend a hundred years finding myself, fighting my demons, and seek for an enlightenment that would allow me to ascend to the state of immortal- Im good! You can stop there. Youre sure? Yes. Your call. {What am I watching?} Higure couldnt help but utter. ? * * * ? Finally out of there! via stretched her arms out as she breathed in the air of ck Steel which was surprisingly clean for a massive advanced city. Some passersby almost tripped when they saw that and hurriedly hid their faces whilst covering their noses. Rakna watched that happening amusingly then looked somewhere where he saw a blue sh and a little snake jumping away from the crowd tond on his shoulder. Hey, little guy. Sorry, I should have warned you before making you wait like this, he said and Pronos hissed softly. The snake then extended his tail to Raknas eyes where a ring was tightly secured. Ah, yes. I almost forgot about that, the therian said and grabbed the ring before wearing it. It was actually a low-tier ring that Gray had given him specifically for Fray to receive the rewards. Um, Rakna via spoke up uneasily. People are staring at us Well, next time youll pay attention to your surroundings when you decide to stretch. She blushed. Right, but its not that most of them are looking at you. Rakna raised his head at that and looked around him as well. He quickly realized that there were indeed a lot of people gazing at him as if he was an exotic sight. Oh He instantly understood. Ill have to get used to the attention. By now, Obsidian and I must be the talk of a lot of people Dont pay attention to them, he ultimately said. Where are you staying? At a hotel, ten minutes away from here by foot, via answered. The others should already be there by now. Rakna blinked. Did you just say the others? Well, of course. Nyx, Evelyn, and I share a room. thats why you said us this morning Yep. Rakna didnt reply. He even had started sweating ever so slightly. Things had gotten a lot harder for him. Forget sleeping normally, it wasnt the problem anymore. He probably wouldnt even be able to get a shut-eye. shit. Chapter 172: Powermove Chapter 172: Powermove What the Rakna muttered as via led him to the highest floor of a veryvish hotel. If he had topare it to Earth standards, he would probably need more than five stars to properly rate it. You three have been spending your nights here? On the highest floor? She nodded. How much does it even cost? Hm? I dont know, via tilted her head with her hand on her chin. Vera just gave it to us as a gift for joining the Wan Guild. how happy was that woman to have recruited you? Rakna deadpanned. Alexa, do you have the prices for this ce? He asked as they entered an elevator. [Affirmative. But you can look them up yourself on your HL if you wish so. They should be present on the website of the hotel.] ck Steel has inte? The therian blinked and opened the menu of his HL. With just a thought, the device immediately connected to a hotspot and opened a navigation tab. I dont know what to say anymore. The fantasy just vanished, he muttered nkly as he inputted the name of the hotel. Once the results were in, his eye twitched. {Hm, the typical price is about 35 000 Talys per night,} Fraymented. {The highest floor is VIP only. The fixed cost for a night is 100 000 Talys per night. Quite expensive.} out of pure curiosity, for how long did Vera rent the room? She said it was good for 1 year. Rakna nearly choked. 36 500 000 Talys the rich will always be the rich, huh? {Its not that much. My home in Old Eden was worth two billion back in the day. I wonder if they preserved it after my death} I dont want to hear about how wealthy you were Rather, why didnt you give me some when we went through your test? {I see your priorities are as pertinent as always,} Fray retorted. {What? Was the Heavenly Chaos Box not enough for you.} If you were going to be that generous for just listening to three of your silly fables, it wouldnt have mattered if you had gone a bit further, no? Rakna retorted shamelessly as the elevator stopped. {I am now wondering if I should have just waited a few additional centuries in my oasis instead of subjecting myself to one such as you.} Rakna ignored Frays existential crisis and followed via into a luxurious hallway. It was also very spacious. In fact, the building itself seemed to have a surface area of around ten thousand square meters; quite a bit more than Earths norms. Its this one, via said as she stopped next to a doorbeled 907. She pulled out an ID card and swiped it in front of a scanner on the wall. The entrance opened automatically after and when they went inside, Rakna sighed. This is more of an apartment than anything, he muttered as he looked at the literal living room and the small kitchen. Everything was looking like the cutting edge of technology and the view of outside through the window was enchanting. Oh, youre back Evelyn said as she came out of a room wearing a dressing gown. How did the Dunge-! She quickly stopped herself when she finally took a proper look at the entrance and who was standing there. Her face flushed and she unconsciously nced at her attire before rushing back inside the room with a muffled yep. When the door mmed closed behind her, Rakna blinked and via sighed. I did tell them you wereing She muttered and walked further inside. At the same time, Nyx came out from the room as well, and unlike her forerunner, she was wearing proper clothes and she quickly noticed their guest. So, thats why Evelyn ran in like she was being chased by the devil itself, she jested. Thats an exaggeration! The subus outraged voice sounded from the other side of the wall. Nyx chuckled then her eyes returned to via and her smile dropped nearly instantly. She scowled quite heavily. What happened to you? Eh? The Chaos Witch was taken aback. What do you Im asking you what is wrong with your soul. via opened her eyes wide at that and Rakna raised an eyebrow in surprise. I didnt know you were that good at sensing souls, hemented rather curiously. As I said before, Im ustoming to my old skills. But the nature of this whole ce simply makes it a lot slower than it should be. My soul power isnt growing as quickly as yours but in thest few days, I finally managed to form a Soul Heart, Nyx said and gestured to via to give out her hand. Please dont move for a minute, she instructed and her friend nodded slowly. Then, as she injected a strand of soul power, Nyx continued her exnation, It seems that within the boundaries of the System, everything works differently from outside. Even magic theory and elemental affinity are atypical. Generally, even if you dont have any talent for them, it should be possible to use all elements. You are not supposed to be locked with only one. What does that imply? Rakna asked back as he watched her examine vias condition. Simply put, it seems the System changes you to fit the most optimal conditions. Its not a bad thing actually. Ive noticed that, while we give up on all other elements, the ones that we awakened with are proportionally easier to master and also more powerful. In contrast, there is one negative aspect that Ive discovered. Our level; it is the equivalent of what we would call life force, Nyx said and let out a sigh as she sensed the anomalies in vias soul. Life force? Yes, it is essentially the exact same thing as levels. It is used as a way to measure strength. Eternal Night, for example, was a Life Hunter, so he could absorb life force from others by killing. That is how he became so strong. Alexa told me about that, Rakna said thoughtfully. In System terms, it would mean that the guy could add up the level of his enemies to his own. That would definitely be a game-changer. Which brings me to the second point; our life force is limited and regted. Normally, it should be a lot quicker to umte it than how we are doing now by collecting experience. Truthfully, if it were you, Rakna I would say that without the System, you would already be at least ten to a hundred times stronger. Rakna snickered silently at that and Nyx let go of via afterward. All right two foreign signatures. One is invasive and the other is isting, she said. I assume someone tried to initiate a full-resonance, a possession, on you. Then Rakna attacked him or her with his soul power and someone else sealed the personpletely. via nodded dazedly. You got everything right Can you do something about it? Rakna inquired. Yes and no. In my current state, I wouldnt even be able to make a seal. However, if my soul was stronger, I could have forced the intruder out then reced the damaged part with a fragment of mine. Based on my current understanding of the System, I would say that I will be strong enough when Im about level 400. Earlier; if you and I work together. Rakna snorted. I guess that means youre better than a dragon. A dragon? She repeated surprised. Is this seal the work of a dragon? Rakna nodded and she hummed thoughtfully. How interesting this soul signature is unlike any dragon Ive ever met before. Say can we stop talking about this? via almost pleaded. Id like not to be reminded of the evil witch trying to possess me. Nyx giggled and Evelyn came back into the living room with a small blush. She was now wearing a pajama a few sizes higher than hers. She also had Sonata wrapped around her neck. I agree with that. It made it quite hard toe out while you were in that topic The night goddess settled into a faint smile, bncing her aloof self with a more rxed demeanor before answering, Sorry about that. By the way Evelyn trailed off and walked to a small table where she pressed on a hidden button installed in the material. A pad popped up and she pressed on it a few times before a holographic screen appeared on the wall of the room. What is this? She asked nkly whilst pointing at an image of Obsidian standing in front of the mayor. Nyx and via were amused to see it on television while Rakna fell silent for a moment. He mused on what his answer should be and he eventually replied. That is what I would call a powermove. ? * * * ? Half an hourter, the four of them were chatting in afortable mood. Nyx, Evelyn, and Rakna sat on the couches while via worked on the kitchens appliances to cook dinner. So, what did you do after we separated? Nyx asked Evelyn whilst sipping on a cup of tea. Well, I returned to the Nymph vige to visit an alchemy reagent shop. I originally wanted to buy a few ingredients there to practice my familys craft. I told the owner about it and she offered to teach me the basics. I spent the day there and I lost a few zeros in my bnce, Evelyn cried a figurative tear. It wasnt really because she asked a lot to teach me but more because I had to buy all the equipment and material I needed. Nyx smiled. That certainly exins the boxes scattered on your bed. Dont even get me started on it The subus replied gloomily. Rakna snorted. What about you, Nyx? OGram brought you to the Basilica, did he not? The night goddess made aplicated expression. A few things happened Firstly, the Basilica confirmed that I was their so-called Eternal Maiden and the System gave me the corresponding title; it gives me authority in their organization among other things. They also gifted me two Aeter Spell Cards. Thats quite a boon Nyx shrugged. Apparently, you now have in front of you one of the most influential figures of the Basilica. Though I have not even officially joined them Will that be fine? via asked. You obviously are important to them. Wont it be a problemter on if you are not part of their group? She shook her head. Regardless, I will not join them any soon. In your case, during the Initiation, I decided to tag along with you because you seemed trustworthy and Rakna was the strongest of the batch. It was a logical decision. However, right now were talking about an organization with thousands of members as well as an even higher number of followers that see me as a messiah. via smiled wryly. That is indeed a bit too much But most importantly, Nyx continued. I still am notfortable with the idea of being linked to the God of Eternal Night. Thats understandable, Rakna said. I certainly wouldnt like to be hallowed by the followers of the one who defeated me and deprived me of everything I had. Nyxughed lightly and a small silence followed, which was soon broken by Evelyn, What about the rewards the Church and the Basilica gave you, Rakna? Well, they are good overall but at the same time, theyre not anything that will suddenly make me stronger, he replied and nudged his spatial ring. Promptly, the beautiful Holy Sword appeared in his hand. This was the first time he actually held it since Fray had been impersonating him previously. Thats why he wasnt prepared when the weapon abruptly began to vibrate and produce a blinking light. This? He scowled at the de and held the handle tighter. He could feel an energy simr but distinctive from mana inside of it but the most disturbing thing was the smell He could actually discern a certain emotion from it. {Fear,} Fray uttered. {I am thoroughly impressed. A Holy Sword is scared of you for just being held in your hands.} Raknas eyebrow twitched. How is that even possible? Is this thing sentient? [Not exactly,] Alexa intervened. [But it is not incorrect to think so. The Churchs Holy Items are all forged with Holy Mana and are blessed by a priest. They are receptacles of faith and are egoless spirits that possess a concept of holiness. That is why they cannot be wielded nefariously.] Hm The therian pondered as the de was still vibrating. I wonder what would happen if this were to be assimted by Sonata. But then again, it would be slightly annoying if the cannot be used for evil carries over. It is too broad and unreliable. Is something wrong? Nyx asked as she noticed his long silence after he grabbed the sword. Not really it seems this sword is a bit touchy, Rakna replied and used his mana to coat the Holy Sword and the vibrations gradually died down. He swung it lightly and sensed how bnced it was whilst listening to the sound of the edge cutting through the air. This is 750 attack power, huh? Not bad, hemented. That sword will probably be very useful when fighting creatures vulnerable to it, Nyx remarked. I agree, Rakna affirmed and stored the sword back; he would have to wait to test the perks. He then focused on the second reward he had gotten. With a single thought, the cross shed into his grasp. Rakna closely inspected the chain and squinted his eyes. This familiar feeling again He thought and nced at Nyx who was a bit uneasy at the sight of the cross. He was about to put it away in consideration of her but before he could, he saw the skull on the cross light up. Its eyes sockets red with a blue light and the sound of metal nking invaded his ears. Rakna immediately wanted to throw the item away but for some reason, his entire body was frozen. Even worse, he couldnt see anything else other than the cross anymore. The sounds worsened by the second and the originally small object now looked gigantic to him. It was as if he had been pulled into a lucid nightmare. Before long; he inevitably cked out. Chapter 173: The Demons Specter Chapter 173: The Demons Specter I. Did. Not. Sign. Up. For this! Fray shouted as he desperately pushed against the quaking door that separated him from that dreadful book. The very second Rakna had touched the cross, the book recording Arimane des life began to go berserk. I have to agree on that one, Higure groaned as she also blocked the door. Rexam and Fenriu were also helping them the best they could. Youd think that being a dead soul isnt dangerous then this happens zzzzzzz||||||zzzzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyy!! An indescribable roar spread throughout the entire library and caused several cracks to appear on the walls and floor. The books fell off the shelves and outside, the petals were all unanimously bing red and silver. God, what kind of monster is inside there? Fray groaned as his ears bled from the noise. Didnt you say this wouldnt be dangerous? Higure growled out sassily and the storyteller huffed. I was not mistaken! This thing just went berserk because of an excess of power! It is not acting nefariously; it is a natural reaction! It is from that cross! The power of existence contained inside it fused with the book, he yelled. How was I supposed to know that Arimane de was-! ||||||zzzzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyy!! Higure grunted in pain as the door splintered and sent a shard into her sides. Forget it! How do we stop this?! The nine-tailed wolf supported her query with a loud bark. Rakna has to wake up! His mind was shut down by his soul as a failsafe! Paradoxically, this caused the defense system of his soul to allow this THING to manifest here through the book. And now it is overpowering the soul realm. And?! So! We need to suppress it somehow and wake up Rakna whose soul will then take care of it on its own! Like an immune system! Fray exined infuriatingly. Easier said than done, the lioness grumbled. Your library is sturdy and thats the only reason it hasnt escaped yet. Its a creature with enough power to rival a Celestial! Even with just a fragment of divinity. Well, that is the only way! I am upied maintaining the library. It is a problem for you three! Higure clicked her tongue and huffed as the banging door nearly knocked her away. She nced at Fenriu. Hey, edgy brat, your Nirvana Skill should have carried over within your soul. The wolf red at her for her appetion but nheless nodded. weak, he spoke for the first time with a growl-like voice that seemed a bit juvenile. Higure didnt have the time to be surprised about it and she grunted. I dont care if its weak, she retorted. Its still a Tailed Pearl. Its an overkill spell with a massively damaging nature to all sorts of energies without exception. If thats not enough to weaken this thing, nothing is. Fenriu scoffed and stared at her with a telling gaze. n. Ill try to hold it off until youre ready and with enough luck, the shock of the blow will shake up the soul realm and also wake up Rakna, she said and distanced herself from the door. Talk about a n Fray muttered as the burden on his back increased and another roar echoed. What? Its just luck, Higure smirked. Im sure my devourer will carry us through this with his. Hah! Of course. Open the door when I tell you. The fable writer raised an eyebrow. What are you going to do? Try my best, the lioness replied and lifted her paw. She looked at it for a while and nodded. His soul should have grown enough for me to do this She mumbled and closed her eyes. Her soul power immediately started leaking from her body and enveloped her figure. Fray scrunched his eyebrows to observe the thick fog of ck-purple soul power. He could still see the rough silhouette of the lioness and that was the very cause of his subsequent shock. The shape slowly began to change into something vastly different. Shes also starting to generate mana Fray remarked internally. Now! A voice more melodious than usual abruptly sounded from Higure and Fray was jolted out of his thoughts. He moved away with Rexam and Fenriu whilst opening the doors and with her body still shrouded in soul power, the lioness rushed inside by tackling the creature that was right in front of her. The odd beast was furred and had a dragon-like head and two pairs of feathered wings. There was also a spiral of ck lightning around it and its eyes had double irises intertwined. Aeter, Higure thought as the doors closed behind her. She shoved the creature away with a burst of soul power and jumped back. The demonic beast crashed on the wall and snarled. As for herself, shended on two feet and smirked as the drape of soul power dispersed to reveal her eyes. Its been a while since Ive been in this form, she said as her golden irises glowed more than ever before. We have a few minutes. Lets dance. ? * * * ? Rakna was swimming through a space without colors or sound. His mind was half-awake and he knew that something was wrong. But no matter how hard he tried; he was helplessly stuck in it. While lost in that dilemma, he happened to stumble upon a light. He immediately zeroed on it and did all he could to get close to it. He forced his way across and the next thing he knew, his view had made a full 360 spin and he hadnded in a foreignndscape with his mind clear again. He blinked in surprise at the barren terrain in front of him. The ground was full of fuming craters, ashes, and shells Corpses littered the area and the sky was entirely gray, only letting a few rays of sunlight pass through, appearing heaven-given. All in all, it was nothing more than a battlefield slowly being washed away by a very light and weak rain. And in the very middle of it, the ce orbited by all the dead bodies, sat a man with a smoking cigar in his mouth. He was perched on top of arge and mysteriously ancient tomb. Raknas eyes widened. That coat, those silver eyes, the sword on hisp There was no mistake. The man looked young, no older than 25, but he had seen that exact face in history books. So, how are you doing, kid? The man spoke up without looking at the therian. He just huffed a cloud of smoke whilst gazing at the skies. His clothes were tattered and bloodied but there were absolutely no signs of it in his tone or expression. probably better than you right now, Rakna replied whilst looking up. He spotted fresh wounds still spewing blood from all over the mans body. Heughed and the amount of blood increased due to the contraction of his muscles. He grinned and exhaled some smoke. Dont worry about that, kid. This ce is fake. Its actually a recollection of one of the moments in my life. It was my greatest battle as a normal human. I would have died in this precise spot if myrades hadnte to rescue me. Rakna scowled and looked around. Is this the infamous field of the Demons ughter? That one where you supposedly killed five hundred soldiers alone? Hahaha! Five-hundred they say. The actual count was four times that. and this tomb? Ah this? The man hummed tapped on the wood of the cross under him. I made this. Here rests the man that took everything away from me. I never hated anyone more than him in my entire life and probably wont in the future. Why did you raise a tomb for him then? Rakna frowned. Why do you think people make tombs, kid? To respect them? Yes. But is that it? No. Theyre there to make us remember forever that someone is buried under it and that they were once alive. It is also built to remind you that theyre dead. I see that youre still as much as an old man as ever. Right back at you, kid. What a bag of sunshine you are, the man jested. So, how does it feel to be a god, old man? Rakna asked back with a casual tone. It was as if he was asking the most superficial question ever. Hm fun? I guess. At the end of the day, Im just a super strong guy that could destroy the entire world. Theres nothing holy or sacred about it. People fear me. Therefore, they revere me. It does not change a lot from Earth honestly. Rakna snorted. What is happening? He finally asked the pressing issue. Hm, good question. You must already know about the words of power, right? Identities have a certain power in the magic world. That applies to me. However, I cant bepared to anyone at your level. You could make enchantments and curses with just the power that my name offers. I see, Rakna understood easily enough. Your cross and Frays book. Both of those things had your identity all over them and their encounter caused this? More or less. The main ingredient is actually yourself. Your rtion to me is enough to magnify that effect by a hundred-fold. Its a bit of a bummer though that it got out of control and is now in the process of destroying your soul to smithereens out of instinct. sorry, what? Meh, dont worry. Your little friends are working on it. It should be fine. Thedy and the puppy are very close to subduing my specter. Right I have no idea who youre calling dy though. The only one I know is a horny cat. Arimane blinked. Hm, Ill let you have the surprise then. What surprise? Nothing. More importantly, look, he ignored his question and pointed at the sky with his chin. Rakna furrowed his eyebrows and looked up as well. The clouds were slowly gathering at a single point and were gradually fading away. Your soul is starting to fight back against my influence. Soon, the wolf inside your soul realm will release an attack that should allow you to leave. Rakna didnt respond right away and watched the clouds for a moment longer before opening his mouth, And you? Where are you? Far away. Its frustrating but this System does a good job at hiding itself from me. What can I say; Phantasms are good at what they do. Phantasms? Arimane smiled. Youll learn about it sooner orter. Anyhow, the me that youre talking to at the moment isnt real. Im just a short-lived projection formed through existential power. Im afraid youll have to find another chance to contact me in the future. how? Easy. Leave the System or tear its stealth apart. In either case, I will instantly detect you. And well, who knows, you might encounter another projection of myself before then. The misadventures of being a god; you cant help it when specters of your spilling power form randomly. Im sure there are many weaker versions of myself isted in other dimensions or realities. Woe me Rakna rolled his eyes. Whatever, old man. Ill find you. Arimane chuckled. Im sure you will, he said and with a burst of energy, the sky was torn apart by a sphere of raw energy; a Tailed Pearl. It zoomed through the air and exploded. Rakna shielded his eyes from the shockwave and when he could see again, he was back in a pallid world without colors and Arimane was nowhere to be seen. Rakna! Hurry up! A feminine voice echoed and he looked down where an ever-constricting circle of white light was located. He nced onest time in the direction where his uncle had been and let himself fall into it before it could close on itself. Chapter 174: The Kind Demon’s Kin Chapter 174: The Kind Demons Kin ? ? ? ? You have gained a new Title; The Kind Demons Kin. ? ? The Kind Demons Kin ??? ??? Note: The power at the origin of this title surpasses the Systems storage and encoding levels. No information is obtainable. ? ? The Kind Demons Kin resonates with your soul and skills Souls Decree has leveled up! 2x Primal Soul Core has leveled up! 2x Despair Aura has leveled up! 5x C Exceled! Absolute Cover has mutated into Absolution of Belphegor (Lv. UEX)! Ireful Shell is quieting Call of Fangs has Evolved and Ascended into Call of Hounds (Lv. 11 ?)! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna opened his eyes to this window and after skimming over its content, he dismissed it only to be faced with a pair of golden eyes staring at him unblinkingly. He dazedly responded in kind and his mind caught up with the fact that he was lying down on something soft. He observed the unknown woman leaning over him and his eye twitched. She had a lustrous dark skin, mature facial features, and ck hair going over her shoulders that incidentally stopped her bare chest from beingpletely exposed. Other than that, two feline ears were twitching on top of her head and he could also see the tip of a ck tail wagging near her right side. It didnt take long for Rakna to notice she was entirely naked and that he was probably lying down on herp. But by far the most striking realization he had was who she was. you got to be kidding me. The moment he spoke up, the woman promptly smiled widely. What do you think, devourer? This body should be more to your taste, right? Ive always taken pride in my human form. you want my honest opinion? Yes! You look a lot more elegant than I could have ever imagined. there is an insult hidden behind that pleasantpliment, she retorted nkly. Oh well, you called me elegant. Ill take it. So, can we mate now? She asked enthusiastically as her tail wagged back and forth in excitement. Higure, my answer to that is doubly more negative than before Huh?! Why?! Because its easier to ignore a giant cats flirt Higure blinked then grinned. So does that mean you find me so beautiful that you cant help but be too embarrassed to do it? Is that it? Rakna groaned and ignored her gleeful tone as he sat up. He looked around and recognized the room where Frays book on Arimane was stored. The ce waspletely demolished with many holes in the walls as well as destroyed furniture. After looking a bit more, he stood up and walked to a certain object lying on the ground. He picked it up and the killing intent contained inside of it washed over him. The book hadnt changed at all but its power seemed to be tamer now. Rakna started flipping the pages and when he was at the halfway point, the text began to distort iprehensibly as if it had been encrypted. So, there is a second part to this, after all There is probably a lot as well since it takes half of the book. Well, that is to be expected from the current most powerful god alive, Higuremented as she approached from behind and peeked over the therians shoulder. She was a just few centimeters taller than him. Raknas eye twitched. Put on some clothes. Aww, and here I thought you would like to admire me a bit more, the lioness jested and with a small burst of soul power, she was speedily clothed with ck pants and a crop top which let her midsection and her defined abdominals breathe. Her body was very well-trained without taking away any of her sensuality. She stretched a bit and let out a low moan. Ah, my muscles are still spasming from that fight, sheined and mped down her own arm to stop it from trembling. That fight? Rakna raised an eyebrow and looked at her, still in the process of convincing himself that the woman in front of him was Higure. Yes. It was an odd creature with scales, fur, a dragon head, and four feathered wings. It must have been a condensation of your uncles power. I had to hastily perform a soul technique to defeat it and turn into this, she said and waved at herself. I was temporarily able to use mana and my own magic but its gone now and I will probably be exhausted for a long while. That thing was uselessly strong for a projection, she grumbled with a pout. The specter Rakna muttered as he remembered what Arimane told him. So you know about it already? He asked afterward. That youre Eternal Nights nephew? Higure replied amused. Yes, we figured that out. Fray was able to tell the connection between the book and the cross when you touched it. And I am genuinely still astounded by the revtion, Fray remarked as he entered the room with a tired Rexam next to him. The Luqu chirped happily and went to cuddle Rakna who patted his head. Wheres the brat? Higure asked with a tilt of her head. You mean Fen? His Tailed Pearl took everything out of him. Hes sleeping outside. Ooh, Fen, huh? The lioness grinned. What a cute name. Ill use that instead. Thats tease material for that juvenile wolf. Rexam suddenly started chirping at those words and she chuckled. Yes, yes, I hear you. Hm, why dont we call you Rex? The Luqu chirpily nodded whilst prancing around the room. And there go my hard-thought names, Rakna said sarcastically and Higureughed. By the by, Rakna, you should quickly return to your body, Fray remarked. Oh, shit The werewolf now remembered where he had been when he grabbed the cross. The dinner will get cold thats your first thought? Higure scowled exasperatingly. Shouldnt you rather be sorry if you made them worry? That too. But you have no idea how good vias cooking is. Right You dont have to fret about their worrying about you, Fray informed him as he began the repairs of his library. As its maker, he had of course some amount of control over it. Your soul and mind were put into a state simr to cryostasis and they are being heated back up as we speak. Barely a few seconds will have passed outside when you leave. Interesting does that mean I could somewhat control my soul to slow down my perception of time? Rakna asked curiously. Hm, yes and no. It is impossible to alter your time perception outside. But while youre in the soul realm, a full week could be equal to no more than a day in the real world. I see. That could be useful, Rakna said and sighed. He nced at the book in his hand and handed it to Fray who reluctantly received it. This book is a bit more docile now but it stills gives me shivers especially now that I learned whose life it tells. There are new pages but the text is unreadable. See if you can find out anything. I understand I will take a look. Rakna nodded and when he was a second away from leaving his soul scape, he heard Higure say onest thing; Remember to think of a day when we can mate! He immediately got the urge to groan and it ultimately came out once he was back inside the hotel room with the cross in his hand. Are you okay? Nyx asked and he blinked a few times. He shook his head to get rid of the small dizziness he was feeling and nodded calmly. Yes. If you say so. You have been staring at the cross for nearly five seconds. Im fine I just realized something and was a bit surprised, Rakna replied and stored the cross. Um, why cant I sense your mana, soul, or presence anymore? Evelyn inquired and Rakna turned toward her with an equal amount of confusion. What do you- He interrupted himself and mentally opened a few System windows. He read them and exhaled. Nevermind its a recent skill I got ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Skill/Sin of Sloth/Passive Name: Absolution of Belphegor Tier: 1 Requirements: 2000 ATC , Level 500 Error ErrorError 456fsd1x.slx ? Correction Requirements: The Kind Demons Kin , Absolute Cover ? Description: Absolute Cover is an anti-type skill Error Error 9631472.tnxa.slx ? Correction ? Absolution of Belphegor is one of the Ultimate Skills of the Sloth Series. The bearer of this skill will gain the ability to hide from everyone and everything as long as the search isnt backed up by a skill superior or equal to this one. The users status will be entirely hidden at will and they may decide which elements can be disyed or not to their leisure. Level differences are irrelevant. Additionally, this skill will erase every trace of the holder; soul, mana, sound, appearance Once activated to its fullest in conjunction with a stealth skill, one could mistake the user for nothing more than a rock on the side of the road. ? Effects: ? C Improves furtivity by 500% (+1000% when asleep). C Increases mana and stamina recovery speed by 1000% when asleep. C Increases effectiveness of healing methods on the user by 500%. C Immunity to divination and foresight. C Acquire the skill; All Virtues Shall Sloth. C If not awakened, unlocks the Extra Magic, Sloth. C Acquire the spell; Path of Absolution. ? Special Effect: C Any act made for the sake of Sloth will have its efficiency raised by 500-1000%. ? Note: The Sin Skills are separated into seven categories named after the cardinal sins. They are the peak of the System with most of them being Tier 1. There also exist the Virtue Skills based on the seven great virtues. ? Additional Note: This is an Ultimate Excel Skill. It is non-upgradable. ? ? Designation: Skill/Spontaneous Skill Name: Call of Hounds Tier: Special Requirements: Wolf King , Level 300 Error Error ? Correction Requirements: Wolf King , The Kind Demons Kin ? Description: ? When the user activates this skill, their howl will call every suitable wolf in the vicinity toe to battle. ? ErrorErro Correction Taken Over Manually by E.V.A ? When there isnt any suitable target, the user can summon Elemental Wolves from their surroundings with a level matching double of the quantity of mana spent for each. The wolves level cannot be higher than the users. Shadows, light, water, fire, wood, earth each summon will have different specialties and abilities based on where or what it was summoned at. The wolves can remain active as long as they are provided mana as well as being close to their source element. ? Note: Your intimidation power against lupine creatures has increased further. ? ? Eva is watching you: ? So many alerts I cant even what if I take those away from you I dont want Eternal Night to be mad at me Oh no, what if he learns I made you swear on your life?! Oh shit, Im dead!! BIG BROTHER, PLEASE PUT IN A GOOD WORD FOR ME!!! PLEASE!! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna rolled his eyes at the many errors on his screen and Evas message at the end. That old man was not even truly here but hes already hijacking the System He thought but also couldnt help but feel excited when he saw the two skills. Especially the new magic affinity he received. I also have a skill and a spell to check out from that. And Call of Hounds seems to be many times stronger, he mused silently and sighed. I will go over that at another time, he decided and stood up as he heard via telling them that dinner was ready. Chapter 175: Believe Chapter 175: Believe Are we really doing this? Rakna deadpanned as he looked at via sitting on a bed and tapping the spot next to her. Theres another bed right there He insisted and pointed at the unupied bed of therge room they were in. I could just- Denied. Evelyn giggled as she cleaned all the alchemical equipment on her bed. Give up, you wont be able to escape this by talking, she said. Though I would have liked it to be me instead She muttered inaudibly thest part. Rakna sighed and nced at Nyx who was already lying down on her bed with a book open in her hands. Was this sleeping together your idea? I dont believe these two would try to ask me that like this. The night goddess let out a faint smile and turned the page. They were pestering me about being unfair and whatnot. I replied; why not make it fair then? Take it however you want. {What a clever response! Did you hear that?} Higure saidughingly. {Whats wrong? Did you begin to salivate as you recalled my body through my voice?} Shut up, horny cat. {And proud of it. More seriously, however, are you truly that nervous about this little thing? And here I thought nothing could embarrass you} The situation itself doesnt bother me. Its the social implications of spending the night in a room with three other women, on top of sharing a bed with one. {I think I understand that feeling,} Fray hummed. {It is one of those cases that scream there is something wrong going on but you cant do anything about it.} {Is that from experience?} {You could say that.} Rakna shook his head. Theres something even worse, he muttered loud enough for the girls to hear and look at him questioningly. He sighed. Fine Ill do it. At one condition. What is it? via asked confusingly. If I start thrashing around, dont try to wake me up. Why? Because I dont want to kill you. via was struck speechless for half a minute while the others fell silent. I never truly slept with someone nearby before except my uncle. Only he could safely deal with me. He told me that during my nightmares I had tried to kill him unconsciously, he said with an even colder tone than usual. Something he was doing on purpose to dissuade her. Think about it carefully. Are you sure you- Yes. To his distress, she interrupted him before he could even finish. He sighed. Thats just reckless Dont worry! via replied smilingly and leaned over the edge of the bed and hefted Tyran up onto herp. He will protect me if anything happens. He doesnt need sleep and now that he is my pet, Ive already started to feel the empathic connection. Hell know right away. Rakna blinked and cast Appraisal on the little T. Rex. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Tyrannos Mors Age: 13 | Level: 55 Race: Undead Ancient Dreorin C Tyrannosaurus Asura Rex Title: King of Dreorins C Anti-God Masters: 1. Rakna Xiorra / 2. via Jeina ? ? ? ? ? Two masters Rakna thought. Did you two form a contract when you entered the Dungeon? We did. My AI me told me it was possible. Well if Tyran watches over, it should be all right, he said and turned toward his pet. Pronos, if you feel that something is happening too, dont hesitate to do anything to stop me. The little snake seemed a bit hesitant but nodded nheless. I would also like to say to say that Ill intervene if needed but Nyx scowled. Your supposedly recent skill will make it hard. Rakna felt a bit wry at that. He hadnt even thought of that. This Sin of Sloth had the potential to make things even worse. But at the same time, now that he was reminded of it, he supposed it was not a bad idea to try and do something about his nightmares so that he could get full advantage of the effects. Right Im sorry, I cant turn it off now. And it will ironically be even stronger when I sleep, he said with a helpless tone. Fortunately Pronos should be able to bypass that. So, were all set then? via followed up and he rolled his eyes. Sure Good! Now, here, she said victoriously and tapped the pillow next to her with a wide smile. Rakna sighed and under the eyes of everyone, let out a inoffensive snarl without warning and his fangs elongated along with his fur. In the midst of the transformation, he jumped on the bed as a wolf no taller than half a meter thanks to Gigantisms shrinking. via blinked several times as she watched the lupine curl around on the bed andy his head on his crossed legs. eh? She uttered stunned and the wolf snorted. Makes it less awkward, he replied impishly. You never specified. Dont worry, as far as Ive seen of this form, I dont shed any hair. The Chaos Witch blinked again until she ultimately pouted. Thats cheating She mumbled and pulled the sheets over her body in one tug but Raknas form didnt stop her from scooping over to him and borderline ce her head on him. Nyx let out a chuckle at the sight and when Evelyn was ready to go to sleep, the lights of the room were automatically switched off and the windows darkened until no light could shine through. Rakna sighed silently as he could feel vias warmth as well as her breath. He remained still for about half an hour without moving an inch and keeping a steady breath. It was a feat he could do without a problem and for a while, after he was sure she was asleep, he contemted whether he should start meditating or not. He would effectively be betraying vias goodwill but he would avoid risks. He could try and get over his nightmares on his own at ater date. Can I even do that though? He thought to himself deprecatingly. He had no qualms lying to others for the most part but via was one of the people he almost felt incapable of deceiving. He could keep things to himself as much as he wanted, but he could never lie to her. {Is that it, devourer?} Higure spoke up quietly, without her roguish energy which she reced with a calmer tone that didnt break the peace of the night. {Are you scared?} scared? He replied oddly. He wasnt mad about her im. In fact, he was rather curious to know what she meant. {You know it yourself. Dont act as if youre unaware of it. Rakna, you live with both a craving and a fear of emotions. I already told you this. You are scared of lying to her because you do not want to lose her, in more ways than one,} she said. {You are such such a well-oiled machine.} what? He eximed confusingly. She chuckled. {You have so many cogs turning in that head of yours. But sadly, very few of them are tailored as they should be. But you are trying everything you can to build them. I find that to be one of your best traits, you know?} What are you getting at, Higure? {Sleep, devourer,} she replied curtly. {Believe her. Believe that you can feel what you seek. I also know the other reason why you are scared of lying to her, hurt her.} {You have smelled it many times already; the affection that she holds for you. And as much as you would like to ept it, you are scared of doing so because of something that terrifies you even more; yourself. So, why not take the first step today? Learn to trust the feelings others have for you and believe that they can reach you and help you.} horny cat, were you a sort of psychiatrist before dying? {did you have to ruin the mood like that?} Rakna huffed and cracked one eye open. His iris moved to look at the sleeping face of via and with a small squint, he triggered Gigantism again. He employed it to its limit for the first time and soon realized that he could get even smaller than Tyran. He shrunk until he was about the size of a kitten. He looked around at the proportionally bigger surroundings and slowly walked closer to via. He curled himself right below her pillow. He was essentially leaning under her chin at that point. He looked at her for a second, noticing a small smile forming on her face, before closing his eyes and letting himself be carried by thefort. ? * * * ? . .. a young man marred in blood walked down the quiet road of a small vige. With each step he took, a bloody imprint of a foot was left behind him. The knives he held in his hands dripped this same life liquid at a morbidly consistent rhythm. Two other drops were trickling from his face. In every direction around him, the light of the moon was shining over evenrger pools of blood and if you followed their traces back to their source the corpses of men, women, children, and elderly were lying motionless. After walking for what felt like an eternity, the young man stopped. In front of him stood an older man with hair grayed by age. kid, what have you done? He spoke to the boy but there was no answer. The young man stayed silent and kept his head down. The blood on his knives still dribbling blood. Not even a few seconds had passed, but an obscene amount of blood was pooling at his feet. It was flowing out of his body as if he was made of it. The old man didnt seem to notice it. He simply red sharply at the boy. I will give you onest chance. We talked about this, kid. Answer before Im forced to- ? The pool ? The old man was silenced. Rather, he seemed stunned. The young man slowly lifted his head and he was even more dazed. The boys eyes were bloodshot to unreal levels. Every vein in his retinas had burst. The two streams of blood that had been sliding down his face were his tears. ? The pool ? The boy looked more like a demon given flesh rather than a human. ? The pool ? He started walking again and blood starteding out of his mouth as he spoke the same words over and over again. ? The pool ? He did not walk toward the old man. He approached one of the bodies and loomed over it for a time before lifting a knife with clear intent. ? The pool ? But before the de could be brought down, a hand grasped his wrist. Rakna! The old man shouted with thunderous authority. Snap out of it! The young man didnt seem to hear any of it. The blood at his feet suddenly changed from a small puddle to an entire sea flooding the vige. It was growing higher and higher. ? The pool will drown you ? He uttered onest time and like a mirage, the old man disappeared, he drove his knife toward the body at his feet, and at the same time, the blood drowned the world. The buildings, the corpses, and the very earth vanished as if swallowed by the red sea. Within it, the boy lifelessly lifted his second weapon and pressed the de against his throat with the same lineing out of his mouth over and over again. After repeating it more than a hundred times, he was about to drive the knife into his flesh when he suddenly froze. His hand trembled and blue lines were lit all across his arm. His eyes spewing tears of blood dted and looked downward. He tried to use his other hand to push the knife but it was also invaded by blue lines. His head mechanically tilted and his empty bloodshot gaze roamed without focus. ? The pool wi-! ? His mouth was shut by a pair of arms formed from the blood around him. They wrapped around him and sealed all of his movements. They gradually became warmer and warmer; the blood was heating up and turning paler in color. Then, the pain came and along with it, he resurfaced, and gasped. ? * * * ? Rakna mped down his mouth. He woke up with his limbs in pain. His pupils shook as he took in his surroundings. He quickly noticed that he couldnt move. The first reason was the blue glow illuminating his fur from its roots. With the small control that he had over his body, he nced to the sides and spotted the head of a worried Pronos who had evidently bit and poisoned him. Most likely because his ws had extended without his knowing. He could imagine what he could have done with those while asleep, small or not. The second reason was obviously the arms tightly wrapped around him. via was hugging him as if he was a plushy and pressing him against her chest. Thankfully, she was still asleep so that meant she was unharmed. Rakna grunted and used his tails to move his body to a better position. While still constricted by her arms, he turned around so that he was facing her. When he saw her peaceful smile, his mind went back to the arms that grasped him while in the sea of blood. Higure was right. They had reached him. Believe, eh? He snorted and his lips formed a smile that wouldnt be seen by anyone. Ill try. Chapter 176: All Virtues Shall Sloth Chapter 176: All Virtues Shall Sloth After waking up, Rakna didnt go back to sleep and waited for the Eion Poison to be expelled from his body. Fortunately, his Nanomachines considerably elerated the process. Normally, most, if not all poisons, would be neutralized right away but an energy-based venom such as this one was naturally very hard to get rid of. It couldnt just be destroyed like the others. When he managed to exfiltrate himself from vias arms, he turned around to see Pronos and Tyran watching him with their heads lowered. Especially the little snake. Dont worry. I was the one who told you to do everything to stop me. You did well, he whispered as he knew that they were probably guilty of hurting him. Pronos nodded slowly. Rakna patted him with one of his tails, noting to himself that it was quite an interesting experience at this size. He then checked the time on his HL and jumped down from the bed. He straightened his front legs and stretched his body. Ding! Huh? ? ? ? ? ? Absolution of Belphegor has been triggered. You have slept seven hours. Sloth rewards you with 70 Experience Points. Days Limit: 70/100 ? ? ? ? ? I guess I will do everything I can to sleep at least ten hours a day now, Rakna thought. Hm if this happened because sleeping is an act of sloth I definitely need to test other ones. Wouldnt I just need to do nothing every day? He mused. {Okay, now Im actually jealous,} Higuremented. {I was the queen ofziness. I would have been invincible with this skill. No doubt.} [Rakna, if I may,] Alexa spoke up. [I have limited records of the Sin Skills but it is amon fact that only those who embrace the sin can take full advantage of it. I am afraid you will not able to fake sloth by merely actingzy.] Well, thats a shame, Rakna responded and shrugged. Oh well, it does seem useful overall but even if I cant abuse it, there will probably be other asions. The skill states an increase in effectiveness to anything rting to sloth. In this case, my sleep was so effective that it made me stronger. There will most likely be other methods and even different rewards. What are you doing? Raknas fur stood and he nearly staggered from the sudden whisper in his ear. He grunted and his eyes moved to where Nyx was crouching right next to him with a small smile. The darkness of the room didnt seem to stop her from seeing at all. And the reason that he hadnt been able to sense her approach was likely the same. Ill goin to you first if I ever get heart problems, he deadpanned at her. She chuckled and yfully poked his cheek. You can get quite small, huh? Is that also a skill from your Harvester? Rakna groaned as his head sprang back every time she poked him. Not exactly its a skill that is normally made for pets. I happen to bepatible with it thanks to my race. Nyx nodded. I see, she said and stopped teasing him. She then stared at him silently and he raised an eyebrow at her analytical air. He could make out curiosity from her scent but about what, he had no idea. What? You want to ask me something? Nyx shook her head. Your voice. What about my voice? Its lighter. Rakna blinked. Lighter, you say? Yes. You sound less cold and burdened, she said slowly and nced at via who was smiling in her sleep with Tyran, who had failed to escape in time, in her arms. I assume her n worked as well as she hoped. Thats a relief. The wolf stayed silent for a moment. The side of his lips raised a bit. Maybe, he whispered and Nyx smiled. Lets get out, I dont want to wake them up, he added and she stood up with a nod. She walked to the door of the room and opened it. Rakna followed behind her with quick steps due to his size and yawned quietly. She looked at him amusingly. You seem to be fond of that form, shemented and turned the lights of the living room on. Its unexpectedly veryfortable, he replied and looked around. Wheres the shower? Over there, she pointed at one of the three doors in view. Rakna nodded and reverted his transformation. Due to the size he had to regrow, it took him more than usual to get to his normal state. When his clothes came out of his storage, he worked his limbs a bit and coincidentally caught sight of Nyx suddenly looking concerned. Whats wrong? Your She uttered and put her finger under her eyes. He scowled and imitated her. When his fingers touched the same spot she indicated, he froze on the spot. He rubbed his skin and slowly looked at the tip of his fingers. There was a red smear on them. Rakna hastily conjured a mirror exuding a cold aura and as it hovered in front of him, he saw the two lines of half-erased, half-dried liquid going down his cheeks; as if he had cried blood. This was something that previously couldnt be noticed under his fur. He looked at it for a moment before a certain sound rose in his throat. Hah haha He began to cackle and his taciturn expression loosened. A few strands of his hair turned to red and his irises became crimson. He ultimately startedughing and Nyxs eyes widened in shock. Hahaha! Goddam, I guess its true what they say, Rakna saidughingly. You cant escape your nightmares, he uttered and clicked his tongue in an upbeat way. But fuck them, am I right? He chuckled again a few times and lit up a cigarette as he headed toward the bathroom. Nyx and Pronos were left stupefied as they followed his back with their eyes. When he closed the door behind him, the two looked at each other to make sure they hadnt just imagined it. ? * * * ? When Rakna was alone in the spacious bathroom, he breathed out and arge cloud of smoke came out with it. He stored his cigarette back and calmed his mental state. He entered the shower that was wide enough to fit three of him and the water started pouring from the entirety of the roof. Rakna closed his eyes and let it wash over his body. The temperature was icy cold, something that was virtually unhealthy for normal people. {Well, that was wild,} Higuremented rather tamely. {What happened there?} Nothing. I just happened to get a little bit too excited, Rakna replied calmly. {Uh uh right. So, were going to ignore that you literally spewed blood out of your eyes because of a nightmare?} Yes. {} {Um, while we are here, may I ask to see the other benefits brought by Sloth?} Fray butted in out of nowhere. His thirst for knowledge was basically demanding him to find out more. {I am very curious about the Sin and Virtue Skills. I have heard of them but they are all very rare.} Rakna huffed. Its not like I wasnt going to check them myself, he said and three windows were promptly opened at hismand. ? ? ? ? ? Sloth Magic ? The magic of sins and virtues has very limited applications. It hardly can ever be used in any other way than inciting the virtue or sin into another person. However, there are a few scarce spells tailored for this kind of magical affinity. Though most of them cannot be learned by anything other than a skill card. As a carrier of sloth, the user can force someone else to feel idle, apathetic, tired, or even bored no matter the circumstances. The magnitude of the effects will scale based on the difference of mental fortitude between the caster and the target. ? Currently Known Spells: Path of Absolution (T.9) ? ? Path of Absolution (T. 9) ? Conjures an array that will drain the sloth out of everyone in range and redirect it to the caster to be used as external mana and internal force. The longer the spell is active, the more lethargic the user will feel and within the area of effect, the affected targets will also see their sloth emerge and a debuff will be applied that increases their mana and stamina consumption. This is an effect that can easily be dispelled if the targets are in an excited mental state that stops them from feeling overly tired. ? Cost: 50 MP + 10 MPs per minute. (Correction: 30 + 6 MP) ? Note: This is one of the most basic sin spells. It has a counterpart for each of the seven sins and manifests differently based on the sins characteristics. ? ? Designation: Ultimate Excel Skill/Sloth/Demonization/Spontaneous Name: All Virtues Shall Sloth ? Description: Upon activation, be the embodiment of Belphegor. ? Effects: C Demonize and double all Attributes (Luck Included) C All beings thaty eyes on you will begin to feel slothful. C Your Mana will be fully converted into Sinister Mana. +100% damage from and against Holy & Divine. ? Cost: 10 000 MP. (Correction: 6 000 MP) Cooldown: 666 Hours. Duration: For as long as the user can resist the sloth before they fall asleep. ? Note: ???1/7??? ? ? ? ? ? That is actually not too different from what I expected, Raknamented as hebed his hair backward to stop the water from running down his face. For the magic and spell at least This skill is another story altogether. Putting aside the fact that it doesnt seem usable any time soon, its effects are clearly overpowered. {You dont say,} Higure snorted. But that note is equally interesting. {The one out of seven, right?} Fray remarked thoughtfully. {That is in fact a detail not unknown to the masses. It is a fairlymon tale; Hoard the seven, and you shall find your ce on Hells Throne.} Rakna snorted. So, you be the Devil once you gather all seven deadly sins? Frayughed. {Sounds about right. It has never been done before however. Just look at Sloth; you only acquired it thanks to the help of a God that is recognized as the greatest. But then again, you still have all your chances as youve been in the System for barely more than a week.} Hmm you say greatest, but is he truly that powerful? {For sure,} Higure affirmed. {If I remember correctly, he appeared around the time I was still alive. Somewhere close to seven hundred years ago. His faith took the System by storm in the span of a single night. It is suspected that the cause of it was a mass memory modification spell. It had the effect of imnting all sorts of information in the minds of people.} {Oh yes, I still remember that. I was but a child at the time,} Fray hummed. {The System abruptly ryed a global message that warned us about some mental interference. The System somewhat dealt with it but its effects were notpletely stopped. Many people were left with a hypnotic-like suggestion in their heads about the Kind Demons feats and strength.} {The Basilica of Eternal Night was probably formed a few hundred years after that,} Higure said in passing. {Since Im pretty sure it didnt exist yet as an organization during my time.} [The Last Hunter, The First Eternal Dragon, The Reincarnation of Angra Mainyu, Destroyer of the Original Lands, Kind Demon, and God of Eternal Night,] Alexa provided as if she was reciting from a script. [These are his most famous titles. All of them,bined with his evidently powerful faith naturally gave birth to the strongest religious organization alongside the Church.] Rakna speechlessly stepped out of the shower to dry himself. The old man has been busy I dont even understand what those titles represent. Though, what Id like to know is how can that religion be so dated if my uncle only disappeared a few years ago? {Thats easy to answer. I dont exactly know what happened to your uncle but it either involved dimension-hopping or world transfer to somece where magic circuits existed. Just like so, he might simply have grown to godhood and distorted his timeline in the process. Its also possible that a few years in your world, Rakna, is several hundred in the System.} Thats a pretty reasonable exnation after everything that happened, I would ept anything at this point, Rakna said and wore a new set of clothes mainlyposed of leather and fur. He sighed and went on to exit the bathroom. Anyway, thats not my worry for today. {Oh? What is it then?} Ooh, I dont know, maybe meeting a certain someones mother? He said sarcastically. {Oh! Right! I almost forgot about that one!} Higureughed. {Im excited to see it,} she added mirthfully andughed even harder when Rakna groaned. Chapter 177: Wisdom of Ariv Chapter 177: Wisdom of Ariv This is why Tyran was at level 55, huh? Raknamented as he read a System window whilst eating some star-like cereals. Yes, via nodded. This is the prompt I woke up to after everything happened. The therian hummed and looked back at the window. Well it was worth the scare, I guess. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted the Hidden Quest, The White Witchs Allegory! ? ? The White Witch, Marie Vei Cuniya, attacked you in order to steal your body. Her soul had been preserved inside the Dungeon through an unnned ident. You have sessfully warded off her attempt and destroyed her main body. ? Rewards: C 1 000 000 Talys C 15 Free Points C 1 Skill Point C 3 Instant Level Ups C Random Utility Item C The White Witchs Amulet ? C The Tier 4 Chaos Spell Card, Four-Fold Chaos C Perdured Annihtion. The same spell with which Cami Scarlet originally injured the White Witch and forced her to flee. ? ? ? ? ? I agree but I probably cant use the spell yet, via replied. The thing about Chaos Magic is that its extremely unstable. It gets even worse when you add elements to the mix. But in return, the output increases exponentially. Vera told me that if I were to try Six-Fold Chaos, I would need every one of my magic elements to be at least above the Excel level or else I would die before I evenplete the spell. But she also said that if I actually managed to cast it, it would definitely be Tier 1. I see, Rakna nodded and ultimately closed the window. What about the Amulet and the Utility Item? Nyx asked afterward. The Amulet is a Purple Item. It essentially partly deviates magic directed at me. Its nothing close to what Cuniya could do though. As for the Utility Item I havent pulled it yet. I wanted to ask Rakna to do it. Huh? Me? The man in question retorted confused. Yes. You have more luck than me so you can get something much better from it just like your deck of cards, she answered. Well its not wrong. The Tricksters Sleeve is most likely my most versatile and useful tool at the moment. If I can get a simr one for you, it wouldnt be a bad idea. Can you transfer it to me? Yup, via nodded bubbly and flicked her finger. Her reward was promptly transferred just like a normal money transaction and Rakna saw the icon of a loot box appear in his vision. Well then, here goes nothing, he uttered and just likest time, the icon expanded into arger box. He willed it to open and a sh of life burst from it as the lid was lifted. Then, the light slowly shifted to purple and a pointy object appeared in Raknas hands. When the light faded away, everyone looked at it stupefied. Is that a Evelyn started quietly. A hat? Yes, yes, it is, Nyx finished just as surprised. Rakna shook his shock away and looked at its information. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Utility Item/Hat Name: Wisdom of Ariv Rarity: Purple Durability: Unlimited ? Description: The hat of the legendary Mage Ariv. This hat is rumored totch onto a user to the end of their lives before disappearing until it is found or summoned again. ? Effects: ? ? ? ? ? Rakna raised an eyebrow at that and as he was about to ask Alexa about it, a part of the hat folded on itself to create a concavity. Stop staring at me. The therian reflexively threw the hat away and it barreled through the room. It spun onest time and righted itself whilst floating. I give you a 4/10 for the reaction. Ive seen much droller, it moved its mouth and said. Then, two gaps were formed to make something simr to a pair of eyes. The hat grunted and spun one more time. It is good to stretch out my threads again Hm, lets see. It is the year 3465. So, I have not been found in over 200 years. How bleak. It used to take less than a year. Rakna carefully stood up from his seat and gathered his mana around his hand. Down, boy, the hat said with a ruff voice. Good lord, how I hate cold stars. It makes my fabric all rough. The volcanic ones are much better. They have much more charm too. Ironically, I cannot say the same about your other personality, haha! The cold energy was retracted by Rakna as he frowned. The girls also seemed more confused than wary at the weird sight that was presented to them. How do you know that? What are What am I? The hat cut him off. Call me Wis. Now, lets see Dont move, kids, it went on and suddenly flew to the closest person. It was so fast that even Rakna wasnt able to react in time. Wis got a spot on top of Evelyns head and droned while she was stunned. No. Good; but not good enough, hemented and switched to Nyx who raised an eyebrow but did not try to avoid him. Rakna simrly watched on, sensing nothing wrong. Ohoh, I was right. Youre an interesting one, the hat tilted its tip to the side. A Former Pir of Elysium. Hahaha, the Hunter got you good, didnt he? Heughed and she trembled. Did you just read my mind? She asked resentfully. For what do you take me for?! A leech?! Wis scoffed. Whatever. Youre a fine one but not to my requisites, he said and this time jumped on Rakna, whose face twitched irately. The girls covered their mouths to hold back their amusement. Hm, hm, hm The hat mused for a bit longer this time. Nope. Too much crazy, he said without an ounce of tact and moved on to thest person. When he got to via, he showed a positive reaction and nodded several times. As expected, the boys luck acted for you. You arepatible like nearly none other in my lifetime. Oi, shitty hat, you havent exined what you were doing, Rakna finally spoke up. Good lord, please, I dont want to speak to him. Can one of youdies ask the questions instead? A vein popped on Raknas forehead and he was forced to lit a cigarette to settle down while Nyx took over the conversation. What kind ofpatibility are you scanning? The goddess inquired. Good question, Miss! Wis said and hopped so that his face would be facing her. You see, the nature of my existence constrains me to have an anchor to the world and I have very demanding criteria to be filled by my handlers. I wont go into the details, but lets say that out of everyone in here, she has the best canvas. Youre a Utility Item, right? What do you do? But I talk, of course. you talk? Nyx repeated hesitatingly. I am the Wisdom of Ariv. I know things; I know everything. You can be sure that I am one of the most sought Utility Items despite my rather low rarity. So I could ask you anything and you would tell me? Yes! But! Only fifteen minutes per week. Sadly, I sleep for the rest of the time and its impossible to determine when I wake up exactly. I cannot control it and I will fall asleep in about ten minutes from now, the hat said and wiggled. Is there something you wish to know before that happens? Nyx fell silent with a difficult expression. Hah, it is hard, is it not? Wisughed. People wish to know everything. But they cannot even fathom the reality of such a thing. Not only do they hesitate, but what they want to find out, they will not dare to ask. It is the same principle as asking a genie for wisdom when you have no idea of what it truly implies or being asked what your favorite book is. What about you, crazy boy? The hat opened one of his eyes wide and directed it at Rakna. How many things do you want to know? Too many, right? What do you want to know the most then? Whats wrong? Too skeptical to believe that it would be this easy? Who made the System? Rakna snapped back with a calm tone and huffed a cloud of smoke. The hat smirked. The Phantasms, he slowly said and let the words sink in. But you already knew that from Him. And then, your next questions will be, what, why, how Do you understand what I mean now? Answers alwayse in order, Rakna replied with a click of his tongue. There is no point asking a question of which the answer has no use to you or will be discovered in time. Additionally, there are many answers with no value if not found out by ones own efforts. Bingo. Broken you may be, but well-taught you are. Expectedly so, am I right? Wis bantered and turned toward Evelyn who seemed somewhat impatient. I shall extend the favor to you as well out of courtesy, he said. I already know what you are going to ask but I want to hear it. who betrayed my parents? She ultimately asked with mes in her eyes. Makis Jill Nalcanth, Wis replied without missing a beat and the subus engraved that name in her memory. Now, via Jeina. I shall bind myself to you. I have been talking for way too long and I do not want to fall asleep and disappear due to ack of anchor, he changed the subject. via nodded dazedly and in the blink of an eye, a System window popped up. It was of a different color than usual and was of a gradient of silver. ? ? ? ? ? The One Who Knows initiated a Contract of the Soul with you. An existential link will be established and will disappear when either party dies or is separated. The System certifies that no hidden use is present in this agreement. ? Do you ept? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? The Chaos Witch epted without much hesitation and the text went away. There was nothing shy about it and Wis just nodded. Done. When I sleep, I will pretty much fade away. You do not have to worry about me ruining your appearance. via smiled wryly. I appreciate that. She was sincere. She wasnt going to wear a witch hat as a fashion statement any time soon. There are still a few minutes left. Do you have some other questions? You should take advantage of it since after I wake up next week, I will only be able to answer one question per topic and the uracy of the answer will depend on the uracy of the question. Rakna scowled. Who made those rules? Oh, can I take that as your question? Sure Obviously, the one who made me is the one who made the rules; Ariv VeTian. One of the strongest mages in the entire universe. For the record, he wasnt a Host of this System. He was a legitimate magic user from the real world. I apanied him throughout years and years of adventure. We even went sightseeing the incongruous stars upon which your magic is based on. Even Ariv could not crack the mysteries behind them. At some point, his end came and he decided to release me into the world as an artifact of wisdom and knowledge. I wandered as a speck of matter until I was caught by the System and transformed into an Item. Thats quite a lot of bonus info, Rakna remarked. Its a freebie. Dont expect extra from me again after today, Wis dered. Any other curiosity in you? I have time for ast one. Rakna nced at everyone and they shook their heads. So, he chose to ask about a recent trouble of his. How do I awaken my Kzanaria? Wis stirred oddly at that. He hummed and made a crooked smile. That is a hard question. Dont be mistaken; I know the answer. But it is because I know the answer that it is hard. That doesnt make sense. Well, it does to me, the hat retorted and grunted as a part of itself abruptly broke into pieces like burning paper. Ah, sleepy time. Lets be quick about it. Kzanarias are conceptual crystallizations of both fantasy, history, and imagination. Some people awaken their own family members, some awaken popr gods, and others awaken great beasts. Yours was imprinted on your soul at birth by nothing more than an arbitrary roll of fate. And that thing in you is powerful. In fact, I would even say that the being it embodies could have rivaled Eternal Night himself if they were still alive. Nyx reacted at that. Thats a bold im. But truthful, Wis responded as half of his fabric was gone. Thats what Tira meant by search beyond myself Rakna whispered. Wis nodded. Regardless, the only way to awaken a Kzanaria is to learn about it and find out their identity. Thats why its a hard question. You will not awaken it if I tell you its identity but at the same time, if I dont your chances of discovering it are mince. Thus, I will give you four clues. One; the rivers flow from the sea. Two; the flowers sway to the wind. Three; the mountain fills thend. And four He paused as the only part of himself that remained was the mouth. It grinned widely and spoke thest hint. Four; the waters are as clear as crystals. Chapter 178: Errands Chapter 178: Errands Its gone, via confirmed as she patted her head where Wis had been sitting. She then looked at Rakna who was deep in thought. Did you understand his clues? Hm somewhat. I might have a few ideas, he answered and shrugged. Ill check them outter on. For today, I have a few errands to do. What kind? Well, other than training and visiting the shop I need Evelyn for one of them actually. I want to go consult someone about Sonatas connection with her, Rakna said and then realized, I guess I couldve asked that to the damn hat as well. Can I tag along? via asked. No. She was denied by a stern-looking Nyx. You need a few days of rest. Even if its just for a stroll, its better that you stay here. Soul injuries are graver than you can imagine. Its not because you feel healthy physically that youre out of danger. Fine She sulked. You can take the asion to learn about soul meditation, Rakna said. Nyx nodded. Ill teach her. Also; Fray, do you have any books about Runecraft, Chaos Magic, or others in your library? {Of course! Here, Ill forward them to you. You can summon them.} Rakna cast Star Hearth, the sound of a forging hammer resounding in his ears again, and a pile of books was weaved onto his open hand by cold energy. They were about several different elements of magics and even magic circles. Ill have to check those at some point, he thought and effortlessly lifted them. He put them on the table. Here, we talked about you learning runecraft before but I might need Higures help today so I cant let her stay here to teach you. So, read through these instead for now. I suppose you can ask Nyx for help when there is something you dont understand. She should know about these. It should not be a problem, the night goddess said as she flipped through one of the books with an analytical eye. It looks rather rudimentary. There are some incoherent sections here and there it seems, but I will rectify it for her. via groaned as she slumped on the table. And the teacher bes a student I thought I was done with studying after graduating college She grumbled and Tyran tried to cheer her up. Ill go pack my equipment and change, Evelyn said and hurried to the room. Rakna, Nyx raised her voice and tossed a ring to him. Its a bit overdue but were done sorting the items we got from Grit Castle. We also added some other things we got separately and we reserved a set of armor for you; Ive just added the one via got from her Dungeon too. See for yourself. Right. I forgot about that, Rakna admitted as his Item Box opened. I still cant really wrap my head around the idea of real loot He looked through what was inside and found a row of items. He transferred them to his storage and tossed Nyxs ring back. By the way, do you girls know where An and Marie are? Nyx shrugged. I do not. I am fairly sure An also got lodging from his guild but we never got the chance to ask him where it was. I see Ill message himter about waiting for via to recover before we go to the next teau. Im ready, Evelyn said cheerily as she rushed out in her usual attire and cloak. Rakna nodded and extended his hand toward Sonata who was sitting on a chair. The scarf flew to him and swirled around his arm before wrapping itself around his neck, where Pronos happily took a spot. Lets go then, he said and waved goodbye as he left with Evelyn. When the door closed, Nyx sat down at the table and adjusted a pair of sses on her nose. where did you get those sses? via asked in confusion. Not important. So, heres how its going to go. We will spend an hour or two for you to learn the basics of runecraft and magic circle theory. Then two hours to practice your elements. I will try to help you with space and time, although I am not that well-versed in them. In the afternoon, well attack your magic control to stabilize your Chaos Magic. Then, well focus on the soul meditation and maybe aim to form a soul organ within the week. via blinked. What about breaks? When are they? What is that? save me ? * * * ? Raknanded right in front of Old Wangs stall with Evelyn following closely behind him. The very second that he touched the ground, the dwarf smiled at him in greeting. Hey, kiddo! I saw you on the TV yesterday. Youre making some big waves already. I even read on an article that the Church gifted you one of their Holy Swords. Im almost jealous. Really? The swords nice but I dont really think its up to your standards, Rakna said honestly as he took a seat. Evelyn quietly and shyly sat next to him. Unlike the rest of the group, she hadnt met Wang before. Hah! Its not a question of which sword is stronger or weaker, the dwarf replied. The sanctified items of the Church are always a treat to look at because they were made by some of the best metal workers in the Systems history. One of them was a man named Xafr. Arguably the best cksmith ever known. Hes the one who forged their Excalibur. I would do anything to get a glimpse of it. Rakna snorted. He waved his hand and the ornate Holy Sword came out right out of his storage into the hands of Wang who quickly let go of his cooking utensils to catch it. He looked bewildered at it andughed. Youre fearless, kiddo. Handling something like this so casually, he said but didnt stop himself from scrutinizing every single detail of the sword. Rakna shrugged. I trust you. There arent many people that could fool me with their intentions. I can easily tell them apart by smell or instinct. Old Wang cackled and observed the sword a few more times before tossing it back, who was then promptly returned inside the spatial ring. So, are you going to introduce the youngss? Evelyn Malcanthet, Rakna said and the subus bowed her head. Its nice to meet you. Pleasures all mine, Wang greeted back and went back to his wares. So, did you visit me just to chat? Or did you need something else? There is something I need help with. It concerns Evelyn actually, and this, Rakna exined and unwrapped Sonata to put it on the counter. Pronos switched spots to his shoulder instead. The old dwarf paused his actions to inspect it. This is? Do you have an item appraisal skill? You can check it if you want. Old Wang carried out what he said and the information of Sonata revealed itself to him. His eyes instantly went wide. The only reason he didnt grab it out of excitement was that his skill was very specialized and thus gave him more details than most about items. He knew that there was a fail-safe for unallowed wielders. Who made this? He asked with shining eyes. His appraisal gave more than just words to describe the scarf; he had a whole blueprint in his mind, with the manufacturing process and its history, and he was utterly entranced. My uncle. Well, kiddo, your uncles a genius, Old Wang said seriously. My knowledge is limited when ites to micro and nano technology, that Ill admit. But what I can see here is that somehow, your unclebined thousands of miniature pieces of metal and other materials and encoded them to change shape. But the Guandao was forged as well. It was first forged regrly then fine-tuned at a microscopic level. Same thing with the scarf; knitted and etched into the form memory. This is a work of art, Old Wang stated and stroked his chin. Furthermore that strange self-replicating energy source makes it a weapon capable of mimicking structure and material thanks to the Systems item conception. It will get stronger and stronger by bolstering itself with mana and new materials. The dedication, the precision, the innovation, the design; everything about this weapon is extraordinary. that certainly puts a new perspective to it, Raknamented. He had never really questioned too much how Sonata had been made. He had always attributed it to the fancy high-end contraptions his uncle had ess to. I guess he really was a genius, he thought. {You dont be the strongest god by being a dunce,} Higure joked. So, what kind of help did you want from me? If its something like improving this Im afraid Im not qualified. Thats how intricate the whole thing is. In fact, I doubt the original maker himself could modify it at this point without using very advanced thaumaturgy. Rakna shook his head. Its fine. I just need your help with the spiritual link between Sonata and Evelyn. I was wondering if you had an idea on how to make it possible for them to be apart. Thats a tough question Old Wang raised an eyebrow. To be sure; thess is a Phantom, right? Yes. Hm I have worked with Phantoms before. You see, many of them put a lot of care into the objects that bind them. In the case of something like your scarf, it is definitely one of the prime examples of the perfect catalyst. Its self-fixable, packed with self-sufficient energy, and evolvable. The whole idea of a Phantoms catalyst is to form a stable link between physical and spiritual. If the Phantom gets away from it, they will quickly lose grip on the physical and die. In theory, you just need the object to be close to you, Old Wang exined and nced at the scarf. Lets see for instance, this weapon has a twin dagger mode, correct? Technically, if thess takes one of them, it would be plenty enough to act as her catalyst. Rakna mused. In other words we have to use an item that is technically part of Sonata but isnt necessarily the main body? You got it. Normally, since the scarf can regenerate itself, my first idea would have been to just yank out a part of it and create an essory of some sort with the scrap. However, the problem is that its not enough in this case. Wed need to add a uniform material to both Sonata the byproduct instead that can influence the physical and spiritual realm. Sadly, it is not the kind of material you see every day. How hard would it be to get one that works? Hm Im not sure. Quantum Diare, Eye of Onyx, Morbax Steel, Kralux Gold these would work fine but not only are they very rare in the upper teaus, but theyre naturally expensive. A kilo of it can cost at the very least a hundred million Talys. Rakna groaned at the price. Not very affordable Old Wang shrugged. Ive personally only had the asion of working on those because they were provided to me. I dont have any on hand. Sorry; I cant help you. Dont worry, I wasnt nning on asking you to give away something that valuable. I guess its a problem Ill have to resolveter o- {If I may interrupt you,} Fray spoke up through telepathy to both Rakna and Wang. {There is a material with such characteristics in your possession.} The therian blinked. How would I even have that? {Fast scary monsters,} Fray retorted jokingly. oh, Rakna eximed. He thought back to a certain object in his storage and brought it out. A chunk of splintered stone appeared in his hand. Old Wang almost choked when he saw it. Kiddo! Is that what I think it is?! Raknas lips formed a faint smile, that Evelyn dazedly noticed, and held up the stone. Based on your reaction, I take it that this is suitable? Old Wang grinned back. For sure! You know what? Ill close shop for today. There is no way I will pass up the chance to work on this. Lets go to my smithy. Chapter 179: Inventing Magic Chapter 179: Inventing Magic So, before we start, did your uncle tell you how to bypass the security? Wang asked as they stood in front of a table where Sonata was spread out. I cannot find out with my appraisal. Hm, there are two ways. One; if you hold it at the same time as an allowed wielder, then it wont activate. Two; use a third-party device that I left back on Earth. And I guess there is a third one; to get spiritually linked to it. Old Wang let out a chuckle. The third is a no-go, aint it? The second hm, did you know you could request the System for a property that you might need from your original or world? Though it does require a fee. Rakna blinked. Thats a thing? [Yes.] Yes. Alexa and the old dwarf answered positively at the same time. I feel like I shouldve been told a lot earlier, he deadpanned. But, even without that, it should be fine, Wang followed up. Well go with the first method. Can you touch the ends while I examine this more closely? Sure, Rakna walked to the edge of the table and ced his hand on the scarf. Old Wang then brought out an old-looking box and pressed a button on it. The lid sprang open and severalyered magnifying sses came out of it. A few otherpartments with more advanced-looking tools opened on the sides and the dwarf picked two that looked like very small soldering rods with thin cables attached to them. He leaned over the scarf and lined it up with the loupes. He then switched a small lever of the box on and a sound of electricity built up steadily. Now, lets see, he muttered and used a needle and a power-charged tool to take apart a very small section of the scarf. He spent about three minutes digging into the material until he grabbed a pincer and extracted a microscopic piece that released a blue glow. He put it on a small stic te and used an even stronger magnifying ss to inspect it while Sonata rebuilt itself. This is He whispered and walked to another section of his smithy with the piece. What is it? Rakna asked as he let go of the scarf. Hm, the old smith mused as a small scanner showed him theposition of the miniature shard of material. There is a very intricate chemicalpound in this How is this No He gradually became more and more shocked. He ran to a big crate in the corner of the room and pulled out arge device. He rushed back to the bench table and ced it on Sonata. The object lit up after a few inputs and scanned the entirety of it before projecting many graphs and results. Old Wangs jaw dropped and Rakna scowled. He was not even sure it was written in anynguage; thats how iprehensible it was to him. But Evelyn seemed to be better off. Her eyes widened. From her upbringing, she had been taught to read this kind of data. She could also tell that a lot of it was unreadable for the scanner. But the other results painted a very shocking picture in her head. Um, sir, you said chemicalpound is it one that That self-replicates, self-analyzes, and self-generates? Yes, Old Wang affirmed stunned. Forget about what I said, kiddo. Your uncle is not a genius. Hes a I dont know, a mad genius scientist. What do you mean? At first, I thought it was thanks to the Systems item conceptual conversion that your weapon gained the ability to recreate its own material and absorb others. But I was wrong. This is an ability it had from the very beginning. Even when it was in your world without magic. Rakna physically paused when he heard that. but he never told me about something like that. He either wanted you to have the surprise or he had no idea of what he actually made. He crafted a chemicalpound that can record molecr structures down to thest atom and mimic that material with a simple supply of energy. This is literally a world-altering breakthrough! Old Wang said excitedly. Of course, this Eion thing is the main reason why your weapon is self-sufficient but even without it, you could use any other sort of energy source to do the same thing. Imagine; you would just need the structure of a material, record it into thepound, then feed it until it grows to be a perfect copy made out of stabilized energy. Its like feeding a cell that can indefinitely grow as long as we give it food. Take your magic for example, Old Wang raised a finger. You use your mana and element to build a recreation of an object and then you reproduce a real materials characteristics with it. Wait, are you implying that- Yes. Your uncle managed to invent magic with science, the dwarf replied andughed spiritedly while wiping his sweat away. By Hephaestus, this is unbelievable {Good god, your uncle defies all logic. He might be the smartest being after the legendary Wolder Kristan,} Fray couldnt help but say. {He truly is unrivaled.} Rakna sighed deeply. That old man might as well be the main character of this universe Sadly, I dont think I can recreate thispound, Old Wang said. Hm, with your permission, can I send a sample of it to a good friend of mine? If it is ever recreated, I assure you well give you full credit, and if you dont want it, you will for sure get a huge portion of the Talys made out of it. Money? Raknas ears perked up at that. He squinted his eyes. How much are we talking about? Billions. This is revolutionary. Not only is this like magic, but its better than some applications of actual magic and it doesnt need mana to operate at all. We could sell the patent to a trustworthypany and they would make hundreds of billions out of it across the teaus. Im fine with sending it to your friend Splendid, then Ill- But, Rakna interrupted him. Tell him to keep it a secret even if he discovers how to make thepound. Old Wang furrowed his eyebrows. Why? Well monopolize it, the therian dered. If you agree, you, your friend, and my group will make our ownpany to both produce and sell this thing. The dwarf blinked a few times. You do have some ambition He muttered and stroked his beard for a moment. Hm but its not unrealistic. Heck, with something like this, only a fool would fail to make a working business, he said and grinned. Im in, kiddo. Monopolizing means more share for me, and that means more resources to improve my skill. Ill all for it. Its decided then. Talk to your friend about it and if he epts, you can give it to him. Ill do so, Old Wang nodded and took a few more samples from Sonata with Raknas permission and stored them in a safe container. Now, back to business. Can you put the Skulking Angel blood on the table? Rakna nodded and pulled out the splintered stone from his storage. All right. This process is going to be lessplicated than I first expected. At the outset, we cant just melt Sonata down. It wouldnt work since it would just mess with the memory of form and force it to fix itself. So, we cant just mix the blood into it as you would to metal. But before we proceed to that step lets make the essory that will go with it, Old Wang said and turned to Evelyn. Do you have any idea of what you want it to be? Eh? Um The subus was taken aback. Im not sure Can you not make a weapon out of it? Like a copy of the original Sonata? Rakna asked something he had been curious about ever since he learned his weapon could reconstruct itself. Yes and no As I said before, your weapon has a lot of things going for it. One of them is the coordination between the pieces thatpose it. In other words, theymunicate. Theyre like a swarm of bots. They automatically determine the main body and detach from what is not. The removed parts still belong to the swarm but are technically inactive. They might even lose their power over time and expunge thepound. It is probably another of your uncles fail-safes. However, as long as we use the Skulking Angels blood, it might not lose its energy source, but it will be incapable of evolving or rebuilding itself. It is practically useless to make a weapon. In that case Evelyn pondered. I wouldnt mind it to be a ring or a ne. Okay. Lets go with a ne if you dont mind. I have some pre-made already around here so it would be easier for the most part, Old Wang said and opened a drawer where he grabbed a small case. He took out a beautiful ornated ne from it and put it in the care of Karnas mes, for him to heat, and then focused on the Skulking Angel blood. Now, to use this blood, its also a bit tricky, he said and grabbed a nk piece of paper. He put the petrified blood on it and started drawing a circle around it. Is that a transmutation circle? Evelyn asked curiously and he nodded. Correct. This is a basic circle. It will fix the damaged quantum lock on this. You will understand what I mean right after, he added and finished the circle. He infused a bit of mana into it and the runes shined for a moment before dying down. Done. Thats it? Doesnt look any different, Raknamented curiously. You will see the difference thanks to this, Old Wang retorted and help up a weirdrge cup with a sectioned bottom. He put the stone inside and looked at his spectators. Close your eyes, he instructed and they did as they were told. A second afterward, they all heard a sshing sound and when they opened their eyes again, the original stone had been split in two that perfectly filled the container they were in. I see. So, their blood works the same as their live bodies. Yes. When Skulking Angels die, their blood bes unstable and cant return to an organic state. The transmutation circle was to resolve that issue, Wang exined and picked the stones. Which reminds me, I havent told you yet why this works for binding two items, right? I assumed it was because Skulking Angels have a constitution that affects space and time, Rakna said. Was I wrong? Youre not. It essentially boils down to the fact that Skulking Angels are connected to every part of their body, broken off or not. To be clear, if you were to look at only one of these pieces of blood right here, the other one would still turn to stone. Thats interesting. Skulking Angels are just that, Old Wang saidughingly. Theyre the epitome of interesting. But we digress. Its time to finish things up. For the ne, I will just need to either coat or mix the blood into the metal. Thats why Karna is heating it as we speak. But, as I mentioned earlier, its a different story for Sonata. The reason I said it would be easier than I expected is thepound. We already confirmed that it can absorb and replicate other materials. So, it shouldnt be any different with the blood. How do you want to do that? Rakna asked back. Sonata has requirements to absorb more. Not if we overload it, Old Wang retorted and once again fetched something. It was a perfect cubic object with smooth edges. The reason it has limitations for the absorption process is that it needs to umte energy to assimte a material as well as strict regtion from the System. As you Hosts would call it; its a nerf. In theory, it should be possible to bypass it by overloading the weapon with so much energy that nothing could possibly fail to be assimted. And thats where this thinges in, Wang pointed at the cube which he put right on top of the scarf. Itspressed psyranium. It is a rare but handy thing that can gather all kinds of energy daily and release it all at once. Old Wang then proceeded to clip on a few wires to the scarf and the cube. Its ready. I will turn it on and we will close our eyes. If possible, also engage it to change form at the same time. It would help the process. Understood. Lets do this one at the same time, Old Wang said and pulled the hot-red ne out of the fire. He ced it in a round stone bowl and put the second blood piece with it. You can close your eyes now, he said and ced his finger on the psyranium. The signal to initiate the form change will be easy to get. Ready? Yes. The old dwarf smirked. Lets try it then, he dered and pierced the cube with his mana. In the split of a second, an ear-piercing electric noise resounded followed by the sizzling sound of a liquid being poured onto a hot surface. Chapter 180: Skulking Sonata Chapter 180: Skulking Sonata As everyone closed their eyes, Sonata began to flicker, altering the lighting inside the smithy with each pulse of light. The silvery blood of the Skulking Angel seeped inside the half-transformed scarf and fused with it. A burst of mana and Eion energy almost made the trio stagger and before they knew it, everything calmed down and the noise stopped. It should be over you can open your eyes now, Old Wang said. Rakna promptly checked on Sonata and what he saw surprised him. The form change had beenpleted in the process and it was now a Guandao that was sitting on the table. But it was longer and slightly thicker than before. The coloring was paler and there was a silver engraving of a wing on both sides of the de. The ribbon tied around the shaft had a silver sheen and was a bit longer as well. Old Wang whistled. That is a beautiful ive. Rakna nodded and walked to it. He grabbed it and he instantly felt a tingle traverse his entire arm as if he had just imed a part of himself. He quickly looked at its details and the first thing he saw was that the name had changed. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Guandao Name: Skulking Sonata Rarity: Purple Attack power: +400 Durability: 100% | Indestructible ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The item possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow, Kusarigama, Twin Daggers, Greatsword. ? C Eion Energy Production C Demonic Spiritual Anchor C Gale Outbreak (All forms) C Hyper Mana Oscition de (ded forms) C Blood Rage (All forms) ? C Primal Curse C First Stage: This weapon has gained some level of curses from the evolutions it went through. It will inflict severe injuries to non-authorized wielders and the more the weapon is wielded, the more it will be altered to match its wielder. It has reached the stage of Unification. The primary wielder, Rakna Xiorra, can now urately control every movement of his weapon through his mind with no additional cost. ? C Skulking Wraith: When the weapon is not being looked at by anyone else other than allowed wielders, the resulting attack value doubles and the wielder bes 50% swifter. When it is being looked at, the item bes unbreakable, it disperses a certain percentage of magic damage proportional to the maximum physical attack value, and the wielder bes 20% more resistant. ? C Skulk Life Down (ded forms): A sh that ignores defense, spatial interference, temporal interference, magic defense, and distance. Cooldown: 12 Hours. ? Description: ? A masterpiece forged by a master cksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of de. ? Note: Evolvable ? ? Skulking Sonatas structure has been improved. The new stability allows for a double evolution for the consequent milestones. ? Current Requirements: C Any weapon with a rarity of Orange or higher. C Host Level 70. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna took some time to admire the new appearance as well as to read the new perks. He looked at the ive up and down before whirling it with one hand. He closed his eyes and let go. The spins momentum hurled the weapon toward the wall but right before it touched anything, it came to a stop and hovered mid-air. It then rotated and flew across the smithy whilst staying close to the walls, floor, and ceiling without damaging anything. It spun on its own and turned into twin daggers with wings engraved on the des. They gyrated and distanced from one another. But as if attracted by each other, they eventually returned and shed, triggering a second transformation. The daggers merged and reverted to an azure scarf that had a brand-new wing mark outlined by silver and red. The cloth swayed back and forth a few times and zoomed toward Rakna. It coiled around him like a serpent and ultimately settled around his neck as usual. It was only then that he opened his eyes and looked at it as Pronos burrowed himself under it. He once again made a faint smile that Evelyn didnt fail to notice. Thats the second time today did something happen? She wondered. Id honestly be surprised if you didnt have a Show Off title, Old Wang joked. But please do not y around with your weapon in my smithy again. Sorry about that, Rakna apologized and his expression returned to a taciturn state. Thank you for this. You said you were not able to improve it, but you did exactly that and more than I could have ever expected, he said sincerely. He had glossed over the Skulk Life Down perk. You would need to be an idiot to not realize how formidable it was. Dont sweat it, the old dwarf waved his hand. Its thanks to the material you brought, as well as the genius of your uncle. Ah, and in case you ask, dont get any ideas. We cant do this again. Not only do I need to let my psyranium charge again, but overloads are risky if abused. We dont want your weapon to be irremediably damaged now, do we? Definitely not. Now, lets see what was the result of our original goal, Wang followed up and approached the ne he had prepared to be coated in the blood. When he looked inside the cast, the ne had a slightly rugged look. It was grayish all around and the gems on it only managed to make it faintly vivacious. It almost looked like someone had turned a simple rock into a piece of jewelry. But from the perspective of uniqueness, it was quite a fascinating essory. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Special Item/Ne Name: Sonatas Tear Rarity: Blue Durability: 100% | Indestructible ? Description: A byproduct linked through space and time to the item known as Skulking Sonata. It cannot be used by anyone other than Evelyn J. Malcanthet and Rakna Xiorra. ? Perks: ? C Skulking Shadow: When not seen, the wearer bes 10% swifter. When seen, the wearer gains 5% to defense and the item bes indestructible. ? C Demonic Spiritual Anchor: Item bound to Evelyn J. Malcanthet. It can sustain her form in a radius of a hundred meters. She will also be granted a 20% boost in both DP and MP as long as she wears it. ? Note: Special ss Items do not take essory slots. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna picked the ne up after reading the information. This ones a sess as well, he said and Old Wang nodded. Good to know we didnt waste that blood. The therian agreed silently and motioned Evelyn to turn around. Eh? She took a moment to process what he was asking and as her face grew redder, she did what he said and also moved her hair from over her neck. Wang watched amused as Rakna carefully put the ne around the subus neck, who was feeling nothing but bashfulness. Done, Rakna said after clipping the chain. She let go of her hair and looked down at the ne. She fiddled with it a bit and smiled. Thank you, she said quietly but she knew he could hear her. Well, as adorable as this is, I should get back to my stall, Wang said as he started tidying up his smithy. I dont want to disappoint my regrs too much. Got it. Thank you for your help. Its fine. You also helped me finding a path to break through to the Divine level. Its the least I can do. And my offer to give you one of my works when I advance my proficiency still stands. Ill reach it sooner orter. Ill expect it, Rakna responded. Well get out of your hair now. See you, Master. Goodbye sir, Evelyn bowed and followed Rakna as he headed to the stairs. Have a good day, you two! ? * * * ? Aftering out, Evelyn decided to return to the apartment to practice her alchemy while Rakna opened up his friend list to message someone. ? ? ? ? ? > Hey, foxy, is there a specific time I should be visiting? ? Youre quite an early bird, eh? You dont lose time. ? > Just tell me already. ? Ill go wake up mom right now. She isnt really busy despite being the matriarch. Shes quitezy on top of that so she just sleeps half of the time. The only problem will be for her topletely wake up, so lets give her about two hours. See you then. ? > who needs two hours to wake up? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snickered and closed the window. {Youre being quite expressive today,} Higure finally remarked. What? Something wrong with it? {No I quite like it.} All good then, Rakna replied candidly and mused on what he should do. Truthfully, he had a good number of things to do. There were many skills he could level up and test out. He could train his body, read a few books, go out and look for Quests, and even develop new spells or abilities. {It is honestly mind-boggling how much you have to do at this stage already,} Fray said. {Is this what they call the misfortunes of talent? no jab intended at your karma.} Rakna rolled his eyes. You know what? Lets do this effectively. I will go do some quests to test my skills against monsters while you two read and exin to me a few important topics like magic circles and general knowledge. {That is certainly productive.} All right then. Lets see what we can do, he thought and flew off to the Pavilion. Chapter 181: Magic Lesson Chapter 181: Magic Lesson Rakna made his way inside themune section of the Pavilion. He opened the door leading to the main room and walked into it. Right away, he felt many staresnd on him. Fame is annoying, heined internally and activated his Stealth. At the level it was, coupled with the Absolution of Belphegor, he could literally stop people from being capable of perceiving him. And the smell it is even more so, he added as he sh-stepped to a Quest Board. {You should have considered that before pulling off a political stunt,} Higure snorted. {But what kind of scent are you picking up exactly?} Too many, he replied as he swiped through the quest list. Greed, envy, fear, respect, curiosity, and infatuation among others. But nothing directly malicious. I guess it paid off in the end. {Itd better be. Have you forgotten? Its not just the Nine-Tailed that you have behind you. A priest of the Basilica has publicly named your friend Eternal Maiden and promised their support. Other than that, you are part of the Throne of Glory and Hybran cksteel himself personally has your back.} {It is the perfect social shield as you wanted,} Fray added. {However, do be careful. High status does not put you out of danger forever. You can still be targeted.} By other high-status individuals. Yes, I know, Rakna responded after picking exactly seven quests toplete. He was about to leave when a certain icon on the board caught his attention. He eyed it for a moment and ultimately browsed a few additional things before leaving. ? * * * ? Rakna stepped inside cksteels Spear and the lotive rumbled as the train departed from the station. He sat on an empty seat and took out the journal, which he only had a few pages left to finish. But he already knew at this point that it wouldnt help him anymore. He had admittedly learned a few things from it but he wouldnt get anything for his Kzanaria from it and he now had Wis hints to follow. {Why did you take that hit by the way?} Higure asked and he shrugged. He nced to his left and a system prompt popped up ording to his thoughts. ? ? ? ? ? Title: Hit Task C #12f8wz7x ? Description: On the 34th teau is located a hub for a minor ve-dealing organization. They are very secretive and hard to find. They hide under the guise of normal merchants and civilians. Objective: Assassinate the leader, Fang, and dismantle the organization. Only his name is known and there were no prior sightings. Find out who he is and kill him. ? Rewards: 5 000 000 Talys (the bounty may fluctuate). ? ? ? ? ? Im preparing, Rakna replied and dismissed the window. I need to gather more information about Arena Zero. For now, Ill try to see if I can get that intel from small underground groups. And if there is no rtion, theres nothing bad in ridding the System of those guys. {True. So, do you want to start learning now?} Sure. Do your worst or rather, your best. Higure chuckled. {All right. Lets start with magic formations and circles.} ? * * * ? Rakna pped his wings and produced a sonic boom as he soared past the forests and trees of the First teau. His golden eyes scanned the area as Higure went on about her lectures. {That basically sums up the three types of magic circles. The enhancement and long-range types are not very useful to your usual fighting style, but the auxiliaries will allow you to have faster casting and more efficient mana usage. Any question?} Hmm, you said that to make a magic circle, I have to direct mana into artificial pathways that form a visual feedback and algorithmically conjure the spell, correct? {Uuuh yes? Im not even sure I understand what you just said, to be honest,} she confessed and Rakna snorted. {But as long as it makes sense in your head, do your stuff. Remember, apply your knowledge of runes to it. Also, mathematic is a good way of making magic circles. You just have to try out differentbinations and well, not mess up the calction.} Rakna groaned. I hate math, he uttered and extended his arm forward whilst in flight. He squinted his eyes and imagined his mana flow through his circuits. They converged to his hand and emerged to follow a predetermined path. It gathered at one point and then circled it but still, nothing was visible. He closed his eyes and pondered. Lets start with thew of eleration apply it to my body and convert it to match mana expenditure rules I guess lets trante into runes as well and done. He opened his glowing eyes wide and a magic circle with runes and symbols appeared in front of him. It was entirely cyan and looked like intangible ice. At the center, a six-pointed star with a pair of wings and nine tails on its back was depicted. ? ? ? ? ? Magic Theory has leveled up! Magic Circle Theory has leveled up! Magic Formation Theory has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? {Thats perfect! You even made your crest on your first try,} Higure praised. {Everyone has their own crest and sigil. As long as its elementary crafts, this variation should make it more intuitive to you. Now, this is an enhancing circle. You know what to do.} Rakna grunted and elerated. He caught up to the circle that until now had been moving at the same speed as him, and went through it. Instantly, his speed climbed up further, as if he had used his Reinforcement to boost his agility, but it was slightly different. The circle had focused everything on flight. Its sole purpose was to enhance flight of anyone that passed through and thats exactly what it did. Rakna did a few flips and barreled back into his original course. Pretty nifty. I like it. I will have to get used to invoke a circle whenever I need a little boost in my spells or movements. {Good. How about we expound more on formations now?} Hm, wait a second, I found it, Rakna replied and flew down. Hended near ake and crouched near the roots of arge tree. His Fabled Sight flickered and he carefully picked a small mushroom growing on the soil next to it. ? ? ? ? ? You have found a Rya Mushroom! 10 000 Talys rewarded! ? ? Youpleted the quest Mushy-Mushy Room! The System will take charge of the nts transport back to the Pavilion. ? ? ? ? ? After this message rang, Rakna watched the mushroom vanish in his hands. It was pleasant that he didnt need to return every time to conclude the Quest or get the rewards. Good system, he thought and stood up. He then looked at theke and hummed. Might as well try it now, he muttered and waved his hand. A magic circle formed above the water and took a few seconds to be stable. Rakna flicked his hand again and the circle shone and suddenly shot several cold energy needles into the water, leaving small ke-like spots of ice behind. A minuteter, they resurfaced; stabbed into some fish. Well, that worked fine, Raknamented and controlled Sonata to fly above the water and catch the fish like a. The scarf brought them back to him and another prompt notified him of a Questpletion. There are some really easy quests like fishing and herb gathering. {Well, they are doubly easy for you, thanks to your senses and especially your eyesight. The Rya Mushroom is fairly rare; you only spent a few minutes looking for it,} Fray pointed out. Rakna shrugged. I guess, he muttered and checked his Quests. Hm, only five more for me to get my Host Rank to II. Itll be interesting to see what I get from it. {Indeed what are your next Quests?} A few subjugations, two more herbs, and a camp extermination which should be nearby based on the coordinates, he said and looked around. He mused and turned into a werewolf. He sniffed the air a few times and huffed. There, he growled and switched to his quadrupedal form to run. After a minute, he stopped at the edge of a clearing and gazed at a settlement in the distance. He could see wooden fortifications around it and inside, there were lots of green-skinned creatures such as goblins, hobs, and orcs. I could bombard it with a well-ced Cataract and get rid of half of them in one swoop. {while that is a very sound strategy, I cannot help but feel perturbed,} Fray stated. Old mans tip. If you can blow it up, do it. Saves time and resources, he said. {Of course} But well, I will use the asion to try out Sonata, Rakna said and turned into a therian again. He took off his scarf and turned it into twin daggers. Time for some action, little guy. Pronos hopped off with a yawn and groggily nodded. Well try stealth. You know what to do, Rakna instructed and he hissed positively. Before we go, I might as well equip these, he muttered and opened his Item Box. He selected the set Nyx gave him and equipped it, but didnt switch out the Dreorin Boots and Praying Shadow. Overall, it didnt change his arsenal much but it did give him an additional skill to boost his agility as well as a little 10-20 increase to defense. He popped his joints and took a deep breath. His Stealth was activated and his presence became fundamentally equal to a rock on the side of the road. He and Pronos nodded at each other before dashing toward the camp. Whilst running, Raknas breath chilled and his eyes glowed. [Cold Star Mist,] he intoned and a literal surge of fog enveloped the whole area. It even swallowed the entirety of the monster camp in a few moments. Rakna separated from Pronos as they each took a nk. After getting to his, Rakna leaped on the fortifications wall and shed the throats of three unsuspecting goblins who remained unaware of what was happening until their veryst breath. It feels easier to wield not bad, Rakna thought as he spun the daggers. He observed the interior of the camp with Fabled Sight and raised his hand, where sinister mana was gathering. Lets try this one now. [Path of Absolution.] Chapter 182: Full Shift Chapter 182: Full Shift Rakna immediately felt the effects of his spell on himself. His eyelids became heavy and his body hunched reflexively. He half-closed his eyes and saw a ck fog mix with the cold mist. It reached the green-skinned monsters, directly extracted their sloth and applied it to them at the same time. The entirety of the camp was suddenly struck by a wave of tiredness. Some orcs and goblins even yawned and lied down to rest since they obviously didnt know someone was attacking them right then. They were rxed andfortable to sleep. Rakna observed that happening with a distant look. This will be quite hard to get used to, he thought groggily but that didnt stop him from jumping down the wall. Hended on the ground with his typical show of finesse but, even though it didnt hinder his speed or dexterity, there was a certain hint ofziness in his movements. {This is new. Lazy Rakna,} Higure joked. Rakna would have normally retorted but he didnt. He was toozy to do it. He wordlessly dashed at a goblin and stabbed its head with one of the daggers, his damage being boosted by the fact that no one was able to see his weapon. He instantly switched to another target and silently appeared behind it in one step. One more swing and a head fell to his feet. He continued without stopping; he went around the camp, undetected, killing everything he saw. He was akin to a ghost. No one had noticed him and not even a sound had been made. Meanwhile, Path of Absolution started feeding him more mana and stamina as he proportionally got sloppier in his movements. When he had killed about thirty of the monsters, he ultimately disengaged the spell and breathed in to clear his head. He leaned on the wall of a small wooden hut and shook his head. That it was as if my conscious was gradually convincing itself that sleeping would resolve all my problems. {Thats the definition ofzy all right.} Rakna snorted and nced to his right through the fog. He threw his dagger and the sound of flesh being pierced was heard along with a thud. Soon, the weapon returned to his hand and he swung it to clean the blood. There should be a chief somewhere, he said internally and tried to pinpoint the boss by smelling its aura. He concentrated for a minute before grimacing. There is some disgusting smelling aura that way {Disgusting smell?} Fray mused. {Could it be} Before the storyteller could finish, Rakna had already made his way to the top of a small wooden house. He turned Sonata into a Guandao and used it to make a hole on the roof. His freaky control as well as the osciting cutting of the de made it virtually inaudible. Rakna grabbed the cut part before it fell and looked inside the house. Immediately, his expression darkened. He had a direct view of a room with arge crude bed where a massive creature with a pig head and green-white skin was sleeping. That thing was the source of the horrid smell. But if that was only that, Rakna wouldnt have been upset. No, he would have just gotten rid of the creature and left. It was the many lifeless bodies of women spread across the room. There were arge number of humans, and among the others, there were even a few of his own, wolf therians. Rakna was oddly silent as he slowly put a cigarette in his mouth without lighting it. {A troll} Fray finished his sentence. {They can only reproduce with other species.} {Devourer?} Higure carefully spoke up. When she didnt get a response, she tried again with a rousing amount of concern. {Rakna?} He ignored her and suddenly gritted his teeth. His hair and tails turned red and his cigarette was lit by the scorching hot aura that appeared. ? ? ? ? ? Obsidian Blood has been triggered! Ireful Shell has escaped The Kind Demons Kins suppression. ? Ireful Shell rejoices! Ireful Shell has leveled up to Exceled! ? ? ? ? ? Forget stealth. Ill blow up this mother fucking ce, he uttered with bloody eyes and raised his hand where a miniature volcanic star formed. Eleven others then popped up around it and began to orbit until they fused. At this point, Rakna couldnt care less. He would have dly saved any survivors but in that state of his, he could only think of one thing to give them peace. His mana signature was practically flooding the settlement and the mist had melted away, causing a very short-lived rain. The troll evidently woke up and the first thing it saw was a burning roof and a pair of crimson eyes. The remaining green-skinned monsters in the camp began to cry out as they discovered the dead bodies and realized that there was an attack going on. Pronos rushed back to Rakna when he felt the rage through their empathic link. When he jumped on the roof of the half-burned-down house, he was there in time to see his master transform into a crimson werewolf and sever the trolls arm with one hand while the other held terror in the form of a volcanic star bomb. Pronos, get on, he ordered with a riled tone. The little guyplied hesitatingly and got on the werewolfs shoulder. Rakna deployed his reddish wings and flew off with his spell following him. When he was high enough, he looked down andshed out with his arm. His gesture generated arge auxiliary magic circle below him and he pointed the spell toward it. The runes on the circle spun and a few outer circles began to rotate. {Fueled by anger he learnedyered circles out of instinct} Higure remarked dumbfounded. Raknas zing eyes narrowed and he spoke up, [Embers of Ardor Abide the Stars Vehemence Pierce the Heavens C Natcattiram Cataract!] The volcanic energy tightened and the spring was let loose. A zing star descended on the camp and for those below it, the sight was akin to the sky falling. The troll roared and that was thest thing it did before the spell struck. The ground shook for hundreds of meters and the st that ensued felt like a volcanic eruption from underground. Countless debris flew into the sky aze andva flowed out from the point of impact before also being ejected. When the smoke and fire settled down, there was only arge crater filled to the brim with molten stone where carbonized wood and bodies were sinking and disappearing forever. Rakna stood in the air watching it as a voice crept up in his mind. ? C MORE! MORE! DESTROY MORE! C ? Ireful Shells curse was reaching its highest stages of intensity. Normally, at that point, it wouldnt be unnatural for anyone to give up their sanity. Rakna merely huffed loudly and growled. Fuck off, he spat and reverted to a therian to smoke a second cigarette. But, to his shock, his hair, fur, and eyes stayed red this time. Shit, he cursed again and went as far as unrolling another joint and directly swallowing the medicine but to no avail. {Oh lord is this really happening?} Fray said quietly but he couldnt hide his curiosity. Dont even say it, bastard. I am this close from burning down a forest to calm myself, Rakna said with an unusual tone of bare annoyance. For fucks sake. It had to happen again {I will be honest} Higure started. {I think I like unwound Rakna very much} Shut the hell up, cat. {Hmm!} The lioness tantly moaned. {Say it again!} She shouted eagerly. Fray gaped at her in the soul realm. {I was aware of you being a creep but not to this extent.} She rolled her eyes. {Please, everyone has their kinks.} Rakna decided to ignore them and clicked his tongue. He nced at something somewhat close to the crater and spotted a goblin fumbling around. I guess that one didnt get caught by the explosion, he sneered. Lets see what this does. Ignores distance they said He mumbled and swung Sonata. Skulk Life Down, he uttered and in the blink of an eye, the goblin in the distance was beheaded cleanly. Hah! Fun. Probably only works if I can see them. {Good lord, he just said fun! Did you hear?! He said fun!} {Yep. Heard that,} Higure said. {But lets talk serious business now. Rakna, whats going on? You said happen again. Did you experience this before?} The old man called it Full Shift, he answered as he wore his scarf again. Its basically me getting to a saturating point, which forces my main personality to swap. {Wait, so youre stuck like this?} Not really. It willst until I get an emotional shock well, in the other way this time; something that cools me down. {Is that what you didst time it happened?} no. The old man forced my psyche back with a lethal drug. So, its just a theory for now. {} Well, I dont see the problem anyway, Rakna grinned and conjured a me that somehow looked likeva flowing upward. I kinda like burning and blowing up stuff. {I think the problem is more the grin you have on your face right now.} What? Dont you people always tell me to be more expressive? Then here you are. Ill be so damn expressive youll wish I wasnt. {What about your meeting with Kaeliths mother? Will you show up like this?} Fray asked. Ah. {Exactly. At the moment, you sound like a sociopath. Not a good first impression.} Fuck off. It cant be that bad. [It is,] Alexa suddenly said. Rakna blinked and physically recoiled. Well, I guess its true if Alexa says it. You cant get much more objective than an AI does. [Thank you,] she responded roguishly and he actuallyughed. See? Youre close to it now. Youll be the best sarcastic AI ever. {Really? That was your goal?} Higure retorted incredulously. Obviously. {I feel like well get a good insight on your inner thoughts while youre in that state} It should fix itself sooner orter. The pig-faced bitch made me lose control for a bit but I got thepletion prompt for the eradication of this ce. Its time to move on to myst Quests. I wanna see the promotion rewards, he said flew away to somewhere else. Meanwhile, Pronos was frozen like a statue with his mouth open. Listening to Raknas new speech pattern had been a shock that he couldnt recover from so easily. ? * * * ? About an hourter, Raknanded behind a scared rabbit with ck patches and ears that were longer than itself. Finally! He yelled and lifted the rabbit by the ears. He looked at the poor animal in the eyes with a mix of a re and a nk face. Do you have any idea of how much I explored to find you? Brii The bunny squealed fearfully whilst shivering. {Youll scare the poor thing to death if you continue,} Higure sighed. Rakna grunted and used Sloth Magic to put the rabbit to sleep. He then made a small knife with volcanic energy and pricked the animal to collect a bit of its blood. Why does anyone even need this things blood? {Cerf Rabbits have very special blood cells. It can heal or suppress many kinds of illnesses. I would presume that the giver of this task requires it regrly for themselves or another. Also, since they are a very rare species, hunters are demanded to not kill them and only collect a small amount of blood as to not risk their lives,} Fray exined. Okay, okay, I get it. Rakna finished getting the blood. He cleaned the small wound he made and ced the rabbit somewhere safe from predators. He then received thepletion message. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted the Quest, Its Not Easter Yet Though! ? ? You have finished 10 Quests! You are qualified for a promotion! ? Do you wish to be promoted to Rank II? Yes/No ? ? ? ? Chapter 183: Natcattiram Vi?untatu Chapter 183: Natcattiram Vi?untatu ? ? ? ? You have been promoted to Rank II! ? C Bnce Increased. Current Ceiling: 600 000. +20 000 Talys. +2 Free Points. C A Random Item Box (Gray ~ Blue) ? ? Promotion Conditions have been updated: ? C Level 20 C Attribute Cap Greater Than 60 C Complete One Trial C Fifty Monsters Above Level 15 Killed: 50/50 ? ? Conditions Have Been Met! ? Do you wish to be promoted to Rank III? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Uh Rakna blinked as a second prompt was forwarded to him right after he epted one. Ah, is that what it is? Im one of those who ignored the guide and went on to do side quests and now I have to ept rewards left and right? {That does not sound far off from the truth,} Fraymented. Well, might as well, the therian snickered and started pressing yes every time it appeared in front of him. As a result of that, about a minuteter, he was Rank V and he couldnt get farther. ? ? ? ? ? You have been promoted to Rank V! C Bnce Increased. Current Ceiling: 900 000. +5 Free Points. +50 000 Talys. C A Random Item Box (Gray ~ Orange) ? ? Promotion Conditions have been updated: ? C Level 50 C Attribute Cap Greater Than 120 C A Hundred Monsters Above Level 45 Killed: 100/100 C Complete Five Different Dungeons: 2/5 C Complete One Ordeal: 0/1 C Complete 20 Quests (At least 5th teau): 10/20 ? ? ? ? ? I guess the funs over, Raknamented and made a quick inventory of what he had gotten from all that. A 400 000 increase to his bnce ceiling, 14 free points, 140k Talys, and four random item boxes with limited rarity. Thats sort of mediocre [The initial Host Ranks are generally superficial when ites to rewards,] Alexa informed. [If you wish for better prizes, you would need to wait for Rank X. Additionally, the difficulty to raise your rank increases drastically after that. It is known as the first major milestone since you require to be level 100. You will notice that a lot of things change when you reach that level.] I see. Ill take your word for it, Alexa. Thanks. [You are wee.] Rakna hummed and looked at the sky. Its time to go to the shop not excited for it. {Hahaha! Dont be scared! Go give a good first impression to your mother-inw,} Higure teased. He cackled and folded his knees. Right. Lets go do that, he joked back and jumped with his wings open. He pped them and broke through the barrier of sound. He then used his volcanic element to boost his speed even further throughbustion. He rocketed himself toward the station like aet and in the way, he grinned as something came to his mind. {I dont like seeing you smirk like that it gives me goosebumps. You honestly need to tone that down until I get used to it.} Not my fault. In well, lets call it volcanic state; I basically find enjoyment in everything, Rakna replied as he channeled his mana throughout his body. {Okay, yeah. Still, tone it down.} Cant promise anything, he shrugged and breathed in. His aura red like a torch, creating a very noticeable red line behind him amidst the clouds. {What are you doing?} The lioness asked suspiciously. Shooting star. {Shooting star? Wait Oh no, no, no, you dont!} Oh yes, I do, Rakna snorted. I finished it. You told me that magic formations are the matrixes behind spells, right? Like abination of both physicalws, magic circles, runes, and mana flow. And that if you add concepts to the lot, you can derive non-direct application of your element to create new spells. {For the love of-! I wish you werent that smart!} You know you dont mean that, heughed, and with a thought, aplicated magic formationposed of many circles as well as intricate patterns and equations whirled into existence below him. He observed it for a moment. This kind of formation was probably what was contained inside Skill or Spell Cards. At least, it was something simr. He could probably extract something like it from his already learned abilities if he tried enough. All right. Lets see a name. Its the first time I choose one, he mumbled. Cataract seems to have been made with Tamil, right? I guess it is one of the oldest tongues. From Earth at least So, how about [Natcattiram Vi?untatu], he chanted and the magic formation enveloped him. It wrapped him in an elongated cocoon then erupted with energy. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a literal shooting star. Since it was too close from the ground at the eleration, several of the First teaus giant trees were bent by the force of impact and the leaves rustled loudly. Many animals and monsters looked up to see a light sh by, followed by a big gust of wind after a small dy. The shooting star was maintained for nearly five minutes and when it reached the station, it started tilting downward very dangerously. A random person who was walking to the station heard something and turned around just when theetnded a few meters away from him. A massive noise made him yelp and he happened to see an object fly out of the cloud of dust. When he took a closer look at it, he paled and stepped back. A-a-a-an arm?! He screamed and he soon heard a pained grunt. Im drained thank god, I used Reinforcement in time, a growly voice sounded. The man could have sworn he saw arge silhouette behind the dust screen but when he blinked, he heard a few bones popping and the person that came out was a regr-sized therian with red hair. {What did I tell you?!} Higure yelled and Rakna covered his ear with a wince. He nced at his own arm that was lying on the ground in front of the bbergasted passerby. Its fine he said defensively. The severed arm disintegrated into energy particles and the one missing at his left shoulder grew back; shocking the onlooker even more. See? All wait no. He changed his clothes in a sh of light and nodded. All new. The lioness sighed. {You are hopeless.} Thank you. {Not apliment!} Um The unknown man finally found the force to speak and Rakna looked at him. Oh, did I spook you? My bad; experiment gone wrong, yada yada. I-its fine you look like the guy that was on TV yesterday. Ah, Rakna made a weird expression. Yeah I suppose I do. Are you rted to him? He pursed his lips and looked away slightly. I guess I am? Yes, Im his older twin brother. Oh, I see! The man believed him instantly and his expression brightened. Are you a disciple of Lord Obsidian as well? yes? So cool! How is it to train under him?! How strong is he?! Raknaughed. Hes a strict teacher and hes damn strong, to say the least. That must be nice, the man said wistfully. Yeah, yeah, sure it is, the therian replied dismissingly and tried to subtly run away by walking to the station but the man followed him right after. Youre different from your brother. He looked very cold on screen but you look approachable. Rakna sighed internally. Approachable my ass okay hold it in, heposed himself. True. My brothers kind of an asshole to others. Hes like a block of ice, I tell you. Haha! I can see it! {Why the self-deprecation?} Higure asked amusingly. It makes it more believable, okay? Siblings arent all sunshine about each other usually. {Why are you evenmitting to the act?} I dont know! I was given a shovel and now Im digging a hole for myself! I cant help it! {That is a peculiar simile,} Fray remarked. {But a good one.} Gee thanks, Rakna rolled his eyes. Ill just sh step away So, hey, how about we add each other as fri huh? The man looked to his right where the therian had been just a few seconds ago. Where did he go? I didnt even get his name ? * * * ? Rakna sat down inside the train after weaving through the people getting in and out of it. He made sure to distance himself from the overly familiar man. He groaned as he still felt a bit of muscr pain from his crash and opened the window he saw during his uncontroble flight. ? ? ? ? Name: Natcattiram Vi?untatu Tier: 6 ? Description: ? Wrap yourself in star energy and let it propel you through skies, seas, and firmaments. It is a very powerful movement technique that can be used to surprise your enemies in a fight. It is however very hard to control and nearly impossible to steer. Once cast, hope that you dont hit something by mistake and certainly do not expect to be capable of making responsive turns. ? Cost: 50% of MP (Max Correction: 25%) for a single burst that canst up to five minutes. Movement Speed: Up to 20 km/s in the first few seconds of the burst and then steeply and gradually decreases until aplete stop. ? Important Note: The Host is incapable of using the maximum capacity of this spell yet. The maximum speed attainable at the moment is 1 km/s in the first seconds. ? ? You have made a magic formation for the first time! You are rewarded with 500 experience and three free points! ? You can now craft the Skill Card Natcattiram Vi?untatu with adequate materials and skill levels in manufacturing and magical theory! You will be gifted one card upfront but further cards will have to be made on your own. ? ? You have leveled up! +0.1 STR, SPD, INT ? ? ? ? ? Stupid. How is it any useful to have a skill card of this if no one else has my element? Rakna thought right away as he found the card in question inside his Item Box. {You could sell it. But you would probably receive bad attention.} He sighed. Doesnt matter. We have fifteen minutes until we arrive. Lets continue with our lessons. {Im honestly scared of teaching you anything now. You might just tiptoe your way into making some world breaking spell and kill yourself in the process.} Please, as if I would do something like that. {} okay, fine, I get it. I wont do anything dangerous try. {good enough. Lets talk about first- and second-degree applications of magic before developing further on magic formations. You already have some understanding of them. They stem from the principle of producing spells with concepts instead of literal applications. For example fire is destructive in its first-degree application. But with its second degree, also called magic theory, you apply some sort of concept with solid bases behind it. Like, lets say, healing mes.} Something like phoenixes? {Yes! Thats a perfect example. A fire spell based on the legends of Phoenixes would make a solid healing spell. Sadly, I dont think its something your element can do. It sounds ipatible.} But I do need a healing spell. And there is in fact a constetion based on phoenixes. I have no idea if it will work as a healing method though Higure sighed as Raknas thoughts already began to stray. It was a thousand times easier to teach his colder self since he would attentively listen. But now he was just too manic. In some way, he was smarter; his brain was running more actively anding up with a lot of ideas. But it meant that he also was very prone to distractions. {I dont know if I prefer this side of him anymore this is going to be a long day.} Chapter 184: Foxy & Foxy Chapter 184: Foxy & Foxy All right, horny cat. Make yourself useful. Whats the n? Rakna asked whilst standing in front of the shops door. {Excuse me, Im already useful; thank you.} Well, be even more. {Aaah, youre even sassier now first, I guess, it would be a good idea to turn your hair back to normal. That would probably avoid some additionalplications.} Hm, why did it change anyway? Rakna wondered as he yed with a few strands. I thought it only happened during reinforcements. {Mana dyeing most likely,} Fray said. {You see, to use Reinforcement, mana is sent throughout your body and the faster and denser it is, the more it will affect your hair, eyes, and at a much higher stage, your skin and body. You could say that mana is an extension of yourself. Normally, in your cold state, it is the same as you; calm, cold, and still.} {But in your volcanic state, it bes rowdy and the dyeing urs automatically. The body parts that are susceptible to it without your mana actually being used are hairs,} he exined. Really? Didnt notice a difference in my mana though. {Well, it is not like your mana bes more noticeable or anything. It is exactly like personalities in thinking creatures; mana also has personalities. And you have two; one is low-key while the other is very showy in nature, to fit the more destructive aspect of the volcanic star.} Hm, if you say so. So, I guess I just need to do something like this Rakna closed his eyes and in just a few seconds, the color was drained out of his tails and hair. Uh, pretty easy. Only my eyes cant be changed, hemented. {Yep totally Controlling your manas nature on your first try is the easiest thing ever,} Higure quipped sarcastically. Alright here goes nothing, the therian proceeded to open the door. Mom! I wont let you have it! Aww, please. Just a sip! A sip means the entire bottle with you! I wont let you get drunk so early! But youre the one who woke me up early. I need a drink to start off the day, sweety. Drink coffee instead! Why are you always so childish in the morning?! Rakna stood stunned and confused at the doors step. His eyes reflected two fox women pressing their bodies against each other as a Kaelith held a bottle above her head so that the other woman wouldnt be able to get to it. I mean its a nice sight if anything, he thought as they bickered, unaware of his presence. {Wow, sexually aware? I retract all my doubts. This is the best version of you,} Higure jested. Ha. Ha. Ha. Bite me. I just dont say shit about it in my normal state. Its not as if I cant notice the obvious. If someone is beautiful, are you supposed to lie to yourself? Do you look away from a nice painting when there is no reason to? No. This is the same thing. {this is really throwing me off. Youre too assertive about your thoughts now.} Deal with it, Rakna snapped and closed the door behind as silently as he could. He casually walked to one of the sofas and sat down with a quiet sigh. All while the mother-daughter pair argued. Wolfy is going to be here soon! Arent you the one who wanted to see him?! So, dont drink! Youll embarrass both yourself and the n! Youre the matriarch for crying out loud! Oh,e on, Kae. Thats precisely why I need my morning drink. I cant meet your little crush in this drowsy state Kaelith blushed. Hes not my crush! And your logic of drinking to wake up is nonsensical! Meanwhile, Rakna looked at the ceiling. Well, thats awkward. The lioness chortled. {Little crush, eh?} She said impishly. You could practically hear the smirk in her voice and he rolled his eyes. {Is it not about time you announce your presence?} Fray spoke. {At this rate, they might start a wrestling match for who will win that bottle.} I wouldnt mind that happening, Rakna replied without thinking and he realized he had made a mistake when the two women looked at him. Ah shit. Spoke out- loud?! His cor was grabbed and he was instantly yanked out of his seat by a flushed Kaelith. How long have you been here?! Um since the aww, just a sip! part, he repliedughingly. The vixen closed and opened her mouth. On one hand, she was embarrassed to death and on the other, she was almost terrified by the fact that she hadnt noticed him in the slightest. The System hadnt even notified her of his arrival at all and even now, with her hand on him, she still couldnt get a reading on his aura or presence. What is going on? She thought with a scowl and finally, she noticed his red eyes, full of unhidden amusement, and his mouth that was quite clearly forming a smile. Wha- Oh, so you are the infamous Rakna? Kaelith was pushed away before she could say anything else and Kara greeted the therian with a graceful smile. Her previous childishness was gone; reced by an air of maturity. But she still couldnt help her reddened cheeks. It wasnt only embarrassing for her daughter, but her as well, to be seen acting like that. I apologize. I have shown you a most shameful behavior. I am Kara Yahkshasa, Kaes mother. She has told me many things about you. Rakna Xiorra. So; many things, huh? Rakna repeated with a small grin that put Kaelith in a daze and surprised the older vixen a bit. Well, among other things she has described you to be a lot more taciturn. Ah, yes. Dont worry about that. Lets say that Im temporarily as warm asva, he joked. You can trust your daughters descriptions of me. But for now, treat me as an entirely different person from the one you pictured. Kara blinked her enchanting eyshes and nodded slowly. I see Well, can you join me for a chat about the Obsidian situation? She offered whilst waving at the table in the corner of the room. Sure, Rakna epted and took a seat with her. All while Kaelith red a hole into his back. The matriarch cleared her throat. So, Rakna I can call you as such, right? Knock yourself out. You can even call my Rak if you want. You also dont need to be formal with me at all, especially as long as these eyes of mine are red. Kara smiled faintly. I do not really get the eyes part but I understand. I will call you Rakna so you can refer to me as Kara. Pleased to meet you, Kara. As am I. Kaelith groaned as she watched her mother and friend chuckle at each other. She pulled out three cups from her storage and mmed them on the table. Can we get to the point? She asked with a snarl at the end. Then I can thoroughly question you, wolfy, she said pointedly whilst filling the cups with tea, and a coffee for her mother, which she epted sulkily. Hahaha Im in danger, Raknamented in his mind. {No shit.} Kara sipped on her coffee and sighed. Lets get to the heart of the subject. I am willing to convince the council to wee Obsidian as a legitimate member of our n. You will have our full support when acting as a Nine-Tailed with no strings attached. Raknas eyes widened and even Kaelith was startled. This was the first she heard it. No strings attached? Rakna reiterated and leaned back on his chair. He raised an eyebrow. Are you being serious? You would do it without asking anything from me at all? Why would I not? Kara replied unperturbed. There is absolutely no downside for us. Not only for your future potential, which I can tell will be immeasurable as I already cannot measure it at all, she said a bit drolly. You must have an interesting skill. Rakna shrugged. Thats a recent one. Fascinating. Regardless, besides your aptitude, you have publicly received backing from Hybran cksteel himself and the Basilica of Eternal Night. That is already incredible. You are also part of the most infamous guild ever, the Throne of Glory. Rakna snorted. If only she knew who I truly have backing me, he retorted silently as he thought of histest title, and the closest thing he had to a family whom it represented. That is why I do not see any problem in forming an amicable rtionship with you. Reasonable, reasonable Rakna hummed. How do you want to do it? Kara sipped her drink and put the cup down. Marry Kae. Wha-! Mom! Kaelith stood up in haste. Rakna, on the other hand, smirked and tilted his head. Hoh? I dont find the idea of marrying foxy unpleasant. He heard a small hup. But are you willing to allow my entry into the n to be right into the path of session? Yes, she said without missing a beat. A Nine-Tailed Werewolf? Whatever others think, I believe what you said to be true; you are superior. Who else would be more fitting to head the wolves? The room fell silent and Kaelith alternated anxiously between her mother and Rakna who had, in her opinion, a very unsettling grin she wasnt used to at all. I like it, he eventually said with a nod. I like your proposal very much. There is essentially no downside. You would need to be an egotistical dumbass to refuse it. Kara smiled. You made a good decision. We can start discussing the details at any- But I refuse it. -time you want what did you just say? The older vixen uttered and Kaelith froze on the spot. I refuse your offer, Rakna repeated himself and passively began to pat a Pronos whose head had dozily stuck out of his scarf. Obsidian or myself will not join your n. may I ask why? Kara inquired. A few reasons. One; because the mutts thatpose your so-called council sound like a pain in the ass from what Ive heard until now. I can- Two, he interrupted her and raised two fingers. It would paint a target on my back. I dont know whats going inside your n but the fact that internal conflict urred not so long ago honestly doesnt make you look very good. I prefer keeping my paws out of there if one day you all start ughtering each other for the sake of politics or noblesse. Three, public opinion. Public opinion? I have no idea how things are in the System, to be honest. But one thing I know for sure; people who call themselves noble arent necessarily loved by the popce. But what about someone with noble descent that refuses to associate with noblesse and is on the side of the lower ss? Like, lets say, a person who saves a child and brings her back to her mother? That kind of person gains poprity. And that,dy, is invaluable. A word from someone powerful can move armies. But a word from someone loved, can create armies, he said derisively and raised a fourth finger. Four, if I were to join you, Id be associated with you regardless of how much you pretend that therell be no strings attached. Its false and you know it. That would close many doors to me. I do not intend to have my growth hindered by your little cluster fuck of a n, Rakna added and lowered his hand. He ced it on the table and slowly stood up and leaned forward. His ws dug into the table and prated it. And five He growled out and his eyes became whirlpools. His fur grew all over his body and turned red at the same time. He stood on his hind legs and put even more weight on the table. The werewolf squinted and put his head closer to Kara until they were staring at each other very austerely. I will not submit myself to your bullshit n to control me, he growled out. Kaelith was shocked at the development and was stuck between sticking up for her friend or her mother. She watched nervously as a very stern-looking Kara returned Raknas re that was also apanied by a maddening grin disying his row of fangs. are you not scared of retaliation? You are but a centimeter away from turning this encounter into a threat on your part. We both know I wouldnt be able to do shit to you, Rakna scoffed. And that if you were to try to kill me or injure me instead, you would be in heaps of trouble. Do you trust your backers that much? I could make you disappear right now if I wished to. They would be none the wiser. In front of your daughter? Rakna retorted and even he had to admit it was a dirty blow but it had its intended effect as Kara winced. But to answer your question I have a much stronger backer than any of those youre aware of. I dont know if he will ever find out what happened to me once I die, but if he does your n is doomed without any chance of survival. Kara now flinched as another chip was put on the table. Someone that could destroy her n? It was a ridiculous im that anyone would consider empty threats. But she didnt detect any lies and there was no reason for him to bluff anyway. His current allies were more than enough to stop her from doing anything uncouth. After one more minute spent staring at each other, she ultimately relented under the intimidation of the considerablyrger werewolf. Weaker than her he may be, but a daunting appearance could make anyone feel punier. Rakna knew that very well, his ability to fight psychologically was admirable. She sighed and raised her hands. Aah, I lost. You win, she said pitifully with a pout. She then lied her head down on the table. I knew I should have drunk. I was outwitted by a kid below his fifties. Rakna cackled and reverted to normal with a triumphant face. You were the one who wanted to y. I humored you and I hate to lose at anything. So it seems, she said and giggled softly and he imitated her. Theyughed together as if they had juste out of a pleasant and funny talk. Kaelith wanted to bang her head on the wall as her jaw hung open at the situation. What the heck is going on?! Chapter 185: Earth [??.63.5B] Chapter 185: Earth [??.63.5B] Politics are and will always be bullshit, Rakna dered as he and Kara came out of theirughing fit. Kaelith scowled at him and he cackled. It makes society for sure, but you know what politics are based on? Maniption. Democracy and freedom are maneuvered to sound credible to the masses. Only an idiot would willingly try to participate in it. Kara smiled. So, you are an anarchist? Why not. I like the word. Sounds cool. Slow the fuck down! Kaelith finally snapped. So, you two are okay? Youre not threatening one another? What happened in thest five minutes then?! Kaelith Her mother shook her head with a sigh. Thats why I always tell you to study more. He knows more about political warfare than you despite his youth. Thats because its exactly as he said; bullshit! The vixen griped with her arms crossed. Kara shook her head lightly. Joking aside, I apologize again, she said sincerely. Its alright. Its a game youve probably gotten used to at this point, right? Rakna shrugged. You tried to fish me into your n because it is simply advantageous for your side as a whole. Fufufu, youre right. I might have be a bit too crooked after all these years. But is it really out of the question for you to join us? Join you? No. Ally with you? Maybe. To be honest, as long as foxy asks me, I would probably help in any way I can in your troubles; provided that I can do anything about it of course. I see as a show of good faith, I will order the council to stop pursuing Obsidian and ept him as an independent actor that is not involved in their egocentric thirst for dominance. Rakna whistled and grinned. Savage. I like it. She giggled. Thank you. But now, it seems you and my daughter need to speak, right? Yeah, I was going to say that as well, Kaelith followed up. Geh forgot about that. Theres no escaping from this one. Tell me whats going on with your behavior. Your eyes; theyre not cosmetics, are they? Rakna mused. He looked up at the ceiling and wondered how to exin it when an idea struck his mind. Oh wait there was something in that stupid journal Foxy, and you as well Kara, I dont want to do it twice, give out your hands. The two fox women looked at each other and extended their hands. Rakna put them both in his and drove his soul to traverse his body and circuits. He then added a strand of his own psyche into it with a grunt and immediately, a flow of soul power was transmitted to the two women. They nearly retracted their hand due to the tingling sensation but stopped themselves in time as images psed in their consciousness. After a short while, they looked at Rakna with an entirely new understanding of who he was. Personality disorder? Kara asked curiously as they separated their hands. If you ask, it means the memory transfer went well. Pretty nice, he said. To answer you, you are both right and wrong. I do not act the same but I am still the same person no matter what. When this full shift goes away, I will return to normal but that doesnt mean what I said to you today will be something only volcanic me would say. No matter how I behave, I will always say that politics are bullshit. Granted, with less theatrics andughs. Fascinating. What do you mean by volcanic though? Ah that slipped out of my mouth. Forget it. Still hiding things? Kaelith frowned. Please, you should realize by now. Half of the fun in my current life constitutes annoying you. Of course, I will hide stuff from you. That should be making me mad but why do I find it weirdly ttering Perfect! I tter and make fun of you at the same time. Two birds with one stone. Her eye twitched. I prefer the other you. How do you stop this full shift thing? Either you put me so much at ease that I turn into some sort of Buddha, or you borderline kill me with a deadly drug meant to mess up with my brains synapses and reset my personality. Kaeliths expression twitched. Please dont tell me you That I used itst time it happened? Yes. Which brings me to another thing I wanted to ask. How do you request to have stuff transported from your homeworld? Youre seriously going to risk your life? If its that bad, you might as well stay like th- I risk my life by staying like this, Rakna retorted and she closed her mouth. Normally, my brain goes through something akin to an electric shock whenever I switch states. It is NOT meant to be handled like that in case you didnt realize. No brain should. During a full shift, while there is no direct danger, if I try to go to sleep or even meditate, my brain will be lost about what it should do. Remain in a state of hyperactivity like right now or should it go back to normal? It will ultimately switch back and forth indefinitely. I learned it the hard way a few years ago. Had my uncle not woken me up back then, I would have died. I got a headache thatsted a month after that, Rakna uttered and pulled out a cigarette which he lit with a snap of his fingers. Kaelith was silent for a moment before she turned toward the counter. Sylvie! Bring me the tablet on the main shelf in the back shop, she ordered and a cute squeal responded positively. A tablet? Really? Well, its not aplicated process to request objects from your world. Each shop has a way to make the demand in the form of a device like this one, she finished her sentence as her fox pet arrived with a tablet held in her tails. She handed it to Rakna who inspected it from all angles. How do I use this? Press the power button, duh. give me back my fantasy, Rakna quietlyined and turned the tablet on. He promptly saw a document to fill in order to identify him. Thankfully, Alexa did it for him, inputting his name, ID, and everything else. Thanks. [You are wee.] || Host sessfully recognized Booting up sequence initiated Connection to the main server established || A voice came from the tablet, represented by an audio spectrum. || Rakna Xiorra de, please state your reality of origin. || de? Kaelith asked confusingly while Kara had a much graver reaction. Her eyes widened and she clenched her cup of coffee tighter. No way there is no way it must be a coincidence, she convinced herself. Its nothing, Rakna waved it off. Now, my reality of origin I dont know what you mean but my was called Earth. || Acknowledged. Filtering Search resulted in 906 868 519 264 possible selections. || the fuck? Its parallel worlds and realities, Kaelith exined. Earth exists in many instances. Why the fuck can it not just search up thest location that new Hosts were picked from? || Yearly procedural recruitment is not saved in the servers. Information cannot be attained. || Rakna red at the tablet. Recruitment my ass. Abduction is more urate. || || Ah, whatever. How do I reduce that obscene number of results? || Questions will be asked to filter them. Are you ready? || Shoot. || What year was it when you were recruited? || 2172. || Calction 150 356 121 possible results filtered out due to unmatching longevity. When did the first sessful spatial voyage take ce? || Rakna raised an eyebrow. I guess you mean thending on the moon so July 20th, 1969. || Calction 9 594 981 699 possible results filtered out due to unmatching dates. How many world wars urred? || 3. || Calction 100 592 132 798 possible results filtered out due to unmatching data. || For fucks sake, this is going to take forever, isnt it? Kaelith snorted. Yes, thats what usually happens. Though I never had to do it myself. Thankfully. || What was the most renowned scientific discovery of thest few centuries? || Hm it was Eion. Without an ounce of a doubt. || Calcting 580 985 136 798 results have been filtered out. || Huh? What kind of discovery is that unique across billions of parallel worlds? Kaelith uttered in shock. || What was the most powerful instated government at the time of the recruitment? || There was none. || rification is demanded. || Aurora ruled the. || Calcting Calcting Calcting Calcting || Okay, now thats very weird The vixen was confused. The systems servers shouldnt need to spend that much time filtering something out, she said and failed to notice her mothers gradually palingplexion. || Calcting 215 545 911 803 possible results have been filtered out. 45 remain. || How? Kaelith couldnt believe her ears. This had never happened before. It was statistically impossible for one piece of information to be so unique across so many worlds. It was important to note that the System wouldnt count identical realms. The numbers given are worlds that are different in some way. This meant that these 45 results were unbelievably unique amongst the trillions and trillions of worlds. Raknas smirk began to grow. He already knew why it was so unique. He was quite curious to see if this database was aware of it. Eva was, after all. || Who is the leader of Aurora? || He grinned wider. He would let it drag on a bit. The current leader is Jin Walker. || Calcting 25 possible results filtered out. 20 remain. When was Aurora founded? || 2055. || Calcting 22 possible results filtered out. 3 remain. Final Inquiry: Who founded Aurora? || Rakna snickered. Arimane de. Kara dropped her cup and it shattered on the floor. Mom! Are you okay? Kaelith stood up worryingly. Her mothers face was aghast and her knuckles were white due to the strain. She looked terrified beyond words || Result Confirmed. Earth Labeled [??.63.5B], The Kind Demons Homnd. || Chapter 186: Rich Again Chapter 186: Rich Again Kaelith physically shook when she heard the AIsst statement. She now understood why her mother was acting so distraught. Well, I guess it did know about it, Raknamented calmly. He honestly didnt care. He grinned spiritedly and turned toward the astonished pair. Its weird now that I think about it. What is? Kaelith found the strength to speak. She was still wrapping her head around the fact that the rumored uncle was most likely Eternal Night. The dots just connected perfectly. Until now, no one has ever called the old man by his actual name. They keep saying Eternal Night or Kind Demon, he replied, confirming her thoughts, and looked at Kara. So, how did you know about it? You reacted even before the filtering. You started smelling of doubt and fright when you simply heard de at the end of my name. Kara was silent for a moment before she opened her mouth, The higher echelons all know about Him. Centuries ago, when the mass mental spell urred, the System suppressed it well. The only information that was sessfully transferred were the titles of that man. Yeah, I heard that before. But, Kara continued. What people dont know is that during the same day a cross, if you can even call it that, fell from the sky in the middle of Old Eden, the 500th teau. Eva dispatched the Adjudicators to get rid of it. But they failed; miserably. Even the generals couldnt put a scratch on it when working together, nor could they move it. Rakna rested his cheek on his hand as he listened. I assume they gave up? She nodded. After a few years, it was deemed a waste of resources for the System. So, they left it alone. Afterward, both Locals and Hosts flocked to it and the Basilica was built around it. The cross that you received as a gift yesterday was made thanks to the energy it released. Yeah, I figured. It was on the description of the item. But that still does not exin how you know more about my uncle than the rest of the System. It does, Kara retorted. The cross is the key. The Basilica allowed big figures to approach it. And we touched it. Then, we learned. The Life Hunter who hunted Gods and Devils, destroyed Heaven and Hell, fought the Dragon King Fafnir, conquered the Mother Realities, subjugated the Original Creators, and built Kymestuos. Rakna let out snicker. Sounds fancy and all but I have no idea what those even mean. Nor did we, Kara smiled wryly. But we were made to know anyway. In a single instant, we were all forced to realize how insignificant we were. There is a reason allrge guilds and organizations are wary of the Basilica; they are terrified of Eternal Night. He smirked. That makes my little threat even more effective, doesnt it? Well, Kara felt challenged again at his words. You would need to prove it if you wa- She stopped herself when a System window popped up, courtesy of Rakna who had smilingly shared one of his titles descriptions with her. She read the name and lowered her head sulkily. Fine I really cant win with you. Kaelith also got a look at the title from him and rubbed her eyes. You got to be kidding me if you tell this to people, you could literally be the most distinguished person in the System. Or thergest target ever, Rakna retorted. A secret between us; I managed to talk to the old man for a short moment. He told me that the System was well hidden, even for him. So, as things stand, even if I want to abuse my status as the nephew of Eternal Night, it would not be possible since he cannote to my help. My goal is to do what he instructed me; find a way to contact him. Karas eyes shed. Do you think He would be grateful to my n if we helped you? Raknaughed. Not going to lie, I like your grind. You jump at opportunities when theye. But sure, the old man wouldnt ignore your efforts. Kara pped happily. Its decided then! Well give you full support in your endeavors! Kaelith looked at her mother who had gone from petrified to business ready in a second. You two really are Mom, howe I never knew about this whole thing? Sweety, youre still a bit too young. Those images arent for the weak of heart. Dont patronize me, Mom. Im 27, not a kid. Youre still a child in my eyes, Kae. Fifty has always been the agreed age for Nine-Tailed Foxes to be considered adults. Fifty, huh? Rakna hummed. What is your races life expectancy exactly? Even the weakest of the Nine-Tailed can live up to five hundred years, Kaelith said. The stronger ones can go as far as a thousand or two. The oldest member of our n is 1 895 years old. Interesting. I wonder how high mine is now? [Approximately 4 150 years,] Alexa surprisingly answered and he blinked in shock. Thats kind of a lot. [That is due to your non-awakened divinity. By eating Aqus heart, you absorbed a strand of his divinity that has yet to manifest itself.] I see weird. || If you do not wish to proceed with the item search, please turn off this device. || Everyone in the room was reminded of the original goal when the tablet spoke again. Ah, right, Rakna focused back on it. In the city of Aurora, there is a mansion in the west district of Walker Avenue. The house number is 67. In the basement, there is a shelf with dozens of small bottles full of pills. Along with them; there should be a small cloth wrapped around several vials and syringes. Take it. || Acknowledged. Items found. Anything else? || Yes In my room, upstairs, there is a valise under the bed. Add that to the lot. || Acknowledged. The fee after deduction will be 80 000 Talys. Do you approve? || Yes. || Approval Sent. Money Withdrawn. Your request is expected to be fulfilled within 48 hours. The items will be delivered directly to your location. Have a good day, Sir de. || Pff, look at that. Even an AI is respecting you now, Kaelith said when the tablet turned off. And how about you finally admit what is giving you a discount? The fact that you teleported yesterday means that you are at least Gold Honor. Spit it out. Which one is it? Truly? Kara was also interested. If you have a Badge of Honor, youre already a noble. Rakna shrugged and pulled the badge out of his storage to show them. When they saw the emerald color, they gasped. Emerald?! Who gave that to you?! Some old guy. He was nice. He was nice he says Kaelith was having a crisis. She looked around. I need a drink. Now, she uttered and walked to the bottle she had put down earlier. Hey! If you have one, then me too! Kara quickly followed and her daughter was too far gone to refuse. She even poured the shot for her. Cheers! Rakna watched dumbfounded as they clinked their sses with him still in the room. Do you want some? Kara asked melodiously whilst brandishing her ss. Im fine I cant get drunk. I dont find any appeal in it. Oh? Are you scared? Kaelith taunted. This isnt low-quality booze like you see on Earth. This is meant to take down high-level Hosts. You cant escape the effects with magic or regeneration. Rakna returned the grin. Youre challenging me? If you have the guts. He breathed in and stood up with a stretch. In that case, how about raising the stakes? She scowled. What do you want to bet? Hm, let s see you should have a lot of Talys, right? Lets stay reasonable for my level; if I win, I want ten million. Okay. But if I win, you have to answer truthfully to anything I ask. Youre not allowed to keep any secrets from me ever again. Sure. How about you, Kara? Well, there is no way I cant let this asion go to waste, is there? I will also give you ten million. In return, if I win, I want you to take back what you said and marry Kae. Kaelith blushed faintly and grumbled inaudibly but didnt object to anything. Fifty million, Rakna countered back. Deal, Kara said and with a wave of her hand, tens of bottles appeared. I wont lose. ? * * * ? Please, no more I give up The older vixen begged whilst lying down on her belly. She rolled around on the couch and groaned and moaned into an embroidered pillow to muffle herself. God my head is splitting Kaelith groused as she used the table for support unless she wanted to fall on the ground. How can you even continue? This should be enough alcohol to even make a dwarf sick She said to Rakna who was veryfortably sitting whilst sipping his drink. She had no idea how many shots that made but it was at least above fifty. It might even be close to a hundred. She couldnt believe it that a newbie was so much more biologically resistant than her and her mother who drank much more than herself daily. They were hundreds of levels apart for crying out loud! How was it possible? A few things. Nanobots, my cerebral skewness, willpower, and apparently myziness. your what? Raknaughed as he read the window in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Absolution of Belphegor has been triggered. You have drunk three liters of Braaz Liquor! Your metabolism has been boosted so you can drink more! ? Sloth rewards you with 500 experience points. Days Limit: 500/500 ? ? ? ? ? And with that, he was very close to level 60. I guess drinking all day is sloth as well. Kae, sweety do you have any of those? Kara asked weakly. Yeah give me a second Kaelith replied and walked to the counter. She searched under it and pulled out a small bottle with tablets in them. She quickly swallowed one and instantly, she sighed and herplexion recovered greatly. She tossed the container to her mother who caught it deftly before putting one tablet in her mouth. She recovered and stood up with a relieved breath. Medicine? Rakna inquired as he finished his ss. He had to give it to them; it tasted good. Yes, Kaelith answered annoyed. Why the sour face? Its all in good fun. You cheated I did not. My nanobots are part of me and its not my fault my brain is faulty. And I did tell you upfront that I could not get drunk; I meant it literally. Its not only alcohol, all sorts of drugs and hallucinogens dont do shit to me. You were the one who challenged me even after I warned you. Kaelith couldnt say anything to do that. She groaned and swiped her hand. She pressed on a few confirmation messages and her mother did the same with a giggle. ? ? ? ? ? 60 000 000 Talys have been transferred to your Bank ount. Creditors: Kara Yahkshasa, Kaelith Yahkshasa. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna nodded satisfyingly at the message. Im rich again. Truthfully, I expected this oue, Kara admitted. It was too good to be true. There was no reason for you to propose a bet if you were not confident in the first ce. Yeah, well, you couldve said that earlier! Kaelithined and leaned back on the sofa. You could have avoided us this headache The tablets are not 100% effective. Especially when its one of the strongest alchemic liquors from Old Eden. Kara chuckled. But its all on you, sweety. All I wanted was to drink. Kaelith groaned and closed her eyes. Im going to take a nap now. Wolfy, dont even hope of being able to use the shop for the rest of the day or even tomorrow morning. I think I will do the same, the older vixen said with a yawn. Have a good day, Rakna. Raknaughed at the pair and waved his hand. See youter, he said and left, leaving the mother and daughter, who had already joined dreand, to rest. Chapter 187: Karna Xiorra Chapter 187: Karna Xiorra I guess Ill have to abstain from sleep until my things get here Sad that I cant farm sloth, Rakna said while strolling on the roofs of cksteel where there wasnt anyone to bother him. [Rakna, may I bring your attention to something?] Alexa spoke up. Hm? What is it [Please take a look for yourself,] she responded and opened the HL. Raknas eyes brightened due to the contacts and an image appeared in his vision. The second he saw it, his expression twitched. It was the images of him falling from the sky with his volcanic element surrounding him and the consequent regeneration of his arm. But what truly irked him was the voice being yed along with it. || Sightings of Rakna Xiorras twin brother outside of cksteel! His name is yet to be discovered but a witness who happened to talk with him confirmed his identity! || It said and transitioned to the interview of the young man who had approached Rakna earlier. That little piece of shit The therian growled out and lost control of his mana, turning his hair back to red again. I should have erased his memories Where did that footage evene from? {You underestimate how easy it is to take videos,} Fraymented. {There were many more people other than that man who were waiting at the station. They happened to see you crash and filmed you. Good thing though that your werewolf form wasnt seen.} Well, obviously! I made sure to turn back as fast as I could because I knew there were people! I just didnt know they would be filming me! Fuck, its worse than Earth here They probably only had a second to react before I crashed and they managed to film me anyway. {Well, it should not surprise you. People here have far higher reaction times and most HLs have a continuous recording feature.} Tch, my HL did do that with Verias now that I think about it Rakna groaned. Awesome. I have a third persona going around the now. {Isnt that fun? We should give it a name,} Higure said amused. Karna, he replied instantly. If I had to give it a name, it would definitely be that. {That was oddly fast and enthusiastic of you} Cant help it when its such a perfect fit. {But isnt that the name of Wangs Celestial Kindle?} Yes, but its not really about that. Firstly, Karna is an anagram of Rakna, which works perfectly in this context. And two, Karna is the son of Surya, the sun god, in Hindu mythology. {Oh, I see. It thus fits your volcanic star,} Fraymented. {Clever.} Yeah, not that I intend to use it. {Knowing you, its not going to go along with what you want but still turn out beneficial.} Rakna groaned and stopped at the edge of a skyscraper. He nced at the ground and looked up at the sky with a hum. Alexa, does cksteel have aerial defenses? [Affirmative. cksteel is the most secured city in the entire System. There are millions of cameras and high-level AIs monitoring the city. If they detect a threat, they will activate the defenses. There are many sensors as well. Ifrge spikes of mana are detected, various contingency measures are set to be carried out.] Uh so I guessunching something like Cataract into the sky is a bad idea? [why would you do such a thing?] Its an example, okay? I wanted to experiment a bit I wanted to test the phoenix constetion. {In the middle of cksteel?} Why not? But whatever. Ill try it when I need to. Something Ive noticed is that when I draw a constetion on the spot, the resulting spell seems to be perfectly adapted to the situation. {That is a phenomenonmonly known as conception osmosis,} Fray stated. {It is when your mind bleeds into your mana parapsychologically and stimtes the spell or skill formation.} Right big words. Anyway, Alexa, initiate a transfer to the 15th teau. [Acknowledged.] {What are you going to do there?} Im going to try and promote to Rank VI. And practice my skills too, he replied and passively opened his friend panel to send An a message. There. I had almost forgotten to warn him that we were on standby for a few days. [Ten seconds left before the transfer. Since you left the 15th through the Pavilion, you will appear in the portal room,] Alexa informed him. Got it, Rakna nodded and the light of the System engulfed him and transported him right out of cksteel, leaving the roof he was on vacated again. ? * * * ? He was dropped off right in front of therge portal and after getting his bearings, he walked out of the room and passed by the front reception. The Nymph sitting behind it lifted her eyes from her screen and froze on the spot when she caught a glimpse of him as he walked up the stairs. Of course, Rakna realized why when he literally could see the news talking about him disyed on her holographic monitor. This just goes to show how fast information spreads in the System. This incident happened barely over an hour or two ago, but I wouldnt be surprised if every teau knew about it already. {That is because the System has a customwork. It connects cksteels own one to any otherpatible grid in other teaus. That is another one of the many things the Pavilion has done.} Well, its a pain in the ass. {Says the one who took advantage of it to poprize himself.} The Obsidian thing is different, okay? At least, it was on purpose. Sort of, Rakna responded and started picking Quests on the board that seemed good for his level. {Well, you should have thought twice before using a spell that dangerous. Its because you could not control the trajectory that you crashed in front of so many people.} But it was a nice spell though. {It was reckless.} But awesome, Rakna shrugged off the lioness scolding and closed the board when he was done picking Quests. At the same time, he heard a ping from his inbox. ? ? ? ? ? Rak are you in Full Shift? ? > howd you know? ? Oh, I dont know! The TV?! ? > Shouldve known. ? I wont ask you what happened for you to turn fully again. Last time was already bad. But I do wanna ask, how confident are you to change back before it gets dangerous for you? ? > Its fine. You can request items from your homeworld at the shop. The doses of Poraxidium the old man left to me in case of an emergency will be here in 48 hours. ? Phew, thats a relief. You have no idea how worried I was. In that case, its all good. I got your message about via. So, its break time for a few days? ? > You could but I rmend you do the same as me. Train. More specifically, go and try to increase your Host Rank. Im already Rank V and I will be aiming for VI right now. ? Hmm got it. Good luck. ? > Sure. Same to you. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna closed the window and walked to the Pavilions reception. The Nymph employee stood up nervously when she saw hime over. C-can I help you, Sir? Yeah, you can. Is there any mapper in this vige that you can point me to? He asked. Y-yes! The chief of the guard, Fnieravi, can help you. He is not a Host but he often patrols outside to be sure that no threat gets too close to the viges borders. He could offer you some intel. Ah, that guy, huh? Okay, thanks for the help, he waved goodbye and was about to leave when the Nymph nervously stopped him. Ah, wait! Um if its possible, may I know your name? Rakna groaned internally. Dj vu {Hahaha, just be done with it, devourer. An additional identity can be useful.} He rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder. Karna Xiorra, he said and left without waiting for her to react. When he was outside, he looked for the man who had weed his group when they arrived in the teau. He searched him through smell and found him near the walls. Hey, he raised his voice and Fniera turned toward him with a raised eyebrow. Yes? He said then seemed to notice something. You look familiar Rakna sighed internally. He might as wellmit. Im Karna. My twin brother came to this vige a few days ago with a small party. The Nymphs eyes lit up in recognition. Yes, I remember now. Do you need something? I was told to find you when I asked for a mapper. Can you help? Of course. But the fact that Im a Local doesnt mean I dont take any fee. Its okay. Can you tell me where the three closest Dungeons are for now? Thats a pretty hefty demand. Youre going to do all of them? Yeah. All right. It will be 10 000 Talys for all of it. I will need it in cash. Deal, Rakna said and withdrew the amount from his bnce. Fniera received it and nodded after counting it. Wait a moment, he said and took out a map from a spatial ring. He drew a few things on it and handed it over. Im not a Host so I cannot transfer it to you but this generally works fine. Rakna grabbed the map and looked at it. The location of the vige was marked in the center and three spots around it had been circled. Immediately, the System scanned the image on its own and updated the digital map in the corner of his vision. Thanks, he said to the Nymph and gave the map back. You are wee, Fniera stored it back. Be careful while exploring those. I assume you want to leave now, right? Ill turn off the aerial defense for you. Rakna nodded and a minuteter, he was standing outside the vige, popping his joints. He gazed at the dark forest in front of him. Ill grind until the Poraxidium arrives with an extra day or two if needed, he muttered to himself and sent a message to via to inform her as well as telling her that she didnt need to worry about him if she saw the news. Okay, he grinned and his aura was deployed, increasing the temperature around him. Pronos then stuck his head out from under the scarf with a yawn. Finally up? How do you even manage to sleep so much in a day? You should be the one with Sloth The little guy hissed groggily and looked around to see where they were. Were in the 15th, Rakna provided to him whilst popping his neck. Its perfect. Now that youre up, we can start. Are you ready to go? Pronos slithered to his shoulder and nodded at his question. Then lets see what this teau has to offer, he cackled and shot off into the woods. Chapter 188: A Nap Chapter 188: A Nap Two dayster. Rakna sat on the dismantled body of a High Treant as he ate the heart of one of the carnivorous nts that littered the ground. He was currently inside one of the three Dungeons given to him by Fniera. In fact, it was the third he visited and he was in the process of finishing the fiendish stage. He swallowed thest piece of the vegetable-like heart, feeling his mana and stamina regenerate, and watched as Pronos and a pack of wooden wolves tore apart the remaining eating nts. These wolves were of course a product of his Call of Hounds and the fact that this Dungeon was essentially an underground jungle, they had taken the form of Wood Elemental Wolves. Physically speaking, they were as strong as the Shadow Wolves. But they were capable of sprouting spikes from any part of their bodies and when they were cut apart, they could split up at the cost of decreased attributes. Rakna dusted his hands and jumped off from the dead treant. When hended on the ground, the wolves and Pronos finished off thest monster nt. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted The Swallowing Jungles 17th Floor! Boss Floor Opened! ? Do you wish to leave? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? No, Rakna said out loud and dispelled the wolves with a snap. The earth split apart and revealed the tunnel to the Boss Room. Pronos leaped on his shoulder again as he walked down the stairs of the passage. Fuck, Im tired He grumbled and yawned. Arent those 48 hours over yet? [Affirmative. Your items should being very soon.] Good. Ill finally be able to rest once I get the Poraxidium, he said and stepped down thest stair of the tunnel. He looked around with his hands in his pockets and hummed. The room was circr with walls made of stone while the ground was covered in a spotless patch of green grass. Rakna smelled something and looked up. Immediately, something dropped from the ceiling andnded in front of him with a loud quake. A roar echoed and hundreds of green tentacles invaded the room from the center where a giant rose with veins and a mouth in its stem was present. The therian quickly appraised it and its level was 50. It was thirteen levels under his own. Levels of the Wilden were apparently not necessarily a lot higher from one teau to another. Especially with Dungeons where the strength of its monsters was defined by the Dungeon itself. Rakna eyed it with a disinterested look even as it slowly crept toward him with a long row of sharp teeth ready to chomp him down. Listen here, you damn flower, Im sleep deprived. For some goddam reason, the Dungeon before this one had 46 floors and it took me 15 hours to finish. I dont have any patience left, he uttered and right as the Boss was about to impale him with its tentacles, it froze mid-action. The appendages were the first to regain movement. They started shaking and it spread to the main body. The nts mouth closed and made weak high-pitched sounds. Meanwhile, a ck aura was growing around Rakna. It took the shape of arge werewolf with a red skull mask. The temperature increased and he smirked. He took his hands out of his pockets and approached the Boss that was fearfully crawling backward to escape him. {So this is what you meant by a hundred times better} Higure muttered. She was quite frankly frightened. This killing intent was truly worthy of being considered an avatar of death itself. {This sensation it has some simrities to the book,} Fray added. {The Kind Demon has taught the boy more than just fighting. Both of them are ruthless to the core.} Rakna forced the Boss back against the wall and raised his hand. A gift for you; this is a new spell that I havent tried out yet, he said and a spiraling sphere of magma materialized in his palm. The droplets ofva produced by it fell on the ground and charred through the grass. Hey, ugly flower, do you know what coronal loops are? Rakna asked as he charged the spell with more mana, making the sphere bigger. The Boss barely had the mental capacity to recognize other living beings; it had no idea what he was saying. And that only further increased its terror. Well, it was rhetorical. You stink of fear by the way. Anyway, theyre essentially massive maic field loops that form an arc on the surface of stars. They carry sma, are exceptionally hot, and are generally short-lived, he exined and raised his hand above his head. The volcanic sphere expanded again and a sort of halo formed around it. Lets see how you like it, he grinned. [Natcattira Kir?am,] he chanted and the sphere exploded and released the halo in a full 360 angle. It surged with a strident sound apanied by a noise akin to gasbustion. The halo expanded at a speed invisible to the naked eye and the next thing Rakna knew, the entire room had a massive circr melting trench dug into the walls. As for the Boss it had been cut in two along with a number of its tentacles. The bisected parts fell powerlessly and ignited. Rakna lowered his hand and his aura vanished as if it was never there. Pronos had an absolute look of shock as he observed the aftermath of the spell. ? ? ? ? ? You have learned a new spell! ? ? Name: Natcattira Kir?am Tier: 5 ? Conjure a condensed sphere of star energy and redirect its energy around it to form a crown of sma and maic force. Proceed to release the condensed energy at once and transfer it to the corona. It will expand in all directions and everything it touches will melt and be cut by the unrelenting heat. Caution is advised when using this spell near allied forces. ? Max Crown Radius: 630 meters (10 times the Hosts Level). Cost: 60% of the Hosts Mana Pool (Max Correction: 40%). Attack: Users MA multiplied by 6. Cooldown: 1 Hour. ? ? You havepleted The Swallowing Jungle! Difficulty: Fiendish. Number of Participants: 1 | Average Level of Participants: 63 Rewards: 30 000 Talys, Seed of the Gem Flower. ? ? You will now be transported out. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna huffed as he read the spells description. A multi-directional spell with high attack and a vast range. The risk of friendly fire aside, its the dream AoE ability. {It is indeed very good,} Fraymented. The therian nodded and closed the window. He was teleported out of the Dungeon right after and he appeared in front of a cavern covered in vines and moss. He yawned again but quickly sobered up when another System prompt chimed. ? ? ? ? ? The inter-dimensional transport has been finalized. The items have been ced inside your storage. The System apologizes for the wait. There was a dy due to dimensional turbulences in the ce from which the items were taken. ? ? ? ? ? Finally! Rakna cried out and opened his Item Box. He pulled out the drug first and a vial of blue liquid appeared in his hand. He took a closer look at it and checked thebel. Good. There wasnt any mistake, he said and stored it back. {Are you not going to take it now?} Are you crazy? Ill ckout the moment I use that thing, he retorted. I need to inject it in a safe ce. Hmm, theres only the Ordeal left to do for me to promote but whatever, I prefer returning to normal as fast as possible. Ill do itter. Alexa; First teau. [Understood.] ? * * * ? Rakna reappeared on the roof of the building he was on when he left the First and unhesitatingly jumped down. He free fell for a few seconds before deploying his wings. He used Stealth and flew right to the girls hotel. He retracted his wings mid-flight and shed-stepped to the entrance with his hair and fur back to ck. He hurried to thest floor of the hotel and ringed the bell at the girls door. In just a few seconds, Evelyn opened the door. Ah, Rakna! Youre back, she weed him happily. I saw you on the news. via told me about the full shift. Are you still? Yeah, I am. But I got the stuff that will turn me back, he replied and she could tell right away that he was different. The tone of his voice was very obvious, of course, but even his vocabry seemed cker. Wee back, Nyx greeted him the moment he entered the lounge. Are you okay? via skipped straight to the questioning and worriedly examined him. He rolled his eyes and snickered, something that took Nyx and Evelyn by surprise. Only the Chaos Witch was rtively used to it, though she had always been uneasy when she saw him like that. Yeah, Im fine. Just tired as fuck, he said and tossed her a vial of Poraxidium along with a syringe that came with it. Help me out, will you? I will sit down and you will inject me this to the back of my neck, just above the spine. Dont worry about hurting me, the syringes size is tailored for that use. So, you can stab it all the way in and press the button. via nodded seriously. This should be less dangerous thanst time right? I dont know. To be fair, there might still be a chance of causing irreparable damages, he said and took a seat on a couch. via followed him and anxiously clutched the medicine. But I dont have a choice at this point. Do it. Ill try not to kick the bucket, so dont make a fuss. Nyx faintly smiled from the side. You really have a loose tongue in this state. Youve seen nothing yet, heughed. Sadly, Im too tired right now. via, go ahead. She nodded and ced the vial on the small table. She grabbed the syringe and pierced through the cap to load one dose. Are you ready? He nodded and turned his head so that she could see his neck. She took a deep breath and thrust the needle of the syringe into it. Rakna grunted and she pushed the content inside. Without dy, he convulsed and his muscles contracted. The veins around his neck bulged as the drug spread through his nervous system. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. ? ??? Pain Resistance has leveled up! ??? ? Fuck, this crap hurts way more than I remember, he growled out, feeling his consciousness fade away bit by bit. His eyes were already flickering between red and purple while his hair was now a mix of ck and red. Is it a bad thing? He heard via ask worriedly. Nah its a good sign actually means my brain signals are still working properly, he said softly and his eyelids got heavier. The red finally went away from his features and he let himself fall on the couch. Ill take a nap for a while That was thest thing he said before falling unconscious. Chapter 189: Soul Diving Chapter 189: Soul Diving Rakna opened his eyes and two stars were reflected in them along with a rain of ck petals. He sighed quietly and sat up with one hand over his knee. He observed the familiar scape of his soul and without warning, something leaned on him from behind and he was forced to hunch a bit. His expression once again full of coldness softened a bit. Higure I cant move, he said despite knowing that it didnt matter to her. Really? Thats all you have to say? The woman in question put her head over his and looked down, her hair falling right in front of his eyes. He met hers with his and she smirked. Admit it; it feels good, doesnt it? take your breasts off my head, theyre heavy, thank you. Sheughed and pulled away from him, finally letting him stand up. Thats honestly sad. I wonder if you would have been more responsive in your other state. But Im fine with knowing that you like it even if you dont show it. Rakna clicked his tongue. I had to say all those things Oh, Im very happy with it, she added. Its a real bummer though. I should have asked you what you thought of me before you used that drug. Well, those are some good news at least. Oh? Does that mean you do have something to say? She asked impishly and he simply nced at her without saying anything. There is! Ill definitely make you spit it out next time. Good luck, Rakna said dryly and Rexnded nearby with a happy cry. He patted therge ancient bird and looked around, spotting Fen in the distance. The wolf seemed to still be tired from using the Tailed Pearlst time. Where is Fray? In the library, Higure replied as she joined him in spoiling Rexam with a smile. Hes working on your uncles book; deciphering the encrypted text. Who knows, we might find a clue that would help us reach out to him. Any progress? Nope. Sadly. Hes pulling his hair out as we speak. Rakna snorted and patted the Luqu onest time before probing his surroundings. He hummed and walked to the endless river representing the magic circuits he had etched onto his body and soul. He crouched next to it and watched the icy water flow intently. That water was boiling until a few moments ago, releasing steam and all, Higure said as she got to his side along with Rex. The raining petals were red too. Probably your element What are you looking at so seriously? She finally asked. The rivers flow from the sea, Rakna replied out of the blue. Thats the hats first hint, right? Yes, he nodded and stood up. After hearing the hints, I figured it referred to my soul realm. The primary clue is this river. Normally, rivers do not technically flow from the sea. They source fromkes, mountain peaks, rainfall, or others. However, they do often drain out into oceans and seas. Well what does that mean? That the hint is not literal? Wrong. Its very much literal. In the soul realm, this river cannot be applied to reality. It might in fact flow from a sea. As a matter of fact, if you had read the journal at the same time as me, youd know that there is something called the soul sea within all beings. Higure looked away whilst scratching her cheek. I couldnt read that thing. Cant fault you for that, Rakna agreed. Anyway, this river over here might very well find source in my soul sea. This raises the next problem. Where is my soul sea? For some, its location can be evident; it could even hang upside down in the sky in rare cases. But mine I would have no idea where to start to find it. The fact that this river branches in every direction doesnt help either. And I suppose the second hint helps with that? I believe so; the flowers sway to the wind. For the first part theres certainly not ack of flowers in here, he jested. As for the wind there is one. True there has always been a weak breeze in your soul realm. So, what? We follow the direction in which it blows? We follow the swaying of the flowers? Hm could be but Rakna mused. If were looking for a sea, logically, heading in the opposite direction of the wind direction should be the solution. Though who knows if its true here Why the opposite? She tilted her head. you reallyckmon knowledge for a several-hundred-year-old legendary lioness. Hey! I resent that! Anyhow, dont tell me youve never heard of sea breeze? Maybe? Rakna sighed. Listen, cold air is heavier than hot air. Above sea, the air is cooled down and sucked back towardnd because its warmer. Then, it heats up, gets lighter, rises, and returns to the sea, cooling down again. This is a process that creates air current; called wind. Uh uh why does it get warmer onnd though? have you ever tried to heat up a body of liquid the size of an ocean? No? Well, you should know that heat doesntst long aboverge bodies of water, thus cooling down the air and making it chilly. But onnd, the soil does not heat as a unified body so it gets warmer more easily. Understood? Yes, yes, you dont need to be mean about it. Its not my fault, okay? I know my way around magic and stuff that I once needed for my elements why would I know anything about science that has to do with the sea? that is the fairest and most pathetic excuse Ive ever heard. Higure snickered. Not everyone is a smartass like you. I told you before; we live secluded. I had never even really read a book before you showed me one. Sure, I have knowledge thates from a long life but that is mostly from me fighting, experimenting, or exploring random teaus. The rest of the time, I just slept. Right I personally think your race is way too sheltered for your own good. She shrugged. I cant refute that. Anyway, back on track. If we follow the context of the hints, this wind should be thepass that leads us to the soul sea. And as I said, there are chances we need to head in the opposite direction and, well, if Im wrong, we can always try the other way, he tried and looked into the distance. What about the two other hints? Well think about thoseter. Both of them dont make sense to me yet. I also believe that theyre actually one hint separated in two. But I cant find the piece that connects them both. Or I might just not know about it. We can always ask Fray about it. This must be known somewhere. If my Kzanaria was truly someone on par with the old man, he should be recorded somewhere. Higure nodded. Youre right. It would make sense. Well, lets go. Rex, you dont mind carrying us? Rakna asked and the Luqu happily jumped up to him and lied down. Thanks, he said and rode him together with Higure who wrapped her arms around his waist with a grin. You truly are persistent Not persistent. I would prefer if youd call it determined. Rakna sighed and Rex stood up and deployed his three pairs of wings. He let out a whistle-like cry and shot off into the sky with incredible speed. ? * * * ? Three hourster. ? This is getting nowhere, Rakna uttered exasperatedly as he got off Rexams back andnded back on the field of flowers that seemed absolutely no different from where they started. The sky was however starting to wee the twelve moons while the stars were setting down. Also, interestingly, Frays library was following them. Or, to be exact, it seemed to be incapable of leaving the side of the souls owner. Oh, it was going perfectly for me. I was quite liking the trip, Higure retorted sultrily. Why dont you just confe- No. Keep your horniness in control for a minute and help me figure this out, he said. Theres no way that we will just get somewhere by going in a straight line for hours and hours. We even tried both directions. This is useless. You think? For me, I find it a usible answer. I mean, its not like you would need to solve some sort of riddle to explore your very own soul, Higure said as she walked around a bit, viewing thendscape. Riddle? Rakna reacted to the word and raised his head. A riddle He reiterated and focused to see if there was anything he had missed in the past hours. As he was deep in thought, he happened to lock his eyes on one of the many ck petals that rained from the sky. His eyes widened and he nced at Rexam and where he hadnded just now. Were off He whispered and Higures feline ears twitched. Hm? Did you say something? She asked and turned around in time to see him disappear in a blur of colors. Eh? She eximed and followed his path with her eyes until the horizon. Wha Hey! Wait for us! She shouted and dashed after him, Rexam flying behind. They ran for about five minutes before Rakna suddenly stopped for no apparent reason. Higure caught up to him and scowled. Whats wrong? Why did you run off like that? The wind. What do you mean the wind? It turned, Rakna replied and looked at where they came from. He retraced his path and after a few steps, he stopped again. The old man wouldugh at me for not noticing this sooner Higure watched him perplexedly and he gestured her to step back. Sheplied and stood next to him. Im confused She muttered. Step forward. She did so. Step back. She did so. Get it? is this a prank? Thats the only thing she could think of. Rakna sighed. Step forward again but this time, pay attention to the wind. She furrowed her eyebrows and did as she was told. Coincidentally, as she moved, a slightly bigger gust of wind went by and she froze on the spot. Oh She croaked out and stepped back on her own. Oh She eximed for a second time and repeated the process a few more times. And now? Yes the winds changing direction every time we go past this line, she said whilst drawing an imaginary boundary with her hand. So, this is it? We have to move in the opposite way of the wind but also be careful of eventual changes to readjust? Apparently. Thats weird It sounds like an exit strategy for an enchantedbyrinth. Well, pretty much. But as said in that journal, souls areplicated. The way they are formed or the way they look like isnt up to you, Rakna stated. Thisbyrinth might very well be a facet of myself or something rted to my Kzanaria whom we are trying to identify. Hm this riddle could be another hint then, right? Correct, he nodded. But for now, lets see where this leads us to, he said and followed the new path ording to the wind variations. Chapter 190: Just A Bad Guy Chapter 190: Just A Bad Guy After an additional hour, Rakna finally saw a change in the environment. At first, the wind was just getting slightly stronger. Then the flowers began to decrease in numbers and a few of them even changed color to something transparent as if they were made of ss. Until eventually, they took a step beyond thest boundary and everything changed. The field of purple flowers had been reced with a ground full of ss flowers. When Rakna got close to one of them, they would get filled with red ink. And beyond that Beautiful, Higure whispered as she admired the sight of the boundless sea that extended as far as the eye could see. The petals raining from above nketed the pristine water and all gradually became crystal-like as well but retained their original color. Some of these petals congregated together to form stunning two-dimensional flowers floating on the waters surface. They all reflected the moonlight emitted by the twelve moons to create an enchantingndscape. But the most stunning thing by far was the mountain standing tall in the middle of the sea, far in the distance. It wasnt made of rock or soil. It was like a perfect sculpture made of crystal, covered in ck petals while a halo of light surrounded its peak. Even from the shore, it was clearly discernable that rivers of crystal-like water were flowing from the top until the sea where it homogenously mixed with the clear water. The mountain fills thend and the waters are as clear as crystals Rakna muttered as he beheld everything in awe. I find it hard to believe that all of this resides in my soul. I wish I had a soul realm as lovely as yours not that I ever explored it Higuremented. So, what now? Are we supposed to get there? I dont know. It seems like the clues end here at least, it ends here in terms of guidance, Rakna replied and started walking toward the sandy beach. When he got there, he promptly jumped on one of the ck petal groups as if they were lily pads. But we can always try, he added and leaped from one pad to another. Higure and Rexam looked at each other before going after him. They moved forward for about ten minutes without stopping until they eventually admitted the obvious. Again. Its pointless, Rakna said whilst standing on one of the ck flowers. He gazed at the peak of crystal in the distance and turned around. We are not getting closer to the mountain at all while the shore is barely visible from here. Do you think there is another trick to this? Higure inquired and he shook his head. I dont think so. Even if there were, we dont have any hints on how to resolve it. Truthfully, I have a feeling that this is a far moreplex issue its like my soul iscking something or is too weak for me to be able to reach that mountain yet. Well,ing from you, a feeling is more than enough, the lioness said. The best we can do now is ask Fray if he knows anything. Hm Ill leave that to you. I will wake up now, Rakna said. I dont want to worry the girls. I dont even know how long I have been unconscious before waking up in here. Going by how the moons have risen, it should be night outside already. Sure. We can talk at any time anyway. Ill tell the youngster about this when hees out of his library, Higure said and he nodded. He closed his eyes and began to reverse his meditation. In the next instant, he woke up inside the hotel room, constrained by a very familiar pair of arms. He nced to his right at via who was hugging him tightly and sighed. She got what she wanted in the end, he thought and directed a bit of his Sloth Magic to put her in a deeper sleep so that she wouldnt feel him pry her arms off. This magic is really useful the ability to make another sleep is surprisingly powerful. If they do not have their guard up, making them tired is as easy as channeling mana, he thought and got out of bed without a sound. He spotted Sonata folded on a nightstand with Pronos sleeping on it. {Im not going to be taken off guard this time,} he abruptly said telepathically to Nyx who was quietly leaning against the wall whilst observing him. He had to admit that she was really hard to sense while in the dark. {Do you even sleep?} The goddess smiled. {I do. But I dont need to. Im physiologically engineered that way. Especially during the night. However, I admit I like doing it. Its rxing.} Rakna snorted quietly and headed to the door. He left the room with her likest time and went to sit on the couch, where he pulled out arge suitcase from his storage and put it on the table. Nyx watched him curiously as he started going through severalbination locks. In passing, did you do something to via so she would not wake up? She asked and sat down next to him as he opened the first lock. He nced at her and hummed. Hm. Sort of. I simply deepened her sleep. I see, I see, she responded humorously. Simply, is it? He also faintly raised the corner of his lips. Yes, as simple as that. She chuckled. It seems the drug worked. But you still look a bit more cheerful. Youre not the only one to say it. I suppose I am learning this whole showing emotions thing, he jested and opened the second lock. Promptly, a panel opened up at the top to show a finger imprint scanner and Nyx was quite surprised. What is this case? She finally asked. Its something I retrieved from Earth together with the Poraxidium doses, he exined whilst pressing his thumb on the scanner. A blue light shed and a red LED under it turned green. The valise instantly opened up slightly and released pressurized air. And what is inside of there for it to be kept in such a case? She inquired. Rakna snorted. Symphony, he said cryptically and moved his hands back. The lid lifted itself and severalpartments slid out from the sides. When the misty pressurized air went away, its contents were revealed. Nyxs eyes widened as she saw rows of throwing knives, small gadgets, a few vials with a pair of strange bluish stones inside, a pair of ck gloves, and another box in the middle. This A gift that came in pair with Sonata. Its my gear. As simple as that, he said and checked a few of the unknown devices before taking one of the knives and spinning it. I havent opened this in over a year, he added and put the knife back. He then took out the box and put it aside. This might not be an insightful question but were you a sort of hitman on your home? Rakna audibly contained his snicker. Who knows. It wouldnt be a far-off description. Well, its not as if I would me you for anything youve done in the past. Human conflict is both ridiculous andplex. I was never truly able to judge them. Hm, Rakna mused as he put a ck and blue watch around his wrist. That is one perspective to have. But its not asplicated as you think. I also dont believe that you dont understand it just because youre not human yourself. If anything, he paused as he pressed a button on the watch that made a screen light up. He turned his head toward her. It just means youre a good person. She blinked in surprise at that. He huffed and looked at the case to grab a pair of gloves. One who does not understand conflict will either fail trying or forsake it forever. You seem to be thetter. And that is what I would call a good person, he concluded and wore the gloves. He clenched his hands a few times while the goddess stared at him thoughtfully. She eventually smiled and took his words to heart. Thank you. It is good to hear that after living as a goddess of darkness for so long. Rakna snorted. Youre wee, he said and grabbed one of the vials with the stones in them. He took them out and pressed them against his gloves. Immediately, it merged with the material and a whole grid of lines shed through the gloves before dying out. Nyx saw it happening with mounting interest. So, can you exin what your gear is capable of? Well, first, this watch over here can be used as aputer for one and it can also inject a sedative into my arm whenever it detects an irregr spike in my brain waves. Normally, this thing should have stopped my Full Shift from happening if I was wearing it. As for the gloves, you can take a look for yourself, he said and shared a system window with her. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Armor/Gloves Name: Andante Rarity: Blue Durability: 100% ? Effects: +20 (L)DEF ? Perks: ? C Eion Energy Production: This item constantly generates energy and is incidentally able to regenerate the systemsposing it over time. ? C Symphony Imprint: Whoever wears these gloves can wield Sonata at will. Additionally, the energetic connection between the two will increase the energy production of Eion whenever they touch. Effects: +30 ATT to Sonata & +10 DEF to Andante. ? C Eion Strings: Weave strings of Eion from the fingertips of the gloves. They are scorching hot and can easily tear through flesh and metals when enough force is applied. Theyst five minutes and are capable of repairing themselves at the cost of longevity. Max Length: 2 meters. Cooldown: 1-5 minutes. ? Description: ? A masterpiece forged, crafted, and put together by a master artisan and cksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of de. ? Note: Evolvable. ? ? ? ? ? Thats an incredible item. Its hard to believe it was made on a like Earth, shemented and reached the description of the gloves. She skimmed over it but froze when she saw the veryst word. She nearly failed to suppress a shudder. Rakna expected it and without saying anything, he waited for her to ask the inevitable as he tapped his fingers and made a string of raw Eion energy. He tied it to one of the throwing knives and used it as a rope to be sure there wasnt anything wrong with it after all this time stuck inside the valise. What is Nyx spoke up and he caught the knife during its spin. He slowly put it down along with the string and listened. What is your uncles full name? Arimane de. She breathed in deeply and sighed before closing the window. I see I remember his full name being Arimane Reigen de But you might simply not know about it because it is the n name of the Life Hunters he descends from. I certainly wouldnt know if he didnt know himself at the time, Rakna snorted. Im going to ask you just in case are you all right? Nyx surprisingly smiled at him. What? Are you saying I would antagonize you for this? There is nothing to worry about. I already had my suspicions when you touched the cross. At worst I am afraid of that man. But I do not hate him. The only reason we fought was that it was the goal of the person I followed at the time. To bepletely honest with you, I respect him. I didnt tell you this part but I wasnt alone in the fight. There were more than ten of us and he crushed us. There were times we believed we had him, only for it to be taken away from us in the blink of an eye. And each time he defeated one of us, he got stronger. I remember that the first who fell to his de was Khione. Hmm, Rakna stopped checking his gear. I never heard that name. Is she or he a god? Nyx nodded. She then made a very wry smile. Do you want to hear who was there to understand how badly we failed? You might not recognize a few of them but the others are quite famous. Sure. Ambor, the one known as the Equation Solver. A terrifying man that could replicate and destroy magic with a single look, she said as she reminisced. Harion, Drac these two were defeated before the main battle even began. Then I, Kronos, Thanatos, Odin, Apep, Loki, Ishtar, Baba Yaga, Trevy, Lorus, Khione, Anubis, Afriose, andst but not least; Ahura Mazda. That is a terrifying lineup, Raknamented. He could barely wrap his mind around the fact that the old man had faced legends, literal mythological gods, and ancient creatures such as those and had emerged victorious. And yet, we lost, she shrugged rather casually considering the topic. What I want to say is, I respect his strength. And while I do not know why or how he sent me here, from the brief talk I had with him, I dont think he was truly an evil person. Rakna snorted. Evil? No. Hes just a bad guy; a very bad guy. But not evil. Nyx giggled. So, you have it now. Theres no reason for me to dislike you for this. Rather, I would be nothing but proud of having someone like him as family. Additionally, didnt you say so? That a good person does not seek conflict. Why would I do it with you? The therian looked at her in the eyes and nodded softly. Youre right. A good person does not seek conflict and what more useless conflict than a pointless one. She smiled at that and looked back at the case full of equipment with a light mood. Why dont you continue introducing your gear? What is that box in the center? She changed the subject and he was happy to go along with it. Ah, that. Its not a box, he said and took the object out. He ced it on the table and Nyx could now see that it had no gap for a lid. It truly looked like nothing more than a ck cube made out of a smooth shimmering material. Then what is it? Rakna faintly smiled again and put his gloved hand on the cube. It is something that I love just as much as Sonata, he said and a blue ripple escaped from his glove into the cube. Chapter 191: Symphony Chapter 191: Symphony The cube deformed and swallowed Raknas hand as if it was a maw. Nyx was startled but since he didnt seem rmed, she just watched it happen She then focused a little and started hearing the soundsing from the object. To her, it sounded like a million buzzes and after taking a closer look, she noticed that the cube was in fact a massive agglomerate of miniature fragments interacting with each other. She wasnt very versed in technology but even she could tell what it was. Nanomachines? She asked while it wormed itself around Raknas arm as if it was waiting for a sort of signal. Yes and no, he replied to her as he observed the wriggling material. Nanomachines are basically molecrponents that behave in a specific manner based on fixed stimuli. Its mostly used in conjunction with DNA; its what An and I have in our bodies. This, and Sonata, from what the old man told me and what I have learned recently, is different. Its actually a whole block of energetic material that can imitate other matters and, yes, not unlike the idea of nanobots, its a collective swarm of smallponents but it does not react to external stimuli. Its moving ording to a program coded in the very material. Fascinating But what does it turn into then? It isnt a weapon like Sonata, is it? Rakna nced at her. Watch, he said and touched the deformed cube with his other glove which also sent a pulse of Eion into it. Immediately, it looked as if theponents multiplied in number before climbing the entirety of Raknas arm. It then spread everywhere else and in the span of a few seconds, it covered him entirely. To Nyx, Rakna appeared to be nothing more than a humanoid-shaped mass of ck material. But itsted briefly and soon enough, she saw the material settle down. It became more defined very quickly and before she knew it, a long coat erupted out of the mass. It wrapped around the arms and head with its sleeves and hood; which interestingly enough, had two expands for Raknas wolf ears, though they were elusive since he had folded them. The legs followed up, with the material transforming into another piece of cloth that let his four tails go through. This part also had steel-like bands circling them. Right afterward, the boots were formed and shared the same kind of design. The torso became covered by something that could only be described as thebination of a vest and an actual armor te with a symmetrical pattern,pleted by several belts. The hands were then released from that squirming material to leave the ce to the gloves from earlier. Finally, thest change that urred to the outfit was the colors. It started gaining ents of silver and while the inner parts remained ck, the rest, including the metallic parts, was filled with a varying shade of gleaming purple. But once all of that was over, there was still one part where the material was still twisting like a swarm of bugs; the face. It was not making any sound anymore and it was also harder to make out due to the shades of the hood, but it was still there. Nyxs attention was locked onto that part and as she stared at it, two purple jagged ellipses lit up and Raknas distorted voice resounded. Allegro. Thats the name of this outfit, he said whilst fixing the crinkles in his clothing. He tapped a few times on the armored sections and defying all principles, it acted just like textile fabric but nheless made a metallic noise. Sonata Andante and Allegro, Nyx made the connection. Yes, three movements in a Symphony. Its the name of this entire set, Rakna replied and reached for his face. He grabbed onto the disturbingly squirming material and pulled it out like a mask. His face was uncovered again and he also pulled down his hood. Nyx automatically focused on the mask. The purple eyes had gone away the second it was taken off but the object still appeared like a real-life glitch. There truly was no word other than writhing to define its form. This mask also has a name of its own, Rakna provided. Let me guess; Scherzo? He faintly smiled and nodded. It is also kind of a special mask here, put it on, he said and tossed the item to her. She caught it nervously but when she had it in her hands, she noticed that the odd movements she could see were not transmitted to her at all. She could see that it was writhing, but she could not feel it. Even if she rubbed the material from all sides. All she felt was nothing less than a perfectly smooth surface. Dynamic shape, Rakna exined. As your hand gets closer, the pieces will adapt their position to perfectly match it. I see. Technology can truly be incredible. You cannot help but forget it once you delve too far into magic, shemented and brought the mask to her face. It instantly adapted to her facial shape and practically got glued to it. Promptly, the eyes of the mask returned but this time, they were red; her own eye color. And right away, the main feature of the mask activated and she nearly lost her bnce. Her field of vision widened massively. She could perceive everything in a 180 in front of her, both vertically and horizontally. She could literally look at the sky without looking up and vice versa for the ground at her feet. She got dizzy very quickly and pulled the mask out when she started feeling sick. T-thanks for letting me use it, she said whilst handing the mask back to Rakna who had clearly expected her reaction. He took it from her and the red eyes on it turned off. It took me a long time to get ustomed to the change in the field of view, he said and tapped the mask a few times on the inside. The matter thatposed it broke down and merged with the outfit he was wearing. You can look at this to better understand it, he added and pulled up the item window. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Armor/Full-Body Exo-Armor Name: Allegro Rarity: Orange Durability: 100% ? Effects: +50 (A)DEF ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems & Eion Energy Production. ? C Eion Exoskeleton: The fibers of the item are constantly contracted by the Eion Energy flow and will increase the wearers Agility and Attack by 50 at all times. This flow will also be able to regte the wearers temperature to allow him to explore all environments without trouble. ? C Scherzo: This mask will passively distort the wearers voice and expand their field of view by reflecting the light waves into the material directly toward the eyes. Night vision, telescopic vision, and infrared vision are also avable. ? C Talpa Scherzo: Dynamic coloring and surface used to blend into surroundings. The armor is capable of imitating surroundings to perfection. From wood to stone, it can mimic both appearance and physical aspects. ? C Symphony Key: This armor is the center point of the Symphony Set. It can only be activated by someone who wears Andante. If Andante, Allegro, and Sonata are being used at the same time, the following perk will be avable; Overdrive. ? Description: ? A masterpiece forged, crafted, and put together by a master artisan and cksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of de. ? Note: Evolvable. ? Additional Note: This is a full-body armor. No other item can be worn over or under it. All other armor-type items the Host was wearing were transferred to your spatial storage. ? ? Overdrive ? The Eion Systems of each item will unify to increase the output of Eion Energy by several folds for a short amount of time, boosting the items specs and perks. Duration: 5 minutes. ? Note: The Eion Systems will cease all function for 24 hours afterward. Allegro will not be capable of energy production or repairs. All perks will be inactive and the defense value will drop to 1. ? ? ? ? ? Impressive. This is better than most of the defensive equipment we found in the System yet, Nyx said honestly. It has a very decent value for something made without magic-craft. I agree. The old man was probably at least Ascended Level in craftsmanship and smithing to make all of this, Rakna remarked. And chemistry too apparently, he added in his head. {Furthermore, both of them are evolvable. Its an extraordinary feature and you own three. And the fact that its based on assimting other items properties makes it even better,} Higure said. Now that you mention it He muttered and cast Appraisal on Allegro and Andantes notes. They both gave him a nearly identical result. ? ? ? ? ? Number of current evolutions: 0 Unused Evolutions: 4 (At least Green/Blue rarity) Allegro & Andante are not limited by item types. Two same armor categories can be used to proceed to an evolution but duplicates cannot. ? Requirements for next evolution: C Any armor with a rarity of Orange or higher C Host Level 70 ? ? ? ? ? In all honesty, this is god-send. I really do not feel like spending my time farming everywhere for better equipment. Its better to just feed everything to Symphony, Rakna said and pulled out his three strongest armor items that had been put into his storage. Notably; the Dreorin Boots that gave him Wind de and the buff skill, Dreorins Heritage; the cloak, Praying Shadow, that gave him Wind Blessing; and the Manesis te that via had gotten from Cuniyas Dungeon, which gave him Magic Deflection and Charm. ? ? ? ? ? Do you wish to discard these items to evolve Allegro? Yes/No? ? ? ? ? ? Yes, Rakna replied, and instantly, the three items split into spheres of light that merged with the different parts of Allegro. The coat, the mask, the boots, and the chest te. A few alterations urred; stripes of red appeared on the boots, the coat became bigger, and the hood became a bitrger. Just like that, the defense, AGI, and ATT values of Allegro jumped to 100 and three new perks appeared on its specifics. ? ? ? ? ? C Dreorin Spirit: Upon activation, the fabric of Allegro will turn into scales and increase defense by 20% for two minutes. Increases defense against fire by an additional 20%. ? C Wind Incarnation: The wearer can float at will at the cost of 1 MP per minute. They will also be capable to cast the dependent skill, Wind Burst. A restrictedyer of wind will coat the wearers body and allow them to release it as a de from any of their limbs. Cost: 30 MP | Attack: Users MA | Cooldown: 1 Minute. ? C Manesis Charm: A perk derived from the residuals of the White Witchs Magic, Possession, and then enhanced by Eion Energy. The wearer will passively charm elemental spirits and all iing magic damage will be reduced by 1 to 99% depending on level gaps. This charm will extend to other living beings. If not resistant to it, strangers will have a favorable impression of you by simply interacting with them. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna nodded satisfyingly. I will have to find a fourth one. For Andante too. It didnt work with these ones but theres still no guarantee it will only evolve with gloves, he said and then looked at himself thoughtfully. Alexa, can the System hide Allegro as it does with other armors? [Negative. It is not an item native to the System. That feature does not apply.] Kind of expected that, he uttered and rolled his sleeve back. He started fiddling with the watch he had worn a moment ago. What are you doing? Nyx asked after having silently watched him for thest few minutes. Allegro has modes, Rakna responded as he tapped on the tactile screen of the watch. The box is one of them and they can be selected with Andante. But theres an easier way the old man told me I could do by connecting apatibleputing device like this one And its done, he said the watch beeped. Right away, Allegro started transforming again. The coat shortened until it was nothing more than a leather jacket with no hood and a fur cor. The boots turned into regr shoes, the pants and shirt shed their metal tes and at the end of it, Rakna was back in normal attire. With this, the overall defense decreases a bit, but I retain the perks, he said. Best to use it at full capacity in fights. That look is a bit too much for a daily use. Nyx blinked in confusion as he went on. Wait where are the clothes you were wearing before? Hm? You didnt notice? I put them in my storage while Allegro was forming itself around me. She fell silent as her brain came to a weird conclusion. So you were naked in front of me for the span of a few seconds? that is a very strange remark that I will try to forget. Nyx couldnt help butugh a little. Chapter 192: Ordeal Chapter 192: Ordeal What does all of this do exactly? Nyx asked as she leaned over the open valise. Most of this stuff is only useful to Earth standards, Rakna said. Jammers, decoders, lock picking tools, etcetera. There are also a few practical kits. But the most important things in here are the knives and the valise itself. Why is that? These knives are Eion Knives, he replied and showed her a small button that was located on the handle of one of them. You press that once; it will explode after ten seconds. You press it twice; it will explode on impact. You press it thrice; it will cancel it. explode? Yes. Eion explosion. The most destructive invention from Earth. Its far stronger than TNT. One of these knives could probably blow up this entire apartment. Rakna paused. Well, only if its not magically reinforced. That is quite powerful. For sure, he snorted. I was thinking of teaching Pronos how to create Eion Explosions. It would be an incredible asset to have. He might even make something far, far more powerful when he gets strong enough I see what about the valise? Its a generator, Rakna said as he put all the knives he had inside his storage. He then closed the valise and opened a hidden pad where there were several types of energy sockets. As long as I have this thing, I can make as many Eion Systems as I want. I can use it to make more of these knives, or even forge weapons and armor. Ill have to test it at some point. Hm speaking of weapons, could you forge me one? You too? Rakna asked whilst storing the case. What kind do you want? Have you ever heard of Urumi? Uru oh, you mean whip swords? Yes. Hm if thats what you want, I can always try to make one. But are you sure? She nodded. Yes, I know very well of how unwieldy they are. But what Im used to isnt anything like what normal humans have. I want it to switch from whip to de through mental input and both states must not be weak in their tension. I do not want the sword to break off whenever I use it to parry a strike for instance. Rakna nodded. I get that. Its basically what people back on my would find in fiction. That was nearly impossible to do mechanically. Maybe Eion might have worked Though I dont think anyone has ever tried. Regardless, I could make one for you. I can easily make it work with runes and suitable materials. As for the structure itself I might need time to learn how to do it. Nyx smiled. You dont have to rush it. I can perfectly handle myself without a weapon for now. Got it. I will undeniably have to practice a bit more for that kind of work. Once we get to a teau that I find nice for a house, Ill set up a forge with the terrain im I got from Eva and then Ill be able tofortably practice as much as I want. That sounds like a good n, Nyx said and checked the time on a digital clock on the wall. Are you going to go out now or wait until the others wake up? Rakna mused. Both. I will go do an Ordeal, to see how it is, and then return. I remember that you, An, and via got through one, right? How was it? Yes. It was a Survival-Type Ordeal. What I get from Ordeals is that theyre quite simr to Trials in how they are designed. The only difference is that they have far more generous rewards based on how well you do in them. Can you tell me where it was? She shook her head. There is no point. It disappeared after wepleted it. So, Ill have to get to a new one it should be fine. I spotted a few in the Tenth teau when we were trying to regroup. I have them mapped so I can get there fast enough All right, he breathed in and stood up. He quietly went back inside the bedroom to retrieve Sonata, using the same trick he used on via to not wake up Pronos. There was no need to bother the little guy for this. Lets get this thing on again, I guess, he muttered and pressed a side button of his watch. In the blink of an eye, the energetic material of Allegro shrouded him. Scherzo emerged and formed from under his sleeve. He put it to his face shadowed by the hood and the two purple ellipses blinked open. He faced Nyx who was alreadyfortably positioning herself to read a book. See youter. If I donte back before they wake up, tell them not to worry, he said through the voice distortion. Dont worry. Ill ry the message, she said and he nodded before leaving the room. ? * * * ? Rakna directly teleported to the Tenth teau. Since it was nighttime, there was no one around at the spot he appeared. He sh-stepped into the sky, feeling his coat flutter, and stood in mid-air for a moment. I missed the feeling of wearing this He thought to himself as he opened up his map. {I assume you have used this outfit a lot in the past?} Fray spoke up curiously. {It looks quite a bit intimidating. The design is very well done too.} Rakna snorted in amusement. The old man used a video game as inspiration for it. {} But I dont fault him at all. I also think it ended up looking quite good, he said and marked a few of the random structures he had on his map. More importantly, did Higure tell you about it yet? {You mean that wind riddle and the mountain of crystal? Yes, she did. I saw it myself as well since it is right outside the library at the moment. It did not move when you left the realm. Now, as for the clue you might have hoped from me I am not sure.} What do you mean? {I will be frank; this does ring a bell to me but I cannot put my finger on it. It is certainly something that I have read in the past but I fail to remember what it was about.} Lovely. {Hahaha, thats exactly what I said,} Higure chimed in. {Let me finish,} Fray grunted. {As I said to the lioness, if it is something I have read} Its in your library, Rakna finished the sentence. Then get to it. {I am. But this might take a long time. There are many texts recorded here. Even if I were to search through them mentally, it would take weeks.} As long as you get it done, I dont care. {Aah oh well, call me if you need me. I will be focused on that otherwise,} Fray said and cut off the telepathic connection. Rakna then looked in the direction of the waypoints he set and invoked his aura. He then thought of something and inspected his outfit. It should work fine He muttered and transformed into a werewolf without taking off Allegro. As he expected, the armor changed shape to fit him. Even Scherzo was perfectly matching his face and the design had been altered to fit better as well. The old man truly made it intelligent in its adaptation. It doesnt even matter if its not human, it will still find an appropriate fit. It might even work as a normal wolf. {Thats good news since its an armor you have to wear if you want it to work,} Higure remarked and then continued with an odd tone. {But other than the mask, I dont think it suits you a lot in this form. It looks silly.} Rakna snorted. I agree, he responded and pulled out the watch he put in his storage. He tapped on it and put his mouth close to it. Talpa Scherzo Zero, he said out loud and Allegro turned wholly invisible. It was concealment without w, as if there was truly nothing on him. He then inputted a few more things on his watch and put it away. There. I programmed it to activate camouge whenever its not a humanoid shape. {That thing can do anything, huh?} Of course. Thats to be expected when this entire thing is made by the old man with cutting-edge technology. To be honest, Ive seen things even more impressive. Some people had literal armor suits with built-in rail guns back on Earth. {You sound as if you personally experienced it.} I did. The guy almost killed me. {} Were getting off track. Lets get to that Ordeal, he said and coated himself in mana. He constructed the magic formation in his head and opened his mouth, [Natcattiram Vi?untatu.] This time around, the spell was activated with cold star energy. The cocoon was entirely blue and it shot off into the sky with an implosion pulling it forward. After about four minutes, theet had considerably slowed down and Rakna dispelled it. He came out of it with his wings deployed and this time, he managed to not lose control thanks to their support. He barreled toward the ground and spun right beforending on the ground where he turned back into a therian. His now visible mask kept the sand cloud from blinding him and the eye ellipses narrowed as he observed what was in front of him. It was a massive rectangr structure made out of sandstone with only one big entrance. Thats not very explicit. Am I supposed to just go in? He thought as he approached it. {It seems like it.} Rakna mused and as he got close to the entrance, he saw some unclear words carved next to it. He dusted the words with his gloved hand and read them. The fearless will die the cowards will live the weak will win the strong will fall Well, that doesnt help much now, does it? He deadpanned. {Hah, theyre saying that you will die and fall, devourer,} Higure jested. He very subtly snickered and went through the entrance. Well see. ? ? ? ? ? You have entered the Deep Sand Labyrinth! Ordeal Initiated! Objective: Find the exit. ? ? ? ? Chapter 193: The Boogie Man Chapter 193: The Boogie Man Labyrinths. The lowest effort puzzle in existence, Rakna grumbled as he walked through the long pathways with nothing in them except torches. He groaned when he reached a dead end. Is this what they meant by the fearless will die and the strong will fall? That we are going to give up on life out of frustration? {Well it does seem to be working} Higuremented wryly. She had been listening to Rakna going through a crisis for half an hour now. Nothing had changed at all since the moment they got inside. You bet it is, he uttered and retraced his steps with a sigh. I wonder if I should just break out of here with Rift Shuttle {Dont you think thats a bit overkill?} No. {it probably wouldnt work well anyway. Its not dimensions that youre dealing with here. You wouldnt be able to destroy the walls with just Rift Shuttle. In any case, you are far too untrained in that skill. I wont let you use it carelessly.} Rakna shrugged and continued to walk until he finally saw something different; a big intersection with more than five different possible paths. He face-palmed. This ce is annoying me If I want to continue sticking to a wall, this will eat so much of my time {I never really dwelled too much on it but why do people always choose to a wall when doingbyrinths?} Higure asked curiously. {I always hear people saying that but never the reasoning.} Math, Rakna replied as he went into one of the paths. {Math?} Yes. Labyrinths are technically geometrical figures with two openings. For example, lets say that you draw the map on paper and then get rid of all the angles; you end up with a circle with a couple of small holes. At that point, the answer bes obvious. If you enter from one of the two holes and stick to either the right or the left whilst following the circles perimeter, you will arrive at the other exit. It is a tactic without fail despite its time-eating nature. {I see. Thats obvious if you think about it. But that only works if} If thebyrinth doesnt autonomously change its disposition, Raknapleted and clicked his tongue when he saw a dead end after turning. But I dont have any other choice. There isnt any information that would give me a solution to find the exit. The words at the entrance still do not make any sense to me yet as well {True if taken at face value, theyre basically saying that you need to be weak to pass.} Weak, huh? He mused on the idea as he reached a new path, he sniffed the air and paused. He frowned under his mask and activated Fabled Sight. The ellipses of Scherzo turned golden and Rakna almost gagged at thebination of his increased field of view and the eye skill. Damn I didnt ount for this He muttered but quickly got used to it. He then inspected what had triggered his smell. He looked down and through his skill, saw a dry and almost gone trace of blood going down the path in front of him. He followed it with an alert mind and ultimately came across another dead end. But this one was considerably different from the others, due to the pile of rotting corpses in the corner. Rakna beheld it coldly and calmly crouched next to them to diagnose them. He didnt need to be a genius to tell the main cause of their deaths. Half of them died from bisection and their bones had been crushed. As for the other half their heads had been ripped off and based on the marks left around the neck, the weapon used to do that were rows of small pointy des Or teeth, he said the most likely exnation out loud. These people are Hosts, arent they? He muttered as he spotted a few spatial rings around their fingers, which he ced inside his own without much remorse. The dead didnt require belongings. {It does look like it These are not decor to make this Ordeal look intimidating. These are people that challenged this ce since thest Reset and died. But what killed them? We havent seen any monster at all after nearly an hour.} All of them died facing the wall, Rakna noted. In fact, one of them still has his upper body against the wall, as if his head had been eaten while he was desperately banging on it. This behavior is generally induced by! He abruptly stopped and every hair on his body stood in attention. He didnt dare to move at all and Scherzos eyes were glitching due to his being shaking. He slowly reached for his wrist where the watch was and certain sounds began to echo from behind him. ? y|zyxy|zyy|zyxy|zyy|zyxy|zyxxxxx ? Stomping and growling noises reverberated on thebyrinths walls. There was also a screeching sound of something metallic scraping on stone. It gradually became louder and louder until a giant hand grabbed onto the wall that formed the turn toward the dead-end. A horned head emerged and readily snapped toward the wall full of bodies. It was arge and terrifying face with an obscenely wide mouth and hundreds of teeth. It had two pairs of eyes with swirling pupils and three pairs of horns that protruded from its head in all directions. The creature stepped forward andpletely came out from behind the wall, out of the shadows, and into the light of one of the torches. Its skin was brown and putrid with mismatched patches of fur. It had a pair of bulging arms, one of which was dragging a spiked weapon the size of a tree trunk. Its legs had two different knee-like artictions and ended into disproportionate hooves. The monster was about as tall and wide as thebyrinths passages were. ? y|zyy|zyxxxx? ? It looked around at the empty dead-end as if it was confused. Its head rapidly snapped from left to right with sickening bone creaking noises and after a moment, the creature approached the pile of bodies and put its head lower to smell it. After a few sniffs, it growled and lifted its weapon and hacked down several times with demented fervor. It struck the ground as if it was enraged; or like a child throwing a tantrum. The instrument turned the ground into crumbling bits of stone and with ast huff, the creature turned around and walked away. When the footsteps and metal grinding faded, a spot on the roof of thebyrinth distorted and two purple lights appeared, followed by the rest of the writhing mask and the hooded coat. In the span of a few seconds, Rakna had reappeared out of nowhere whilst hanging to the roof with his ws pierced into the stone. ? ? ? ? ? Fear Resistance has Ascended! Fear Resistance has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? He exhaled shakily and soundlesslynded in front of the mess of blood and flesh. His ws were retracted and Andante began to fix the holes that had been made to amodate them. Rakna took his mask off and gasped. He rubbed his face and thenbed his hair. Thats probably how Despair Aura feels like to others, huh? [Are you all right?] {Are you okay?} Alexa and Higure asked at the same time. Both of them had actually been panicked. They were not eager to think of what would have happened if he had been found by the monster. Yeah He mumbled and put his mask back on. So, thats how it is, he added as he pulled up the results of the Appraisal he had cast on the creature. He hadnt worried about him being found out because of it since he had confirmed Absolution of Belphegor would conceal that as well. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Age: 10 | Level: 300 Race: Nightmare Chimera Titles: Guardian of Terror ? Attributes: STR: 300 | END: 300 SPD: 50 | DEX: 100 INT: 10 | LCK: 1 ? Description: The boogie man of thebyrinth. If it catches you during its rounds, pray that it does not see you or your life will be forfeit. ? ? ? ? ? The reason why the cowards survive and the weak win they hide, he said. They hide and they y dead until theyre safe. Thats probably what that message meant. Shortly said; hold your breath if you want to live. {It seems like it} Rakna grunted very quietly as he stood up. His eyes turned golden again and he stared at the ground where the monster had left the trace of its weapon. He hadnt noticed it previously because thebyrinth was very sturdy in itself and only a small scratch was made by the weapon. If we follow the logic avoiding the Guardian might lead me to the exit. Which means I have to find a path that doesnt have this kind of mark, he thought. But its easier said than done [Call of Hounds,] he intoned and two Stone Wolves were summoned through the walls. Rakna ordered one of them to lead the way as he followed at least a turn behind with the other. After a bit, he returned to the intersection from earlier and checked the marks on the ground while his hounds kept a lookout. I cant hear it even earlier, it took me a lot of time considering how close that thing was, Rakna thought in passing. Does thebyrinth have a passive effect hiding its presence? He questioned and found two paths that didnt have a mark. For all he knew, one of them could lead to a path connected with a dangerous zone, or both could be traps and he should retrace his steps back to the entrance of thebyrinth. The most important thing here is that I dont put myself in a dead-end this is too dodgy. Ill have to settle for an equally risky tactic with more escape possibilities, he decided and summoned a dozen more wolves. Scatter, he ordered and they separated to head in every path in groups. Rakna closed his eyes and connected his senses to his wolves. He could feel their rtive presence to him and after a while, two of the groups he had sent found a dead-end. Three others had once again separated to explore divergent paths, and thest two ? |zzz|zzyz|||yzyz|zyy|zyxx!!! ? One wolf was suddenly destroyed and Rakna shivered. He connected himself to another wolf of that group, and he saw the chimera rush toward it and crush it with its hand. Fuck, he spat and ordered thest wolf to merge with the wall and track the Guardian as best as it could. Quick, quick He mumbled as he waited for the other wolves to find the exit. About two minutester, he began to hear quickened footstepsing from one of the paths and the wolf showed him a view of the monster nearing the intersection. ? |z|yzyz|zzy|z! ? ??? Fear Resistance has leveled up! ??? ? {My heart cant take this} Higure croaked out. {Just run already!} Just a bit more, Rakna replied nervously as the stomps became increasingly louder. Then, right as the behemoths hoof was about to step into the intersection area, he spotted light through one of the wolves eyes and sh-stepped right into the correct path. ? yy|zyxyy|zyxyy|zyxx ? The growls that resounded behind him were fortuitously tame. The creature didnt seem to have seen him. He still ran as fast as he could, using sh Step and Shadow Step as much as it allowed him to. He even deployed his wings in the middle of it and he finally reached the exit. He copsed next to it and sat against the wall to recover his breath. This was the first time he had felt so scared of something in his entire life. He took one out of his cigarettes and the moment he lit it, the items effects promptly applied. The passive intimidation of that chimera was washed off from him and he sighed in relief. Right these things did do that, didnt they? He mumbled as he huffed a cloud of smoke. He got on his feet again and looked out the exit where a bright room with a pedestal was. He looked at it for a moment and his expression under the mask went through a change. He looked back from where he came from and pondered something. {Rakna?} The lioness raised her voice. Hey, Higure, he said oddly calmly and pulled out a few things from his storage. What do you say about hunting the boogie man? Chapter 194: What Lives In Your Dreams Chapter 194: What Lives In Your Dreams {This is a terrible idea,} Higure grumbled as Rakna looked past a corner of thebyrinth. You think? I think its a brilliant idea, he quipped back and crouched next to a magic formation filled with runes andyers which he had spent nearly twenty minutes drawing with a self-refilling marker from his gear. The ink was in fact liquid diluted Eion, which was even better for drawing runes and circles thanks to its energetic nature. 35, 36, 38. This should be enough, he muttered after counting the number of superimposed magic formations he had made. {Well theoretically. But that monster has a much higher level. There is no guarantee it will work even with how powerful that is. Seriously, could you please not?} Higure tried to dissuade him once again. {Think about it! If you die here, you wont be able to mate with me!} Of course and I am sure it will be my biggest regret, Rakna retorted sarcastically and used half of his mana to summon low-level wolves. More than a hundred of them emerged from the walls and floor and ran off into the deeper levels of thebyrinth. Rakna followed after them for a few meters before going to the right where there was a path that led to a dead-end. He hid there and drew another magic circle that would serve as the connection to the main formation and supply the mana. The n was simple, lure the Guardian to the magic formation, activate it, and sneak up behind it while it was defenseless. {Please dont tell me you expect to kill him in one blow.} Of course not. I could try and use Skulk Life Down or the Spade Cards but there is something Ive noticed about the creature that makes it uncertain. {Which is?} Regeneration. I couldnt see much with Appraisal, but if you look at its body, there are some parts of its fur that were either cut or somehow destroyed. {And?} But the flesh had no scar, dimwit. Not even a single trace. And not just below its fur, everywhere else, not a single visible trace of injury or scar. It might just be because of its high attributes but I dont believe that no one among the Hosts who got in here was able to injure it even a bit. {Well I guess its a valid doubt.} Furthermore, the Spade Cards are powerful but I can somewhat predict that they wont be able to do much to it due to the level difference. Then theres Sonatas perk that supposedly ignores defense and interferences. It is too broad, and therefore vague. Also, anything that does not specify it, has to be assumed susceptible to level gaps. {All right you have thought this out surprisingly well. But it doesnt really reassure me since all you have done for now is tell me how impossible it is.} Really? You should be the first one to know my n. {Huh?} What about you, Alexa? Did you figure it out? [Affirmative I am 80% sure of your strategys specifics. Moreover, by my calction, it has about a 74% chance of seeding. Caution is advised.] {Eh?} Thanks. {Wait, what? Hey, tell me what the n is already!} Shush. I need to focus now, Rakna cut her off and took off his mask. He started smoking a cigarette in preparation for the Guardians intimidating aura and closed his eyes. [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath,] he started chanting quietly and the first of his wolves made contact with the target. ? |zzz|zzxyz|||yzyxz|zyy|zy!! ? It was promptly killed and the monster proceeded to attack the next wolf. The manner Rakna had ordered them to lure it was a bread crumb tactic. The wolves were not grouped, but one behind another. They were close enough so that they always could be spotted from any position, which effectively made the Guardian attack them in session. As expected, that thing is not very bright. Makes it even easier, Rakna thought. [Ought Rime Rip Bones and Flesh,] he continued his Cl Lli whilst transforming into a werewolf and with Allegro automatically disappearing and altering itself so it wouldnt be physically notable or cumbersome in the concealed state. [In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker.] [In a Lifeless Perdition, the Wolf Growls and Howls.] At the same time, Rakna infusing into the auxiliary circle he had drawn at his feet. The mana took physical form around his hand and dimmed greatly in color. [In Between The Heights and Depths.] [Lies the Slumbering Mayhem of-] ? |zzz|zzxyz|||yzyxz|zyy|zy!!! ? Rakna gritted his teeth as the roar sounded much closer. It even made thebyrinth quake. [-the Devourer.] [Bathing in Blood and Rattling Death.] [Mocking Fairness and Gorging Hearts.] The stomps elerated and several more wolves died. Then, the Guardian ran past the path where he was hiding and headed to the magic formation on which stood thest wolf. When it got to it, it promptly bit off the lupines head without minding the formation at all. [The One, They Offer Harvest.] Raknapleted the incantation and sent nearly the entirety of his mana into the runic circle. The 38yers were activated at once and the Guardian looked down with a growl. But it was far toote for it to do anything. The formation was essentially inscribed with two spells. However, at the time of the casting, they unexpectedly fused into one and filled thebyrinth with a ck and cold mist. Its epicenter was incredibly dense and the Guardian breathed it in without thinking. The creature immediately began to sway as if it was disoriented and after a few seconds, it made a muffled noise before falling on the ground; asleep. ? ? ? ? ? You havebined two elements! ? Congrattions! You have achieved Union Magic! Union Magic is known as the apex of magic formation creation. Itbines spells and elements in very intricate manners that can rarely be actualized. ? ? You have learned a new Union Element; Frosted Sloth! You have learned a Frosted Sloth spell; Niflhel Niflheim! ? ? Niflhel Niflheim ? Concentrate the power of sins and stars to conjure the perfect mist of absolution. Upon being cast, a ck and frigid mist will swallow all the volume it can possibly fill and afflict all within its boundaries with extreme drowsiness. Breathing in influences the effects by arge margin. Additionally, every being that the caster has not personally approved will be unable to sense the presence of others within the mist. Everything will be akin to having thousands of people surrounding the targets at any given time. Sounds wille from everywhere. Visual illusions will be created. Auras will disperse through the mist which will consequently imitate their signature. ? Cost: 500 MP (Correction: 300 MP) Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 30 Minutes. ? ? ? ? ? wow. It went a lot better than I expected it to, Rakna admitted out loud. He stood up, still in his werewolf form, and made his way to the downed Guardian. He didnt approach it more than he had to do in fear of waking it up. Fortunately, as long as the mist was present, there was a very low chance of that happening. He reverted to a therian with his mask not materialized and his hood down. {You were lucky} Higure sighed then realized something. {Gosh, never mind. Im the faithless one here. I was wrong to believe that you would not be lucky in the first ce.} Rakna snorted and chugged down a mana potion whilst he monitored the Guardians movements with Fabled Sight at all times. {So, what are you going to do now? If you attack him, hell wake up. You already debunked the option of you killing him in one blow so how is this any useful?} You really can be dimwitted when you want to, Rakna retorted and she whined. {Come on~! Just tell me already. What would having him sleep!} Back in the soul realm, Higure stopped herself and looked at the sky with a dumb expression. She groaned and let herself fall face-first into the field of flowers. {I just want to preface it by saying that Im not used to other people having that trait, okay?} Rakna snickered subtly. Sure, he said and soundlessly approached the Guardian. He stared at its head and breathed in. Now, lets see what you can do. [nt the Seeds of Marvel, Onera.] The Guardian of Terrors mind was given a dream and in a sh of light, the therian vanished from thebyrinth. ? * * * ? Rakna mused as he observed the scenery in front of him. The sky was covered by a foul-looking miasma and on the ground, amidst the sand, countless stone vestiges were scattered. These ruins are they from thebyrinth? He wondered. Is this the Guardians dream? Does it want thebyrinth to cease existing? He uttered intriguingly and began to explore the area. He looked behind every piece of stone sticking out to see if he could find anything but after five minutes, he still hadnte across anything of interest, much less the Guardian itself. Its only after an additional five minutes that something urred. ? zzxyyxxxyxx ? He recognized this sound. But it had nothing simr to what it was outside of the dream. It was a lot higher in pitch and somehow, it also seemed happy. Rakna headed toward the source and hid behind one of the ruins. He peeked over it and spotted not one but two chimeras in the distance. One of them was greatly smaller and also happened to be the one making the noises as it seemingly yed on thep of the other. A baby and? The therian thought to a halt as he started smelling the emotions from them. The only actual scent he had been able to get from the real-world Guardian was rage. But in here he was perceiving true happiness, as well as affection, and filial love. The baby is the Guardian and therger one is its mother. Is this a memory? A fantasy? Rakna did not know what to think. Thendscape this scene lost in the middle of it is thebyrinth the same as the Dungeons? A cage of Wilden? {This might be even worse,} Higure said solemnly. {This chimera, it-he may very well have been taken away from his mother and left in thebyrinth until madness took over. At this point, dying might be a salvation for him. Give him peace, devourer.} Rakna didnt reply and watched the two chimeras a bit more. He sighed and looked at his hand in which a swirl of wind rose. Ive gotten used to it this is basically like a soul, he muttered and came out of his hiding spot. He calmly strode up to the pair of creatures and when the mother noticed him, she snarled and shielded her child with her arms. Rakna squinted and continued his approach. He stopped just a few meters away from them and opened his mouth, Let me help your son. ? z|zyy|zy! ? The chimera roared and lunged at him. She opened her mouth and aimed to chomp his head but shockingly, she was stopped with only one hand. Rakna effortlessly overpowered the chimera and forced it to close its mouth and kneel on the ground. He then crouched and looked right into the eyes of the creature. You cannot win. Your sons mind and soul are far below mine in terms of control. I can dictate the physics in here. I will say it again; let me help him. ? z|zzyyyxz|yxx ? She growled and Rakna sighed. He sat down on the sand, to the chimeras surprise, and pointed at the child who was in her arms, confused and afraid. Look. Her eyes shifted ferociously but when they fell on her child, they lost all of their ire. She let out a soft noise and caressed the baby, who despite being the dream maker, had absolutely no reaction to seeing Rakna at all. {There are many ways someone can manifest in their own dreams,} Higuremented. {This is a case that I call relinquishment. The actual owner of the dream ispletely disconnected from the real world while another persona is taking over the role of cognizance. This mother is a facet of the real Guardian. She is as real as you can get in a dream.} Rakna listened to her exnation silently and waited until the chimera mother finally turned back toward him but without any animosity. Do you understand what I have to do? He asked and she hesitatingly nodded. She slowly put her baby down on the ground with trembling hands but refused to let go of him entirely. Often Rakna spoke up quietly and she looked at him. No matter how hard you try, you dont get the option to save someone the way you would have wanted to. But we all need to understand that we cannot forsake their salvation because we didnt like that option. We have to learn in due time that selfishness should not be the reason for anothers suffering. ? yxxyxx ? Once your child wakes up, he will fall into folly. He might kill me and many more after. That will be his life. Trapped in abyrinth which he cannot escape from, incapable of doing anything but spilling blood. Is that what you want for him? ? yxx ? At this point, the mother chimeras voice sounded weak. She took onest look at her child and gently pushed his back in Raknas direction. She then growled sadly and nodded at Rakna before disappearing; as if her duty had been fulfilled. The baby Guardian didnt even seem to have noticed it and was looking at the therian with a tilted head. Rakna returned the stare and put his hand on the creatures head. He gently stroked it and the baby smiled widely as if he was enjoying himself. Dont worry, Rakna said with neither a cold or gentle voice. But it was slightly hushed. This will be over in an instant, he said and the Guardian sent him a confused look. You will wake up and your mom will be at your side. Now, sleep, he muttered and his eyes shone with shapeless power. The baby closed his eyes and the miasma in the sky was banished in the blink of an eye. The ruins of thebyrinth levitated and burst apart, liberating the dreand and offering it sunlight for itsst moments. Chapter 195: Chimeric Core Chapter 195: Chimeric Core ? ? ? ? Lv.300 Nightmare Chimera killed! You have killed a foe more than four times your level, experience octupled! The difference between your levels amounts to 237! 11 850 additional experience awarded. Level up! 20x ? +2 STR, SPD, INT! +24 Free Points! ? Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 400/830 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna came out of the dream world and reappeared inside thebyrinth with the sweet level-up notifications ringing in his ears. The Guardian was lying down in the exact same spot with but only one difference. I cant hear or see his pulse with Harvester, the therianmented. Hes dead. Higure sighed. {I swear you have a knack tond in the most unique of situations.} Rakna didnt respond and stared at the creature for a while. He pulled out a pill from his storage and swallowed it in one ago. He felt his mana recover and he extended his hand toward the body of the creature before speaking one word, Rise. A ck and purple miasma erupted out of his hand and infiltrated the Guardians corpse. Every muscle spasmed and the lingering internal force inside of it turned into death energy. The chimera crawled to its feet and opened its four eyes empty of emotions. ? ? ? ? ? Raise Undead has leveled up! Raise Undead has leveled up! Raise Undead has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna stared back at the emotionless undead and sighed. Maybe Tyran was an exception or you became so lost in madness that you had no ego left to carry over. {It might,} Higure said humorlessly. He huffed and waved his hand. The olden ring he wore around his finger shed and the Guardian was sent into the storage of the Hex Item specifically made for unliving creatures. Thankfully, he is not too big for it Hey, Alexa, is there a way to increase a spatial rings storage? [There is. I rmend you consult Wang Faezi about it. The requirements vary depending on the items quality and materials. A Red Hex Item might be costly.] Well I guess its good that I sca- got gifted 60 million from the vixens. But Kara did say she would be supporting me in any way she could, right? I can always ask for moreter on. {Shameless as always.} As always, he repeated jokingly and put his hood on along with his mask. When the ellipses of Scherzo lit up, he put his hands in his pockets and began to explore the rest of thebyrinth. If he understood correctly, there were chances that this Ordeal would disappear for good after he overcame it so he might as well see if he can find anything. He went to every path that he hadnt tried out yet and found a few more bodies which he didnt hesitate to loot. I havent practiced this skill yet, have I? Rakna uttered as he remembered something. He put his hand on one of the bodies and squinted. [Dead Men Tell,] he intoned and his mind shed with images of the Guardian running at him and smashing him. ? ??? Dead Men Tell has leveled up! ??? ? Rakna grunted and shook his head afterward. It only shows me the moment of their death at this level. Based on the description, it should be capable of much more, hemented and used the skill again on the same target. This time, he saw apletely random image located in a town of the Tenth teau before fading away. He did it again until he got no new images and repeated the process on every other corpse he could find in thebyrinth. When he was done, the skill had rocketed from level 3 to level 9. The images are longer and I hear voices now a bit of sensory feedback too. The first use seems to transfer actual memories, he noted. I wonder if I can also obtain proficiencies, skills, or spells this way? It might be a good choice to use my skill points on. {There you go again; saying outrageous things that will probably turn out even more outrageous than they sound.} Rakna snorted and started heading to the exit. Theres also that Union Magic thing. You were not that shocked by it so I guess its rathermon. I remember Marie also having it {I dont know what to think when you openly admit judging how amazing something is based on how shocked I am,} Higure deadpanned. {But yes, its rather well, notmon, but not unlikely to see on the status of people with more than one affinity. It is, undeniably, hard to learn but if its you were talking about, its not surprising.} I see. {At least try to act humble} No, Rakna retorted and she chortled. He entered the room from before and the awaited System prompt appeared without dy. ? ? ? ? ? Deep Sand Labyrinth Ordeal Completed! Level of the Participant: 63 (On Entry) Assessment ? Grade: Z C Perfection Rewards: 1 000 Exp, 5 000 000 Talys (Deposited), Skill Card Uru Cimera, Nightmare Core. Note: ce your hand on the pedestal to leave. ? ? Level up! +0.1 STR, SPD, INT. +1 Free Point. ? ? You are qualified for a promotion! Do you wish to be promoted to Rank VI? Yes/No ? ? You have been promoted to Rank VI! C Bnce Increased. Current Ceiling: 1 000 000. +60 000 Talys. +6 Free Points. C Random Item Box (Gray ~ Orange) ? ? ? ? ? And that makes five Boxes, Raknamented and closed the windows in favor of leaving thebyrinth. He was teleported right outside the entrance and on cue, the entire structure shook. He sh-stepped away just in case and watched from a safe distance as the entirebyrinth was gradually swallowed by the sand as if it was a swamp. After a short minute, there was nothing left of it. Alexa, to be sure, not all Ordeals disappear after the first clear, do they? [Affirmative. Some Ordeals do not but one person cannot go in it again after their first run. There are also level limits for entering certain Ordeals. If I am not mistaken, thisbyrinth had a Lv.200 restriction for allowed entries.] I see No wonder no one managed to survive the Guardian. Perhaps the higher leveled ones got to injure him as I suspected but couldnt kill him, Raknamented and looked up at the horizon where the sun was rising. Time to go back; Alexa. [Initiating transfer.] ? * * * ? Rakna reappeared right in front of the hotel rooms door. He popped his neck and made Allegro turn into a normal appearance. Scherzo was the first to go away, merging with the material of the outfit, and the rest followed. He then entered the apartment and saw that no one was in the main room. Maybe Nyx went out, he uttered and sat down on the couch with a sigh. He swiped his hand and two System windows appeared at once. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Skill Card/Spontaneous Skill Name: Uru Cimera Learning Requirements: Lv.100 , Lv.10 Alchemy , Demonic Race ? Description: ? If used on one or more deceased targets, the skill will draw a fusion formation below them and create a random chimera out of them. The result may vary in quality and failures are to be expected on the first tries if the user fails to guide the process. The fusion has no limit for the number of ingredients but the more of them there are, the fewer chances of sess there will be. The chimeras raised by this skill will require Demonic Energy to exist, thus requiring a being capable of generating it as their master. The user can add external materials to the fusion and if they are skillful enough, modify the formation to increase the odds of sess or even define the oue. ? Cost: 250 MP per Constituent. The mana can be stored up over a long period if the user wishes to perform transmutations above their current capacity. Cooldown: 72 Hours. ? Note: In case of a failure, the birthed chimera may attack on sight. Beware. ? ? Designation: Material/Chimeric Core Name: Nightmare Core Rarity: Red ? Description: The sublimated essence of a Nightmare Chimera. Chimeras are ssified with six ranks regardless of if they are natural-born or alchemically created. They are as follow: ? Dread C Lurid C Nightmare C Naraka C Revtion C End ? A Nightmare ss Core has an average dormant energy of 5 000 Mana, 5 000 Stamina, and 100 levels worth of Life Force. They are extremely powerful tools in alchemy but are also equally, if not better, for Item Crafting. Note: If the Core is destroyed, a terribly powerful explosion equivalent to high-tier spells will ensue over a veryrge area. It can be melted into a malleable form but beware of the instability. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna blinked. Well the first one, there is no doubt to who it will go. As for the second one it might be interesting to use in forging. Hm, I could try and make a better version of Alzero and feed it to Sonata so that it can gain Perfect Dimensional Stability. {That could be very powerful in your use of Focal Points,} Higuremented. {Now that I think about it, you reached thest evolution requirements, didnt you?} Yes, Rakna nodded. Im level 84. I can evolve Sonata one more time. I wonder if I should wait to feed it the Holy Sword though The more I evolve it, the rarer the weapons will have to be. {True. But then again, who cares. You have luck and support from powerful people. And your luck is nothing short of incredible. You can get them whenever you want. Same with the materials to make Alzero stronger. Personally, I think the Holy Sword has better perks to integrate for the time being. Dimensional Stability can wait. It might even be possible to directly apply it to Sonata once you get good enough at smithing.} Very good points, he said, genuinely impressed. You truly can be smart when you want to. {Why thank you,} she said sarcastically. Rakna was about to pull out the sword when he heard one of the doors open. He looked up to see Evelyne out of the bathroom with a yawn. She was not exposed likest time, still wearing her pajamas, but she was brushing her teeth with a half-asleep look on her face. Rakna followed her with his eyes as she walked to the bedroom and about halfway there, she let her eyes roam around the apartment, and they coincidentally fell on the therian. She stopped the toothbrush movements and blinked dazedly. She flushed a little but didnt panic. Not again She said embarrassed and went to the kitchen sink to wash her mouth. She then faced him again and cleared her throat. So um, youre back to normal? Rakna held off a snicker and nodded. I am. I woke up during the night. Sorry if I worried you. She smiled. No, its fine. via was so sure you would be okay that neither Nyx nor I could believe the opposite for even a second, she said with a chuckle. But Im d youre okay. Sounds like her. She has always been good atforting others, he said and took a card from his storage. He deftly threw it to her and she caught it midflight without a problem. She looked at its information and widened her eyes. Are you su- Please, youre the only one here learning alchemy. Even if I could try and learn it as well, there is no point if you can use it. Better to make the team stronger as a whole. I admit Im the kind to act solo and a bit recklessly but I intend to help you guys to catch up. Evelyn couldnt help butugh. Just a bit? All right. A lot. She giggled and held the card to her chest. Thank you. No problem, he replied. Ah, and before you go, he added and prepared to pull out the chimera core to at least show her. If she had a use for it, he might as well give it to her too. You tell me if its something youd- He interrupted himself as a System window popped up when therge ck and red orb appeared in his hand. ? ? ? ? ? Nightmare Core ispatible for an Assimtion. ? Do you wish to evolve Andante? Yes/No ? ? ? ? Chapter 196: Wight Andante Chapter 196: Wight Andante Well thats a turn, Rakna said as he looked at the system window in thought. Evelyn tilted her head in confusion but she had indeed recognized the item. She had seen it before in her old house. Thats a chimeric core, right? He nodded and she hummed. Thats rare Which ss? Nightmare. The subus almost dropped her toothbrush. She opened her mouth wide. T-thats incredibly valuable! Where did you find it?! Is it that impressive? Its only the third one in the sses. Of course! In the first ce, even the most basic of chimeric cores are at least Orange Items. The Lurid ss ones are generally Purple. Above that, Nightmare and Naraka are Red but theyre also much rarer than regr items of the same category. Revtion Cores are Gold and the End Cores are said to rival the Philosopher Stone; one of the few items spected to surpass Gold rarities. Uh, Rakna reacted coolly. After everything that he had gotten through sheer luck, in his personal spectrum, this core was maybe just around 7/10 in terms of actual rarity. I just found out I have a use for it but is it any good to you? She waved her hands whilst shaking her head. No, no, no! I wouldnt be able to do anything with it at all! Im far too inexperienced to get anything out of it without blowing myself up. Rakna snorted. All right then. Lets see what it does then, he uttered and selected yes. The orb promptly melted into his gloves like some sort of living organism. They shed ck and red for a short moment and he felt their shape change somewhat around his hands. Once done, the gloves had gained the same color pattern as the orb had and there were very small additions to the fabric; as if minuscule red diamonds had been weaved in it. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Armor/Gloves Name: Wight Andante Rarity: Red Durability: 100% ? Effects: +100 (L)DEF / +50 ATT (Unarmed) ? Perks: ? C Eion Core Boiler: This item autonomously generates energy that is incidentally able to rebuild it at a very high pace when it is damaged. The fragmented Chimeric Core integrated into it simrly generates mana and stamina and stores them for the user to employ at will. It is disconnected from the wearers Mana Pool and is thus not included in any spell cost. Current Mana & Stamina Capacity: 2 500/2 500 Current Regeneration: 5/Min ? C Nightmare Bite: When used on a target within five minutes after their death, extracts 10 Exp and stores it. The consequent amass can either be transferred directly to the wearer or anyone else it touches, or be converted into suitable energy for the Eion Core Boiler at a 1:2 ratio. Current Capacity: 0/500 Exp Note: The normal rule of level gap applies and no experience will be extracted if the user is five levels above the target. ? C Symphony Imprint: Whoever wears these gloves can wield Sonata at will. Additionally, the energetic connection between the two will increase the energy production of Eion whenever they touch. Effects: +100 ATT to Sonata & +50 DEF & ATT to Wight Andante. ? C Eion Strings: Weave sturdy strings of Eion from the fingertips of the gloves. They are scorching hot and can easily tear through flesh and metals. Theyst thirty minutes and are capable of repairing themselves at the cost of longevity. Max Length: 10 meters. Cooldown: 10 seconds. ? Note: Evolvable. ? ? ? ? ? It jumped up from Blue to Red, Rakna thought. Its even higher than Sonata now Which makes sense considering the first perk. The Bite is interesting but its basically bonus experience long as I give myself the time to use it. Though it can also mean an additional grand of MP or STA. {Thats an incredible amount to have at your level,} Higuremented. {Especially mana. Its a lot more practical than stamina for most people. You included. With this theres practically no chance for you to run out of mana for a long while.} Well {Yes, yes, I know,} she continued before he could say anything. {You will probably use this even bigger mana pool to do crazier things. So, the only thing that changed here is probably the scale of what you can do.} Hm I wonder whats the maximum optimal number of wolves I can summon now Higure sighed exasperatedly. Thats exactly what she meant. Did you just fuse two items into one? Evelyn finally asked after the shock of what she had seen settled down. How does that even work? Its high-level transmutation Rakna nced at his gloves and mused, You know what? I might as well tell you all today. Eh? He smiled faintly and looked at her in the eyes. Lets get everyone together and then Ill tell you who made these gloves. ? * * * ? Half an hourter, after via woke up and Rakna reassured her everything was going well, they went out to a restaurant close to the Pavilion and called An and Marie on the way. They arrived at the same time and ordered their breakfast. Hey, Rak, you got Symphony along with the Poraxidium? The blond asked curiously as he noticed Andante, though a bit different from what he remembered. Rakna nodded. I figured it would be a good idea. No kidding. That means youre wearing Allegro, right? Sheesh, that thing is as freaky as always. What are you two talking about? Marie asked curiously and he chuckled. Why dont you show them? An answered by redirecting the question to the therian. Rakna sighed and pressed on his watch. Without even him needing to stand up, Allegro manifested itself and he swiped his hand across his face right on cue for Scherzo to form. When the hood was on and the purple ellipses lighted up, the people who hadnt seen it yet, namely Marie and Evelyn, were taken aback by both the eeriness and quality of the outfit. There; enough, Rakna said and quickly retracted the whole armor before anyone other than his group could see it. Thankfully, there werent many people because of how early it was and he had made sure to get there stealthily so that no paparazzi would stalk him. As cool as always, An snickered. So? Why are we here? To continue climbing the teaus? Yes, Rakna nodded. But I also wanted to tell you all about something rather important, he said and an item shed in his hand, which he calmly ced on the table upright. Eternal Night? Evelyn was the first toment on the Cross that he had pulled out. Who is that? Marie scowled. She had barely any knowledge of things outside her Dungeon other than the mostmon topics. A sort of all-mighty god, An exined. Remember; it was on the news when Rak was meeting the mayor. Thats the god the Basilica believes in. But, Rak, why are you showing this to us? Rakna snorted and connected everyone telepathically. Alexa, do I have the clearance to ess the information about the Kind Demon possessed by the System? [Affirmative. Eva personally allowed it,] the AIs voice echoed in everyones minds. Then tell us; where does hee from? What is his name? And what is mine? [The being known as the Kind Demon, universally referred to as the God of Eternal Night, has been confirmed to have been raised on thebeled ??.63.5B;monly known by its inhabitants as Earth.] An and via widened their eyes in shock. Wait a damn second! Is she talking about- Let her finish, Rakna merely said and the blond closed his mouth. [The real name of the Kind Demon was provided to the database by the Basilicas founders shortly after they touched the Eternal Night Cross. His name is Arimane R. de, descending from thest n of Life Hunters; the Reigen.] Thats An was already starting to have a million thoughts. To Evelyn or Marie, this name did not mean much since they were not previously privy to it but he perfectly knew it. There was no chance for him to ever forget it since he had read it so many times in history books. The founder of Aurora the most infamously acimed killer in human history, via remarked with a whispery voice. She nced at Rakna who was sitting with his arms crossed. There was no way she wouldnt make the connection. She had already suspected it before after all. There was one thing that her grandfather, a general from the first stages of Aurora, told her after he met Raknas uncle. It echoed in her mind right at that moment: That man I am positive to have seen him somewhere before His poise, his gaze Theres only one person I met who matches these traits. Could he be? No, it must be a coincidence. [The Kind Demon had no rtives from what was known. Until recently.] It wasnt a coincidence, grandpa, via thought with a wry smile and Alexa continued. [He had an adoptive nephew whom he trained and gave his own name to,] she stated and by that point, An had caught on. He looked at his childhood friend in shock and the conclusive answer came right after, [The name of that nephew is Rakna Xiorra de.] Holy shit! An shouted right away and the others got so startled by it that they could only nod at the sentiment behind it. Dude! Are you telling me that all those times I was training under the greatest war criminal and hero ever?! Who also somehow became a God?! Rakna sighed. p it down, will you? Why dont you go out and shout it from the rooftops while youre at it? He deadpanned and the blond nked. He put his hand on his forehead and leaned back on his chair. The worst is that Im not as surprised as I should, he grumbled. I should have figured when you said that the old man was the only sessful case of an Eion super-soldier. Who else could it be other than the guy who unironically drove governments to give him titles as edgy as Demon and Earth Conqueror? via chuckled. I agree. I already suspected it myself the God part waspletely out of any of my possible guesses though. Is that really true? The therian shrugged. I confirmed it with my own eyes. Thats certainly unexpected, Evelyn uttered dazedly. I dont know very much about the Kind Demon. My family never had interactions with the Basilica. But the number of times Ive heard of him is honestly terrifying Wait, so is he the one who made your gloves? Rakna nodded at her. Yes, that thing you saw earlier wasnt transmutation at all. It was something he invented himself on Earth with nothing but technology and his genius. I will be frank I have no idea how shocked I should be here, Marie admitted. I dont know who the Kind Demon is in the slightest. Nyx let out a small smile. Imagine a man that can topple down worlds with a snap of his fingers and most likely annihte this entire System with a single spell. Yes? Now, take what you imagined, make it a hundred times stronger, and its essentially his uncle in a nutshell, the goddess said amusingly whilst pointing at Rakna with her thumb. Themia blinked. Wow I think I got the idea now. Thank you. Youre wee. An chortled and rested his head on his palm. If the old man is that overpowered, why does he not just bail us out of here then? Punching monsters is fun and all but Id prefer to go back home where there isnt a risk of dying, you know? He cant. I got to talk to him, it was a bit of aplicated process, but long story short, he told me to find a way to escape the System or dismantle whatever method they use to hide from him. Tch, so were still at square one. We have to continue climbing until we get somewhere. How long will that even take? As much as it takes, Rakna dered as he retrieved the cross. He breathed in and took everyone aback by showing a rare smile. One step at a time. For now lets get to level 100. Chapter 197: Legendary Wolf Emperor Chapter 197: Legendary Wolf Emperor Two weekster. ? On the 45th teau, the Garden of Hesperides, the only thing one could see thousands of meters to the horizon was a magnificent and natural garden of all sorts of flowers and nts. It is a ce devoid of any trees and where only enchanting and beautiful greenery resides amid limpid rivers. Somewhere on it, in a field of tall grass, An ran after a rabbit with incredibly longs legs. He nearly caught up to it and tried to tackle it only for it to elerate and jump over dozens of meters. That little-! The blond grumbled as he pushed himself back on his feet. Who designed this damn Trial?! And who thought it was a good idea to implement it?! Definitely someone whos out for you, Marie kidded as she watched from the sidelines with the rest of the group. An groaned as the rabbit turned around and stuck out its tongue. Little shit He clicked his tongue and rechecked the rules of the Trial. Cant use magic or items this is freaking rigged, heined silently and slowly circled around the rabbit. I me this on you, Rak! If you had finished making out the formation for sh Step, I would already be done with this. Rakna snorted, Allegro covering his body but without the hood and Scherzo. Even if I had already cracked it, I would have needed time and materials to make one card. me your luck for not getting any movement skills until now. Theres nothing wrong with my luck! What Ick in mobility, I make up with defense, the blond retorted and kicked the ground in the rabbits direction. He had reached level 80 recently and he had two attributes reaching that same cap but his speed was down at around 40 while the rabbit he was meant to catch to finish the Trial had 50. He tried to take the animal off guard but it once again slipped out of his grasp. Okay, thats it. Im done, he uttered and stood up again. He tightened his gloves with a re and a red glow appeared around his hand. He breathed in and tightened it into a fist before punching the ground at his feet with all of his strength. Red Diamond, he muttered right before the impact, which rapidly created a depression twenty metersrge. The ground shook for a short second before erupting. Rocks, grass, and soil suddenly flew up in the air and a shockwave spread around the field, ttening the tall grass. Raknas group merely squinted their eyes but the rabbit took the full brunt of it and was knocked back. Its vision was also so obstructed by all the dirt and grass that he failed to see An leap from under and grab one of its legs. ? ? ? ? ? 45th teau: Tag Trial Completed! You have gained the right to leave. ? Do you wish to exercise it now? You have 26 201 hours to make your decision. Yes/No ? ? The partys strength has been evaluated. You have met the minimum requirements for several teaus. A skipping right has been granted. Party leader, Rakna Xiorra de, please select: ? C 46th teau C 47th teau C 48th teau C 49th teau C 50th teau ? ? ? ? ? Everyone received the same System window at the same time and the rabbit An had caught was automatically teleported back to a small tform where it would await the next challengers. Fucking hell, An cursed as he waved the dust away. Finally done, he said and put his hands in his pockets as he walked back to the group. That was a pain. And you once again get the record for the longest time, Marie joked and he groaned. Not my fault Well, honestly speaking, it is true that most Trials do not fit your skill set, Rakna admitted. But then again, they also push you to focus on other aspects without dedicating yourself to it. I guess thats true still irritating. Everyone chuckled and Rakna opened the selection window. All right. Lets go. ? ? ? ? ? The selection has been confirmed. ? The Host, Rakna Xiorra, and his party will now be transferred to the 50th teau, Wonka World. You will be automatically dropped at a random location in thirty seconds. Brace yourself for the spatial transfer. ? ? ? ? ? Lets hope there are high-level enough monsters on the 50th, Nyxmented. The increases in Wildens levels have considerably decreased since the start. Without Pronos, we would all be stuck at around level 65 at best. Indeed. Though, theyre gettingparatively stronger the more we go up, Evelyn added. Anything about this one? Meanwhile, Rakna asked internally. {Thats my favorite one!} Higure said with augh. {I used to spend at least half my time in that teau when I was alive.} Why is that? {Because it is a literal heaven for people like me.} People like you? Rakna responded confusedly but before more could be said, the transportation engulfed them and brought them out of the 45th teau. ? * * * ? The first thing Rakna saw was something red and white that took up all of his vision. He scowled and stepped back. Then, the ce he put his foot on let out a cracking sound and he looked down uncertainly. He frowned when he saw what it was; grass. He had literally stepped on grass and it had cracked somehow. But it also looked like some sort of glossy object Then, Rakna sniffed the air and his eyes widened when he picked up the scents of his surroundings. He hastily looked up and to his shock, what he was standing in front of was a giant candy cane that ended in branches with static leaves on them. His eye twitched and he looked around more. There were hundreds more of these canes and amidst them, he spotted gleaming rocks, a waterfall with brown-colored water, and animals of all colors that resembled living wax statues. But their actual nature was revealed to him through his nose. Holy crap is this actually what I think it is? An was the first to speak, out of his stupor. He crouched and picked up a few strands of grass. He broke them into pieces and tasted them. This is solid mint Rakna also looked at the ground and noticed something else. He moved the grass away and picked up a handful of the soil. It was a mix of brown and white grains. He dug his finger in them and the moment it touched his tongue, he felt likeughing. And this is brown and white sugar, he said amusingly and the others made their own discoveries about the surroundings. The fruits, the flowers, the animals, the water and when they looked up, they saw that the clouds were pink and oddly close to the ground. How much do you guys wanna bet that those are cotton candy? An jested. No need to. I can smell it from here, Rakna uttered and the blondughed. {Aaah! Im already getting hungry!} So, thats why you love this ce {I wish I had a way of tasti-} The lioness abruptly stopped. Hm? Whats wrong? {I had forgotten! My corpse! Get it out. Now!} Raknas eyes widened. Will that work? I did eat your heart, after all. {Its actually worse. You dont know how voracious your Nirvana Skill is. When you eat hearts to assimte them, you use it as a catalyst to absorb the power out of the body until there is nothing left. At this point, my carcass is an empty husk. But it doesnt matter. If you make the undead now and put me in, I should be able to semi-resurrect at level 1. However, you will still have to use the same amount of mana as my level when I died. And you can do it now with Andante.} How high was it? {1256.} Rakna visibly flinched and the others stopped exploring the surroundings when they noticed. Is something wrong? Evelyn asked and he shook his head with a sigh. Is it just me or does that sound absurdly high? He said out loud and the rest of the conversation was shared with the rest of the party. {I was a Dusk Lioness at the end of the day,} Higure said. {I was born at a high level and I died at an even higher one. Its only natural for some Wilden to be stronger than Hosts because we are supposed to be challenges for you. In System terms, I was ssified as a Wild Raid Boss.} I see I guess Verias truly lucked out when he found you weakened, Rakna said and gestured at everyone to move away. He then waved his hand and his spatial ring shed. The body of Higure appeared with the faint traces he had left from when he extracted the heart. He walked toward it and ced his hand on its head. He closed his eyes and the mana contained inside his gloves burst out and cloaked his body. 753 MP in total, he muttered and opened his glowing eyes. [Raise Undead,] he muttered and the mana entered the carcass. It was rapidly converted into death energy under the eyes of the spectators and Rakna pulled out Higures soul from his mindscape simultaneously. Her body shone red and ck and ck tendrils of energy enclosed it. They graduallypressed it entirely until it shrunk to about half the size. The cocoon-like formation pulsated until it broke apart with a strong force backing it up. Rakna reflexively deployed one of his wings to protect himself while he erected a buffer barrier around so that it wouldnt affect his group. The death energy that resulted from that very concentrated explosion nketed the area before being siphoned right back to the epicenter. Rakna hissed quietly and lifted his shoulder, shifting and retracting his wing. ? ? ? ? ? Raise Undead has reached Exceled Level! ? ? You have raised a Legendary Rank Creature! You have raised a Raid Wild Boss! You have raised a creature originally more than 13 times your level! You have been awarded 5 Instant Levels. ? ? You fit the requirements for the title; Ruler of Legends! ? ? Ruler of Legends resonates with Wolf King! Ruler of Legends has fused with Wolf King! ? You have gained a new title; Legendary Wolf Emperor! ? ? ? ? Before Rakna could even react to the prompt or eveny his eyes on Higures form, another system window popped up. But this was one was vastly different. ? ? ? ? ? || This is a System Missive! We repeat! This is a System Missive! || ? || The Host, Rakna Xiorra, has awakened as the Legendary Wolf Emperor. || || We repeat! || ? || The Host, Rakna Xiorra, has awakened as the Legendary Wolf Emperor. He will be offered a seat in the Myth Council as soon as he reaches the 100th teau! All affiliated organizations are required to pay their respects. || ? || Survive well, Hosts. || ? ? ? ? Chapter 198: Myth Council Chapter 198: Myth Council crap, Rakna muttered. {I go away for a mere fourteen days,} Fray suddenly spoke while the therian was still blinking at the window in front of him. {And upon my return, you, sir, have be a True Emperor certified by the System and invited to the Myth Council while the Dusk Lioness just resurrected That is a feat both grotesquely astonishing and absurd. Youve outdone yourself on this one.} Oh, hello, Fray. And well I will be honest, the thought that thest two weeks had been a bit too calm crossed my mind for a second or two, Rakna jested and moved the window to the side to see past it where the death energy and dust were settling. When it waspletely clear, he expected to see well, he didnt know what exactly but what he was not awaiting was an empty spot. There was no one amidst the shattered and minced pieces of mint. He scowled and then heard something a dozen meters away. He turned to the source and spotted a ck cat with red eyes munching on a zed apple whilst holding it between her ws. The cat squinted her red eyes at Rakna but didnt stop eating. Youmf dim it amgaim, the animal said between bites. What? She swallowed and repeated, You did it again. Rakna raised an eyebrow with a nk look. One; dont speak with your mouth full. Two; what is your current state? Three; is it normal that youre small? And four; this Emperor stuff is not my fault. Whatever it is, it happened because I turned you into an undead. Take the me. Pff! Sure, Ill take the me for your good luck. How was I supposed to know that necromancing me would do this? Its not like it happened before, Higure retorted and sliced a piece of chocte from a nearby rock with her ws and tossed it into her mouth. We had two weeks of peace An grumbled from the side. Right; ignoring this seemingly very important System Missive, viamented sarcastically and walked to Higure. So to be sure, is this really you? Higure? Indeed, lovelydy, the lioness grinned back. You are finally able to see me in the flesh. While it is something I never expected to happen any soon, here we are. Im just sorry that I cant take my human form at the moment. You have a human form? She asked curiously. But of course! You can ask my devourer, he got a good taste of it, Higure replied impishly with a grin and the girls instantly looked at Rakna. He rolled his eyes in return and sh-stepped to her. He grabbed her by the neck and she let out a saddened yelp as she dropped her sweets. He lifted her to eye level and they deadpanned at each other. Dont say such misleading stuff, horny cat. Answer the questions. Bzzz! Killjoy! I need my sugar after all this time spent watching you eat all sorts of meals without being able to taste them at all. Why would you specifically need sugar Rakna mumbled and cast Appraisal on her. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Higure Mios Age: 312 (712) | Level: 1 (0/10) Race: Undead Dusk Lioness Titles: Dimension Breaker C Fatality Hunter C Arch Nemesis of Dawn C Reborn Master: Rakna Xiorra ? Attributes: STR: 1 | END: 1 SPD: 1 | DEX: 1 INT: 10 | LCK: 5 ? Statistics: DE: 5/5 | MP: 10/10 SWI: 4 | AGI: 3 SEN: 4 | ATC: 10 ATT: 6.5 | DEF: 4 MA: 3 | MR: 0.1/min ? Proficiencies: C Runecraft (Lv. Ex ??) C Magic Theory (Lv. Ex ?) C Soul Sense (Lv. Max ?) C Magic Circle Theory (Lv. Max ?) C Magic Formation Theory (Lv. Max ?) C CQC Mastery (Lv. Ex) ? Magic Skills: C Unawakened. ? Cognitive Skills: C Reset ? Spontaneous Skills: C Reset ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Shuttle Specter Physique C Void Breathing ? Note: A mighty member of the Dusk Lion race. She lived in seclusion in the 750th teau like many of her brethren before her. She was murdered while weakened due to her birth by Asziquol Naberum Verias. Her life before then had been quiet and peaceful; omitted the few scuffles with the Dawn Tigers. ? Additional Note: As an undead raised by the Hex Item, Necromancers Rule, it can level up like normal creatures and it also can be healed with its masters mana, which will automatically be converted into Death Energy by the Hex Item. ? ? ? ? ? So, you too were deprived of most of your abilities Like Nyx basically. Its simr, she replied with her tail swaying from side to side. The only things I kept are my theoretical proficiencies. Stuff like Mana Control, which normally requires a physical body as well as awork of magic circuits, I will have to rebuild from scratch in this form. But with your help, and at this stage, I should quickly be able to recover a decent portion of my past glory. And when my level increases, I should also be able to re-learn some of my skills and get to my human form, she added and hummed. But what I do need for sure is an Awakening Orb to relearn my magic elements. Im in the same boat as Evelyn when she woke up from her seal. I see Well, as we already nned, I will be going to the 34th teau for a Quest. So, Rakna said and looked around. Any of you want to go with her to the Pavilion for an awakening? Ah, wait! The lioness eximed and freed herself from Rakna. Shended on the ground ran to Nyx. You. Its not a problem if you bring me, right? The goddess blinked. I dont mind but Good. Then, how about I be your pet? Higure offered and Nyx tilted her head. She nced at Rakna for help but he just shrugged obliviously. Why? Because I think its better to have me bound to the group like Tyran and Pronos. I also get a free share of your experience and Im in a dire need of it, Higure said. I also think youre the fittest to be my owner other than Rakna. Sadly, he has Pronos and no one can get a second pet. Even if hes a literal Emperor now So, do you ept? Nyx immediately had a window popping up and after a few seconds of deliberation, she just came to the conclusion that it would likely be impossible for her to get a better pet than Higure anyway. She selected yes and the lioness smiled. Perfect! She said. Ah, but when were not exploring, I will be staying with my devourer. Thats non-negotiable. Nyx smiled wryly. I dont mind You do seem to be attached to him quite a lot. Of course! I still need him to mat-pfhm! Rakna appeared behind Higure before she could finish her sentence and closed her mouth with one hand. A piece of advice thates from having her all day inside my head; dont take her too seriously if its not something important, he said with the nkest tone ever and Nyx nodded hesitantly. While were at it, can we finally, you know, focus on this? An raised his voice whilst pointing at the System Missive that he had in open view. The hecks a Legendary Wolf Emperor? And what is the Myth Council? You dont know about it? Evelyn spoke. Its a governing body for the System. The members are all highly powerful and handpicked by the System itself. The council isposed of both Hosts and Locals. In rare cases, Wilden with a high following can be temporary guests. Thats why I was shocked when I saw Rakna was being invited. Wait, wait, wait! Back it up a little bit, An raised his hand. I need more details. What exactly does that council even do? I can answer that, Higure took over after licking her paw. Shortly said, they take decisions on important stuff that rtes to the politics of the System. For example, during meetings, things like implementingws in cksteel cane up. Another example would be civil wars contingencies; and yes, those happen. Evelyn said the council is picked by the System itself, Rakna raised his voice. What does that entail exactly? Why would the System do that? There are a few reasons, as far as I know. But the key one is simple; order. The System needs its residents, and Hosts more specifically, to conquer teaus and grow stronger. It would be quite counter-productive if there was nothing to keep them in check. Adjudicators aside, if sparks of widespread conflict appear, the council intervenes to snuff them out. They also put their nose into economics, market industrialization, and distribution of magic materials, among other things. Rakna raised an eyebrow. That kind of influencees from the members, right? The System set up the Council but the ones managing it must hold the power. Who are they? There are honestly a lot of different separate requirements but Im sure you get the picture if I tell you that Hybran cksteel, the Pavilions President, the Grand Patriarchs of the Nine-Tailed n, the President of Trafford, the Kings and Emperors, the leaders of the Church and the Basilica, the Ebene Diare Locals, the leaders of the Major Guilds, and even the leader of the Throne of Glory, ranked second on the overall Host Ranking, have seats on the Myth Council. that does sound scary. Its a massive lynchpin, Rakna remarked. All that power in one ce is enough to rule the System for sure. The Pavilions President alone could dictate many things And I guess I was supposedly offered a seat because Im an Emperor now? Its more than that. You are a Legendary Emperor. Not that I know what it means. But, yes, for the most part. What is it though? Well, why dont you take a look at your new title? Higure said with a snicker and Rakna flicked his fingers to open his status. He appraised histest title, which had swallowed both Wolf King and Ruler of Legends to be created. ? ? ? ? ? Legendary Wolf Emperor ? The direct evolution of the King is termed Emperor. They possess the same abilities as a King but their privileges cannot bepared. An Emperor is a being of absolute authority and their number can be counted on one hand. As the Wolf Emperor, no wolf will be able to disobey the holder of this title if they do not possess status at least equal to a King. However, there also exists unique standings even above Emperors. In this case, the Legendary Emperor is a ruler of legends. They are given even more prestige and hold a powerful intimidation potential toward all Legend-Rank Wilden, Hosts, or Locals. ? Title Effects: ? C Intimidation Skills will ignore levels when used on wolf-type beings and there is no chance for even higher-leveled foes to resist it unless they are at least Kings or a special case. ? C Intimidation Skills will ignore levels when used on legendary beings and below. There is a chance to subdue higher-leveled foes. ? C The System has recognized you as a key figure of power. You are presented the following rights and privileges: ? 1 C You now have ess to a personal terminal; 2 C Maps of Dungeons, Ordeals, and teaus are freely given to you after finishing them once; 3 C You gain authority over low, mid, and high-ss Locals; 4 C You now possess the right to request intervention from Adjudicators with approval; 5 C Teleportation across teaus without a requirement for a Badge of Honor; 6 C 50% reduction on all one-sided transactions, irrelevant of their nature. 7 C You can now define where youll appear for transportations to cleared teaus; 8 C You can now skip 10 teaus at once; 9 C You are now only required to pass one Trial per teau; 10 C You can create a Guild whose top 10 members will share thest two privileges; 11 C You are to be invited to the Myth Council. Reach the 100th teau. ? Title Perks: ? C Acquire the Skill; Call of Hounds (already owned). C Acquire the Skill; Legendary Imperial Guard C Acquire the Title; True Imperial Designation C Acquire the Special Skill; Celestial Gate C Acquire the Special Skill; Eonian Gate C Acquire the One-Time Ability; Awakening of Divinity C Acquire the One-Time Ability; Empirical Tribtion ? ? ? ? Chapter 199: The Storm Chapter 199: The Storm Rakna sighed. All of these privileges are nice and all but I once again have too many things to get used to. And here I had finally finished reaching Exceled with most of my abilities Poor you, Higure said sarcastically. What did you get anyway? A bunch of skills, abilities, and a title. Ill check them out tonight. I prefer to focus on my Quest for now. The good thing though is that with this, I reached level 97. Damn, youre super close to 100 already. Youre ahead of us. Yeah, when I killed Aster, I jumped to over 80. This is to be expected, Rakna said. Aster was the name he had given to the Nightmare Chimera of thebyrinth. He sometimes used him when he needed a strong vanguard simr to Tyran. And, while slow, Aster was incredibly powerful as a Lv.300 Undead. You havent told us about your Quest yet, by the way, Nyxmented. What is it about? He nced at her and shrugged. Its rted to the task given to me by Eva. Its better that I do it alone since it requires a bit of secrecy and stealth. She snickered. I see. It is true that none of us can possibly be better than you at stealth. Sometimes I still get surprised when you speak up from a ce I didnt expect you to be. Same, An agreed. Its true that Im not the one with the most senses in the group but damn, it feels like youre more of a ghost than Evelyn. But still I dont believe you. Thats just your secret code to say I want to go solo. How much you want to bet that youre going to raise hell? I dont partake in unfavorable bets. seriously? Thats an admission, you know? Rakna ignored him. Alexa, can you start the transfer to the 34th? [Affirmative. It will only take ten seconds with your newfound privileges. Where do you wish to be dropped at? Even if you do not know any location, you can specify the overall type.] Hm, lets go to arge city. Preferably, one that has the most chances of being rted to my Quest; you know what to base it on. [Understood. You will be transported in ten seconds.] Rakna nodded and turned to Pronos who was drinking at the edges of a pond with liquid chocte in it with both Tyran and Higure. Little guy, were going, he said and the snake hissed softly and fizzled in a sh of blue from his position right onto his masters shoulder. Be careful exploring this teau. Its not because it looks picturesque that its not dangerous, he said to his group and they nodded. Also, Im counting on you Nyx to bring Higure to the awakening room. It will be done. Mhm. Later, he said and was teleported away. [Transferring to the 34th teau C The Storm.] ? * * * ? Thunder roared, wind raged, and rain struck thend with incredible force. At every step, there was a risk of suddenly getting caught in a spontaneous tornado. Rakna appeared right outside arge city made of buildings specially made to resist winds and the most persistent of rains with enchanted materials. The design was fairly medieval but it had several advanced contraptions monitoring the weather on the roofs and which would then make the necessary changes to the array that surrounded the city, which adjusted temperature and wind direction to avoid the biggest disasters. The second the therian was transferred, he freed his aura and reinforced himself at a level he could recover from in real-time. The effect wasrgely more powerful thanst time on the 10th teau. The cold was transmitted from a wind flow to another, one drop of water to another, and one cloud to another. After a few minutes, it was snowing, the water at his feet had iced, and the storm had turned into a chilly winter weather instead. Volcanic might be better for this but it works the same, Raknamented as he lit a cigarette and slowly walked to the entrance of the city of which the ground had been coated with water-proof material to avoid puddles and redirect all the rain into the drainage. When he reached the entrance of the city, the guards at the front wearing thick and warm clothes stepped back from him. They could see his white fur and hair releasing crystallized air with each movement and the cold would get worse when near him. Dont worry, Im here for a Quest. Im just passing by and Ill leave after Im done, Rakna said to them since they didnt seem eager to go through the usual process to wee him. T-that is fine. We will just need your name, the one in charge said from a safe distance. Rakna Xiorra, the therian replied and went inside the city without another word. The guards blinked at each other. Wait Ive heard that name before. Idiot! Its from the Missive! Hes a new Emperor! Someone said. Hes also the guy who appeared on TV with a Nine-Tailed Wolf! Everyone knows about him these days. Wait, THAT guy? Didnt he have ck hair? Cant you see its because his magic? Rakna groaned as he distanced himself from the voices and skillfully attuned his senses to stop hearing them. With senses like his, control was the only way to stop hearing things without him willing to. He looked around at the rather empty streets. From what he understood of the time he was on the 30th teau, inhabitants of The Storm rarely came out during the day since it was the time where the weather was at its worst. In other words, its a nocturnal society a good thing if you want to be a ve dealer, he thought and leaped on top of a building to inspect the city from there. His objective in this teau was of course the Hit Task he had taken two weeks prior. He was here to demolish a criminal organization and assassinate its leader; one that goes by the name of Fang. Well, while I spend my time here Fray, are you still here? {I am, indeed.} Fill me in about that then. Did you find anything? {As a matter of fact, I did,} the author replied. {I am currently trying to find more material on it because it is quite an obscure text.} Obscure? {Yes. I will be frank, what I found is rather surprising. The text that included simrities to your soul realm; I remember it now. I read it when I was young; I never expected it to be anything more than a small fable. It was such an ingenious and meek story. The thought that it might have been real never crossed my mind.} Stop yapping and tell me already. What is it? {The Sage of the Crystal Mountain,} Fray said seriously. {It is an anecdote. Or, I believed it was a simple anecdote. It is about a Sage living on top of a mountain made of crystal. The Sage is told to be omniscient and omnipotent.} {The story goes like this; If you find yourself in the endless path of turmoil, you might end up on the Crystal Mountain. If you see a chalet, knock at the door, the Sage will answer. He will let you in and inquire about your wish. If you pay a sufficient price, he will fulfill that wish, no matter how ridiculous it may sound.} A Jinn? Is that my Kzanaria? {You got it wrong. Jinns do not exist. To be exact, there is no True Jinn. None of them can fulfill all wishes, regardless of scale. But this Sage is told to be capable of everything without fail. Even if he demands a price, it is not what he uses for his powers. The wish-granting abilitiese from himself and himself alone. For all intents and purposes, he is omnipotent. I understand now why Wis imed that your Kzanaria could rival Eternal Night.} Wait, Wis said if they were still alive. That means this Sage was real but died at some point. How did someone that powerful perish? {That is what Im trying to find out. I am searching everywhere for a book that rtes to the main story but I have not had any results for now.} I see Rakna mused. A wish-granting being what I can tell is that he doesnt seem to be described as a sort of god. Then, theres the Endless path of turmoil. The wind currents in my soul that lead to the mountain might be a representation of that. Then what should I do now? Make a wish? {I am more inclined to believe that the path is yet to be over,} Fray said. Not over, huh? Maybe the winds are the first part But that would mean that I need to, myself, fall into turmoil to have the ess to that mountain granted. {Indeed. It is usible that you will find yourself on that crystal peak when you are at your very lowest and require a miracle; such as an all-powerful wish-granting Sage.} Rakna snorted and looked down from the edge of a building as ayer of snow began to cover the city. I guess we will see in time. Now, wandering around here is getting me nowhere, he said and produced a beautiful paintbrush with Star Hearth. He started drawing a very simple pattern with only ten variations. [Star Monarch C Pyxis,] he intoned. The constetion optimized its arrangement and then changed shape to construct a cold energypass with several needles. They collectively started spinning and stopped to point in different directions. Rakna looked at the dozen of needles and mused. This was a very candid spell he had made back on the 40th where he had no idea of where to go because it was exclusively underground. It was a Tier 9 spell with twelve needles. Once cast, the needles will spin in a direction that is beneficial for the caster. Based on the description, it was very simr to divination-type magic. Four of the needles appear random but the rest is situated around one needle that points about 40 North, Raknamented. That needle is probably what I want. Its most likely calibrated on my objective while the ones around are corrted to it I guess I know where to go. {That is an interesting spell,} Fray said interestingly. {Did I miss a lot while I was preupied with searching my library?} Rakna very faintly smiled. You can say so, he replied vaguely and disappeared from the rooftop in a blur; silently and unnoticed, as always. Chapter 200: Fang Chapter 200: Fang Raknanded on the top of a building and leaned over to take a look at the windows. He didnt see any light but his spell was definitely pointing at this ce. Further in? Or underground? He mused and nced at the roofs floor. He pulled his hood on and swiped his hand across his face to put on Scherzo. He walked to the center of the roof and put his hand down. His pupils became crosses and spotted the focal points of the material. He focused on his right arm and cloaked it with dimensional power before punching one of the points. [Rift Shuttle,] he muttered and his fist strangely and silently broke through. Many cracks spread around but remained oddly silent. Then, when Rakna pulled his fist out, shattering sounds echoed and a huge portion of the roof vanished as if it was never there. Rakna crouched above the hole without falling thanks to sh Step as the sounds finally returned and the small pebbles at the edge of the hole fell inside the open space below. {I see that you have perfected your control over dimensions,} Fraymented. Kind of. Higure said that Rift can be used in different ways to defend and attack. This is a mix of both. By focusing on the focal point, I created a dimensional ck hole that sent the material into a nk dimension, Rakna exined and jumped down inside the building after checking it with his soul sense and Fabled Sight. At the same time, he powered down his aura and reinforcement and the temperature outside gradually reverted to normal. He looked around and saw several exits. He hummed and quietly drew a rune in mid-air that he ced on the wall. All right. Little guy, lets split up. There should be more than one staircase so well meet up at the ground floor if we dont find anything, he said and Pronos nodded and jumped out from under Sonata. They nodded at each other and went off in opposite directions. Rakna opened a door leading to an empty corridor and the golden lights of his mask scanned every inch of it. His tracking proficiency had reached maximum level and if there was one thing he could do was spotting traces of living presence. This building is being cleaned but not used, he thought and reached a staircase. He inspected it and silently walked down. His Stealth was obviously active and along with his Sin Skill, there was basically nothing that could possibly have him detected. He scouted the following floors with Fabled Sight and reached the same conclusion as the very first one. But he also continued to ce runes with seemingly no use. After a while, he reached thest floor and rejoined with Pronos who made a shrugging motion with his tail and head. Well, that only leaves one ce, Rakna said and looked at the floor. I cant see any souls through it but there might just be an array that blocks senses. Tyran would have helped to confirm if there is one or not Lets see; there doesnt seem to be any traces of a trap door or anything, he added whilst wandering around. {Realistically speaking, this organization probably has an actual undergroundwork and they use it to navigate the city,} Fraymented. Could be, the therian agreed and pondered on what he should do. Oh well, if it goes wrong, I should be able to escape, he said and turned into a werewolf. At his full size,pared to before, he was at least a meter taller. His whirlpool-like eyes revolved and glowed with a golden and cross pattern. [Rift Shuttle,] he muttered and his entire body was covered in dimensional power. He then channeled his mana into his hand where a constetion formed instantly. Well, then. Fuck stealth. {Really} [Star Monarch C Taurus,] Rakna intoned and a deep growl resounded. The ground shook and his right arm began to shine. He reared it and brought it down with all of his strength. The instant his fist touched the floor, nearly all of the buildings foundations disappeared, which was apanied by arge shockwave. The structure began to copse on itself as a miniature earthquake spread for a few house blocks. Meanwhile, Rakna fell through the hole together with Pronos, who had used Gigantism to be nearly ten meters long. Theynded on an underground area and right away, his auras came out and blew all the dust while the debris falling from above were being stopped by a green hexagonal shield. Fuck! Whats going on?! Rakna started hearing several voices right away. He observed the ce he had barged into and automaticallypared it to a very voluminous sewer system. Tunnels were going in all thinkable directions and people were moving crates around. There was indeed an organized system under the city. And after a few seconds, everyone began to notice the werewolf in the room. Shit, what is that?! A werewolf?! One shouted and dropped the crate he was carrying. Gather up, you all! And call the boss! Fast! They were quick to react to the situation and took their arms. The ones that had been knocked by the copsing building recovered their bearings and joined in. They surrounded Rakna in the most efficient way possible, which even thetter had to give them credit for. He had had a few altercations with criminal groups in the past. More than half the time, they wereposed of brainless men that were just there for the thrill of it and the promise of being able to do whatever they wanted. And it usually boiled down to one mentality; egotism. Criminals made for extremely bad teamwork where regtions are needed. Well, I praise you for that, Rakna spoke up after he finished appraising all of them, making sure they could not take him by surprise or that they were not his target. When his distorted voice resounded; everyone suddenly froze. They began to shiver for one and simple reason; the steadily growing ck skull aura around the werewolf. But unfortunately, your days end today. Pronos hissed at the criminals whilst coiling around his master. My most and deepest Rakna trailed and faded from their view. Apologies, he growled out whilst reappearing above the highest-leveled person. He grabbed the mans head and his hand was so much bigger than it fit entirely inside of it. With a snarl, he yanked it out, and as the blood sprayed in front of him, some of the weaker ones finally lost the battle against Despair Aura and fainted. Pronos also initiated the assault and a salve of poison arrows was shot with his magic. The same number of infinity runes popped up and in the blink of an eye, a dozen of targets had their hearts and heads melted down by acid. Rakna sh-stepped to another criminal who surprisingly managed to lift his weapon in time to block his ws. But, sadly for him, they shed right through it and beheaded him. Fuck! st him! Now! A group aimed at the werewolf with firearms and heavy artillery. The wolf red at them and they shuddered before pressing the trigger. Mana-powered shells and bullets flew out of the barrels and exploded on their target. mes and smoke erupted from Raknas and Pronos locations but they all continued to fire until magic spells eventually were added to the equation. The area continuously quaked for about a minute straight where nothing but the sounds of detonations could be heard. Hold fire! Hold fire! One of them shouted and the view began to clear up. The criminals already were sure that it was over. However, when the smoke cleared up, an even stronger wave of ck aura filled them with dread as the view of a pair of folded wings reinforced with a magicalyer was presented to them. Pronos also resurfaced with not even a single scratch on his scales. Rakna unfurled his wings and cleared the rest of the dust. Then, he revealed a cold star circled by a ring hovering above his hand. He threw it to the center of the area and coldly spoke the name of the spell, [Natcattira Kir?am.] The miniature star promptly imploded and the ring was sucked into it. The imploding energy was twisted by the addition and proceeded to release the energy outward in a ring with an unmerciful cold edge. It traveled faster than the eye could perceive and the criminals first heard a whistling sound, then a light shed, and ultimately, strength left their bodies. When they noticed that a chunk of their body was cracking like ice, it was toote as it broke apart and bisected them. Rakna had sh-stepped to a higher altitude to avoid the expanding ring that dug more into the foundations of the sewer. It had apparently been thest straw and the rest of the building above was essentially routed as it fell inside the underground pathways in pieces. The storm from outside infiltrated the ce but the rain quickly turned into snow and the winds chilly beyond reason. Rakna beheld the destruction below and all the bodies bisected by his spell. A quick scan with his senses informed him that all were either dead or unconscious. Pronosnded on his shoulder and hissed inquisitively. Hm? Is it over, you ask? No, Rakna replied. Based on Appraisal, these people were members of the organization we were looking for but the leader wasnt here Most of them were around level 50 and some were close to 70 and 80. I predict Fang is closer to 100 or maybe above it- Bingo! Raknas eyes widened and he felt something approaching. His instincts kicked in and he was about to turn around and sh with whatever it was but Sonata started glowing on its own. A ck and golden spherical barrier encased him and blocked the blow of whoever had spoken just now. A curved de hit the sphere and the barrier held in. It buffered the damage and even caused the assant to retreat due to the rebound. Tch, a reactive barrier? Annoying. Rakna raised an eyebrow and fully turned around. His attacker was a tall man with long silver hair and eyes wielding a ck scythe even bigger than he was. I suppose youre Fang? He asked with a calm tone as if he hadnt just been attacked. And I guess youre a Hit Taker from the Pavilion? The man sneered and looked at the destroyed base of operations he had set up. You really did a number on us, huh? There was nearly a third of my men here. How did you know they would all be here today? I have good ir. Fangughed. Hahaha! Well, isnt that true, eh? Never seen a four-tailed werewolf in my life. Who knows, maybe you smelled them through the array? You wolves are freaky with that. Where do you keep your victims captive? Rakna coldly snapped back as the barrier around him was deactivated. Whoa, whoa, chill. First, why are you doing this? Uh? Tell me. I can give you ten times what theyre giving you. Why dont you join me? With a talent like you, we could climb the undergrounddder in record time. How does it sound? Dont waste your breath, Rakna retorted and Sonata moved away from his neck. It floated to his hand and turned into a Guandao. He then shrunk down his werewolf form a bit so that his size would be more manageable to wield the weapon. I dont n to negotiate anything. Fang scoffed. So what? You prefer risking your life? You didnt look like one so I thought you were not one of those, but are you trying to be the hero here? Rakna snorted and whirled Sonata into a stance as the number 176 was reflected in his eyes after he cast Appraisal on Fang. What if it is true? Do you really think the bad guy will win? The crime leader cackled and simrly spun his scythe. Real life is just like that. The bad guys win a shit ton more than in bedtime stories. Too bad Ill have to kill you; I kinda like you. The two opponents fell silent and Pronos quietly wrapped around his masters neck to provide as much support as possible at close range. After a minute of staring off, their figures dashed toward each other and shed loudly. Chapter 201: Vampire Chapter 201: Vampire A scythe and a Guandao shed in a burst of sparks. The two stayed entangled for a few seconds before Rakna grunted and was pushed back by a much more rxed Fang. The werewolf pped his wings to retreat while Pronos shot arge stream of misty poison at the crime leader while also boosting his masters speed with Infinity Magic. I will be honest, Fang uttered and whirled his scythe. You are a lot stronger than I thought you to be, he said and a ck shroud emerged from his spinning weapon and swallowed the poison. Rakna listened to his words but didnt stop attacking, with his furpletely white, and his body releasing cold mist like steam, he conjured dozens of weapons with Star Hearth andunched them at his opponent. Youre not even at your First Ascent, are you? Fang continued calmly and deflected the swords and projectiles thrown at him. Half of them imploded far away from him while the remaining half was somehow destroyed by the ck mist following the scythe. [Call of Hounds,] Rakna intoned, seemingly uncaring of his words, and a pack of Lv. 90 wolves appeared around them. Due to the snow, they had appeared as ice wolves and they all collectively started casting Ice Spike at Fang. A King? No an Emperor, Fang grinned and spread his arms. [Murfosa,] he chanted and jaws of ck miasma were summoned around him. They swallowed the ice spikes and the wolves along with them. Considering your talent you must be a Host from thest batch. And that snake, plus that scarf and your tails, youre that infamous guy, huh? Rakna Xiorra. Rakna ignored him again and nced at Pronos who wordlessly received the order and jumped down, taking his distance from the two fighters. The werewolf then raised his hand and twelve stars appeared. Fang finally reacted somewhat gravely to this one. Whoa, buddy. Thats a bit too much, dont you think? He jested and his scythes de started glowing red. He then channeled a skill simr to sh-step but within that timeframe, less than a second, Rakna muttered something else. [Reflect My Core, Antanasia.] When Fangs movement skill ended, he froze in shock when the only thing he saw was a spinning mirror exuding cold air. What is this timing? He thought. How high is his reaction time to be able to cast a teleportation spell like this? Or is it truly teleportation? [Pierce the Heavens.] The crime leader turned around in haste and spotted a revolving star aimed at him, ready to beunched through a spring. This energy signature His eyes widened. Its the Nine-Taileds- [Mystic Natcattiram Cataract,] Rakna intoned and the spell rocketed toward its target. Before it detonated, he wrapped himself with his wings and activated the defense perks of Allegro while retreating with sh Step. Right after, the star imploded but released the energy outward. It exploded once, destroying the already excavated underground even more, then a second time, erecting a pir of cold energy that reached the sky and cleared the clouds of the storm for a moment and causing hail to fall. When the burst of energies and the inverted shockwave died down, Rakna groaned and stood up a few tens of meters away from the epicenter. He flexed his frigid wings and sighed. Thankfully, his magic gave him near immunity to all cold-rted attacks; his own was not an exception. But like everything in the world,pensation of forces still exists. Cataract wouldnt kill him but it could seriously injure him if he didnt take precautions. Rakna looked at the empty crater in front of him and snarled. With a thought of his, Sonata became a Kusarigama and blocked a scytheing from behind him with the chain. He instantly turned around and grasped the twin scythes entangled with Fangs. He grabbed the handles and through the chain, hurled the crime leader away together. The silver-haired man spun midair andnded on his two feet. He straightened himself amidst the barren and chilly area with a scowl on his face. He didnt look any worse for wear but Cataract seemed to have left its traces on him considering how stiff he was. Its fucking cold. Even for me, heined and a red-ck aura shrouded him to keep away the temperature. Star magic, huh? One more thing that is freaky about you. And those senses of yours; how high is your stat? It feels impossible to take you by surprise. The worst is that you have no presence at all. Youre a mystery. Its been what? Three weeks since you joined the System? You really wont reconsider working me? Rakna stood immobile without saying anything. What? Cat got your tongue? Where did all your energy from before go? You didnt use all of your mana for that spell, did you? Fang taunted and rested his scythe on his shoulders. I admit it was quite powerful but youre going to need more than that to get past my- Corrosion Magic. Fang shut his mouth with a surprised expression. He blinked beforeughing. Of course, you have an analyze spell capable of bypassing the level difference. Then, you should know, I can shave off any sort of energetic blow with my magic and He trailed and smirked. If I stab you once with my de, its over. I prick your arm? You can only cut it off. I scratch your neck? You are dead. Thats yet to be seen. Oh, believe me, youll see it very soon. Im done ying around. Ive let you have your fun without retaliating but now its time, Fang said and his demeanor became darker. Our fight has probably caused a lot of noise up there. Enforcers will soon be here if they dont ck off, and I have more important stuff to do than humoring you. Is that so? Rakna replied calmly and put a cigarette in his mouth. He lighted it while Fang stared at him with a perplexed frown. Why are you- The silver-haired man stopped himself as he sensed something nearby. His head snapped to the right where a glowing rune had suddenly appeared in the air. Wha It was only the first one as many others started popping up all around the ce. When did you-?! Way before I found you. It was hidden inside the building that copsed, Rakna answered and his eyes glowed. The runes were connected together by countless lines and rapidly made a magic formation with Fang as its center. Pronos then surfaced from a corner and cast arge Infinity Circle above it. Fang promptly invoked his magic to corrode the formation but the infinity spell was generating too much energy at once. Do you really think Ill just stand here without doing any thing His voice dropped and he began to stagger. It was only then that he noticed the ck misting out of the magic formation. Thats not mine He muttered and gritted his teeth. He poured even more mana into his corrosion and he slowly started regaining his normal state of mind. But he was still disoriented and nauseous. Dont worry, it wontst long, Rakna said. Sloth can only do so much. Anyone with a minimum of mental strength can pull themselves out, even boosted by Infinity. What you should worry about is this, he dered and pointed his hand at the sky. An incredible amount of mana flowed out of his gloves and mana pool and formed a clean-cut five-pointed star. He concentrated and opened his mouth, [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath.] ? [Ought Rime Rip Bones and Flesh.] [In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker.] ? A Cl Lli asshole Fang mumbled as the waves of cold were bing stronger. He took a look at the formation below him and pondered on what he should do. The formation didnt take his strength away at all. It was merely making him so tired that he could barely stay awake. Doing anything felt like a deadly chore. ? [In a Lifeless Perdition, the Wolf Growls and Howls.] [In Between The Heights and Depths.] [Lies the Slumbering Mayhem of the Devourer.] ? Sloth has its limits, he said He reiterated and thought of something. He contracted his muscles until his veins popped and then grabbed his scythes de with one hand and squeezed. When the pain registered, his mind cleared up and he grinned. He clenched his weapon and gathered his mana to dash away from the formation. [Sonata C Skulk Life Down], Rakna uttered and the scarf turned into a floating Greatsword. It red with shapeless power and swung toward Fang who had barely recovered. The crime leader sensed the attack in time but not enough so. He tilted to the side and the arm he was holding his scythe with was severed. Shit! He shouted and before he knew it, an arrow of poison struck his back and paralyzed him for a few seconds. That fucking snake! ? [Bathing in Blood and Rattling Death.] [Mocking Fairness and Gorging Hearts.] [The One, They Offer Harvest.] ? Rakna finished his incantation and the star he was powering up shot off toward the sky where the clouds had yet to return from the previous explosion. The sky lit up grandly and a giant formation with two colliding stars depicted in its contents fazed into existence. Fang struggled to look at it and when he got a glimpse of it, he heard the werewolf speak the words thatpletely invaded his vision with light. [From Above Cometh, Natcattira Vi.] As if the sky was falling; a phenomenon resembling the sun colliding with the; where the world ends; Star Fall. Miles across the city, Locals, Hosts, Wilden; all could see the foreign power attacking the ground. It was terribly beautiful and frightening at the same time. It was as if the heavens were pouring an entire cascade of energy. It wasnt evenrge, loud, or destructive. It was concentrated and very much so threatening, but for most people, it was as if they were witnessing a divine descent. Rakna, who was airborne in front of the star fall, watched with his wings wide-open. The spell was very contained, unlike Cataract. The pir of cold energy was only around twenty metersrge and there were essentially no repercussions outside of that perimeter. Not even a shockwave. But the noise, however, from up close, was strident and you could hear everything right below it getting crushed mercilessly. The earth was very openly quaking from it. After a few minutes, the spell ended and a hole with no perceivable bottom was left, illuminated by the sun shining through the gap in the sky. Rakna observed everything for a short moment and clicked his tongue, which confused Pronos who was resting on his shoulder after expending all of his mana maintaining the boosted Sloth that pinned Fang down. You A twisted voice echoed from the hole made by Vi. Slowly, a silhouette crept up from inside of it and the little snake cowered behind his masters neck. There was a red and ck miasma enveloping Fangs body and his skin had gone from a tan to something whiter than snow. His eyes were fully red, sclera and iris confounded. His hair was longer, and shimmering from the sunlight. He had a pair of bat wings on his back and his mouth bared his teeth; of which the fangs were unmistakably elongated. {A vampire,} Fray whispered. Youre dead! Fang yelled and a powerful aura drowned the area. Chapter 202: Spill The Blood Chapter 202: Spill The Blood ? ? ? ? You are facing a Viscount-ss Vampire! The Title, Nemesis of the Abyss has been triggered! +5% applied to all Statistics! Your opponent grows angrier ? ? ? ? ? Rakna crossed his arms as Fang kicked him through meters of stone and scrapped concrete. He coughed a decent amount of blood and for the split of a second, he was sure his ribs had pierced his lungs before being repaired right away by his Star Reinforcement. {This is bad, bad, bad} Fray mumbled as Rakna barely parried the scythe with Sonata. [Rakna, I rmend fleeing. The current risks are not worth the results,] Alexa also piped in. {Listen to us for once!} The author continued. {This is a fully-awakened vampire; main forces of the Abyss. His speed probably reached the early 200s at this stage! And his magic is-!} Quiet, Rakna replied with an eerily calm tone as the vampire charged in again. With Fabled Sight flickering, even if he could not react physically to his opponents movements, it was perfectly in his capability to calcte and predict trajectories. With minimal actions, he mentally controlled Sonata to turn into a Guandao and manipted the ribbon to wrap around Fangs de, which immediately had the effect of corroding it. But Sonata fought it off with its self-reconstruction and Fang ultimatelynded his blow off his original aim but it still opened a gash across the werewolfs chest. Rakna grunted through the pain and exploited this opening to shift Sonata into a sword and drive it into the vampires chest. Fang howled in pain as a sizzling noise sounded from the injury he had just taken. What?! A holy weapon?! He yelled and grabbed onto the de prating his chest. He tried to pull it out but Rakna wasnt about to let him go so easily. Ignoring the widening injury across his torso, he held the sword tightly and poured his mana into it to activate one of its newest perks. [Crescent of a Falling Star,] he uttered, and a wave of holy and star energy was shot from the edge of Sonata. Fang screamed in pain as a golden-reddish glow cloaked him before his body burst apart into a swarm of bats. Rakna immediately staggered forward and copsed on the ground. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands as the gash under his fur was constantly being corroded and healed by his reinforcement and nano-machines. But he could tell that it was a losing fight on his side. Soon enough, the corrosion would reach his internal organs, and transforming his body into star energy wouldnt do anything to save him. That might have been a bit too reckless {Oh, would you like me to support that statement?} Fray said sardonically. {If Higure had been here, you sir would have been sted already.} Yeah it honestly feels good to have her out of my head. {I will snitch on you, you know?} Rakna snickered, which was followed by a pained groan. He pressed on his wound and breathed in to focus on something else than the pain. He swallowed several healing pills at once and clicked his tongue when he noticed it wasnt enough. He grunted and decided to heat one of his high-level hearts. It gave him back some mana and stamina, but it didnt do much to get rid of the corrosion. ? ??? Pain Resistance has leveled up! ??? ? I need to end this quickly so I can get healed, he thought but then grimaced as the swarm of bats began to gather. He deployed his wings wide and shot hundreds of feathers at it whilst reinforcing them with his mana. He also doubled it up by throwing one of the Eion Knives he had personally forged and improved. The knife touched the ground near the bats and exploded in a very condensed and scorching ball of energy. Unfortunately, the bats pulled through and reformed Fangs body, albeit slower. The vampire appeared with one knee on the ground as a glowing web of holy light was invading his chest. Rakna snorted at the sight. Would you look at that? It seems Im not the only one who better not get hit now. Fang snarled and stood up by using his scythe as a crutch. You are a freak, he uttered. Dont want to hear that from a bloodsucker. The vampire growled and rolled his shoulders. Regardless, you are not going to win. This self-harming strategy of yours wont get you far, he said and a ck mist enveloped him and the glow of the holy energy receded. You are outssed, boy, he dered and his aura burst out of his body. [Cioc Cioc Vampirul este le u??.] Raknas eyes narrowed when he heard the chant and his senses, far above 1 000 in his werewolf form, instantly reacted. It only took a blink, and Fang had disappeared from his view. Instead, he sensed something from behind him. He urgently put hundreds of mana into his Reinforcement and his fur and hair began to literally glow. He tilted his head to the side right in time to dodge a curved deing from behind. {Your instinct and reaction time are impressive} Fangsment was directly put into his mind while his world perception slowed down. {But its not enough to cross the gap.} Rakna could only watch in slow motion as the scythes de rotated and was ced horizontally right in front of his head. Fang pulled it back toward himself like a hook and if nothing was done, the move would lop off the werewolfs head. [Rift Shuttle!] He shouted in his mind and dimensions began to wrap around him. However, the time frame he was allowed was far less than what he needed to fully activate it. The only thing he could do was hope that the dimensions would boost his movements and defense, even if just a bit. When he saw that it wouldnt be enough, he gritted his teeth and used the only skill that could be activated in such a short time. [Artzpul,] he intoned internally, and right before the de hit him, his wings released a burst of energy and his body moved to the right but the scythe continued to approach the left side of his face until it ultimately hit. Pronos cried out as he saw blood gush out and Fangughed loudly. He retrieved his weapon with a trail of blood following the tip and swung it again. His de stabbed deep into the werewolfs sides and thetter was finally carried by the force of Artzpul and Rift Shuttle. He crashed far away on the rubbles of the sewer and building. The dimensions on him became unstable due to ack of control and a hole formed in his abdomen, which was promptly filled up again with cold energy, but at a slow pace; hindered by the corrosion. Pronos jumped down from his masters mane, just a bit disoriented, and cried out worryingly as the werewolf remained unmoving on the ground with blood flowing on the left side of his face and dirtying his pure white fur. Hahaha! How does it feel? Fangughed whilst approaching the downed wolf. Im pretty sure I felt it pop out, haha! He stated and licked the blood on his scythe. He grinned and cleaned his lips. Delicious. I might just use you as a blood bank. Rakna didnt reply. His eyes were closed and the fur was hiding how bad exactly his injuries were and nothing could be discerned except his breath. Pronos almost whimpered as he tried to nudge him but he was irresponsive. Fang arrived next to him and sneered. He casually waved his scythe and nted it on one of his shoulders. But, as if it was a corpse, there was no reaction. What? Did you give up? The vampire scoffed and pulled the scythe out. Imend you for resisting my corrosion for so long. Hmm your defense is higher than when the fight began, isnt it? In fact, it was increasing the more I injured you Is it a passive skill? His question was met with further silence and he huffed. Whatever, meet your end, he added and lifted his scythe onest time. The de erupted with ayer of corrosive magic and a bloody hue before he hacked it down. When it was about to pierce through the werewolfs heart, a hand caught the weapons shaft and stopped it on its track. Fang widened his eyes and tried to pull back but it was stuck. How are you? You were not that strong a moment ago, he uttered in confusion as he failed to free his scythe from the werewolfs grip. Did you distribute your free points just now? Free points? Raknas voice echoed doubled-toned but he still did not move. What are you even talking about? I havent used any of those since the Initiation. Wha-! The werewolfs fur abruptly darkened and faded from white to ck. I havent tried out this one yet. Raknas voice was calm and cold but the temperature was rising very slowly. You will be the first to see it. What are you even talking about? Fang replied infuriatingly as he did all he could to get his weapon back but no matter what he did, he could barely make it move. How is this possible?! You are not at your First Ascent and your main attributes are clearly speed and dexterity! How did you raise your strength so much above the 100 cap!? [In Between The Lows and Highs,] Rakna suddenly intoned. [Lies the Incarnate Mayhem of the Devourer C Spill the Blood, Ireful Descent!] He shouted and his fur turned bright red in the span of a millisecond. The permeating temperature rose tremendously and a horrifying killing intent came forth. Fang unconsciously shivered and before he knew; the werewolf was standing up and his wrist had been caught in the same iron grip as his weapon. What is this!? The vampire was truly lost. He was being overpowered with raw strength, even after releasing the entirety of his racial powers. The Sloth Magic was also creeping up again, and some sort of invisible power was attempting to breach his mind. Your end, fucker, Rakna spoke up roguishly and opened one of his crimson eyes that were filled with the shapeless manifestation of his soul power. I just needed you to be close enough, and open enough, so that you wouldnt be able to escape him with your speed. Him?! Aster, the werewolf said in amanding tone and a titanic figure emerged from his shadow. It fazed behind Fang, yanked on his bat wings, and empaled his torso. The vampire lost his breath for a moment as arge w stuck out through his chest. When he twisted his neck to see what it was, he met the lifeless eyes of a petrifying chimera. A high undead? The crime leader muttered. What do you n to do? Is this your n to kill me? You wont seed, he stated, and to prove his words, the gaping wound made by Aster was already fuming from the high-speed regeneration. Even with your Holy Weapon, you will at best weaken me. Us vampires are known as one of the hardest creatures to kill. We dont have the embarrassing weakness of legends. I know, Rakna retorted and extended his hand toward the sky. I saw it on your status. But there is one thing you misunderstood. What? I am the one who outsses you, the werewolf dered and arge portion of his internal force left his body and condensed high up in the sky. [Watch, Volcanic Star Manifestation C External Release.] Out of nowhere, the clouds that had already been put into chaos by the previous spells, vanished from the sky and a strong light illuminated the whole city. Fang looked up with his eyes squinted due to light. As he had said, unlike what legends told, most vampires were actually not affected by sunlight and only the weaker thralls would die from it. At worst, vampires only disliked the sun a bit, and when Fang saw what was happening above him, he opened his mouth wide at the sight of a burning magma star descending. It had vaporized the clouds directly around it but it was still above cloud height. In this case, it was only perceivable by them, who were right under it, while anyone else in the city would just see a strong reddish glow. There are few ways a star can provoke untold destruction, Rakna said. And one of them is one of the most feared catastrophes ever. He continued as the volcanic starsva and mes began to flow inward toward the center of the star; something that was clearly seen from below. When the star began to shrink and dim in color, Fang realized what was happening and frantically tried to get out of Asters hold. ARE YOU CRAZY?! He yelled while the chimera held him down, stopping him from getting to his scythe. Aster was slow and didnt have any notable skill but his brute force attributes were high. Thats what had made him terrifying inside abyrinth where he took the entirety of a corridors space to prevent any chance of escape. ARE YOU TRYING TO DESTROY THE CITY?! The vampire yelled. No. Only you, Rakna replied with a grin and at that point, it was very clear what he was preparing to do based on how dark the sky was getting once again. The star was now considerably smaller and most of the crimson color it wasposed of originally was now pitch ck. From all around the city, people saw it descend from the clouds cover with a sinking feeling. They had witnessed the sky falling earlier and now, something far worse was approaching. Even the enforcers who were sent by the citys administration to deal with the fight were shocked to a halt. Their leader was a respected Local closing in the 400s but even he was terrified to get closer. What in the lords name is this? Who what abomination is the source of this? He muttered to himself as the circr void sucked in all light. Even the winds and rain of the all-epassing storm were swirling around it like a crown. You will also get caught in it! Stop it! Fang shouted again as the ck hole was getting closer and closer. He was starting to feel the gravitational attraction and it was genuinely scaring him. Why dont we try it, eh? Rakna cackled maniacally and waved his hand. He used the remaining mana he had and drew a constetion with ten pivotal stars. This was the strongest sub-spell he had developed with Star Monarch. It was Tier 4 Sub-Spell. [Horologium,] he chanted and an archaic clock appeared in mid-air behind him. Rakna gently grabbed Pronos who was still a bit unsettled from what was happening. He deployed his wings and he heard the clocks needle turn very loudly. He nced at his surroundings that were frozen in time; Fang included. Horologium worked very candidly. The clock would turn twelve times, each second, and perform a whole circle. In that time, anything outside of the user would be frozen in time. However, anyone that the caster touches will be able to move once more and the caster cannot channel their internal energies outside of their bodies. Its also near impossible to deal damage to anything so its a spell unusable to harm someone. But it wasnt needed. Rakna looked up at the sky where the ck hole was still shrinking and descending. Since the spell was already cast and technically a part of him, it wasnt affected by the time stop. Which meant that it would continue to fall. The needle turned again and Rakna put Aster back in his rings storage. He gazed at Fang who was left frozen, right in the ck holes trajectory, and grabbed the scythe for himself. He then flew off andnded on a far building when the needle had itsst shift. When time recovered its course, Fang, who was about to shout right before Horologium was cast, closed his mouth instantly when he felt his body twist in all directions. Eh? He only had the time to think this before the ck hole crushed him into a fine dust. ? ? ? ? ? Hit Task Completed! ? ? Rewards & Experience have been put on hold due to the critical state of the Host! Receiving thepletion rewards might aggravate it. Notice: Seek Healing. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna watched from afar and when he got the System notification, he breathed in and connected his mind to the spell. If he let it roam free, innocents would get caught in it, but he could not just stop it. Dispelling this kind of spell was not that easy. Which left him only one option; implode it. With one mentalmand, the ck hole started spinning and deforming. A soundless implosion urred inside of it, annihting all matter in range, and it then expanded fast but harmlessly so until it dispersed into nothing more than a shockwave. When thest traces of energy were gone, Raknas fur reverted to ck and he promptly copsed on his knees. His figure shrunk and he transformed back into a therian. Pronos cried out in terror when he saw the full extent of the injuries caused by Fang. Several shes had cut through Allegro, which had yet to finish repairing, and obscene amounts of blood were spilling out. The corrosion magic was still there but it seemed weaker now that the caster was dead. But by far, the worst injury was located on the left side of Raknas face. The scythes de had dug deep; from the middle of his nose, through his eye, and in a curve down to his ear, where it ended. The entire right side was covered in blood and there was no doubt that his left eye was gone for good. The corrosion wasnt letting him regenerate it at all. Shit Rakna spoke weakly. I dont have enough energy to cast Phoenix Alexa you know what to do He uttered and fainted right after. [Protocol Initiated,] Alexa said with a somber and hasty tone. [Taking control of the Hosts spatial storage. Opening,] she narrated and a box came out from Raknas ring. The lid opened and a light shed. ? || ID: 034. Symbiose Type Item. Scanning Host. Urgent Intervention Required. Commencing. || Chapter 203: The Mightiest Star of All Chapter 203: The Mightiest Star of All For there is no wish grander than life, I have been requested many a time in the past to grant it from those who had lost all hope, a melodious, mystic-sounding voice echoed through the winds of a snowy mountain. A man with long shimmering hair akin to diamond was standing at a cliff with a coat draped over his shoulders of which the empty sleeves iled with the currents. His hands were firmly holding a crystal cane to the ground and the climate around him was parting ways for him. Rakna was present in this scenery but it wasnt physical. He couldnt even see himself. He couldnt say anything or move. All he saw was the mans back. The day I perished was the day I understood why it was so precious. Do not get me wrong. I have always grasped its importance. I have witnessed countless tears being shed for its sake. I have in the past found myself in some predicaments. For instance, on one side He lifted his left hand and gently extended it. I had a young woman wishing for life to me. She told me in tears that she was not ready for her end. But that wish of hers came at the cost of an innocent young man. On the other side He put his hand back on the cane and extended his right one. I had a young man wishing for life to me. He recounted to me of how much he had yet to aplish. But that wish of his came at the cost of an innocent young woman. He ced both of his hands back on the knob of his cane and paused. They were not necessarily malicious of each other. They merely were put on opposite sides destined to sh. Thus, a bnce of which I was the master came to be. Both wished identically. The decision was mine to take. I could save one. But I could not save the other. I could not break my oath and save both. If one of them had wished for their united salvation, it would have been much simpler Do you know what I chose in the end? He asked the wind and waited for an answer that never came. But he knew for sure he was being listened to. He knew that an answer to his question was being formed. With a smile in his voice, he continued, I demanded a price. They offered me one each. I allowed anything. Their time, memories, belongings, feelings, aplishments, bonds And I picked the one who offered the less, he concluded and looked at the sky. I figured, a life only has so much worth to it. If someone were to try and abandon everything that makes up all of it, they do not deserve it as much, do they? You do not understand life if you believe that staying alive is better than losing everything. He sighed and began to pace around the mountain, his back still facing Raknas sight. You; I chose you as my chalice. My Chalice of Wishes. You; who has no wishes. You; who has lost all of what you had before even obtaining it. You; who understands that pain is not the end. You; who knows that life is something you own, not receive. I am the Sage of The Crystal Mountain, the man said wistfully and turned around. His beautiful appearance, graced by a smile, bowed. To awaken me; wishing is not the key. Do not pretend to not understand yourself; you do not wish. Remember, you are the Chalice. Never forget, you, we are our own dreams. We are our own fantasies. And we are our own desires. You will live, for that is the life you refuse to let go of. You will not let it slip through your fingers as it is not in your nature. Forever live. Never perish. Always own your wishes. We will see each other again, Rakna Xiorra de. That day will be the day we create the Mightiest Star of All. The Sage mmed his cane on the ground and the snow swallowed the world. ? * * * ? Search the area! Go look for survivors and traces of people involved! The chief of the enforcers shouted when they arrived at the battleground that had been hit by a ck hole a minute ago. The city was getting more sunlight than it had in the past yearbined because of it. Why did the System refuse our request for an Adjudicator? The chief muttered. What do they mean by you dont have the authority to interfere At least, the one who cast that horrifying spell managed to contain it to a few buildings of damage. Thankfully, there were no casualties Boss! A member of the team shouted as they ran back from a distance. We found a trail of blood that led to a far building! Theres someone unconscious on the roof! We think he might have flown off to during thatst attack. The chief scowled. Blood? No mana or spiritual signature? He must be one of the fighters, right? Well based on his injuries, we believe so. But even after getting close to him, there was nothing we could sense from him. At first, we thought he was dead with all the blood on him. And we also identified him, sir. What? Who is it? I-its the pupil of Obsidian and the Councils new member; Rakna Xiorra. The chiefs eyes widened in shock. Authority Quick! Call healers! Use your items on him! You better not let him die; at all costs! Understood, sir! The subordinate replied and flew off. The chief waved at someone else who hade along. Bring me to the building in question, he ordered and followed his subordinate to where Rakna had fainted. When he arrived, he approached the downed therian and crouched next to him while a few people treated him, who were rapidly joined by more in the following moments. The chief nced at the albino snake who was warily watching them before getting a closer look at the young man. He winced when he saw the deep sh going across the left side of his face. Is his eye salvageable or not? He asked one of the medics who shook his head grimly. We havent looked to confirm yet, but I dont think its possible by any normal means. There is a deep corrosion on every single wound. We are focused on that at the moment. If it is also the same for his eye it is not salvageable. Additionally, judging by the wound and the traces of blood the eyeball was entirely removed by the de that caused it. The chief rubbed his eyes and groaned. I hope we dont get into trouble for this Sir, someone called him whilstnding on the roof. We found dozens of survivors buried under the rubbles of some underground pathways. They must have run away from the fight. Underground paths? He scowled. Does that mean Yes. We confirmed it. They are members of Crimson Gem. We have already started to put them in custody. I see. So, it was Fang who was fighting this young man Its impressive for a new Host. But most expected for the student of a Nine-Tailed bold enough to mock his own n, the chiefmented and turned to his subordinate. Gather them up for an interrogation. I want to know their entire hub of operations and get rid of their crime group once and for all. Also, have you found traces of Fang or even his body? We are not sure if Xiorra killed him. No, sir. In my opinion, I think nothing could have survived that. And in this case, the chances of finding an actual corpse are mince. It might have been crushed or obliterated. The chief hummed. I agree. Continue the search for the time being regardless. Keep away civilians and report back to me when you have finished apprehending all of Crimson Gems members. You are dismissed. The subordinate saluted and shed down from the building with a movement skill. The leader of the enforcers looked back at Rakna and frowned when he noticed something. Hey, are any of you casting a spell for his eye? Huh? No, sir Why do you ask? Then what is this glow? He retorted and the healers leaned over a bit to look closer. There was a faint golden lighting from under the therians scarred eyelid. I dont know. He is most definitely unconscious and no mana is being used. It might be a-! The medic stopped talking and jumped back along with others when Raknas left eye opened snappily with a fizzling sound. More blood flowed down his cheeks but where there should be a void, an uncanny red and gold mechanical eye was focusing its lenses over and over again. It had hundreds ofyers and after a moment, it rotated its LEDs and emitted a sound. || Emergency Symbiosis Complete. DNA Integrated. Compatible Networks Detected. Establishing Contact Contact Established. Nano-Machines Taken Over. Eion Energy Sessfully Assimted. Proceeding To Upgrade || The eye flickered and a blue energetic pulse parkoured the entirety of Raknas body before returning to his left eye. What is The chief enforcer muttered. || Allegro, Andante, Sonata C Symphony Synchronized. Compound Integrated. Restructuring For Optimal Coverage || Promptly, Raknas outfit suddenly became alive and stitched itself back together. The blood that stained it boiled and was expelled out of the material. The cuts were closed and everything came back together. His hood was automatically pulled up and Scherzo covered his face. The mask only had one eye lit up; a red and gold one. What an eerie mask One of the onlookers said. What kind of technology is this? || Operating Relinquishing 36% Resources to Rece Flesh/Organ Tissues Blood Production Lift Initiated. Harmful External Energy Detected. Relinquishing 45% Resources to Eliminate the Anomaly || Raknas equipment started glowing and if his skin had been visible, everybody nearby would have been able to see small lights shine through his skin as they worked on his injuries; sometimes evening out and filling the bloody gashes. After a short while, the corrosive aura left by Fang slowly was expelled by a bluish spray of mist. Its healing him Ive never seen any type of technological-induced force win so overwhelmingly over magic before, the head medic said in awe. What kind of energy source does this run on? || Operation Sessful. User Unconscious Directing Resources to Brain. Imnting Processors for Sensorial Receptors Sessful. Awakening Process: Surcharging Brainwaves || The eye stated and Scherzos second light lit up with a purple flicker. Chapter 204: Eye of Symphony Chapter 204: Eye of Symphony Rakna jumped to his feet, startling the onlookers. He staggered a bit the moment he stood up and held his head. He groaned and took his mask off. The blood on his face was gone but a deep scar was crossing his eye. He scowled at the people around him and they gulped nervously. || Sessful Surcharge. User Conscious. Transferring Data || The mechanical eye spoke up again and the therian looked estranged but only for a second as rows of data rolled in his vision. A grid momentarily superimposed the topography of his environment, several lines of information scrolled past the people he looked at, their heartbeats and temperature were revealed to him, and even their skeleton shone for a second. After that small calibration, information was directly put into his brain and he learned everything that was said and done while he was unconscious. Quite a good item pull Thanks, Alexa, he muttered. [I am relieved you are safe,] the AI responded. {Me too good lord, that was stressful,} Fray followed up. Well, at least, I got to talk with the dude inside my soul, the therian and turned around to catch Pronos who jumped on him flustered. Sorry about that, little guy. I took a lot more damage than I thought. I chose not to use Titan, he said whilstforting the snake. Um, sir, one of the healers spoke up and he turned toward him. Are you okay? You were in a severe condition Yes, Rakna replied dryly and held his mask up. He looked at it for a short moment then his left eyes mechanicalyers rotated. The masks inner side promptly smoothed up and an impromptu mirror was created. The therian looked at himself and clicked his tongue. After all my efforts to keep my face clear of scars He muttered and shifted the masks angle to take a better look at his eye. With a simple mentalmand from him, the eyes structure began to spin until it settled into a perfect imitation of a real eye. Rakna closed his eyelid a few times and he didnt notice any sort of difference, whether it was in appearance or feeling. When he was done with that, Scherzo deconstructed itself into Allegro and he turned to the enforcers who were stuck between tending to him and keeping their distance out of respect for his identity. You said you were apprehending the members of Fangs organization, right? He asked and the chief enforcer nodded slowly. Yes We are nning to get the necessary information out of them to dismantle their item, drug, and ve traffickingwork. Its suspected that they are connected to the Abyss so we need to act fast before they are scrapped. No ce for suspicions. They were with the Abyss, Rakna retorted as he put Sonata around his neck and pulled his hood down, making his new scar even clearer. Fang was a vampire. If I didnt have a title specifically made to boost my stats against Abyss Creatures, I would have gotten even worse injuries. If that had happened lets say I would have been forced to use a skill even more potent than the one I used. The chief enforcer flinched. Something worse than a ck hole? What is Obsidian teaching to a fresh Host? He thought to himself. Regardless, you dont need to interrogate them, Rakna continued whilst cracking his neck. Huh? What do you mean? I can give you that information myself. How? The chief inquired. Have you gotten something out of Fang? He snorted. No. But I will. Sorry? Follow me. Youll get what I mean. A small confirmation before that; how long has it been since the fight ended? Well, if we are talking about the time your spell struck; about seven minutes? Hm, it should be fine, Rakna uttered and sh-stepped down the building. The chief followed him with equal speed and they quickly reached the crater dug by the ck hole. Rakna looked around and mused. Fairly destructive It couldve gone bad. The chiefs mouth twitched. Excuse me, sir, but have I misunderstood or you used an untested high-tier spell in the middle of the city? maybe? The therian replied with a tilt of his head. But if were strictly talking about tests I did attempt it on a smaller scale Although it failed each time. But I always figured it was because the star wasnt big enough, and I was right. The chief fell silent in disbelief. In any case, Im not here to discuss that, Rakna said and spread his arms. He closed his eyes and scattered his soul around. There was a thing he had learned in the past weeks; souls lingered after death. There were different stages to it but the one relevant to him was the first, which generally lingers for around five to ten minutes after death. He scanned the area to find the scraps of Fangs soul. [Dead Men Tell,] he intoned and pushed everything together to extract what he wanted from it. Right away, memories and knowledge were pushed inside his brain right before thest vestiges of the vampires soul vanished. Interestingly enough, this normally would take him time to process and assimte, but this time, his brain, which had been enhanced by his new eye, stored it in the blink of an eye. I see, he nodded and lowered his arms. He waved his right hand and a sheet of paper made out of his cold energy formed. He mentally drew a map on it ording to the memories he had just gotten as well as the 3D scape that was automatically showed by his mechanical eye. When he was done, he tossed the map to the chief who caught it. There are six marks on it. Each of them is either a base or a warehouse of Crimson Gem. Send your men and do your work. How did you find this? Dead men tell, Rakna kidded and turned his back. Ill be going to the biggest warehouse on that map. See you. Wait! At least take some people with-! The chief couldnt finish as Rakna disappeared from his view with a sh-step that even he found impressive due to its channeling speed. He sighed and scratched his head whilst looking at the map. At least he doesnt seem to be a guy that will make us lose our job on a whim He grumbled and tapped on his temple a few times to open a channel to his team while he flew off. Better hurry and get done with the organizing and go after him. Still that kid, hes probably already stronger than I was back at level 200, he thought somewhat bitterly. What a monster. ? * * * ? {So, did you get something useful from Fangs memories?} Fray asked. Yes, Rakna responded as he sh-stepped off another rooftop. By this point, the clouds had fully returned and filled the sky. Interestingly enough, when he imed we could climb thedder of the underground together, he partially meant both the Abyss and the Arena. It seems both organizations are connected. {Oh well, that makes things harder,} the authormented. {Arena Zero seems to be already deep-rooted and powerful but if you add up the Abyss to the lot you get the leaders of crime and the leaders of evil on the same team.} No matter. The good thing is that I learned a few things about the Arena from Fang. Notably, various methods and locations to ess teau Zero. Most of them are on the 100th teau and a few others above it. {You have upgraded DMT quite a lot, huh? How about the eye from the Heavenly Chaos Box? That item; what does it do exactly?} Well, why dont we take a look together, Rakna replied and promptly opened all the notifications that had been muted by Alexa, as always, to make sure he wasnt distracted, and his full status. ? ? ? ? ? Physical Damage Resistance has ascended through Exceled! Magical Damage Resistance has ascended through Exceled! Artzpul has ascended through Exceled! Two bursts can now be triggered at once. ? ? You have used Ireful Descent C Spill the Blood! Wrathful Obsidian Blood has been triggered! Attributes altered! ? ? Cold Star Reinforcement has ascended through Exceled! You can now mold the shape of full-reinforced body parts and remotely control them when detached. ? ? You have learned the Tier 2 Spell, Natcattiram Carivu! (Currently Limited to Manifestation) Cold Star Magic has Exceled! Mystic Cold Star Magic has leveled up! 2x ? ? The Gold Item, Eye of Heavenly Chaos, has established a symbiotic connection with the Host! Eye of Heavenly Chaos has fully integrated the Hosts Nano-Machines! Eye of Heavenly Chaos has fully integrated Allegro! Eye of Heavenly Chaos has fully integrated Andante! Eye of Heavenly Chaos has fully integrated Skulking Sonata! ? ? You have gained a new Trait; Eye of Symphony! ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra de Age: 17 | Level: 97* (4520/970) Path/Race: Nine-Tailed Werewolf Affiliation: Throne of Glory ? Titles: Legendary yer C Legendary Wolf Emperor C Divinity yer C Treasure Hunter C Nemesis of the Abyss C Dungeon Bane C Cmity Hunter C Dimension Breaker C The Kind Demons Kin C True Imperial Designation ? Potential: S+ | Host Rank: IX ? Normal Attributes: ? STR: 64.4 | END: 61 SPD: 58.9 + 10 | DEX: 40.1 INT: 41.4 | LCK: 9 ? Werewolf Attributes: ? STR: 102.4 | END: 97 SPD: 110 | DEX: 64 INT: 66 | LCK: 9 ? Avable Vtile Points: 0 (10 Assigned to SPD) Avable Attribute Points: 170.6 Avable Skill Points: 2 ? Normal Statistics: ? STA: 145/358 | MP: 126/666 SWI: 264 | AGI: 286 SEN: 1 398 | ATC: 285 ATT: 558.8 + 10% Cold | DEF: 367 MA: 159 | MR: 6.86/min ? Werewolf Statistics: ? STA: 550 | MP: 1032 SWI: 408 | AGI: 382 SEN: 2 146 | ATC: 447 ATT: 816 | DEF: 513 MA: 239 | MR: 10.5/min ? Proficiencies: ? C Mana Control (Lv. 16 ?) C Soul Sense (Lv. 15 ?) C Mana Sense (Lv. 13 ?) C Runecraft (Lv. 12 ?) C Flight (Lv. Ex) C Magic Theory (Lv. Ex) C Magic Circle Theory (Lv. Max) C cksmithing (Lv. Ex) C Tracking (Lv. Max) C Weapon-Mastery (Lv.9) C Magic Formation Theory (Lv.9) C CQC Mastery (Lv.8) C Crafting (Lv.7) C Woodworking (Lv.6) C Cooking (Lv.6) C Alchemy (Lv.2) ? Magic Skills: ? C Cold Star Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Cold Star Manifestation (T.0); Natcattiram Carivu (T.2); Natcattira Vi (T.4), Natcattiram Cataract (T.5), Natcattira Kir?am (T.6), Natcattiram Vi?untatu (T.6), Star Puppetry (T.10 C T.1); Star Hearth (T.10 C T.1); Star Monarch (T.10 C T.1); Cold Star Mist (T.10)] ? C Mystic Cold Star Magic (Lv.7) => [Uniform] C Sloth Magic (Lv.9) => [Path to Absolution (T.9)] C Union Magic (Sloth + Cold Star) C Frosted Sloth => [Niflhel Niflheim (T.7); Tkkamum (T.8)] C Item Dependent Spells => [Eruption (T.7) {1/3}; Petal of Copse (T.7) {2/2}] ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): ? C Absolution of Belphegor (Lv. UEX ???) C Souls Decree (Lv. 26 ??) C Pain Resistance (Lv. Max ?) C Primal Soul Core (Lv.19 ?) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv.18 ?) C Fear Resistance (Lv. 17 ?) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv. 14 ?) C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv. 12 ?) C Cold Soul Aura (Lv. 11 ?) C Despair Aura (Lv. Ex) C Dimensional Damage Resistance (Lv. Max) C Walking Star (Lv.6) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): ? C Awakening of Divinity (-) C Empirical Tribtion (-) C All Virtues Shall Sloth (Lv. UEX ???) C Rift Shuttle (Lv. Ex ???) C Celestial Gate (Lv-) C Eonian Gate (Lv-) C sh Step (Lv. 18 ?) C Dead Men Tell (Lv. 16 ?) C Soul Breath (Lv. 15 ?) C Call of Hounds (Lv.14 ?) C Soul Scourge (Lv. 14 ?) C Stealth (Lv. 13 ?) C Cold Star Reinforcement (Lv. 12 ?) C Fabled Sight (Lv. 12 ?) C Artzpul (Lv. 11 ?) C ws (Lv. Ex) C Werewolfs Moon Shine (Lv. Ex) C Raise Undead (Lv. Ex) C Gigantism (Lv. Ex) C Cross Dimensional Sagacity (Lv. Ex) C Soul Drain (Lv. Ex) C Weapon Reinforcement (Lv. Ex) C Shadow Step (Lv. Max) C Gradation Hex Buffer (Lv. Max) C Appraisal (Lv. Max) C Projectile Reinforcement (Lv.7) C Fortune Search (Lv.4) C Legendary Imperial Guard (Lv.1) ? Nirvana Skills: ? C The Harvester C The Scavenger C Ascension of the Titan ? C Ireful Descent: A Nirvana Skill born from thebination of Ireful Shell, Wrath Yaksha, and Obsidian Blood. The holder of this ability will see their defense passively increase by 1% with every damage they take. This effect can be stacked up to 100% and each incrementsts for five minutes after it is triggered. The holders blood production will be boosted and their bones will snap back into ce whenever they are disced or broken. Note that this is not equivalent to regeneration and only allows the user to fight longer for as long as their willpower allows it. Additionally, two skills will be avable; Wrath Demon and Spill the Blood. The former will attract the animosity of surrounding hostile creatures and increase the users Magical & Physical Defense by 50% at the cost of 500 MP and a cooldown of one hour. Spill the Blood allows the user to manually trigger the Trait, Wrathful Obsidian Blood with a cooldown of one hour. Note that Ireful Descent has decreased the negative side effects of this trait. But beware, repeated uses will still be detrimental. ? Note: This is a cursed skill. It is currently on the verge of being ssified as a Tier 1 curse. The System personally wishes to warn you; the Host can repress the curse on his own but there is no telling of what will happen once the curse evolves to its final stage. ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? C Eion Auto-Sustainable Nanomachines C Shape Shift C True Smell of the Wolf God C Luqus Wings C Lesser Regeneration C Shuttle Specter Physique C Internalized Magic Circuits C Void Breathing ? C Wrathful Obsidian Blood: A trait born from thebination of Wrath Yaksha, Ireful Shell, and Obsidian Blood. It is an alternative mind that alters the Hosts behavior. The change is so drastic that the body itself has to follow. When this trait is triggered, SPD & DEX are halved and STR & END gain the difference. Additionally, for one minute after activation, the Hosts metabolism stops bleeding and the healing factor is upgraded to the next stage. Note: This trait can be triggered through emotional shocks or the Nirvana Skill; Ireful Descent. ? C Eye of Symphony: Originally the Gold Item, Eye of Heavenly Chaos, which, after imnting itself into the biology of Rakna Xiorra de, has been elevated to Eye of Symphony. Its most essential uses include; the expanding of sensorial inputs, regtion of brain waves, increase in thinking speed, organic data storage, various analytical programs, connection toworks in range, unparalleled hacking capabilities, mental input, miniature quantum calctor, HLpatibility, etcetera Upon connecting to Allegro, Andante, and Sonata; the eye established a connection to the item set known as Symphony and can now be used to control them at will. Allegros modes can now be mentally altered by the user through their mind. Eye of Symphony made contact with the Eion Nano-Machines and through its integrated programs, enhanced their specs and applications. The Nano-Machines can now be controlled to defend against all sorts of invading energies or substances. This allows near-immunity to all poisons, toxins, and parasitical magic and creatures. The eye has simultaneously integrated Eion Energy into its systems and has rationalized a program to generate new nanobots out of mana and stamina. Through that, the nano-machines have reached apletely new level of symbiosis. Thanks to the Eye of Symphony, they now are biologically part of the Host. Whenever the Host gets injured, the nano-machines will replicate and rece the flesh and blood lost, transforming said body part into an organic, strengthened, malleable material. ? Current Nano Resources Avable For Replicating: 13% Reconstruction Rate: 1% per hour (without noticeable mana or stamina cost involved) ? Effect of the Eye: +100% to Senses Nano-Machines Effects: +10% to STA, SWI, AGI, ATT ? Rmendation: Allow Eye of Symphony to run the Overhaul Program and fully transform the Hosts body to boost their physical capability. WARNING: A painful experience is to be expected. The Host will no longer be made of true flesh and blood. If you do not wish for this; turn off nano-machine reconstructions as it will eventually lead to it over time if the host continues to heal with this method. ? Current Progress: 0.268% Note: Eye of Symphony is perfectly blended into the Hosts organism. It is thus affected by abilities such as Reinforcement or Regeneration without issues. ? ? Rewards & Experience were previously put on hold due to the critical state of the Host. Do you wish to im them now? Yes/No ? Note: You will directly reach Level 100. It is rmended to find a safe location to proceed. ? ? ? ? Chapter 205: Chalice of Wishes Chapter 205: Chalice of Wishes {Is that a four-figure-stat I am seeing?!} Fray eximed. Ah it went up, Rakna remarked as he skimmed over the new addition. So, another 100% bonus, huh? That makes it 500% in total. No wonder I feel light-headed. I have to get used to an even greater sense value {Good lord, your attributes are high as well} The fable writer was still stuck in the first half of the status. {You must have eaten at least two more Drake hearts And how many skills do you have at the Ascended Stage?! This is madness! And is that a new Nirvana Skill Im seeing?!} Rakna rolled his eyes as he ordered through his eye for Allegro to pull the hood and cover his face with Scherzo without him having to move. Thats old news already. {For you! Not for me! ce yourself in my shoes for a moment. Higure must have suffered quite a lot in thest few weeks} He muttered. {As for this Eye of Symphony it is demented.} Agreed, Rakna replied as he sh-stepped near the entrance of a regr-looking building. His left eye turned ck and red for a second and many silhouettes began to shine through the walls and ground in his sight. [| 59 Potential Hostile Mana and Heat Sources Detected. 124 Non-Hostile Targets Detected. |] A synthetic voice talked directly into the therians brain and he snickered. Interesting Hey, Eye, hack into this ce and get me the map of thework. You can do that, right? [| Affirmative. Estimated Time Required: 26 Seconds. eptable? |] Yes. Do it. [| Acknowledged. Infiltrating System |] The eye started calcting and under the mask, the filter meant to camouge it was disrupted lightly for the duration of the hacking. [| ess Granted. |] Promptly, Rakna saw a digital three-dimension map superimpose what he was seeing. He looked around and even instinctively connected to the cameras inside the building. At the end of the day, this item was a symbiosis type. Rather than the eye doing the work, it felt like he was instead using a dissociated part of his own brain and ordering himself. A bit odd but its not a bad feeling, hemented and looked through the cameras until he found a ce with many cells in which he found tattered people; some better off than others. The women and children seemed better treated especially. He snarled quietly. Better value as a ve {You will not go full shift again, will you?} Fray asked cautiously. Dont worry about that. Last time I was just caught off guard. Ive seen much worse things and did not go into full shift Sometimes, the smallest of things can get you angry. You dont really deal with anger the moment ites, Rakna dered as he took out a few hearts and devoured them, their refrigerated state not even bothering as he bit through it. His aura red and small constructs of cold energy hovered around him. You deal with it before ites to you, he finished and the cold energy turned into needles. [Koscheis Mystic Needles,] he intoned and the needles bossted by Mystic Magic whizzed away. They pierced the walls and ground until they each reached their targets. Rakna lowered his hand and in the time it took him to do that, every hostile signature in his eye dropped to the ground. He walked to the buildings entrance and kicked the doors open. He stepped over one of the men that had been in the hall when he cast his spell and went to a certain spot of the house. He coated his hand in dimensions with Rift Shuttle, extended his ws, and hit the floor right in a focal point, causing several meters of metal and concrete to copse and reveal a passage. He once again analyzed the trajectory with Eye of Symphony and sh stepped inside. Since he knew where to go, it only took him a few steps to arrive at his destination. He walked to the prison cells and stopped in front of one. He peeked inside where dozens of people were sleeping on cold hard beds. Once again, in a show of usefulness, his new eye worked in tandem with Fabled Sight to scan their health and make a small bubble above each of their head with a condensed medical profile in it. Rakna clicked his tongue. This was the cell where most men were kept. Unlike with women and children, their captivity was rough. The members of Crimson Gem were not as careful. He just had to look around at the other cells to make theparison. {When ites to women and children, their price is heavily swayed by their appearance. Some by their skills,} Fray said rather sharply. {Disgusting as always. You find this everywhere.} Everywhere indeed, Rakna replied as he dismissed Scherzo and lit a cigarette, which finally caught the attention of some of the captives, who noticed someone was outside. But they simply ignored it with a nk face. No hope, the therian expressed in his mind and huffed a cloud of smoke. He started drawing the lines for a constetion whilst smoking. Unlike the men who were lifeless in their behavior, the children and women were staring at him. They had never seen him before and several of them had noticed how quiet it had gotten a few moments prior. Where had all the guards gone to? Mister, what are you doing? A young boy curiously asked from behind the bars. Milo! A woman called him nervously and took him in his arms. What did I tell you aboutC Do you want to know, kid? Rakna cut her off. The woman was obviously scared that he wouldnt actually be on their side andsh out at them. But without even looking at them, he worked on his spell and began to tell a story. Across many mythologies, there is a sacred bird widely known as the Phoenix. They were said to resemble eagles with purple, red, and gold feathers, he started recounting softly as he continued to draw the constetion. The captives started listening with mixed reactions. Based on one of those instances, upon reaching 500 years of age, the bird would build itself a nest at the top of a palm tree, using incense and cinnamon bark, ignite everything, and meet its end by the fire. Amidst the ashes, a Phoenix would be reborn. Some say that they simply resurrect, and others say that they give life to a child, Rakna said and finished the constetion. He looked back at the boy who was listening excitingly. Do you want to know what I believe? Un! The child nodded. Rakna smiled faintly and flicked the constetion. A bell-like sound echoed and a ripple coursed through the spell formation. mes give life, he uttered and the constetion transformed into a majestic bird with blue, red, and golden feathers. It cried out as if it was singing and shrouded the entirety of the underground area in bluish mes. Everyone reflexively tried to protect themselves from a heat that never came. Instead, the Phoenix sang even louder. The young boy watched everything without blinking and witnessed the battered men inside the jail cells wake up with healed bodies and minds. Scoop the ashes, ignite them, and proudly wear them, Rakna said as he approached the cell that held the young boy. The mes opened a path for him and he crouched in front of the child. Hey, kid, which one do you think is cooler? He asked with a small smile and the Phoenix deployed its wings behind him in a grand disy of majesty. Yours! He replied with a wide grin. Raknas smile widened a little and his pupil rotated once. Right away, the electrical locks of all the cells opened with a clink; including the one belonging to the door that separated him and Milo. The Phoenix cried out onest time and disappeared. When the mes started dying out, Rakna slowly put his mask back. Well said. Better to live on than to be reborn, he said and paused for a moment. Kid do you have a wish? A wish? The boy tilted his head and the captives who had been healed by the spell began toe out of the cells. Some of them began to cry in joy, others went to tend to their loved ones or their friends, but the majority quietly watched as the therian and the child chatted. Yes, Rakna nodded. Any wish, he said with squinted eyes, which flickered from purple to ck for the split of a second. For free You will be my first guest. Then I want to be a Phoenix! Milo shouted enthusiastically. Your Wish Rakna uttered and his hand became covered in crystal. He extended it toward the forehead of the boy and tapped it. Shall Be Granted. Immediately, a crimson and golden me erupted from the childs body and formed a pair of wings on his back made out of ethereal fire. The spectators gawked at the sight and it faded away as fast as it came. Milo blinked in a daze and looked at himself. Eh? I dont feel any different Am I really a Phoenix now, Mister? Rakna stood up and inspected his crystallized hand as it melted back to normal. He clenched it a few times with enough strength to audibly stretch the fabric of Andante and turned back to the young boy. Yes yes, you are. One day, when you find your own nest, you will see for yourself. Have a good eternity kid, he said and disappeared from the room right as the mes of his sub-spell were extinguished for good and the enforcers barged into the building. ? * * * ? Rakna sat at the edge of a roof, with the rain in his close vicinity turning into snow, watching as the enforcer group apprehended the criminals. He hadnt killed them with his needles; at worst, they would be paralyzed if they didnt have a good defense. {Well it seems my little escapade in the depths of my library was not of that much use to you if you managed to do something like that with so little guidance,} Fraymented as both he and his soul host looked at a system window. ? ? ? ? ? You have gained a new title! ? ? Chalice of Wishes ? T?? -b??d4??# ??#?? #?3?m?i??5? l???? e#??n?r?? ??3? N1??b??? o????s: 1 ? Note: The power at the origin of this title surpasses the Systems storage and encoding levels. ? ? ? ? ? I guess Rakna muttered whilst gazing at his hand in thought. {So will that boy truly be a Phoenix?} The therian sighed and cleared his mind. He will. I dont know how; but I can tell you for sure that he will no, he is a Phoenix. He simply needs to find his ashes thats what my instincts are telling me at least. {Ah, but of course, how could I ever forget about those instincts of yours? Then what about the price? Should there not have been one for you to grant a wish?} The Sage offered his first guest the same deal, Rakna answered with information that he didnt even know he had. Since this kid was my first wish I could also give it for free, he exined as he spotted Miloing out of the building while in the care of the enforcers. {Without making it sound like you have done something wrong; do you think it was a good idea to use that opportunity on a stranger?} Rakna looked at the stormy sky and twisted the corners of his lips. What do you think? {?} If I could go back in time and offer this opportunity to Vivi, I would do it a thousand times over. {Vivi?} An innocent girl who wanted to see the outside world, he replied and Pronos took on a sad face at the reminder. For all intents and purposes, she was a stranger. One that I failed to save. Would it constitute a good-or-bad-idea question if I wanted to give her a wish? {} Rakna snorted and pushed himself to his feet. There you go. You got your answer. Ruminate on that, Exalted Quill, he quipped and sh-stepped away. Chapter 206: Overhaul Chapter 206: Overhaul {So while on this topic, am I wrong to ask why you could not just use this new ability of yours to fulfill wishes for yourself?} Fray asked as Rakna headed to the Pavilion. I dont know why but I find what you said very offending. {Pardon?} He said confused. {Is it really?} Well, it seems the Sage has given me more than an ability, the therian said pensively. Deep down in my consciousness, I can feel something. Knowledge that I shouldnt have but that I cannot ess either way without needing it. {Interesting What about my question then?} Of course, its a no-go. First of all, my power doesnt work on myself. And wishes, as you said, require prices. Even if I could ask others to make wishes for me, they would have to pay a tribute. But more importantly, a wish that is not genuine cannot be fulfilled by well, me, but I would rather say the Crystal Sages power. {Hm,} Fray mused. {How would you define a genuine wish, if I may ask?} Real Something that you truly wish for. Something that only belongs to yourself. In other words, it cannot be abused. Lets say I ask via to make a wish that is beneficial to me, or rather for herself and the group as a whole. I know for a fact that she would do it without hesitation but no matter how willing she is to do it, it wouldnt be real. {But then, that child} The kid was as genuine as you can get, Rakna retorted and stepped inside the Pavilion. He was spotted by the receptionist and passersby who immediately stiffened. He ignored them and went up the stairs to the private section as he continued to exin. Children are for theck of a better word, na?ve beyond reason. But thanks to that, they grow by leaps and bounds. At that age, dreams and wishese as they go. Do you know what is different about childrenpared to adults? {What is it?} They are sincere, Rakna snorted. Their thoughts and actions are genuine at every turn. They are the only ones who I almost always granted a wis- He abruptly stopped his thinking with wide eyes right when he entered the lounge. Fray had obviously noticed why. {That YOU almost always granted?} He said with a sharp tone. Rakna paused for a moment before recovering. Doesnt matter, he said out loud. Whatever the Sage did to imnt these thoughts into me, I dont think it meant me harm. I guess its a manner of my inheriting his powers. {It is still slightly worrying but I will concur with your gut instincts.} At this point, the only question I have is about my Kzanaria, Rakna continued as he entered the Gravity Chamber. And I mean the fact that although I gained a Title that supposedly allows me to grant wishes, I got nothing about awakening my Kzanaria. {I would assume it to be a process. Perhaps this wish-granting is merely the first step?} A piece of a greater result, he concluded and Pronos jumped off his neck when he ordered Trii to increase the gravity to what he was currently used to train in. Regardless thats something I will have to worry about in the future. I cant just go around and ask people for their wishes. It will probably happen on the fly at best, like today. It only works on specific people. I cant always just choose. {If you say so.} By the way, do you see any change to my soul sea? {No I am looking out the window at the moment. Nothing changed much, at least. There is in fact a certain thing Ive noticed. The raining petals are now, I would say, 95% ck and 5% white in color.} Rakna scowled. Doesnt seem very indicative it might turn out to be gradual. Either time-based or by the number of wishes I grant, he said and shook his head. Lets stop thinking about it, he continued and sat down on the ground. I have a lot of other stuff to sort already {Indeed.} First this, he muttered and opened up the description of Eye of Symphony once again. [Do you intend to run the Overhaul, Rakna?] Alexa asked with a careful tone. She didnt know why, but she was a bit nervous about it. She was aware that this process would transform her Host into something closer to herself. It excited her to a stage she didnt even realize. It depends, Rakna replied honestly. I dont give a crap about being a robot, freak, or whatever else. If this can make me stronger, I will take it. I dont have much humanity left anyway. But beforemitting He paused. Run a simtion, leave no corner untouched, and give me the results. Calcte the probabilities of failure or negative side effects and show them to me, he started utteringmands one after another but both Alexa and Fray knew he wasnt talking to either of them. To be exact, the therian appeared to be talking to himself. And as expected, his orders were carried out by none other than the Eye of Symphony. The lenses focused several times back and forth and rows of data, as well as a digitalized image of Raknas body, was constructed. He read every result with uncanny speed. In fact, he only had had the time to blink for every single word and number present to be read by his eye and registered by his brain. I guess memory isnt a problem to me anymore, he thought to himself. And reading speed obviously 0.264% chance of unwanted side effects. 1.173% chance of failure Hemented with a raised eyebrow. Not high enough for me to care. Fray audibly contained hisugh. {Why would you?} He said sarcastically. {Be frank, you would not care even if those numbers were above 90, am I right?} Rakna shrugged and mentally began a new simtion through his mind. He could do it all silently but it felt a bit less bizarre to voice them to his Eye, Scan my brain. Run a new simtion. I want the full details of the Overhauls effects on it. This time, the view of his body zoomed out, and instead, his head was detached from it and zoomed in before extracting a full-scale brain. The Eye of Symphony performed the scan with the nanobots help and disyed every single detail. That was fast Rakna mumbled, a bit surprised. If I went back to Earth with this Eye, we could probably start fabricating synthetical brains quite an odd prospect. How much storage does this thing even have to make a neuronal map of- He paused as he telepathically received the answer in the form of cold hard numbers for the CPU and Storage capacity. {What is wrong?} Sorry There were too many zeros to react, Rakna deadpanned and dismissed the info. He then concentrated on the brain simtion and sighed. The Overhaul Program would indeed transform his brain but not as drastically as the rest of his body. The parts that will be the most affected are the Parietal Lobe, the ipital Lobe, and the Temporal Lobe. Two of these were already a bit modified to integrate the Eye but would be even more so after the program. Then there were the more delicate parts of the brain, the Frontal Lobe, the Brain Stem, and the Cerebellum. He was most interested in the Frontal Lobe, which primarily involved his emotions and reasoning capabilities. Run a consequent simtion. Obsidian Blood will be the variant for this one, he mumbled and proceeded to watch with his own eyes how his personal Trait messed with his brain. After a few seconds, the corners of his lips raised a bit despite himself. Compatible. This Overhaul can fix my little self-destructing problem. {So no more need for you to fear the emotional trigger?} Fray inquired. Pretty much. With this, I could switch from one to another without even going through Spill The Blood. A mentalmand would be enough to activate it in the best-case scenario. ording to these calctions, technically, it could still be dangerous, but only if I were stupid enough to y around and trigger Obsidian Blood every second for an entire minute. {I see considering how your Trait changed while I was away, it is useful. Not only to be able to switch to a pr opposite magical element, but this new effect of halving speed and dexterity and give it to strength and endurance is incredibly powerful. Coupled with your werewolf form your strength and endurance will be incredibly high.} Yeah, rams in even more why skill with attribute multipliers are so rare, Raknamented with a thoughtful tone. The stronger I get, the stronger the effects. Lets say I had 100 across the board, with Shape-Shift and Obsidian Blood, my END and STR could reach around 230. But if I was, lets say, all 500 {You would easily breach the 800 cap,} Fray finished for him. {You indeed have the potential to overpower foes far above your level. But, take heed, you are not the only one who possesses skills of this nature. Bar something like your Titan Ascent or Demonization, from what I know, the Nine-Tailed, for instance, have a Shape-Shift simr to yours. To be exact, they can transform into their respective beast forms and experience attribute increases. I am not privy to the detail of said increases, but it is suspected to be between 50 and 100%.} Dont worry, I get it. I never thought for even a second that I would be trouble-free with just this, Rakna said and swiped his hand to manually manipte the holographs of his Eye. Of course, only he could see them and to anyone else, he would have looked entric; though he could technically make the Eye project it for others to see. Anyway, he sighed and dismissed all the mathematical and atomical forms with a headache creeping up. Even he, who was decently taught in all science subjects, was drained by all of what he saw. Heck, this new eye of his had shown him a periodic table twice the size of what he knew. If the Eye of Symphonys internal system didnt have the necessary intuitiveness to simplify the results, he would have been stuck there for days. What do you think I should do first? Get to Lv.100 or run the program? {Honestly? Use thetter. It will undeniably bring substantial changes to your status. It would be best to get it out of the way before Lv.100. It could get rather confusing, after all.} In that case Rakna turned his head toward Pronos. Little guy, bite me. Painkillers, he said and took off one of his gloves. The little snake silently stared at his master for a moment before releasing a sigh apanied by a hiss. He was always on the first-ss seat whenever Rakna did something reckless. He was far too ustomed to it to care. He slithered to the outstretched hand of his partner and bit into it as he used his Myriad Poison Magic to concoct a non-lethal poison made to numb victims. Rakna watched his veins lit up with a purple-green hue that traversed his arm until his elbow. He nodded and opened his mouth, Run the Overhaul Program. Chapter 207: Prima Alkahest Materia Physique Chapter 207: Prima Alkahest Materia Physique ? ? ? ? 300 MP Deducted from the Hosts Mana Pool and Items to Fuel the Nano-Nots. Overhaul In Progress Initiating First Step: Organic Cannibalization ? ? ? ? ? Rakna had faced a lot of painful experiences. And after joining the System, his tolerance had done nothing but increase over the weeks. Resistance Skills, like Proficiencies, didnt evolve from one stage to another every ten levels. They were still ssified by Ascended, Demi-God, and Divine but there wasnt any distinction from one to another except the very basic meaning. Someone with a level 10 Pain Resistance couldnt bepared to one with a level 11 though. In other words, after level 10, it is said that one has the pain tolerance of an Ascended Being. After that, one is said to have the tolerance of a Demi-God. And finally, after level 30, one is said to have the tolerance of a Deity. This is why Rakna could infer one very simple conclusion when a certain prompt popped up even though Pronos had used a significant dose of anesthetizing poison on him. ? ? ? ? ? Pain Resistance has Exceled! ? Pain Resistance has broken through to Demi-God! ? Pain Resistance has leveled up! Pain Resistance has leveled up! Pain Resistance has leveled up! Pain Resistance has leveled up! Pain Resistance has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna keeled over, the veryst bits of his remaining consciousness focused on stopping his ws from ripping apart his own body because of the pain. He rarely regretted the choices he made but he had to admit, this one was getting very close to it. His Resistance was steadily going up despite how hard it normally was for a Demi-God skill to be upgraded in any circumstance. However, the agony he was going through aside, the effects of the Overhaul Program were showing. From a third perspective, the therians skin was undting, sometimes solidifying into a silverish material before spiking like scales and returning to normal. This wave of spiking scales traveled through the entirety of his body and even appeared on his hair, ears, and tails. And the pain was only growing every second. But, in the end, there was a limit to everything. When the Overhaul was about to end, Raknas Pain Resistance was suddenly erased from his status. It was gone without even a warning. Fuck Rakna gasped when the pain suddenly disappeared. His body was so numb that he could not stop himself from falling on his back. He panted and, from the corner of his eyes, saw his hand momentarily change into a silver spiky material and make a noise akin to thousands of miniature mas clustered together. After that, it was only silence for a while. He attempted to move but there was no response. When he was getting slightly worried, his vision was overtaken by a cascade of code lines. || Booting Up. || Eye of Symphony announced and gradually, his senses returned to him. He didnt even notice he had temporarily turned deaf until he recovered and started hearing Pronos again. He instantly sat up with his body feeling a lot lighter. || Booting Sequence Over. Overhaul Initiative Complete. || The Eye added and went silent. Then, System windows began to scroll. ? ? ? ? ? Symphony Overhaul Completed! You have gained a new Trait; Prima Alkahest Materia Physique! Your Race has been updated: Primal Alkahestic Nine-Tailed Werewolf! ? ? Shuttle Specter Physique has been incorporated into Prima Alkahest Materia Physique! Lesser Regeneration has been incorporated into Prima Alkahest Materia Physique! Internalized Magic Circuits has been incorporated into Prima Alkahest Materia Physique! ? ? Pain Resistance has been erased! Fatigue Resistance has been erased! You have gained Pain Immunity! You have gained Mind Immunity! You have gained Fatigue Immunity! ? ? The Nirvana Skill, Ireful Descent, has been altered! The Trait, Wrathful Obsidian Blood, has been altered! The Trait, Eion Auto-Sustainable Nanomachines, has be obsolete! ? ? ? ? ? {Well, it appears to be a paramount sess,} Fraymented after a while. As you say Rakna whispered as he patted Pronos to reassure him. At the same time, he sensed that both of his eyes were biomechanical, though only one had the supeputer capabilities. He stood up with a grunt and conjured a mirror. He was able to confirm his assumptions when he saw the blinking lenses on his eyes. He also nced at his newest scar and scowled. With a single thought, his scar abruptly turned into a silverish line that squirmed a little with the noises of nano-bots before stopping and leaving a skin without blemish. Interesting I guess that means changing my appearance altogether is possible now, he muttered to himself and ultimately made the scar reappear. {Hm? Why do you keep it?} Fray asked curiously. {Are you by any chance one of those warrior types that wear their scars with pride?} He said with a jesting tone. Rakna snorted. Take it that way if you want. Its not inurate, at least. {Uh, what a surpriseing from you.} The therian shrugged and proceeded to swing his arm a few times. He hummed and once again, at his will, he watched his hand turn into silver nano-pieces. In the blink of an eye, it changed shape and turned into a polished de. {That is certainly something} The fable writer couldnt help but voice his thoughts. Rakna nodded and turned the de back into a hand just as easily. When he was done with that, he finally got to check the changes in his status. ? ? ? ? ? Pain Immunity: The holder of this skill has either learned to ignore all pains or possesses a body or mind incapable of such a reaction to external stimulus. ? ? Mind Immunity: The holder of this skill has absolute resistance against all attacks on the mind and any sort of prying. ? ? Fatigue Immunity: The holder of this skill is incapable of feeling fatigued from either mental or body exhaustion. They do not need sleep but note that stress is not ounted for. ? ? ? ? ? These three were candid enough. After that were the adjustments to Ireful Descent and Obsidian Blood. There wasnt much of a difference to thetter except that it was now triggered by the Eye of Symphony only. But the former had a part erased and reced with a new perk. ? ? ? ? ? Whenever the holder deals direct damage to a foe, their attack will passively increase by 1% to a maximum stack of 50%. Each incrementsts 1 minute. This applies to magic damage. ? ? ? ? ? {The Systemspensation procedure at work,} Fraymented. Compensation? {Indeed. This Nirvana Skill of yours had a section that affected your blood production and bones so that you wouldst longer in battle. But I bet the new body you just got deals with it. In which case, it means you possess two different abilities that do the same thing. The System usually avoids that.} Interesting Rakna muttered and finally focused on the elephant in the room. The one Trait that had swallowed four others when it appeared. ? ? ? ? ? Prima Alkahest Materia Physique: Prima Materia; the ubiquitous material supposedly required to create the Alchemical Magnum Opus; The Philosophers Stone. Alkahest; a theorized universal solvent capable of dissolving all substances without destroying their fundamentalponents. Eion Stones, also called the Stones of Eternity, are rare materials capable of generating energy from the gaps between Worlds, Dimensions, and Realities. It is an infinite source. Very few worlds in the known Existence contain them. Mystical Alchemists have long studied its properties and it was unanimously agreed that Eion could potentially be the key to build the Philosophers Stone without transmuting life essence. Eternal Night, also known as Arimane Reigen de, has in the past invented apound capable of the Alkahests properties and even more. Combined with Eion, a bastardized version of the Philosophers Stone was created. Itcks many of the powers a true Philosophers Stone should provide, but it has infinite energy with which it can dissolve and replicate anything. ? That is the current designation of the Prima Alkahest Materia. Congrattions, Rakna Xiorra de, you have attained a body worthy of the alchemical fantasy. ? You are now invulnerable to all poisons, toxins, and parasites. Your lost body parts will be rebuilt by the millions of nano-chunks that make up your body (this ability will be neutralized if the destruction surpasses the bodys replicating speed). You can control every body part to twist in shape, size, and color. Remote control of detached body parts is also possible. Your internal force regenerates at a considerably faster rate. You have ceased aging. Your body has been programmed to simte aging up until your physical peak by default. Take note that you can die if your brain is destroyed in its entirety, or it can otherwise be damaged to the point of memory loss or cognitive w. This Trait operates in conjunction with Eye of Symphony as its primary control board. Details of the remaining benefits can be further discovered through it. ? Status Effects: +20% to STA, SWI, AGI, ATT, DEF (Shared with Eye of Symphony). +100% Senses (Shared with Eye of Symphony). +30 to STR, END, SPD, & DEX. ? Integrated Traits: ? C Shuttle Specter Physique: Efficiency increased by the Prima Alkahest Materia. (Gathers dimensional energy faster, resists dimensional force better,sts longer in Enthymiosyers.) [Layers Unlocked: Antanasia, Onera.] C Lesser Regeneration: Effects increased by the Prima Alkahest Materia. (Involves the organicponents of your body. Allows for the Materia to reconstruct faster.) C Internalized Magic Circuits: Effects doubled by the Prima Alkahest Materia. (+0.4 MR Factor, +100% Max MP, -20% Mana Consumption) ? Note: The user does not lose their organic identity. Organs, muscles, and blood will still operate inside but are considerably less vulnerable and your biology as a whole is not reliant. You still require air to live, but you can hold your breath for hours on end. You still require food and water but you can abstain for months. Your blood is needed to provide for the brain, crucial organs, and the growth of muscles but you can lose liters without a problem and acquire thecking quantities from external sources. If the user was fully machine, their growth would be stunted. You have be a perfect entity of mechanical biosynthesis, marrying machine and flesh. ? ? ? ? ? Thanks to his newly augmented brain, Rakna read all of it in the span of a few seconds but he was stuck staring at it for a minute due to the implications all this made. {Good Lord This may be the most outrageous Trait I have ever seen in my life,} Fray eximed with barely restrained stupor. Rakna didnt say anything for a while and opened a second window in parallel. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra de Age: 17 | Level: 97* (4520/970) Race: Primal Alkahestic Nine-Tailed Werewolf Path: Nine-Tailed Werewolf Affiliation: Throne of Glory Titles: Legendary yer C Legendary Wolf Emperor C and 9 more. Potential: S+ | Host Rank: IX ? Attributes: STR: 64.4 -> 94.4 | END: 61 -> 91 SPD: 68.9 -> 98.9 | DEX: 40.1 -> 70.1 INT: 41.4 | LCK: 9 ? Avable Vtile Points: 0 (10 Assigned to SPD) Avable Attribute Points: 170.6 Avable Skill Points: 2 ? Statistics: STA: 358 -> 570.5 | MP: 666 -> 888 SWI: 264 -> 360.72 | AGI: 286 -> 410.9 SEN: 1398 -> 1938.4 | ATC: 285 -> 404.8 ATT: 558 -> 834.5 + 10% Cold | DEF: 367 -> 564.9 MA: 159 | MR: 6.86 -> 10.86/min ? ? ? ? ? 120 attribute points in total and senses close to 2000, Rakna said, stunned. I didnt even feel any sort of dizziness this time. Looks like my body can handle a lot more than before {Obviously. A normal being is incapable of dealing with vast jumps in statistics or even attributes for that matter. Already before, your instincts allowed you to quickly adapt, while others would have needed days to properly reign in their improved physical capability. But now? Your body and brainpute it. Your Eye calctes the difference and automatically calibrates your body.} Rakna sighed deeply. I guess I should have expected this when it said I would stop being a being made of true flesh and blood. Well, not that I care, he uttered indifferently and closed the prompts. {Only you can react so faintly to something this outrageous} Fray said in amusement. However, I do want to curb a couple of things, Rakna continued. First of all, write andunch a program that simtes pain. Theres no need for variation in intensity, he ordered to his Eye and it carried it out in a matter of seconds. {Why do you want something like that?} Pain is an all-in-one indicator, reminder, and motivator in battle. I need it. {Hm, fair enough. I have never been much of a fighter so I cannot form much of an opinion.} Rakna hummed and resumed, Secondly, is it possible to perform Sonatas mimicking function with the Alkahest Materia? He asked out loud and his Eye of Symphony responded in kind. [| Process Is Feasible but Not Rmended. |] Why? [| Organic Components Do Not Survive the Process. 100% Chance of Structural Failure. |] [I believe it is saying that your body would either be unable to revert from its transformed state or it would be an unresponsive chunk of material attached to you,] Alexa exined in further detail once she noticed Raknas slight confusion. He raised an eyebrow. I see Its true that Im not eager to live with a sword in the ce of a limb or even turn into a statue of metal, he mumbled and grunted as he got to not the next matter of importance. All right Time to get to level 100. Chapter 208: Level 100 Chapter 208: Level 100 When Rakna pressed yes to receive the rewards that had been put on hold, by force of habit, he had been prepared to feel the pain that usually apanied a new tail. But the reality of his new body was once again shoved at him. Uh I just feel like a needle poked my skin, he muttered as he blinked at the five tails on his back waving to his will. It was quite peculiar to know that they too were made of the same organic and powered material. I guess the pain simtion works fine And again He sighed as the sounds of notification borderline harassed him again. Before he got to them though, two other things urred. Other than his tail, he also felt a stinging difort in the middle of his back as well as a widespread ticklish sensation that happened to trace his magic circuitwork. ? ? ? ? ? You have killed the Host, Fang Exios! Their Bnce of 19 592 200 Talys will be transferred to you by ownership right. ? ? You havepleted the Hit Task, ID #12f8wz7x. The Pavilion has been informed. Original Bounty: 5 000 000 Talys (Estimated Danger Rating: Rank D) Bounty After Assessment of Danger: 50 000 000 Talys. (Corrected Danger Rating: Rank B) ? ? The precise amount of 69 592 200 Talys will be directly transferred to your Bank ount. ? ? You have in a foe 79 levels above yours! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! +1 Skill Point (Held: 3) +5 Free Points (Held: 175.6) +0.4 to STR, SPD, & INT. Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 480/1 111 ? ? You have reached Level 100! The Experience required to level up has now increased by 10%. Your Magic Circuit Pathways have widened! Your Spell Cooldowns have been reduced! Tier 10 Spells do not possess cooldowns anymore. ? ? ? ? ? I already understand why this is a big milestone with just this. I did think that cooldowns on my spells were a bit too restrictive, hemented and turned to the other windows, which he read in a second with his augmented acuity. ? ? ? ? ? Core Genome Updated: Five Tails Unlocked. Next Tail: Lv.101/Lv.200 ? Number of Skills Affected: 2 Number of New Skills Attuned: 1 ? C Shape-Shift: Wolf (speed +79% -> +82%), Werewolf (All attributes +59% -> +62%) C Shadow Step has mutated into the Ascended Skill, Night Step! C You have gained the Skill, Tail Clone. ? ? Night Step resonates with sh Step! You have gained a new Skill, Night sh. ? ? Night sh resonates with Walking Star! You have gained a new Skill, Star sh! ? ? 2nd Factor Genome Updated: Four Wings Unlocked. Next Wings: Lv.101/Lv.500 ? Number of Skills Affected: 2 Number of New Skills Attuned: 1 ? C Luqus Wings: Max Flying Speed Doubled. Mana Flight Cost Tripled. C Lesser Regeneration has been upgraded to Standard Regeneration (Integrated by Materia). C You have gained the Nirvana Skill, Wings of Spatial Copse. ? ? 3rd Factor Genome Updated: Three Layers Unlocked. Next Layer: Lv. 101/Lv.200 Currently essible Layers: Antanasia, Onera, Enkata. ? ? You have reached Level 100! Your First Path Quest is now issued! Select your Path on your Status to see the details. ? ? As you have reached Level 100, you are now eligible to choose a Sub-Path! Select Sub-Path on your status to disy the list. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna had the urge to bang his head on the wall. This is headache-inducing although it seems I cant have those anymore, he muttered and suddenly felt a small prick in his head because of his Eye taking it as an order. That made him even sadder. Ouch, he deadpanned. {And you still have your Emperor Privileges to go through,} Fray said helpfully. {But I recognize your plea. It is rather awkward to sort through a growing status. Sometimes it is hard to organize them in your head and I have met many Hosts in the past who ultimately died or got injured even though they had skills capable of avoiding the danger in the first ce.} Yeah, the more it goes, the harder it will be. I think Eye of Symphony can help me with it now, but its surprisingly difficult to properly put into practice the abilities you possess, Rakna calmly said as he swiped his finger to scroll through the new skills he had gotten. {Indeed. You might want to look into Skill Synthesis to reduce that obscene list.} Skill Synthesis? [It is the process ofbining two different skills to make a new one,] Alexa exined. [You have seen it several times already. It can happen naturally when skills have a very high affinity, but the regr idea of Skill Synthesis is a manual process that has varied results; which can now and then end in failures. All Hosts generally try their hands at it at some point.] I see. So, its the same thing as Ireful Descent or this one here, Star sh, right? He said as he eyed the new skill. Night Step and sh Step hadbined with Walking Star; a recent passive skill of his that elerated the process of turning his body into energy when reinforcing. [Affirmative.] So, how do you do it then? [Use a Terminal to ess the Synthesis. You can input up to 10 Skills to fuse at the same time and the servers will perform the rest and change your status ordingly.] A Terminal, huh? There was something like that in my new privileges, wasnt it? [Yes. You own a Personal Terminal now. It is one that you can ess at any time. You could do so right now if you wanted to. You do not need to go to the Pavilion anymore. Opening it is as easy as opening your status.] Good to know. But as I said, Ill check it out before going to sleep. More importantly this requires more attention at the moment, he uttered whilst staring at the skills he had gotten. ? ? ? ? ? C Star sh (Lv. Max ?): A high-tier Fast Movement Skill born from thebination of Night Step, sh Step, and Walking Star. Upon activation, the users body will crumble into star energy and fizzle away only to reappear at its destination. This skill operates considerably faster than sh Step and is significantly harder to counter or detect. Additionally, for one second after the activation of the skill, the users attack will be boosted with Star Energy equivalent to 20% of their base attack statistic. Furthermore, this skill can be triggered alternatively if the user concentrates the star energy around their body. For five seconds afterward, the user will have their agility increase by 200% for the cost of 50 MP. Cooldown: 5 Min. ? Singr Step Cost: 2 MP per meter. Maximum Distance per Step: 500 meters. Casting Time: 0.2s ? Air Step Cost: None. This ability is fueled by the ambient Star Energy. Just enough to create a stable tform to stand anywhere the user desires. ? Note: Some of the capabilities of the ingredient skills have been lost in thebination. ? ? C Tail Clone: A skill possessed by about a quarter of the members of the Nine-Tailed n. A user with several tails, and whose power is partly contained inside of them, can shed them to create clones of themselves capable of sharing memories and even physical changes. However, when separating yourself from one or more tails, your attributes will be reduced proportionately. For instance, if you possess five tails, shedding one will take away a fifth of your attributes, which the clone will inherit. Moreover, certain abilities, depending on their nature, will either be unusable by any of them or will be substantially weakened. Finally, every clone will share the same mana pool. ? Max Cloning Duration: 12 Hours. If the clones do not return to their original self in time, or if they are killed, they will be lifeless husks until they are retrieved. Be wary as you will not be able to regrow your tails if they are taken away from you. ? Cost: None. Cooldown: 12 Hours Per Tail. ? Note: Item effects are of course not replicated by the clones. Additional Note: This is a Max Excelled Skill. ? ? C Wings of Spatial Copse: This is a fabled ability possessed by Royal Luqus. The Luqus wings were said to naturally hold and gather spatial power inside of them, which made them stronger than any other flying creatures. This Nirvana Skill is one of the two abilities derived from it. Wings of Spatial Copse allows the user to teleport to any ce they have been to before. There is no limitation when ites to distances but if the user wants to traverse through Worlds or Dimensions, they would require to be at a very high level or possess something capable of breaking through dimensional boundaries. Caution is advised. To use this skill, wrap yourself with your wings and channel the spatial power around you whilst thinking of the destination. The ingrained spell inside the wings will trace it back through the space-timeyer and bring you to it. ? Cost: 1 000 MP. Casting Time: 5 Seconds. Can be interrupted. Cooldown: 5 Hours. ? Note: You cannot bring more than one person with your current number of wings and level. ? ? Enkata ? The Darkness of Depths is the Third Layer of Enthymio. It allows the user to swap their body with the energies of the Dark Dimension and turn into a Shadow Specter. ? When using Enkata, the users body will turn into fleeting shadows. In that state, movement speed is akin to the wind blowing and the user is immune to melee attacks. To be exact, no physical interaction is possible with your Specter in the Real Dimension. ? As a Specter of Enkata, you can also merge into shadows or cover the surrounding areas in darkness by expanding in size like a gas. Whilst incorporeal, you can bend, stretch, shrink in any way you want. You also have ess to a marginal shadow control. ? Note: You can be hurt by magic as a Specter. Beware of Shadow or Darkness Mages as they will be able to control you to some extent if you are not strong enough. ? ? ? ? ? Hm, [Star sh,] Rakna suddenly intoned and his body turned into a bunch of small stars that rapidly faded out of existence before reappearing on the other side of the Gravity Room to reform the therians body. Not bad, hemented whilst clenching his fist. I certainly felt the surge in power for a second. I did lose the after-image ability of sh Step that I gained when I evolved it into an Ascended Skill but its not too bad of a loss. {It is quite an advanced movement skill,} Fraymented rather casually. {Considering it was synthesized with Star Energy it is probably unique to you as well.} Nice I suppose, Rakna said and thought about the two other skills. He looked over his shoulder and with a slight arching of his back, two pairs of beautiful ck wings with silver and red ents to the feathers emerged. Wings of Spatial Copse He hummed thoughtfully. It is a support-type Nirvana Skill. But incredible nheless. They say dimensional boundaries Does that mean I could potentially teleport through teaus if I use Rift Shuttle in tandem? {I would even go farther,} Fray retorted. {You could probably escape the System entirely with those if you try enough.} Raknas eyes widened at the realization but he knew for sure that he wouldnt be able to perform that kind of teleportation any time soon. Ill have to consult Higure about this But I can assume that when I get my six wings, as well as better control over Rift Shuttle, I could do it. {Indeed you could escape and return to Earth. From there, your uncle should be able to detect you immediately. Well, if the System doesnt notice what you are doing, that is} Well, if ites to it, Eva should be able to help, Raknamented and then skimmed over the two other abilities. Tail Clone was definitely an amazing skill to have. If he understood it correctly, he could basically multiply the speed of his training by the number of his tails. That was invaluable. But it was rather unpracticable and risky to use during fights due to its weaknesses. As for Enkata it seems useful to trail, assassinate, infiltrate ces without mirrors, and take an enemy by surprise by phasing through them. Its a bit circumstantial but I can imagine my clones, for example, using it to follow others by merging with their shadows. {As usual, your ideas are nothing but sunshine,} Fray joked. Rakna snorted and took a second look at his wings. His eyes realistic camouge was turned off for a brief moment and some of the feathers became silver. Hm, as expected, this nano-material, if I can call it like that, also transformed my wings. I can think of a few things I could do with that [Rakna.] Yes? He responded curiously as he retracted his wings back inside his body. [I would like to bring something to your attention.] The therians mouth twitched the instant he heard those words. Im having a dj vu [Yes Im afraid it is as such,] Alexa stated with a somewhat pitying but amused tone. Oh no. [I rmend you use Eye of Symphony to check into recent events, if you will] Rakna snarled and he mentally opened a TV screen in his vision. His expression twitched severely and he didnt even notice how his eyes and hair turned red; it was so intuitive to trigger Obsidian Blood now that he did it unconsciously. Then, he growled as he watched the images of a cloudy sky being split by a star fall, a ck hole descending, and him lying unconscious on the roof of a building with his eye gouged out. He breathed in and rubbed his face. I hate the fucking news Chapter 209: Enchanting Flakes Chapter 209: Enchanting kes Ah, crap, Rakna muttered as he caught the sight of his red tails. He blinked calmly and before he knew it, it turned back to normal. His eyes faded back to purple and he squinted. Its so easy now it might not be dangerous anymore but I cant have it change whenever Im not focusing. Eye, lock it down unless I want to use it. || Obsidian Blood Trigger Cannot Be Locked. Emotional Sensitivity Will Be Reduced Instead. || Thats fine, I guess. Rakna popped his neck and sighed. He nced at the news feed and clicked his tongue. This was already bad enough {What is so wrong about it? If I may ask,} Fray raised his voice. Well, other than the problem of revealing one of my trump cards He trailed and very nervously opened his message list. He had turned off private notifications before because of a certain clingy vixen matriarch so he winced when he saw the unread messages he had. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna! Please respond. Where are you? Rak, we saw the news. They say you healed and left but the girls are worried. Hey, kid, you alright? ? ? ? ? ? Shit, he cursed. Thankfully, while they had shown him unconscious, they had also reported the fact that he was alive. But those press mongers didnt show any of it to generate as much traction as possible. Its as bad as saying nothing, he growled. I hate reporters. Its the same everywhere. {Yes, well, what do you call it? Click baits, is it?} Fray jested. Rakna shook his head and turned to the person who messaged him the most. He knew his friends were worried about him, probably via more than anything else, but he was aware of how much they trusted him and they knew what he mostly was capable of. Not to mention that Higure had a direct connection to him; she could tell if he was healthy or not. However, he whispered and grimaced when he saw a certain message history of someone who had yfully forced him to change her contacts name a few days ago. ? ? ? ? ? Wolfy! What the heck does it mean youve be an Emperor?! Even I dont have a seat in the council! Answer! I know mom annoys you but thats not an excuse. What happened? Please. Wolfy, please say something. Im not enough of a fool to not notice the severity of that injury. Dont do this to me, Rakna Please ? ? ? ? ? Rakna could feel the anguish through the words alone. She rarely used his actual name and a knot formed in his throat. If he had to be honest, he was unsure of the rtionship he had with Kaelith. He had spent quite a fair amount of time with her in the past weeks and he enjoyed herpany, but if she was something more than a friend, he wouldnt even know how to ascertain it, much less deal with it. {Rakna,} Fray spoke up and he stiffened at the serious tone. The Exalted Quill was many things, aggravating being on top of the list, but one other thing, the most important; he was wise. The man could empathize without even trying. He was as close as an empath a human could be. Rakna was capable of reading peoples thoughts and intentions. But Fray was not only capable of that, but he also understood what people felt without even requiring prior experiences. He was a genius at understanding suffering. Much like the Crystal Sage once was. {Would you like me to give you some advice?} The therian didnt say anything. {That is as much as an agreement I will ever get from you,} heughed lightly. {This is something I have been meaning to tell you long since I met you. You call yourself broken, but you are not. You know it, but you look away. You believe that you must remain broken, lest you be a monster to everyone. Your journey, Weary Traveler, is slowly pulling you out of that mindset but this might be the best time to push you. The Dusk Lioness began this endeavor already; I shall end it.} {Happiness does note for you. You go after it. You hold it. When it passes by, you take every chance to grab it before it wilts. You, however, look at it, admire it, and let it go. I have been asked countless times in the past; how to find love? I have had centuries to formte an answer for that one. I came up with many different ones. But, in the end, I settled with the very first answer that I came up with. Hundreds of years for naught.} Fray sighed and with a burst of soul power, he materialized as a ghost for the first time, right next to Rakna who merely nced at him, not surprised by his ability to leave at any time he wanted. {What is the answer, you ask? Well, it is the simplest of all,} he said and waved his fan. {You take the chance and live it to the fullest. Love will never be yours if you do not try to take it. Especially if ites to you on its own and you ignore it.} Rakna held his gaze on the fabled author and looked back at his message window. Go back inside, drama queen, he said without much bite to it but Frays eyes widened as the therians soul power captured him and forced him to return to the soul realm. {Hahaha! Oh my, your soul has certainly grown strong,} he said. {To be able to cage me like this so easily. My, my, how scary you are,} he added with a casual and joking tone, as per usual. Rakna huffed. He selected Kaelith on his friend list and sent her a message. A very simple one that said that he was fine. He got an answer barely a secondter. ? ? ? ? Where? ? ? ? ? He sighed. ? ? ? ? ? > Gravity Room Stay put. ? ? ? ? ? He tilted his head at the reply and before he knew, Trii spoke up. || There is someone at the door, Sir. They- || The AI was interrupted by a deafening explosion that blew the door of the Gravity Room. Rakna blinked in shock as blue mes spread across the wall that faced him and a nine-tailed silhouette emerged from them. Thats the first time I see that break He muttered as a stone-faced Kaelith walked toward him. He almost felt scared because of her expression. Is that what people feel like when they see me? {Sort of,} Fray said. Poor them. {Agreed.} Kaelith stopped in front of him with blue mes still lingering on her tails and ears. In his opinion, the silence that ensued was far louder than the explosion. When he was about to breach it, his eyes widened when he sensed danger. But even with his nearly 2 000 senses, he was not able to follow up physically. Even Eye of Symphony failed to act, to the point where the pain simtion didnt catch up nor was it capable of analyzing what happened. The next thing Rakna knew, he was being flung to the other side of the room. Pronos cried out as he was ejected by a small shockwave. Rakna crashed on the wall and it surprisingly crumbled into pieces. It seemed that the room had lost its fortifications and its gravity control when she broke the entrance. Rakna grunted when the stinging pain from the program registered on his back. Oh, really? I almost didnt notice, he thought sarcastically as he sat up from the rubbles. Then, a hand grabbed his cor and pulled him up. He looked down and froze when he saw Kaelith in tears as she lifted him shakily. He was incapable of forming any thought until he formed the weakest smile that he ever made. I guess I deserved that, didnt I? He spoke softly. Yes yes, you did, she croaked out. Raknas smile became a bit dimmer but Frays advice echoed in his head. He sighed and looked at her in the eyes. Im sorry. Her eyes widened in surprise and she let go. Hended on his feet; his motor functions were better than ever and he didnt stagger when he was dropped. The two stared at each other for a long time and this time, it was Kaelith who took the initiative to break the silence. I was worried She managed to say. I can tell, he replied wryly. She scowled at him and slowly wiped her tears. Thats all you have to say? I apologize, Kaelith. Im sorry for being inconsiderate, he uttered and she trembled. Ive never had the need to reassure others. Years ago, whether I would get a bullet to my lung or my throat slit, I had nobody to tell of my survival. Not even via or An. As for the old man hes another story. He was used to it as much as I was, he paused and gazed at Kaelith who was listening to him. Pronos was watching them from the side, uncertain of what he should do. Raknas wry smile was still there. I could hide behind the excuse that this was shared without my knowledge, but Im still as guilty for not even attempting to get back to anyone after something so important. Kaelith clenched her hands and breathed in. This is unfair She muttered. You should not have that smile on your face right now. This would be far easier if you just did what you always do and shrug off my hit with a snarky jab Do you have any idea of how worried I was? Ive spent thest thirty minutes assuming the worst and there you are, in a Gravity Room of all things. Rakna flinched at her shaky voice. As if the tears that were still flowing werent enough to stab a knife into his conscience. You- She stopped and bit her lip. Even if you dont seem to want to hear it I care for you. {Poor girl, she must have tortured herself over the idea of losing you,} Fray said but Rakna didnt show any outward reaction to it. {You are probably one of the very few, if not the only one aside from her family, that she decided to get close to without restraint. Rakna, let me pose you her very own question again. She is so much stronger. So powerful But what does it matter if she cannot even save the life of her only friend? Her powerlessness Do you understand how she felt?} Rakna closed his eyes and after five seconds of silence, Kaelith gritted her teeth. She stepped back and wiped her tears again before looking down. Never mind. Pretend you didnt hear- Foxy. His voice interrupted her and she almost thought she was hallucinating due to how warm and soft it sounded. She looked up and gaped in shock. Pronos jap literally dropped and he rubbed his eyes with the tip of his tail. Raknas coldness had disappeared in its entirety and the smile wasnt wry or forced on a mask of unfeeling flesh. The ck color of his hair and fur slowly faded. But this was not the influence of Obsidian Blood, nor was it the Cold Stars impact. No, the color was pallid but not cold. It was icy but not but foreboding. It was a pale sky color that radiated nothing but a feeling of embrace and serenity. A soothing blue instead of the unmerciful white. Ive never done this before, he jolted Kaelith out of her stupor. His voice wasnt distant like she knew it. It wasnt cold. It was aloof but reserved and peaceful. And, dare she say it, caring. What do you-? She closed her mouth instantly when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. It nearly made her hold her breath. She was hoping she wasnt daydreaming. So, I guess Ill settle this with a hug Never done one of these before either, Rakna chuckled from over her shoulder and she blinked. She didnt know what was happening; she didnt understand his sudden change. Did that bother her? No way in hell. She slowly returned the hug, paradoxically feeling warm despite the chilly nature of the mana she could feel emanating from him. She gripped his coat tightly with both hands and rested her head on his shoulder. Promise me something, she whispered. Dont do this to me again. With all the weight that my words can possibly carry, Rakna said wistfully. Even he wasnt sure of what the color his fur meant. Nor did he care checking the warnings he was getting. All he knew was that he had never been more at peace with himself and he was about to say something that he could never take back nor will he ever want to. I promise. ? * * * ? Above a field of flowers, a certain star radiating merciless cold mellowed and turned to an icy blue in its entirety. A shell of shimmering and undting crystal swallowed it and increased its shine to new heights; forsaking the white that held no color or ardor. On the top of a crystal mountain, a sage being looked up with a smile as an enchanting blue snow began to fall along with petals. This lonely peak will once again wee the most enchanting of kes. You are doing well, Bloodied Wolf. Mend your soul with splendor and let us be again. Chapter 210: Sub-Path Chapter 210: Sub-Path The two continued hugging infortable silence for nearly five minutes until Rakna helplessly smiled, Isnt it about time you let me go? Kaelith was the one stopping him from moving. Shut up. I know, she muttered and took a deep breath but still didnt move. Im not going anywhere He added and she groaned. How did you even heal so fast from that? She asked as she reluctantly let go of Rakna and stepped back. She looked at him who had reverted to a nk fa?ade but the blue was still there and unlike his taciturn self, he looked gentle. The therian stared at his own tails as he moved them to the front. He shrugged and freed them to return to his back. He looked back at the vixen and serenely smiled. A new Trait. If it makes you feel better about my promise, I am very hard to kill now. She raised an eyebrow at the jest. Do you want another trip into the wall? His eye twitched. No I think Ill pass, he muttered and turned to the broken entrance that was slowly being fixed after Kaelith sted it open. You really couldnt have waited for me to allow you in She looked away embarrassed and crossed her arms. N-not my fault. I believe we already settled the fact that you were the one to me. me yourself for allowing me entry to your floor. I didnt though youre just whitelisted. And I doubt exploding your way through the Pavilions rooms can even remotely included in my faults He put a brake on his words when he caught a re directed his way. Never mind Why dont you exin that instead? She pointed at his hair and fur. You suddenly became a new person after that changed. What is wrong with your changing hair colors and personality? What are you? An adolescent in puberty? Please dontpare me to that, he deadpanned and she snickered. At least, that poker face of yours is still the same. If you want a reason I would say its bleeding onto me, Rakna mumbled as he conjured a raw chunk of his magical element. But what appeared wasnt his usual white energy. Instead, a sort of crystal with a dynamic shape appeared. It undted like mes, along with the blue cold energy that was present inside of it. That is odd, Kaelith tilted her head. Wait, did you ever tell me your element? Ah, Rakna eximed as if he had remembered something from long ago. Right, I didnt. You little Well, you must have an idea if you saw those videos, right? She scowled at the reminder. I might. Until now, it was without saying that I thought you had ice-rted magic or at least, something that could imitate the effect of cold. But you also showed me fire magic when you came to meet momst time. And then; ck hole, she said nkly and he nodded. A ck hole, she repeated and he nodded again. Seriously? To be fair, it was an experimental spell. I had no idea if it would work sort of. She sighed. I guess thats hint one. But there was also that pir of energy that I could swear was circled by star-shaped lights. And I remember you said you had a never-seen-before element, a unique element but not an unknown one. So, I assume Star Magic? Rakna nodded. Youre right. When in this state, I have Cold Star Magic. But while in my other state which you know very well already, I have Volcanic Star Magic. Thats beyond extraordinary, she said with a wry smile. But you didnt mention my Manifestation spell. You didnt see it? What do you mean? Rakna blinked. I guess it was hidden by the clouds. Good news. Im talking about what I made the ck hole with. I had to summon something first. Her eyes widened. Did you summon a star in the middle of a city and made it copse on itself to make a ck hole?! I thought it was a spell that created a ck hole! Theres a difference! You literally forced a star to die in a city?! For a fight?! You could have lost control! Rakna pursed his lips. Um yes? you must be kidding me. Im afraid not. Well, I do have the spell now, if youd like to know. Im afraid to ask but; which Tier is it? two. For fucks sake. I really will be the death of you one day. Seriously, say it right, Rakna retorted. Can we please focus on this now? He said and pointed at the sphere of crystal energy. Right Kaelith looked at it as well and frowned. You said it was bleeding onto you? What were you talking about? My Kzanaria, he replied and extended his other hand. Ayer of diamond-like crystal emerged around his arm and shone not unlike his magic. I think my magic is being affected by it and so is my mind. But in a good way. Its as if its trying to heal me, he stated and the crystal crumbled away into dust. So, youre already that close to your Kzanaria, huh? Shemented pensively. It must be quite a powerful one to do that. You can say that. Anyhow, take a look at this. Its the alerts I got earlier, he said and waved his hand to share the system windows. ? ? ? ? ? A surge of emotions has roused Chalice of Wishes. ? ? Cold Star Magic has broken through Exceled! Chalice of Wishes is resonating. Cold Star Magic has Ascended into Hoarfrost Star Magic! ? For Ascending your Element, your magic attack bonus bes 2% per level, and you are rewarded the Tier 6 Spell; Hoarfrost Blizzard! ? Cold Star Mist has been corrected to Hoarfrost Mist! Cold Soul Aura has been corrected to Frost Soul Aura! Cold Star Reinforcement has been corrected to Hoarfrost Star Reinforcement! Cold Star Manifestation has been corrected to Hoarfrost Star Manifestation! ? ? Primal Soul Core has exceled! Souls Decree has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? Chalice of Wishes? Kaelith uttered. Your Kzanarias name? Close. Its a title rted to it. The important thing here is that it transformed my Cold Star. And it probably caused its nature to change if this mana dying is anything to go by. Interesting Can you tell whats the difference between the two versions of your magic? I think, Rakna nodded and nced at the frost crystal in his hand. First of all, its not cold. Looks like the crystal is repressing it inside. Secondly, its stable. Very stable. I feel like nothing I can do could make me lose control over it. And thirdly He squinted his eyes and threw the crystal to the wall in the distance. The second it hit, a wave of cold erupted and the crystal shattered outward before reforming into arge bouquet of sharp icicles. It behaves more like ice than before. Or rather, it can behave like ice if want it to. I can still use it like before, he added and this time, conjured the cold energy with no crystal shell. Right away, Kaelith understood what he meant about it suppressing the cold. When he summoned it without crystal, the temperature in the room plummeted. But the most important difference will probablye to spells and skills fueled by it, Rakna said and triggered Reinforcement. His fur began to shine brighter but no cold mist was emitted out of his body. Instead, his skin gained a reflective sheen just like crystal. He extended his ws and scraped them against his skin to test it. The ws made a rasping noise and left not even scratch behind. As expected, he said and powered Reinforcement down. My defense goes up a lot more. But my internals are still probably the same Meanwhile, Kaelith was being very silent as she watched and he noticed it after a while. He raised an eyebrow at her. What are you looking at? Nothing She murmured and her cheeks gained a faint tint of red. Im totally not thinking that its nice to look at you broody and concentrated. Rakna snorted. Since when were you a tsundere? He asked impishly and she huffed. I dont know what youre talking about. By the way, congrattions on your fifth tail. Its always a thing to celebrate back at home, she changed the subject. Does that mean you reached a new level milestone? It must be 100, right? Yes. Thats nice. Did you unlock the Sub-Paths? I did, and my Path Quest as well. I was wondering when I was going to get that. The others have had it since level 50 or 75, Rakna muttered as he recalled the new skills his group had gotten. The most interesting one was the Twenty Diamond Fists An had gotten. Each fist had a different effect, power, and color. Though he still had to unlock all of them. There was also via and Nyx who started getting Chaos Control and Eternal Night Arts respectively. Evelyn learned the skill Hell Evocation and Marie, after choosing her Path, Serpent of Discord, had amazingly gotten a new magic element; Illusion. Your Path is unique and irregr, after all, Kaelith said. Its normal for it to take longer. So, have you checked the avable Sub-Paths yet? She asked excitingly. Rakna made a small smile. Right. You like those, dont you? You bet. And Im sure to see new ones with you. What is a Sub-Path anyway? Or to be exact, what will it dopared to my main one? Depends. If you use another terminology, Paths can be called sses while Sub-Paths are what youd call Jobs. The former defines your fighting capabilities. And thetter would define upations, he finished for her. Like Alchemist, cksmith, or {Story Teller!} Fray chirpily and telepathically intruded on the conversation. {I had it before.} Oh, hello, Exalted Quill, Kaelith uttered, having already been shocked out of her mindst week when she learned his identity, as well as Higures. And yes, Sub-Paths are precisely that. But its not a definite rule that they must only be supportive. Some have actual uses inbat, directly or indirectly. While others are extensions of Paths. Does the Sub-Path Reaper ring any bell? Rakna asked and she furrowed her eyebrows. Maybe why? Rakna pointed at his scar and traced it. The guy who did this. He had a Sub-Path called Reaper. I didnt get the chance to appraise it though. Well, logically speaking Reapers are ferries for the dead. He might have had the ability to reap souls, drain power from ghosts, or have increased damage with scythe weapons. That sounds pretty urate, he said. I pretty much understand now. Thanks. No problem. Now show me already! Rakna shook his head in amusement. She had already forgotten about what happened. He opened his status and selected the new entry on it. ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions on reaching Level 100! You have now the right to pick a Sub-Path. This choice will direct the development of some of your proficiencies, as well as the acquirement of passive, supportive, and asionally special skills. ? After analysis of the Hosts Capabilities, 10 Sub-Paths have been singled out. Select One: ? Way of the cksmith (+) ? <-> ? Way of the Alchemist (+) ? <-> ? Way of the Artisan (+) ? <-> ? Umon! C Way of the Hunter (+) ? <-> ? Rare! C Way of the Martial Artist (+) ? <-> ? Epic! C Way of the Cultivator (+) ? <-> ? Epic! C Way of the Soul Eater (+) ? <-> ? Legendary! C Way of the Emperor (+) ? <-> ? Legendary! C Way of the Sinner (+) ? <-> ? Exotic! C Way of the Nephilim (+) ? ? ? ? Chapter 211: Nephilim Chapter 211: Nephilim Wolfy. Hm? Im seeing something that I didnt even know existed. Really? Yes. What is it? Exotic. Oh, that word generally refers to something foreign, striking, or out of the ordinary, the therian exined very sagaciously and Kaelith sent him a small re. I take back what I said. Your poker face is even better than before. It looks angelic even when you are being sarcastic, she nkly said and the very calm-looking Rakna just tilted his head but he couldnt hide the faint smile. See? That. I dont know what youre talking about, he shrugged. Alexa, what does an Exotic Rarity implies? [Exotic is a special-casebel that ranks above Legendary,] the AI answered. [It is not necessarily indicating of an otherworldly quality, but it is at the very least equal to Legendary. What is special about it, however, as you said, is its exotic nature to the System. While it is not to the point of being considered Unique, it is considered an abnormality due to its origins. In this case, you might want to expand the description to understand why it is so vague.] Well, I guess thats that, Rakna said and pressed on the plus sign next to thest Sub-Path. ? ? ? ? ? Way of the Nephilim ? The existence of the Nephilim is convoluted and twisted through ages and legends. People more often than not called them Fallen Angels or Giants. Sometimes inferring that they were crossbreeds of angels and demons. In truth, Nephilim were mortals. It was not a races name, nor was it a power. It was a way of living. They, who were mortal, found strength in something entirely unexpected. During the Age of Gods, where Divinities and Celestials were starting to be birthed by the Original Lands, very few individuals rose. ? They were not Fallen Angels, but they possessed cruelty born from benevolence. They were not Angels, but they wielded holiness with obscured souls. They were not Giants, but they had the strength and roars of one. They were not Demons, but they wielded evil with zealous eyes. ? The Nephilim were beings of Paradoxical Honor. They climbed the ranks of power through sheer determination and furor. Through the extensive knowledge of the System, only three Nephilim were ever sighted in History with minimum proof. A child orphaned by gods. He amassed power and strength through the Virtues of Heaven. He wielded light like no one, but his path was paved in blood and torture, on the hunt of the divine and all that they represent. A woman ruined by a demon. She overcame her fears and embraced the Sins of Hell. Her wrath was like none other, her blood lust unmatched, but her soul shone with purity. Her path to vengeance was carved by the smiles of those she saved. A man left with nothing, sought everything. The most twisted and powerful Nephilim to have ever lived, a God-yer, a Demon-yer, a Pariah, a Savior, and a Monster. He lived with both light and darkness in his soul, life in his right and death in his left. The one they called the First Life Hunter, Father of J?rmungandr, Ryugen Reigen. ? As a Nephilim, you will consume both what leads others astray and forward. And as long as you hold the ground, they will never consume you. ? ? Do you wish to take on this Sub-Path? Yes/No ? Note: The Host is currently too weak. If you select yes, it will be locked on and given to you upon reaching 250. Until then, small changes may asionally ur. ? ? ? ? ? Talk about being ominous, Kaelithmented. Nephilim Ive heard of them. But I always had the impression that they were Half-Angel Half-Demon Hybrids. But its normal for the knowledge to have died out since they are extinct, she said and turned to Rakna who was gazing at the text in thought. Though that might change today Perhaps He said. Most of his attention was on the small paragraph depicting the third Nephilim known to the System. The First Life Hunter, huh? Its basically my old mans ancestor. What did Nyx call it? The Reigen n? Even the name checks out. {It would seem so,} Fraymented. {I have read of Nephilim years ago. We know that there were more than just three but no one was capable of ever identifying them. But it is theorized that the cause of Kingdoms, Continents, ands suddenly dying during the Age of Gods was due to the rampage of Nephilim; humans of transcendence. The misunderstanding of them being hybrids was born from how their power paralleled their nature. Nephilim were saints with the power of the Devil or monsters with the power of God.} Or both, Rakna added. {Or both. The Father of J?rmungandr Apt to be a Nephilim.} So, what are you gonna do? Kaelith asked and he hummed. He nced at the descriptions of the two other Legendary Sub-Paths and read all of it in a blink. The Way of the Emperor screamed the role of a ruler, amander of armies, and a leader. He immediately ruled it out. He certainly could fit the role if he tried but he had always focused on his own strength. Just like the old man had once said; they were not leaders. They were the kind of people to jump first into battle and end it before any sort ofmander would be needed. Then this one, Rakna switched to the Sinner Sub-Path. ? ? ? ? ? Way of the Sinner ? Take on the mantle of the Undergrounds Servants. You live, thrive, and feed on the sins of others and grow from their rotting bodies. Your goal is to dig a hole to Hell and forsake the staircase of Heaven. You will gain the power of the Hidden Side of the Styx River at the cost of your affinity to good. The more you dig, the harder you will fall, the farther you will lose yourself, the more demonic you will turn. This is the Way of Fiends. The legacy of The nderer. ? ? Do you wish to take on this Sub-Path? Yes/No ? Note: How far are you willing to fall to actualize your desires. ? ? ? ? ? Yeah, no, Rakna deadpanned as he shared the window with Kaelith. If I wanted to abandon my integrity for power, I wouldnt be here. You better not choose this for sure, the vixen added. I might just drag you and force you to stay put for the rest of your life. Sub-Paths like these are worse than curses. I dont want to see someone as overpowered as you get corrupted. Who knows the scale of the danger you could be? No worries on that. But it confirmed something for me; the reason why I got this and the Nephilim as potential choices, he dered. Mind sharing? What kind of status do you have for that to happen? Sloth. Kaelith paused for a moment. As in one of the Sin Skills? One of the Ultimate ss? He nodded calmly as he proceeded through the motion of epting Nephilim as his Sub-Path. The name appeared on his status right away but nothing else changed. He only had to reach level 250 now. When he was done with that, he looked at Kaelith right about the time he estimated shed be out of her stupor. since when? She mumbled. Since when do you have that skill? About 16 days ago? It all makes sense now! She eximed. I knew something was wrong when I stopped being able to sense your presence. Thats why the Pavilion isnt notifying me when you enter anymore. They literally cannot detect you! Rakna tilted his head. Thats what troubles you? I thought youd be a bit more concerned by the fact I have that kind of high-tier skill. Well, that too, but Im used to it, she retorted with wless logic and he couldnt retort. She then sighed and put her hand on her waist. But, to be fair, any self-respecting Top Host should have at least one skill like that. If you want my opinion, for someone to be admitted into the Myth Council as you did it would be embarrassing for you not to have one. The therian blinked. That certainly puts a perspective Does that mean you have one too? She scoffed. Of course. I have five Ultimate ss Skills. Though none of them are Sins. They are admittedly, one of the rarest after all. foxy, now that I think about it, I never asked what level you were, have I? Do you want to know? She smirked. Yes? I am level 956. And I rank 36th in the overall Host Ranking. Too impressed to talk? I understand. Dont worry. Rakna remained silent and Kaelith sweatdropped as the silence dragged on. It didnt help that he was staring at her so serenely. It was truly fascinating how much fur and hair color could do to his whole impression. Um wolfy? He blinked and she had a bad feeling when she saw him smile a bit. Foxy, do you want to know a thing I saw in passing when I got my Emperor Title? Her mouth twitched. I have a 50% discount- Rakna uttered and in the blink of an eye, he found himself making another hole in the wall of the room. A piece of broken wall fell on his head and he grunted. He sat up, his body devoid of injuries or bruises, and saw Kaelith with her leg raised from her kick. Worth it, he said shamelessly and stood up, dusting himself. She raised an eyebrow in surprise. Im pretty sure I hit you hard enough to break your ribs. Howe youre okay? He paused in his movements. Seriously? After all that spiel about being worried about me? Well, next time dont brag about your discount that I dont have. Fucking pieces of shit telling me Im not eligible She grumbled thest part under her breath but Rakna obviously heard it. Right, he resisted the urge to smile and checked the time. Its about time I go see the others. Im confident in their faith in me, but theres no point in worrying them too much. Can Ie with you? Kaelith asked as she walked to him from the ce she kicked him. Sure why? Firstly, theres no way Im letting you out of my sight for the rest of the day after what you pulled off today. At least, until I can get a good night of sleep without worrying. Secondly, I want to meet your friends, she said earnestly. Rakna could smell that she seemed both curious and nervous about the idea. Or is it a bad day to do it? No He slowly shook his head. The opposite actually. Your presence will help me mitigate the worrywarts that via and Evelyn can be; give them a distraction. Kaeliths smile stiffened a bit. Right the big-boobed witch and the subus, right? Rakna snickered. Technically. But I somehow cant help but think youre using those appetions negatively. Your imagination, she scoffed and headed to the exit with her arms behind her back. Come on, we need to leave so that the room can be fixed entirely. It will seal itself. Rakna shook his head in amusement and followed her. Pronos, were leaving, he said and when he received no answer, he scowled and looked around, only to see the snake quietly sleeping on the ground. Your attention span is even worse than Ans Hemented and picked the little guy up and left the Gravity Room after Kaelith. Chapter 212: End Goal Chapter 212: End Goal Uh uh, so let me recap. You went to fight a Lv.170 vampire, lost your eye, pulled a bionic eye from your OP Item Box, transformed into a living breathing heap of Eion nanobots. Then your Kzanaria, whatever that is, gave you the power of crystal, whatever that means, and you became docile and blue afterward, An summarized whilst sitting on a restaurant couch as meat grilled on the table grid before him. And on the opposite side, Rakna nodded as he picked up a piece of beef with chopsticks. He put it on his te first and then took a bite off, Except the docile and blue part, the rest is urate. Oh, fuck off. What about you is not docile and blue right now, eh? Tell me. my skins not blue. Point in case but that is merely you being facetious, Nyxmented from Raknas right, sitting next to the window as she ate. The therian snorted and made a small smile. See? That, An pointed his chopsticks at him. Docile face and smile. Damn, I wish I could show this to the old master. He would be so proud of you, he jested. Sure. He would say something like Youve finally grown up, kid?. I wouldnt really care about his opinion about this, Rakna deadpanned and swallowed a mouthful of rice. So? Mind telling us about that? Marie, simrly sitting at the window, next to An, pointed at the other end of the table where a certain woman with noble attire and nine tails feasted with her eyes closed as she was being stared at by via and Evelyn. Dude, is she like your girlfriend or something? An whispered but hupped when he heard his former teacher break her chopsticks. Rakna stopped moving his hands for a moment and seriously looked up, the attention was on him and Kaelith opened one eye. Who knows. Ask her, he uttered and the vixen choked on her food and started coughing. Everyone turned toward her as she reached for the water and the werewolf snickered. Come on! Devourer, I was supposed to be the first in the line to mat- Rakna wordlessly sped the idiot mouth of a certain ck cat sitting on his head as if it was her throne. She was certainly bigger than when she got raised as an Undead. In fact, her level had reached 50 already. She said herself that she could probably turn human at level 100. First in the line of what? Kaelith raised an eyebrow. Dont listen to the horny cat, Rakna retorted and Higure hit his head with her tail in retaliation. So my question? The blonde reiterated with a smirk and Kaelith looked back at him. Who knows. Ask him, she nkly said. An sweatdropped. Yeah, ok I can see the chemistry between you two at least Shouldnt we introduce ourselves at the very least? via said after a deep sigh. She smiled quite brightly and Kaelith blinked at her in surprise. My name is via Jeina. Oh, um Im Kaelith Yahkshasa, Heiress of the Nine-Tailed Fox n, she replied uneasily then leaned in to speak in an inaudible voice that she knew only Rakna her could hear. Your friend was obviously a bit miffed at me isnt she a bit too nice? Thats just how she is, Rakna responded with a small smile. Get used to it. Hm The vixen hummed as she nced at him. I see Thispetition might be harder than I thought, she remarked and he rolled his eyes. Hi, the names An River, the brawler followed up and she nodded in greetings. Im Marie Gorgona, themia was next. Nyx Nocta Regysnite, the former goddess said with an even tone and Kaelith squinted her eyes. I have heard of you. The rumor of a supposedly weak but fallen goddess epted as a Host spread across the Celestial teau like wildfire, the vixen said and Nyx scoffed. Weak, is it? Very few people would have been able to say that to me in the past, much less some half-assed gods trapped in this joke of a ce. Kaelith smiled a bit. Interesting She said and turned to thest person who hadnt introduced herself and the subus shyly opened her mouth when she was looked at. My name is Evelyn Malcanthet, she spoke and bowed her head slightly. Kaelith had an expression of recognition. Excuse me, Malcanthet? Um, yes? Are you perhaps rted to the family of alchemists of the same name? Evelyns eyes widened. Yes, Im, arguably, thest living member. How do you know about us? Well, we worked with the Jill folks several times in the past, Kaelith said matter-of-factly. And even if I wasnt around a hundred years ago, my mom was. She told me many times about a family under the Jill that produced the best Rejuvenating Potions on the market. We still have some of them and the n Heads, especially the women, sing praises about them. Rejuvenating Potions? Rakna inquired. High-ss concoctions with the purpose of reversing the aging process of the consumer, Evelyn answered. Its a potion that applies to magic circuits as well. When people get to a certain age, the soul gets stronger, but the mana physical pathways get weaker. My family was the best at making them, we essentially owned the market. But she paused and clenched her hands. We were dependent on the support of the Jill Family Kaelith scowled. They cut you off? She asked with a dark tone. We always wondered why and how the Malcanthet had suddenly been murdered The Jill imed they didnt know about it. They are lying! Evelyn shouted in an outburst and strands of ck force swirled around her and Rakna scowled at it. He looked around but it seemed only he, Higure, Nyx, and Kaelith had noticed since they were far more attuned to energies. They looked at each other and Rakna nodded at Kaelith. Calm down, the vixen said and Evelyn gasped. She lowered her head flustered. Im sorry Its all right. I understand your anger, Kaelith said delicately. I will report this to the n when I return. Do you have any clue about the perpetrator? That would give us a ce to start. I was told that the main perpetrator was named Makis Jill Nalcanth. The fox woman frowned. If I may ask, who gave you that information? The hat, Rakna answered for her. Someone called little old me? A voice sounded and a hat popped into existence on top of vias head and she groaned in mortification. Oh, please, Young Lady. Why do you sound so aggravated whenever I appear? Because it is aggravatingly embarrassing via said whilst covering her face. The hat blinked. Well, thats rude, he muttered then looked at the gob-smacked fox. Oh! If it isnt the Fox Heiress! Nice to meet you! My humble name is Wis. Right it was this week, Anmented. Talk about timing. Did you do it on purpose? Wis gasped in faux-hurt. How dare you use me of such a thing?! It is fate that requires me toe forth in the most needed of times! Yeah, sure. You are the Wisdom of Ariv, Kaelith said. One of top ten most sought and rarest Utility Items. Very much so! The hat said proudly. Today, I havee to answer a question. Come on,dies and gentlemen! Ask away! I see, if its him this simple statement could be used against the perpetrator. No one would ever reject a deration from the Wisdom of Ariv. Well, that makes things easier, doesnt it? Rakna mused. Certainly. But well have to conduct some investigations regardless. Hey, dont ignore me, the hat snapped. Shut it, hat. We have nothing to ask you right now, An retorted with a hand on his chin. Nonsense! Usually, my contractors would be kowtowing to me, begging to have a second question answered instead of one! I am sure you have some. Think a bit! The only desperate one here is you Marie mumbled and Wis took a metaphorical arrow to his metaphorical heart. You wound me Lady Snake Stop calling me that already! Wis, Rakna raised his voice and the hat perked up. I have one for you. Oh? You havent asked me anything since the day I awakened. What is it, Crazy Boy? Though you seem to be much better now so maybe I shouldnt call you that anymore. The Sage is doing marvels to you, I see. If you want to call it that, Rakna uttered and sipped on his wine to fuel the Sloth. My question is simple. What does the System hide behind its end line? The table fell silent and Wis hummed gravely while the others looked enlightened by the question and Kaelith stirred on her seat. She was by far the most interested since she had spent the past six to seven years climbing teaus. Riveting. But have you forgotten our talk about pertinence, Harvester? Raknas mouth twitched at the title. Yes, and I dont care. The end goal of the System doesnt mean anything to me and you know it. If not to ask something worthless, why cant I ask you something worth something but which I dont give a shit about? Hm fair enough. You are nning to leave the teau on your own before reaching the top I assume, Wis said as if it was evident but everyone snapped toward Rakna who shrugged. At the rate youre going, you might have the necessary aptitude to be the strongest Host in the system by level 500. It is not farfetched. All right, I will grant you the answer you seek. Wis jumped off vias head, much to her relief, andnded on the table edge. Rakna raised a hand to have him wait and swiftly drew a magic formation on the table with Star Energy. He tapped the center when he was done and the surroundings be sound and vision-proof. There were quite a lot of people around the restaurant that were watching them. Good thinking, Wis nodded. I have five minutes left so lets get it going. I dont think this will be much of a surprise to you, but there are indeed a thousand teaus. The veryst teau is called the Birth of Eden. It is where the Core of Systema lies. Systema? Oh, right. Ill treat is a freebie. Systemakva Etr Zotan. This is the actual name of what you call the System. Thetter is simply a conveniently made-up one to make sense to your mortalnguages. Whatnguage is that? Nyx frowned. Even I dont recognize it. Again, freebie. At this rate, I might use too much power and take two weeks to recover, Wis said with a nonmittal wave. That is because the Tongue of Gods you rightfully possess does not include the Original Language. You want someone capable of understanding it? Go look for thest living Creator, nderer, or the Oldest and Wisest Dragons alive, Kur and Asgorath, or the Will of Existence, Krynox, or the All-Knowing Serpent of Ragnar?k, J?rmungandr, or the Personification of the Dreaming Realm, Breksta, or the World Devourer, Horsey, and of course, the one who unites them all, Eternal Night. Horsey? An raised his voice in confusion while everyone else collectively decided to ignore it. The night goddess frowned. For it to be something only known by the most erudite of all Systema is just a nifty abbreviation I use. It was made at the birth of the world. Its first name, the one given to mortals, was the one and only Eden; the source of life. Thats what lies at the end; the Life of all that brave Systema. Eden Rakna muttered as everyone was trying to process the information. So, I was right, he added and Wis raised an inexistent eyebrow at him. This ce is a factory. We loan and lend the resources to Eden and in return, we level up, and they siphon part of our Life Force as Nyx pointed out before. Thats what you mean by Life, right? It was just you being vague on purpose. Wis grunted. You might not be suitable as my contractor but you are sharp enough If thats true there is a core full of raw Life Force waiting to be imed, Kaelith said. But what can be done with it? You would get vaporized by just getting close to it. Oh, you have no idea. There is more than just three-thousand-years-worth of Hosts Life Force in it, Wis revealed with a grin. The Phantasms the Broken Depths, have been working on this for billions of years altogether. Forget someone. There is enough energy to kill Eternal Night and the rest of Existence in there. Systema was just the best way to purify it and give it finishing touches. Wha- Kaelith couldnt form coherent thoughts. Phantasms? Broken Depths? All right without asking that, what is the point of doing it? What do they gain from it? Wis looked at her. Who knows, he uttered and her expression twitched. Heughed at her and started disintegrating. Ive stayed for too long and answered too much already. Youre lucky that I like you all. Or else I would have just answered Eden and be done with it. Before you go, answer me this too. Consider it banter. Youre recharging for two weeks anyway, right? Rakna said and the hat sighed. You this is risky for me, you know? Systema is ruthless. I dont care. little piece of shit. Ask it. You have twenty seconds. Ive always been curious. How do you know all of this? What raises you to the same height as all those world-shattering beings you listed? Hahaha! First time I am asked, he answeredughingly. You can take it this way; Krynox is my cousin, he stated and disappearedpletely. Chapter 213: Privileges Chapter 213: Privileges who the fuck is Krynox? He said the Will of the World but what the heck is that? An uttered. How can you even be the cousin of it? Dont think too hard, Rakna said as he dispelled the magic formation. Hes just a hat. The blond blinked dazedly. good point. Its gettingte, the therian remarked as he nced outside. He paid for the food with the digital interface of the restaurant and star-shed out of his seat, startling the others. Really? An deadpanned as they followed each other out of their seats. Yes, I dont like waiting if I dont need to, Rakna replied without missing a beat. That was a fast skill by the way, Kaelithmented as they headed to the exit. Didnt you have sh Step? This one seemed a bit more scattered. Yeah, a few of my skills got synthesized together. The vixen sighed. You really have good luck. Tell me something I dont know, he retorted with a small smile. So? Where are you guys staying? Kaelith asked whilst addressing everyone. Us two share an apartment, An pointed at himself and Marie. And they, he switched to the girls and Rakna. Share another. The vixen blinked. Wait Wolfy stays with three women? Four! Higure eximed happily whilst raising her paw and Rakna silently used one of his tails to knock her off his head. Kaelith gazed at him sharply. Five. Lead the way, she said calmly and An startedughing like there was no tomorrow. ? * * * ? Dont you have a mansion to get to instead? Rakna inquired as their group entered the apartment and Tyran and Pronos jumped on the couches gleefully with Higure following to reign them in like a mother taking care of her litter. Even if I do, what stops me from staying here? Kaelith retorted. fair enough. Dont worry, its not like my mom would stop me or anything. You can test it. Send her a message and see if she disagrees. If I send her anything, she wont give a crap and get straight to here with bottles of alcohol as if it was a party, Rakna uttered nkly and the others looked at him weirdly since they were out of the loop about Kara. Right She asked me to tell you to stop ghosting her too. Raknas eyebrow twitched. Tell her to stop harassing me first. Thats why I disabled alerts in the first ce. That woman is too desperate for friends. She snickered. Sure, Ill try. As interesting as this conversation sounds, Nyx said. What are the sleeping arrangements? Well, Kaelith can sleep on my bed, via suggested and the vixen scowled at her. Then where will you sleep? Well I dont mind sharing with Rakna it wouldnt be the first time, she replied bashfully and the nine-tailed woman froze. If ites to that, there is no reason why it couldnt be me instead, Kaelith retorted with a smile and the two girls red at each other in silence. Meanwhile, Rakna watched them with half-lidded eyes with Evelyn and Nyx next to him. I wonder if they realize that Im not the only one they can share a bed with, he muttered rather calmly. The goddess of the night let out a small smile in amusement. It seems that for them, you might as well be the only one, she said teasingly. via even forgot that I dont need sleep and could just give out my bed without a problem. I actually dont need sleep either Evelyn said with a wry smile. Its just my former human-self emerging that gives me the ability to sleep like one. Well, if were revealing things, I dont need sleep either, Rakna deadpanned. Whether it is with meditation or normally. Augmented body and all that, he stated and when he finished, he noticed that both via and Kaelith had redirected their res at him. Why are you looking at me as if I did something wrong? Im just saying. They both sighed. Anyway, via, thank you, honestly. You helped me a lotst week but I managed to get around my nightmares thanks to Sloth Magic and Onera. We all can just use a bed each. What if I want to sleep with you regardless? Kaelith shot back with a grin and he smiled faintly. Maybe Ill just go out and fight another vampire or two when you fall asleep? Who knows? Fine, dont joke about that, the vixen groused. Do any of you have a bed in your storage? I dont really bring that kind of stuff with me. Rakna tilted his head and candidly extended his hand to an open side of the living room. A magic circle whirled into existence on the floor, with his own magic sigil at the center; a pair of stars with four wings and nine tails circling it. Then, whilst releasing mist, a star crystal bed frame emerged from the circle. The hoarfrost energy inside of it gradually changed color and filled the crystals hollow interior like ink until everything up until the sheets and pillows were impably real. The therian approached it and checked the softness of the material whilst also confirming that it wasnt cold like the previous iterations of Star Hearth. He smiled and looked at the two girls. Dont brag. Thats cheating. Kaelith and via eximed respectively. The most annoying thing to them was that he had made the bed look like a luxurious furniture fit for royalty. It lookedfortable enough for them to try asking for the bed itself rather than thepany. At least put it in the room vias voice died down as Rakna simply waved his hand at the bed which promptly turned into a miniaturized crystal. It flew to the opened door of the apartments bedroom and reformed itself in an empty spot. Freaking show-off, Kaelith grumbled. Rakna nearly chuckled and he sat on the couch next to Higure. Before tucking in, I have to check the things I was awarded by the Emperor Designation. You can stick around if you want. Sure, Im curious to see which of those privileges I dont have, the vixen said and took a seat. The others followed suit whilst via went to the kitchen to fetch a few cups. Does anyone want hot milk? She asked and got a positive answer from everybody. She swiftly worked on it and Rakna opened the description of his titles most relevant parts, which he shared with all of them. ? ? ? ? ? Legendary Wolf Emperor ? C The System has recognized you as a key figure of power. You are presented the following rights and privileges: ? 1 C You now have ess to a personal terminal; 2 C Maps of Dungeons, Ordeals, and teaus are freely given to you after finishing them once; 3 C You gain authority over low, mid, and high-ss Locals; 4 C You now possess the right to request intervention from Adjudicators with approval; 5 C Teleportation across teaus without a requirement for a Badge of Honor; 6 C 50% reduction on all one-sided transactions, irrelevant of their nature. 7 C You can now define where youll appear for transportations to cleared teaus; 8 C You can now skip 10 teaus at once; 9 C You are now only required to pass one Trial per teau; 10 C You can create a Guild whose top 10 members will share thest two privileges; 11 C You are to be invited to the Myth Council. Reach the 100th teau. ? Title Perks: ? C Acquire the Skill; Call of Hounds (Already Owned). C Acquire the Skill; Legendary Imperial Guard C Acquire the Title; True Imperial Designation C Acquire the Special Skill; Celestial Gate C Acquire the Special Skill; Eonian Gate C Acquire the One-Time Ability; Awakening of Divinity C Acquire the One-Time Ability; Empirical Tribtion ? ? ? ? ? Thats a lot Evelyn said in awe. Im so jealous right now, wolfy. You have absolutely no idea, Kaelith added. Alexa, could you please briefly exin the privileges in order. Other than the obvious, of course. [Certainly,] she responded and Rakna personally ryed it with telepathy. [Firstly, I have already informed you of the Personal Terminal. You can manifest it any time. Secondly, I believe there is not much to say. Thirdly, it refers to legal authority. Most nobles by System standards are below you hierarchically now. You can be considered Royalty without even mentioning your Nine-Tailed affiliation.] [Fourthly, Adjudicators are simply guards. They intervene in important conflicts or crises. Calling the support of Adjudicators means you have the authority to request their presence and have them fight a certain enemy if the circumstances are creditable of such an intervention. You can perform this by using your Terminal.] [Fifthly, it is explicit. Sixthly, a reduction on all one-sided transactions signifies that whatever you may buy in the future, whether it is at the Pavilion or on the street, 50% will be billed directly by the System itself. Additionally, as you already possess a discount in the Pavilion, it will add up to 70% whenever using their services.] Rakna couldve sworn he heard something break near Kaeliths rough direction but he didnt look at it and simply took a sip of the hot chocte given to him by via as he continued to listen. [Seventhly, you can now define where to teleport when traveling teaus. It will not be limited to your previous location anymore. Eighthly, you can skip every ten teaus. For example, you will not be able to skip from 55 to 60, it is only from 50 to 60, 60 to 70; and so on.] [Ninthly, it is explicit. The Trial will however be rtively harder or longer. Tenthly, by applying through a Terminal to the Pavilion and the System, a Guild or Sub-Guild can be established. You already are aware of this. Now, however, the ten members that join your Guild after you will share thest two privileges; 10 teau-Skipping and One-Trialpletions.] [And finally, a seat at the Myth Council has been reserved for you. You will be able to attend your first meeting upon reaching the 100th teau and referring to one of the three Myth Towers built in the main city,] Alexa concluded her exnation with a very human-like sigh. my life is a lie, Kaelith said with a lifeless tone. Im going to screenshot this and send it to mom to tell her you could literally win a court case against her for harassment due to how politically powerful you are. And also to make her regret, even more, to have failed to recruit me, Rakna added approvingly, feeling totally justified to torment thezy and clingy woman. I dont know what kind of person she is but I feel bad for her Nyxmented dryly. Dont be. Shes just an alcoholic, Rakna said. You seem to like her though, via said with squinted eyes. You dont badmouth someone like that if you are not fond of them even a little bit. Rakna thought about it and shrugged. True. Cant deny that. Oh no, you better not make a move on my mom, wolfy! Kaelith suddenly said. He looked at her as if she had grown a second head. Why would I even do that? And shes married as the matriarch, isnt sh- Shes divorced and she was dads fourth wife, Kaelith cut him off and he closed his mouth with a grunt. And, seriously, if she starts to flirt with you, dont go along. He stared at her with a scowl. You are just making this futilely gauche. She rolled her eyes. Im merely warning you. I dont even know if even you could handle the full brunt of, well, herself. Right. Thank you for hinting at your mothers potential obsessed behavior and lets return to my perks, the werewolf brushed it off and opened every perk description except Call of Hounds. ? ? ? ? ? Legendary Imperial Guard ? As an Emperor of the highest order, it is clear that you must possess the worthiest of Elites to protect and fight in your name. With this skill, you can designate others as personal soldiers that will be bound to you for life. A tenth of the experience they gain will be transferred to you (limited to 25 levels below yours). In return, they will be granted a percentage of your attributes as well as increased growth in some areas depending on their talent. They will also be de-facto nobility under yourmand. They can be teleported to you at a moments notice. ? Current Number of Guards: 0/5 ? Note: The higher the level of this skill, the higher the percentage of attributes given out. Each new addition to the Imperial Guard will cost 500 MP and a mendable portion of your soul. ? ? True Imperial Designation ? This is a title bestowed upon Kings or Emperors who have truly awakened. With this title, their respective summon types will not require mana to stay manifested except to heal damage. Furthermore, the summons will possess basic intelligence and will be capable of following equally basic instructions. Depending on their level, their intelligence will be higher or lower. Finally, True Designation allows you to absorb a summon into yourself for increased attributes that willst a second. The duration and effect can be improved by absorbing more summons at once. The boost in attributes will be 0.1 for every ten levels of the summon merged. For instance, if a level 50 summon is used, there will be +0.5 to a random attribute except for Luck. The stacking limit is defined by the users capability to handle the toll. ? Personal Note: Dont explode. Sincerely, your favorite little sister. ? ? Celestial Gate ? The System has deemed you worthy of this Special Skill. You can spend 100 MP to open a gate to get in and out of the Celestial teau, the Systems territory dedicated to the Hosted Deities. ? ? Eonian Gate ? The System has deemed you worthy of this Special Skill. You can spend 100 MP to open a gate to get in and out of the Eonian teau, the Systems territory dedicated to the Hosted Immortals. ? ? Awakening of Divinity ? Upon triggering this ability, you will be faced with a judgment that will either awaken your dormant divinity, grant you divinity, or both. There are several possible benefits; a concept to rule over, a soul ascension, divine blood, divine body, a divine skill However, Awakening of Divinity will not necessarily seed or give the user all results. They are listed by ascending probability with the first having a near 0.01% chance of happening as an average mortal. It is rmended to use this ability after reaching level 200 where mortals will reach the cap of their possibly acquirable natural divinity. ? Note: This is a one-time ability. It will disappear after first use. ? ? Empirical Tribtion ? Upon triggering the tribtion, the three pir aspects of your power will be appraised. Namely, your body, soul, and mind. Depending on how well you do in each of them, the respective tribted aspect will be elevated to higher stages under the form of physical evolutions, level increases, soul power capacity, or psyche strengthening. It is rmended to use this ability when the user feels like they have reached a bottleneck in all three aspects. ? Note: This is a one-time ability. It will disappear after first use. ? ? ? ? Chapter 214: Imperial Guard Chapter 214: Imperial Guard Oh! Oh! Add me! Higure immediately volunteered when she saw the Imperial Guard skill. There is no better choice to have as your first. Rakna gave her a dry look. Youll be second. Maybe. What?! The cat looked appalled. Hey, little guy,e here, the therian ignored her and everyone wryly smiled as they continued to read the rest of the system prompts. Unlike Rakna, they didnt have photographic reading speed andprehension. Pronos tilted his head at being called and jumped on his mastersp. This should be quick. It wasnt specified but I assume we both have to agree to it, Rakna said and put a finger on top of the snakes head. He concentrated and his pupils abruptly red with power that was neither weak nor strong. It was simply imperial. The others shuddered as the invisible aura filled the room and even Kaelith had her hand quiver for the split of a second. It was gone in a blink but in that minute instant, the oppression reminded her of the n Patriarch, her very own father. She scowled as she observed a transfer of mana and soul ur between Rakna and Pronos. Thetter also trembled, but in tension. Strength filled him and he, who was already deeply linked with Rakna, became even more synched. The processsted no more than a few seconds and there were no visual cues from the beginning to the end but the changes were shown on the snakes status. ? ? ? ? ? New Guardian Admitted: Pronos! Assessing Unit S Rank Pet, Path of Ouroboros, Hydra Bloodline Legendary Imperial Guard has leveled up! 5x The attribute boost increased to 6%! ? ? Name: Pronos Master/Emperor: Rakna Xiorra de Age: 3 | Level: 96 (231/960) Race: Eion Hydra Fledgling | Path: Ouroboros Titles: Poison Master, Legendary Imperial Guard Potential: S | Pet Rank: VIII ? Attributes: STR: 30 + 5.6 | END: 90.8 + 5.46 SPD: 90 + 5.9 | DEX: 10 + 4.2 INT: 66.4 + 2.5 | LCK: 3 + 0.5 ? Statistics: STA: 522/503 | MP: 1048/1048 SWI: 338 | AGI: 134 SEN: 374 | ATC: 313 ATT: 321 | DEF: 413 MA: 224 | MR: 5.44 ? ? ? ? ? Raknas eyes widened instantly. Not because of the increase of attributes, amounting to 6% and probably +1 at every level increase, but because of the +0.5 next to LCK. Thats unexpected this is the first time I see it being affected. Hm? What is it? Kaelith asked. He responded by flicking a finger in her direction. The attribute panel of Pronos was revealed to her and she jumped up from her seat. No way She muttered. Do you have any idea of how high the Pavilion and Guilds would value you with the ability to increase the luck of others? Its not like I can do it indefinitely. I have only five slots avable. One of which is now taken. Nheless, and even if its just 0.5, someone with 10.5 of Luck is a hundred times more valuable than someone with only 10. Right Alexa did mention the exponentiality of it, Rakna said with a shrug. I dont have any n to do something like that anyway. I will not use them on any of you, much less a random stranger in exchange for money. Why? via immediately inquired. I dont think any of us would care about the strength boost but it would be safer for you to be able to call us for support considering your reckless tendencies Since we know we cant stop you anyway. The girls nodded several times at thatst part and Rakna huffed in amusement as he patted the little snakes head. None of you are my guards, he stated. Im not about to bind your life to mine under the nice pretense that youre my friends and should help me. However, Pronos, Higure, Tyran, or Aster are eptable. Two of them essentially owe me their life, one of them is still a Full Undead, and the little guy is my pet. If I need help, calling those four is more than enough. The group was silent for a while and via seemed hesitant to relent. She really wanted to take this opportunity to avoid incidents like today from happening again. Besides, he continued. The four of them are all half-immortal. Tyran, Higure, and Aster can heal with my mana. And Pronos has Nine Lives that will probably be even more practical once he evolves for the first time at level 100. I would be far more rxed with having their help. The Chaos Witch sighed. Fine I would like to insist too but you wouldnt be able to have me in your Guard since we are too far apart in strength anyway, Kaelith said calmly but a certain item appeared in her hand with a sh of light. Take this though, she said and tossed it to him. He inspected it and hummed. It was a sort of stone tablet with engravings on it and he promptly found out its purpose with one use of Appraisal. Break it and I will be able to teleport to you instantly, no matter the teau. Red, huh? Raknamented with a smile; it was the rarity of the item. Are you sure? Obviously. There arent any people apart from you that I would give this to. Why should I leave it to gather dust in my storage? I see Thanks, Ill use it if I need to, he said and it was transferred in his storage. So, what do you think about the perks of my title? Theyre nice. The Imperial Guard and Designation are quite powerful. But I sort of already knew about it from other Emperors, though I only met one of the three that exist, not including you. Your versions are a bit stronger; probably due to the Legendary tag. Next, the gates to the Celestial and Eonian teau are not surprising. I also have them. As for thest two Whats wrong about them? Nyx asked when she, along with a few others, noticed the uneasiness on the vixens expression. Kaelith paused to think about it. Well, I know about both. I have the Empirical Tribtion myself that I have yet to use. As for the other I only know about it from records. A handful of people got that ability and the majority received divine bodies or skills. But lets say that thest and only time where a Host who used it became an actual Celestial their Domain was Murder. Rakna frowned at that. Are you saying a Host became a God of Murder? Yeah, Higure answered for the fox woman whilst licking her paw. I was alive back then. Im sure you understand the kind of disaster it was. That guy was a gue. His Domain was Murder and so was his personality. Gaining an Aspect of Divinity, a Domain, is more than just a fancy title, Kaelith followed up. You be what you represent to extreme levels depending on circumstances. Thats even more true if you are a normal mortal ascending to Divinity. The change can mess up your mind and soul. And I assume you want me to be careful about it? Rakna asked. She nodded slowly. Yes Dont worry. Im not your regr mortal. And I dont intend to use that thing at least until I unlock my Sub-Path. Ill have plenty of time to consider or take precautions, he said. But while were on the topic, what happened to this God of Murder? Is he still alive? Kaelith shook her head. No. He was killed in a collective effort. Really? The collective effort of whom? The vixen smiled and shrugged teasingly. Why dont you ask the one in your head? He was one of the leading forces, if not the leading force that allowed the God of Murder to be taken out without many casualties. Fray? Rakna both eximed in surprise and called him out. Is it true? {it is,} the storyteller responded rather tamely. {While that is a feat to be proud of recounting, I do not have good memories of it. I lost dear friends and} He paused. {You could say that some of the victims were even dearer,} he said and let the statement sink in. {Perhaps that is why I was called Exalted. During those times, I was nothing more than a quill exalted on vengeance.} Fray then chuckled heartily to clear the mood. {But it is in the past. Do me a favor, Rakna, do not force me to condemn my soul so that I cane back to life and kill you.} Rakna squinted and his eyes flickered to pure ck for a moment. He looked at his hand where an undetectable sliver of his Hoarfrost Star shed with the Volcanic Star. He closed it after a short second and smiled. I certainly owe you for your earlier pep talk So, count on it. {Hahaha!} Frayughed. Maybe the others hadnt noticed Raknas wording but for him, it was as clear as the day. He was not promising him anything and at the same time, he was silently sending him a plea to help in the worst-case scenario. {I will count on it. Be sure of it.} ? * * * ? When the discussion was over, Rakna proceeded to add Tyran and Higure to his Guard; and in that exact order, much to the lioness chagrin. The skill unsurprisingly shot up to Exceled considering what kind of beings Tyran and Higure were. He also decided to not add Aster. Or at least, he put it on hold for now. When it was time to sleep, he tuned out the girls bickering, mainly the passive-aggressive dialogue between via and Kaelith, and lied down on his bed. He then mentally cast a spell and activated a skill; Tkkamum and Onera. Eye of Symphony made him able to live without sleep but it didnt make him unable to. The effects were as instantaneous as he experienced it for the past week. He was put into a deep sleep far beyond normal standards and his ensuing entrance into Enthymios Second Layer made his mind independent but resident to his dreams. This had the effect of pulling him into an empty ce where darkness surrounded him and a light of unknown source followed him around like antern to brighten his path. He could manipte this realm as he wished and he casually willed an entire garden with a night sky above it to appear. Beyond the boundaries of this construct, the darkness was still present but he didnt need to make it bigger. Rakna sat down against arge tree in the center of the garden and closed his eyes. One thing he loved about this ce was that he could stay conscious even though he was technically sleeping in the outside world. That left him all the time he wanted to meditate, though it didnt affect his soul at all, it was still a ritual he liked to perform even before getting pulled into Systema. While he was in the middle of it, much to his shock, he heard a voice speak, Rakna? It was feminine and soft. It also seemed hesitant and fearful. He promptly got to his feet and turned to the source. There shouldnt have been anyone in here. Not even Fray and Higure were capable of interacting with him in this realm. But that certainty was thrown out of the window when a woman he had never seen before stood a few meters away on the grass. To describe her, if anything, the best word would have been doll. Her skin was paler than it should be possible. It was nearly fully bleached as if she was made out of porcin. Her expression was empty, or perhaps it would be more urate to call it still. It was as if apart from her pupils, nothing else could move. She was also holding her hands together in front of her in a respectful manner. Her head was very slightly tilted to one side and her long shining white hair was covering her cheek and reached the middle of her back. She had golden eyes filled with lifepared to her physical appearance. She was wearing what appeared like a ck and white Victorian dress. Her features were attractive but not sensual and her figure seemed fragile but endearing. Summarized Rakna couldnt make head or tails of what was happening. Her looks were much too unique for him to draw a nk on whether or not he had met her before. The woman seemed to understand his plea as she straightened herself and opened her mouth to speak, It is me. The softness of her voice was a definite contrast to the rest but it sounded quite anxious as well. However, those three additional words were enough for Rakna to recognize it and he gazed at her in utter shock. It took him a minute to voice it out. Alexa? Chapter 215: Ceresta Chapter 215: Ceresta The dolls angelic stoicism was split by a small smile of relief. I was afraid you would not recognize me in this way. Rakna stared at her for a while and raised his hand. Wait, he uttered and rubbed his eyes before turning back to her. She cutely tilted her head without changing her expression. So its you? Affirma- She paused and blinked. My apologies, I have learned recently that this is not a word I should use if I want to be more human, she said thoughtfully. Yes I am Alexa. Be more human? Rakna repeated curiously. Is that what you want to do? I I would like to, she replied. Have I done something wrong with my appearance? She asked nervously whilst ncing at her attire. I generated this without much reflection. I rifled through many records from human history and this one stood out to me How do humans call this feeling of appreciation? Rakna smiled faintly. That you like it. Thats simply what you say. Yes I like these clothes. And I like this appearance. It Resonates with you, the therian finished for her. Back during the Initiation, you showed me the hints of your sentience; of your emotions. Thats what I wanted to push you to. Youve done well. Alexa made a small smile again. Before I go on to ask how the hell you are here can you do something for me? Yes? Reach for the edges of your dress and lift them up a bit, he instructed and she did it with a tilt of her head. Then spin around. Sheplied and performed a full turn, her dress and hair iling with all the grace she naturally possessed. When she was done, she let go of the dress and tilted her head again as she joined her hands together. Like this? Rakna solemnly nodded. You look beautiful. For a brief moment, he saw a bit of color adorn that porcin-like skin. ? * * * ? I see. You got in by connecting yourself to Eye of Symphony, Rakna said as he sat on a bark chair he had created. Alexa was simrly sitting to his left, watching the sky, with her hands folded on herp. Funny how science can do things beyond soul and magic. Unlike Fray, you are here as if you shared my consciousness. Since my brain is basically one with mywork. Can I say that? It is urate. Your current body and processing core are like a very intricate privatework of incredible superioritypared to most technologies, she said with a nod. So, thats why you sounded so enthusiastic for the Overhaul, Rakna said with a smile. It was in order to do this, huh? She squirmed a little on her seat and nodded slowly. I wanted to interact with you in a physical sense. May I ask to hold your hand for a moment? The therian looked at her and candidly extended his hand toward her. She gazed at it hesitatingly and ced hers on it. After a small contact, she paused for a moment beforepletely lying it down parallelly. Rakna snorted at her obviously embarrassed behavior despite her doll-like exterior. He held her hand and her shoulders trembled. How is it? It is a peculiar experience. The ability to feel is not in my core program, she said. But it seems that I can simte it in this ce. I am not sure how to exin it Rakna hummed. Maybe my physical capabilities are shared with you, he theorized and let go of her hand, and she did the same after a while. When she let go, she stared at her hand as if it belonged to someone else until ultimately cing it on herp. There is something I wanted to ask, she said. What is it? My name. The therian froze and let out an embarrassed smile. Right. Sorry, I should have put more thought into it. But then again, I was not really in the headspace to do so at the time. The doll tilted her head at him with a confused blink. That is not what I meant. I do not me you for any sort of intent behind my name. I would merely prefer to be addressed in a more personal way. As you do with Pronos. You want a nickname? Rakna asked back in surprise and she nodded meekly. He smiled a bit and mused. Well, I just use little guy for Pronos but I cant do that for you, can I? What if I started to call you littledy? Would you like it? She squinted her eyes. I am feeling erratic. What does it mean? That youre probably a bit offended, he saidughingly. Or mortified at the idea, either due to shyness or disappointment. Human emotions areplicated like that. I shouldnt be one to give a lecture, but if you want my advice, if it feelsfortable, just go for it. If its the opposite, avoid it the best as you can. if I feel ufortable when I see you in danger, what should I do to avoid it? That question threw Rakna out of the loop. His eyes widened and looked back as she stared at him with faint fervor in the golden of her irises. You are destroying records, he said humorously. Its the first time someone managed to give me so much guilt in one line. Are you girls having fun doing this to metely? She pursed her lips and looked down. I apologize Dont. You have nothing to apologize for. I guess I had iting. If Im not even capable of ridding you of worry even though youre always with me, I deserve it. I am the one who has to apologize here, he sighed. I might have to extend the same branch to Higure. Fray not so much, he added with a snicker. He looked up at the sky with a hum. How about Ceresta? He said out of the blue. Eh? She eximed. Well, he shrugged. I could just remove a letter and go with Alex or Lexa but if I want to redeem myself, I might as well revamp it; you remind me of the Craiste, he said and waved his hand at the field in front of them. Immediately, thousands of flowers grew bloomed with white petals and yellow stamen. They were apanied by silver-gray leaves and stems. Its Latin name is Cerastium Averse, Rakna continued as she admired the sight. The flowers were glowing from the moonlight, just as he had willed them to. Craiste is the French name and this particr type is called cottoneux or tomenteux. They are also known as Snow in the Summer. I think it suits you, he said. And if you want a nickname, how about Ceres? She quietly listened with her gaze transfixed on the flowers. Is this warmth thefort you were talking about? She inquired with a hushed voice. He smiled lightly. What do you think? I like it, she whispered. Can I keep it as Alexa Ceresta? Of course. Its your name, not mine. But why keep the first one? It was the first one you gave me, she replied in a heartbeat. I do not want to forgo it. I see. Thats called being sentimental if that interests you. Sentimental She muttered and stood up. She walked to the flowers and crouched in the middle of them. She poked one and noted that they were very soft. She plucked it out and twirled it before putting it in her hair like a pin. She turned back to Rakna and willfully formed a smile. Is this also sentimental? He snorted softly. Yes yes, it is. ? * * * ? Some timeter, Rakna had returned to his meditative position and tried to teach it to Ceres to see if her mind could be heightened without the sequential functioning of her program. Close your eyes and feel your breath. Follow the air you inhale and exhale with your mind. If you get distracted, dont fight it, and calmly make your way back to your breath. Dont feel bad if your attention wanders, its just normal, and a part of the process. She dutifully followed the steps and after about ten minutes, Rakna instructed her to slowly open her eyes. When she did so, she had to blink a few times due to dizziness she didnt identify. It seems its easy for you to get rid of distractions, Raknamented as he sat cross-legged in front of her. So, how do you feel? I dont know what kind of effect meditation could have on an AI as advanced as you. I feel She trailed as she tried to find the words. Dont think too much about it. Describe it pragmatically. My ideas are more focused, she ultimately said. Normally, I do not possess the ability to close my eyes. At best, it would be a metaphor to shut down my paired connections. It is the same thing for my breath But after trying it, it is as if everything around me does not need to be within my reach at all times. It makes me feel as if I have everything I need with the first thing I see when I open my eyes, she exined uncertainly. Rakna smiled faintly. Thats good. It must be apletely different experiencepared to me considering what you are. But as long as you appreciated it, I think its a sess. Ceres nodded slowly. May I ask how your first try at meditation was? Oh, it was bad. It was nowhere near as smooth as yours, he said with a grunt. I was ten when I first tried to do it; it was part of my uncles training. At the time, I was highly unstable. Far worse than when I entered Systema. I would have bursts of bloodlust when I tried, perhaps the trauma returning to me coupled with the fact that I killed my way out of imprisonment. The beautiful doll listened impassively, at least outwardly. She had heard the full story back when he recounted it to Kaelith after his fight with Verias. But hearing it again now gave her a feeling far more ufortable thanst time. The hands that she was holding together tightened and she failed to notice it. It would probably help to precise that back then, I didnt have Obsidian Blood. I only developed that condition yearster His voice darkened and his eyes dimmed. After an incident that came to be etched into my mind as the pool of blood. A silly name, honestly. But that silly thing became the source of my nightmares, despite being the thing that ironically patched me up. Ceres was feeling pain, she concluded. She desired to stop her Host from continuing as she knew he wasnt fond of the memory at all. But, another part of her was distressed over another reason. She wished to understand him better. Desperately so. May I She stopped herself. what happened? She rephrased it and Rakna shed a knowing but weak smile. I can show you. This is the only ce I could ever do it He said and raised his hand. As he was speaking, blood began to spill from his palm although there wasnt any injury. The flow became faster and faster. It quickly became a small fountain that started flooding the grass around him. Are you sure you want me to? Is this truly something you want to include in your learning? She looked at him in the eyes and decisively nodded, Yes. Chapter 216: Silly Things Chapter 216: Silly Things Rakna smiled bitterly and erased the theatrical disy of blood. There was no point in even trying to scare her. This probably wouldnt even work on anyone he knew. Perhaps except An whod just tell him something like Sure. If you dont want to, dont. Blood is icky anyway. He sighed and changed his sitting position with one knee up and his arm resting on it. Ceres was patiently watching and waiting for him to continue. If every story must start somewhere, then this is the appropriate ce, he suddenly said and all of thendscape around them faded away apart from the Craiste field. Instead, the two of them found themselves inside a house with their bodies being oddly transparent. Illegal traffic across China. Three different spots altogether that are always connected by one sort of transit or another. Ceres trembled as she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice. She looked around and her eyes fell on the figure of an elderly but powerful-looking man. He was standing in front of arge digital screen where a map was disyed, showing routes, pictures, and written records. She also spotted a young boy at his side, looking at the map. Out with it, old man, the boy spoke with a terrifyingly callous voice. It was filled with suppressed hatred and impatience. Listening to him felt like des scraping your skin. Is this rted to Flood and what are they trafficking exactly? All clues point to Floods involvement, the older man responded with a huff. As for the nature of the traffic, its only a conjecture, but Id say liquid Eion of high purity. I have noticed fluctuations in the supply worldwide. The young Rakna frowned heavily. Where the fuck are they getting it from? Where every criminal gets their stuff; the ck market. When humans want something, you can be sure thatw doesnt mean crap to them, the old man snickered. Well, it would have if I was still at the reigns of Aurora. Haze and Jin are getting sloppy but I cant me them. I was the main deterrent force. Thats why I started to hunt Flood down and found you along the way. you said three sites, where do we start? The boy inquired. Ill take the two that are closest to each other. You take thest one. Since youll be alone on this one, be careful. I wont be close to you to save your skin and Allegro isnt done yet. Zip it, old man. I dont need your saving. Well see. If they have about two hundred menbined in my two sites, I should be able to clean them up and join you in about two hours with the jet if its necessary. Ceres blinked in shock as she heard a human say he could take out two hostile positions with an average of a hundred guards within two hours. It was also the same for the young Rakna shown in the memory before her. How could he confidently target something like that on his own? I understand who that man is but you as well were you really human? She couldnt help but ask and the present Rakna snorted. We were. But the old man could be superhuman at the slightest intake of Eion while I also used serums developed by him to temporarily increase my physique, he replied. But more than that, we had skills and resources. That was more than enough. Ceres was silent for a moment. How old were you during this operation? 13? 14? Im not sure. My memories of that period are fuzzy, Rakna admitted with a shrug and pointed at the images. Focus. Its moving on. She did as he said and quietly watched as the pair left the house on bikes and headed to a hidden and remote abandoned factory that they clearly used as their private hangar. There were rows of vehicles inside and amongst them, flying contraptions of high quality were parked. How- Money, lots of money and connections, Rakna answered before she could finish. My uncle would then go and build or improve equipment on his own. He told me that he had had decades of free time to steadily bulk up his armory and equipment long before I met him. As he spoke, the memories, or rather the dream he was artificially making, forwarded to a section where he was heading to his objective in a ck jet, during the night and alone. After a while, the auto-pilot kicked in and the aircraft slowed down. The bottom thrusters were triggered and the ones at the back were turned off for a swift but soft verticalnding in a clearing. Rakna exited it dressed in a Ker and metal-ted outfit that was obviously leagues below the quality provided by Allegro. He walked to the back of the jet and opened apartment from which he grabbed a pair of odd knives with spear-shaped des and a thick handle. He whirled them and attached them to his belt. He then reached for a mask made out of metal alloy, a far cry from Scherzo, but still one that lit up when he put it on and gave him night vision. Back then, it still served him as a defense and scouting equipment. Arimane had always given him reliable armor due to his weaker physique. He put his hood up afterward and left the jet behind with a small briefcase in hand. When he was about ten meters away, he pressed a button in his pocket and the jets hull became translucent. He ran into the nearby forest at a speed that would put athletes to shame. Within five minutes, he spotted a bungalow belonging to the small town marked on his map. The augmented reality of his mask showed him where the most likely location of Flood was. It was on the other side of the town from his current position, not fully on the outskirts but close to it. He clicked his tongue and sprinted past the houses and streets fast and silently enough that even the random cats roaming outside only had the time to lift their heads before he was gone. Once he was close to his goal, he climbed to the roof of a building from the alleyway adjacent to it and used his mask to zoom into the distance. When he saw the target, he scowled and put down the case he was carrying. A nuclear nt? An abandoned one? Its not a rare sight since Eion but China shouldnt have many. They didnt get rid of their reactors; they reused them. They also werent one of the countries to be opposed to nuclear power, far from it. And why was one built here in the middle of nowhere? He thought to himself and opened the case, of which the lid also performed as a tablet. He turned it on and looked for information about the nt through it. He stumbled upon the list of official nuclear nts in the country and frowned. Its legit Closed for hazard? Bullshit. There isnt any attached information. There is no fucking way they would build a nt so close to a town and then close it for hazardC hah, three months after its constructionC without making a fuss. Does Flood have associates in the Government? Or in this case Aurora? Might be worth looking into. While thinking that, he ran pre-installed scripts and programs coded by his uncle and took control of the surveincework of the area. He tried to see if there was anything to connect to near the nuclear nt and hummed. Some signal I cant see more into it with this setup, he thought and started skimming through the surveince recordings. He quickly found what he was looking for; transports going in and out of town. It seemed to happen every week, in thete evening, with about three to four vehicles every time. Thats huge loads is it really Eion? Where are they shipped from? He asked himself and saved the data into a cloud that both he and his uncle had ess to. Anyway, these trucks all head to the west of the nt. In that case lets go east. He turned off the tablet, got a few items out of the case, and closed it before leaving it in a corner of the rooftop. He stood up from his crouched stance and made his way down the building. He ran around the nuclear nts location and approached from the far east. His uncle would have been far more aggressive, but unlike him, he didnt have the luxury of being a superhuman. When he reached the edges of the nt, he gave it a simple look-over and confirmed that the small buildings were indeed abandoned. However, the cooling towers, the containment buildings where the reactors are normally in, and the control building were dpidated, but nearly not as bad as the rest. He also had no angle to verify the interiors state, unlike the rest. He pondered and after checking for cameras, he went to inspect one of the cooling towers since it was the closest thing to him and he didnt want to go too deep into the nuclear ntsnd since that would mean getting closer to the supposed west entrance where there could be actual guards and surveince. He examined the tower and the first thing he noticed were the foundations. The material seemed cheap for this kind of edifice. It was probably on purpose so that the damage would umte faster and give it a neglected look. But for it to not have any obvious structural weakness despite it, meant that the inside was maintaining the stability. In other words; something was in there. He stepped back and looked at the top. He sighed. Its my safest and best bet He said to himself with a sigh. Fucking hell. I should have parachuted if I knew it would be like this. He headed to the stairs built to the side of the tower and started climbing them. He made sure that it wouldnt copse on itself from his weight and inevitably had to spend more time than he would have liked to. When he got to the top, he peeked inside and scoffed. It was sealed. And not in a for safety kind of way. It was a literal que of steel. He vaulted over the edge of the fake chimney andnded on the que. He walked to the obvious trap door in the center and crouched next to it. He raised an eyebrow and pulled out a vial with a blue liquid in it. He poured some of it onto the lock and then ignited it with an electric lighter. Instantly, the liquid burst into blue mes and melted down the lock silently. Rakna opened the entry afterward and after taking a look, jumped in. Hended on the top of a spiraling perforated metal staircase. He made sure there wasnt anything of direct danger around him and quietly made his way down. Gradually, a certain smell began to attack his nose; stronger and stronger. A silly name, the present Rakna suddenly said and Ceres, who was engrossed in the amazingly livid memories, was startled. She looked back at her Host and held her breath when she saw the dreadfully empty expression he had. The pool of blood. A silly one indeed, he continued and the memories yed out until the young version of him reached the end of the stairs and got to a sort of scaffolding bridge. He looked over the railings and the sight clearly shocked him enough to the point of losing hisposure. Ceres also had a look of utter disbelief and even slight terror. Rakna remained impassive but his lips curled maniacally, neither a smile nor a grimace. But sometimes, silly things should be taken literally. Chapter 217: Research Chapter 217: Research What is this? The young Raknas voice quivered as he beheld what lied below the nuclear nt. The bridge he was on spanned for tens of meters and expanded into a massive grid of which the cases had each a cistern located within their perimeter. These cisterns were filled with a red liquid mixed with blue light as if it was electrified. And if the smell didnt make the contents nature clear enough, the hundreds of dead animals hung to the ceiling with their throats slit definitely would. Is this the pool of blood? Ceres asked uneasily as she viewed the memory. Correct. Or rather, the pools of blood, Rakna said with an empty chuckle. What happened here? Watch. Youll get your answer. Ceres turned back to the memory as the thirteen-year-old boy started walking further down the bridge whilst staying close to the railings. His face was stuck in a perpetual grimace as he did his best to examine the situation. Those cisterns He muttered and leaned a bit more over the railing to see that the containers of blood each had a screen disying different measures. Additionally, there were several conduits pouring a cyan liquid inside. The Eion Blood Animals His eyes widened. The trucks arent for the Eion, theyre for the animals Zeera? Did they steal Auroras research and continued it on all sorts of wild animals? If thats true, why bring them all here and drain them of their blood? He muttered to himself. Since there didnt seem to be anyone monitoring this room, he quickly headed to a staircase static to the bridge and approached one of the cisterns screens. Enzymes, acids, antigens all sorts of naturalpounds, he mumbled and clicked his tongue. He looked up again at the drained animals with a wince. His eyes wandered to the crystallized air around theming from the vents. They keep them cold do they use the corpses to add the organicpounds? Fuck; the old man is better at this than me, he spat under his breath and started running around, trying to find out what this blood was for but to no avail. He did find one cistern different from the others though. He climbed thedder built onto it and looked inside only to almost gag. Disgusting pieces of shit, he uttered. There were dposing animals in there and some were already bones. This is clearly not Zeeras method. Are they trying toe up with a different solution to make super soldiers? As he was thinking that, he heard a sounding from the other side of the underground factory along with voices he couldnt make out. Shit, he cursed internally and quietly headed to the most outward walls of this test center. He used the metal poles sustaining the ceiling as covers and he started hearing the footsteps and voices clearer. Are we even sure the motion sensors didnt just malfunction? Might just be a rat. Who would even get in here? We should have fucking cameras anyway Shut up. The fewer devices we have vulnerable to hacking, the better. Auroras been a pain in the ass since theyve started putting back doors in every market. Rakna quietly listened to their conversation and eventually made his way back up on the bridge so that he could spy on them from above. They were speaking English and were obviously not of Asian descent; which made it even more likely for them to be Flood. Yeah, yeah, sure see anything? One of the two men asked as they walked around the cisterns. No, the other respondedzily and his partner clicked his tongue. Tch, I hate this smell. Hey, do you know whens the next batch? Tomorrow. Its thest one too. Were done with the research. The two other sites are closing and this one will follow next week. The higher-ups want to wrap this up before we get found out. To top it off, we have some weird vignte after us. Some are saying the Demons back. Pff! As if! Thats just a freaking urban legend at this point. Its been what? A hundred years since he disappeared? He must be dead already. My mom used to tell me scary stories about him when I was a kid. You should have listened to her, the man heard an unknown voice and before he could react, a knife had been thrust through his temple and Raknanded on his falling body. Wha-! The partner turned around when he heard the noise and raised his firearm. But before he could aim, the knife in Raknas hand extended into a spear and swatted his weapon. The spear then stabbed into his knee and he cried in pain. He reflexively keeled over and a hand grabbed his throat and pushed him to the floor. He tried to get the hand off but the spear retracted and shed both his shoulders. Quiet, Rakna spoke through his mask. Youre clearly the most knowledgeable here. Youre going to tell me what I want to know. Im not going to tell you anything brat He choked out of his strangled throat and Rakna rolled his eyes. He whirled the knife and stabbed it into the mans palm while tightening his grip so that the mans scream couldnt be voiced. Reconsider. The hands a surprisingly painful ce, you know? You wouldnt want me to stir this thing inside your palm, would you? Or do you prefer having your fingers slowly sliced open? Nerve by nerve. Ceres watched with a feeling even moreplicated than the ones before as the young boy began to torture a man in front of her eyes. It didnt take long for the criminal to speak but the only thing he knew of was the advancement of the sites schedule and the basesyout and personnel. Thanks, the young Rakna uttered and pierced the mans brain in a blink. He searched his clothes for the device that stopped the motion sensors from triggering and pocketed it. No pager. Maybe thats a bit too much to expect from them anyway, hemented and stood up. He put his knife back on his belt and made his way to the exit. The doors were unlocked; courtesy of the pair who hade looking for him. It led him directly inside a corridor with dim lighting. Feels like Im inside a hospital at night, Rakna jested to himself and moved forward and when he was a few steps away from an intersection, someone took a turn in his direction. Hey-! The mans shout died in his throat when a needle-like throwing projectile speared through his forehead. Rakna wordlessly approached him and pulled the dart out while he was still falling. 44 left, he muttered based on the number given by the other man. He couldnt have possibly told him the exact number that fast and in panic but he gave it a reasonable margin of error. A habit the old drilled into me, the present Rakna suddenly said. If you know how many targets you have, your focus isnt lost. If you count down, you dont get distracted. And when you reach zero, you know you either have to retreat if there are enemies unounted for or be even more careful for surprises out of your intel. Ceres nced timidly at him as he said those words and when her eyes returned to the images, she almost let out her voice when she saw him break the neck of someone sitting at a desk right outside the corridor. 43, the boy casually said without stopping as he zeroed on theptop lying on the desk. Old model. Not tampered by Aurora, he muttered and did the most civilian thing to do; check the Wi-Fi. Ah, close. Fiber. Makes sense, he mumbled and, after a few clicks and input of a password, he linked theptop to a server back home that would scour the files andwork. When he was done with that, he heard footstepsing from his left and threw a dart thatnded on a womans throat who barely came into view. Rakna stepped over her body to head to the ce she came from. Gender equality as they preach. 42, he scoffed and when he saw three people at the end of the passage pointing at him and raising their weapons, he knew stealth was over. He could have tried to kill them from a distance but the rm that went off as fast as they noticed him didnt leave him any choice. He pulled something from inside his vest and threw it at the wall behind them. When the throwing knife hit, a blip echoed and the three men were engulfed in an Eion explosion that tore the flesh out of their bones. 39, he whispered and started running immediately after. He dived into the smoke of the explosion and past the hole made in the wall. His mask adjusted the vision and he jumped behind the first cover he could see right as a hail of bullets began to whizz through the bluish smoke of the explosion. He scowled and readied his two spear-knives. When the bullets stopped, he started hearing the reloading sounds and the slow footsteps closing in from all directions. He groaned internally. Theyre professionally trained. Of course, he sighed silently and unclipped a small disc-like object from his belt. He pressed the button on it and tossed it over the cover. The object blipped midair and released an extremely high-pressure gas that kept the object airborne for a few short seconds. The room was filled with thick tear-gas near instantly. Rakna promptly rolled out of his cover and switched his mask to thermal vision. He dashed to the farthest target first. In the way, he flicked both of his weapons and turned them into spears. He swung them and reaped two men during his run before stabbing one spear into the chest of his original target. Then, before the rest could recover from the gas, he turned around and threw three darts, efficiently downing the remaining threats. When the tear-gas dispersed, Rakna noted that the room he was in was a small cafeteria. Oh, my bad for disrupting your meal, he muttered as the bodies spilled blood on the floor. 33, he said off-handedly and started hearing far more noiseing from two different directions. He sighed and kicked one body over. He scowled and crouched to grab something inside a pouch next to the deceased mans ammunition. There you go. Rakna scoffed as he pulled out a frag grenade. Too scared to use them on me, huh? I dont like it but still better than guns, he said and went on to grab two more from the others. He turned toward the second exit of the cafeteria and pulled a pin with a grin. When the door was mmed open, he tossed one and hid behind a corner. Meals not ready, he saidughingly and heard yells before the grenade detonated. Ceres went on to watch as the boy a few years into his adolescence gored his way through tens of armed men like a breeze. The grins he shed also appeared genuine to her. It seemed like he was enjoying it. She couldnt even fathom to understand how such a person could be traumatized to the point of bing the one she knew today. 9. This statement brought her back to attention and saw the past Rakna standing in front of a metal door locked by a biometric scanner with a handful of bodies at his feet. He frowned at the door and tried to use his fingerprint to open it for the sake of it. When the buzzer went off and shed red, he groaned. We can always dream, he muttered and looked around. He angled his sight toward the holster of one corpse and clicked his tongue. He reached for the handgun in it and pulled the slide to check the chamber. He turned off the safety and pointed the weapon at the scanner before pressing the trigger. He didnt even blink as the bullet dug a hole into it. Sparks flew out and the door opened a second afterward. Rakna snickered and dropped the gun in his hand. Never fails, he jested and stepped inside. This new room was aboratory and the first thing he noticed were cylinders filled with an opaque green liquid. He approached one of them and squinted his eyes. He was almost capable of seeing a silhouette inside but it was far toorge for it to be human. He nced at the tactile screen affixed to it and when he was about to press on the Drain button, he felt something cold pressed against the back of his head. Well, well, what do we have here? A kid? Chapter 218: The Pool of Blood Chapter 218: The Pool of Blood Raknas face became serious and he quietly raised his hands. He squinted his eyes and looked at the man behind him through the reflection on the cylinders ss; or at least, the silhouette. Youre not the Demon, are you? Unless the guy found a way to regress, he said. There is no way he would be caught like this anyway. Youre not going to talk? What is Flood doing here? Hah! As expected of a kid that decimated my men! Even when at gunpoint, you try to interrogate me. You have guts, Ill give you that. Not so much, Rakna replied. No need for guts when youre not scared in the first ce. Oh? What? Youre gonna go martial artist on me and knock my gun away? The masked boy snickered. No need to fear a fate thatll leave me no room to regret. If I die, thats it. But I guess I will also die knowing youre dead. What? You asked if I was the Demon? What if I told you hesing here soon? The man holding the gun flinched. Youre bluffing. You wish, Rakna uttered and suddenly crouched. He heard the bullet go off and swiped the mans legs. As the criminal fell, he caught the handgun he had been holding midair and threw it away. He extended one of his knives and pointed the de at the man with a white coat lying on the floor. Haha! Holy shit; never thought it was actually possible, he said with augh whilst staring at the spear threatening his throat. Guess movies arent just bullshit Answer my question. What were doing? He smirked. Youre going to find out soon and you wont live long to tell the tale afterward. What are you Rakna trailed and his eyes widened as he heard ss crack. A shiver ran down his spine and he looked over his shoulder just in time to see a shadow erupt out of the cylinder that the bullet pierced and hit him on the entirety of his upper half. His mind barely caught to the fact that he had been flung away less than a secondter. He crashed through several chemical pieces of equipment, even breaking an empty ss container. He felt his bones breaking as he hit the wall. It was like he had been run over by a truck. He rolled over on the floor and vomited blood. He gripped the left side of his abdomen and leaned his shoulder against the wall to somewhat stand. He shook his head trying to get rid of his blurry vision and looked back at what had just done this to him. It was a giant. No, it was a massive hunk of flesh. Sutures all over its body, muscles that seemed to be bigger than others, and a disproportionated head with a metal helmet covering it. Its body was only covered by mismatching bandages and metal straps. Hahaha! The Flood memberughed. Lets see how long you get to regret before you die, kid. Rakna didnt even humor him. He fished out two Eion knives and threw them at the abomination in his sight. The Flood scientist didnt even get the time to react before he was engulfed in the cyan mes. As for the perpetrator of the attack, he couldnt be bothered to check the results. He had no idea what that thing was and he didnt believe the explosion would do anything to it. He ran out of the room as fast as he could in his current state. He retracted his path and soon heard a loud crashing from behind him. That creature had smashed through inches of armored concrete. It looked at him and started running in his direction at a slow but heavy pace. Fuck, Rakna cursed and pulled out one more Eion knife. He set it on a timer and nted it in the wall before turning at the intersection. The explosion went off and the footsteps stopped briefly before starting again. As he was dreading that he would be targeted, he heard shouts and gunshots. Survivors well, dont die too fast, he muttered and elerated since he had recovered a bit more. He also took out an injector from his vest and poured the content into his veins. The serum worked instantly and he sprinted toward the cistern room. Ten secondster, he could hear the heavy steps of the monster again. Are you serious? He grumbled as he entered the room full of blood cisterns. He grunted and started heading toward the stairs to the bridge but in a stroke of bad luck, the abomination entered by breaking through the wall. The force shot a boulder that copsed the whole staircase as well as a part of the bridge. Raknas expression darkened and he ran to cover when the things helmet turned toward him. Whilst running, he used one of his knives to create leaks on the liquid Eion pipes. After sabotaging three of them, he left a ticking Eion knife behind. As he hoped, the monster passed by the danger area, and nearly four cisterns exploded right then and there. The shockwave almost made Rakna fly and he was in fact thrown against the wall. The st tore several support poles out of their hinges and from outside, the ground and the fake cooling towers shook. Rakna gritted his teeth as he tried to stand up from his stooped position after falling and cursed in his mind as he saw a scorched but alive figure walk out of the blue mes ravaging the ce. What the fuck are you made of, you Frankenstein bastard He spat as his legs refused to respond to his will. The creature ultimately grabbed him and it was at that point that Ceres couldnt hold back her gasp. She frantically alternated between the images and Rakna to convince herself that he was still alive and well next to her. She looked at her hands that were trembling and with a frantic mind, drew a conclusion. So, this is worry and fear She thought to herself and forced herself to watch as the creature mmed Rakna on the ground; his mask falling off. The young boy let out a voiceless scream and was lifted again for the next blow, or thest. But in a show of great fortitude, he took control over his arm back and shoved an Eion knife into the gap of the things helmet. The creature roared and hurled him away instead of killing him. He flew to a cistern and his body made a hole in it right as he heard his knife go off. Then red. Ceres shuddered as everything around her became red. In the middle of it, the past version of her Host began to scream in agony. He swallowed some of the blood and he grasped his own head as voices or rather noises began to make themselves known. Ceres almost had the same reflex to hold her head as well. All kinds of animals growling, roaring, barking, snarling all of it at the same time. But it wasnt just noise, it was maddening. It was like something was destroying your mind from the inside. If she felt this from a memory, she had no idea of what Rakna must have felt. He thrashed around stronger and stronger and she began to hear words mixed in with the noises of beasts. The the blood drowning drowning DROWNING ME! Ceres was terrified as thest shout overpowered everything else. The Rakna in the memories opened his eyes that were now bloodshot. Even his irises were different as if his actual DNA was being affected by the blood. He drew hisst Eion knife and triggered it inside the blood, with him a few inches away. The explosion made the blood fly out like a volcanic eruption while he was freed as the cistern copsed under the strain. Raknanded on all four and stayed still whilst looking at the ground nkly. The monster was on the ground, showing no signs of movement, its helmet turned into scrap and its head shrouded by smoke. Later, the present Rakna spoke up coldly and Ceres shivered. I learned that the blood inside of those things was meant to be a new kind of enhancing antitoxin for humans by going back to the sources; merging our DNA with animals. But with the addition of Eion liquid, gray matter, as well as human blood, the result was a mixture with extra sensorial properties. If you touched it, it would be like momentarily weing inside your head every living being of which the blood was present in the cistern. After this incident, the old man said my IQ shot up and at the same time, I gained unbelievable instincts and a brain condition we called Obsidian Blood. Ceres eyes widened in realization. This incident was the cause behind the uniqueness of your Trait and its ability to re-allocate your attributes and transform your magic affinity Rakna nodded. Probably. As for the me who came out He trailed and his past self began to yell and scream at seemingly nothing. He got stuck in the blood pool. His mind, filled with animalistic instincts, was overwhelmed. His human and animal instincts mixed together and gave birth to one and only urge; seek more blood. The Rakna in the memories abruptly closed his mouth. He raised his head and his eyes who had been full of hatred before were now bloodied and hollow. He slowly stood up and his empty stare turned to the destroyed staircase. He walked toward it like a drunken man, retrieving his dropped weapons, and when he was right under an intact portion of the bridge, he bent his knees and jumped on the edge of a cistern and used it to propel himself onto the bridge where hended as if his center of gravity didnt exist. His body had ingested the blood. His muscles didnt know where to stop or how to hold back and his heart was pumping blood faster, the present Rakna continued to narrate in the third person with an ever-increasing coldness and emptiness in his tone. The memories resumed with him jumping off the cooling tower and using his knife to slow himself down by cutting into the tower. His eyes didnt seem to be looking at anything in particr but his legs marched toward the town without hesitation. Ceres stood up when she understood what was happening; her dollish features changing in order to properly express the dismay she was feeling. The town was wide awake due to the small earthquakes and explosionsing from the nuclear nt. Therefore, someone quickly spotted Rakna ambling in the streets. Hey, kid, are you alright? A man asked worriedly and approached him. Ceres somehow had the urge to warn him even though she logically knew that it would do nothing. Is that bloo-! The man couldnt finish his sentence as a de sliced through his carotids. Rakna didnt even spare a nce at the dead mans face and by the time someone noticed him, he had already in two more people. On his rampage, a civilian even shot him but he didnt even bat an eye as the bullet got stuck in the Ker of his armor. He went on and on. To him, there was only one thing true; to drown in the pool of blood. And the pool demanded more blood. More victims. More voices, Rakna recounted and his expression and voice worsened with each death presented. Ceres held her hands together tightly and calmly walked in front of him. She stood there, blocking his view of the images, with her hands sped in front of her stomach. Her face was unmoving to a certain extent but her eyes glowing like molten gold were fixated on him. She slowly untangled her fingers and kneeled in front of him, not even reacting to the screams from the dream. What are you- Rakna swallowed his own words when her arms wrapped around him. You did this tofort the Fox Heiress does it work? He blinked and his countenance drastically softened. He smiled and hesitatingly ced one hand on her back and stroked her hair along with it. Look at you; they grow up so fast, he kidded. But who isforting who? I will notment. Rakna huffed in amusement and tapped her head. All right, you can stop now. for some reason, I do not wish to. Is that human as well? She said and if he had been looking at her face, he would have seen the utter honesty on it. He sweatdropped. I guess it is Kid, we talked about this, a gruff voice jolted the both of them. Ceres managed to escape from the oddly maizing skinship and viewed the image of the elderly man she recognized as Eternal Night. He was garbed in a ck leather outfit. Unlike Rakna, he had nothing akin to armor apart from his coat. She watched as the past Rakna mumbled iprehensible things as Arimane tried to talk sense into him. From behind her, her Host smiled bitterly. I dont remember it a lot but when the old man arrived, I think I didnt attack him outright because my mind and instincts were screaming at me to not even dare. For even this scene to be so clear I guess the dream dimension truly digs deep in my subconscious. Ceres looked at him with a tilt of her head. And well everything has its limits. On cue to his words, his past self thrust one of his spears into Arimanes heart. For anyone else, it was too fast and powerful to dodge, block, or even survive. But to the one known as the Demon by all on Earth, it was naught. Arimane clenched the spear tightly as the tip poked his clothes. He squinted his eyes and twisted the weapon by applying more force. So, be it, kid. I dont know what happened to you but I guess this is as far as well go, he dered and kicked the boy away. The strength behind it was enough to be heard on impact. Rakna flew and slid on the ground, more blooding out of his mouth as his ribs started making holes into his lung. Arimane calmly walked to him and put a foot on his chest. He drew a revolver with a double barrel and pointed it at the boys nk face. Ill give you onest chance, the old man stated as Rakna struggled like a cornered beast under his foot. Are you really going to give up? Is this how you want to go? A murderer? Dont you have someone waiting for you? What do I say to thatss when I return? What about your duty? What about your revenge? Does your determination only amounts to this? It seemed those words had their effect and Rakna stopped moving. His empty eyes gazed at the sky with no light or emotion in them but they nheless started glistening as tears fell. Ceres opened her mouth wide at the sight while Arimane grinned. Would you look at that? First time I see you cry, kiddo. Your head might not be entirely there but a man who can shed tears deserves to have his redemption, he said and whirled his gun back into its holster. He lifted his foot and this time, Rakna didnt move nor did he do anything other than stare at the stars. Good. Better stay put. I dont want you to lose too much blood, the old man said and picked a syringe from his inner pockets and injected a green liquid inside the young boy, rendering him unconscious. Go to sleep for a while. I need to find out what did this to you so I can fix i- ||||||! A chilling human-like roar resounded in the dream and both Ceres and Rakna widened their eyes in shock. What? I dont remember this. I wasnt even awake Thetter muttered as he stood to look at the dream who went on despite himself being knocked out. Higure did say dreams can sometimes extend out of yourself is this what she meant? Hm? Arimane, unlike his spectators, merely nailed the act of the annoyed uncle at the roar who interrupted him. He turned around to see a bulging mass of muscles with a charred bleeding face revealing a weirdly shaped skull and teeth. Oh? A bio-weapon? Hahaha! Did the kid give you that make-up? I might have to praise him for it when he wakes up, he said with a lightugh. Ceres was speechless. Is Eternal Night really so carefree? You have no idea. He never told me about this. I wonder how he dealt with it Rakna replied as he grew a bit excited to see his uncles performance; even he barely got to see him at full strength. The abomination of flesh growled threateningly and ran at the old man who calmly put a cigar in his mouth. His movements were slow and fast at the same time. He took out a silver zippo lighter and lit the cigar. He snapped the lighter closed and inhaled. Immediately after, the creature got in range and threw a punch. Arimane smirked and exhaled a blue smoke. The punchnded and the ground under the old mans feet cracked. Hah! Quite beefy. But you dont quite know how to throw a punch, do you? He cant be serious Rakna sighed while Ceres was gobsmacked. The bio-engineered weapon made a noise of hesitance for the first time. Its gaze went from the mans grin to his chest glowing with a spider-web pattern, and to the sole hand that was blocking its fist from advancing further. I dont feel like ying with you. I have a kid to not let die and a ce to explore, Arimane uttered nonchntly and shoved the monsters arm away. He drew his revolver again and shot the thing right in the eye. It roared in pain and stepped back. However, when the smoke of the gunshot went away, it showed that the bullets had not fully pierced its skull. Damn. Do you have lead for bones or what? Arimane said without withdrawing his smile. He put his gun back in its holster and hummed. No wonder the kid got overwhelmed. The creature, even with its limited awareness of the world, felt offended and was about to charge again when the bullets in its skull blipped and exploded. Its head burst into bits and the body soon became acquainted with the ground. Alright. Lets bring this back home, Arimane said unperturbedly and used a remote to call his jet to his location. He lifted the headless monster and threw it into the open trunk of the aircraft. And your turn now. Have a nice trip with your friend, kid, he added and tossed Raknas unconscious body on top of the dead creature. Ill use your jet toe back. The present Raknas eye twitched several times at that and thest thing his dream showed them was the jet closing and Arimane grimly gazing into the distance where the nuclear nt was. Chapter 219: Pathetic Chapter 219: Pathetic Well wasnt that an interesting show? Rakna said ndly and waved his hand. The scenery of the garden returned as the wind returned and Craiste petals flew up. Ceres tilted her head. I detect something forlorn in your voice. What is it? The therian smiled faintly and sat down in the middle of the flowers with a sigh. What I showed you still haunts me for two reasons. The first; the in and simple wound left by the experimental blood. Thats something I hope my Alkahestic Physique or the Sage can fix. The second; what I did when I was under its influence. But it is not- My fault? I know. When I woke up a weekter, I remembered everything. It might be surprising to you but I had a rtively clear memory of cutting through all those people. Do you know what I thought of it? No Nothing, he stated. And thats exactly why it haunts me. Ceres opened her mouth, only to close it afterward. She was lost. I do not understand. Neither do I, he said. You seem to be under the impression that humans have full understanding of their feelings. Its not the case. You would need to be a logical monster to do that. I like to think that Im way up there. But not at the top. A logical monster you say? Yes. I met someone like that before, Rakna hummed. You could say its an old friend but then again, I didnt interact with him too much. Along with An, you could say that he was the second unofficial student of my old man. But he wasnt that close to us. It was a guy a year older than me; he went to our school but he graduated before all this mess happened. How was he like? As I said; a monster of logic. A devil of reason, rationality, and expediency. He would reveal things about you that you wouldnt be aware of. What we feel or think; there was no escape. I tried to do it but even with my apathy, it was as if he could read my brain. It was far worse than Fray. Ceres tilted her head. He sounds unique. No Rakna said and made a small smile at the look of confusion she gave him. He was ordinary for the most part. His behavior was normal, his rtionships were not unbreakable but they were healthy, his social status wasnt exceptional but it was good, and unlike me, he still could smile at people andugh at his peers jokes. Seriously though, do you want to know what truly makes him special? What is it? A minute after meeting my uncle, he looked at him in the eyes or, well, the closest thing to it he could do, and said I guess even demons can grow old, huh? without hesitation. Ceres subtly covered her mouth with her hand. That is a courageous human. And a keen one. An and via have known the old man for years but didnt discern his identity and yet, that guy discovered it in a minute. Or maybe he gathered enough hints from me as well beforeing to that conclusion. I see may I ask what you meant by the closest thing to it he could do?'' Rakna smiled faintly. Lets say that its something that makes him ten times more impressive. In any case, I wonder what he would have thought if I had told him the same story. Would he pity me? Doesnt sound like him. Would he be disgusted? Thats not even remotely in his nature. Would he be impressed? No, he wouldnt care. Ceres listened to her Host with widened eyes. He didnt appear to be just imagining a situation, he wasing to a conclusion of his own by just reminiscing someone. That person must have been outstanding to leave a mark so significant Perhaps a terror on par with Rakna if he had entered the System. This Earth is truly extraordinary All things considered; he would most likely tell me that Im pathetic, Rakna quipped and nced at something. Ceres followed his gaze and widened her eyes when she saw someone standing a dozen of steps away from them. He didnt look remarkable and most of his features seemed shadowed. But she could tell he was wearing a sort of uniform and had messy ck hair that somewhat covered his eyes and the sides of his face. Haunted? The figure spoke and she blinked in surprise. Hah, how pathetic can you get? Rakna attentively watched while Ceres grew more and more puzzled. Xiorra, let me tell you; if youre really that damn guilty and troubled, why in the fuck are you still alive then? If you n to feel bad about something you dont even truly care about, why dont you just kill yourself off a bridge and be done with it? Ceres gaped and Rakna snickered, Yes, I forgot to say he had no filter. You dont give a crap about those you killed because we both know you dont care about people that are not close to you. But because youre so respectful of that old fucks way of life, you try to force yourself to feel something, even though youre not ountable. Listen, I probably dropped a banana peel before that may have had a tiny chance to kill someone if they slipped on it. Yes, I despise that fruit, so theres no chance it happened, but thats irrelevant. Rakna rolled his eyes and Ceres waspletely dumbfounded at that point. The figure turned to them and a white unfocused eye gleamed through his bangs. Am I supposed to feel guilty for that if it happened? Instead of tying your feet with an imaginary rope, if you are not going to jump off a bridge, then stop whining. Who cares if you dont feel for the strangers you kill? As long as you dont have a fucking orgasm when you do it, I might just conclude that you are not an asshole and deserve to live unburdened. With those words of parting, the figure turned around and disappeared whilst walking away. Pardon me but what just happened? Ceres raised her voice. Dreams, Rakna said with a zed look. They are dependent on you but at the same time, they are the product of an eluding intent. A dream can go beyond what I can imagine on my own, it can even replicate someone from my memories into something like this. Just like Aster when I entered his dream and encountered a living replica of his mother So your own dream just lectured yourself? Ceres asked tentatively. I guess it did. was it effective? I guess it was, he said with an invisible smile. Eizen was just like that; effective. Anyway, we still have some time before I wake up, do you want to do something until then? Eh? Do we have to wait that long? Well, I could end the dream now and I would just wake up. You would probably return to your normal state as well. But I like the peace here. I can even make itst longer. The downside is that the longer I stay, lets say 48 hours in the span of 10, I will have topensate by sleeping more in the real world and it would make me too tired to do anything. Im not sure how that would be converted with Eye of Symphony though. Better not to try right now anyway. I see If that is so, I would not mind staying. It is an agreeable experience to have a body, Ceres said with a slight smile on her dollish expression. I should appreciate it, no? Rakna snorted. Of course. We can do this whenever I sleep if you want. Now, he mused and with a flick of his hand, a table materialized along with a chessboard on top of it. How about this? ? * * * ? In the morning, Rakna opened his eyes with an annoyed scowl. In retrospect, I should have known trying to y chess with an AI was a bad idea. I never lost so bad; even to the old man. I couldnt even use Eye of Symphony in my dream to cheat a little. [But you were really good for an organic being,] Ceres gently provided. Dont act as if you werent having fun seeing me struggle. [Oh, so that was how fun feels.] Well, amusement would be more urate why am I stirring my own wound? He said in his mind and sighed as he shifted his eyes to the mop of red hair on his shoulder as well as the tails wrapped around his body as if they were hugging him. Of course, he deadpanned internally. {Indeed,} Fray suddenly spoke up. {How could she resist the temptation?} He teased. Rakna rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath, [Neglect My Reality, Enkata.] As soon as those words left his mouth, he felt as if he was freefalling. Oh crap, he thought as his body turned into a shapeless shadow before phasing through the bed. Before he slipped past every single cranny in the floor below, he quickly got control of his form and floated upward. He went through, or to be exact, around everything in his way until he was obscuring the entirety of the ceiling under a sort of gaseous form. From there, he had his vision expanded to the point he could see every inch of what was below him. That also included the shameless vixen that was lying on his bed and who iled around sleepily before grabbing his pillow as a substitute to hug. She smiled in her sleep and her nine tails waved around. Rakna quietly watched. {Haha, isn-} Shut up. I know shes adorable. You dont need to tell me. {how did you know?} Youre predictable. {that is genuinely the vilest insult someone has ever used on me.} Chapter 220: Union or Separation Chapter 220: Union or Separation Rakna yawned as he entered the Pavilionsmune section. He had left while the others were still sleeping. No one had noticed him except, of course, Nyx who almost gave him a heart attack by taking control of his shadow form out of curiosity Well, her Shadow Control is a Nirvana Skill, a certain cat said from the top of his head. Just that fact alone was attracting more stares to him than usual. And she is, by birth, the Shadow Goddess even though she lost her divinity. I wouldnt be surprised if she is immune to anything Shadow or Darkness rted. Yeah, yeah, the therian muttered as he rubbed his neck a tired tone. Unluckily for him, his Sin of Sloth passively made it harder for him to wake up. At first, he thought it would be easily fixed now that he had an augmented brain, but there was barely any effect. Bullshit, he said irritatingly as he started swiping randomly at the Quest Board. {Well, the power of Sins obviously beats technology. High-tier spells affect the very existence of something. Even a robot can sleep if the highest order of magic is used on them. Magic is supposed to transcendmon sense after all,} Fraymented. {If you want to counteract it, you should either raise your level or acquire other sins to bnce them out. It might also be a good method to get around your Obsidian Blood. Your Eye cannot fix everything.} I know Say, you three, what do you think is the best? Union or separation? He asked mentally. Higure jumped on the Board and sat down as he continued to look through quests. She eyed him with a hum. {Union is the way to go but separation is less risky. Thats all I can say,} she replied in kind. {I agree with Union,} Fray concurred. {You have already seen glimpses of it, havent you?} Yes, Rakna nodded and stopped navigating quests to look at his hand. He conjured a hoarfrost crystal and before it could disappear, he consciously activated Obsidian Blood whilst concealing the change in his fur color from the busy people nearby. The result was the blue crystal ckening before shattering and releasing a lukewarm breeze to the surroundings. A few Hosts around had their clothes and hair il with the wave and they all stepped back in surprise. Raknas red eyes glowed for a few seconds before returning to purple. See that? I thought it would be possible to create a Union Magic out of Hoarfrost and Volcanic But it doesnt seempatible at all. {Well, they are pr opposites} {But you know the true reason why, dont you?} Higure asked right after. Rakna nodded slowly. I think so Cold evolved into Hoarfrost. But my Volcanic element is still at the Exceled level whenever I change states. I need to find out how to break through. [Why not use a Skill Point, Rakna?] Ceres suggested. [You possess three, after all.] {I would not rmend it,} Fray retorted. {I agree with the youngster,} Higure followed. And I also agree, Rakna followed up with a sigh. The problem, Ceres, is that my magic element was evolved in a specific way. I regained a part of my emotions and the Sage affected it. I have no idea if using a skill point will do something significant like it did to Cold Star. In which case, Union Magic might be even harder to use. I need both of them to be crystal, for theck of a better term. Sounds reasonable Higure muttered out loud. Wait, Ceres? Who is that? [That would be me, Dusk Lioness,] the AI responded. [I would like to be referred to as Cerestia if you do not mind.] {Ooh?} Fray raised his voice in interest. {How interesting really} Cerestia, huh? Higure grinned. So, what, Ceres is reserved for Raknas personal use only? [yes.] The cat burst outughing and Rakna faintly smiled. He finished taking quests in the 50th teau and closed the Quest Boards interface. Hey, Xiorra, is that you? A voice said and the therian looked at the source with a raised eyebrow. Ah you, he muttered as he saw a familiar pair of twinsing his way. The blond siblings from the Walker Orphanage, who had helped him fight Aqu. Leis and Leia, was it? Yes, the brother said with a polite smile. We havent met since the Tutorial, right? We dide across An a few times though when our Guilds cooperated. Rakna nodded with a hum and observed his attire. Compared to the Tutorial, he was now wearing a white and ck uniform with stripes around one of his sleeves. His weapon was still a katana but obviously of a far higher quality than before. As for his sister, she seemed as brash as ever outwardly. She carried a heavy hammer on her back and wore metal armor. She almost looked like a heavy knight in the making. Their eyes crossed and Leia blushed a bit before looking away. What? What are you looking at? She uttered and her brother chuckled. Nothing You two seem to be doing well, Rakna ultimately said. Nowhere near as well as you, Leis responded drolly. Weve seen you on the news several times and youre also a bigshot with many connections already. Yeah, and your hair and tails, Leia added with a frown. Why are they blue now? And howe we didnt know you also had a twin? I dont have a- Rakna paused and facepalmed. Right forget that. Karna didnt go to the same school as me. He was taken from somewhere else, he improvised a story for his supposed brother. As for my fur, its just mana dying. Its due to my magics nature. Since when ck holes had anything to do with blue? Leia asked in confusion and Rakna threw a deadpan look at her. W-what? Leis sighed. Leia, you dont just pry into someone elses abilities like that. Oh, my bad But I have to admit Im curious about something. That, the swordsman pointed at something and Rakna followed his line of sight to his tails. Didnt you have four? Why are there three now? As he said, Rakna only had three tails behind him. Thest time he appeared publicly, he still had four so Leis had no idea that there were actually two of them missing. I heard beastmen of pure blood get to grow tails and that represents their power, Leis continued with a hand on his chin. Theres no way to lose levels, right? I just wanted to know if its something I should be careful about Nothing like that. I just shed them for a certain skill, Rakna replied vaguely. Leis smiled. I see. Since youre probably far ahead of us, I was just worried if there were things capable of making even you lose levels. I figured it wouldnt be a bad idea to ask you to avoid it for my team. The therian shrugged. I havent encountered anything like that for now. What do you say, Ceres? [There exist level penalties, other than the failure to conquer a teau in time, but they are quite umon and only found in rare Ordeals or particrly dangerous Dungeons.] Hm From what my AIs telling me, youd need to really be searching for it to fall prey to anything like a level penalty. Leis blinked in surprise then sighed. Even your AI is better Mine didnt have an answer. Probably because it concerns higher teaus. I simply have an unusual clearance. Anyway, did you want something else from me? Rakna asked. I still have things to do. The swordsman shook his head. We wont bother you any further then. We were just here to take a few quests as well. I honestly expected you to brush us off. You seem different from before Things happened, Rakna said and beckoned Higure to climb his shoulder. Before I go; my old man was pretty close to the Walkers, so if you need help one day, Ill treat it as a favor, he added and left with a wave of his hand. Leia stared at the therians back for a moment. He looks almost gentle now. Her brother smiled. I suppose this kind of ce can change people in a lot of ways. Anyway, weve already spent too much time here. Lets get some Quests and try the 30th teaus Trials with the others. Alright. ? * * * ? That boy isnt half bad, Higure suddenly said as Rakna walked down the stairs. You mean Leis? Rakna asked. What makes you say so? Observant. Vignt. Loyal. Sharp. He asked you something that has low chances of being a threat to him and his friends, but he still did. And I could tell with a nce that it wasnt just to make idle chatter, the cat said as Rakna stopped near the reception of the Pavilion where the young woman behind the counter started sweating as she waited for them to finish their conversation. I see what you mean. Even when rxed, his mind goes straight to benevolent practicality. He is not a goody-two-shoes; hes far beyond that. Hes a leader through and through with a mind made to survive first and seed second but never one without the other. Higure nodded sagely. As expected of you. An even better analysis than mine. Not hard. Hey! Rakna snorted and turned to the receptionist who stiffened and flushed at the same time due to the coldness apanied by the beauty of those purple eyes. Ahem, what can I do for you? She pulled herself together and inquired with a professional smile. I want to establish a Sub-Guild, the therian dered and she froze. Everyone around in earshot also had the same reaction. Rakna frowned and looked around. Dont you all have something better to do? Like pathetically dying during a Trial? He said without even an ounce of subtlety. Dont listen in to other peoples conversations. And I swear if this is ever mentioned in the news tomorrow, he snarled and his hair and tails glimmered. I will hunt you down and eat your damn heart, he uttered icily and a ck aura of despair arose over him in the shape of a wolf with a red skull mask. The effects were immediate and most people ran out of the Pavilion while the others fainted. Higure watched with an amused eye as they bumped into each other at the exit. Rakna turned back to the receptionist who hupped. Sorry, Ive had a bit too many grievances with news outlets. As an Emperor, I should be able to go to them directly and threaten- I mean, retrievepensation, right? What do you think? The werewolf made a barely visible smile at that and she nodded as fast as she could. Yes! Of course, Sir! She shouted but her mind was singing a different song. Why is that smile so damn immacte after he threatened to kill dozens of people!? Mom, I wanna go home! So, about the Guild- I WILL NOT TELL A SOUL! Rakna sweatdropped. Did I overdo it? [Yes.] {Yep.} {Indeed.} Chapter 221: Obsidian Throne Chapter 221: Obsidian Throne Are you okay now? Rakna asked with a small but disarming smile after spending a few minutes calming down the receptionist. She wanted to bang her head on the counter because of it when a blush nearly overcame her. How can someone be so cold and charming at the same time?! She screamed internally and took a deep breath. Yes I apologize. You said you were here for establishing a Sub-Guild. If that is the case, I will need you to first apany me to the Terminal- No need, he interrupted her and brought up a ck system window with a nk content and a keyboard attached to it. To Rakna, it looked exactly like amand prompt. Oh Of course, you- The woman pursed her lips as the identity of the one in front of her finally dawned upon her more clearly. Y-Your Majesty obviously possessed that privilege, she said with a nervous tone. Rakna scowled at her but didnt bother correcting her way of calling him. What do I do now? Oh, yes, please write this exactmand; Pavilion00001_GuildCreation_Type:Sub_Leader: then add your Host ID. What a non-fantasy thing, the therian deadpanned and followed her instructions. Ceres wasnt able to input his ID for him this time so he had to do it on his own for the first time. When he was done, he entered themand and the Terminal returned Request Filed. It went through, the receptionist said as a holographic screen popped up from her counter. She typed a few things and nodded. Now, we need approval from your Guild Leader. Do I have to contact him myself? Yes that would be required. He has to forward it on his own through a Terminal as well. Give me a moment, Rakna said and opened his Guild Chat. ? ? ? ? ? Obsidian has joined. ? Leader? ? Credo has joined. ? Here. Guild. Understood. Thanks. ? Obsidian has left. Credo has left. ? ? what the fuck just happened? Its the first time they talk, right? Isnt the kid an Emperor now? Shouldnt there be like I dont know, more tension between him and the Boss? Incredible I still have a long way to go before I can reach their level of chatting efficiency I have learned a lot today. I understand how you feel, Lilia. I messaged him yesterday because of his fight on the 34th and he only bothered to answer in the evening with a Im good. Thats what you guys focus on?! What a shame. I was curious to know how he became an Emperor. I was waiting here since I knew he would want to make a Sub-Guild after bing one but they were too fast Now were asking the good questions! Tira? We dont see you a lot. Youre interested in the new guy? I am. I met him on the Thirteenth. Do you want to know what he did? What? He destroyed a Dungeon Tear to save a friend locked inside. WHAT. THE. FUCK?! ? ? ? ? ? While the Throne of Glorys chat began to converse about how bizarre their new member was, the recruit in question was calmly going through the process to make his Sub-Guild, feeling absolutely impassive to have spoken with his Guild Leader, someone that is even capable of making Eva feel nervous. You truly have no qualms Higuremented wryly. Ill meet him once I join the Myth Council anyway, Rakna shrugged. It is done, Your Majesty. We have confirmed the approval of Throne of Glorys Leader. You should have received an automatic inquiry on your Terminal. Please type the name of your Guild and you will receive all the rights of a Guild Leader. The therian nodded and stared at the blinking input section of his Terminal. what do I put? He muttered out loud and the receptionist almost face-faulted. You were going through the steps so confidently and you didnt even have a name prepared?! She shouted inwardly in utter shock. She had the right to be, considering that practically everyone she had guided to make a Guild had carefully ruminated the question beforehand. What do you think, horny cat? Rakna turned to Higure who was licking her paw. What am I supposed to say? She retorted. You can call it Awesome Dusk Lion Fan Club for me if you want. Do you want me to lose all credibility? The cat smirked and shrugged. The receptionist kept her smile on but nearly fainted right then and there. Dusk what?! That legendary race?! This small cat is one of them?! Ah, well, whatever. Ill just go with this, Rakna muttered and started typing. When he answered the query, the receptionist received a notification and blinked at it. Are you sure? Yes. Understood. As of today, the Guild, Obsidian Throne, is officially established, she announced and pressed thest confirmation button. ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions! The Guild, Obsidian Throne, subbed to Throne of Glory has been created! ? ? Name: Obsidian Throne Leader: Rakna Xiorra Subordinate Affiliation: Throne of Glory Created: 5 seconds ago. Guild Rank: I ? Guild Fund: 0 Talys. Guild Treasury: Empty. Guild Base: None. Guild Allies: None. ? Special Privileges (Top Ten Members): 10 teau-Skip Right & Sole Trial Right ? Current Members: ? Guild Quests: ? ? ? ? ? Would you like a brief exnation of a Guilds functioning? Rakna took his eyes off the system prompt and nodded at the receptionist. Then I should start with the most important aspect; Guild Quests. There are two ways for a Guild to get a Quest. The first is for the Leader toe across a regr Quest in the System and transfer it to the Guild for the members toplete as a group. Depending on the Quests nature, it can be far more profitable to turn it into a Guild Quest. It is also a way for the Leader to make their guild members grow in strength. Members can also forward Quests to the Leader to approve. The second way is through the System itself. There are asions where a Guild Quest is given to several Guilds at once to eitherpete or assist the System. This includes the urrences known as Guild Wars. Rakna raised an eyebrow. What is that? When two or more Guilds get into conflict, they can decide to dere war. When it happens, the System will issue a Quest for each Guild that will give them rewards based on how well they do in the fight against their enemy. For instance, capturing, defeating, or killing enemies can reward you and the Guild as a whole. I see Its also in cases like these that Guild Alliese into y. If a Guild War erupts, the allies of any of the parties involved will also receive the Quest, but they do keep the choice of staying neutral if they want. However, an Ally is contracted by the Pavilion to not be able to partake in betrayal. At the cost of? Death, the receptionist said gravely. Rakna smiled faintly. At least, they know how to enforce rules. What else? Guild Bases can be built in the 100th, 250th, 500th, 750th, or 900th teau. They are headquarters to some extent. There are several benefits; first of all, when a member is inside, their regenerative capacity; health, stamina, and mana, will increase. Secondly, Guild Bases are indestructible, and attacking one is akin to dere war on the Guild. Then, we have the Guild Treasury and Fund. For the former, at any time, it is possible for a Guild member to deposit an item that will be publicly avable to everyone else. And if someone wishes to take it, the depositor will be able to allow it or not, at a price or not. As for the Fund, it grows passively. Whenever a member earns Talys, a small portion of that amount will be added, without taking away anything from the earner. The Fund is generally used when a member is in trouble and requires money or when a Guild Quest requires funds that none of the members are willing to spend. Only the Guild Leader has the right to allow a withdrawal. I see. And the Rank? Rakna asked about thest thing. How do I increase it and what does it do concretely? For a Guild to rank up, the only thing they can do isplete Guild Quests or aplish notable feats until they are eligible. As for the reward, it depends. Mary or material rewards, exclusive privileges, unique Quests, and others. Rakna hummed as he contemted the Guild Status in front of him. He nodded and closed it after a moment. Thanks, Miss? Oh! Um, my name is Elora. It is an honor, Your Majesty, she said with a bow. You dont need to call me like that. Im no royalty, he retorted and Higure casually jumped on his shoulder. Have a good day, Elora. He turned around and left the Pavilion. The receptionist kept her smile on until he was out before copsing on the counter with a deep sigh. The door to the staff room behind her slowly opened and a woman nervously peeked out. Is he gone? She asked and Elora nodded with a groan and her head buried in her arms. She lifted herself back up and tiredly walked to the backdoor. Ana, can you register a day off for me? Im going home Please take my shift. Ana smiled wryly. No problem. You worked hard. ? * * * ? Ceres, invite An, via, Evelyn, Marie, and Nyx to the Guild, Rakna instructed as he practiced the full extent of his Star sh by heading to the top of a skyscraper. Also, send them a message summarizing what Elora exined. [Right away.] Thanks, the therian said and bnced himself on the tip of the building. Also, Higure. I forgot to ask, but what magic elements did you awaken yesterday? Ah, right! The lioness eximed oddly enthusiastically. I awakened three! Just like when I was alive. Thankfully, I kept my most useful ones; Ruin and Echo magic. However, I didnt awaken Shadow magic, this time. Then what? The cat grinned excitedly. What do you think if I show you this? He extended her paw forward and Rakna gradually widened his eyes in shock as a sphere of yellow-golden mes formed and produced an orangish glow. {Oh my,} Fray raised his voice in surprise. Is that? Dusk Star, Higure stated with a prideful puff. How is that?! Im the most suited to be your mate now, arent I? She said with a lopsided smirk. Rakna was still processing what was happening so he didnt react to her remark. Is this because of your connection to me? He ultimately asked. I would assume. Itd be more urate to say that I am part of your soul and you are also a part of mine, she said and dispelled the star she had conjured. But, well, it seems my magic is far weaker than yours. I tried to replicate your Star Make but it didnt work. I can make the shapes but I cant solidify them as you do. I could try something simr to Star Monarch but Im sure it wonte close to what you can do. But it has impressive raw power and the mes apparently have the ability to purify and curse at the same time, the lioness added joyfully. In other words, if I use Reinforcement, Im immune to the weaknesses of a normal undead. Overall, I think its pretty good. Purify and curse Rakna mused. Is it because of the concept of dusk? Start of the night and end of the day? Sounds quite special. Compared to you, not at all. A Dusk Star is essentially an aspect of the sun. What is thatpared to a Volcanic Star or, heck, an evolved Hoarfrost Star? Rakna nced at her with an amused eye. Boring? He jested with a small smile. I know I was going for it but Im still gonna scratch the shit out of your face. Chapter 222: Workaholic Chapter 222: Workaholic Besides that, Rakna changed the subject. What about Echo and Ruin? What do they do? Hm, its a bit hard to exin. Summarized, Echo is a very powerful support-type affinity that can repeat the effects of a spell or a physical attack, in an echoing pattern; with each echo weaker than the previous. Its my favorite magic. As for Ruin, its a rare element falling under the categorization of Destruction. The therian hummed as he listened. There were certain branches of magic that had been given a name due to their intrinsic nature. The most notorious were ck, White, Green, Craft, Elemental, Destruction, Creation, Conception, and Model Magic. In concerns to Destruction Magic, for instance, things like Fangs Corrosion were part of it. Atomic dispersion, the act of disassembling atoms or molecules, represents half of that branch. Then what is your Ruin used for exactly? Dposition? Rapid aging? Close. Its actually a bit of a mix with conceptual magic. What I can do is apply the state of ruin to a target. But the thing is, ruin can mean different things based on what or who it is used on. Sounds hard to control. It is, Higure nodded exasperatingly. But it is powerful. I also rarely use it alone. The thing I was known for back in the day wasnt either Echo or Ruin, it was thebination of both. My Union Magic, Echoes of Ruin. What are its characteristics? The lioness smiled. Its a surprise. When I reach level 100, I can spar with you if you want. You might need to prepare yourself in case you lose a leg or two. Sure, Rakna snorted. Anyway, enough chit-chat. Go back to the others. Eh?! Why?! Im going to be testing that and I cant bring you with me. Higure scowled and jumped off his shoulder to stand in midair with a bastardized version of Air Step made with only raw mana. Are you sure? Its kind of risky. I did say it was possible but its a conjecture at best. Well, were about to see, no? Rakna retorted and transformed into a werewolf. He then deployed his four wings. With a closer look, you could see that his first pair sprouted from the middle of his back while his most recent one was located a bit below that. One could deduce that thest pair of wings would grow higher, closer to his shoulders. Fine The lioness reluctantly agreed. But you betterC Yes, yes, Ill call you if its needed. The good thing about my Imperial Guard is that I can call you from across all teaus, he said. Also, tell my clone to not spend his day humoring Kaelith. Im sure she will be persistent. Right Higure mumbled as she recalled the moment she woke up; she almost fainted when she saw two Raknas standing together. One of them only had one tail so it was easy to tell what had happened. Even she knew of the Nine-Tailed ns most famous talents. The Tailed Pearl was of course the most popr, but the Tail Clone didnt rank too far from it. It was a good idea to leave it there to pacify the girls. No, theyre probably still mad since they dont where I, the original, is. true. By the way, wheres the second one? She asked with a raised eyebrow. You shed two of your tails. I didnt see the second when I woke up. I sent him out early. Hes testing in-depth our new body and the privileges we share or not. Ill be joining him right now, Rakna replied and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils had turned into crosses and dimensional energy was gathering around him. [Rift Shuttle,] he whispered and his wings began to move around him. See youter. Go hunt and train with my clone. Even with only a fifth of myself, hes still strong. Higure scoffed. Of course, he is. As she uttered that, the ck wings outlined by silver and red entirely covered Rakna. They started glowing with an invisible power and a voice resounded. [Wings of Spatial Copse.] Then, the feathered cocoon rotated immensely fast. It was to a point it gave the illusion of a ck drill. In the blink of an eye, it shrunk to nothingness and vanished, leaving a small depression in the atmosphere that was quickly filled by a gust of wind. Higure squinted her eyes as she concentrated on her connection to her master. After a minute or two, she sighed. Okay, hes not dead. Thats that, at least, she mumbled sarcastically and used an imitation of sh Step to dash away. She had evidently possessed that skill in the past. But if she wanted to re-learn it without a Skill Card, she would need to practice it until it was consolidated by the System. This was how Locals or Wilden learned a skill without a Card; practice until you are sick of it. Now that I think about it, he should almost be done with his decryption, she recalled the fact that Rakna had started to study the formation of sh Step a few days ago in order to make Skill Cards for his group. She mused andnded in front of the apartment. Shetched onto the doors handle and fished out an electronic card from a spatial ring hidden by her fur. She swung the door open and leaped inside as it closed behind her. Hey, brats! Im back. Are you awake yet? She raised her voice. What do you mean he left?! The vixens voice boomed. Aaaah! Youre annoying! No, wait, hes annoying! No, you are both annoying! Stop shaking me Im weaker right now. Higure entered the bedroom with a deadpan face as she beheld Kaelith shaking a one-tailed Rakna around like he was a doll. His face was so empty it looked like he had given up on life. Poor him, the lioness thought and nced at the others who were a bit confused about what was happening. Aside from Nyx, who had been awake when Rakna detached two tails from his body and made them morph into clones of himself. Tch, and here I wanted to force him on a date The vixen muttered. Force, you say Rakna reacted nkly. Also, technically, Im still him, he retorted. Yes, yes, I know, Kaelith rolled her eyes and let go of him. Dont worry, we are used to dealing with Tail Clones back in the n. Im not going to say youre inferior to the original. For all intents and purposes, you are Rakna But the fact is that you he made you stay here because he didnt want us to be worried. But he still went to god knows where! Give myself some ck, the therian jested with a small smile. I need to get stronger and Im not used to rxing when Im in that mindset. Thats why I thought Tail Clone would be handy to deal with, you know, social stuff? I can do several things at the same time with this. How can I not use it to its full extent? Everyone in the room stared at him. His eyebrow rose. what? Is this what they call a workaholic? Nyxmented amusingly. via sighed. I think you might be right What is your original-self doing anyway if hes not climbing teaus? Kaelith inquired. Experimenting and searching for something, Rakna shrugged. More importantly, what did you guys want to do today? If you really want to take a break, I dont mind. But Pronos is close to hitting level 100. He might be able to evolve today. Evolve? via tilted her head. Pets are capable of evolving when they reach the 100th level, Kaelith exined and observed the little snake dozing off on one of the beds. I do admit to being curious since I was told he possesses the Hydra bloodline I cant predict his evolution paths at all. What about Tyran and Higure? Evelyn asked curiously. Can they evolve? We can, the lioness immediately replied. As long as a pet gets a potential rank, it has the ability to evolve. The fledgling Asura and I have S ranks. However,pared to those two, I will probably have a weaker evolution because my innate power is, in a way, already actualized. The only thing it will do to me is getting me closer to my prime but for them, she pointed her paw at Tyran and Pronos. Its another story. Kaelith nodded. As she says, they each hold untapped potential in the form of Anti-Magic Asura and Hydra. Especially Pronos. His abilities are incredibly unique. Does that mean youre curious enough to not force me anywhere today? Rakna asked with a hopeful tone and she huffed with a faint blush. Barely. Ill even tag along and cancel my ns. What is your highest current teau? We reached the 50th yesterday. Then well go there. Before that, via interrupted them with a smile. Lets eat breakfast, shall we? She said whilst heading out of the room to get to the kitchen. Ill help you, the vixen followed after her and Rakna scowled. You can cook? Of course. The therian squinted his eyes. why do you look so doubtful? I can cook perfectly well, all right? Stop looking at me like that! ? * * * ? Meanwhile, a few moments earlier, on a meadow full of greenery, a distortion in the air appeared and two pairs of wings faded into existence as they unfurled themselves. The werewolf that was veiled under them grunted and shrunk to a therian form. Rakna staggered forward a bit and groaned. He put a hand to his temple and then used the other to wipe the pinkish blood flowing from his nose and the corner of his mouth. He clicked his tongue and looked at his finger. Looks like even the color of my blood changed. [| Purified Composition. Improves Nutriment Storage and Transportation. |] The Eye of Symphony abruptly exined without a question being voiced. Uh, Rakna uttered. I guess I asked unconsciously, he muttered and flexed his shoulders along with his wings a few times before retracting them inside his body. He exhaled and let go of the small amounts of dimensional energy around him; it had taken a huge toll on him to use the teleportation skill and break through the boundaries between teaus. I got minor internal injuries and broken bones but it was healed fast enough, he muttered and clenched his hand. This body isnt bad. {Not bad, he says,} Fray said sardonically. {Do you hear him, Lady Cerestia?} [I do. But I have adapted to Raknasck ofmon sense. Or rather, his tant disregard for it.] {Hahaha! You, Lady, have be so much more fascinating. I wonder what happened to cause such a drastic change. Even if you are an S ss AI, there must have been a very impactful stimulus for you to develop this way.} [That is not my ce to answer.] Dont bother Ceres, Fray, Rakna uttered before looking around. This was the 45th teau at the exact location he imagined when he used his Nirvana Skill. So, it worked. And it only took 500 MP with the full 50% reduction. There were a fewplications but I can probably resolve them after a few more tries. {You can be proud of yourself. Very few people can break through the boundaries of teaus on their own,} Fray praised. {Especially at your level; it is unheard of.} I can see that, Rakna said as he looked over a certain system window in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? You have traveled teaus through your own strength! You receive 1 Skill Point, 10 Vtile Points, 20 Free Points, and 5 000 exp for this feat! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! +0.4 STR, SPD, INT +5 Free Points ? ? You have gained the Title; Limitless Traveler! ? ? Limitless Traveler ? A title bestowed to the most audacious of travelers who have dared to challenge the most daunting of paths and destinations. The bearer of this medal will be insusceptible to all sorts of physical or spatial incarcerations. Their teleportation or movement abilities wont be able to be disrupted by anyone at their level. ? ? ? ? ? Hm, there is no numerical effect for this one but I guess it means that no regr magic array can stop me from using Wings of Copse, Rakna muttered. The Skill and Vtile Points are a nice bonus too. I reached a total of 200 points saved I have more than enough to get all my attributes to 100 at the same time. {Will you carry through your First Ascent now?} Maybeter. But for now, there are things that take higher priority, he retorted and eyed the sky where he saw a blue light resembling a shooting star approaching his location. Chapter 223: Appraisal Vision Chapter 223: Appraisal Vision Soon enough, the azureetnded on the ground and the frost energy dispersed. From inside, a one-tailed clone of Rakna stepped out with a roll of his shoulder. He and his original-self gazed at each other for a moment before snickering at the same time. How was it? Rakna ultimately asked and the clone huffed. Pretty fruitful, he said with a hum. First of all, Harvester isnt avable to me but there is no problem using Scavenger. But it has reduced effects. I can also use Wings of Copse but it costs me more; my MP reduction is half of yours; 25%. The same applies to my senses; the multiplicators have all been halved. And as we expected, Ascension of the Titan is out of the question. What about our Traits and Magic? Hm, well, all the Traits are usable. The only difference is the shapeshift. The Werewolf form only increases my attributes by 40% instead of your 62%. The Wolf forms speed boost is reduced to 60% from 82%. As for our magic, Sloth and Mystic are unavable. But thats it, otherwise. I can use our spells like normal; granted, with reduced magical damage and extra mana. Ah, but, count the Manifestations out. They dont appear on my spell list. Rakna quietly processed what his clone was telling him. I see. There are several more decrements than I anticipated but its not too bad. I agree. For skills and our knowledge, its all the same except for soul-rted stuff. I only have a shard of your soul, perhaps even just a copy in the form soul power only, so it doesnt allow me to use the Core or the Decree. Then, our titles. Most of the buffs apply, but titles like Wolf Emperor, Imperial Designation, Chalice of Wishes, and The Kind Demons Kin are only yours. Makes sense. And our experience? Oh yeah, I cant gain any exp, the clone said with a scowl. Kind of disappointing. Well, we cant be too greedy. Anyway, we already confirmed that you could use System privileges like messages, your status, and teau teleportation. Now, the only thing is Rakna trailed and conjured a frost crystal barbed spear with energy confined inside. He whirled it and opened his mouth. Gungnir, he uttered and threw the spear at the sky, where it exploded grandly. He then nced at his clone who was already checking his status without him asking. Were good, the clone let out a satisfied smile. Our mana is shared but not our cooldowns. I think the only time we have identical cooldowns is the moment we split up. For example, since you still had Horologium on cooldown when you made me, I also have it. Rakna nodded at the clones observation, which also made him remember the long cooldown of the Horologium constetion. It was obviously a very powerful spell and Ceres had also divulged that time-rted abilities usually had escted cooldowns. In Horologiums case, it was exactly 200 hours, or in other words, approximately 8 days. He sighed. Whatever. Lets merge back. We should just meld our memories for the rest. The clone nodded. Sure, he said and walked to his original. He ced his hand on his shoulder and instantly, his body began to lose consistency and it momentarily appeared like an amalgam of nano-machines before it shrunk and slithered over Raknas shoulder on its own. It went to his tail bone and transformed back into a normal tail; returning the count to four. Right away, Rakna felt a rush of information enter his head which was readily swallowed, filtered, and sorted by Eye of Symphony in a blink. He mused at the new information and removed one of his gloves for a moment. He then watched as his hand became metallic with blue lights traversing the linear traces of the material. He then willed it to change shape and it followed his orders. One of his fingers turned into a de at first, and then the whole hand followed. He inspected it carefully and with a thought, it detached itself from his wrist. Immediately after, his body began to undergo a strange process. The density of the material across his limbs and other body parts seemed to decrease to reconstruct his lost hand. The process only took about three seconds. And now its recreating new resources Rakna muttered to himself. From what he understood, and from the observations of his clone, his body seemed to have a sort of capacity. The material he was made of could go up and down in density without altering its properties. Whenever an injury is detected, the resources are spread out to fill the gap. What is used to close wounds or regenerate limbs is the mass of the body. As long as it has enough density, regeneration will ur in a fast and costless manner. But when the material hits its lowest reasonable density, mana will begin to be used to keep up. However, in both cases, once the injuries are fixed, the density will thereafter be reconstructed passively over time by expending insignificant amounts of mana. Together with my Star Reinforcement, this really makes me hard to kill, hemented. {Truly. At this point, your only vital area is your brain. But even then, thanks to Eye of Symphony, there are chances that your brain can be healed as long as it is not important parts.} Or someone could use an attack powerful enough to destroy my entire body, Rakna casually said as he crouched to pick up the dark de he had created from his own physique. If that were to happen, even turning my body into star energy wouldnt save me. I can also be defeated if Im out of mana to regenerate. [Rakna,] Ceres spoke up with a certain curiosity in her tone. [Would you please use Appraisal on the de you are holding?] He blinked at her question but then realized that might not be a bad idea at all. And so, he followed through her suggestion and a window appeared in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Unknown Fragment Quantifying System Item Approved. ? ? Designation: Material/Weapon/de Name: Prima Materia Shard Rarity: Exotic Attack Power: ~50 Durability: 100% ? Perks: C Eion Energy Production: This item constantly generates energy and is incidentally able to regenerate the systemsposing it with time. C Eion Energy Decline: If this item gets more than ten meters away from the original material it was created from, its production of energy will shut down and then reverse, eventually decreasing the durability of the object until it hits 0. ? Description: A discarded part of a Prima Alkahest Materia Physique uniquely possessed by the Host, Rakna Xiorra, to this day. It possesses miraculous properties for those capable of harnessing them. ? ? You have used Appraisal on an Exotic Item! You have used Appraisal on a Non-Quantified Item! ? Appraisal has Excelled! Appraisal has Ascended into Appraisal Vision! ? Appraisal Vision has leveled up! Appraisal Vision has leveled up! ? The user can now use Appraisal on everything in their field of view at once. It is now possible to inspect specific parts of a broader target andprehend things normally out of the users cognizant grasp. ? ? ? ? ? {Exotic Rarity!?} Fray eximed. {That was possible?! It wasnt only for Paths?!} Rakna almost wanted tough at that. This was great news to him. Not only had Appraisal reached Ascended Stage after being stuck for a while but he was now potentially capable of making exotic materials out of his body; infinitely. Its a dream-like ability for artisans. Ill have to try it, he thought and stored the de. He then turned to his newly evolved skill and promptly activated it. If it wasnt for his augmented brain, the amount of information that flowed into his mind right after would have overwhelmed him. Everything in his view was being analyzed and transferred to him as data. Even the grass, the flowers, the dirt, the rocks, the leaves He could even read the past of objects and determine that an animal had touched it at said day or hour, and even how it happened. No wonder Appraisal is considered a top-tier analysis skill, Rakna muttered. What would even happen if I raised it to the Demi-God stage? Or even the Divine? Would I be able to know even the future urrences of the object? {Perhaps,} Fray sighed. {To my knowledge, no one has ever reached that level before. Analysis skills are one of the hardest categories to advance. They are only topped by martial proficiencies that are said to allow mortals to harness magic-like power with mere technique. Some im that reaching the Divine stage on anybat proficiency alone can turn one into a God.} Rakna turned Appraisal off and hummed. Now that you say it, its true that my Weapon Mastery has been stuck at level 9. Even though I dont focus a lot on it, the rate of improvement iscklusterpared to the rest. What do you say? Do you think its a good candidate for Skill Points? [I would say it is,] Ceres said. [But I rmend you at least reach Max Level before doing it.] Hm, I know. I would like to Excel it preferably but well see, he mumbled and unfurled his wings as he transformed into his quadrupedal form. He grunted bestially and triggered Artzpul. He had not used it since it broke through level 10 or even since he got his second pair of wings. As such, he was wholly unprepared for what followed. Every single one of his wings glowed and released a burst of ck and silver energy. He almost let out his voice when he was violently propelled into the sky. HolyC! He gritted his teeth and focused on recovering his bnce. His Eye and instincts worked in tandem and he quickly got the hang of it before using it a second time to fly off to the horizon, stably this time. My normal flying speed has doubled, Rakna thought in shock as he heard a sonic boom behind him. The Eye of Symphony disyed his current speed; he almost felt like he was looking at a cars HUD. It was currently shifting between 900-1100 meters per second and with a nce, he could see that his wings were releasing light without even him using mana. He smiled internally. So, this is a Royal Luqus power, huh? He remarked internally and his eyes shed. He injected mana into his wings and began to pump 150 MP every minute. Right away, his vision started blurring, and his speed doubled again. He didnt stop there and started reinforcing himself with star energy. [Mach 6] Ceres gasped out in a very human fashion. {Good lord, even I have a hard time keeping up,} Fray croaked out. Meanwhile, Rakna barrel-wheeled with a carefree smile on his lupine face. He had since long put a small GHB barrier in front of him to redirect the airflow and thanks to his new constitution, he didnt even need air. Once he had enough fun, he powered down his reinforcement and returned to a speed of Mach 3 to avoid expending all of his mana. Instead, his eyes became golden. Fabled Sight had be much more powerful after ascending. His kic vision, field of view, and far sight were out of this world. Truly, they fitted a Divine Eagle. Not enough, Rakna thought and once again activated Appraisal Vision at the new cost of 1 MP every minute. Then, he ordered Eye of Symphony for something his clone discovered. elerate time perception by a factor of 2, he instructed internally and the world slowed down around him. Immediately, he could feel the strain on his brain. This feature allowed him to forcefully make his brain perceive the world faster. However, prolonged use tired him out in manners that exceeded his immunities and it had the side-effect of heating his Eye. Bybining Fabled Sight, Appraisal, and Eye of Symphony, Rakna was profoundly scanning his surroundings to the veryst detail in a radius of nearly 50 miles due to how unobstructed thendscape was. And he did it repeatedly as he continued to fly forward. {You are unbelievable} Fray groaned. {Well, your speed attribute is probably at 180 with your wolf form, so I suppose it is to be expected. Anyway, what are you searching so hard for?} Theres a reason I came to the 45th teau, Rakna responded. Theres something I want that only appears in the teaus 45 to 49. [The Celestial Kindle?] Ceres inquired as she recalled what Old Wang had said. The sentient me that the dwarf used in his forge came from these teaus. {Oh? Are you going to build your own forge?} Fray asked. Yes. But I want to find Celestial Kindles for two reasons. One of them is to help my forging, but thatll be forter. The second, well, youll see, the wolf vaguely replied. {I see Why are you not using yourpass constetion for that then?} Because it has a 24-hour cooldown, Rakna grumbled. And even if I could use it, it wouldnt be very useful because therger the search scope, the less urate it is. Celestial Kindles are rare. But the good news is that they are usually in groups of 10 to 50 within special areas called Fire Wells. Im looking for one right now, he exined and Fray fell into an acquiescing silence. A few momentster, while Rakna was still scouring the 45th teau, a system window appeared to his right that unconsciously made him smile. ? ? ? ? ? Your Pet, Eion Hydra Fledgling, Pronos, has reached Lv.100! Your Pet is choosing his evolution path Your Mystic Bloodline resonates with the Hydra Bloodline! ? Congrattions, your Pet has sessfully evolved into the Unique ss Creature; Nine-Headed Eion Hydra! ? ? ? ? Chapter 224: Nine-Headed Hydra Chapter 224: Nine-Headed Hydra A few moments earlier, in a forest made of red and brown candy, located inside a Dungeon called Sweet Reprise, a one-tailed Rakna clenched the head of arge monster made of dripping blocks of chocte. [Rift,] he muttered and in a matter of seconds, the dimensions became erratic and due to the meager defense of the creature, half of its body turned into minced blocks. That was a level 60 Wilden with high physical damage resistance Kaelithmented from the sidelines with her arms crossed. Are you sure that youre a clone? Rakna snorted and mentally controlled his bodys nano-material to boil the chocte on his hand and then shed it like some sort of dust. He passively noted that overloading was possible in order to gain short-term buffs. He wondered if his other selves had figured that out. To be fair, Ans voice interjected as he rubbed his wrists, walking away from a field destroyed by the impacts of his fists and where remains of zed creaturesid inert. Dimensional power sounds like a cheat just by the name. The therian shrugged and turned to Nyx who was dragging a veryrge monster, this time organic, unlike the rest of the 50th teaus Wilden, with her shadows. But it still had some toppings? It was as if it wore cream as clothes. The Boss is level 80, via remarked and nced at Pronos. It should barely be enough, right? The little snake nodded eagerly and slithered around the bull-like monsters neck. He erged himself a bit before biting and releasing a potent poison. At the same time, his eyes shone with an infinity sign and the creature swiftly died. ? ? ? ? ? You havepleted the Sweet Reprisal! Difficulty: Fiendish Number of Participants: 7 | Average Level of Participants: 190 Rewards: 10 000 Talys, Sweet Deal Proficiency Card, Candy Potion x3 ? ? ? ? ? A minuteter, the group was teleported out and they all focused on Pronos who stood upright on top of arge confect flower. He seemed to be tilting his head at a notification he received. Hey, how many evolution paths can pets usually choose from? Rakna asked Kaelith. Depends. Attribute distribution, magic elements, traits, personality, race All of those variables determine possible evolution paths. As for your little guy I wouldnt be surprised if he had the maximum number of possible choices; which is ten. Just like our Paths then, Mariemented. Rakna hummed and as he was observing Pronos, the little guy looked back at him with a probing eye. No need to ask me. Take what you want, he reassured him and the little snake nodded before using his tail to select something on his system window. Instantly, Raknas Soul Sight activated and his eyes widened as he noticed an exchange between his soul and Pronos. It would have been near undetectable if not for his absurd senses. Then, it started. A green and purple aura erupted around Pronos and nearly knocked over a few members of the group. The pir of light shrouded the little snakes body but they could hear and see his silhouette twisting. At first, Kaelith frowned at the sight and then opened her mouth wide as a very familiar feeling washed over her. Rakna didnt seem to have missed it either as Eye of Symphony recorded every change in his sight. Gradually, they saw the silhouette expand far over Pronos previous maximum size. His body grew wider, especially below his head, like a cobra, and glowing lines of blue energy shone through his scales. His head was then nted to the side and instantly, eight other appendages grew out in the blink of an eye. They branched out and extended before forming very menacing heads with prominent fangs and glowing green and blue slitted eyes. Right after, the aura dispersed into a shockwave and everyone could now see him unobstructed after stopping shielding their eyes. Shit you take the scary crown from the dragon-wannabe, Anmented uneasily as he bent his neck to look at the nine-headed creature towering above him. Pronos scales were far more distinct than before and there were random patterns of Eion energy coursing through the perceivable gaps. Additionally, some spikes had grown around his heads like a crude crown. But most importantly, he easily was over twenty meters tall without even counting the rest of his body slithering on the ground. The nine pairs of eyes blinked and the heads momentarily moved on their own dissociated course before they all focused on An whose expression twitched. This is Kaelith mumbled in shock and one of the heads turned toward her while the eight others spread out to everyone else. Pronos lowered one head to Rakna and hissed softly; at least from his perspective. Due to the size of his head and mouth, it felt more like a low purring sound. But Rakna simply snorted and stroked the serpents head, a bit over his nose, and he let out a cry of contentment. As he did that, Rakna mused as he opened his pets status. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Pronos Master: Rakna Xiorra Age: 4 | Level: 100 Race: Nine-Headed Eion Hydra | Path: Ouroboros (+)(Path Quest Avable) Titles: Poison Master, Legendary Imperial Guardian, Mythical Serpent, Serpent King Potential: S | Pet Rank: VIII ? Attributes: STR: 35.6 -> 55.6 | END: 90.8 -> 100* + 16.26 SPD: 95.9 -> 100* + 15.9 | DEX: 14.2 -> 34.2 INT: 68.9 -> 88.9 | LCK: 3.5 ? SPD and END capped until First Ascent is carried out. ? Statistics: STA: 522.3 -> 600 | MP: 1048.5 -> 1363.5 SWI: 337.6 -> 387.8 | AGI: 134.3 -> 178.4 SEN: 374.3 -> 323.1 | ATC: 313 -> 382.2 ATT: 320.6 -> 426.6 | DEF: 413 -> 450.72 MA: 223.7 -> 286.7 | MR: 5.44 -> 7.02 ? Proficiencies: C Bite (Lv. 15 ?) C Grapple & Strangle (Lv. 13 ?) C Mana Control (Lv. Ex) C Mana Sense (Lv. Ex) C Tracking (Lv. 9) C Magic Theory (Lv. 8) C Melee Combat Mastery (Lv.6) C Flight (Lv. 6) C Magic Circle Theory (Lv. 3) C Magic Formation Theory (Lv.3) C Runecraft (Lv.2) C Soul Sense (Lv. 5) ? Magic Skills: Myriad Poison Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Bane of Atrophy (T.5), Gu (T.6), Myriad Death (T.6-5), Salve of Toxin (T.7), Poison Arrow (T.8-6); Acidic Venom (T.9-6); Poison Fog (T.9-7); Paralyzing Fog (T.10-9)] C Infinity Magic (Lv.8) => [Mana el (T.7), Kic el (T.8), Status Alteration (T.10)] C Mystic Magic (Lv.1) => [Uniform] C [Infinity Non-Compatible] ? Cognitive Skills (Passive): C Poison Immunity (LvC) C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv. 18 ?) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv. 15 ?) C Aura (Lv. 12 ?) C Pain resistance (Lv. Ex) C Fear Resistance (Lv. Ex) C Fatigue Resistance (Lv. Max) ? Spontaneous Skills (Active): C Poison-Secretion (Lv.18 ?) C Anesthetic Secretion (Lv.14 ?) C Reinforcement (Lv. 12 ?) C Camouge (Lv. 11 ?) C Stealth (Lv. Ex) C Gigantism (Lv. Ex) C Mana Air Step (Lv. 9) C Scan (Lv.9) C Projectile Reinforcement (Lv.7) C Eion Burst (Lv.3) C Call of Fangs (Lv.1) ? Nirvana Skills: ? C Nine-Fold Kaleidoscope: A Nirvana Skill born alongside the Mythical Birth of a Unique Creature; The Nine-Headed Hydra. The user possesses nine heads capable of parallel thinking and united processing capability. As the strength of the user grows, they will be able to use more and more heads to cast magic at the same time with reduced mana consumption. ? Current Number of Multi-Casting Heads: 5. Current Multi-Cast Mana Consumption Reduction: -50%. Next Upgrade: Lv.100/Lv.200 ? It is also possible for the heads to unify their efforts to cast a spell. Thetter will have potency proportionate to the number of heads used to conjure it. ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Eion Scales C Eion Poison C Eion Blood C Night Vision C Thermal Vision C Echo Vision C Living Pool of Fatality ? C Nine-Headed Hydras Verve: The holder of this trait possesses nine heads and cannot be killed as long as one head remains intact. If all heads are not destroyed before at least one is regenerated, the holder will eventually regenerate all damage. ? C Superior Hydra Regeneration: This skill allows for elerated cellr regeneration. The effects are multiplied when regenerating heads and an injury is sure to be healed within ten minutes, no matter the severity. Note: The regeneration speed is heavily influenced by the holders internal force. The lower it is, the slower the regeneration will be. ? ? ? ? ? Mystic Magic Kaelith voiced out when Rakna finished scanning everything on the status. Nine heads; along with the magic affinity only given to myths on par with our n Is it abnormal for a Hydra to have nine heads? Evelyn asked curiously. I dont think so, Nyx was the one who replied. I have encountered Hydras in the past. It is true that most of them have eight heads but some rare mutations have 9, 10, sometimes 12, heads. But this is not anything like it, is it? She followed up and the vixen nodded slowly as Pronos watched them talk from nine different angles at once. This ninth head of his is certainly a mutation; one caused by his connection with wolfy, she said thoughtfully. But what makes this unbelievable is the Mystic Magic he received. This is more than just a Nine-Headed Hydra hes existentially equal to the Nine-Tailed n. Hm, do you think hell unlock specialized skills as he grows? Rakna wondered. For example, a variant of Tail Clone or the Tailed Pearl? I dont know and thats whats scary about it, she said with a shake of her head. Awesome. One more thing to be careful about. If someone notices the Mystic traces in your pet as well as the nine heads, the council might get all cranky and insecure again. Ill make sure to tell mom so that she can take them down a peg when it happens. Im just curious about your council at this point, Rakna retorted. Are they working their hardest in order to fill all stereotypical checkmarks of pompous nobility? If so, theyre nailing it. Kaelith snickered. You have no idea. The two of them were pulled out of their conversation when they heard a resounding boom near them. They turned to the source and blinked at the scene of a fifteen-meter-tall Asura ying around with the twenty-meter-tall Hydra. They crushed several trees and boulders made out of sweets whilst rolling around. You dunces! Higure shouted and grew to a height of ten meters with Gigantism. It seemed that undead creatures had greatpatibility with the skill. She leaped above the two behemoths and hit both their heads, or at least one in Pronos case. The lioness eyes glowed and shockingly, the two beasts were forced to hunch down as if a force was pushing them. This was one of the basic applications of Echo Magic, which repeated a physical hit several times. Now, listen here, you twerps. Higure started a lecture about how they should be careful of their surroundings when ying while the others watched wryly. She has an unexpected motherly side to her, huh? viamented with a smile and the others nodded in amusement. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Rakna was zooming through the air at three times the speed of sound when he spotted a red patch of terrain in the distance; a heavy contrast with the rest of thendscape. Finally, he muttered and triggered Artzpul to make a sharp turn. His speed increased for a short burst and he quickly arrived at his destination. He then activated his skill again to kill his excessive momentum andnd safely. He turned off his elerated Perception and exhaled as his left eye began to release a bit of fume due to the heating internals. Rakna grunted as he felt a pricking pain conveyed to him. I cant use this thing for a long time as I am, he said to himself and ced a finger on his closed eyelid. He conjured a small amount of frost energy to cool down Eye of Symphony. Hm, even if I do this, its just a makeshift solution. I can probably resort to my augmented perception for five minutes if I keep it at x2. Higher than that and it would be dangerous. {That is still decent. For what it does, the setback is reasonable,} Fraymented. {And your eye will probably be better as your organic parts grow stronger as well. Your body, machine yet not, is indeed a marvel} Rakna hummed in agreement and used Fabled Sight to observe the weird patch of red grass a few dozens of meters away from him. It was about a kilometer wide and in its center was a sort of hole from which asional embers would emerge. So, thats a Fire Well Rakna muttered and star shed to it. He peeked inside and his golden eyes pierced through the boundless fire he was presented with. After a moment, he extended his hand and started drawing a constetion. When hepleted it, he flicked it and cued it to manifest. He nced at the figure that appeared next to him and ordered only one thing, Aquarius, drown this well. Chapter 225: Scale of Maat Chapter 225: Scale of Maat The young man associated with the constetion of Aquarius, Ganymede, nodded at Raknas order and flipped over his amphora. Instantly, water began to pour out but it didnt follow the rules of gravity as it rose into the air like a dragon. The amount continued to grow until Ganymede waved his container again and the stream of water expanded and flooded the entire Fire Well with a tremor. It was instantly followed by an eruption of steam. Rakna used his aura to freeze the small waves of water spilling toward him and after a minute or two, he raised his hand to stop Ganymede and the young man flipped his amphora upright. The waters source was cut off and now the pit looked like a steaming hot spring. Well, it worked rather well, the therianmented and approached the edge of the well. {And may I ask the purpose of this stunt?} Fray inquired. Celestial Kindles live inside Fire Wells because of their hibernating nature. They look for mes or hot ces and stay there for essentially the entirety of their lifespan. {And?} And Celestial Kindles cannot be extinguished by normal means, Rakna said and smiled faintly as he spotted several fiery dots under the water. So, I figured the best way to bait them out would be to get rid of the Fire Well itself. {What a crude method} Quiet. Theyre waking up, Rakna said as the red dots were bingrger andrger. He waved his hand and frost energy seeped out of his body. It spread around and started forming a vague dome over the Fire Well. As if on cue, geysers of vapor and water suddenly rose on the fakeke, and bundles of orange-red mes flew toward the sky. There were only three at first but a second after, five more came out. Where do you think youre going? Rakna uttered and casually made a hand sign without raising his arm. The frost energy solidified at hismand and turned into Barrier Runes, each one made of the runic letters for Confinement, Power, and Air. When the Celestial Kindles reached the dome, they were immediately halted as if they had bumped into a wall, even if they aimed at the gaps between the runes. What made it even worse for these sentient mes was the inherent nature of Raknas magic that bled into even his runes and had an increased effect on fire. {What are you trying to do?} Fray asked in confusion. {It doesnt seem like you want to catch them What is that other motive you mentioned?} Simple, Rakna said as he observed the Kindles frantically trying to leave. Celestial Kindles have a level of 100 to 150 from birth. Thats high but they dont really have any fighting power. What they do have, however, is He trailed and cast Appraisal on one of the mes. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: | Level: 137 Race: Celestial Kindle ? Attributes: STR: 0 | END: 0 SPD: 0 | DEX: 0 INT: 268 | LCK: 1 ? Statistics: STA: 0 | MP: 2680 SWI: 536 | AGI: 0 SEN: 268 | ATC: 269 ATT: 0 | DEF: 0 MA: 804 | MR: 2.68/min ? Proficiencies: C Flight (Lv. Max ?) C Dodge (Lv. Max ?) ? Magic Skills: C None. ? Cognitive Skills: C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv. Max ?) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv. Max ?) ? Spontaneous Skills: C None. ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Body of Ethereal Fire: Holders of this trait do not possess physical attributes; parameters such as speed and endurance rely entirely on the INT attribute that corrtes to how well they can control their bodyposition. They are widely known to be unkible through non-magical means. ? Note: A lesser Celestial Kindle that has not developed ego and thus couldnt awaken magic. ? ? ? ? ? Intelligence, Rakna concluded with a smile. {Oh I see. This is what you werecking, huh? But can you even use it on them?} I found a way around that, the therian said and breathed out. His eyes glowed and arge torrent of frost energy swirled up around him. Easier to cast as well He muttered offhandedly as Eye of Symphony rotated its lenses in conjunction with his magic formation-making. [Star Hearth C Scale of Maat,] he intoned and the frost energy burst away from him, startling the Celestial Kindles to a halt. The energy took the shape of arge ancient scale and right away, a sort of invisible pressure fell on the surroundings. It wasnt physical; it was more a silent order to bow down. [What weighs more? A hundred hearts or one weary soul?] Rakna chanted with ring eyes and his soul power took the form of a ck feather that slowlynded on one of the scales tes. The weight shifted heavily on its side. On cue, a vortex of attracting force gushed from the other side of the bnce. The Celestial Kindles suddenly began to be pulled toward it; some slower than others, but none of them seemed able to resist the pull. When the first of them reached the scale, the mes were instantly snuffed out and the notification of the kills appeared in front of Rakna; which didnt give him any experience due to the System considering it a worthless victory due to their inexistent menace. After that, a shapeless energy congregated on the scales te and turned into a tangible bloodied heart. The remaining Celestial Kindles soon followed and every single one of them died and had their life force and soul transformed into a muscle. Gradually, an eerie pile of hearts was constructed on the scale which, after the deed, had nearly reached a horizontal bnce for the two sides. {This} Fray muttered as the scale began to hover down toward the ground since it had finished its purpose. {The Scale of Maat, you said? Does that refer to what I think?} The scale of Anubis on which he weighed a persons heart against a feather of Maat. If the heart was lighter than the feather, then they would be allowed to pass on to the afterlife. Otherwise, the heart would be eaten, Rakna recounted as the rather big scale reached his location. He eyed the pile of hearts and indifferently picked one. I suppose you understand how easy it was for me to apply magic theory to that. The spell even has Synergy with my Nirvana Skills that passively increases its effects, he exined and without missing a beat, devoured the heart in a few bites. ? ? ? ? ? Heart of Lv.137 Celestial Kindle absorbed. Absorption Factor = 2.1% +0 Strength +0 Endurance +0 Speed +0 Dexterity +5.67 Intelligence ? Note: This is a magic replica, the Ascent bonus is not applicable. ? ? ? ? ? See? As easy as that, Rakna said with clear satisfaction in his voice. The best thing about this is that, from what I understand of The Scavenger, I wont get satiated as fast as when I eat Drake hearts, since the attribute points are focused on intelligence and thus optimized. Fray was speechless for a good minute. {shameless.} The therian huffed in amusement and hurried to eat the rest of the hearts on the scale. This spell of his would naturally dispel after two minutes, and so would the hearts. The Scale of Maat was a rare soul-affined spell. Its basic function was to drain the souls of targets in range. If they arent strong enough inparison to the casters soul, then they will die and have their life force turned into a heart ready for consumption. Now that I think about it maybe people other than me can eat these, Rakna said as he finished eating the hearts, capping his intelligence at 100 with a dozen more being kept on hold by the System. The spell description says it produces hearts to be assimted. But I assumed it said that because it also mentioned my Nirvana Skill I might be able to help the others raise their attributes faster. Though the efficiency might not be as good since they dont have the skill for it. {You are nonchntly saying the most outrageous of things} Rakna shrugged and licked the blood off his fingers. He looked at the ground right as the scale was disappearing and spotted a dozen small red prisms lying around. He picked one up and used his Appraisal on it. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Material/Gem/Elemental Essence Name: Fire Essence Rarity: Blue Description: A physically condensed essence that contains the power of fire. ? ? ? ? ? Nice. Elemental Essences are good forging materials, Rakna muttered and after retrieving all the loot from the Celestial Kindles, turned toward the flooded Fire Well and squinted. Now, its time for the main guest. {Hm? What do yC No, wait, I have read about this before,} the fable writer suddenly remembered a book he had skimmed in the past. {The Celestial Kindles are usually not targets of subjugation because they are said to beC} Protected, Rakna finished for him right as the entirety of the water put by Ganymede exploded out of the well and turned into steam at the same time. Took you long enough, he uttered and a whip of mes shot out from within the vapor and blew it away in one swing. When it dispersed, a massive version of the Celestial Kindles Rakna had dispatched was revealed. The fire it was made of was considerably more condensed and it had four shades of color to it; orange, yellow, blue, and a deep red that was forming a mouth and a pair of eyes. The eyes tightened vertically as they beheld Rakna, who in return simply used Appraisal to get a look at its status. ? ? ? ? ? Name: None Age: 85 | Level: 300 Race: Celestial ze Danger Rank: Destroyer | ssification: Raid Boss Titles: Protector of me, Guardian of the Fire Well ? Attributes: STR: 0 | END: 0 SPD: 0 | DEX: 0 INT: 402 | LCK: 2 ? Statistics: STA: 0 | MP: 4020 SWI: 804 | AGI: 0 SEN: 402 | ATC: 404 ATT: 0 | DEF: 0 MA: 1206 | MR: 40.2/min ? Proficiencies: C Flight (Lv. Max ?) C Dodge (Lv. Max ?) C Mana Sense (Lv. 17 ?) C Mana Control (Lv.15 ?) C Soul Heart (Lv. Max) C Soul Sense (Lv. 9) C Magic Circle Theory (Lv. 8) C Magic Theory (Lv. 6) C Magic Formation Theory (Lv.3) ? Magic Skills: C Etherion Fire Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Cremation de Burial (T.4), Etherion Nova (T.5); Etherion Eruption (Lv.6); Fire Breath (T.7); Fire Shell (T.8); Crimson Ray (T.8); Fireball (T.10)] ? Cognitive Skills: C Fire Immunity (LvC): Iing fire damage is nullified. C Fire Coil (LvC): Iing fire damage is converted into power. C Physical Damage Resistance (Lv. Ex ?) C Magical Damage Resistance (Lv. Ex ?) C Aura (Lv.8) ? Spontaneous Skills: C Vision of the Fire God (Lv. 15 ?) C me Burst (Lv. Ex) C Morph (Lv. Max) C me Step (Lv. Max) C Scan (Lv.4) ? Nirvana Skills: C Authority of the Celestial me: With this skill, anything or anyone the user targets will see themselvesbust prematurely without warning or cost. The mes created by this skill cannot be extinguished by normal means and reduce the targets magical defense by half as long as they burn. They will only stop once the target has entirely turned to ash or after twelve hours have passed. Attack Value of the me: Users MA multiplied by 2. Cooldown: 10 Minutes. ? Unique or Racial Traits: C Body of Ethereal Fire: Holders of this trait do not possess physical attributes; parameters such as speed and endurance rely entirely on the INT attribute that corrtes to how well they can control their bodyposition. They are widely known to be unkible through non-magical means. ? Note: The fully grown form of a Celestial Kindle. They possess small sparks of divinity and are a stage away from bing low-grade spiritualities. ? ? ? ? ? No wonder this guy is so feared, Rakna said with a casual tone. His Intelligence makes for a very threatening magic even to high-level Hosts. But this Nirvana Skill is even worse. If it truly cannot be extinguished, a lot of people might be powerless as they wait for their death. It doesnt help that these Celestial Kindles are incorporeal. They dont have physical weaknesses. Only their soul can be considered as such. But this Celestial ze has a Soul Heart. It wont be as easy to exploit as the others. {Excuse me!? Can we postpone the monologue forter?!} Fray shouted. {Are you that eager to die this week?! What happened to promising the heiress to not make her worry anymore? This might not be a Wild Raid Boss, but it is still a Raid Boss! A Destroyer ss Wilden to top it off!} Rakna rolled his eyes. Its fine. Foxy wont be worried as long as she has my clone with her, will she? He uttered and started circling the Fire Well whilst the Celestial ze seemingly red at him with its red eyes. It appeared hesitant to act. {For the love ofC!} More importantly, havent you figured out yet why I didnte here sooner? Rakna remarked as nonchntly as ever. {Huh?} Fray was confused. {What do you mean?} Even I would normally be scared of this guy. But that changed very recently, the therian dered without bothering to exin anything to the mystified Fray and stopped walking. Hey, you, can you speak? He raised his voice to the living me. The Celestial zes eyes squinted further and its mouth burned brighter. You were waiting for my arrival, it spoke. What are you after, wolfwalker? Rakna smiled faintly. Say, how about joining my Imperial Guard? Chapter 226: The Mask of Phobos Chapter 226: The Mask of Phobos Dream on, wolfwalker. Emperor or not, why should I willingly agree to be a follower bound to your life? The Celestial ze responded with a surprisingly unoffended tone. It acted as if the idea was too ridiculous to be serious or even a joke. Well, you would get stronger for one, Rakna said unperturbed. And are you really willing to spend all your life here, waiting for an ascension to your next evolution that might or might not evere? Once again, what makes you believe that I would agree to your proposal? If I want to leave, I will do it on my own grounds, the ze retorted and its eyes glowed. However, there is no need for me to even consider the question. You ughtered the Kindles. And you drowned my Well. Your identity be damned, only one fate awaits you; Ash! It yelled and a wave of raw magic power extended all around him in a circr fashion. The nts swayed along with the force and the wind blew away the clouds in the sky. The Celestial zes eyes shone strongly and in the blink of an eye, a quad-colored me shrouded both Raknas figure and Ganymedes. {Rakna!} Fray shouted in panic when his view becamepletely obstructed by the fire. You dont get it, stupid me, the therians mocking voice resounded from within the raging and inextinguishable fire. Gradually, the fire started to lose its gradient of colors and all of it became overtaken by a deep and dark shade of red. You dont have a choice, Rakna stated as he walked out of the mes cover but with them still following after him. The Celestial ze reacted strongly and flew off to take its distance before watching in shock as its mes that should never be extinguished were somehow absorbed by the wolfwalkers body as if they had always belonged there. It also noticed how the fur and hair of its opponent had taken on an opposite tint. The Raid Boss took a moment to nce to the side where the strange young man made out of star energy had been standing and was rmed to see nothing happened to it; Ganymede was standing immted, but unbothered by the heat or the mes. Whats wrong? Chickening? Rakna said with a smirk full of jeering, a deep contrast to his attitude a minute prior. He also indifferently dispelled Aquarius with a finger snap, allowing Ganymede to vanish and the mes to disperse after losing their target. what are you? Something that burns far stronger than you, Rakna said as his Volcanic Star absorbed the mes and turned them into mana for himself. Fire wont work on me, just as it wont work on you. {So that is what you meant!} Fray had an epiphany. {You did note here previously because you did not possess a way to actively switch to your Volcanic Element. I had almost forgotten of your Stars absorbing capabilities If that is the case, this Boss is not as dangerous to you.} The Celestial ze let out a noise akin to a growl. I dont know what you are but do not think this will grant you victory. Fire immunity is not unsurmountable, it uttered and in a burst of aura, small dots of light ranging across the red spectrum in color began to rise and congregate. Rakna sighed with a shake of his head and with a wave, a deck of cards appeared in his hand. He casually shuffled them as the Celestial ze charged its spell before drawing the card at the very top. He looked at it and clicked his tongue. Ah, whatever. Its only twelve days, he muttered and tossed the card forward. [King of Diamonds,] he intoned and in the blink of an eye, the spell in preparation was canceled as the card transformed into a sh that swallowed the mes. What? The Celestial ze was in a stupor. What did youC? You can try again. It will end the same way, Rakna lied through his teeth without his expression changing for a second. He grinned in a very-free spirited way despite knowing very well that he wouldnt be able to use any of his cards for the next 30 minutes He also was aware that the reason the card was able to stop the spell was that it was still being cast. It was the same thing back during his fight against Verias. If either of those two spells had beenpleted, even the Ace of Diamonds wouldnt have worked. That could be different if he was able to use several cards at once though. The Tricksters Sleeve was a powerful Utility Item that could even shrink the level gap between two opponents but the cooldown was its only weakness. If anything, if the cooldown didnt exist, it wouldnt be surprising if the System considered it a Gold Item instead of a Red one. So, how about we continue our chat? Rakna continued whilst shuffling the cards in his hands to add to the bluff. Or, if you want, we can battle it out through our souls It might take a while, but there is no way for me to lose. {I cannot believe this} Fray sighed tiredly but he silently praised his soul host for the ruse. Or, again, if you wish Rakna trailed and his aura suddenly exploded. At first, the Celestial ze was not fazed by it but its ming eyes gradually widened and it felt true fear. A malignant mana oozed out of the therian apanied by a precipitous wave of intimidation. It was as if it was at the mercy of a giant. If it could sweat, the Raid Boss would have been drenched by this point. I can take it up a notch Rakna growled out. What he was doing was very simple; he was rousing his two most powerful skills; Ascent of the Titan and All Virtues Shall Sloth, which he now could easily activate with his mana capacity and the one inside Andante. But he was obviously not truly actuating the skills. You could say he was flexing his power. He made sure to keep them in between a state of dormancy and activation. These two skills, aside from the repercussions they would potentially have, would allow someone to have their strength increased by ten-fold. Even if it was a Level 800 Host standing in front of Rakna, they would have to think twice before making a move. Well, still a bluff though, Raknamented internally without an ounce of shame. Not only was it not his intention to kill the Celestial ze, Ascent of the Titan aside, he knew for a fact that his demonization skill was impossible for him to wield at the moment. He had already tested this Sin Skill of his He had turned into a werewolf to raise his mana pool andbined it with Andante to do so. The result? He felt a surge of immense malignant power and the next thing he knew, he cked out. One second. That was how long he had managed to resist the urge to sleep as stated by the skill description. Even with Eye of Symphony and the added Intelligence I dont even know if I couldst five seconds before falling asleep, he said inwardly. If I want to use demonization at my level, it seems I will need to unlock other cardinal sins to create a counterbnce. You The Celestial ze uttered gravely as the dark nature of Sloth Magic was creeping around it. I have no idea how you can release this much power You are evidently not a high-level Host or there would have been no room for me to resist. But I dont believe you can attain such power without cost. I will not dare to attack but you will not engage with me either unless you wish to suffer a meaningless loss. And neither of us can use our magic to hurt the other. Leave now and I will forget what happened today. Rakna grunted annoyingly and retracted his aura. Youre smarter than you look, he spat under his breath. At the same time, a notification rang out of nowhere and a system window popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Your intimidation has surpassed your real ability by many ranks. Despair Aura has Ascended into Crown of Despair! Your title, The Kind Demons Kin, is resonating with Crown of Despair! You have fulfilled the conditions to learn an Ultimate-ss Skill! Crown of Despair evolves into The Mask of Phobos! ? ? The Mask of Phobos ? Son of Ares and Aphrodite, the personification of fear and panic itself, that is the identity of the Phobos, the God of Fright. ? Upon activation of this skill, don a mask made out of your spiritual forces; your bloodlust, your mental fortitude, your emotions, your magic elements, your soul, and the very core of the horror and mayhem that slumbers within you. As long as it remains on, anyone in the vicinity will feel the full brunt of the users maximum strength as spiritual pressure. Those that will look at you will see the pressure double if they are not capable of resisting the first level of intimidation. The ones affected by Phobos Mask will have hallucinations, bouts of shivers, descents into madness or unconsciousness, and for the weakest ones; the loss of their lives. Furthermore, while wearing the mask, the user will be granted boosted Mana and Stamina Regeneration proportionally to the amount of fear induced by the mask. ? This skill can be used without cost and the mask can be taken on and off at will. However, when the mask is destroyed instead of willingly dismissed by the user, it will not be possible to call it for a full twenty-four hours and the user will suffer a mental rebound scaling to how much fear was being induced at the time of the mask being destroyed. The lowest risk being a loss of the center of bnce and the highest risk being a fall into aa. ? Note: This is an Ultimate Excel Skill. It is non-upgradable. ? ? ? ? ? Oh, Rakna blinked at the prompt like a deer in headlights. I guess I got my second Ultimate-ss Skill, he thought ndly. {Please. Please just do what you came here for. My poor heart cannot take much more tension than this,} Fray said blearily. {I should have nevere out of my library It is not like you even needed my spending two weeks looking for information on the Crystal Sage.} Oh,e on, youre a big boy. Could you not have a breakdown inside my head? {Ugh, your volcanic self has no tact.} Anyway, stupid me, Rakna raised his voice with an annoyed tone. Cant you just ept my proposal? Its not like you have anything to lose. Whats the point in making me your enemy? What if Ie back in the future to forcefully make you submit? Then so be it, it replied in a heartbeat. I will have to migrate to a new Fire Well. If you find me again, what will happen will happen. I refuse to be a servant in this manner. I have my honor to defend. God fucking damnit, Rakna swore in frustration. Youre stubborn as hell, you know that? Fine. Basically, youre not going down without a fight, is that it? The Celestial ze remained silent but it began to grow nervous. If the power it had just sensed earlier was actualized, it didnt even want to imagine what would happen. The smell of anxiety is growing on you, Rakna deadpanned. Kind of weird that I can even smell emotions from ethereal creatures oh, well, Ill ask you again; are you sure about this? He asked onest time as he extended his arms outward, channeling his mana at the same time. No answer was voiced. Alright then, the therian muttered and in the blink of an eye, 3 000 MP were deducted from his reserves of mana. [Star Hearth] Chapter 227: Twin Blades of Conflict Chapter 227: Twin des of Conflict [Twin des of Conflict.] When these words left Raknas mouth, two swords of volcanic energy emerged in his hands along with a sound of steel being hammered. Both were Japanese swords with long des, a single edge, and a small curvature. When the swords finished forming and the steel started reflecting the sunlight, one could see that each sword was different. The sword in Raknas left hand had a red glint on its edge and the handle was ck and red. As for the sword in his right hand, the edge was dyed white instead and the handle was silver and white. Additionally, both weapons des were releasing the hue that dyed their edges in the form of a liquid-like mist. Rakna exhaled and waved both swords in a rxed manner, their respective colors forming a trail in the air. He lifted the darker katana and pointed the edge at the Celestial ze who looked utterly stunned. A pair of swords? It inquired. Is that what is supposed to defeat me? I frankly expected more. It appears I was nervous for nothing. Dont you know that cold weapons are useless against Ethereal C! Before it could finish, Rakna swung the sword and a whistling sound reverberated. The very air was cut by the de and gained a red hue. A transparent red sh traveled the distance between Rakna and the Celestial ze in less than a second and before it knew, a chunk of the Raid Bosss ming body abruptly separated itself from the rest and dropped to the ground like a leaf riding the wind. The mes continued to burn on the ground and the Celestial ze could only stare in terror as they refused to follow its will. It was as if it had lost a limb it never knew it had. An experience it could have never expected to live through. How did youC?! Juuchi Yosamu, Rakna interrupted him as he calmly lowered the sword with a red aura. Or Ten Thousand Cold Nights. That is the name of this sword. Forged by Muramasa when he challenged his master on who could make a finer sword. To test them, they suspended the des in a small creek with the edge facing against the current. Rakna grinned and raised Juuchi Yosamu. This one cut everything on its path. The fish, the leaves, and the very air that blew on it. This de was made to cut everything. In this case, that includes the mes you are made of. Celestial ze barely could register those words. How could a sword projected by a meager spell be able to do something like this? The magic formation behind such a construct was beyond its currentprehension. What is that spellsC Tier 4, Rakna interrupted it once again. This is my strongest Sub-Spell. Be honored. So? How is it going to be? Even if you could cast your magic, it wouldnt do much since I am capable of turning my body into my element and the damage would be virtually negated. I can also easily heal from most injuries. To make it worse for you; you are weak for a level 300. You dont possess fighting skills at all and even if you try to flee, youre not fast enough to outrun me. Youre a sorry ass of a Raid Boss or Destroyer-ss Wilden when your magic is sealed off as means of offense. This will notC! The Celestial ze was cut off as a sh of star light went past it. Rakna emerged behind it with energy flickering under his feet and the auras of his weapons trailing after him. The Raid Boss froze as half of its body abruptly detached itself and fell off his control. The sentient me had lost half of its body just like that and the remaining half seemed to be reforming itself into a regr, smaller shape, but with difficulty. ? ??? Weapon Mastery has leveled up! ??? ? Oh, my bad, sorry to interrupt you again but what were you saying? Rakna asked with a grin after hearing the notification. He shouldered Juuchi Yosamu and nced at the creature with one of his eyes revealing its mechanical lenses. I wonder how itll feel when I cut you up so many times, the only thing remaining of you will be a microscopic piece ofbustion. Maybe itll be too small for you to even continue burning? Do you wanna try? Im game if thatsC My Lord, this humble one epts to serve, the Celestial ze changed coats faster than the speed of light and without wasting a second, it made itself much smaller and even shapeshifted into a dog before kneeling with its front paws like a good pet. Rakna blinked at the unexpected development. He stared at the canine made of mes in front of him for a while before opening his mouth, What the fuck am I? A zoo caretaker? {Pff!} Fray chortled at the jest. That couldnt have been more urate. Eh? The Celestial ze eximed in confusion as metaphorical sweat poured down its head. Ah, whatever. Of course; why not add a fire mutt to my collection? Rakna grumbled and nted his swords in the ground. Well, it seems youre quite brazen in the end. Didnt you change tunes a bit too fast? Damn you! My life is more important than my pride! The Celestial ze screamed inside its mind as it bowed its head. Nonsense, I simply failed to recognize My Lords splendor before I could embarrass myself, it spoke with a ttering tone. Rakna stared speechless at the creature. What a shameless bastard {Arguably more than you, indeed,} Fraymented. Anyway, the therian muttered and waved his hand, a colorless energy wrapped around his arm and he directed it to the Celestial zes head. Its going to be fast. Just ept my soul fragment inside you and you will join my Guard. The Raid Boss grumpilyplied and quickly enough, a fragment of Raknas soul entered its own and spread out. It merged with it and then firmly mped down its authority. At the same time, Rakna grunted and staggered backward. Woah I guess pain rting directly to my soul isnt affected by my body, he muttered with a wince. The addition of someone with a stronger force than mine is a hassle for sure Meanwhile, the Celestial ze was experiencing the benefits of the Imperial Guard and if it had any dissatisfaction left, it was gone in an instant. The canine form it had taken to please Rakna was somehow solidified and the mes became more condensed; almost solid. The Wilden looked in shock at its leg and used it to hit the ground where it left a clear imprint of its paw. This I have physical attributes, it said, with its voice sounding far less ethereal than before. It looked back at Rakna with apletely new impression, What are you? The werewolf grinned and shrugged. Many things. Lets move on to the next step of our little agreement, he dered and an odd transparent magic circle whirled into existence on the ground below them. This is? The Celestial ze raised an inexistent eyebrow at the formation. I dont trust you fully yet, Rakna replied. This is called the Vow of ord; a soul contract. The uses are as follows: One; Party B, you, will not harbor ill intent to Party A, me, upon which case death will be warranted per Party As will. Two; Party B must follow every order from Party A and betrayal will warrant punishment. Three; Party B will and cannot hurt Party A, whether directly or indirectly. Four; this contract willst for as long as both parties do not agree to terminate it. Thats just a ve contract! The Celestial ze shouted in outrage. Theres no way I can ept such an agreeC! My apologies, My Lord. I will dlyply, it instantly switched attitudes when it saw Rakna reach for the hilt of Juuchi Yosamu. Great, the therian pped and the magic circle turned into a maelstrom of power than entered the Celestial zes body and deeply anchored itself into its soul without resistance. Once this was done, Rakna returned to his frost star state and lit a cigarette. Coincidentally, he saw his two swords change a bit along with Obsidian Blood. He hummed, while the Celestial ze wept about the unfairness of the world, and reached for one of them. So, any spell that I cast while in one state automatically is converted to the other, Rakna noted to himself and pulled the sword with the white aura out of the ground. It also looks like my magic improved by crystal makes it more stable. But it doesnt seem to have a qualitative difference, he muttered and raised the de above the Celestial ze, who shuddered at the sight. Wha-what are you doing?! I already cant do anything to you! Calm down. This wont hurt you, Rakna retorted and swung the sword down before it could say anything. The sentient me saw the swords aura phase through it and the trail continued until the mes that had been cut off from its body. Then, in the blink of an eye, the Celestial ze saw its bodypletely back to normal, the other bits of fire having disappeared. Huh? It eximed in shock and frantically looked at itself; whole once again. Yawarakai-Te, Rakna uttered to clear his confusion. He slid his fingers across the de swathed in white aura and puffed a cloud of smoke. Or Tender Hands. Unlike his apprentice, Masamune forged a sword of mercy. While suspended above the creek, the fish swam right up to it, the air hissed as it gently blew by the de, the leaves were repelled while the ones split by Muramasas de would be mended back into full upon contact. Yawarakai-Te doesnt cut what is innocent and simrly, it heals what is unjustly cut by Juuchi Yosamu. The magic formation behind such a spell must be tremendouslyplex The Celestial ze said in awe. How did you learn it? By feeling, Rakna shrugged and the ze twitched. Well, I did give it some thought. This spells source, however, is not a magic formation, but a matrix. What?! The Celestial ze yelled. {What?!} Even Fray was astounded. Of course, both of them knew about Spell Matrixes. The basic way of putting it was that matrixes were magic formations folded into smaller shapes. For example, if one started from simple magic circles, if you were to fold enough of them, at some point, you would end up with a sphere. That sphere is called a Matrix. But ites in other shapes. Some absurdlyplex matrixes have been folded into specific forms, like origamis. The point was that matrixes were exceedingly hard to design, much less create. Some mages spend years making one single matrix because the more magic formations youyer to make one, the moreplicated it is for them to harmonize together. This is this spells matrix, Rakna uttered and extended his hand. A small part of his mana came out of his palm and formed a matrix in the shape of a sword. It had runes, forms, and markings in red and white. But the most mysterious thing about it was that everything was contained inside a crystal with engravings on it. {My goodness, you actually made a matrix} Fray muttered as his studious personality went to work and made him draw the magic formationsyered inside the matrix onto a nk book of his library. {How much mana did that take? Matrixes are essentiallypact spells on the scale of a ritual and they tend to be highly costly.} It took 3 000 MP from me. But the original cost is actually 6 000 MP. The only reason I can use it is thanks to my reduced mana consumption, Rakna said and dismissed the matrix as the Celestial ze was still gaping at it. He then was about to dispel the swords when his scarf began to move. Hm? Rakna looked down with a scowl as one of the ends of Sonata exfiltrated itself from around his neck and moved around as if it was sniffing the air. Whats wrong? The therian asked. He wasnt surprised to see his weapon act on its own since he had witnessed it a few times already after it assimted the Churchs Holy Sword. It had gained a sort of semi-sentience from it. It was not to the extent where it could think or even have an ego, but it certainly had primal urges. Which were mainly eating other weapons. Even if Sonata couldnt evolve from it, it could now eat weapons to repair itself faster or sometimes decrease the cooldowns of the perks. Rakna watched silently as the scarf seemed to search for something. And then, it happened; the fabric came in contact with one of the katanas, and Raknas eyes bulged. ? ? ? ? ? The Twin des of Conflict arepatible for an Assimtion. ? Do you wish to evolve Skulking Sonata? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? what in the flying fuC Chapter 228: Rhapsodic Sonata Chapter 228: Rhapsodic Sonata Wait Rakna tapped his forehead a few times as the system window somehow floated around him as if to taunt him. That was possible? {Thats my line!} Fray shouted. {Aah I cannot let this get to me. The longer I stay with you, the harder it is for me to control my speech. As an honorable writer, it would only bring shame to my ancestors if I acted so crudelyC} Yes, I get it. Be as long-winded as you need. I wont me you, Rakna responded casually as he poked one of the twin katanas as if it would allow him to decipher their every secret. {} Ceres, do you know why or how this is happening? The therian asked. [I am not certain I do not possess any sort of data on a past urrence like this one.] I see Now that I think about it, have I ever used Appraisal on my Sub-Spells? He asked himself and triggered his skill on Juuchi Yosamu. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Weapon/de Name: Juuchi Yosamu Rarity: N/A (Matrixial Magic Construct) Attack Power: 1 000+ Durability: N/A (24 Hours Until Energy Exhaustion) ? Description: A de forged by one of Earths most legendary cksmiths; Muramasa. It was crafted for a challenge against his master. It is a de without mercy that cuts both evil and good. ? Perk: ? C 10 000 Nights of Severance: By spending 200 MP, the next sh of Juuchi Yosamu will ignore physicalws and cut whatever it is swung at. If used on nothing but air, it will nheless cut it andunch a flying strike that will not die out for at least a hundred meters. ? Note: This is a replica made with magic that has reached such levels of perfection that it exceedingly surpassed the original myth. A mysterious power flows within this de that makes it eligible to be considered an Item by the System. ? ? ? ? ? Would you look at that? Rakna muttered with a hand on his chin. Most of the information on this window was already known to him but the Note was quite interesting. In other words, its thanks to the Crystal Sages power that I am able to raise this replica into something real. I guess it falls in line with the ability to grant wishes; create something from nothing. He then paused as he thought of something. Create from nothing Isnt that? {The Philosophers Stone basic principle,} Fray finished for him. {Hm, how curious. Is it merely a coincidence or something more?} Never trust coincidences, Rakna retorted. Thats one of the old mans main rules. If something is odd enough to bebeled a coincidence; never stop suspecting it, he said and nted Juuchi Yosamu next to Yawarakai-Te so that they would make a cross. Sonata, he spoke and the scarf turned toward him. Eat it. The scarf didnt need to be told twice. It twirled its fabric as if to lick its tongue and flew off Raknas neck to cover the swords. Sonata stretched beyond its usual length andpletely hid them from view. Not long afterward, an azure light began to be emitted by the Eionpounds. Rakna simply had his bionic eyes calibrate to the re and calmly watched as the Celestial ze spectated from the side in confusion. When the shine finally went away, what remained was a pair of katanas with bluish waving patterns on the des, red and white hues on the respective edges, and azure ribbons tied to the hilts. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Weapon/de/Twin Katanas Name: Rhapsodic Sonata Rarity: Unique Attack Power: +1250 Magic Power: +500 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The item possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow, Kusarigama, Twin Daggers, Greatsword, One-Handed Doubled-Edged Sword, Twin Katanas. ? C Eion Energy Production C Demonic Spiritual Anchor C Gale Outbreak (All Forms) C Hyper Mana Oscition de (ded Forms) C Blood Rage (All forms) C Primal Curse C First Stage C Skulking Wraith (All forms) C Skulk Life Down (ded Forms) ? C Tainted Holiness (All Forms): Sonata will passively inflict 100% more damage to both Evil-Aligned and Good-Aligned Creatures without cost due to its self-supply. ? C Shield of Piety (All Forms): Erects a shield that can resist up to 5 000 of damage value; both physical and magical. Lasts 15 seconds and can only be used twice every 12 hours. This is a perk that can be reactively activated by the weapon itself. ? C Crescent of a Falling Star (ded Forms): At the cost of 300 MP, a flying sh formed out of holy, demonic, and star energy, which can only be provided by a Star Magic user, can beunched from the de. The damage will be equal to the sum of the users MA and ATK multiplied by 2. Can only be used thrice every 24 hours. ? C 10 000 Nights of Severance (ded Forms): By spending 200 MP, the next sh will ignore physicalws and cut whatever it is swung at. If used on nothing but air, it will nheless cut it andunch a flying strike that will not die out for at least a hundred meters. Cooldown: 1 Min. ? C Tender Hands of Clemency (ded Forms): By spending 200 MP, the next sh will ignore physicalws and only cut what is non-innocent. Additionally, anything that was cut unjustly by Sonata will be reverted to its state prior to the sh. Cooldown: 1 Min. ? C Symphony of Magic (All Forms): Due to the integrated Spell Matrix, Rhapsodic Sonata has be a high-tier conductor of mana on par with Red-Rarity Staves. At the current level ofplexity, the user will be granted an increase to MA and a slight decrease in casting time. Simrly, the carving of magic formations and runes will be boosted. ? Description: ? A masterpiece forged by a master cksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of de. After many evolutions and enhancements, it has gained both the facets of impiety and holiness and is gradually evolving to match its wielder. It has gained a spark of ego and through an incredibly unique feat, a Spell Matrix has been absorbed by the Item that allows it to channel mana through its material. ? Note: Evolvable (Currently Avable Evolutions: 1) ? ? ? ? ? Rakna almost whistled in appreciation as he twirled the des. He mentallymanded them to turn into a Guandao and whirled it a few times until the edge was tinted red. He swung it toward an empty spot and a red sh flew out of the de into the distance, to which the Celestial ze speedily shrunk away. Oh no I believe I have developed a trauma, the me thought uneasily. Meanwhile, Rakna smiled at his weapon. I didnt expect this to happen So, if I cant find anything to feed to Sonata, or if I cant forge it, it seems my high-tier spells are a good substitute. And it even became Unique, huh? {I suppose that is befitting of such an Item,} Fraymented, not too surprised. {After all, the System couldnt possibly continue to rate it with the normal standards after getting 14 perks, and even a few more, depending on which form it takes.} Mhm, youre right. It seems the katanas only took one evolution count too. I should check out the properties of Fangs scytheter and see if its good enough to assimte. Um My Lord, the Celestial ze carefully raised its voice. What are we doing now? Oh, right, Rakna closed the Systems interface and Sonata turned back into a scarf and wrapped around his neck all on its own. Ill have to teach you what were going to do. But before that do you have a name? The ze puppy seemed taken aback by the question. Hm no, I dont have one. I never needed one in the first ce. But you may choose one if that is what you wish. Rakna mused for a moment before nodding. Lets just go with Natsu. Are you okay with it? Well, it doesnt sound bad but may I know what it means? It seems to be in anothernguage. Right, since its a name, the System doesnt trante, the therian uttered. Its nothing grand; it means summer. Back where Ie from, it was easily associated with fire. Though giving it to someone would usually mean Born in Summer. But well, Rakna looked at the bright sky. I dont think thats a problem if you were born here, considering this ce is always in summer, isnt it? That is true I like it. Thank you for naming me. No problem. In that case, its time to go. Ceres, initiate a transfer He sighed. Lets go there. [Understood] Where are we going? Natsu asked curiously. To your future workce. My work ce? Yeah, Rakna nodded as he waited for the countdown. By the way, quick question, why did you transform into a dog of all things? Looks like a Labrador too. I dont know what a Labrador is but this is the only peaceful animal I have encountered in my life and I have heard humans treated them as their best friends of sorts. I assumed you would be more lenient with me in this form. Was I mistaken about this creature? Natsu asked as he looked at his own appeared in wonder. Rakna stared at him speechlessly. He sighed and face-palmed. I see Youre even more sheltered than the horny cat. Great. Eh? The Celestial ze eximed in confusion right as the light of the transfer took them away from the 45th teau. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Raknas clone and everyone else watched with a straight face as Pronos turned a small horde of monsters into puddles with melting poison of which the spreading speed was boosted by Infinity Magic. Im kinda scared in all honesty, Rakna muttered and the others agreed. Right after he said that, the mighty and newly evolved Nine-Headed Hydra let out a cry that summoned dozens of smaller snakes thanks to his disposition as the Serpent King. Still, for a pet to be a King candidate Kaelith muttered. Should I be surprised? It is yours after all. And if it wasnt for the fact that the two others are undead, they would probably also be eligible. Of course, Higure retorted from Raknas head. I was a Dusk Lion Queen back in the day too. But if I want to take that title back again well, Im not sure I can actually. Perhaps I should focus on intimidation skills. Its the best way to awaken a King Title. But then again, it would only work if the threatened party matches my race. Or perhaps you could try to get undead under your control, Nyx suggested with a tilt of her head. From what Ive seen, the System grants abilities and titles quite capriciously, and if I understand the disposition of King correctly, since youre strong enough, maybe it would be possible for you to get the Undead Queen title with a bit of oppression, no? Uh, not a bad idea. Why are you three conspiring on how to exploit the Systems mechanics? via smiled wryly. Rakna let out a snort in amusement and, as Pronos was about to end the little rampage he started to get used to his body, he froze on the spot. His eyes and expression darkened a bit and there was no way the others wouldnt notice. Rakna? via raised her voice in worry. Did something happen to yourC Nah, my original is fine, he cut her with a soft tone. Its just the system notified me; hes done with his business on the 45th teau and he just left it for another one. An scowled at him. Why do you look so down then? Rakna slowly shook his head. Nothing much. Hes visiting a grave, he muttered and closed his eyes for a short moment before huffing. Dont pay attention. Youll soon see what hes up to. Lets go finish those Quests my original took at the Pavilion, he said and walked toward Pronos as his group stared at his back. Chapter 229: "We succeed or we blow up." Chapter 229: We seed or we blow up. Rakna stepped out of System Transfer onto a muddy ground with Natsu following him at his feet throwing a cursory look at his surroundings. The Swamp? He asked. My Lord, is this teau the workce you were referencing? I do not understand. The therian nced at him and gazed at the gloomy terrain of the Fifth teau. He didnt answer the Celestial ze and began to approach a sort of arge artificial tree in front of him. It had built-in rails and tforms previously used as watchtowers. Why is there such an affluence of dark spirits around this ce? Natsu wondered out loud. Rakna heard it but didnt answer until they reached a tunnel leading underground, This used to be a feeding ground for an Abyss Tras, he said as he began to walk down the staircase while the Celestial ze froze mid-step. A Tras?! He practically shouted. Why are we here?! Even I know those abominations shouldnt be trifled with! I dont want to have anything to do with the Tra! Calm down, Rakna rebuffed him. The bastards dead. I killed him. Natsu made a face that screamed Is that supposed tofort me?!. My guildmate made sure that this ce was safe before leaving it alone, the therian said and his eyes roamed to the side where he saw one of the stains of blood on the walls of the tunnel. What happened here was the work of a single Tras. He was acting alone and independently. We dont risk the Abyss targeting us for staying here. Even if you say so Natsu trailed and then stopped himself when they reached the bottom of the stairs where arge wooden gate had been smashed in. He saw whaty beyond and couldnt help but take a step back. Wha-what happened here? He asked. Rakna looked around at the massive dark cave barely illuminated by the light emitted by Natsu and which once held an entire vige. It was now nothing more than burnt-down rubble. The walls of the cave were destroyed in some ces and several craters were scattered around. What can I say? I got kinda mad, Rakna said lightly but solemnly. He resumed his walk and Natsu ran after him with mixed feelings. All of this damage was caused by you? He asked. Most of it, yes. It happened during the fight. Then whose vige was this? I dont see bodies either. What about the residents? Rakna halted his march and simply raised his hand to point at something. Natsu followed his finger and widened his eyes when he spotted arge graveyard amidst the ruins. There were at least a hundred tombstones, and nearly all of them were nameless and coarsely made. There they are, Rakna muttered and star shed to the middle of the graveyard. Natsu imitated him with his me Step and watched as the therian crouched in front of three certain graves. One of them was different from the others in the fact that it had a name engraved on it. Since you seem curious; all of them were Dark Elves. I asked Gray and the expedition force that came to investigate this ce to gather and bury the bodies. I see Natsu whispered. And may I ask for whom was this specific tomb engraved? Rakna smiled lightly. A little Night Elf called Vivi Silverlight. was she important to you, My Lord? Not really, the therian said with a huff and stood up. But she could have been hah, you would think youd need to be older to develop a fatherly instinct, he jested and snapped his fingers. On cue, a swirl of frost energy emerged from the ground and pushed aside the rubbles and dust from all the tombs. Rakna then conjured a magic circle to epass the entirety of the graveyard and encased all of it in a sort of mausoleum made out of star crystal, but without any energy inside. This crystal isnt that strong, Raknamented after tapping the edifice a few times. But it willst eternally. All right, Natsu, youre going to help me clean this up, he suddenly said and turned around. Huh? Clean up? Rakna slowly lifted the corners of his mouth until a grin was formed and right after, his hair and fur turned red. Yeah, lets turn all of this debris into ashes. I have a house to make. I cant have all of this crap ruin the view. pardon? Natsu was dumbfounded but before he could raise objections, he saw with a shiver as his newfound Lord ate a frozen heart out of nowhere and released a fiery aura. Hoarfrost Blizzard turns into Rakna muttered and inhaled. [Volcanic Tempest,] he intoned and a red smoke gushed out from his body. The temperature around him increased drastically and after a short moment, the smoke began to swirl and form a tornado. At the same time, volcanic rocks began to condense inside of it and in no time, a red tempest of magma was raised inside the cave; tall enough to connect the ground and ceiling. The dpidated and scorched houses took fire once again but this time, nothing was extinguished until nothing remained. Come on, Natsu! Itll take a while to thoroughly burn everything. Youll take the borders; Ill deal with the center area. Then well clean up the stone and ores, Raknas voice sounded from inside the tornado, from which Natsu had long taken his distance from. The Celestial ze trembled as he caught a glimpse of arge werewolf within the eye of the red tornado and dutifully began to use his magic to clear out the outer area of the cave. Oh! And be sure to not damage the crystal mausoleum! Natsu was startled by the additional shout that was far lower in pitch. Y-yes, My Lord! He replied and sighed. Why does it feel like Ive been hired as a convenient janitor? He muttered to himself and expanded into a giant me with red eyes. ? * * * ? An hourter, Rakna pulled thest stone debris into his storage and sighed. He cracked his neck and turned Obsidian Blood off. He lit a cigarette and looked around at the dark and empty cave. Now that there werent any ruins to cover up his vision, his Eye calcted the exact size of this underground space. For the surface area, it amounted to about 200 000 square meters, which can be roughly tranted to 500 meters in diameter. As for the height of the ceiling, it was quite high too for a cavern; reaching nearly 40 meters at the very center, and then gradually decreasing as you got closer to the borders. What do we do now, My Lord? Natsu asked as he flew back from cleaning his area. Well, time to bring light, Rakna muttered and bent his neck to look up. Verias had a formation in ce to imitate day-night cycles. I n to do the same. It shouldnt be hard. Shouldnt be hard, he says Natsu quietly grumbled. For your information, my knowledge of magic formations is nowhere near enough toC Just draw over this, Rakna cut him off and used a minimal amount of mana to create the outline of a magic circle with his star energy. He flicked his fingers upward and it stuck itself to the ceiling of the cavern. There. Im sure youre not bad enough to fail at following an outline, right? no, of course not, My Lord. How should I do it? Carving? Use this, the therian tossed a dark blue pen and Natsu caught it with a strand of fire. Its filled with something called Eion ink. Its also mixed with a little bit of my blood with alchemy. Its a very good formation medium. Now get to work, theres a lot of surface to cover, Rakna said and shed to the ceiling in a burst of energy and began to draw the runes and shapes whilst dashing at near-unperceivable speeds. Natsu red at the pen entangled in his mes as if his current situation was all its fault. He sighed and took on a more humanoid shape before floating away to do his task. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Hm, this is thest one, a one-tailed Rakna muttered as his grouppleted thest Quest they had, which entailed gathering a certain assortment of rare natural choctes. There really are all kinds of clients, Nyx deadpanned as she stared at the stone-like candy in her hand that was being retrieved by the System toplete the mission. Some people love to live in luxury for everything, Kaelith said with a sneer. I would not put it below a random wealthy guy to request the Pavilion to collect these things for a fancy tea party. You would know, Rakna uttered with a small smile while the vixen sighed. I would know She mumbled gloomily. Hey, guys, should we check out the Trial? An suggested as he looked at the map. Its close by and we can test the perks of the Guild. Not a bad idea, Rakna concurred. I want to see if I can do it as a clone too. But before that lets do a little experiment, he said and looked up at his pet who gazed back with a tilt of his heads. An experiment? via repeated curiously. Yes. Its even better now that he developed parallel processing. All right, litt- Rakna paused and blinked a few times before resuming with a shrug, Little guy, we discussed this before. I dont think hes very little right now An muttered and was very pointedly ignored. Use those five parallel processing heads of yours together to condense your Eion energy, Rakna instructed unperturbed and Pronos nodded. Five of his heads then stretched out from the rest and faced the sky with open mouths. Promptly after, Eion energy in the form of thick smoke came out from his throat and fangs to condense in the spot where the five heads sights crossed. What is he doing? Evelyn asked as everyone watched. She was the only one in the group who knew about Eion energy to a greater extent since she had assisted Rakna in refining Eion to make ink and also extract Eion Stones with alchemy. Is he concentrating Eion for an attack? Not exactly, Rakna replied and mused. Lets see looks like it will take a moment for Pronos to properly shape it; I can briefly exin it, he said and everyone looked at him. Do you guys know the basic principle behind a nuclear explosion? Splitting the atoms of a fissile element by throwing neutrons at it, via answered as the others drew a nk. Energy is then released in the form of heat and radiation while more neutrons are created, which will attack the rest of the element until theres no reaction. Essentially, a nuclear explosion, for the inest ones, is a chain reaction of atoms being split apart. Rakna nodded calmly. The mostmon fissile elements are uranium or plutonium. They are such that they can sustain a chain reaction. However, regardless of that, any atom can be split. You just need to shoot a neutron into the nucleus at the correct speed. Lets say you grabbed a random rock on the side of the road; every atom thatposes it can be split and detonated. But unlike fissile elements, splitting one of them will not make a sustainable chain reaction. But that doesnt erase the fact that even an object size of a rock can very well create a massive explosion if all of its atoms detonate at once. Okay? An made a weird expression. Why are you telling us that though? I wasing to it. Basically, what Im saying is; what if there was a material, or rather, an energy that could cannibalize its own atoms and ignite? As soon as Rakna worded this sentence, anyone with a functioning mind could infer what was happening. Wait, are you serious? Kaelith uncrossed her arms with wide eyes. She nced at Pronos who appeared quite strained by the small sphere of energy he was condensing. Can that thing actually atomically split itself? Rakna nodded. Sort of. Back on Earth, it was a state secret but its not important here so Ill tell you. The bombs Aurora made,monly known as Eion Nukes, are actually created by fusing and then splitting the atoms of a condensed agglomerate of Eion. Fusion? via reiterated. Mhm. The principle is simple. Eion is normally a very stable energy and its impossible to use as a fissile element. Not only is it hard to work with non-solid elements but the nuclei of the atoms are imprable by any method we know. However, the problem can be circumvented when it is caught in an atomic fusion. Atomic fusion is a reaction that urs under extreme heat conditions within confined spaces. But even that changes with Eion. When it is beingpressed beyond a certain limit, the atoms begin to naturally heat up and a core will be formed among them. A core? Evelyn interjected pensively. Do you mean the Eion bes? Voracious would be an urate portrayal, Rakna stated. When the first two atoms reach their sma states and fuse, they will begin to eat the ones around it until theres none left. Once that is done, you have to let it cool down without letting it get in contact with the air. The basic way of doing that was to ce it in a vacuum for about 12 hours. What about the fission part of it? Marie asked. And why cool it down? Thats the thing. Both are corrted, Rakna said with a small smile. Youll see. For now, lets get thepression going, he dered as he saw that Pronos was finished gathering the necessary amount of Eion. Normally, we would need particle elerators, a powerful maic field, and a gravitational bound but some magic formations and raw mana should do the trick maybe. Kaelith groaned. Why cant I help but think that this is extremely dangerous? All experiments are, Rakna quipped and drew a dozen of runes with a swipe of his hands. Get ready, little guy. We seed or we blow up, he joked with a cheery tone and his group could only facepalm. Chapter 230: Eion Fission Blast Chapter 230: Eion Fission st Then, first step;pression, Rakna muttered and encased the sphere of Eion with a formation and his own mana. Pronos, gradually apply your Infinity Magic to it, he instructed and the Hydra nodded. Evelyn, via, help me put more pressure on this too. The two girls who were called out looked at each other beforeplying with Barrier and Gravity Magic respectively. The Eion instantly became assailed by the manyyers of force and shrunk by half. Its color began to darken and waves of heat started rising. Doesnt it kind of defeat the purpose if you need several people to do it though? Marie inquired. Well, Im hoping that the System will intervene and consider it a skill, Rakna said as he ryed the supervision of the magic formation to Eye of Symphony. And if were lucky, perhaps even a Nirvana Skill can be made. Of course Kaelith muttered to herself and before anyone could make anotherment, they heard an indescribable noise. They all turned toward the sphere of Eion that was now even smaller and had gained a sort of dark spot in its center. Next, its size began to steeply decrease until there was basically nothing left for them to see with the naked eye. Instead, it was as if there was a sort of veil hiding a literal part of space from them. Good. Girls, maintain the pressure for a bit longer, Rakna instructed. via and Evelyn nodded with sweat forming on their foreheads and the therian used Star sh to stand right in front of thepressed Eion. We dont have 12 hours so Ill cool it down myself, he uttered and his eyes began to spin until they became whirlpools. His body followed suit and turned into a werewolf. He extended his hands forward and as his fur glowed cyan, arge amount of frost energy emerged from inside his body and surrounded the Eion. It slowly but gradually formed a miniature star to confine it. Rakna exhaled a hoary breath and nced at the others. Pronos, via, Evelyn, let go, he ordered and theyplied, cutting off the mana supply of their spells. After they were dispelled, a searing sound echoed from inside the star and the werewolf beckoned everyone to take their distance. He carefully controlled the miniature star to float down closer to the ground and after a minute, it stopped making a steaming sound and Rakna hummed positively. via, can you do something for me? When I dispel this star, catch whates out of it with your telekinesis. Do it very carefully as if you were handling the most fragile thing in the universe, okay? The Chaos With nodded uneasily. Understood but what is going toe out of it exactly? Well Rakna cleared his throat. Better not tell you yet, he uttered and she tilted her head. In any case, are you ready? Yes? Then Ill countdown from three, he stated and pointed his palm at the star. 3, 2 As the count approached itsst instances, steam began to exit the frost star. Rakna casually blew it away with a bat of his wings and reached the end of his countdown. The small star faded away and he calmly urged via to catch the object that popped out. There was a bit of lingering steam blocking everyones view but she skillfully spotted the shadow through it and carefully caught it with her Nirvana Skill. The first thing she noticed when it got into her grasp was how light it was. Rakna once again blew away the steam as he reverted into a therian and it was revealed that what she was holding was a strange dark-blue stone with a patchy shape. Is that whats left of all that energy? Nyx voiced her wonders and Rakna nodded. Yes, this is what happens when Eion atoms are fused; it solidifies. But, in a nutshell, what you see right now is an overfed atom, he exined and smiled lightly. Emphasizing the singrity of the word atom. This is not a molecule; it is quite literally the physical form of a giant atom. Then, that means the fissionC! via eximed and suddenly felt very scared of what she was sustaining airborne. Yep, Rakna nodded with a teasing tone, to which she responded with a re. The very instant that this rock is damaged in any way, the atom will split and explode. Even the tiniest of scratches can set this off. Hold it well, via. Its also very brittle. Imagine its foam. Even a trivial pressure will bend its shape. Muu I swear Ill get back at you for this The witch mumbled with puffed-up cheeks. At least, tell me what Im supposed to do with this! Wait a little bitC Hey! Pronos, did it appear on your status? Rakna ignored the pouting woman and asked his pet who shook his nine heads at the question. Hm, I see Lets blow it up then. That should consolidate it for the System. via, gently ce it on the barrier, he said whilst conjuring a green buffer shield next to the Eion. Give me a moment. via replied and took her time to adjust the strength of her telekinesis to disce the stone until the barrier without producing any sort of impact. When she was sure that nothing had gone wrong, she heaved an audible sigh of relief. Rakna smiled in amusement and focused on the buffer barrier he made. He flicked his fingers and made it change shape into a cone. With the Eion inside, he made it float up at a moderate speed so that there would be no shakings on the load it carried. Pronos, I will be releasing my barrier once its high enough. Keep your eyes on it and then hit it in with whatever method you prefer. You should detonate it if we want it to be confirmed as your skill, Rakna said and the Hydra acknowledged it, opening one of his mouths to breathe out a green poison that took the form of an arrow. Cover your ears, Rakna warned nonchntly as he snapped his fingers and released the Eion to the air. Instantly after, Pronos shot the poison arrow. It zoomed through several enhancing magic circles before striking the target. The Eion stone cracked on impact and bright cyan light illuminated the sky for the split of a second before turning into a massive eruption of blue mes and smoke. The detonation resounded for miles and the shockwave reduced patches of the sugaryndscape into smithereens. All animals in the vicinity ran away in terror and small towns far away felt dread at the sight of the mushroom of smoke on the horizon. The detonation sounded like a crescendo of a bass, making its way through ones ear, shaking the brain, and leaving from the other. Raknas group winced and rapidly covered their ears whilst resisting the winds. The therian on the other hand didnt seem to mind. For him, thanks to Eye of Symphony, dealing with noise was as simple as changing the input volume of a microphone. When the tremors ended and the smoke began to die down like the aftermath of a firework, Rakna smiled agreeably and looked at the others. What do you think? Cool, right? The answer he got was a collective smack to the back of his head by via and Kaelith. Warn us properly when you do something like that! The fox heiress shouted. And you seriously made me handle something as dangerous as that?! via followed up with a flushed face. Rakna staggered forward from the hit and rubbed his stinging head. Hey, be careful My cloned self is far weaker than you two, he muttered and they scowled at him. Also, I did warn you. Its not my fault if you didnt react fast enough. As for the danger it entailed, I obviously agreed to do it with you all here knowing that foxy would save us if anything happened. The two women gawked at him, rendered speechless by his brazenness. So, how is it, little guy? Rakna asked, the moniker once again contrasting with the behemoth size of the Nine-Headed Hydra. Pronos let out a purr-like sound from a few of his mouths and took the initiative to share a System window. ? ? ? ? ? After meeting the criteria and fulfilling a special set of circumstances, you have learned a new Nirvana Skill; Eion Fission st! ? ? The System has analyzed and quantified the energy known as Eion. The Pet, Pronos, will be given two Unique Statistics; Eion Points (EP) & Eion Regeneration (ER). Current Eion Points: 356/1000 [END*10] Current Eion Regeneration: 50 per Hour. [END/2] ? ? Eion Fission st ? A Nirvana Skill purely avable to creatures capable of generating the boundless energy of the Eternal Stones; Eion. Upon activation, the user will condense a certain amount of Eion into a sphere which will then bepressed and transmuted into an Eion Fission Stone. The stone can be controlled mentally and will explode at the slightest damage, which makes it extremely difficult to parry or deflect. Furthermore, Eion is an energy known to be extracted from the spaces between dimensions and worlds. The explosion will naturally inherit the ability to break certain rules of physics. ? Eion Cost: Variable Mana Cost: 5 times the Eion Cost. Attack Value: 100 ~ 5 000 Cooldown: 24 Hours. ? Note: The more Eion is used, the bigger the resulting Fission Stone and st will be. ? ? ? ? ? Oh, how convenient, Raknamented. It converted everything, from thepression to the cooling time, into a mana cost for you. Well, I guess I could have done the same to some extent by making a magic formation tailored for you. It all devolves into a spell, in the end, after all. Look at you go, Kaelith deadpanned. Also, a Unique Statistic, huh? Cant say Ive never heard of it, but this is the first time I see one. By the way, wolfy, doesnt your body produce that energy as well? Shouldnt you be able to do the same thing? Rakna shook his head. No. My body works on Eion, true. But theres a massive difference between me and Pronos. Take it like this; I am a machine that runs on Eion while the little guy is Eion itself. I am plugged in; he is the plug. I cant control or gather as much Eion as he does. Since the systems inside my body are the size of nanobots, the energy charge can never be dense enough. Did you try? Nyx asked curiously. No need, the therian tapped his temple, pointing at his left eye at the same time. All simtions and calctions are already made. The best I can do is cut off one of my limbs andpress it to make a sort of alloy fission stone. But the explosion that would follow wouldnt be worth it in the slightest. Well, its not that big of a loss for you. Youre already overpowered enough, you can leave some of the spotlight for us at least, the blond said whilst fiddling with his gloves. Rakna made a small smile. Im unsure as a clone, whos not even a fifth of my originals strength, am I giving you enough spotlight? He said impishly and the brawler took a metaphorical stab to his heart as the girlsughed at his expense. Anyway, since were done with this, lets check out that Trial, he added and led his party to their destination. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Natsu was drawing over the frost energy with the Eion pen, when his rather unstable dexterity made him veer off the line. Aaah! By Hephaestus, Im going to go crazy! He yelled out in frustration at his eighth mistake since he started. Why am IC! Quiet down. Yes, My Lord, he immediately piped down when he heard the growly voice of his mastering from the other side of the cavern. He obediently fixed the mishap and continued his work whilst grumbling to himself, Curse this damnable pC I can hear you. I apologize, My Lord. Chapter 231: Sovereign Monarch of Firmament Chapter 231: Sovereign Monarch of Firmament Done, Rakna said as he admired his handiwork on the ceiling of the cave. Natsu was by his side in canine form and if he was an organic being, the Celestial ze would have been wheezing after two straight hours of constant focus on drawing mildlyplex magic formations. My Lord The small dog spoke up tiredly. I have confessed myck of knowledge about magic formations. However, I couldnt help but notice theck of mana-transferring forme or written lexis on this formation, nor did I see supply slots. So, if neither yourself nor Mana Banks are going to power this circle, what is going to? I also do not think that there is enough ambient mana here to make it self-sustainable Rakna nced at the Celestial ze with an amused huff. You would be right if this magic circle was normal, he said and twirled the pen in his hand. This ink isnt just a good medium; its also a perfect conductor for a certain power source. A certain power source, you say? Mhm, the therian nodded and took out his gears valise from his storage. He swiftly opened the locks and pulled a certain hiddenpartment open which was filled with a bluish smoke. He put his hand inside and pulled out a pair of dark blue stones connected by a cyan strand of energy. It was an Eion System; two stones producing energy when close to each other. Raknas valise actually had the function to produce them. As long as there were two minerals with fitting constituents provided to it, it was possible to turn them into actual Eion Stones with enough exposure to the energy itself as well as a bath in liquid Eion. He held the stones and hummed. He looked up at the center of the formation and reared his arm with a closed fist. Then, in one swift throw, the two stones, reinforced and guided by mana, hit the magic formations core area and encrusted themselves in two specific spots defined by inner runes and circles. Natsu watched as the light emitted by those twin stones slowly spread across the entire formation through the ink. It was like a mold being filled with molten steel. When the magic circle was done changing colors, the caves ceiling flipped. It was as if billions of small mirrors were flipped down from the inside of the earth to project an image. It started at the center with arge patch of blue, sometimes apanied with wafts of white to form clouds, and then the rest of the ceiling followed up. The light of the sun suddenly peered into the underground space and illuminated the surroundings. The Celestial ze gawked at the wless firmament. By the if I hadnt spent hours doodling it, I wouldnt believe this is a formation. Dont call it doodling, Rakna deadpanned and inspected his work. He hummed, It looks better than I expected. Thats good, hemented and nced at the System window that told him his proficiency had reached Exceled. What do we do now, My Lord? Well, the next would be a bit of terraforming but before that, I have a ce to go check, Rakna stated and disappeared from his spot after one step. He reappeared next to a hole in the ground that had once been covered by the house of the fake vige chief. Where does it lead to? Natsu asked as he arrived next to him in a dash of mes. That Tras tomb, Rakna answered rather serenely considering the topic. He then quickly went down the underground passage with the Celestial ze in tow. When they reached the tunnel at the end of the stairs, they dashed to the sarcophagus room with speed surpassing what others at their level could ever hope to aplish. There they are, the therianmented as he nced at what seemed to be the remains of a pair of golems, withrge parts of their bodies apparently melted into a liquid. These are? Natsu asked as he eyed the golems. Liquid Stone Golems, Rakna replied. They were here protecting the tomb. I was the one who destroyed them. It seems the Church and Basilica didnt bother to retrieve these when they came to investigate. They did take the sarcophagus though, he added whilst ncing at the pedestal in the middle of the room. He waved his hand at the golems and ced them inside his ring. I came here to get these and He said and turned toward the opened mithril vault door that once locked this tomb. He entered the room and with a thought, Sonata flew to his hand, transforming into a Guandao at the same time. He whirled it and the de began to oscite at boggle-minding frequencies as he injected mana into it. He hacked at the deeply rooted hinges of the door and the polearm shed through both the wall and the mithril with minimal resistance. There. It might be low-grade mithril, but it can still be recycled, he said as the chunk of magical metal fell on the ground. Without missing a beat, he put it in his storage as well. As for the golems, it could be interesting to study them. It would be a waste to leave these things down here. I see Natsu muttered and his master began to draw runes in midair. What are you doing, My Lord? Just cing a few explosive runes, Rakna nonchntly dered, passively noting that the walls of the tomb had lost their former sturdiness; most likely having lost reinforcement from the magic array put in ce by Verias around his sarcophagus. of course, it was impertinent of me to ask such an obvious question, the Celestial ze uttered with award-worthy apathy. Youll get used to it, Rakna said and Natsus mes iled as if his expression had twitched. Should that be something you say about yourself, My Lord? Well, people keep saying it to me so I thought I might as well share it with you. Done, the therian said after cing the tenth explosive rune. He exited the room afterward and continued cing more scriptures on the way to the surface. When they were out of the underground passage, Rakna nced back and snapped his fingers, momentarily summoning a small magic circle at the tip of his index finger. Right after, Natsu raised a nonexistent eyebrow as muffled explosions echoed from inside the hole in the ground until they eventually got quite close and fully buried the tomb. Rakna let out a small huff. I feel better now, he nodded to himself and the Celestial zeughed wryly at his antics. Lets move on to the next step, he added and extended his hand to the side where a frost crystal quill formed. Lets see this one should fit the bill, he muttered as he began to draw the lines of a constetion. Again? Natsu asked, mortified as he mistook it for another magic formation. The therian snorted. No. Didnt you hear the name of my crafting spell? Your crafting spell? The ze muttered. You mean the one you used to make those ridiculous swords? If I remember correctly Star Hearth, was it? And you dont find anything peculiar about it? Should I? well, I guess its not that known to the normal folk. Much less you, Rakna shrugged as he drew the 39th line of the constetion. It was clearly an advanced one that took into consideration even the normally unperceivableponents. The 40-Star Variation should be more than enough for the output I predicted, he mumbled to himself afterpleting the pattern and tossed away the crystal quill before it crumbled. Let me show you the magic of the stars, Natsu Rakna flicked the constetion and a chime-like sound resounded. [Star Monarch C Virgo,] he intoned and the pivotal points of the constetion straightened before fusing into one amalgam of energy. It twisted itself and a pair of angel wings suddenly sprouted from it. Unexpectedly, at that point, Raknas expression changed, as it bore a farrger mana expenditure than he expected. He raised an eyebrow and watched as the rest of the energy slowly uncurled itself into the form of a woman; like a fetus growing at an elerated pace. The process was strangely mesmerizing and halfway through it, the beings appearance became tangible and as if a painting, details and colors filled it. An immacte white dress materialized with a flutter and the womannded on the ground bare feet with her wings wide open. Unlike Ganymede, this constetions manifestation had a bright smile on her face as she beheld her conjurer. She had white hair as long as her height and of which asional strands were tied together by several golden hairpins in the form of an ear of wheat. The beautiful angels blue eyesnded on Rakna and she lifted the edges of her dress. Greetings to you, Lord Monarch. I, Astraea, Star Maiden and Goddess of Innocence, have answered your will and summon, she spoke up with an amazingly soft voice and Raknas eyes widened. Thats a first He blinked in shock and she smiled serenely, lowering her dress and crossing her arms over her stomach with her wings half-folded behind her. Ganymede certainly wasnt chatty like you. Is it because of the number of focal stars I used for you? He mumbled thest part to himself. Astraea giggled. Naturally, Lord Monarch. Since I am a Divine Spirit, the circumstances are vastly different. A Divine Spirit, you say? Rakna scowled and before he could ask anything else, a System window slid into his field of view. ? ? ? ? ? You have learned a new Sub-Spell; Virgo! ? ? C Virgo (T.5): Mostmonly attributed to a young girl named Dika, daughter of Zeus and the Titaness Themis. Virgo is also sometimes known as Astraea, daughter of Astraeus, Father of the Stars, and Eos, Goddess of the Dawn. The legend tells of this young woman, born mortal and ced on Earth to rule over human justice during the Gods Golden Age defined by the prosperity, peace, evesting spring, and the eternity that human beings once possessed. When Zeus overthrew his father, the Silver Age began. The humans began to no longer honor the Gods as they used to. The maiden of Virgo gave a speech to the entire race, warning them of the dangers of their ways, and flew to the mountains, turning her back on humans. When the Bronze and Iron Ages came along and wars began to be waged, she left Earth altogether and headed to the Heavens. The story of Astraea has other versions,bining her Domains of Justice, Innocence, Corn, and Fortune. Once summoned, she appears as a beautiful white-haired angel with ears of wheat ornaments representing the vitality that blooms in the evesting spring, the noblesse of nature granted to her, and her deep connection to the bnce of life. As a Star Summon, Astraea has the ability to spread fortune and the blessing of nature to her surroundings while anything she considers a threat will be gued with misfortune and the punishments of justice. Most importantly, after resonating with the Hosts dormant divinity and magic, Astraea has found herself deeply linked to you. Her identity as the Star Maiden made it possible for the user to call upon her as a True Divine Specter, a lesser Avatar of Gods, capable of awareness as well as fighting capability. ? Forty Star Variation Cost: Fixed 2 000 MP + Variable (Correction: 1 000 MP) Duration: 30 Min. Cooldown: 24 Hours. ? Note: The constetion of Virgo possesses 96 focal stars. Changing the number used in the casting process will affect the cost and duration. ? ? Hoarfrost Star Magic has leveled up! ? ? Your Dormant Divinity has been strengthened ? ? A foreign connection has been established to your soul Congrattions! You have gained a new Title; Sovereign Monarch of Firmament! ? ? ? ? Chapter 232: Origin Flux Chapter 232: Origin Flux What in theC! Natsu shouted after recovering from the shock of sensing literal divine mana from the woman summoned by a very clearly non-celestial being. What is going on?! Ara? Astraea turned to the fire pup and crouched in front of him. She smiled and put her hands under his front legs to lift him. The Celestial ze could only react nkly. How cute. Youre a creature with a spark of divinity and youre overflowing with the smell of nature. Rakna scowled as she hugged Natsu against her chest and patted his head. His Appraisal Vision was currently scanning every single detail about her. Information windows popped up from her wings, her dress, her hair pins He read all of it within a blink and frowned. With one nce, on top of what he had just read in the description, he knew everything about what she could do. He could tell that she was actually a divinity; she struck a far too simr feeling to Aqu for her not to be a Divine Avatar, at the very least. She also had a very discernable soul that naturally didnt escape his perception. What are you? He finally asked and she looked back at him. Astraea smiled pacifyingly. How idiosyncratic of you, Lord Monarch. For you to doubt the product of your own craft, she teased. To answer your question I am a Soul of Akasha given a temporary incarnation by the bridge formed between you and me by my constetion. Akasha? Raknas eyes widened. The Indian term for the basis of the world? Close. Akasha is what would be mostmon, she said with a nod. But, as I am sure you want more rification, Lord Monarch, you could say that Akasha is better defined by what you humans call the collective unconscious. Or, what I prefer to call it, Egregore. and youre telling me that I somehow came in contact with such a thing? Rakna inquired. Correct. I have heard your call from Egregore and answered it. I am the fragmented incarnation of Astraea, the Goddess of Innocence, and wholly at your service, Lord Monarch. Raknas eyes twitched. For some reason, he felt like this situation was far more scandalous than how this woman was making it out to be. As far as he knew, bidding divine creatures from a supposedly mythical realm on par to the famed Akashic Records was far from a typical ability. {No, are you sure?} Fray suddenly intruded his thoughts with a satiric tone. {Aah even when youre supposedly doing something as innocuous as building yourself a house, you still manage to do things like this} Dont me me, Rakna grumbled back. Is something wrong, Lord Monarch? Astraea tilted her head as Natsu was stuck in her arms, his eyes staring at the artificial sky above, pondering on what his life hade to be. The therian rubbed his temples. Let me get this straight; by drawing on the power of Virgo, I have created a bridge connecting me to Egregore, the literal collective hive mind of the entire universes living beings, and then summoned you, an actual Goddess, as an Avatar, most likely because of the strong tie between my Star Magic, the meaning of your name, and possibly your father, the one known as the Father of Stars. Is that right? Yes, Lord Monarch. I cannot help but apud your intellect, the angel said with a smile. This is exactly the reason why you seeded in piercing the shelter of Egregore. But your unique soul and strength also yed a crucial role. I see Rakna furrowed his eyebrows. Also, why do you keep calling me like that? Hm? Lord Monarch? That is merely the recognition you deserve as a pioneer of Egregore. What do youC? [Rakna,] Ceres interrupted him and showed him a certain system prompt. [I believe it would be easier if you read this.] ? ? ? ? ? Sovereign Monarch of Firmament ? A mysterious existence living in the limbo of the realm between the collective unconscious and the living world. Also called Egregore Monarchs or Sovereigns of Akasha, they are defined as such by seeding in connecting to Egregore once in their life. No matter how sinct their attempt, or how grueling, as long as a being manages to find one of the infinite paths to Egregore, they will be forever connected to it as a Pioneer, a Firmament Monarch. The holders of this title are capable of calling upon their connection to temporarily have ess to every information contained inside Egregore. However, of course, it is naught but a pipe dream to be able to stay linked to Egregore for too long. Some Monarchs have died trying to decipher its inner workings without even being able to make out if nothing but a simple word from the endless stream of consciousness. As such, one of the two abilities possessed by Firmament Monarchs is separated into three progressive stages. As for the second ability, it passively affects the holders abilities when the conditions match. ? First Title Skill: Origin Flux ? C First Stage: Founding Intuition. When used at thisyer of intensity, the Origin Flux connecting the user and Egregore only allows for unwitting thoughts to emerge. While in this state, one cane to the correct conclusions without needing context or exnations. It is said to be impossible for even Gods to lie in front of a Firmament Monarch. ? C Second Stage: irvoyance. The ability to look into the past, present, and on some rare asions, the future, within delimited ranges defined by the target. For instance, it ismon to use irvoyance by touching an object and reading into its past. In another case, if the user possesses something in rtion with their target, living or not, through Egregore, they would be able to look into them from even the other side of the World. ? C Third Stage: Solon Intent. By bing one with Egregore, you gain every possible ability capable of being achieved by a human mind. Entering this state is the same as being a God of Talents. There is nothing they cannot do and this reflects on many possible areas; fighting, critical thinking, strategic thinking, scientific thinking, etc The user also bes aware of everything happening concurrently across the entire universe. This is said to be the peak of Firmament Monarchs. But it is also considered their end. For it is known that a soul that bes one with Egregore cannot survive more than a few seconds, or more exactly; hours, years, centuries, millennia spent in Egregore condensed in a few seconds, sometimes milliseconds, of real time. ? Cost: Soul Power. Duration: As long as the user canst. The oue depends either on how much soul power the user has or how powerful as a whole it is. Effect: The results of these skills depend heavily on the users capability to handle the connection to Egregore. Some will only see, hear, or feel white noise and never extract anything useful from it. ? Second Title Skill: Memoire Sovereign ? This ability passively affects the way some skills are manifested depending on their influence on the collective unconscious. Generally, it is under the form of magical objects or servants summoned from within Egregore ording to their legends. ? Currently Affected Abilities: C Star Monarch / Virgo ? Potentially Compatible Abilities: C Star Hearth C The Mask of Phobos C Dead Men Tell C Appraisal Vision ? Note: Memoire Sovereign does not necessarily impact the abilities uses on every asion unless the circumstances call for it in one way or another. ? ? ? ? ? Would you look at that Rakna muttered with a hand holding his chin. Dead Men Tell, as well, huh? He thought as he read thest list. This title sounds interesting. And while I am confident in my soul, it seems that the requirements for this specific power are far beyond that. {Firmament Monarchs I feel like Ive heard it somewhere before Yes, I remember. I read some old records about it but they were described under another name; the Olden Sages,} Fraymented. {They were apparently beings of such wisdom a single word of power could create or destroy worlds.} Olden Sage, huh? Do you think this is an ability shared by the Crystal Sage? {Perhaps. Who knows? It would exin it but we cannot know for sure.} Rakna hummed and looked at Astraea who was rubbing the spot between Natsus ears. There was nothing to fear about her. His instincts werent warning him and his nose was picking up the scent of what he hade to call repose. Most people, if they were not in an unusual emotional state, would smell like this; with no emotion winning over another. Even if he tried to dig deeper than that, he could just sense a very faint curiosity that the angel woman was directing at him. The therian squinted and muttered two words, Founding Intuition Immediately, it was as if his soul was yanked out of his body, but not in the same way his Astral Projection would do. To him, it was like he was dumped into a sort of liquid. That onlysted a fraction of a second before he found himself in his body again. Markings spread around his eyes like veins, with a color slightly darker than his skin tone. Astraea seemed to be quite startled by the change as her eyes opened wide in shock. Rakna, on the other hand, had never felt so calm in his life. It was as if he was meditating without the need to focus at all. He looked at his hands and slightly pulled his glove to see his wrist. He saw the same markings that were around his eyes. How did he know this about his face? He just knew. He observed his condition and slowly blinked. My soul is carving its own circuits but the more my soul power circtes, the more it erodes the source. If my body wasnt Alkahest, these circuits would have already turned into scars, he thought and blinked again. His eyes went from one side to the other in an instant. Eye of Symphony cannot process Egregores information. My soul receives it first and my mind only collects the decoded parts. Can still be used to reduce the toll and memorize without needing toprehend the information. Rakna was reaching conclusions one after another, about what was happening and what he could do. Fray, who could hear his thoughts, was dumbfounded. For the simple reason that he couldnt understand anything. Raknas thinking speed was literally imperceptible. It was like demanding a normal human to read a hundred words a second. I have 3 minutes and 22 seconds before I run out of soul power, Rakna suddenly alleged and slowed down his thoughts. Eye, run a program, he ordered his mechanical mind. Define an integer for my soul power reserves. Set it at 1000. Categorize Founding Intuition as a skill that takes 4.9 points per second. You know what to do. [| Acknowledged. Soul Power Count, SP, Has Been Defined. Current SP: 985.3. Decreasing. |] When Rakna focused back on Astraea, only four seconds had passed and the markings had nearly covered the entirety of his body but it didnt seem haphazard. In fact, they were symmetrical. The therian took in the angels surprised expression and three conclusions came up to his head in an instant, Star Entity possesses memories and knowledge of their own. She knows of the state that Im in. Star Entity will return to Egregore as a scattered soul. Memories will be scattered as well but reformed upon the next evocation. Star Entity has free will. Loyalty matters. Legends influence on the personality to be taken into ount. Note not to summon potential betrayers. Virgo; Innocence; Odds of betrayal: 0.3%C Raknas train of thought suddenly stopped and his eyes twitched. Losing control. Five seconds have passed;ck of experience. Soul is not habituated to supply power this way. It will dismantle itself. Disengaging Founding Intuition KhC! Rakna abruptly hunched forward and released a long breath. Red-blue smoke then gushed out from the markings on his body. Within a short moment, the smoke stopped emerging and the markings receded into the skin; healed and erased by the Eion. Thats? Natsu blinked in stupor at the weird smoke gradually dispersing. Crystallized Soul Power Astraea said with an impressed tone. It is correct to call it smoke in a way, as it is the result of busting soul power in order to turn it into energy. To think someone is capable of using Founding Intuition to this extent right after receiving their link She smiled to herself. I know who he is now What an honor to meet him in his youth, she said internally; her exact thoughts unfortunately unknown to Rakna, and for a long time toe as well. Chapter 233: Emperor of a Solitary Land Chapter 233: Emperor of a Solitary Land Shit this is a weird feeling, Rakna muttered as he straightened himself within the cloud of soul power. Its different from my usual soul power expenditure. I feel like my body has be too big for me to fit in. Its peculiar That is an urate way of putting it. Your soul has a core and the power it exudes forms the shape of it, one that matches your body from the day you were born. Burning soul power in order to use soul skills makes the shape shrink, thus the sensation, Astraea exined good-naturedly. I see a shame. I could have learned that and more on my own if I could have sustained Founding Intuition longer, the therian remarked and turned to the angel. Anyhow, weve been distracted enough. I summoned you for a reason, I dont want to wait a day if your duration ends without my noticing. So, tell me, can you, lets say, embellish this ce a bit? Astraea smiled as she looked around at the barren cave. She nodded kindly, It is achievable, Lord Monarch. Consider around 1000 Mana to do it. Do you have a preference on how it should be? No, Ill leave it to you, Rakna said as he took out a frozen heart and broke it into pieces with one hand before swallowing them. He closed his eyes as he felt his mana return. Do it. She nodded and released Natsu. She deployed her wings in full and floated upward; her abundant hair somehow circling her. She reached for one of the twelve hairpins tying it and set the further ends of her strands free. She caressed the ear of wheat essory and veiled it in green energy. [Ilk of Death. Innocence of Rebirth. From These Ashes, Shall Life Bloom,] she chanted, and with a smooth movement, she tossed the hairpin to the ground. Rakna squinted and shed to Natsu. He grabbed him and took off into the air with his wings deployed in full. As he became airborne, the ear of wheat touched the ground. But it didnt stop and phased through the earth. Astraeas eyes glowed. [Shara irvatam,] her whisper echoed in the cave and a blinding sh of light overtook the brightness of the artificial sky. Immediately after,rge roots erupted from where the ear of wheat had fallen and spread until the walls of the cavern. At the very center, arge tree began to grow at an incredible rate. The trunk gradually expanded and the branches sprouted from the top. Countless white petal leaves grew on them and some of those were taken away by a rising breeze. The snowy leaves got scattered and drifted to the ground where they merged with the dirt. In the blink of an eye, massive patches of grass, apanied by white and red flowers, began to emerge and spread. The walls of the cavern simrly grew roots and small fruit trees sprouted on them. A smallke was created and moss began to climb the walls. Once everything got to a rtive rest and therge tree in the center reached its full height of twenty meters, thest touches followed in the form of bushes and various trees, which included the likes of Sakura trees, Magnolia, Gingko, Willow, Oak and Birch, and other exotic nts Astraeas eyes fluttered open as her spell ended and shended in front of the white leaf tree with a sigh. Her bare feet touched the soft grass and she smiled, I applied a simple spell that will follow the four seasons and offer a small ecosystem. I am sure you can see it from the wind. How do you like it? She asked with a twinkle in her eye as she watched Rakna hover with four ck and silver wings. Two pairs how far in the past is this, I wonder? She asked herself. Meanwhile, Rakna was admiring her handiwork with an eyebrow raised in amazement. Well, this is better than I expected, he responded once he was back on the ground and his wings retracted inside his body with the faint noise of his nano-machines. He nced at the impromptu mausoleum he had made for the dark elves and saw that flowers had grown inside, several bouquets-worth on top of each grave. Thank you for that, he said with a grateful tone and the angel nodded sympathetically. But of course, it was mere decency, she said. Do you require further assistance? Hm, not really. But you can stay around until your time is up if you want, Rakna casually said as he evaluated the transformed area. If it wasnt because he was the one who did it, he could have been fooled that he was outside. Ill take you up on that offer then, Astraea said and caught Natsu back into her ws, who was not expecting her to sneak up behind him. WhaC! Wait! The ming canine couldnt do anything as he was squished. He didnt have enough physical strength to get out of her grip and something told him that he would regret it if he tried to use his mes or magic. {Quite the physique she has, now that I take a closer look,} Fraymented as Rakna scried the area for a good building spot. I hope youre not talking about what I think you are, Rakna responded with a t look. {Hey! I am not that kind of individual!} The storyteller retorted, offended by the insinuation. {I meant her physical abilities! They are high for a magic entity} Hm, youre right. My Appraisal returns an average of 70 across the board except for her intelligence. Its marked as ???. Thats a Goddess for you, I guess. {Mhm It does make me wonder who else you can call forth.} Thats a question for another day, Rakna said out loud and halted in a rather open spot, near the biggest willow tree that Astraea had conjured. This ce is good enough. But first, lets use this before I forget, he muttered and a sort of scroll appeared in his hand. The seal that held it together seemed to be made of literal gold. Rakna casually tore it apart with a swipe of a w, something that, funnily enough, made a hole in his gloves every time he did it. But they always mended themselves afterward. The scroll was unrolled like a spring and a golden light came out of it as it began to float in front of him. im this cavern and everything around, he voiced his order at the Item given to him by Eva and proceeded to sign it with his mana. Immediately after, the scroll disintegrated into motes of light and a system window reced it. ? ? ? ? ? As a Legendary Emperor, your basic rights allow you to im the equivalent of 25 square kilometers. There will also be an Array epassing the entirety of the territory that will repel weaker hostile creatures and hide specific areas from intruders based on the owners wishes. Congrattions, you have imed a territory of your own! It will now be unaltered by the System Reset and non-hostile Wilden within its borders will fall under your control. As its Lord, you can decide to set up a settlement and expand your territory in scale with how many habitants you wee. ? ? Due to meeting several criteria, you have gained a new Title; Emperor of a Solitary Land! ? ? Emperor of a Solitary Land ? This is a title handed to a ruler of Imperial Merit when theye to possessnd but are not inclined in building amunity. They aremonly seen as the underdogs of nobility, some of them are infamous, some are feared, others are looked down upon. But most are aware; the ones that meet the criteria of such a designation are not to be trifled with. ? Effects whilst inside the territory: C 50% increase to both types of Regeneration. C 50% increase to all Statistics. C Subordinates and Allies receive a 25% increase to all Statistics. C All stealth skills are nullified when it concerns the Lord. ? Note: This Title can be evolved depending on how the holder decides to develop their territory. ? ? ? ? ? Eye of Symphony promptly calibrated Raknas body and mind to the buffs and both Astraea and Natsu felt their statistics go up; qualifying them as either Allies or Subordinates. Hm, this is a nice bonus, the therianmented. {By the way, may I ask why you decided to use your iming Right on this ce, in the end?} Well, at first, I was waiting for a ce that might attract my attention further up the teaus, but then I remembered Rakna sighed as he nced at the tombs inside his crystal structure. Since Verias isnt here anymore, nor are the Dark Elves, this ce will be wiped out by the Reset. I was aware of that since the beginning, and thats why I was okay with leaving the graves like this. But I had a change of mind. If I let these graves disappear I might lose my chance. {Lose your chance? Of what?} Fray asked in confusion. Rakna snorted. Who knows He mumbled. Anyway, I figured this was quite an original location for a house, so why not? He shrugged and invoked The Tricksters Sleeve. He inspected the plot of terrain he had chosen, and mused whilst shuffling the deck of cards. Lets see He whispered and drew the card at the top. Seven. Interesting. It seems this type of card allows me to do things on a muchrger scale than I expected, hemented. What kind of Item is that? Astraea asked as she floated behind his back and peeked over his head with Natsu in her arms. It looks quite special. Rakna looked up at her face and deadpanned, What? Cant you fish that info from Egregore? Isnt there supposed to be everything in there? The angel blinked and chuckled. She stopped hovering above him and spun around in the air. She lowered herself to his right but continued to float, Thats not exactly how it works. Egregore is a collection of thoughts, yes, but even if everyone is connected to it, it doesnt mean that you can get anything and everything from it. To be as clear as possible, imagine that Egregore is a library. And as an example, lets take fighting techniques. As you may predict, many people across universes have those kinds of skills. And for each of them, a book appears on the shelves. From there on, do you understand if I tell you that finding a book on fighting techniques is far easier than trying to find a book specifically with the information of the item youre holding right now? Rakna raised an eyebrow. I see. So, basically, there needs to be duplicates for something to stand out in Egregore. On the other hand, the rarer and more insignificant matters are nearly impossible to get ess to if youre not one with the realm itself. Or perhaps it is truly unfeasible to even get a glimpse of them, regardless of circumstances because it is drowned by the rest. Astraea smiled brightly and nodded. Correct. I say; it doesnt make much difference whether you are using Founding Intuition or not, she praised. Hm I suppose that means you dont have a deep connection to that realm? More or less. I was born from it, in a sense, so I do have some amount of familiarity with how you extract information from Egregore. Im essentially proficient in all areas of expertise, but not to a very high degree. Then I guess you dont have the answer if I asked you about a few specifics concerning my race or my magic for example. The angel giggled. Indeed, you dont get much more unique than that. Trying to find information on those in Egregore would normally be a nightmare. Rakna squinted. Normally? What do you mean by that? Astraeas smile widened. They belong to you, after all, Lord Monarch. ? Its effortless to find them in Egregore because it is effortless to find you in it. The therian froze. Its easy to find me? He reiterated internally. Considering the impish smile on the goddess face, it seemed that she didnt just say that because he was a Firmament Monarch. How can I be prominent inside Egregore? I dont believe there are nearly enough people that have me in their thoughts for my profile to stand out. There arent enough duplicates, per se, as you just exined. My, my, but you forget something, Lord Monarch, Astraea said teasingly. Rakna scowled. And that is? What if the person I am referring to is not the current you but your future self? His eyes widened at the revtion. Are you saying that Egregore records the future as well? Obviously. It is a timeless realm. Then are you telling me that you know of my future? To some extent, yes. You are quite famous if I must say so, she admitted. And before you ask, let me tell you that I cannot divulge anything about the future. I wasnt nning to, Rakna retorted nonmittedly. Oh? Youre not even a bit curious about it? The therian clicked his tongue. Woman, do you have fun taunting me with an unreachable bait? Astraeaughed. Haha, Im sorry. I was just a bit surprised. You dont even seem a bit concerned about the fact that I possibly hold information about your future sesses or losses. Most people tend to feel restless when close to such an opportunity. I dont mind, he replied with a sigh. Im fine with knowing that Egregore has apparently deemed me worthy of a reputation. At least, that means my life wont end up meaningless. I guess thats as good a prophecy as Ill get. So, you have my thanks. The goddess blinked in surprise and fell silent for a short moment. I see you are wee, she said in a soft tone and he faintly smiled. where did I go wrong? Meanwhile, Natsu was still stuck in an existential crisis. It didnt help that the two other people in his vicinity were having some sort of deep dialogue while he was being held like a plushie by one of them. really, where? Chapter 234: Expensive Lady Chapter 234: Expensive Lady Seven of Clubs, Rakna called out as he threw the card in his hand. The item nted itself in the ground and shone strongly. In no time at all, it expanded into a huge rectangr shape made out of red and white light. But it wasnt blinding in the slightest. After a moment, the shape began to twist in various manners. The very first changes urred at the top where it took a cone-like shape, quickly forming something akin to a house roof. The rest of the figure gained details and forms until it was transmuted into arge two-story mansion. But it was only after a few more seconds that colors began toe into y it and the material solidified into actual stone, marble, cement, concrete, ss, wood, and even paint and polyester for the outside and inside of the walls. It was quite modern; a deep contrast with the environment. Oh my, how lovely, Astraeamented at the imposing building. Hm, Rakna hummed and walked up the small staircase leading to the entrance. When he reached the front door, he noticed something. Ah its locked. Thats awkward, the therian muttered as he stared at the biometric scanner ced on the handle of the door that one would normally hold in such a way that the thumb would be the key. I kind of just copied the design of my house back on Earth, albeit bigger. Well then shouldnt that scanner have you registered in that case? Astraea inquired. You would be right. And this would open, Rakna said with a sigh. If only it was powered So you messed up? Natsu ultimately voiced the situation into words and his masters purple eyes glowered at him. Um, I mean you messed up, My Lord. That is a shame, the Celestial ze repeated himself in a more polite way. Rakna rolled his eyes and pressed against the scanner with his finger. Eye, do your job, he said more to himself than anything else, and his eyes lenses rotated before a wire-like tendril emerged from his skin and pierced the doors handle. Near instantly, a pulse of energy coursed through the wire and then forced open the lock. There. Open, hemented as the nano-cable retracted into his body. He opened the door wide and stepped inside. Goodness, what kind of monstrosity are you? Natsu couldnt help but ask after the disy. Hey, Astraea yfully chopped down on the fire canines head. Thats rude, little one. The Celestial ze twitched. I am not a child. Nonsense, you are not even a hundred years old. My body is made of self-replicating nano-machines. Thats part of the reason why it wouldve not been in your favor to fight me. For someone like you, Im essentially unkible, Rakna eventually answered the question whilst inspecting the living room the entrance led to. The ce was empty;cking any furniture to speak of. The floor was entirely carpeted, except around the front door, and the rest of the house felt very fresh. One thing interesting to note was that the electrical wiring seemed to be built already. I have to go check the electric ry Hm, the quality of the materials is well, normal for Earths standards. Perhaps I could have made it sturdier if I specified it to the card, he remarked Would you like me to reinforce them? Astraea offered and he looked back at her. You can do that? Yes. The domain in which you summoned me allows for a very broad affinity. If I had to define it within a few words, you could say that my ability is purity of growth. In other words, I can change the purity of something to make it closer to what I consider pure. In the case of the nts outside, I simply raised the purity of mother nature. As for this, I could make it so that the material has a purer molecrposition and thus stronger. Thats fascinating actually, Rakna mused. Sure then, give it a go. The angel smiled happily and put a hand on the wall. [Valuvfma,] she intoned and her spell was cast, directly taking its mana from Rakna. A wave of enchantment spread throughout the whole house and after the faint pressure that apanied the activation of the spell was gone, Astraea pulled her hand back. Rakna knocked on the walls, checking the size of the focal points with Cross Sight as well, and then nodded. I see. It did work. The number of focal points has decreased by one-fourth and they are about a third smaller. Nice going. Though youre seriously expensive, he deadpanned at the Star Entity as he eyed his dwindling mana points. The angel pouted. Well, its not my fault you mortals dont have enough mana for divine spells. I think the reason for that is in the name Rakna retorted as he opened the door to a room and went inside, followed by the two others. It was a small room with a fenced staircase leading to the cer. There, they found a weird apparatus wired to an electrical panel. The therian merely gave it a look over and promptly produced a new pair of Eion stones from his storage. He manually opened a special partition of the generator-like device in front of him and ced the stones inside. After closing it, he stepped back and waited a bit until some lights started blinking. The trio heard many things slowly boot up, such as the heater and a water pump located not far from them, but it was unfortunately not connected to any source. Uh, Ill have to fix that, Rakna uttered and returned to the living room where he swiped his finger over a small square tactile button on the wall. On cue, the lights integrated into the ceiling turned on and illuminated the room; though the effect was marginal due to the sunlight. Good enough. I see. So, you chose this design for the house because there was that generator, Astraea said with a nod. The uniquely powerful supply of the Eternal Stones is fully capable of powering whatever device you put here in the future. Yes, well, it was a gamble. When I made the request to the card, I basically said something along the lines of build me this house along with the picture in my head. The limitations are as you see right now. While it built the house, the furniture inside wasnt included. However, the machines fundamental for the houses functioning were in the cer, as well as the electricwork. I would have used more cards if they werent there anyway so this just happens to make things easier for me, Rakna said and looked around. I guess I will have to slowly and gradually furnish the rest with the cards. Perhaps I can use one card and order it to furnish the entire house or I could limit it to furnish this room if its more effective. Regardless, Ill have to wait a bit more to test it since the cooldown hasnt ended yet. The option of buying everything from ck Steel is also a possibility. Hm? Natsus ears perked up. Cooldown? Yeah, The Tricksters Sleeve has a thirty-minute cooldown between uses. The Celestial ze blinked as a realization struck him. You! It was a bluff! You lied when you said you could use those to stop my spells as many times as you wanted! Well, yes. Natsu opened his mouth wide, not knowing what to say. Dont get too agitated though. Even without them, you wouldnt have won. I hate you, the ming dog grumbled, folding his ears with his paws. I know, right? The System should have a Charm attribute. Mine would be through the roof, Rakna jested with a t tone and Astraea let out a chuckle over Natsus misery. As this was happening, a system window made its appearance in the therians vision. ? ? ? ? ? 50th teau: Battle Trial Completed! You have gained the right to leave the 50th teau. Do you wish to exercise it now? You have 26 232 hours to make your decision. Yes/No ? ? The partys strength has been evaluated. You have met the minimum requirements for several teaus. A skipping right has been granted. Party leader, Rakna Xiorra de, please select: ? C 51st teau C 52nd teau C 53rd teau C 60th teau ? ? ? ? ? Oh? Thats curious Rakna said. Looks like my clonepleted the Trial but I am the one who gets to do the selecting process, huh? It also probably evaluates my strength rather than the clones or else, it wouldnt even be allowed to skip five teaus, much less ten of them now. Is something wrong? Nothing much. Just my clone going on adventures, he lightly replied to the goddess question and selected the 60th teau without much hesitation. You can go now, by the way. Ill call you again when I need to reinforce the furniture and the smithy Ill be adding. For now, Im going to join back with my clone and then look into the details of the First Ascent and my Path Quest. Astraea nodded with a smile. All right. Be sure to think of me if you ever need a hand with other things as well, she added and put Natsu on the ground. She waved at her summoner and started turning into star energy particles. Yeah, Ill think about it. Although youre expensive, youre useful. The angel made a long face as she disappeared. Dont call ady expensive and then proceed to evaluate her usefulness She groused and sighed. Jokes aside, it was truly an honor. Let us meet again, Lord Monarch, she bid her goodbyes with a sincere smile and vanished. Rakna nced at where she was standing and snorted. Shes a good person I wonder if everyone in Egregore is like her though, he muttered to himself and ate another heart. Im starting to feel a negative strain. Together with the hearts I conjured from the Celestial Kindles, Im a bit too full forfort, he groaned and licked his fingers. Thank you for reminding me of the gore disy you made of my kin, Natsu uttered nkly. The therian let out a wry chuckle at that as they exited the house. He locked the door behind him and since he had turned the generator on, next time he wouldnt need to use his nanobots to force it open. Well then; [Call of Hounds,] Rakna intoned and spent a decent amount of his mana to summon a dozen of Lv.100 Wolves and a hundred more at level 20. Fortunately, the reduction to his mana consumption was high enough to allow it and he also had a bit of mana left stored inside Andante. Since thend they were summoned in was a simple field, most of them appeared as either Wood, Water, or Earth Wolves. But a few had emerged as Shadow Wolves because of the tree shades. All right. All Shadow and Water Wolves will hunt and patrol outside. Keep a safe perimeter within a three-kilometer radius. Stay as stealthy as possible in case of human intruders, Rakna ordered his wolves and they seemed to understand as they nodded. Or rather, the only Lvl.100 Shadow Wolf appeared to fullyprehend his demand. Now that he could leave his wolves summoned without spending extra mana and they could follow orders, it would be a waste to not use them as sentries to guard this ce. The Wood Wolves will also be outside but they will stay around the entrance of the cave and fight off anything or anyone that tries to enter. The Earth Wolves will stay inside and will constitute thest line of defense. You can go to your posts now. The Lv.100 Wolves will be pack leaders; decide if you should engage inbat or not. Once he was done, the hundred or so wolves barked and a third of them directly ran to the outside of the cavern whilst the Earth Wolves scattered around the underground space. That is almost terrifying, Natsu finally said as he saw the elemental wolves scramble off. I cant even imagine how fearsome an army of those could be He added, focusing especially on those level 100 wolves. He knew that even he wouldnt be able to deal with those if too many of them ganged up on him. But that was, of course, only considering if Water Wolves could counter him. {I have to agree with the ze,} Fray remarked. {Being able to build this kind of force and not even need anything to sustain them. You could just spend a few days in one spot, summoning one wolf after another and you can get yourself an army.} [That is why Kings and Emperors are so feared,] Ceres gave her input. Well, Im not about to do that for every single teau, Rakna shrugged. If I could transport them with me though, it would be a different story. But I dont have a workaround for that yet. Fray chortled. {Yet.} Anyway, lets go. Ceres, bring us to the 60th teau. Where my clone is, preferably. [Right away.] Chapter 235: The Last Laugh Chapter 235: The Last Laugh Fifteen minutes earlier. ? Hm, I might have bitten off more than I can chew, a one-tailed werewolf growled out as he leaped into the air to dodge a red and white wheel of candy rotating at dangerous speeds. Rakna clicked his tongue andnded from his jump with his legs bent, ready to pounce again. I dont have Sonata. I dont have Allegro. My magic is weakened. My attributes are not even a third of my originals even in werewolf form and to top it all off, the downside of having to go through only one Trial raises the difficulty He muttered to himself. His whirlpool-like eyes were glowing golden and marked by a glowing cross as he observed the horde of sweet monstersing his way. Eye of Symphony counted each of them and simted their path, which Rakna masterfully got out of, avoiding every attack and countering with a precise strike to their focal points. That guy is really annoying, he thought as his Fabled Sight zoomed in to a figure standing behind all the monsters; a joke of a creature, wearing colorful clothes, skin that looked like confect, a pair of eyes reced by circr candies, and a mouth made out of licorice. It was whirling around a candy cane and using it as staff to summon more and more monsters. My original is also using quite a lot of mana. What is he doing? Rakna asked mentally, not informed of a certain angel goddess who was taking away all their reserves with her ability. Since the clones shared their mana pool with the original, if thetter was low, they also would be. You can do it! Dont worry, well retrieve your corpse if you fail and get it back to your original self so he can absorb you back! An oddly excited Kaelith shouted from outside the boundaries set by the Trial. Rakna groaned in frustration and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, a red light erupted from his body and turned his fur into a brilliant crimson. Stop fucking sounding so happy about it, you damn vixen! He yelled and released a literal wave of magma to his surroundings, melting the monsters in his close vicinity. Damn! I forgot he had that! Kaelith cursed and everyone else looked at her dryly. The scariest look came from Pronos, who had all his giant nine heads pressuring her from behind. The Hydra had been ordered to not help his master in the Trial since Rakna wanted to test his limits. Oh,e on, little guy, you dont need to stare at me like that, the vixen slurred with a pout, adopting the totally unfitting nickname used by Rakna. Why do you want him to fail so badly anyway? Nyx asked wryly. Because I want to see him fail at something at least once, okay?! Is that so wrong?! She pouted and everyone sweatdropped. Well, its not like I really want to see him die, clone or not, but how I wish there was something I couldugh at him for you know what? Im totally in, An agreed with her. Go, Willy! Beat that guy! He cheered on the monsters leader who looked back with a tilt of its head before waving its cane as a greeting. Is that thing waving back at us? Evelyn muttered in disbelief. Looks like it, via said with an amused smile. You people Raknas expression twitched as he saw the scene. Ah, whatever! Original, its your fault; eat more hearts for all I care, he dered and released his aura in full, catching the attention of the monster leader. As coincidences would have it, the mana consumption he was about to cause happened before the original Rakna had Astraea reinforce the house, making it seem as if she had consumed a lot more mana. [Embers of Ardor Abide the Stars Vehemence,] Rakna began his chant and triggered Artzpul to take off, his four wings making their appearance. Except for Higure, all of hispanions gasped in shock when they saw it. With incredible reaction time, Willy, the actual name given by the System for the monster leading the charge of the Trial, summoned several flying monsters. The werewolf grinned maniacally and formed a ive of volcanic energy. His wings shone with a shapeless power and he dashed forward, reaping the heads and wings of the aerial creatures, with the roar of a sonic boom following him. What kind of speed is that? Marie muttered. Hes even faster than when he fought me inside the Dungeon. Is he seriously just a clone? Its thanks to those wings, Kaelith said with a sigh. He grew a second pair too; probably when he reached level 100. Theres a reason why Luqus are said to be the fastest creatures to have ever graced this world. If the original Rakna was in his ce, he would be four no, about eight times faster, since hes currently using Obsidian Blood; dividing his speed and dexterity by half. Hahaha! Higure suddenlyughed and the vixen scowled at her. What? Did I say something wrong? Nah, little princess. I was justughing at the madness of it all, the lioness said with a grin whilst watching Rakna tearing through the monsters, leaving behind nothing but melted carcasses. Even with all the magic powder hes sprinkling on our eyes right now, dont forget; at the moment, his attributes are all less than 30. Tch, youre right, An nodded. Honestly, I think I can win against him in this state. I can work around his speed with my magic. Bute on, theres no fucking way I could do even a tenth of what hes doing if my attributes were 30. Higure cackled even more. As you say She muttered and everyone agreed internally. [Shall The Fervor of Vulcan Taste Your Flesh.] This abrupt line of incantation brought the groups attention back to the fight where Raknas ive shed with a magic barrier cast by Willy. The werewolf staggered backward due to the rebound and conjured a barbed spear in his free hand. [Gungnir!] He intoned and thrust the spear into the barrier. The weapon exploded into arge st of volcanic energy and the defense broke apart. Willy immediately jumped away, out of the explosions smoke, and summoned a dozen more monsters. [In a Burning Firmament, The Star Has Forgotten How to Blink,] Rakna chanted as he dispersed the smoke and shed to the closest monster, ripping its head off with his ws. Nyxs eyes narrowed. Its different. Hm? Kaelith reacted oddly at that. What are you talking about? His Cl Lli? Thess is right, Higure finally noticed. At this point of the chant, it should be In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker. At least, thats what I heard the previous times. Thats Evelyns eyes widened. But! The luby of the soul cannot change! A Cl Lli is the same as the root that ties your soul to the world! If it changes, its essentially the same as saying that he has died and been reced by another soul altogetherC! [In an Eternal Damnation, the Wolf Devours and Howls,] the next line came along and all of them began to feel the pressure of Raknas soul weighing on them, interrupting the subus. Then, via spoke up, Evelyn, you were present when we saw Rakna first use it. Thats not the same one as back then, I am sure of it. Uh so, what does it mean exactly? An frowned. Theres only one exnation, Higure raised her voice. Obsidian Blood is far more outrageous than we thought. I knew there was something wrong from the start if he could change his magic affinity like that. And apparently it seems hes essentially altering everything that he represents whenever he uses it. In other words, hes affecting himself on an existential level. Thats fancy and all but, what does it imply? ? [In Between The Lows and Highs.] [Lies the Incarnate Mayhem of the Devourer.] ? The lioness paused and waited for the two consecutive verses to be chanted. Everyone looked at her expectantly and she opened her mouth, I have no idea. What the-! Then dont raise the suspense like that! Anined and right after, they felt the ground shake. The group turned back to the Trial Zone where they saw Willy fuse all of his minions into onerge monster. HolyC! Is that a fucking gingerbread?! Thats odd, Nyx said with a blink. Willy didnt summon that when we did the Trial Well, you guys might not know but theres a thing called Trial Overkill, Kaelith stated. During a Trial, if the System detects that something far beyond its level is about to happen, the difficulty increases by a notch. It changes from Trial to Trial, so I guess in this one its this gingerbread. Far beyond its level via smiled wryly. What is he nning to do? Hahaha! Raknasugh echoed out of the blue as he stood in front of Willysst summon. How nice of you! He yelled as the giant gingerbread man cocked its arm in preparation for a strike. I couldnt ask for a better stage! Everyone watched speechlessly. Nope, still cant get used to his personality gaps, An voiced what the others were thinking. I always wanted to test this, Rakna continued with a smirk as his aura continued to grow. But I kinda refrained because I would die from it. Wait, what?! His friends eximed at his words. The werewolf continued tough and under the eyes of everyone, he impaled himself with his own hand. Even Willy momentarily stopped the control of its monster when it saw that. Hold up! What are you trying to do?! Higure called out but Raknas grin merely widened. Without even letting out any sound, the werewolf destroyed his own rib cage and pulled out a still-beating heart from his chest. Pronos cried out at the sight and he wasnt the only one. ? [Drowning in Blood and Colluding with Death.] [Scorning Fairness and Obsessing Over Hearts.] ? The two penultimate verses of the Cl Lli resounded and Rakna brought the heart closer to his mouth and in the eyes of the spectators, it was as if there were no other sounds in the world than the one produced by the fangs of the werewolf chewing on the heart. Then, he swallowed and everyone felt dread take over them. Willy became frantic and despite itsck of human traits, anyone could tell that the creature was terrified. It waved its hand and the giant gingerbread struck the ground where Rakna was standing. The attack shook the ground and opened fissures all around the point of impact. Judging from the tremors, the force behind it easily exceeded what even a hundred-strength-attribute could do. For a moment, everything was silent until a ck aura erupted from the ce destroyed by the bread monster. It took the form of a Nine-Tailed Werewolf with a red mask on its face and a darkugh came out of it. Kaelith shivered and without asking anyone for an opinion, erected a barrier of blue mes around them. Thus, none of them were able to see what followed but the terrifyingugh of the werewolf carried through very clearly. [The One, They Give Harvest!] Thest verse of the Cl Lli was sung and a grimugh followed right after, which ended with an ominous line of lexis, [ny Ka?aiciykac Cirikkum!] (The Wolf Shall Have the Last Laugh). When thest three words of incantation echoed, a deafening explosion reverberated. It was as if the noise wasing from all directions possible; as if there were as many detonations as there were directions one could look at. Along with it, a crushing pressure of both aura and soul weighed down on the group. Kaelith only frowned, with a few drops of sweat forming, but the others didnt have that luxury. Amongst them, only Tyran and Pronos remained somewhat straight while everyone else was forced on all fours. ? * * * ? Eva, who had been fiddling with thousands of System Terminals at once on her bed, suddenly froze and sat up like a child who had been caught doing something bad. Her mouth opened wide. What are you She couldnt form coherent thoughts. A Host had died. But at the same time not. She knew who was responsible. There was no doubt. But she had never expected this. She groaned and clenched her hands with a groan. What are you doing, Big Brother?! ? * * * ? A man with long untamed ck hair was sitting in his office, reviewing a document, when his grip on the paper trembled. His hollow onyx eyes drifted to the window that showcased the enchantingndscape of the teau known as Old Eden. Did someones soul self-destruct? He mumbled. No, it feels like a mock soul. A clone? But there is no clone that could do this Its as if someone extracted all of their power out of their body and then consumed it all at once to self-detonate. He had no idea how close to the truth he had been by rambling about what he sensed. ? * * * ? An elderly man with long white eyebrows and beard was holding the decapitated head of a dragon in one hand as he walked through and cluttered with broken swords. Some were normal-sized while others were the size of mountains. The mans upper body was bare; the kimonos sleeves that should be covering it were hanging from his belt. The old warrior had so many battle marks on him that his skin might have as well been nothing but scar tissue. However, more than that, the muscles that filled his silhouette were inhumanly defined, to the point it wouldnt feel odd at all for them to be stronger than steel even at rest. Hm? He grunted as he sensed something from the lower teaus. He halted his march for a few seconds before resuming. He pulled the two hanging parts of his kimono over his shoulders again and grabbed a white Haori in passing that had been resting on the guard of a human-sized sword. The meeting next month may be worth attending for once The old man put the Haori back on and with that, disappeared from the barrennd, leaving behind the giant corpse of a ck dragon, its head missing and every other part of it pierced by hundred-meter-long swords. ? * * * ? Across the System, simr reactions were exhibited by the strongest and most sensitive Hosts and Locals. That also included the inhabitants of the Eonian and Celestial teaus. On thetter, a certain Divine Eagle was resting, perched on top of a tree so colossal that calling it the legendary Yggdrasil would not be a far-off guess. When the oundish wave of energy, perverse enough in nature to even intrude in the teau of the gods, reached him, the eagle raised his head and opened his golden eyes in a stupor. This presence Hm? Aqu, do you recognize this pulse? A male voice sounded and a second eagle with gilded feathersnded on the same branch; one that was several hundred meters long and of which the leaves were easily as big as each of those divine creatures. Lord Garuda Aqu lowered his head in greetings. Yes I believe I do recognize it. It is from the same wolfwalker I encountered a few weeks ago. Oh? The golden eagle seemed curious. The one that dared to eat your heart and take away the divinity of your clone? The same you acknowledged as a Divinity yer? He asked with a clearly amused tone and Aqu could only nod, sighing in vexation. Yes, Lord Garuda The one that made youugh for an hour straight after I told you Hahaha! Are you still vexed because of that? The God of Eagles shook his head in amusement at his Divine Avatars embarrassment. Well, well, jokes aside. It seems I cannot tease you anymore for losing your clone to this boy, he added with squinted eyes. This kind of power I wont say it is wicked, but it is twisted. Aqu looked at his Patron God in confusion. But well, even a god cannot always be right, Garuda mused. It is twisted. But in which manner is it twisted exactly? That is the true question. There are many whose paths looked demented, but very few of them failed to have thestugh. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, totally unaware of his clones doing, the original Rakna had been giving instructions to his wolves and even ying around with one of them as he waited for his transfer to the 60th teau to be done. Hm, I have a bad feeling. I wonder why He muttered as he felt an unusual tug on his soul. Did my clone do something? Well it cant be that bad, right? He convinced himself. Chapter 236: Nine Heavenly Flames Chapter 236: Nine Heavenly mes Okay An coughed out as he put a hand over his knee. What just happened? Kaelith exhaled through her nose and waved her hand down, lowering the dome of mes around them. Hes never going to learn, she muttered as the sight beyond her defense gradually revealed itself to them. For the love of Higures expression twitched as she beheld the aftermath of Raknas move. The terrain all around them, for hundreds of meters, was nothing more than a crater. The ce they were standing on barely holding on. And if it wasnt for Kaelith paying attention to redirecting the damage even below them, the ground would have given out under them during the explosion. Pronos stretched his necks, observing the excavatednd, and huffed through his nostrils to blow away the fog in the airposed of nothing but miniature fragments of sugar. The Hydra let out a low rumble as three of his heads pointed at something. via carefully walked to the edge of the pir they were standing on and looked down. She saw a figure standing at the very center of the crater where Pronos was pointing at. Rakna? She called out hesitatingly and then used her telekinesis to fly to him. The others looked at each other and followed after her. Kaelith groaned and rubbed her temples in clear frustration. She was thest one to move, but she also was the first one to arrive. Her body turned into embers and zoomed toward the figure. When everyone got there, they couldnt help but gawk. The werewolf in front of them was standing five meters tall, silently; a hole in his chest with cracks all around it like splintering stone. His fur was entirely gray and his eyes void, as if nothing was in there. But the most terrifying, or perhaps awing thing, was the unbreakable grin shing rows of sharp fangs to the onlookers. Kaelith made a grimace. She didnt like seeing such a scene. Hes dead Her words made the group falter, but they quickly reassured themselves, remembering that she meant the clone. The nine-tailed fox sighed and looked up at the grinning lifeless wolf. No matter how many times we tell him, hell never understand the words warn us, will he? She muttered and grumbled. Tch, I dont like this feeling. Its the same thing every time I see a Tailed Clone from my n die inbat; its not exactly real, but its such a horrible feeling Especially him That little bastard, Ill get him for this Kaelith didnt even try lowering her voice and the others fell silent until a System window popped up in their view, jolting them. ? ? ? ? ? 3 2 1 Reboot Complete. Calcting Damages Trial Zone Destroyed. Calcting Resources to Rebuild Result: Inefficient. Relocating Trial Until Next Reset ? ? Your party leader haspleted the Battle Trial! The party has been analyzed; skipping rights met for all members. Rakna Xiorra will be selecting a teau after the System resolves thetency caused by the damages. Please wait for the transfer, or leave the party. ? ? ? ? ? Haha, so in the end, he did it, Higure said with a lopsided smirk. He even busted the Trial so bad that the System doesnt want to repair it, sheughed and a few showed a smile. Hes going to select the teau? Nyxmented afterward. Does that mean the original Rakna will receive the System prompt? Yes, Kaelith nodded. Tail Clones dont get to choose for their originals. For example, they cant ept Quests; though they canplete them. Do you girls think that Rak knows about, um his clone going kaboom? An asked. Probably not, the heiress said and crossed her arms. Tail clones are certainly deeply linked to their originals but theyre essentially just projections carrying one tail as an anchor. Clone and original can sense each other but when theyre too far apart, theyre as good as different people. Thats why a Tail Clones body must be returned to the original when they die; because theyre not metaphysically connected. They do share a mana pool but that is because the tail acts as the bridge to the originals soul. Thats it. Speaking of, Evelyn raised her voice and nced at the immobile body of the clone. How did he even do it? This kind of explosion just from the pressure alone, theres no way that Rakna could cause it alone, even if he was at full strength. He used his Nirvana Skill The Harvester on himself, right? Marie said. But I dont understand how he ended up like that from it, she added whilst pointing at the werewolf. To be honest, this state reminds me of my petrification. Really? How so? Higure inquired curiously and themia hummed. Well, when I petrify a target until death, it generally means the body has fully turned into stone, down to the very bones. But there is even a worse petrified state after that. We Gorgons can petrify a target by looking at them and having them look at us, but theres one more thing. If we meet eyes for a certain amount of time, even the soul gets petrified. This means that their mana has nowhere to stay in and thus escapes rather violently by breaking apart the physical body. It does have its simrities, Nyx nodded. But it seems the escape in this case is far more violent than you make it out to be. Aah, I get it, Higure eximed as she tapped her head with her tail. Right, girl, your petrification of the soul does exactly what it sounds like. And that is the difference. The only thing that goes out of control is the mana. As for Rakna? His ability affects both soul and body in every sense. I would know; Ive had a first-hand experience of it. My theory is that by eating his heart, he yanked out his internal energy, his mana, his soul, his mind, the Eion inside his body, his divinity, etcetera. All of it came out and then rushed back inside an empty husk. Everything mixed together and that is where the explosion came from, she said and squinted her eyes in distaste. Indeed the best suicide attack you can have But didnt Kaelith say that he was just a projection? via frowned. Its not as if the clone used Raknas actual soul to fuel the st. Yeah, and he probably only used the maximum amount of mana his limited intelligence attribute allowed him to, the lioness agreed with the Chaos Witch and then sent her a grave look. Thats exactly why; didnt you hear what I said? The best suicide attack you can have. I cant even imagine what would have happened if the original Rakna had used this technique. So, youre saying this, An waved his arm at the wastnd surrounding them. Is a weakened version of the actual thing? Weakened is too weak of a word, Higure retorted with a snort. Its a shadow of it. ? ? ? ? ? Latency Has Been Resolved. Forwarding Selection Request to Rakna Xiorra Selection Over. ? Sending Party to the 60th teau, Dunes of Skadi. You will be transferred within thirty seconds. ? ? ? ? ? Ah, well, it seems the chats over, the lioness said whilst licking her paw and brushing it over her ear. We should get in contact with Rakna as soon as we get there. We cant leave his clone in this state. Its perhaps an empty husk now, but the tail which it was created with must be returned. I wont be able to follow you, Kaelith said and the group looked at her. So, when you meet Raknater, be sure to tell him that I cant protect you all if he decides to be reckless again. Hahaha, true. He probably went through that thing because you were here to shield us, Higureughed. Or else, we would have been vaporized by my devourers little experiment. He wouldnt be reckless enough to forget we are nearby Evelyn said with a wry smile and sent a questioning look to the others. Right? An and Nyx shrugged at her while via was making a pitying expression in her direction. Pronos was also giving her a grand total of nine stares. Eh? No, really! He wouldnt, right?! Higureughed at the rm in the poor girls voice and they were transported out of the newest crater on the map of the 50th teau. Kaelith let out a tired sigh as she watched them get swallowed by the Systems light. The unmoving clone was also transported with them; most likely still considered a member of the party. The vixen shook her head and turned her eyes to the side. Her irises red with fire and she spoke up, Show yourself. Do you think I havent noticed you snooping around? Hah, as expected of the one known as the Nine Heavenly mes, an unknown voice was carried by the wind, as a tear in space opened. A man with purplish skin walked out of it. His eyes were of a deep ck. His sclera, his iris, his pupils; there was none of that. All of it was pitch ck. But the reflection of the sunlight made it look less empty than it was. He also had dark long hair that looked like elongated thorns and the grin he sported made it easy to see two pairs of uncannily long and curved fangs amidst his teeth. His clothes constituted of a sort of purple and ck robe but the most conspicuous feature was the tails behind him. Nine of them. Each was covered by some thin carapace and they all ended in reddish darts. There was no doubt as to what this man was. Whats a Nine-Tailed Scorpion doing here? Kaelith asked with some edge in her tone. Woah, jumping to conclusions much, eh? The man waved his hands in surrender. I was passing by, thats it. I felt the disturbance and I came to take a loC Stop lying. You started following us when we were on our way to the Trial. Ah, the scorpion lowered his hands with a scowl. Well, it was worth a try. But if you sensed me from the start, why didnt you do anything until now? He asked but then paused. Ah, I see That was a stupid question. My bad. You did it to protect those newbies, didnt you? Of course, you know that I could kill them by just being in their presence after all, he cackled and his empty unicolor eyes shed red for a second. By the way how are you dealing with it? You mean this pathetic thing? Kaelith sneered and one of her tails was shrouded with a yellow me. She waved it, and a purple miasma made itself visible as the mes erupted and consumed it. Im aware of your ns little games. You spread poison in the air with your breath. Im simply filtering what I inhale by burning your toxins. Ah, yes, Amaterasus mes, the scorpion remarked, non-plussed by the fact his poison wasnt working. Those yellow mes; from the intel I have on you, its the third one you wield. It burns whatever you want it to burn whilst leaving everything else unaffected. You did your homework, foul bug. Should I praise you? Sheesh, do you have a mystic me for your mouth too? He chortled. Kaelith furrowed her eyebrows. Her blue mes left the ce for crimson ones as they wrapped her body. I dont have the patience to deal with you. Answer. Why were you following us? Isnt that obvious? That little mutt you seem to be attached to; the new Emperor. Our n has given out the order to all the members who encounter him to gather informatiC! The mans words were cut short as he kicked the ground, uplifting tons of terrain into the air, to dodge a st of crimson mes. The concentrated beam of fire tore a trench several kilometers long and when it was gone, more mes erupted from it and exploded, nearly dwarfing the damage caused by Raknasst attack in an instant. Tch, not very tolerant, are you? The scorpion grunted out as he crouched in the air, his nine tails already dripping venom to fight. Just a drop of those was causing meter-wide holes in the ground that went as deep as ten meters. What is he for you to be so worked up? Your lover boy? p it down. The mans grin faded instantly as a voice sounded from behind him. Be content to die. He shivered and fanned out his tails, channeling mana through each of them, and conjured a spatial void around him. A split of a second after, a tsunami of silver mes overtook the sky and assaulted him from every direction. His spatial shield that should have stopped them cracked instantly. The Arcane mes!? Are you seriously trying to kill me?! He yelled in a slight panic and activated his aura. His ck eyes gained a red dot in the center and right before his defense shattered, he released a powerful discharge of purple-ck energy. It shed with the silver mes and the ground below rapidly gave out. An eruption of mes and miasma urred in the sky and spread for miles. The two colors shed; the quantity of aura and mana in the atmosphere constantly increasing and borderline disintegrating thend of the 50th teau with the pressure. After a short half a minute that felt like hours, the two shing forces dispersed, releasing with it an overwhelming shockwave that erged the crater below even further, the destruction already being more than five times worse than what Rakna had caused. From the heart of the sh, a giant silhouette emerged and fell to the ground at speeds surpassing sound. The crash produced a momentary earthquake and aet of crimson fire followed right after; striking and raising a colossal pir of mes. A hundred meters away, Kaelith huffed as shended on the ground, the tips of her hair aze and her clothes undting like fire. After a moment and the pir was gone, a giant leg came out of the hole and pulled the rest of the body up. An ebony scorpion about ten meters tall and thirty meters long surfaced from the destruction with one of its legs gone and a pincer severed in half. The creature let out a high-pitched cry and the missing body parts grew back in the blink of an eye. Tenacious, Kaelith scoffed and opened her palm, ready to summon her weapon. Wait! The scorpion stopped her and promptly returned to its humanoid form. The man panted after the transformation and put one knee down. Youll actually kill me on the next one! I fail to understand how that is my concern. Are you fucking serious?! He shouted. How are you going to exin to the n why you killed me, huh?! Do you want a war between our branches?! I dont care, she retorted with eyes full of silent fury. If you n to harm Rakna, Ill personally raid your branchs headquarters to ughter your kind. The nine-tailed scorpion opened his mouth wide. Are you kidding? I was joking earlier Forget lover boy, looks like youre fucking obsessed with the kid, he muttered and the fox heiress raised her auras intensity. Stop! Shit! All right, I wont touch him. I never even intended to. The only order I had was to gather information. Nothing else. We even have an additional directive to not engage at all costs. None of us are willing to test our mettle against the Throne of Glory or the damn Basilica of Eternal Night that backs him up. Not to mention that Obsidian guy Kaelith powered down her aura but didnt rx her stance. I could still kill you. I dont think there will be much trouble for me if I bring up the case of a certain wolf cub going missing a few weeks ago. You dont need to be a genius to tell you were the ones behind it. Heh, he let out a humorless chuckle and slowly stood up. If he was surprised at the fact that she mentioned the incident about Fen being kidnapped, he didnt show it. Wheres the proof? None, eh? Then thats groundless and the n wont ept it. What are you nning? Kaelith shot back with a frown. What are you scorpions scheming? Are you trying to take over the n? He grinned. I have no idea what youre talking about, he uttered and grasped an empty spot next to him and ripped it apart to reveal a tear in space. He ced a foot in it and eyed her, While what I said is true and that the kids not a target he might be in the future. Kaeliths slit pupils glowed. Watch your step. Its not because you have a foot in your spatial tear that I cant get to you in time. Hehehe Im just stating a fact. You think I didnt see it? He cackled. A tailed werewolf, eh? Kaelith clenched her fists, re-evaluating if she should kill him to protect Rakna or not. How exciting. And worrying too. What level is he? 100? And hes already that strong? Even I got goosebumps when he went ahead and blew himself up. A clone doing that? Thats crazy. And you might be interested in knowing that he also sensed me. The vixen raised an eyebrow in surprise at that. Freaky, eh? He grinned. But he only noticed me after he started his Trial unlike you. Those cross pupils of his located me instantly after he activated them. All of this to say; hes going to be a pivotal figure. Hes already a Council Member, its a matter of time before hes targeted. And I dont just mean us. Im sure hell make waves and us scorpions will ride on those if need be, he added before entering the spatial tear for good. Kaelith clicked her tongue andshed out in annoyance with her arm. That simple action caused a wheel of crimson fire to carve the ground for tens of meters where the portal had been before it soared and exploded in the sky. When the noise died down, Kaelith was already gone. Chapter 237: Soul Stele Chapter 237: Soul Stele what the hell is going on? Rakna deadpanned. He was standing amidst a boundlessnd of ice and frost, a storm of snow constantly covering thend. There were incredibly narrow mountains of ice in the distance, reaching over the strikingly white sea of clouds. Despite the incrediblendscape, it wasnt what Rakna had his attention on. He was instead staring in utter confusion at his friends who were surrounding what appeared to be the dead body of his clone, stuck in its werewolf form. There was obviously also Pronos who slithered toward him in his giant state and tried to snuggle his nine heads against him. Rakna snorted softly and rubbed one of his nuzzles. You became quite big, huh, little guy? He uttered, much to the Hydras mortification. It seemed that clone or not, he would be called like that no matter how much he changed. So? Can I have my answer now? Uh kaboom? An helpfully said whilst rubbing his arms due to the cold and the girls sent him a t look. What? He usually understands. Look, he said and pointed at Rakna who was looking at the sky in thought. Ah? The therian let out a sound in realization. He self-destructed? The therian tilted his head as he jumped down from the slightly higher terrain that he was standing onpared to his group. As hended, everyone snapped their heads toward An, clearly meaning to ask how Rakna could have possibly understood this oundish description of the facts but the blonde shrugged. I have no idea how he does it either. By the way some of you seem to be mad at me? Rakna worded it into a question as he smelled the emotionsing from them, especially via who wasnt trying to hide it. But, to his surprise, he sensed some small amount of dissatisfactioning from Nyx as well. Though she didnt show it on her face at all. I guess I did something quite grave if even Nyx is annoyed The night goddess expression twitched minutely Oh, really? via said and raised an eyebrow. Shouldnt you be able to deduce why already? Nyx hummed. I wouldnt go as far as to say that I am aggravated it simply left a bad taste in my mouth to witness that. Rakna sweatdropped and carefully approached his dead clone. Let me fuse with it also, it would be best for you to shield yourself from the cold, Marie, he said as he ced his hand on the leg of the lifeless werewolf. Right after, the nanobotsposing its body began to disce and fuse with his arm. Marie? An turned around where themia had been standing after the transfer and narrowed his eyes in seriousness when he saw her slight trembling and her pale face. He sighed and put his hand on her head. [Void Shroud,] he intoned and an invisible force enveloped her. I erased the concept of cold from your body. Dont hesitate to tell me when things are like this Dont worry about useless stuff like bothering us. Themia blushed and looked away as color returned to her face. Its nothing like that, idiot It just felt humiliating to have to ask help for something as small as this. An shook his head with a sigh and the others looked at the two with a small smile hanging on their lips. Hm, but this teau is indeed quite extreme on the body, Nyxmented as she looked around at the whitened horizon. The temperature is more than just a few digits in the negative My body is resistant to such things thanks to my divinity but is there anyone else struggling? Evelyn shook her head first. I dont really feel the bite of cold as a phantom, so no. But if anyone wants, I can warm you up with my hell mes. There is no need to, Higure and via declined the help. Im an undead, remember? The lioness added and pointed at Tyran and Pronos. As for those two, I dont think theres a need to go deep into details. However, Im quite interested in how youre doing,ss, Higure asked as she directed a meaningful look at via. You dont seem bothered, for sure, but how are you doing it? The Chaos Witch smiled faintly and raised her palm. For a short moment, everyone saw the snow above it swirl before it burst as it turned into steam. Higures eyes widened and she had to double-check the knowledge she had of the girl. But none of your elements allow that toC Friction, Rakna interrupted her and they all looked back at him who was halfway done absorbing the werewolf. His fifth tail was gradually growing back too. He didnt seem to be even looking at them when he said that but there was no doubt that he understood what had happened. Oh, I get it! Evelyn eximed and sped her hands together. Youre using telekinesis to create severalyers of force over your skin and make them move in opposite directions to create friction and heat. via nodded with a smile. Youre correct. Its not that hard, to be honest. My Nirvana Skill can be leveled up and it reached level 5 recently. It made it five times easier to control the directive flows of force. Heh, not that hard that is quite ingenious regardless. What about you, Rak? An said curiously. I dont think theres a need to worry but An understatement, Rakna couldnt help but snort as he was about to finish his absorption. For some reason, it seemed to take far longer than the other clone. To be fair, this teau might as well be my home ground with my element, he continued. Not to mention that my body heat can be regted at will. Even better, I could willingly allow it to reach tens of degrees below zero and it wouldnt harm me in the slightest. Right that body of yours A bit freaky now that I think about it more. As long as Im not some robot, Rakna shrugged. Im still half organic at least, he responded and finished taking in the whole werewolf. He felt a part of himself slowly get reconstructed in the form of his tail and, as he expected the memories to rush in, he suddenly felt the world spin. Wha-? The next thing he knew, he was catching himself from falling t on the ground. But to both his and the others stupor, what caught him wasnt his hands or legs but a few flexible tendrils of nano-material that pierced the ice below and pulled him straight like ropes; his instinct had been able to make use of his new bodys properties to act in the most efficient way possible. Thats new, Rakna muttered as he stared at the three half-solid tendrils that were tying him to the ground, glowing blue with the tempo of his heartbeat. He grunted and consciously retracted them inside his body, Allegro quickly fixing the holes they had made. When he was released, he staggered backward but via rushed to support him. Thanks. Are you okay? via asked worriedly as she helped him find his bnce. The others gradually surrounded them as well. Did something happen whilst retrieving your clone? You could say that, the therian replied, tapping his temples a couple of times, not in pain, but as if he was interacting with some interface. Eye of Symphony also spoke inside his head. [| Detected Overload in Sensorial Captors. Gathering Information Condition Labeled: Crippled State from Handlers Memories. Repairing Damages 90% Complete. Ethereal Injuries Detected Non-Mendable by Prima Materia. |] Im fine now, Rakna said and via let go of him. I didnt expect this, he mumbled as his clones memories finally entered his mind. He closed his eyes to process everything and on cue, a system notification sounded and appeared. ? ? ? ? ? Tail Clone Recuperated. Clone is deceased. The clones injuries will be partly carried over but will not harm the Hosts life Warning! Deadly Damages Detected! Anomalies Detected! Damage to soul power detected Traces of magic circuit overload detected Traces of psyche overuse detected Prima Alkahest Materia Physique is healing the Host ? Fatal Condition Avoided. Physical Trait has a partial immunity to Crippled State. The Host will suffer a temporary limit to the maximum amount of soul power, mana, and stamina they possess by 20% for the next few days. Warning! The System rmends the Host to mind the use of self-sacrificial techniques on clones. There is a possibility of irreparable damages being made if abused. ? ? Assimtion of the Tailed Clones Memories and Experiences You have learned a new Nirvana Skill; ny Ka?aiciykac Cirikkum! ? ? ny Ka?aiciykac Cirikkum C The Wolf Shall Have The Last Laugh ? A derivative of the Nirvana Skill, The Harvester. By eating their own heart, the user will be able to create one of two possible oues; Origin Explosion and ndering Prayer. For the Origin Explosion to ur, when the user eats their heart, their very existence will be drained of everything thatposes it by the Nirvana Skill, only leaving a hollow body behind without power and as brittle as sand. Then, the power contained within the heart will flow back all at once into one single point, turning the user into a cookpot of shing energies. This results in an explosion of Original Force, carrying the power of what the powerhouses of the universe call Original Mana. Nothing will stop it as long as it is strong enough. It has the property of being neither weak nor strong toward anything. Whether it be space, time, dimensions, magic, or life force, they will all be the same in front of it. This will always result in the death of the user. ? The second oue, named ndering Prayer, will make the power of the Original Mana fuse with the users body instead and they will temporarily be an Unmaker; a mythical being that knows nothing of the notions of life or death and who can control its rules. The System is incapable of determining the Skills full effects but it shall be known that ndering Prayer will likely provoke the users death after an uncertain amount of time after the transformation. This bacsh will apply even if used by a clone. The original will inevitably be affected as well since the skill will attack the Soul Stele. ? Note: A twisted ability that distorts existence itself. ? ? ? ? ? Instead of being happy at getting another Nirvana Skill, Rakna frowned heavily. Something in the back of his head was screaming at him that this skill was wrong. The description wasnt that odd in itself. Origin Explosion seemed to be something he could use with a clone again if it ever came to it but he doubted he would. There were too many downsides. The first is that one of his tails, which is essentially a part of his power, would be left behind to the taking for a potential enemy. The second was that abuse would probably harm him severely. Perhaps permanently. I do get why my clone wanted to try it out, Rakna thought. I did have a passing curiosity as to what would happen if I ate my own heart. When my clone activated Obsidian Blood, it acted on nothing more but bloodlust without thinking of the consequences. But I will probably never use it again. What I dont like about this is the second oue. Its clear as day this ndering Prayer is mostly why this is a Nirvana Skill. Its like its taunting me to use it. Hey, Rak, are you okay? Ans voice pulled the therian out of his thoughts elerated by Eye of Symphony. He nodded his head at the question. Im fine. Just going through the memories of this clone, he said and cracked his neck. Better not mention that I got a skill that literally kills me well, other than what they saw already, he mused and nced at the window. He briefly cast Appraisal to get the definition of a certain term. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Stele ? The soul has generally threeyers; the Soul Scape, the Soul Sea, and the Soul Chasm. But there is onest section, the deepest one and the core of a soul; the Soul Stele. It is called as such because it is said to take the form of a massive stele on which is engraved the Existential Rules of ones soul. It is very rare but there exist people capable of reaching it and altering it to some extent, despite it being a very dangerous operation. This allows incredible changes to ones life, from their personality to their very race. It is said that Eternal Night once performed this procedure on his Soul Beast, Night Bahamut, the Awakened Crimson Dragon, to allow him to take human form. There is no precedent record of a soul attack capable of damaging the Stele. Most people do not get past the Soul Sea as a target, much less the Soul Stele. ? ? ? ? ? Right, so, super important thingy that certainly cannot be shared to my clones, Rakna deadpanned internally, calmly ignoring the small mention of his uncle who once again left his marks in history. {Indeed} Fray finally spoke up after intaking the information. {What you share with your clones is your soul power itself, not the source of it. So, that skill, Original Explosion, ultimately did not have a too negative impact on you. But ndering Prayer, is it? If its activation relies on its effects on your Soul Stele, I am not sure I even want to imagine what it does.} Hm, Rakna nodded faintly and then focused on something else in his memories. Kaelith stayed behind? He asked, even if he knew the answer already. via nodded. She did. She said she wouldnt follow us. Oh, and also, she told us to remind you that she wasnt here anymore to protect us from your recklessness, she added with a smile. Hah, of course, she did, he said with an amused tone that didnt reach his eyes. His mind went back to the figure he saw through the dimensions with Cross Sight and squinted. Ill ask her about itter So, what do we do now? Do you think theres a vige of some sort around here? An said. Rakna let go of his thoughts and turned to his friend. I sent someone to scout the area when I was teleported in. He should be back soon. Someone? Nyx tilted her head. Did you recruit somebody else into the Guild or? The therian let out a chortle. The second one. Ah, speak of the devil, he said and looked at where he came from earlier. A few secondster, a bright wisp of red light flew down and expanded into a small fire canine. The animal had a look that said he abandoned all hope on life as he strode to his master. But his eyes did briefly wander to Pronos, Tyran, and Nyx in curiosity. My Lord, I have found the closest settlement. It is about twenty-two kilometers to the south, he spoke up as he sat in front of Rakna, the snow near him slightly melting from the heat he gave off. My Lord?'' The entire group repeated and amongst them, Nyx and via were the only ones who cast a scan on the creature. When the result came to them, they nearly couldnt hide the shock on their faces. Level 300! And he has the Imperial Guard title via couldnt believe it. She turned to her former student, Is this what you said you went to do? Half of it. I needed a Celestial Kindle for my forge. But I figured getting a Celestial ze would be even better and I could also add him to my Guard; better use that skill now that I have it, Rakna said and waved his hand at the dispirited ze, who was all but thrilled about this situation. Let me introduce you; hes Natsu, the fourth entry in my zooC I mean, my Guard. Well, nice to meet you, I suppose, Nyx said and raised an eyebrow in amusement when she saw the Celestial ze look at her with a pitiful look as if her simple greeting was a blow to his pride. Natsu sighed. I will be frank I do not feel happy about being tricked into a soul contract by this wretched man He muttered loud enough for everyone to hear and they all gave an exasperated look to Rakna who looked away without any change in his expression. But, in all likeliness, I will be stuck with you all. So, nice to meet you now please follow me to that damn settlement so I can rest and spend the following hoursmenting to myself The poor being said and started walking in the direction of the ice vige he had located. Meanwhile, everyone except Rakna looked at the drooping figure of the canine and only thought one thing, He broke him already Chapter 238: Quintuple Ascent Chapter 238: Quintuple Ascent Hm, nifty design, Raknamented as they stood at the foot of arge range of ice mountains in which colonies had been carved inside to make a city. The interior couldnt be made out in detail from where they were but the lights that were emitted from the many holes created quite a warm sight in contrast to the rest of the teau. Uh, reminds me of those LED ice cubes that the orphanage used for Christmas, An uttered and Marie raised an eyebrow at him. Well, I mean, they were far smaller obviously Hey, little guy, before we go in, can you be little again? Rakna asked Pronos with the fitting nickname, as always. The Hydra nodded his heads and rapidly shrunk his body. His heads did not fuse back into one though. But they did be thinner and less cumbersome. Well, I guess you cant hide your species. Get under Sonata and try to only stick out one of your heads. Pronos hissed positively, more than happy to return to his spot in the scarf. When he was properly snuggled in the warm fabrics folds, he closed the eyes of eight of his heads and used the ninth one to peek outside. What is that snake? Natsu asked as he stood on a small b of ice next to the group. I have never seen one with nine heads. Really? Evelyn retorted in surprise and the Celestial ze scowled at her. Ah, uh, sorry, its just that its a bit odd that you dont know about Hydras theyre quite popr as far as legends go. Well, think of me as a Natsu paused and grumbled unwillingly, As a sheltered person The only knowledge I possess is either through my own discoveries, the Systems teachings given to me as a Wilden, or a few conversations I had with visitors that came to my well. Nothing more. That is not surprising if you are a kind of creature that lives in seclusion and awaits their natural evolutions, Nyx nodded sagely. You remind me of dragons. I have met many that took the same stance in life. You do seem rather casual mentioning something as outrageous as that Marie said wryly. Not as much as you think, the night goddess shook her head. Perhaps to you, dragons are rare and powerful beings, but in the vast Existence, there are plenty of them. I have visiteds full of them more than once. While indeed dragons deserve the title of one of the strongest species in all Existence, theyre not all absurdly powerful. Perhaps their weakest, fully-matured, members are about as strong as hm, yes, Tyran makes a good benchmark. The mentioned Asura tilted his head and pointed at himself. Yes, you, Nyx said with a small smile. You do possess quite a few traits draconic in nature. Such as your fire, your scales, and your resistance to magic. Though, you take thetter way farther than your regr dragon. You make a good example of what you can expect from a dragon in its mature stages, she said. But, of course, I refer to the weakest ones. The wise dragons and especially the older ones, called Elder Dragons, are monsters of nature. And the rare breed that lives in this System and grows new wings to get stronger is also quite a menace. Also, Im sure you would be interested to know that Eternal Night is, in fact, part dragon as well. Rakna reacted to that. Really? How did thate about? From what I know, he fused with his Soul Beast and inherited that part of him, Nyx said with a reminiscing look. And if you want to know what a Soul Beast is, well, it would be quite a long story and I do not necessarily want to stay in the cold for hours. An snorted. True. Lets get in already. The therian nodded. We can chat about it at another time, he said and started walking to the ice city. Lets get settled at the Pavilion. I also want to show you something on the Fifth teau. But for now, I need to figure out my First Ascent and my Path Quest. ? * * * ? Damn, this is good! An grinned as he sipped his drink, sitting alongside everyone else at one of the many tables of the Pavilionsmune section. We never really ate at this ce now that I think about it. I wonder if their meals are as good as their drinks He muttered as he scrolled through the menu. Marie pursed her lips at his side, she seemed to be containing her excitement. Ever since she had left her Dungeon, anything she ate felt like heaven to her. Do they have duck breast here? Nyx suddenly asked and they all blinked at her. What is it? Cant a goddess have her favorite food? Hahaha, I suppose, Higure grinned as she nibbled on a fish made out of candy. The groups looks then turned to her and this time, she was the one who deadpanned, Okay, give me a break. Whats wrong with me liking sweets? Funnily enough, Rakna interjected. My old man loved sweets too. He told me at some point that he switched from cigarettes to lollipops because it reminded him of his adoptive mother. Since then, you would see him in front of cakes and candies every other day. Nyx squinted her eyes in intrigue as shepleted her order through the electronic menu. That mans mother, is it? If I may ask, have you ever met her? The therian shook his head. She died long before I was even born. All I know about her is from what the old man told me. He said she was the one who taught him Kendo and smithing, and also taught him how to enjoy life. Apparently, she was kind and strong. Aside from that, he kept quiet about her death. The only thing he ever said was that she had been killed. I see It would have been interesting to meet the parent of a man like him, Nyxmented and a short momentter, a therian waitress came to their table and served their order from a storage specifically made to preserve food. Please enjoy your food, Your Highness, the bunny-eared girl said with a nervous tone and walked away tensely. But she wasnt the only one nervous inside the Pavilion. Plenty of customers at the other tables, eating or enjoying the divertissement provided, were eyeing Raknas group. A lot of them were people with blue skin, white hair, and a pair of ck horns sticking out their foreheads. They were called Snow Demons, the race that predominantly lived on the 60th teau due to its climate. Tch, popr as always. Or should I say, infamous? An jested. What do you smell, Rak? Nothing much, Rakna uttered calmly. Their emotions are far more in check than the first day I became an Emperor. Now, it changed to something more along the lines of doubt. They certainly are aware of my title but none of them think Im worthy of it. I suppose the information about me being a new Host spread around and then they started to think howe he gets to have all of this when Im higher level than him?'' Then Im afraid youll have to rain on their parade, Higureughed. Level 100 is already quite respectable for anyone under the 100th teau, not even mentioning how you could overpower someone at a far higher level as well. Right, but they dont know that, via said with a sigh. Minds are soplicated and simple at the same time. When the idea of superiority is shoved onto you, it is a basic psychological reaction to determine if its true or not. Most people will relent if the superiority of said person is proved through many irrefutable facts but if the persones out of nowhere, with absolutely no history, they will feel like theres something unfair going on. And unfairness, for them, trantes into lies. They start to believe that this superiority is false and that they need to unveil it; gaining recognition from it. Its a mix of jealousy, envy, and greed, all at once. But Rakna made a point to introduce himself as the pupil of a Nine-Tailed Wolf, Evelyn said and everyone nodded. Shouldnt that have thwarted it? No, it worsened it, via shook her head. Granted, it partly protects Rakna with the Nine-Tailed ns reputation but at the same time, for outsiders, its easy to attribute any feat he performs to Obsidian. For example, when Rakna fought Fang and the images were caught, the rumor that the final attack was not done by Rakna, but Obsidian, spread like wildfire. Uh, really? Rakna raised an eyebrow. Not that I didnt expect it, but how do you know? The Chaos Witch chuckled. Inte. Ah of course. You seem fairly adept at this,ss, Higure remarked. You said you were a teacher before, right? Correct. I was a psychology and philosophy teacher. I see. That exins it then. By the way, what is the Nine-Tailed n? Natsu suddenly asked from his corner of the table and he frowned when several stares fell on him. What? He shot back as he held the roasted chicken he ordered within his paws. Anyway, Rakna ignored the Celestial ze who began sulking. Ceres, can you tell me if Ascents need to be made in safe ces? [No, there is no need to. It will not hurt you nor will it be apparent to onlookers.] Well then, might as well, he said and opened his status. Here, lets let you guys enjoy the fun as well. Eye, project my status board on the table, hemanded and, in a blink, the lenses of his left eye rotated and started projecting words and numbers. An was the first to look at it and he deadpanned, Seriously? 94, 91, 99, 70, and 100? This must be a practical joke Rakna snorted. So, how do I do this, Ceres? He asked; he had long gone drawn a formation to make their table soundproof, so he didnt need to worry about people listening in. Not unless they were good enough to pass by both his senses and the constant probe Eye of Symphony carried out on the surroundings. [If you wish to carry out a Quintuple Ascent, you will of course need to cap all your attributes with your free points,] Cerestia said, her words being shared to the rest so they could know what to expect when their attributes reach this stage. [However, you possess 10 unassigned vtile points at the moment. I rmend distributing them before continuing.] Oh? What happens if I do? [Vtile points are valuable for even high-level hosts because it is essentially a shortcut to cap attributes. For instance; you currently possess 20 vtile points. If you were to ce them all in Dexterity and then capped it, after Ascending it, your Dexterity would be locked at more than 100, while the vtile points would be refunded to you to be reused.] Wait, thats broken. That means you can save free points but also have bonus attributespared to people who dont have many vtile points or at all, An said. Nyx nodded. They are indeed reusable points, as you say. All right then. Assign ten vtile points and 19.9 free points to dexterity; 5.2 to strength; 0.7 to speed; and 9 to endurance, Rakna voiced hismand and he felt his body getting stronger and his mechanical senses automatically calibrated his body. What do I do now, Ceres? [Do you see the line stating your attributes are capped under your status? Tap it and the rest will be done on its own.] Rakna nced at his status and pressed on the Ascent line after double-checking. At first, nothing noticeable happened until a shudder coursed through his entire body. All his muscles contracted reflexively and a few alerts sounded, a system window opening and being projected for the others as he viewed it. ? ? ? ? ? Undergoing First Ascent Five Attributes Capped C Quintuple Ascent ? ? Your Attributes have sessfully broken through. Your body has now ascended to the next stage, it is capable of weing more mana in itself and stamina will decrease slower. Your reinforcement abilities will take less toll on you along with other abilities of the same nature. ? ? Hosts or Locals that have attributes lower than 100 will see the damage of all their attacks against you be halved on impact. ? ? Vtile and Free Points will now increase an attribute by only 0.5 and the qualitative difference between digits will be twice as significant. This also applies to Hosts or Locals who use attribute-multiplicative abilities to forcefully break the Ascent Cap. Note: The 12 points capped over the Intelligence Attribute have been converted. ? ? Through ascending, you have gained the following skills: Strength Burst, Endurance Burst, Speed Burst, Dexterity Burst, Intelligence Burst. Compatible synthesis detected. You have gained the skill, Quintuple Burst! ? ? You are a Quintuple Ascent Host; you are rewarded with 5 Random Skill Cards, specialized for each attribute you ascended in, and all your statistics will permanently increase by 50, except your Mana Pool and Mana Regeneration that will respectively increase by 500 and 5. ? ? Attributes: STR: 100 => 101 | END: 100 => 101 SPD: 100 => 101 | DEX: 100 => 101 INT: 100 => 107 | LCK: 9 ? Avable Vtile Points: 0 => 20 Avable Attribute Points: 165.8 Avable Skill Points: 4 ? Statistics: STA: 570.9 => 702 | MP: 2060 => 3200 SWI: 502.32 => 583.20 | AGI: 411.4 => 547.6 SEN: 2292.4 => 2890 | ATC: 463.8 => 520 ATT: 835 => 971 + 20% Hoarfrost | DEF: 564.88 => 668.8 MA: 352 => 430.1 | MR: 24.92 => 43.60/min ? ? ? ? Chapter 239: Quintuple Burst Chapter 239: Quintuple Burst So, this is an Ascent Nyxmented as she inspected what Rakna was showing them. It does remind me of the breakthroughs in Life Force. The body essentially has to evolve at some point to allow for further growth lest it gives away under the pressure. Never heard of Random Skill Cards though, An said. Is it exactly what it sounds like? Do you get a random skill based on one attribute? In that case, I guess you received five of them because of your Quintuple Ascent What about this Quintuple Burst? via asked Rakna who was clenching his hands to test the new physical feedback he was getting. Mhm, lets see. I have an idea on what it is though, he replied as he opened the skill description. ? ? ? ? ? Quintuple Burst ? The amalgam of the five different types of Burst Skills, exclusively belonging to Quintuple Ascent Hosts. Upon Ascent, an individual is conferred a Burst Skill tailored for the attributes that reached 100. Quintuple Burst is a skill that allows for the use of all five. The other versions of this synthesis are also aptly named Double Burst, Triple Burst, and Quadruple Burst. When using Quintuple Burst, the users stamina will be the triggering energy. Based on how much internal energy is expended on this skill, the five attributes will increase. To be exact, they will be incremented by 1 for every 50 stamina spent. Currently, the user has enough stamina to increase their attributes by a maximum of 14. ? Duration: 1 Minute. If after one minute, the user still wishes to perpetuate the Burst, they will have to renew the cost in Stamina. ? Note: The Host, Rakna Xiorra, possesses a physical Fatigue Immunity. Even if they reach the bottom of their internal energy, they will not be inflicted with any sort of tiredness. But keep in mind that internal energy is used, while sometimes minutely, by all abilities. Even spells can take points away due to the toll it puts on the body, especially high-tier spells. This happens to be the main strengthening aspect of an Ascent; to cast more magic without having the body break down. In other words, if the user attempts to continue fighting even with 0 STA, regardless of their immunity, their body will start to copse. An arm could suddenly explode, detach itself from the shoulder, or have its nerves destroyed by a shattered bone. ? ? ? ? ? I see. For a moment, I thought you were going to be able to use that skill without limit, Evelyn said with a wry smile. Actually, that is both true and false, Rakna said. Eh? How so? My stamina; my internal energy, is essentially theposite of two things now that I have this body. For humans and other living beings, Ki could be ascribed to a sort of scientifically unknown entropy contained within muscles. Before, I only had that for stamina. But now, I have both Ki and Eion. In other words, I recover stamina far faster than anyone else. Eye, calcte the time I would need to recover my stamina. [| Calcting Gauging Consuming Measures Employed by Systema Complete. Recovery Time for The User Measured to Be Fourteen Minutes and Twenty-Seven Seconds. 49 STA Per Minute. |] Hahaha! Raknas eyes turned red for a short second as he burst outughing, startling everyone at the table, Natsu more so than the others; the memory of his fire being swallowed entering his mind. Would you look at that? He added with a restored aloof tone. I suppose the result of the estimate was hrious enough to bring out your other side? Nyx said with a raised eyebrow and Rakna snorted. Hrious, it was. The result was 49 STA per minute. Obviously, thats far from enough to sustain an attribute burst of 12, which would need me to recover all my stamina within a minute. But at the very least, with just one or two more points in endurance, I can simply have that skill passively active, raising my five attributes by one at all times. In other words, the more stamina you get in the future, the more attribute points you can safely rip-off from that skill, Higure nodded with a grin. As expected of you. Rip-off, you say, Rakna snorted. Its not like Im scamming anyone. Nah, you might as well be really scamming the System at this point, An jested. Pronos hissed to get his masters attention and stuck out a second head to point at the projection on the table and then at himself. Hm? What is it? You want to have your Ascent too? Rakna asked and the little guy nodded. Well, you couldC The therian interrupted himself and squinted. Actually, wait before doing it. I want to test a certain spell on everyone before you do your Ascents. Test a spell on us? Marie scowled. I cant help but envisage something ominous Rakna let out a faint smile but to them, who had gotten used to his slight expressions, they easily discerned the mischief hidden behind. ? * * * ? After finishing eating, Rakna led them out of the 60th teau and brought them to the 5th. He had to go fetch them after they arrived since even if they now had the privilege the decide where they could appear after the transfer, they couldnt select a particr ce that they had not been to before or that was notndmark defined by the System itself. Therefore, he guided them back to his imed territory and showed them the entrance of the cave he had settled in. Is this the ce you said you fought that batshit crazy guy? Anmented as he and everyone else walked down the dim stairs. Mhm. If nothing else, at least you could say that this is a symbolic ce to build a house. Hm? Evelyns eyes widened slightly as they reached the bottom. I can feel a breeze but why is iting from below instead of outside? After she pointed it out, the others simrly noticed this small detail. And theres lighting from inside too Nyx added and the corners of her mouth raised a bit as she began to understand what Rakna had done to this ce. Though, she still sent a confounded nce at the therian. This kind of talent truly worthy of being his rtive. Wait is that-?! An eximed as he saw a glimpse of what was behind therge wooden doors at the end of the staircase that had been fixed by the Wood Wolves on Raknas orders. The blonde rushed in the front and opened the caves entrance wide. His jaw dropped instantly after his eyes were temporarily blinded by the sunlight. He gawked at the heaven-like garden in front of him and barely noticed the breeze as well as the temperature that didnt feel like an underground space at all. Bro, how did you do this?! He turned around to shout at Rakna, who was casually watching him and the girls freak out at his handiwork. It had taken him hours to construct, so in his opinion, he fully deserved his daily dose of awe directed at him. He had to admit, however, that it would have been even better if Kaelith was present too. Hm, I guess Ill have to bring her hereter, he thought. At this point, he had adopted the practice of shocking others with his actions purely for the enjoyment of it. ? * * * ? Achoo! Kaelith sneezed as she was on her way to the Council Board for a meeting after returning to the Nine-Tailed ns mainpound. Are you all right, Lady Kaelith? A maid spoke up from her side. You did not fall ill, right? As if I could catch a cold at my level, N. Its probably that damn bugs poison that left its marks after I burned it. I must have inhaled the smokes a bit, she grumbled. Well, that or Or? A certain impertinent brat is nning on bullying me again soon Eh? N stopped walking. Who could possibly be strong enough to bully the foxes heiress?! That cannot be allowed! I will be sure to tell Lady Kara. With that, the vixen maid developed a deep misunderstanding of the situation. ? * * * ? I see. Astraea, you say, Nyxmented as she traced her fingers across the external walls of the mansion. I knew I felt some amount of divinity in this ce. So, you summoned a divine spirit. From what I understand, Rakna nodded as he sat on a step of the stairs leading to his houses entrance and observed his group navigate the cavern. His eyes wandered to the crystal mausoleum where he saw Evelyn and via kneeling in front of the graves. They had insisted on paying their respects after he told them what it was. By the way, Nyx, since you were a goddess, I assume youve met other popr divinities, right? She nodded and turned to him, leaning her back against the wall. She crossed her arms, I assume you want to ask if I met Astraea? She shot back and he acquiesced. Yes and no. I did meet Astraea in the past. But I met her as the Goddess of Justice. Not innocence. Hm Now that I think about it, Astraea is more known for the bnce of Shamash, Rakna said as he recalled the mythology that he learned a long time ago. Or, to be exact, she is the holder of the scale described in the legend of the Libra constetion and sign. I wonder if I will summon her as well if I draw Libra instead I would posit that you would, Nyx affirmed. From what I understand, Egregore is essentially a ce where knowledge gathers. It is simr to the Spiritual Tree that collects thoughts and makes them a reality. So, if you were to try and beckon Astraea through the Libra constetion, what you know of her, the knowledge that you possess of her, will make it so that you will summon the same person, she said and paused. Granted she most likely will have the memories of every possible instance of herself. That might include my meeting with her, despite the fact that she is a different person created by the collective unconscious. In all honesty, Im not the best person you can ask about this. Lady Ahura would have been a far better choice Lady Ahura? Rakna looked over his shoulder to look at her. Ahura Mazda? He inquired and she slowly nodded. You did mention this name when you said who had fought my old man alongside you. Was she your leader? Nyx didnt answer immediately. She looked up at the sky and sighed, Yes, she was. Perhaps youd be interested to know, now that I think about it. What is it? Ahura Mazda is the sister of Angra Mainyu, the Ancient Demon who happened to have created a certain race of humans to one day be reincarnated into the world of the living; the ones they called Life Hunters. After proving to be worthy, a Life Hunter would be promoted to Death Hunter; one destined to be the reincarnation. Thest one in the line was a child that escaped the genocide of his race by the Gods. The Last Life Hunter, Ahriman. You would know him as Arimane. Rakna blinked in stupor at the revtion while Higure who was sitting on his head sputtered and fell off. She yelped as she hit the ground before straightening up like a spring. Damn Talk about an origin story, she muttered. Natsu was also listening from the railings of the house but had no idea of what they were talking about. Wait, so I have an aunt? Meanwhile, that was the only thing Rakna took away from the story. That would indeed be true. I am sure Lady Ahura would be happy to meet you. And She paused and faintly smiled. That is one main reason why I couldnt bring myself to hate Eternal Night. The organization I belonged to, the Pirs of Elysium, was arguably a malevolent one that sought to wage war for domination. The reason I joined was that I followed Lady Ahura who lived for the sole purpose of vanquishing her brother. She wanted the Pirs support to prevent him from spreading chaos. In a sense, we got what we deserved. We joined a sinful conflict on our own and we were done in by the person we were targeting, turning him into thewful one at the same time Dont overthink it, Nyx, Rakna said and she tilted her head at him. He chortled, If my old man was destined to be the reincarnation of an ancient evil, I cant me her for trying to stop it from happening. If Ahura truly thinks of my old man as her brother, then all the more justifiable. But, in all likelihood, Angra Mainyu had no chance, to begin with. What? Im not sure I understand? I mean, that there is no way some ghost could have won over my old man and taken over his body to do what he pleased, Rakna replied with a tone that left no doubt. Hes too stubborn for that. Nyx widened her eyes a bit before smiling. Hm, I see I suppose that you are right since, as far as I know, Eternal Night hasnt gone on a rampage to destroy the world or something, she chuckled. Rakna snorted. Dont get me wrong. Thats definitely something my uncle would do if he believed it to be necessary for some reason. Thats just how he is. But anyway, he uttered and stood up. He hummed and turned toward a random-looking tree. Oz,e out. On cue, an Earth Wolf that was merged with the ground came out and bowed its head. He was the wolf that Rakna had appointed as the leader within the cave. Go outside and search for monsters. Kill or capture them, I dont care. But bring their bodies to me. I will need about a hundred. I allow you to takemand over the other Alphas for this. Oz nodded in understanding and ran off toward the exit. Nyx watched it leave and turned back to Rakna who was already at the door of the house. Why is that for? She asked and he shed a small smile. Youll see, he said ominously and triggered the imprint scanner. When the entrance opened, he took a look inside and cracked his neck, All right. Lets furnish this first. Chapter 240: Eat Chapter 240: Eat Six, Eight, Nine, Ten Rakna muttered as he drew the cards of his deck one by one. It seems that its possible to order it to furnish the house. But its even more expensive than building it. Well, technically, considering the size of this mansion, the furniture that would be needed to fill it properly is somewhat significant, Higuremented. There are finer details about it. True. Wait, he closed one eye as he thought of something. He reiterated his order and this time; the minimum required card became the Eight. Good enough, I guess. Eight of Clubs, he intoned and tossed the card. He stepped out of the building, Higure and Nyx with him, and a light shone through every window before simmering down. After it was gone, when they looked back inside, there were already all sorts of furnishings, couches, cabs, tables, chairs, etcetera. There you go, Rakna nodded to himself as he checked the softness of the sofas and the pillows that came with it. He let himself fall on it and exhaled. Comfortable enough Higure snickered and grew to a slightly bigger size. She jumped next to him and patted the pillow with her paw. The wonders of a Red Rarity Utility Item, she said. What did you do to reduce the cost in the end? I stopped it from including electronic devices. Its better to buy those from ck Steel. The quality will most likely be much better than what I can efficiently make with the Tricksters Sleeve. I see you decorated the ce, viamented as she entered through the front door with the others in tow. So, this is what that glow was? Rakna nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. [Tail Clone,] he muttered and one of his tails quite literally flew out of his back. Itnded on the floor where it turned into a sort of puddle which then rose and took its creators shape. Just like that, a clone was made. I guess you want me to go shopping? The one-tailed Rakna asked his original with an unperturbed voice. Yes. Also, dont go there as us, just for the sake of it. Sure, the clone replied and under everyones eyes, his appearance began to change along with the buzzing noise of nanobots. His clothes, being an imitation of Allegro, were reced by a more normal attire. The horizontal scar across his left eye vanished and his hair grew to the middle of his back before turning blond. His purple eyes flickered to green and his facial features changed. An gaped at the transformation. Wha-? You can do that too? Of course. This body is basically like a big y doll to me, the clone said as he produced a hair clip from his own physique and used it to tie his hair into a ponytail. He then turned toward his friends and cracked his neck. How is it? You wouldnt be able to tell its me, huh? Definitely, Marie agreed as she looked at both the clone and original. You look nothing alike if not for your physical build. Oh, good point, the clone eximed, a fist on his palm. He smiled faintly and then grew taller by several inches and even made himself look slightly buffier and older. Okay, youre a totally different person at this point, An deadpanned. The clone snorted in amusement and extended his hand to his original self, who gave him a spatial ring that he put around his finger. All right. Ill be back in a jiffy, he uttered and disappeared in a matter of seconds; having initiated the system transfer earlier. Well, that happened, via kidded and took a seat along with everyone else. So, what was that thing you wanted to test? Be patient, I sent my wolves to make the preparations, Rakna said. While we wait, I wanted to ask you something. Your Path Quests; what did they make you do exactly? Ah? Didnt I tell you? Personally, it was simple things like maintaining Chaos Magic under control within a small volume for a certain amount of time. In total, I received two Quests and three skills from them. I also got a bit of experience and a few free points. Same thing for me, An followed up. To be exact, I only got one Quest but the Path Skill I got is one that requires me to unlock more fists by performing specific actions to perfection. As for me, it was mainly rted to faith, if you can call it that. I had to shape my Aeter in precise manners whilst praying at the Basilica of Eternal Night, Nyx exined. Rakna hummed and turned to Evelyn. What about you? Well, I have to raise my charm? The subus said with a wry smile. I was quested to tame a specific species of Wilden or animals. That partly involved charming them with my mana; which has the natural effect of charming targets thanks to my subus heritage. Im thest one then? Marie raised her voice. For me, it was quite interesting. Firstly, when I got to choose my Path after bing a Host, I received Illusion Magic. And with it, I was tasked to use it on myself to evaluate my qualifications. Its rather varied, Rakna muttered. Anyway, since Higure and Tyran dont have Paths, I suppose that means only Pronos and I have yet to do those Quests. Though we got one at level 100, he said as he recalled his clone seeing the Path Quest icon on the little guys status. [I would like to add something,] Ceres spoke up. [Path Quests that are issued at level 100 are called Main Path Quests. That is because they are usually difficult toplete and their rewards are Path Skills that have their ce as a Hosts main strength. I would assume that because of your irregr Path, your Path Quests are simply that much rarer.] I see I guess I will see what kind of skill I get. By the way, what about you all? I dont think I have ever seen you use all your Path Skills when hunting together. Sure. Here you go; they appear separated from the rest, An shared a part of his status, and in order, via, Nyx, Evelyn, and Marie showed theirs as well. ? ? ? ? ? Path Skills: ? C The Twenty Diamond Fists (5 Unlocked): ? > Red Diamond: Charges a powerful strike capable of turning boulders into dust. It is also possible to bypass a small percentage of the targets defense. Cooldown: 3 Minutes. > Green Diamond: Anything this attack hits will only be damaged by the base strength of the user, but a powerfulpressed wind will then hurl the target away. Cooldown: 2 Minutes. > Silver Diamond: Cloaks the fist in steel-like energy that will deal out shing damage to whatever it hits. It is also capable of piercing through magic defenses. Cooldown: 5 Minutes. > Shadow Diamond: A fist that cannot be followed with the naked eye. To the onlookers, the attack will duplicate and reach its target like a fleeting shadow, making it impossible to predict its trajectory. Cooldown: 2 Minutes. > Yellow Diamond: A blow so fast it resembles a bolt of lightning. The damage dealt out is massively increased by its speed. Cooldown: 10 Minutes. > ??? ? ? C Chaos Control C Chains of Turmoil: Summons chains that will coil around a target and make their magic go berserk whenever one is cast. Cooldown: 5 Hours. C Chaos Control C Discord of Concord: Pulls out the hidden chaos within someone or something and makes them go out of control. Cooldown: 1 Hour. C Beacon of Chaos: Reduces the luck of the target. They will be gued with bad luck for several minutes. Cooldown: 3 Hours. ? ? C Eternal Night Art C Way of Destruction C Abyssus Hortus: Conjures a sphere of Aeter that traps their target and assails them with destructive energy. Cooldown: 10 Hours. C Eternal Night Art C Way of Darkness C Penitentia Conspiciunt: Make a target look into your eyes and peer into their soul. Their sins will burn and they will receive an equivalent amount of pain and harm. At the same time, their memories will be read by the user. Cooldown: 1 Hour. C Eternal Night Art C Way of Darkness C Vashta Nerada: Summon a path of predatory shadows capable of melting flesh and swallowing magic. Cooldown: 5 Hours. C Eternal Night Art C Way of Demons C Vita Messis: Better known under the name of Life Harvest, it is a mysterious ability created by the Kind Demon himself that allows anyone who possesses it to steal powers like a Life Hunter. It only works on deceased targets or creatures far below the users level. Cooldown: 24 Hours. ? ? C Hell Evocation: Summons a beast from Hell to fight for the user for a limited duration. The better the user can subdue them; the stronger the beasts summoned will be, the more will be summoned at once, and the longer they will remain. Cooldown: 5 Hours. C Charm of Hells Priestess: Raises the charm and charisma of the user to demonic beasts and summons. The effect is further increased when used on creatures summoned with Hell Evocation. Cooldown: None. C Grace of the Purgatory: Heals a subordinate demonic beast with the Hell mes that take their source in the deepest part of the Purgatory. Cooldown: 2 Hours. ? ? C Serpentine Luby: Summons a flute that the user can y to create an illusion with a physical presence. Maximum Duration: 30 Minutes Cooldown: 1 Hour. C Song of Discord: The user will be able to apply debuffs on their enemies and strengthen their allies. This skill has increased effects on reptile targets. Duration: 5 Minutes. Cooldown: 1 Hour. C Blessing of Echidna: Turns the user into the conceptualization of an illusion. They will be impervious to all physical attacks and will be able to teleport anywhere that their target has their sight on. Duration: 1 Minute. Cooldown: 24 Hours. ? ? ? ? ? Higure whistled as she also got a look at everything. As always, you Hosts Paths are broken. Its the main advantage you have over Wilden actually; we dont have Paths. To top it off, aside from being incredibly functional, Path Skills dont have costs. Only cooldowns. But they dont even have that as well from time to time. Rakna read everything within a second and processed the information. Well, that certainly makes me more than curious about the result of my Path Quest. Also, Nyx, this Life Harvest, is it what I think it is? The night goddess nodded slowly. I think so. But Im not sure since I got it very recently, I havent had the time to test it. But if its truly the ability of Life Hunters then its not wrong to assume it will allow me to steal levels or attributes as you do. {As expected of the Eternal Maiden,} Fraymented half-jokingly. Speaking of skills, Rakna suddenly remembered something and pulled out two skill cards from his storage. Those are Marie blinked as she recognized the skill written on the cards. Stone Eye? Yes, the therian nodded. I was initially keeping these until I could learn them, but I think I have enough ocr skills for a lifetime. Does anyone want them? What does it do? An inquired. Rakna snorted and simply pointed at themia. Quite simple; petrification. Also, the full potential of the skill can only be used when you have a duplicate. I got the first one bypleting the Grit Castle and I bought the second at the shop for a million Talys after I destroyed the Dungeon. Well, who do you think can have the best synergy with that skill? Nyx asked back. The best synergy, huh? He mused and looked at everyone. I would be inclined to give it to An if anyone. Eh? Why me? The blonde eximed. Youck flexibility and speed, Rakna instantly shot back and he grunted. Getting this skill would help you to drag your opponents to your field; slow and heavy-hitting closebat. If you put it like that thats true that it would be nice. But, even without this skill, Rakna continued and ced the cards on the small sculpted table in front of them. The little experiment I talked to you about earlier might help you as well. Huh? Rakna didnt respond to his inquisitive tone and pointed at the front door with his chin. Everyone turned around and as if on cue, it opened and an Earth Wolf entered. It bowed and barked softly. It seems theyre done, the therian said with a small smile. Oz, bring them in, he ordered and the wolf nodded. It left the house and they all heard it bark for a moment. Then, to their shock and confusion, dozens of wolves entered one after another with either a dead or unconscious beast in their maws. They dropped the monsters in a corner of the spacious mansion and after a few minutes, there were close to one hundred incapacitated Wilden on the floor. Rakna nodded satisfyingly. You can return to your posts now, he instructed and the Alphas he had assigned as leadersplied and left. Now, he faintly smiled and extended his hand at the pile of creatures. His aura escaped his body and a spell left his mouth. [Star Hearth C Scale of Maat,] he chanted and the crystal-like bnce appeared like a mirage above his head. His soul power coalesced into a ck feather that floated down to one of the scales tes. Then, just likest time, the bodies of the Wilden were sucked in. Their very flesh and bones shrunk as it got closer until their bodies were nothing more than fresh hearts. When Rakna started lowering the bnce toward the table, everyone had already gone into a daze at the gory spectacle. Meanwhile, he gave them a menacing smile, Eat. Exactly five people, three beasts, an AI, a certain fabulist, and a poor fire pup who had been dragged into this mess of a group, expressed their thoughts with silence. Chapter 241: Cardiac Scavenging Pill Chapter 241: Cardiac Scavenging Pill Listen, Rak. I trust you, bro. I do. But even trust has limits, An spoke up with a t tone. If youre too scared to touch it, you can just admit it. I never said that! That is precisely the point, Marie retorted teasingly and the blond groaned sadly. Meanwhile, Nyx reached for one of the hearts. She wasnt the kind of person to hesitate touching something because it looked gruesome. Furthermore, she knew that no blood would be left on her afterward since this was obviously a spell that would be dispelled sooner orter. May I ask what this entails exactly before anything else? Scavenger, Rakna began. Nirvana Skills have magic matrixes behind them. Well, I say that but, after studying mine, I barely could understand a percent of it. Especially The Harvester. But all I needed was the core part of Scavenger anyway. Long story short, I copy-pasted it to make a sub-spell of Star Hearth. The magic theory creates the bnce, with Anubis legend, and the core of my Nirvana Skill allows it to create hearts capable of transferring power. So, its possible that these will increase our attributes? via inquired. Yes and no. Obviously, none of you have Scavenger or Harvester. The effects will be lowered to an unknown extent. Additionally, since you dont have the proper physiology, you probably wont be able to eat as much as me. And finally, these hearts are level 10 to 20. With all of these stakes against you, it wont do anything. But all I need for this test is that you eat them and tell me if you recover some mana or stamina. At the same time, tell me if the System notifies you that your level is too high to receive attributes or not. If it works, then continue to eat until you feel full. Thatll give me an idea of your limit. I see. Then, if thats it, let me do the honors, Nyx remarked and brought the muscle to her mouth and managed to take a bite in a rather refined manner despite what it was. She calmly ate the rest of it and cleaned the trail of blood near the corner of her mouth with her thumb. She closed her eyes and everyone looked at her in anticipation. After a moment, she let out a small smile and opened her eyes again. It worked. I felt the flow of mana and internal energy. I also felt the very minute amount of life force trying to merge with mine but it got overpowered. While the System didnt react, I am sure that if you used a heart from a higher-leveled beast, I would at least gain a few points to my attributes. Rakna huffed satisfyingly and leaned back on the couch. Well, thats a good thing. Now, you guys turn, he added whilst looking at the others. Huh?! But didnt Nyx already prove your theory? We dont need to eat these anymore, right? An youre going to have to do it at some point to gain more INT. You need 50 to learn Stone Eye. Youre not going to reach it before your First Ascent if you dont absorb attributes. Also, didnt I tell you already? I want to see how much you guys can eat at once. What if I feed you a level 100 or 200 heart and you blow up? I need to know your limit; each one of you. Ugh The blond grunted and looked back at the te of hearts, only to see that some more had been taken away. He looked around in shock to see everyone taking a bite. Seriously? Higure cackled as she cut one heart in two with her ws. Come on, boy, thedies are all doing it. What kind of man are you? She quipped and tossed one bit in the air. She caught it on its way down and grinned, swallowing and licking her lips. Its surprisingly good, you know? I have to agree, Marie nodded agreeingly as she licked her fingers. Who knew such a crude thing could taste so good, shemented and Ans eye twitched. Wait am I really the only one who feels weird doing this? Just take one already, Rakna retorted and tossed him one of the hearts. The blond fumbled and almost let it fall on the floor. He grumbled under his breath and hesitatingly tasted it. After a short moment, he started chewing, and his face switched expressions several times in a few seconds. What the how though? It actually tastes good. Its kinda warm too Its as if Im eating a lightly cooked steak, just enough to make the exterior crispy and the interior still bloody. Side effect of Harvester, Id say, the therian replied. Its the energy contained inside the heart that you truly gobble. The heart itself is converted into something absorbable by your body, which fools your taste buds into thinking that youre absorbing perfect food. In other words, the taste is what you unconsciously prefer it to be. An blinked twice. Right, he uttered as if he understood and continued to eat, causing the others tough a bit. My Lord, do I also have to do it? Natsu asked afterward and Rakna hummed. You could try if you want. But I doubt it would work on you. The boost of my Legendary Imperial Guard aside, your attributes are nonexistent. You dont have a physical medium through which you can refine those hearts. You probably wont even regenerate mana from it. The Celestial ze. I see. Its not like you need it, right? From what I researched on you before finding you, you dont even need experience to level up. As long as you grow older and get better control over your power, you will naturally evolve. Your INT and Level jump by hundreds each time as if they are decided from the start. You would be correct. But who knows when my next evolution will be? At the very least, theres one positive thing I can take away from serving under you. I feel like these additional points to my physical attributes might help me find a path to evolution faster. Rakna nced at him, Good to hear. ? * * * ? Ultimately, after the spell ended, taking away the hearts and blood with it, only half of the group reached their limits. Namely, An, Evelyn, via, and Marie. They each ate between 10 to 15 hearts. As for Nyx, Pronos, Tyran, and Higure, they ate less than their limit due to theck of hearts, but based on how they felt, Rakna estimated them to be able to digest at least 20. ording to probabilities calcted by Eye of Symphony, the first group should be fine being fed hearts between 100 and 150, while the second should be capable of taking in the energy of hearts between levels 150 and 250. Five minutester, Rakna had told everyone to choose a room in the mansion. It was bigger than enough to wee all of them. Now, he was currently watching Evelyn pace from one side of the room to the other, moving sks of alchemical reagents to various electronic devices such as centrifuge machines, maic stirrers, scales, liquid baths, and other objects such as condensers and test tubes engraved with magic circles bearing the crest of the Malcanthet. This was the equipment Evelyn had taken from her familys house before leaving. Rakna had given her the green light to use one of the rooms as aboratory and to use the houses power line. Honestly, all of this looks so chemical rather than alchemical, Rakna deadpanned. Evelyn chuckled wryly as she poured one of the many mana and stamina potionsid out on one of the tables inside a sk. Rakna was the one who had given them to her, along with a few dozens of pills that werent worth preserving at his level. There was also a small pile of frozen hearts that had been sliced into bits by her a moment earlier. Purist alchemists like to believe only transmutation circles are enough these days, the subus said as she pressed on the buttons of a heating device. But they are fools to think that magic cant be used alongside science. Well, Im sure you know that more than anyone else though Rakna snorted. True. At the end of the day, its a matter of perspectives. Humans were capable of making incredible advancements in technology because they didnt have magic. To be exact, they were forced to continue improving because their continuous survival depended on it. But for those that have magic? They are content by improving individually, gradually getting to be good enough to do whatever science could potentially do. Which is why they have a hard time uniting the two. The System is the perfect example, and yet, they are still blind, Evelyn mused. I wonder what it is that makes them like that exactly Pride. The subus paused on her work and looked back at him. Pride? How so? Think about it. Lets say you dedicate your entire life to a craft and then someone tells you that you could do so much more by studying the craft of someone else, would you take it well? Well I would probably be infuriated. But I wouldnt dismiss the idea. Rakna smiled faintly. Thats only you. Not many can swallow their pride. For them, learning from science is like an architect asking for pointers to someone whose job is to demolish houses. It does sound ludicrous at first but if you think about it, an architect can learn a few things such as what parts of a house the demolisher has found out to always be the weakest and so on But thats only one of the two reasons. Huh? What is the second then? The second aspect of pride; to not want to appear weak or clueless. You can even call it fear. They are absolutely horrified and disgusted by the idea of having to dabble into a new expertise because it means there will be plenty people to look down on them. Most people cannot ept something like that. Its downright normal for someone whos an expert at something to loathe the idea of asking help to someone whos far below you in your specialty; but far better than you in what you want to learn. Thats surprisingly exhaustive, Evelyn tilted her head. Did you consider this line of thought in the past? Rakna shrugged. You could say that via was a good teacher. And I had a certain acquaintance who excelled in describing how the mind works. I suppose youre bound to catch on to some stuff when you hang out with someone who takes your beliefs and thoughts apart for the fun of it. That acquaintance sounds like quite a menace, Evelyn said in amusement and turned back to her equipment when a certain transmutation circle automatically activated itself; this particr circle didnt have her familys crest on it but Raknas personal one. She waited until the glow disappeared and opened the lid of the contraption sitting on top of the circle. Inside was a blue liquid as clear as water. At the surface, several red pills with ck waving patterns were floating. Evelyn took out one of them and her eyes glowed as she appraised it. With a nod and a smile, she handed it to Rakna who had walked to her side. What do you think? She asked as Rakna looked at the system window in front of him. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Consumable/Cardiac Scavenging Pill Tier: Special ? Description: A pill refined by an intermediate alchemist with the heart of a deceased creature. This pill should normally have been nothing more than a nutritious supplement considering its ingredients but due to the makers ingenuity, it became a special consumable containing the transmuted form of aplete heart, performed thanks to the unique properties of the Legendary Wolf Emperors Nirvana Skill and magic crest. ? Effects: C Heals physical wounds and mild illnesses. C Recovers 5% of MP C Recovers 5% of STA ? Note: The effects above only apply to consumers other than Rakna Xiorra. Since their physiology will not bepatible, they will only be able to take one per hour and it will be ineffective for beings above level 100. Personal Note: If consumed by you, factoring in your higher-level and Ascent, you will only regain 10% of your mana and stamina. Most injuries will be healed other than lost organs or limbs but not brought back to an unscathed state. ? ? ? ? ? You made this batch with the level 90 hearts, right? Rakna asked and Evelyn nodded. Then its not bad. The percentage recovery is quite promising too and I could add these in my ns to make thepany with Old Wang. But since only one can be taken in an hour, its not appealing enough. The subus smiled knowingly. You want me to perfect it, right? He smiled back and nodded. Is it possible? As long as I have the Magic Crest and Nirvana Matrix you gave me, I should be more than capable of reaching a good result. Lets see I dont think I can change the cooldown period of this pill but I can at least raise the recovery values to something around 30%. But it would be nice if I had hearts of better quaC Before she could finish, Rakna pulled out a card from his storage and offered it to her. She blinked at it before slowly grabbing it. The card itself had no writing on it but it had the emblem of the Pavilion. This is? Its a bank card issued by the Pavilion. If you buy something with it, its essentially the same as if I was the one doing it. It takes the money from my ount and even includes my discounts. Eh?! She eximed nervously. Why are you giving me something so precious?! Use it to buy hearts at Trafford. There should be something close to 140 million in it, Rakna said and smiled internally when she choked at the amount. I allow you to use up to 40 million. Add my 70% discount and you get a buying power of about 132 million. That should be enough. Thats more than enough! She retorted with the hand that was holding the card trembling. She had never held that much money in her life. She took a deep breath to calm down as Rakna looked at her with an amused eye. Dont worry too much. You can even buy more equipment for yourself if you want. What you do with that money might earn us far moreter on. Also, I want you to buy and use level 200 or 300 to make pills for only me. After all, Id be better off in a fight if I dont have to eat frozen hearts in case of an emergency. Give some to the others too afterward. Evelyn sighed. Understood. Give me a few days and I should be able to figure it out. Rakna nodded with a faint smile. Good luck then. Ill probably be upied for the rest of the day, so Ill see you tomorrow, he added and left theb. The subus exhaled when he left and stored the bank card in a safe ce. Lets get back to work then Ill have to buy a dimensional fridge to preserve those hearts too, she muttered to herself as she resumed her research. Chapter 242: Ancient Sentinel of The Moon Chapter 242: Ancient Sentinel of The Moon Rakna took a seat inside the office he had made for himself, the shelves around already filled with books he had previously bought. Of which one was being read by a certain lioness, on top of a one-seat sofa in the corner of the room. The therians eyes were rotating periodically as he stared at a 3D projection he made. The contents illustrated in it were nothing close to austere. If a normal person was looking, it would be as if they were facing a swarm of microscopic bugs forming a spheric cloud. However, in Raknas eyes, the entirety of it was being picked apart into groups, isted, analyzed, and rearranged. This was a magic formation. To be specific, it was the formation behind sh Step. While the basis of it was not a Matrix, the manner in which Rakna had extracted its form caused the whole thing to be extremely condensed andparable to one. Tch, even with my Eye, its taking quite a while to decipher, he mumbled and waved his hand to the left; the projection following his movement. Then, he extended his other hand to the right and began to mold a real-version of the formation with his mana. Well, thats on you, Higuremented as she turned the page of her book. You decided to not only buy and destroy a Skill Card to get the raw magic formation, but youre also trying to improve it. I cant say I dislike that overreaching side of yours but dontin about it. Rakna nced at her with a raised eyebrow before focusing back on the formation. While he was forming it, he recalled something and took out a Spell Card from his storage. Horny cat, catch, he said and threw it to her. Higure looked up and caught the card with her tail. She read the name and blinked, Natcattiram Vi?untatu Oh, its the Spell Card you got as a reward for inventing your first spell. That meteor-like one, right? Yes, he nodded. At the time, I didnt expect to ever have a use for it. But since you awakened a new brand of Star Magic, you can learn it. Thanks. I had forgotten about this, she said and flipped the card to see the back where the lexis for its activation was written. Interestingly enough, there was an opaque background image of a red star depicted on it. [The Stars Bid Upon the Skys Arrow. Tearing Darkness Apart, Destruction at Its Beck and Call,] she chanted and the card merged with her body. Neat, she grinned. Rakna snorted and flicked his fingers at the magic formation, making some of the runes move to the surface of the matrix. He paused right after. Wait He mumbled and his pupils began to spin until they turned into crosses. He stared at the formation for a moment then started writing new runes around it. He then made them stick to the spherical formation and slowly but surely, the patterns inside, that were previously clustered beyond possible recognition, aligned themselves, finding anchor points in the runes that had been added. {Well, well, would you look at that? You seem to have it figured out,} Fraymented. {But it seems you ended up with something farC} He paused as the magic formation suddenly expanded and filled the entire room with wandering symbols and runes, startling Higure who was peacefully enjoying her read. {far beyond than what you were going for,} Fray finished with an amused grunt. Seems like it, Rakna muttered. He extended both of his hands forward and slowly brought his palms together. The magic formation shrunk once again but when it returned to a smaller size, it had changed shape. It now appeared like a orbited by a pair of rings. ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions! You have deciphered and improved a Skill Formation! You have learned a Skill Formation; sh Step! You have designed a Skill Matrix; Enthymio Step! You can create a Skill Card to add the skills to your status. ? ? Runecraft has leveled up! Runecraft has leveled up! Magic Theory has broken through Excelled! Magic Circle Theory has broken through Excelled! ? ? Enthymio Step ? A skill created by a maniptor of dimensions whilst trying to decipher sh Step. After imnting runes with dimensional power into the formation, a Matrixbining the fast movement of sh Step and the dimension tearing aspect of Enthymio was created. This skill can only be used by people with a body strong enough to resist dimensional turbulence. Everyone can learn it but only those with the ability to enter Enthymio can hope to bring out the full potential of this skill. This is a discement technique that is both fast and imperceptible. Upon activation, the user will lose all cognition of the real world for a split second before appearing where he intended. It is not teleportation but dimensional discement. This ability is undetectable without tapping into the space-time dimension and since it is a hop through dimensions, nothing can harm the user in between the start of the jump and the end of it. However, its weakness lies in the small cooldown period it has, the strain it puts on the body, and the natural fact that the user will be dropped at their destination without being fully aware of their direct surroundings. ? Step Cost: 50 MP Casting Time: 0.2s Max Range Per Step: 10 Meters ? Cooldown: 1 Minute. This only applies to users without a body capable of resisting the dimensional damage caused by Enthymio. ? Note: This is an Ascended Skill Card. The skills level will directly be 11 after learning it. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna closed his eyes for a short moment, processing the information brought about by the two proficiencies reaching the Ascended Stage. Unlike minor level-ups, when a proficiency evolves to new stages, there is a clear flow of information to let the Host grow further. I see The therian muttered after he got to read the description of the Skill Matrix he had just made. I wondered what messing around with dimensionally condensed runes would do This is a rather satisfying result. {Now, you only have to craft the cards Better give your friends both sh Step and this one. It doesnt seem that they can be synthesized together too. They are quite ipatible in nature and they each have their strong and weak points,} Fray said and Rakna nodded. Lets see, he squinted and used Appraisal on the system windows for a very specific reason. ? ? ? ? ? sh Step Skill Card ? Crafting Difficulty: D Material Requirements: D+ ? ? Enthymio Step Skill Card ? Crafting Difficulty: B Material Requirements: A- ? ? ? ? ? Rakna sighed at the result. For crafting skill cards, talent and materials were required and these scores were the representation of it. For crafting difficulty, Rakna believed to be one of the best in the lower teaus already for the simple reason that he had Eye of Symphony to assist him. As for the material requirements, the System used that lettered rank to define which materials are capable of conducting the skill properly. In fact, this also applied to other areas such as alchemy and smithing. sh Step is fine but a material requirement of A-? I can say goodbye to 15 million Talys per card. If not for my discount, it would have been 50 million. Not to mention that there is a chance I will fail the card engraving. I havent had the time to practice That much? Higure asked curiously from her seat. What if it was S rank? {From what I read in the past, theres a steep difference between ranks. Materialsbeled A- can easily cost 50 million. Rank A materials fetch for amounts between 100 and 300 million. Rank A+ goes up to 800 million and after that, well, the materials better than that are extremely rare. What we would call S-Rank materials would most likely cost in the billions.} That sounds like a lot, Higure said casually. {Dusk Lioness That is far too much of an understatement.} Well, its not like I have an economic sense. Have you ever seen a lion using money in the wild? {point taken.} Hm Meanwhile, Rakna was pondering about something. He pulled out the Prima Materia Shard that he produced from his own body and used Appraisal on it. For this one, he had to use it a bit longer to get the details he wanted. ? ? ? ? ? Smithing Material Score: A- Alchemic Material Score: A+ Crafting Material Score: B Building Material Score: B+ Energetic Material Score: S- Spell-Card Material Score: A Skill-Card Material Score: A- ? ? ? ? ? Rakna smiled faintly. Well, if I find out how to neutralize the Eion Decline that this material goes through after leaving my body, I can use this thing to cut back the cost on pretty much everything I do. If I can use this to make the Skill Cards, it will at least halve the manufacturing cost. {And I thank you for making me sound stupid by saying that S-Rank materials are too rare} Well, it makes sense for Eion to be so highly rated when ites to energy production. Im quite interested in the A+ score for alchemy too. Maybe I can give it to Evelyn after I settle it I guess its soon time to go meet Old Wang and see if his friend is done analyzing the Eionpound. Then we can finally start with that busineC Heya, Boss,ing in! A voice sounded and someone opened the door. Rakna blinked in surprise as his clone, still sporting blond hair, including his ears and tail, strode inside the office. He quickly noticed his odd behavior and the clear crimson glow in his eyes. right. By your eyes and the outgoing tone, I guess youre Volcanic right now? Yep. And? What can I say? I encountered a few assholes during my chill shopping time. Oh, and I didnt have any idea of how to introduce myself when I was asked so you might see me in the news with a headline that goes Mysterious Blond Therian! Member of Obsidian Throne! or something. Raknas expression twitched as his clone prattled. It really felt weird to be on the opposing side of it. Higurepletely agreed with the sentiment as she watched from the sidelines. I seriously want to call you an idiot But that would be insulting yourself now, wouldnt it? The clone snickered. Exactly. This is why I would like you to not be an idiot. Thank you. Hah! Well, you find your fun in seeing people shocked while I, as a clone, have fun messing around and annoying you. Since, you know, its not exactly as if the current me survives the re-assimtion process. Sort of. Rakna rolled his eyes. I dont think its time to start philosophical debates on the ethical use of self-governed clones. Not like I would stop using it whatever the conclusion Meh, dont worry, the clone huffed. I wont go all Sk on you. You, yourself, wouldnt do that after all. And since Im you, what is there to doubt? By the way, I went ahead and installed the stuff I bought at ck Steel; TVs, PCs, inte, and all, he added and threw back the spatial ring. The only things left in there are the stove, the fridge, and whatnot. Got it. You cane back now. Sure thing, Boss, the clone chuckled and put his hand on his originals shoulder, swiftly turning back into his fifth tail. When Rakna received the memories, he groaned. Harassers; of course, my clone would encounter some, he said sarcastically. I was hoping it was a joke. Why does it seem like my luck evaporates when ites to public appearance? At this rate, people that dont even exist will constitute half of my guild, he grumbled and dismissed the Skill Matrix hovering above his desk. Is that a really bad thing? Higure tilted her head. You know, like this, your enemies will always be nervous of confrontation, never knowing where or who all your forces are. Rakna raised an eyebrow and leaned back on his chair. I guess thats okay Now, its time that I finally do this. Its better not to postpone it for too long, he muttered and opened his status. He had, in fact, already checked the Path Quest issued to him; it was apparently something that would send him in a simtion upon epting it. Sadly, there were no other details. All he knew was that the Quest entailed doing something in the simtion. Nothing more. See you in a moment, Higure, Rakna quipped and selected Yes on the Quest prompt, starting a five-second countdown. Higure cackled. Well, thats definitely true from my perspective. But who knows how long~ youre in for? She added, purposefully emphasizing the word. Hm? What do you mean exactC? Rakna got cut off as he abruptly disappeared from the room. ? * * * ? ? ? ? ? Simtion Transfer Complete. Path Quest Initiated; Ancient Sentinel of The Moon. ? The Hosts form and abilities have been fixed at their strongest state for the duration of the Quest. Your role will be exined to you by the Scenario. You have several possible goals and clearing conditions. Feel free to do whatever you fancy. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna saw this notification whilst floating in darkness before he was shoved back into his body. He opened his eyes and reflexively tried to move, only to hear the rattling of metal; his limbs being constrained by something. Then, he eyed his surroundings that were drowned in obscurity. His inhuman eyesight made it as clear as day for him however and the only thing he could tell was that he was in a sort of dungeon. Not the kind that the System offered but a literal one. The walls were piled stone and there were prison bars on the opposite side of the room. Raknas confusion was mounting and he eventually looked at himself and what was stopping him from moving as he wanted. His body seemed to be stuck as a werewolf and he also had nine tails behind him. And what was restraining him was nothing other than chains. Massive, enchanted-looking chains, were pinning his five-meter-tall stature against the wall. What the hell is going on? Chapter 243: Clairvoyance Chapter 243: irvoyance Rakna analyzed the situation with scrunched eyebrows. First of all, his body. The chains that were binding him seemed to sap out his strength. He could hardly move and both his mana and internal energy were sealed. At least, for external applications. He could still use mana internally. Meaning that he could reinforce himself if he wanted to; despite it being a useless endeavor. His soul power seemed to be immune to the chains power. However, he had tried to use Astral Projection only to find out he couldnt leave the enclosure of this dungeon. Perhaps prison is the most urate description He thought and grunted. He then opened his status and squinted his eyes. My attributes they are all at 900 How? The prompt said my abilities had been temporarily fixed at their strongest state. Does this mean it included Ascent of the Titan into it? Is that skill perpetually activated? Then there are my tails. Theyre unlocked, but it seems the only change is the multiplicator of my transformation. It went from 62% to 75%. If it wasnt for that, my attributes would be lower by a 100 Rakna paused and closed his eyes, reaching for the familiar feeling in his back. He tried to deploy his wings but they were stopped by the chains. Nevertheless, he managed to confirm the fact that he had grown his third pair of wings. Same thing, huh? But Im not demonized so there are exceptions. Is it only my Nirvana Skills that are affected? But it seems Enthymiosyers arent fully unlocked either. Maybe its considered a skill of a different nature, he thought and clicked his tongue. This is going nowhere. Fray, Ceres. {Present,} the storyteller responded. [I am here, Rakna,] Ceres followed up. [But I apologize in advance. Im afraid I will not be able to give you the answers you seek. It is against my protocols to exin the current situation.] I see. So, the System must be intending to make this a learning experience. Not that I care. Fray, spit it out. You should at least know a bit of whats going on. {Yes and no. I simrly had to go through a Simtion for my Main Path Quest. Do you remember the Scenario mentioned in the earlier System message?} Yes. {Well, long story short, a Simtion is a pocket world made by the System. And this pocket world has a scenario of which youll be part of for your Quest. Think of it as a movie made exclusively for you to act as either a supporting or main character.} I see so, essentially, you can tell me what this is but you cant know what I should be doing or why Im even locked up in here. {I can only assume that its part of this Simtions Scenario. Perhaps the System deemed you far too strong to be given freedom from the start.} Rakna groaned. How many of these Simtions will I have to do in the future? {Regr Simtion Trials notwithstanding, this kind of Simtion is always meant to be a long one. It normally takes months, or even years toplete. They are called Scenes. Other than your Main Path Quest, Scenes are mandatory Trials to be able to leave the 100th teau, the 250th teau, the 500th, and the 750th teau. There is also the possibility of one being given to you for a Sub-Path; which you have yet to fully receive.} The werewolf sighed. His physical body at the moment was such that this simple action caused the dust in the prison to momentarily turn into a whirlwind. By the way if they deemed me too strong, as you say, why did they raise my abilities like this? {I would infer that its because you will require it as part of the Scenario. Theypromised by giving you a far stronger body within a far harder setting.} Makes sense They better not make me start Scenes like this every time in the future, heined to himself and started using Appraisal on everything around him. ? ? ? ? ? Archaic Chains of The Moon God ? Chains forged by the Moon God with the help of the Sun God. They are said to have been used to restrain the God of Earth who descended into madness and became the Demon God. It has the particrity of sealing the magic circuits of the beings it touches and it drains internal energy as fast as it regenerates. They cannot be broken by force and the only way to release its hold is by a drop of blood of a Moon God Descendant. ? ? Moon Stone Wall ? An underground wall built from a mineral rock that naturally forms on the moon. It has properties valued for making jails. It is resistant to magic, very durable, and it absorbs lunar energy to create a field capable of repelling spatial disturbances and even spiritual flows. ? ? Lunar Dungeon ? One of the many prison cells that were built during the time of Demon Gods rampage to lock up his strongest subordinates that were said to be immortal and unkible. Many of them were creatures of moonlight that wanted to take over the Moon God. Thus, its primary materials were chosen with the intent to be resistant as well as absorb lunar energy that could potentially be used by the inmates. ? ? ? ? ? And I guess Im one of them, Rakna said to himself as he read thest words. Well, it is true that I am someone who can get stronger from lunar energy at least. So, that means I was part of the Demon Gods forces? No, I cant be so sure Its possible that Impletely unrted to him and I was just thrown in here because it would be the perfect ce to seal a werewolf. {Which would mean that this Scenario might include you on a profound level. Perhaps youre an old and powerful being that has been imprisoned here for their evils.} Ancient Sentinel of The Moon Rakna thought. Thats the title of the Quest. I wonder if that refers to me Hmm, I wont go much further like this. I guess it cant be helped, he thought and he closed his eyes. Immediately after, grayish lines began to spread on the fur around his eyes. [Founding Intuition,] he intoned and the web of soul circuits took over his entire torso right as he lifted his eyelids. Then, the world slowed down and Raknas mind began to overclock. Activating Cross Sight. Counting focal points in the room 126. Too faint. Incapable of reaching or damaging them. Incapable of entering dimension. Discarding Rift Shuttle and Enthymio as possible solutions. Activating Fabled Sight. Analyzing stone. Activating Appraisal. Age of the prison, 2 096 years. Rewinding images saved inside Eye of Symphony before blowing away the dust. Identifying traces of footprints outside the bars. Age; 49 years. Focusing Appraisal. Antecedent trace; aged 99 years. Pairs of visitors. 50-year gap. 146 days estimated until the next visit. Rakna blinked and grunted, almost being forced out of his state. Soul dust was already starting to escape his body. Not enough. Continue. Assessing the release of demonization Not enough to break out of the chains or destroy the wall. Wings of Copse unusable. Storage rings are nowhere to be seen. Allegro missing. Sensing Sonatas wavelength south; plot point? Tail Clone? Not capable of escaping the chains hold. Altering bodyposition via nano-bots? Non-viable; bodyposition is restrained by a spell. Chain effect? Or System plot point? Conclusion; escape impossible. Switching tost resorts; estimating the chances of survival from an overload of Eion Systems to rebuild a freed body 0.0159%. Hah The werewolf abruptly exhaled a red-blue smoke, followed by the rest of his grayish lines across his body. 12 seconds a bit better thanst time, he said between breaths. {Whats the conclusion?} Fray asked. Impossible to break out, Rakna stated. I found one way to do it but the probabilities are a bit too low, even for me. I have a guess but, Ceres, what happens if I die in the simtion? [You will simply cease to exist. Your real body is currently in a transitory dimension connected to this one. If you die here, your real body will also die, and you will not even be returned to the ce where you got transferred from.] Lovely. I guess the n is to wait, Rakna sighed. And the worst is that I have to wait 146 days for something to happen I would have never known that without Founding Intuition {So what are you going to do during nearly half a year?} Well, theres literally a library inside my soul realm. But I can also train my soul and my abilities as a Firmament Monarch. Namely, Founding Intuition and irvoyance. I should be able to use thetter on these chains, he dered and channeled his soul power. He hadnt used much to activate Founding Intuition since he only spent 12 seconds under its influence. Lets see how this ability fares inparison He uttered, his growl-like voice reverbing inside the prison dungeon. [irvoyance,] he chanted whilst wrapping the chains with his soul power, and the next thing he knew, he was sitting somewhere unrecognizable, still incapable of moving. But he could see something. Or rather, two people. He had a rather narrow view of them, perhaps because he had yet to master irvoyance. But he still managed to make out that a pair of people were imbuing their power into a giant pool of molten ore. It was the size of a volcano and the two people, shadowed by Raknascking field of view, were hovering above it. After a few seconds, something flew out of the volcano. It was an awe-inspiring chain that spanned for hundreds of meters. This was the creation of the Archaic Chains of The Moon God. Which meant that the pair of people were most likely the Moon and Sun God themselves. Rakna blinked and the images changed. His eyes widened in shock when he saw himself, howling at the sky as he was besieged by an entire army. The werewolf was absorbing lunar energy and he wielded a red and azure Guandao that fit his size. He struggled against his opponents, roaring beams of star energy that had enough power to blow up mountains. But he was eventually restrained by a spell that gave enough time for one of themanders of the army to tie him up with the Chains. The werewolf cried out in agony and fury as the chain began to destroy his insides as a side effect of suppressing his power. The scene changed again and this time, Rakna saw several people hammer the chains into the wall of the Lunar Dungeon and then leave an unconscious werewolf behind. When they locked the prison on the way out, Rakna returned to his body and nearly fainted as more soul dust came out of his body. His eyes flickered red a few times before he calmed down. The emotions of his supposed past-self seemed to have bled through. It had given him actual memories. He took a deep breath and watched as the soul circuits on his fur and flesh slowly receded; healed by the nanomachines. Crap I used much more soul power for this one He mumbled. But I didnt notice it. Does it mean that when using irvoyance, I have no way to tell how low I am on soul power? He thought and scowled. That could be dangerous if Im not careful. Just for those few images, half of my soul power was burnt. And since busted soul power recovers far slower, itll take at least ten days for that amount to return {What did you see in the end though?} Fray inquired curiously. Nothing I hadnt already reasoned. I saw those Gods make the chains. Then I saw myself fight against an army before they imprisoned me. What I noticed though is that the chains used on me looked a lot older than when they were created. That probably means I dont have anything to do with the Demon God at least. But I cant help but think {That this Scenario has something to do with that exact same Demon God?} Just a hunch, Rakna responded and rxed his body, making the chains tter. Now, we wait. If Im not wrong, the people that visit this ce must be descendants of the Moon God. Since they are the only ones who can free me and Im sure the System wouldnt leave me without a way to even get out of here. {A sound theory.} Until then, Ill use irvoyance to get a perfect grasp of my past, the werewolf sighed and closed his eyes. For now [Soul Breath], he intoned and fell into deep meditation. Chapter 244: Lunar Kingdom Chapter 244: Lunar Kingdom A hundred and forty-six days were surprisingly fast to pass. If normal people were to spend that much time locked in a dungeon, they wouldnt be able to remain sane. That was probably also the Systems goal to simte a life of incarceration. But Rakna was far from the definition of normal. First and foremost, he had two people with whom he could converse, and every time he fell asleep, he would meet with Ceres in his dream world. Not to mention, he had nothing to be bored about. While he sadly couldnt train physically or even magically, he could still read all the books stored inside Frays library. What he had been able to progress on were his magic theory and his runecraft. His proficiencies had gotten a lot closer to breaking through the Demi-God Rank; an improvement that would baffle anyone. Even more so if they considered the fact he couldnt actually practice his theories due to the chains. Other than that, he also had been meditating and slowly improving his soul power. His soul sense, soul breath, and even his Soul Core had reached Exceled. The only soul skill he possessed that had not moved much was Souls Decree. The skill once known as Eye of the Mind had moved up by two levels; until level 29. It was a bit away from turning into a Divine-Rank Skill. As expected, its incredibly hard to reach Divine-Rank on a skill even if Im particrly talented in that area, Rakna thought as he opened his eyes and let out a breath filled with soul power. So, this is the 146th day, huh? Even if I used Soul Breath a lot it feels like it went by far too fast. [This is an essential feature of Scenes,] Ceres spoke, allowed to divulge this specific information to her Host. [Every Simtion of this type will alter your perception of time. You will feel as if the time is passing by as youre used to but at the end of it, you will look back and feel as if only a few days had passed. This prevents Hosts from aging too much when going through Simtions. But nothing can be done about any sort of trauma that urred within the Simtion.] Logical, Rakna agreed with a nod. It made sense to him that the System would avoid making their Hosts suddenly act like old men after one Simtion. They would lose their drive to challenge the teaus, after all. As he was thinking that, his ear twitched and he smiled. There was no need to say that his senses were currently out of this world with his attributes near the four figures. He could hear footsteps approaching from miles away. In fact, he already guessed that this prison of his was located underground in some area devoid of human life. He had been able to sense animals from time to time but never humans. This was the first time he could hear one approaching. And so, he calmly waited. Without as much as moving an inch, he tracked this visitor, right from the edge of his sensory range to the tunnel they took to reach him. He focused on that until he began to hear soundsing from the corridor outside his cell; actual footfalls and their echoes. Rakna squinted his eyes as he spotted a silhouette through the gaps of the bars. Then, he let out an audible chuckle. Quite a short and empty one since Obsidian Blood wasnt activated. But the tone of his voice, ominous to anyone who heard it, made the person shiver. I was wondering He spoke up. I only heard one set of footsteps. Shouldnt there be two, I asked myself. And who would have thought? Rakna snorted and his whirling eyes glowed, making the man that was standing in front of the prison even tenser. The visitor was a tall man with silver hair and eyes. He was wearing a white coat and regal clothes ented by silver and blue. However, this majestic attire was stained by blood. The worst of it came from the arm which the man was clutching in pain. The werewolf didnt need any supernatural aid to see that he was struggling to stay conscious or even standing. But his Appraisal nheless told him of the person in front of him. So, youre the Crown Prince of this generation, hemented and the man stayed silent, his eyes half-closed from exhaustion but burning with willpower. The truth was, Rakna knew who the frequent visitors of this ce usually were. He had had more than enough time to use irvoyance on himself, reading his past fabricated by the Scenario. For the past 1264 years, the King and Prince of the Kingdom that had imprisoned him would visit him for the coronation of said Prince; every fifty years. Never absent even once. Then, young prince, what are you here for? I have to say, the blood on you is a delightful sight to me. Would you lend some? Rakna jested. If he was in this scenario, he would y the part. Though his tone was slightly influenced by the fake memories he had gained through irvoyance. The young man gritted his teeth and used a key to open the cell. He staggered inside and kept close to the walls; not because he was wary of the werewolf but because he did not trust himself to not fall without support. Rakna quietly watched as the prince made his way to his side of the room. His blood was dripping behind him and eventually, he stopped near the werewolf, towering over him by more than three meters, and copsed on his knees. Sentinel of The Moon He rasped out. My name is udius Luna Helios I am the heir to the throne for the title of 46th King of the Lunar Kingdom My father died As of today I hold the power to decide the fate of the Kingdom The werewolf raised an eyebrow at him and then looked up at the ceiling. As if on cue, the entire underground dungeon shook. Raknas eyes narrowed. He could sense the mana at the surface as well as the telltales of an explosion. The prince, on the other hand, seemed unbothered. No, it would be more urate to say that he was doing exactly what the implications behind that explosion forced him to do. Sentinel of The Moon the Lunar Kingdom has wronged you desecrated your duty as the guardian of the shrine but I beg you help us You are being attacked, Rakna retorted without missing a beat. He was stating a fact. One clearly painful to hear for udius. Who? The scourge from Earth the Demons Their motive? I dont know perhaps their aim is the Moons Gods legacy within the shrine, the prince winced. That you once protected Rakna huffed in amusement, agitating the air around, and the young man shuddered. Then tell me, why is it that youvee to me despite knowing the wrong youve inflicted on me? Youre ourst chance Ever since the day we sealed you every King was tasked to tell the next generation of the location of this dungeon as well as to inform them of the secret weapon our Kingdom possesses; you. udius looked up at the werewolfs numbing eyes as he recalled his fathers words right before he died in his arms, hidden from the Demons as they rampaged on their capital. Go to the Red Forest follow your pendant I normally should have brought you there myself today but it seems I wontst long enough There, you will find the Sentinel He must hate us But you must plead for his help Hes your only chance of surviving this Good luck, udius I see. So, it was their n the whole time to use me in cases of emergencies, Rakna said out loud and eyed the prince. Today, your father should have visited with you. As he did fifty years ago, in thepany of your grandfather. Since that did not happen, but you still came here today out of all possible dates, I suppose they attacked during your coronation ceremony. The same kind that happens every fifty years; a perfect stage for the Demons. udius bit his lip as the terrifying voice made its way into his head like des scraping against his eardrums. He could feel the strength and the wisdom in it that scared him more than he would have ever expected. How was he supposed to convince a creature so old and wise to help the ones that betrayed him in the past? udius Luna Helios, the Ancient Sentinel uttered and he hardened his eyes. I will be free if you drop as much as a drop of blood on these chains. You must know that already, no? Yes And that is what you n to do in exchange for my help. Yes you are correct But you are still hesitating, Rakna said with a small but petrifying smile. You are afraid that Id kill you and be done with it. Perhaps even join the invaders; you reek of apprehension. udius could only close his mouth. So, one could not even hide their thoughts from the Moon Sentinel that once stood side by side with the Moon God? His father had been far too optimistic But I shall simplify your dilemma. Make a contract with me. Huh? The young prince eximed. What do you I can sense theming. They are following your trail. Soon enough, they will be here and if you do not make your decision soon, I will lose myst chance of escaping this ce. I am not going to let that happen. Then udius breath hitched as the werewolfs body began to release soul power purer than he had ever felt before. Your people might have wronged me but my allegiance is with the Moon God. So, answer me, ? Prince No, King of the Moon. [I Decree Upon My Soul. I, The Ancient Sentinel of the Moon, will swear to defend the Lunar Kingdom as long as udius Luna Helios frees me of my shackles. If you ept this Decree, speak!] udius looked on wide-eyed before he steeled himself. He clenched his arm and used everything he had to stand up. He extended his own soul power at the werewolf and walked to the massive chains. [I Decree Upon My Soul I, udius Luna Helios recognizes this Decree,] he dered and stretched his bloodied arm. A line of blood streamed down his palm, to the tip of his finger, and then fell. The crimson ichor plummeted and right as it sshed on the chains, the ceiling of the dungeon copsed and a figure crashed through it. Oi, oi, little prince. You certainly ran far, a voice echoed and a man with red and ck armored clothes stepped out of the cloud of dust he had made. Arge one-handed ax was resting on his shoulder and he sported a pair of horns curving backward. What is this ce? A Lunar Dungeon? The demon muttered as he looked at the lunar stone that made up the walls. He still couldnt properly see what was around him because of the dust he had raised himself. How cute, your highness, he grinned, his pointy teeth fully disyed and his eyes glowing yellow. Are you desperate enough to ask help from some third-rate convict weak enough to be captured by you all? Dont make meuC *ng* The demon stopped talking as he heard the sound of chains hitting the ground. Third-rate, is it? The ax-wielding invader froze as the voice resounded. Immediately after, he saw a pair of golden and purple whirling eyes shine through the dust. Then, a shadow swiped across the gray cloud of debris and blew it all away. What the The demon stepped back despite himself. His neck slightly cranked as he beheld thest thing he would see in his life; the Nine-Tailed Werewolf they called the Sentinel. Of whom one tail was wrapped around an unconscious body; the prince he had been after. This doesnt make sense the Sentinel is supposed to be dead!! Why the fuck are you here?! The demon yelled as he took a stance and gripped his ax tighter. One of Raknas eyes turned red and he wed the ground, prowling like a wolf about to jump on his prey, his tails fanned out behind him. The legendary creature grinned, Third-rate? Weak? You are quite bold. Lets see if you can back up your bite, imp, he uttered and leaped forward; the red hue of his trailing eye being the only thing the demon managed to see. AAAAAAHHH! His screams sounded for a few brief seconds before dying out forever. Chapter 245: "Tell me; Who am I?" Chapter 245: Tell me; Who am I? Rakna swiped his hand to get rid of the blood on his ws as the bisected body of the demon lied at his feet. At the same time, he swallowed the heart and licked his lips. He felt some of his mana and internal energy return but nothing much. Barely a snack, he muttered. After being freed from the chains, they had stopped draining his energy, but that also meant he needed a bit of time to recover his mana and stamina. The former had been initially stuck at around 3200 when he came into the simtion but he had used it up during the wait to level up his Reinforcement and other skills using mana internally. Lets see I recover about 230 MP per minute, he muttered and looked up at the hole made by the ax-wielding demon. He could perfectly hear the soundsing from the surface now. He even could smell presences from where he was. He also activated Soul Sight and clicked his tongue as he saw the sea of souls. Theres a whole army up there, he muttered. Theyll probablye down soon enough. Though it seems only this idiot knew where the prince was Maybe he sensed his presence and decided to go on his own before informing anyone else. Sucks for him that Im imperceptible The werewolf snorted and nced at udius who was being healed by the nanomachines he was sharing through his tails. This was something he found out he could do; to rebuild other peoples bodies with his own. The nanomachines will temporarily fill the gaps, and then slowly rece the organic parts and shed the rest over time until its nothing but normal flesh and blood. They wont be able to sense him as long as I keep him close Anyway, I could charge in and drain their souls or eat their hearts to recover. Im unbeatable in attrition warfare. {Thats true, now that I think about it,} Fraymented. {Some of your skills allow you to never bepletely out of mana or stamina as long as you have enough enemies.} Hm do you think I should take a power nap to rouse my Sloth a bit? {You made a Soul Oath Please take this seriously} Well, in that case, before anything else, Rakna said nonchntly and grabbed the dead demons head like a giant ying with a doll, [Dead Men Tell.] ? * * * ? Did you find him yet? A beautiful female demon with long ck hair and red eyes asked one of her brethren donned with a full set of ebony armor. They were standing on top of arge wall that epassed a massive modern city made out of only pale-colored metal and stone. This city was now set aze and the castle that lied in its center half-demolished. One could still hear the screams of the citizens and whistling sounds originating from the Moon Dwellers sma weapons fighting back against the invasion. Most of the Kingdoms best fighting force had already been killed or incapacitated in the ambush. The demons had practically won within minutes. Negative, General, the demon knight replied to his superior. I have sent several men skilled in Blood Sensing to the Red Forest but none of them have reported back to me yet. Tch, where did that prince disappear to? What about the King? He was found dead from his injuries inside a secret room under the castle. It was a room sealed by a Moon Relic that made anyone inside undetectable. The general raised an eyebrow. Well, that exins how they disappeared. But I wonder why we found the princes blood leading to the Red Forest He could have tried to leave the moon with a pod. Perhaps tried to reach out to the Sun Dwellers. But if he thought that to be too dangerous, he might have taken another decision. But logically, an escape pod is his best shot. If he didnt try to find one Then it would imply that it wasnt his first choice of actions, the knightpleted for her. At this point, the woman was starting to be nervous. She turned to the forest with red trees that flourished even amidst the rockynd of the moon. Do they have something hiding in there? Lady Lilith! You should check this out! A voice caught her attention and she looked at her soldiers down the wall who were pulling a sort of azure and golden coffin. However, it was far too atypical to be just a coffin. First of all, it was around five meters tall and far too thin to be containing a humanoid body. There were also countless runic writings on its surface. Lilith was knowledgeable enough to recognize it as a constraining seal. There was something in that coffin that the people who made it didnt want to be taken out at all costs. That was clear as day. When she was about to say something, an explosion urred right in the middle of the Red Forest and her eyes widened. She spun around to look at a dome of blue energy trouncing everything in its vicinity. Wha-?! [Neptunia,] a growly voice boomed from inside the dome and Lilith saw a trident, out all things, fly out of it toward the sky before bursting. A shockwave spread out from there and reached every corner of the city and every demon in the army. And before any had the time to properly react, the field of destructive energy died down, and in its disappearance, came along the emergence of dark clouds; the cues of a storm. When the rain began to pour down, many demons were already bellowing at the unnatural phenomenon. Even thest resistance of the Lunar Kingdom was shocked. But-! This is the moon! One of them shouted. There barely is enough air to make a bubble, or water to make if nothing but ake! This shouldnt be possible! Its a spell, one man with short silver hair, sporting a pdin armor marred with blood, spoke at his subordinates outrage. A spell cast by someone immensely powerful otherwise, there would be no way to exin how it overtook the sky of the entire capital and even beyond Meanwhile, Lilith gritted his teeth as the exceedingly cold rain hit her skin. Ive never seen such a spell in my life Was this their trump card? No its the one who cast it, she uttered and barked orders at her army through mass telepathy to regroup. General! The knight that was by her side raised his voice. There is no response from the team sent in the Red Forest! And a mist is covering the whole forest. Its impossible to tell what is going on inside. I can see that! Lilith yelled back and gazed at the forest, her crimson eyes narrowed, and for the split of a second, she could have sworn to see the afterimage of a shadow with six wings. That it cant be other than the Sun Dwellers there is only one beast in the world that has the same number of wings, she thought with growing dread. Then, she saw it. A towering figure calmly walked out of the misty forest with dead demons held tightly in his ws and spilling blood on the ground with every step taken. His nine tails iled behind him with his three pairs of silverish wings faintly glowing. As the demon army began to lock eyes on him, their general trembled and clenched her fist to calm it down. So, thats what it was The demoness spat out irately and her expression fell when she saw the werewolfs ears twitch. He looked at her from miles away and dropped the corpses he was carrying before ripping out their hearts and gorging them. Lilith bit her lip until blood came out and at her side, the knight unsheathed the cursed sword he carried at his waist with grim intent, General who is that? Its the Sentinel shit, she cursed. They lied to the world. The Lunar Kingdom made up the story of his death. They spun around the truth by saying they had lost many fighters, including the Sentinel himself, fighting a powerful Devil Shade. While in reality, they most likely lost all those forces against the Sentinel The Ancient Sentinel of The Moon The demon knights grip on his sword shook. Despite being a demon more than 500 years old, he had grown up hearing stories about this creature. It was said that even the Demon God was cautious of him. That was how notorious he was. But that does not make sense how could those Moon Dwellers possibly win over the Sentinel? The Lunar Key, a voice echoed, overpowering the rain, and everyone on the battlefield; everyone in the city; and every sentient animal nearby felt like Death had suddenlye and put its hand on their shoulder. The only thing they could hear soon became nothing but the sshes of water hitting the ground. An artifact usable by the Moon Dweller Royalty to suppress the power of one marked by the Moon God, Rakna said with a cold tone, revealing a fact he had learned from his irvoyance coupled with his Founding Intuition. At this stage, one could say Rakna had be one with the persona that was The Sentinel. Quite an ironic treachery The demon knight couldnt help but step back a bit. The werewolf had heard him and answered his question; for some reason, that made him more nervous than ever in his life. After all, how was he supposed to feel after interacting with a living legend heralded to be the creature with the most demon blood on its hands? Now, you imps, I will give you a choice, Rakna spoke up, still transmitting his voice through the air with mana. Run, and live; stay, and die. Which do you prefer? Silence overtook everywhere his voice couch reach and his eyes locked onto the woman standing atop the city wall; the demons memories he had stolen allowing him to recognize her as this armys leader. Lilith steeled herself and banished away her fears. Sentinel! She yelled, simrly broadcasting her voice, and the werewolf scowled at her while her troops seemed to finally be able to resist the instinctual fear that had been weighing on them. Why?! Why do you stand with them?! Rakna raised an eyebrow as he heard her question. Let me ask you back; why should I not? They betrayed you, did they not?! Lilith shouted and waved at the city behind her. Why do you decide to protect a Kingdom that chained you down?! that is a reasonable doubt, indeed, the werewolf said with a nod and the demoness felt some hope. The Moon Dwellers betrayed me for their greed. Once they understood that the Moon God was not going to return, they set their sights on the Shrine I was tasked to protect. They believed to be able to exploit the power that resided in it. Isnt that also why you are here? Lilith squinted her eyes. You wish to bring back the Demon God into this world, Rakna stated and the citizens of the Lunar Kingdom who had been listening gasped. Your aim is the remnants of the Moon Gods power. The method that was used to get rid of the Demon God was sacrificial. The Moon God used his own life to banish your God; a mutual erasure. Normally, it would be impossible to bring your God back. Normally Am I to assume you know then? The demoness interjected. You seem rather aware of things for someone who just escaped eternal imprisonment. Rakna let out a shiver-inducing chuckle. Your men were very talkative Or rather, their minds were rather weing to me. I see I never knew the Sentinel was proficient in mind reading. Dear, you can learn much in a thousand years, Rakna jested. Even bound by Divine Chains. But on a more serious note; your goal. You intend, not to resurrect the Demon God, but resurrect the Moon God instead. What?! One of the moon soldiers in the capital eximed in shock and others followed. Because the technique used by the Moon God was a Law of Equivalence. In this case if the Moon God is dead; then the Demon God is dead. And if the Moon God was to be resurrected; the Demon God would be resurrected as well. That is the Law of the World. And you still wish to oppose us? Lilith retorted. Your Lord will return and you will also get the opportunity to punish the ones who betrayedC! Lilith Yamul, Rakna halted her. Are you not forgetting something? You wish to vite the Shrine to meet your end goals. Now tell me; who am I? The demoness pursed her lips. the Ancient Sentinel of The Moon, Guardian of the Shrine. Exactly, Rakna said and extended his hand forward. I am here for one sole reason, he dered and a thudding noise sounded from the direction in which his palm was pointing. Lilith shuddered and looked over her shoulder to see the coffin from earlier quaking. The demons that had dragged it over from the castle took their distances from it as it began to float. Whatever was inside clearly was being agitated as the coffin began to bend from the inside. Im the Sentinel and I guard the Shrine, the werewolf stated and in the next moment, the coffin blew up and an azure sh pierced through the city wall and flew to Rakna who caught it, his body making half a spin to kill the momentum. He straightened himself and whirled the five-meter-long ive that was now held in his hand. He stared right into the eyes of Lilith as the wind from him wielding his weapon produced a small tornado to his right. He then stopped spinning it and mmed the butt of the polearm into the ground, creating mile-long crevasses that made the closest demons cry out in fear. Its as simple as that, he added with a small smile. But you know, I respect your goal. What? Lilith muttered in surprise at the sudden statement. Rakna pulled Sonata out of the ground and shouldered it. I was betrayed because my God wasnt here anymore. You, however, decided to wage war to bring your own back. That loyalty of yours is worth my respect. ept it; that is the only grace I will offer you before your death. The demoness didnt say anything for a moment but the corners of her mouth raised a bit. Is that so She whispered and took a deep breath. My soldiers! She yelled at her army. Follow me to battle! A threat to the return of our God now stands in front of us! Are you with me?! Aye, General!! In the name of the Demon God!! We will fight to our death! The demons rallying cries boomed loud enough to make the ground shake; as if to content against the werewolfs earlier disy of strength. Lilith grabbed the cloak that hung on her shoulders and tossed it away, fully revealing a skin-tight metallicbat suit. She opened both of her hands and summoned a pair of indented sabers. Ramil, she voiced and the knight next to her saluted. Lets go. Yes, General. The two of them jumped off the wall, leaping hundreds of meters forward, andnding in Raknas direct line of sight. The demoness pointed one of her des at the werewolf, who had already started releasing an aura so cold the rain he had conjured began to turn into hail. General of the 2nd Demon Legion, Marquess Lilith Yamul. Here Ie. Rakna snorted in amusement and took a stance. Sentinel of The Moon, Wolf Emperor. You may call me Obsidian. Liliths eyes briefly widened in surprise at hearing his name for the first time. She had never heard of the Sentinel possessing one. It is an honor, she said and prepared herself to fight as her army gradually entered formation behind her. Then, if you are ready; gaze into despair, the werewolf dered and brought his free hand to his face before bending his fingers a bit as if he was holding a mask. [Mask of Phobos.] Chapter 246: The Sentinels Power Chapter 246: The Sentinels Power Lilith didnt know what to expect from fighting the Sentinel. Perhaps, in the back of her mind, she was aware that she didnt stand a chance. But when she saw those crimson bones sprouting on the werewolfs face, she almost lost all hope. This red mask, mirroring even the jaws and fangs of the Sentinel, was making her feel like a wolf had already wrapped her neck in its maw, ready to chew it out. It only took a millisecond of contact with the purple glow shining through the masks eyes for her to feel defeated. And it wasnt only just the werewolfs face. The bony material was spreading around the Sentinels body, covering specific parts. A thin articted bone appeared on each of his tails and some more around his ws; his hands and feet alike. His shoulders, his legs, his arms, and his elbows It was like an exoskeleton. But this wasnt meant to increase his physical strength. No, this skeletal armor was both releasing an aura of dread and feeding on the fear that it caused, channeling it to the Sentinels convenience. Feeding! Lilith came back to her senses as she realized this. Her tunnel vision disappeared and she finally could see that thousands of her men had begun falling on the ground like puppets losing their strings. Dont look at his mask! If you cant resist his aura, then dont look at him at all! Hes feeding on your fear! She bellowed and directed her hand at the sky, summoning a magic circle that linked every demon together. The moment she did that, her army regained their senses, but some still vomited. Rallying Magic As expected of one of the strongest demonmanders, Raknamented as the army recovered from his mental attack, The Mask of Phobos moving with his mouth. It wont work as well for me now that you created a hive mind capable of sharing mental fortitude. Lilith stared at him who had yet to make a move. Is he showing mercy? Is he giving us a chance to resist? The demoness couldnt help but think. No not even a second passed since he donned this mask. It simply happened too fast. Before I could even react, a quarter of my legion fell. Come, Lilith Yamul, Rakna uttered and retracted Sonata behind his back and faced forward with his left palm. The demoness inhaled and released her demonic aura, reinforcing herself. Her twin sabers shone and she disappeared from her spot in a st of mes. She appeared in front of Rakna and brought down both of her des. Rakna blocked it with the shaft of his Guandao and the ground under him gave out. A short second passed without anything happening until the force behind the blow caught up to the speed it was dealt out, sending a shockwave that razed arge portion of the Red Forest. Liliths arms strained under the rebound and she grimaced; the Sentinel had barely moved from her attack. She pushed herself away with one saber and used the other to sh diagonally. Rakna responded with a smile and used one of his wings to block it. The demoness eyes widened and in the next moment, she was kicked in the stomach, the disparity in size and strength making her cough blood as she flew away. Right after she was pushed back, a hail of magic missiles whistled through the air toward Rakna. He looked at them with a calm eye and intoned, [Wrath Demon.] He activated the active skill of Ireful Descent and the magded on him, creating a chain explosion that stopped the rain from falling for a short moment. Lilith recovered her bnce at about the same time and looked back stunned as she felt demonic energying from within the detonations. For some reason, she also felt angrier and eager to attack the Sentinel. Is that a? Just like she feared, the werewolf stepped out of the mes with barely a scratch on his fur. There was also a sort of transparent purple wraith floating above him; releasing waves of demonic aura. This was the aggro skill of Ireful Descent; a Demon of Wrath that attracts animosity unto its user in exchange for a 50% increase in Magic and Physical Defense. Rakna waved Sonata and cleared the smoke of the magic as he beheld half of the army rushing at him; incapable of resisting the taunting force. He huffed and star-shed in the middle of their lines and instantly bisected a dozen of demons with one swing. He twisted his body to dodge a magic bolt passing by his ear and then deflected the sword of arge demon even bigger than him in size. He extended his ws and beheaded therge soldier with ease. He conjured swords of star energy and stabbed them into the corpse before kicking it away into the crowd of demons where the swords exploded at his mentalmand. He continued to weave through magic and des for half a minute before he stomped on the ground and lifted chunks of earth into the air. He opened his palm and charged a sphere of energy circled by a ring. He jumped in the air and as he fell, he put his palm parallel to the ground. [Natcattira Kir?am.] The spell was conjured and the halo of energy expanded outward and reaped the lives of every demon in the direct vicinity. Raknanded after the ring finished expanding and with minimal movement, he raised his weapon and parried a pitch-ck sword that was aiming at his neck. He nced at its wielder, a tall ebony knight, and grunted. The Knight of Sound. Ramil, was it? Rakna uttered and pushed the sword away before extending his hand in the demons direction. [Natcattiram Cataract,] he intoned, his words being spoken in less than half a second, and a rotating amalgam of hoarfrost energy shot out of his hand. Ramil grunted as he was carried away by the spell. The pressure from the mana contained inside alone was enough to make some of the demons it flew over falter. When it reached a certain height in the sky, it exploded and temporarily cleared away the thunderous clouds, showing the view of the distant Earth for a few seconds. Rakna didnt even bother looking at it and instead spun around and once again blocked the sword of the same knight. The werewolf and the three-meter-tall ck armor stared into each others eyes before they jumped away from each other. A fitting title Rakna muttered as he casually batted two wings to the side where a new wave of magic spells wasing his way. At the same time, he positioned a third wing to shoot a volley of feathers that found their target in the hearts and heads of demons. You ride sound waves; you can lock onto a sound and appear anywhere it reaches. Efficient teleportation; albeit stuck at the speed of sound. Ramil didnt reply, the eyes sockets of his armor as empty as always. You just rode the explosion of my spell until here An interesting Nirvana Skill you have. Almost makes me want to take it for myself, Rakna said with a huff. Sadly, you dont have a heart for me to eat, do you? An empty armor that you are, after all The knight bent forward and used his sword to scrape his armor. The screech resounded and in a split second, he was already behind Rakna, thrusting his sword. But when the tip was about to hit, it went through a hazy afterimage. Slow, the werewolf uttered as he reappeared behind the living armor and threw a fist instead of using his weapon. [Rift Shuttle.] The dimensions coalesced and collided with the demon, crushing its chest te to reveal its insides, orck thereof, and sent him hurling. Dimensions didnt make any sound and he was unable to catch himself until he crashed in the middle of the armys back lines. [Million Cries,] an unknown voice echoed and Rakna hastily looked up to see a demon with schr-like attire aiming his staff at him. Then, with a sh, a massive bolt of yellow lightning struck. Immediately after, a noise like a million birds chirping invaded the battlefield and melted the moons surface for hundreds of meters in a linear path. Rakna grunted and star-shed out of the lightnings range. He took off to the skies with one of his wings fuming and a part of his skeletal mask cracked. The Mask almost shattered, he thought and used Artzpul to dash at the newly arrived mage. Hah! Dont underestimate me, Sentinel! The demonughed and threw his staff into the air. He then extended both of his hands forward and condensed a sphere of lightning. At the same time, his staff began to float above him and created a second sphere. [Billion Cries!] The two spheres thenbined andunched a wave of lightning that traveled kilometers through the sky, swallowing the werewolfs figure. The mage then let himself fall to the ground where Ramil slowly stood up, his armor mending itself. Yourete, Norio, the knight spoke with a low voice. Yeah, well, you were the ones who started fighting a freaking urban legend while I was trying to work around the Shrines defenses! The mage retorted. If I had rushed to pause my work, I would have triggered a trap that could have killed me. Its not the time to bicker, Lilith shouted as she joined them and turned to her army. Mage Corps! Start casting again! Healing Corps! Erect your barriers! Soldiers! Reinforce yourselves! The demons followed her orders without dy. They all knew it wasnt over. They still could feel it; the dread and the wrath that taunted them. Soon enough, the residues of Norios spell vanished and left the ce for the sight of a massive golden shield with wings protecting Rakna. [Star Hearth C Aegis,] the werewolf muttered and the star construct faded away. That was a powerful spell. Had it hit, it would have made some damage. Imend you, Norio of Tribtion. The mageughed bitterly and clenched his staff. Some damage, eh? Mighty humble of you. Rakna snorted in amusement and raised his hand to his mask. The skill had reached its limit so he waved it off. The Mask of Phobos scattered and the demons instantly felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Its time to stop ying, Rakna then dered and his tails began to glow pale blue. Motes of light suddenly came out of the moons earth and were absorbed by them. Lunar Energy Lilith said gloomily. Mages! Attack! At hermand, hundreds of magic circles came into existence and conjured all sorts of spells. Norio himself also mmed his staff on the ground and summoned thousands of small lightning bolts. Rakna watched everything approach and turned Sonata into a greatsword. He gripped it with both hands and poured mana into it. [10 000 Nights of Severance,] he intoned and swung his de horizontally. Then, to the shock of the demons, the array of magic elements split and passed over and below the werewolf, who didnt move a single step, before exploding behind him. No fucking way Norio mumbled. That weapon can cut magic? Its the Rhapsodic Sonata, Lilith said. The Sentinels weapon. Barely anything is known about it other than its unparalleled. Thats what the Moon Dwellers had sealed into that coffin Are you ready, demons? Rakna spoke up and his greatsword turned into two katanas. He pointed one of them at the clouds and a magic formation appeared at the tip. [Mystic Hoarfrost Blizzard.] When these words left his mouth, the climate across the entire moon changed. The clouds that had been summoned by Neptunia whitened and the rain turned into crystals. Then, the wind picked up and began to form a snow tempest with sharp crystalline ice spinning around inside of it. Not only that but the previously fallen rainwater also turned into ice and the demons, even with all of their physical prowess, began to feel the merciless bite of the cold as the water froze on their very skin as well as at their feet. And to worsen it all, the air turned into fog and they lost sight of their enemy. The mages and supporters promptly extended their magic to keep the frost away and the winds that threatened to shred them into pieces from the crystals formed from the rain. Norio! Can you dispel this? Lilith asked as the trio of leaders stood back-to-back. They honestly couldnt believe how good the Sentinel could hide his presence. They couldnt sense anything at all from within the fog. No! This guy is fueling mana to this as we speak! Hes gathering Lunar Energy and pouring it into this spell. If it was a regr spell, I could counter it. But this will not stop as long as the Sentinel continues to power it. Not to mention that the Mystic Mana makes it at least two times harder. The demoness clicked her tongue and conjured a tsunami of fire to fight against the storm of cold and ice. Norio began to do the same and a distance away, Ramil noticed something odd. His helmet twisted as he looked at the ground where a ck mist was mixed with the fog. This malignance! He mumbled. Commander! Theres aC! [Union Magic,] Raknas abrupt chant interrupted him. His voice was omnipresent as if it wasing from every direction. [Frosted Sloth C Niflhel Niflheim.] Immediately after, the screams of demons began to be heard and telepathic reports of the Sentinel cutting down soldiers and summoning dozens of wolves were thrown around. Simultaneously, the effects of the unnoticed ck mist made themselves clear. Many of the demons became light-headed and some even dropped their weapons out of the sheer drowsiness they were suffering. The link that had been made between them by Liliths Rally Magic was the only reason they hadnt all fallen asleep already. The marquess witnessed her men drop to the ground without even sustaining an injury and the desperation finally began to set in. We had no chance from the start She said bitterly. She couldnt help but admit it. She, herself, had obviously no chance on a one on one but what she didnt realize fast enough was that an army was even more of a bad matchup for the Sentinel. Lilith! Norio yelled. Snap out of it! We need you! The demoness scoffed. Im not giving up, Norio, she said and clenched her sabers; their edges glowing. She started walking toward where she was hearing the screams and cloaked herself in mes. Im merely resigning to our fate She muttered and halted briefly. She nced at her old-time friend and smiled sadly. I leave the lives of our men to you. This is myst order; retreat while I distract him. What are you-?! Norio closed his mouth and covered his face as a pir of golden mes erupted where Lilith was standing, clearing away the blizzard until the clouds. Hidden inside the fog, Raknas eyes widened as he felt the sudden increase in aura. He acted purely on instinct and triggered Rift Shuttle, hastily covering himself in dimensions. The next thing he knew; his left arm and the three wings behind it had been cut in two by a ming saber. The katana he was holding lodged itself in the ground and he swiftly used the other to sh against a second saber. His eyes met his assants and his expression became far more serious. Lilith gazed back at him with eyes tinted with gold and a pair of zing golden demonic wings on her back, [Golden Rakshasa.] Chapter 247: Hoarfrost Nova Chapter 247: Hoarfrost Nova [Shield of Piety,] Rakna intoned and his katana glowed with blue and red energy, generating a barrier in front of him, only to be instantly smashed by the scalding edge of Liliths de. He grunted and tilted his body to the side, the sh of fire grazing his arm that barely had finished regenerating after her first strike. The mes went on behind him and exploded in the distance. Truly are you sure you want to do this? The werewolf uttered as he mentally called the sword he had dropped earlier. It flew to his empty hand and he used it to parry another saber strike; each sh produced was enough to create shockwaves capable of dispersing the blizzard. I hold no such doubts, Lilith replied, her eyes filled with golden mes that spread to her every limb. Obsidian I shall stop you and allow my men to live on. Rakna responded with silence and wordlessly transformed Sonata into a Guandao. He stood in the air with his six wings wide open; mirrored by Liliths wings which were big enough to dwarf his own in size due to their expanding mes. The werewolf nced to the side, his eyes glowing golden and piercing through the fog as easily as breathing. He spotted the demon mage and knight ordering their army to carry their wounded and unconscious to retreat. Rakna especially noted Norios gloomy expression and reluctance. Before we continue, Lilith Yamul, he spoke and turned to his opponent, who gazed at him with frightening intensity. You still have a chance to turn back. As long as you release that skill of yours now, your life force will be safe. Continue to fight me, and it will be unrecoverable. I will allow you to retreat in respect of your valor. The Oath I took only stiptes to defend this Kingdom. If I wish so, I can kill you to protect it. But I can also spare you to avoid wanton ruin. You have no chance to defeat me. Give uC I cannot, she dered. I will do all I can to rout you, even if it takes my life. I know this for sure, after battling you; you are the biggest threat to our Lords return. Is that so Rakna mumbled and smiled lightly. He put Sonata at rest and used his other hand to grasp the air around him. He grunted and waved it as if he was trying to take down a veil. Right on cue, the blizzard ravaging the moon was dispersed. The army of demons eximed in surprise and then spotted the Sentinel and their Commander facing each other in the sky, right below the only hole in the nket of dark clouds. I could drag this on fight fire with fire. Wear and tear would grant me victory, Rakna said as he pondered using Obsidian Blood to neutralize Liliths threat. But I suppose that wouldnt be fair to you. So, would you like to bet everything on one attack? If you want to kill me; this is the only chance I can give you. I see. Perhaps the stories about your cruelty were erroneous, Lilith said and let go of her sabers. Her entire body became aze instead as if her flesh was nothing more than fuel. I have met Sun Dwellers with less integrity than you. That is a feat in itself. Hah, Rakna snickered. Dont misunderstand me. I am cruel. If there is a goal I want and have to aplish, I will find a way to do so no matter what it takes. Im giving you this chance not so that you can defeat me, but so that you can be defeated fairly. Shall I had gone all out; your army would have been decimated by now. I have no intention of losing to you; this is your closure. The demoness didnt say anything and slowly sped her hands together. The mes surrounding her body were suddenly snuffed out before re-emerging behind her in the form of a magic avatar with two heads and four arms, wielding the same number of sabers. [Suvarna Zasana,] she intoned and the avatar ovepped its four weapons. Rakna let out a small smile and twirled Sonata before holding it with both hands like a staff, with the tip of the de pointed upward. I will take that as your acknowledgment, he said and began channeling mana into Sonata to summon a magic formation. This is a spell Ive developed in the chains of my prison You will be the first to experience it. I hope you appreciate it. [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath,] he sang the first verse of his Cl Lli and released his full aura; soul and element. [Cataclysm of the Celeste. Spinning Untoward the Birth of Life,] he intoned, and a spinning disc of hoarfrost energy resembling a miniature gxy formed above his head. [Mamsa Bhaksaka Zura. Vartase Mahyam, Aham Bhavat,] Lilith chanted and the avatar she had summoned roared and shed at the air with its sabers. The cuts produced opened red gaping gashes in space itself, forming a lozenge, inside which an eye of golden and red mes appeared. Rakna huffed at the disy and poured even more mana into the disk hovering above him. Soon enough, the middle axis began to bloat up and the edges turned into something simr to toothed des. [In Silence, It Seethes, Thriving Entropy and Unleashing Destruction.] [Atah Yavad Aham Nama Hanti,] Lilith continued her incantation in parallel and the zing eye slowly opened, revealing pupils circled by severalyers of light. Are you ready? Lilith Yamul? Rakna uttered and used one of his hands to pierce the disc he had made. He then grabbed its pivotal center and readied it as if he was going to throw it. The demoness only showed a determined expression at his question and the rakshasa incarnation ced his four palms around the ominous eyeball. Lilith extended her hand toward it and at the same time, Rakna lifted the disk over his shoulder. Then, they both unleashed their spells at the same time. [Netra Ravana!] [Hoarfrost Nova!] A swirling torrent of golden and purple mes was shot from the Rakshasas eye right into the disc thrown by the werewolf. When it hit, Hoarfrost Nova turned into a terrifyingly cold burst of energies ranging across all possible shades of blue. As the two attacks shed, the entire moon began to shake, perhaps even veering out of its orbit from the force of the impact. One side of the sky was invaded by mes and the other weed its very antithesis; infernos that burned cold beyond reason. The two energies spread vertically, half of it escaping into the void of space and the other striking the ground and waging a second war between raging fire and crystalline ice. The city of the Moon Dwellers quaked, its walls barely resisting. But they were spared from further damage thanks to the enchantments carved by the Moon God himself thousands of years ago. The demon army, despite having run away from the source, simrly were affected, but nothing worse than just being flung farther. Norio and Ramil nted their feet in the ground, watching the sh of those forces of nature. Norio can you tell which one is winning? The living armor asked. The mage gritted his teeth, his expression twisted in both anger and desperation. Even if I wished it wasnt true, the Sentinel is winning Its only a matter of time beforeC His words were interrupted by a wave of cold that traversed hundreds of miles. Even the demons almost felt like their hearts stopped from the sheerck of heat. Then, in the distance, the battle of energies tilted severely. The blue half first shrunk then suddenly expanded, swallowing the mes and forming a shape resembling a chrysanthemum flower. Lilith, who was overwhelmed by the frost, smiled bitterly, her golden avatar being impaled on all sides by the merciless strands of blue energy. So this is how I go I wish I could have seen the Lord alive She thought and closed her eyes, waiting for thest golden mes around her to be extinguished and her along with it. It took barely a few seconds and her arm was eaten away by the energy. Then, a part of her torso and leg. The invasive cold was such that her pain receptors had already ceased functioning long before she could even notice her body crumbling. But it is an honor to have battled the Sentinel thank youC Is that gratitude, I smell? As always, you warrior types always think so lightly of life. C?! A voice startled her and before she could react, something soft wrapped around her. The warmth it gave her amidst the mayhem of frost jolted her out of her stupor and when she opened her eyes again, she was already lying on the ground. Her view was overtaken by the settling flower of frost energy in the sky, bringing about a rain of microscopic crystals glinting with the light of the sun that had started to enter the perceivable sky of the moon. She bent her neck to look at herself and saw her lost body parts recovering; some sort of silverish metal seemingly constructing new limbs and organs for her. Then, her gaze wandered to the azure tail wrapped around her waist. She tracked it to its owner and saw Obsidian smiling at her. He was unscathed, she noted. And he had a scarf around his neck? Sentinel She rasped out. What are you doing? Isnt that obvious? Healing you, Rakna replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Lilith was speechless. How was she supposed to react? Youre lucky. That sacrificial skill of yours could have killed you. But since you expended all your strength at once, it was disengaged without taking away the source of your life force, she heard him say, and for a moment, she swore she saw the nature of his smile shift into something yful. You it was on purpose She realized. You made me use up all my strength So that I would not die why? Dont you think it would be a shame? Rakna snorted and looked at the aftermath of their spells fighting for dominance. You have convinced me, Lilith Yamul. I apologize for the losses I caused your army, he said surprisingly sincerely. He then proceeded to reduce his size to something closer to her stature, his tail leaving her body and returning to the eight others, and presented one hand to her as if offering help to stand. Now, lets resurrect those Gods, shall we? Lilith nked at the statement for a good minute or two before opening her mouth, eh? Chapter 248: Binary Thinking Chapter 248: Binary Thinking What did you just? What? Didnt I make it clear? I said I would assist you in the resurrection of your Lord. Well, while also serving my own purpose, Rakna said and frowned at his scarf that was now way bigger than what his two-meter-tall couldfortably wear. Goddammit, its nice the System erged it but this is kind of annoying, he mumbled to himself as he pulled on the fabric. Hijack Sonatas constituents andpress them, he ordered to Eye of Symphony whilst still being watched by a confounded Lilith. On cue with his words, his eyes spun and briefly disyed a mechanical nature before the scarf shone and shrunk. [| Forceful Compression Will Lead to Instability, |] the Eye warned. [| Rmended Not to Wield Rhapsodic Sonata In Combat Without Reassuming Default Size. |] Yes, yes, Rakna muttered offhandedly and scowled at the demoness who had yet to move since he presented his hand to her. I dont have all day. Are you taking it or not? Lilith stared at the werewolf as if she was trying to uncover an unworldly secret. She slowly raised her hand, trembling slightly from her weakened body, and reached for his hand. He smiled and pulled her up to her feet. She staggered, almost falling again, but he caught her before that. Dont move, Rakna said and she nodded hesitantly. [Soul Fill,] he intoned and controlled his soul power in reverse to channel mana and stamina back into the demoness body; the secondary application of Soul Drain that he rarely used. There. You wont return to your full glory any time soon; perhaps ever. But you at least retained some modicum of power after that stunt. How did you know the nature of my Golden Rakshasa? She finally asked. That skill that burns your life force? Simple, I saw it, the werewolf said and let her stand on her own after making sure she could support herself. I have the ability to read the abilities of people and make out their details. Along with the memories I stole from your men, I knew everything I needed to know about your legion with just a nce. I see Now, return to your army. Pacify them and then meet me, along with those two other friends of yours if you want, at the Lunar Capital. Ill be waiting there, dealing with the Moon Dwellers, the Sentinel said and fizzed out of view with Star sh. Lilith gazed at where he stood and nced at the body parts that she was sure had lost barely two or three minutes ago. She didnt feel anything wrong with them but they seemed tougher than normal. Should she be offended at being spared in this manner? Should she feel anger at the Sentinel for acting like this after killing so many of her soldiers? No, thats what war is, she sighed. He probably had no patience to consider parley after leaving a millennia-long imprisonment. In fact, Im more surprised by the fact he was this agreeable in the first ce. But why did he change his mind? Is this a trap? The demoness shook her head. There was no point in her considering that possibility. Obsidian had no reason to fool her. There was no doubt in her mind that he could get rid of her and her army if he wished so. And it wouldnt take much effort. Aah She sighed and after recollecting her wits, she dashed toward where she could sense her brethren. Wincing at the asional pains, she made up her mind toply with the Sentinel for now. If he tried to use her against her Lord after his resurrection she would unhesitatingly end her own life. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Rakna made a detour to the Red Forest, which was nothing more but a barren terrain riddled with craters after his encounter with the demons. Or at least, half of it was. The werewolf stepped on the crushed tree branches and arrived near the hole made by the ax-wielding demon who had previously tracked the Moon Prince. Rakna jumped down inside andnded in his former jail. He nced to the corner of the room and let out a beastly huff, Dispel your cloaking, he ordered and the shadows of the room moved to reveal a Shadow Wolf sitting protectively in front of an unconscious udius. Your Majesty, the wolf shockingly spoke and bowed its head. He was only a level 100 summon since Raknas level hadnt fundamentally changed since entering the Simtion, but the massive attribute values were enough to give the wolf an intelligent mind capable of speech. Good work. For now, go to the surface and look for the demon army. Observe them and when you see that their leader is about to leave in my direction, inform me and escort them. As you wish, Your Majesty, the wolf said and turned into a shadow that climbed the hole in the ceiling with incredible speed and stealth. All right, lets get you out, young king, Rakna uttered drolly and slung udius over his shoulder before flying out of the underground dungeon. ? * * * ? Raknanded in front of the citys gate and unceremoniously walked in, passing by the guards that had been dispatched in a poor attempt to recover a bit of order in the capital. Though, that effort was grandly overshadowed by the fact that there were many destroyed buildings, dead soldiers being carried away, with the asional civilian, and some still burning vestiges. I guess its a good thing I called that rain. That doused any fire at least, Rakna thought as he walked through the streets as if it was normal. He took note of the people making way for him and then curiously looked at the sky where he could clearly see the Earth. The continents are different from how I know them Interesting. Then there are those, he thought as his attention turned to several other celestial objects. All of them seemed to be smaller moons; as if they were smaller pieces of the one that he currently stood on. So, thats where the other Moon Cities are I suppose the true moon is where this capital has the right to be. {They are probably being attacked as we speak, arent they?} Fray remarked. No. My eyesight is enough for me to look at the surface of those moons like a satellite. {wait, seriously?!} Have you already forgotten? Rakna snorted, startling the passersby. What do you think a value of 21 000 for my sense statistic coupled with Fabled Sight and Eye of Symphony would do? {Right you can say that was short-sighted of me. It does not make it any less shocking} Anyway, Id say theyre waiting to attack. To be specific, the demon forces on Earth, or perhaps the ones already hidden on those moons, are expecting news of the Capitals upation before carrying out the assault. Well, sess or defeat, it doesnt really matter, Rakna huffed and looked away from the sky. In case of defeat, they would upy the secondary targets to prepare an attack on the primary. In case of sess, they simply press on since they know they have the edge. Strategically wise, it sounds the same, but there are details about it that have to be taken into consideration. Such as the possibilities of a counter-attack in case of a failure to take the Capital and the shrine. {I have to admit,ing from a former war-strategist, you are quite insightful on the actions to take in a war,} Fray said with an impressed tone. {By the way, why did you spare them? And are you truly going to help them revive the Gods? Surely, you dont want the Demon God to return?} ck or white, Rakna responded out of the blue. {Huh? What do you mean?} People love to look at the world through lenses. Andmonly, they are separated into the ones that see the world in ck and white and those that look at the shades of gray. The former being another manner of describing fools and thetter being connotative of the ones capable of insight. Fray raised an eyebrow from within the library in his soul. {That is a rather philosophical topic to raise all of a sudden. Why are you mentioning it?} Because it is wrong, Rakna responded. The ones who try to find the gray are also fools. Something isplex if you see it as so. Simrly, something is simple if you think it is. This is about something an acquaintance of mine called binary thinking. Divide every problem into two solutions. Choose the one you prefer to follow and then repeat the process. {I see But what does it have to do with your decision to ally with the demons?} Why did the demons attack? Rakna retorted with a question. Answer 0: They are evil. Answer 1: they have a motive. 1 is correct, quite obviously. Next question, what is their motive? Answer 0: Kill the Moon Dwellers. Answer 1: Something else. In this case, 1 is also the answer; revive the Earth God. So, my next question is; why do it? Answer 0: They are evil. Answer 1: Something else. It sounds kind of stupid, doesnt it? But thats simply verbalized unconscious thinking. Its nothing too deep. Either option of they are evil or something else is just a way of rationalizing their motive. Fray hummed. {I think I understand what you are trying to convey. In that binary thinking of yours; 0 is the evident dead-end to any sort of deliberation and 1 is the way forward. I assume you posed enough inquiries to reach the question; Is reviving the gods a bad thing?.} Rakna snickered. Pretty much. But to dumb it down; people dont needplicated thoughts. They just need to follow a sequence of both logic and emotions. If you feel and know that something should be done; then do it or dont. Dont take a break in between to consider morals ormon sense. The reason I spared them was that I found enough integrity in them to believe that it would be nothing more than an ugly, disgusting, and pointless conflict if I fought them. Thats the first step; my personal opinion. Then, we switch to rationalizing a suitable oue to satisfy it. {} So, if I dont want that to happen, wepromise. Lets revive those gods; thats answer 1. And after that Rakna smiled darkly. What to do, you ask? Answer 1: Achieve peace. Answer 0: Let those Gods finish their ugly war on their own. {Ah so thats how it is,} Fray came to a realization. {Both oues are your ideal cases you dont care whether or not those Gods can be amiable. All you want is for them to end the fight in a way that does satisfies you. Or rather, you seek the Gods mutual destruction in order to reduce meaningless mortal casualties.} More or less. My n is closer to lets make it so that the Gods have no choice to find a solution on their own but, thats pretty much it. {Hm an interesting concept. Binary thinking; taking a set of two opposite decisions until thest two remaining are both viable solutions. That is a surprisingly guileless way of thinking without forgoing logic or sentiment. But honestly, this thought process sounds rather inhuman. Because it would mean youre ready to give up as much sentiment as needed at the drop of a hat.} I cant deny that. Even I only find inspiration in that methodology. But I learned from it, that trying to find wrong or right in a situation that blends ck and white is both hubris and naive. Only your ideal objective should matter; and even if you cannot reach it, you must get as close as possible. The best option; you must find it, to cut down your practical and sentimental losses. {Until you end the sequence with a 0} Frayughed lightly. {How very intriguing, indeed. Who is that acquaintance of yours, if I may ask? If he can conduct such thinking, he must quite a special kind of human.} [Is it, by any chance, that person?] Ceres abruptly joined the conversation out of curiosity. Rakna smiled. Yes, Ceres. Its him. To answer your question, Fray, just know that its someone both the old man and I respect. {Hahaha! Now, you certainly made me curious. To be respected by Eternal Night himself is a great feat in and of itself.} The werewolf huffed. Enough chit chat. Lets get this Simtion over with, he dered and star-shed to the inner parts of the city where he sensed thergest gatherings of people. Chapter 249: "Why am I not surprised?" Chapter 249: Why am I not surprised? Lord Sentinel, a Moon Dweller, wearing armor stained with dried blood, sped his hands and bowed to the werewolf. In the name of the entire Lunar Kingdom, thank you for saving us. Rakna gazed at him in silence, casually ncing at the surrounding soldiers and citizens bowing their heads as well, not daring to raise them for even a second. You dont know, do you? Huh? The armored soldier eximed. Of course, you dont, the werewolf snorted in amusement and walked past him. Why would they tell their next generations of such a shameful betrayal, he muttered and looked over his shoulder at the frozen man. Dont just stand there! Guide me to the shrine. How am I supposed to find my way here after a thousand years? Y-yes, right away, he straightened himself and ran after him. Um if I may ask is the prince in condition to? Hes fine. Also, hes your King now. Treat him as such. Your little Kingdom will need a head to lead it as soon as possible with everything thats going to happen, Rakna uttered. Everything thats going to happen? Yes, and very soon too. I have no intention to drag this out. Also, themander of the demons wille to pay a visitter on. Wee them as guests. Wha-?! Sir, we cantC! I didnt ask for your opinion, Rakna cut him off. This is an order. The Moon Dweller opened his mouth but his throat failed to produce the sounds he wanted. I I understand I will notify and send some of my men to wee them. Good. Now tell me; whats the casualty report? On the side of our army, seven hundred dead, about three thousand and six hundred injured, and a thousand more out ofmission, our generals included. On the civilian side we havent been able to properly count yet, but we estimate about fifty casualties and a few hundred injured. Most citizens managed to rtively stay out of harm by sheltering themselves in homes or bunkers Then that should tell you everything you need to understand my decision, Rakna replied. I am sure you realize that if the demons had put their mind to it, those counts would be far worse. The soldier fell silent. you are right. I was indeed confused when I heard the numbers. But, Lord Sentinel, weing theirmander to our city like this isC! As I said, your job is not to question my decision. My actions are fully in harmony with the Oath I made with your King in exchange for my assistance. An Oath? To protect the Lunar Kingdom, the werewolf stated. And I hope for you that you know; war is a good way to do things only when an opposition stands against your rightful goal. My duty today was not to kill demons but to defend the Capital and its citizens. The Gods resurrection is not my problem in any way, if not for the fact that someone vited the Shrine without my permission. ButC! As for the Moon Dwellers, after a millennium, you will not make me believe that faith in the Moon God hasnt weakened. The conflict that will arise shouldnt concern you as a Kingdom. All you need to do is dere yourself neutral. Do you even know the Demon Gods reason for fighting? Perhaps you can avoid conflict by listening to him and letting him do whatever he wants as long as it doesnt harm your people. You seem like a good soldier. But you apparentlyck experience. Youlle to realize in time that most battles are fought because opponents refuse to listen to each other out of pride. In other words; wars are a product of idiocy. They stem from emotions; seldom backed up by rationality. The Moon Dweller soldier kept his mouth closed for a long moment, continuing to lead the Sentinel to the Moon Shrine with a deathly quiet gait. with all due respect, what if the Demon God has nothing more than madness fueling his thirst for war? Then you cure the madness, of course, Rakna responded without missing a beat. You speak of mental states as if they arent treatable. Get the idea that obvious solutions are fatuous out of your head. Even the biggest of problems can have the simplest of answers; so simple theyre allusive. And if we cant treat it? Rakna sighed and let out a grunt that made the soldier shudder. We fight back. What else? Cease your overthinking. If that happens, remember that well have the Moon God on our side. But most importantly, we can use this time of respite to prepare, rally other cities, shelter the civilians, call help from the Sun Dwellers, and considerably reduce casualties in case of an actual war urring. The soldier pursed his lips in shame, I apologize it was a foolish question on my part. Of course, it was. But I find your worst-case scenario unlikely to happen anyway. Im ready to bet that the conflict will be privately resolved by the Gods. And you forget the most important factor of all. What is it, sir? Rakna smirked ferally, unaware that Obsidian Blood had begun to bleed through his emotions in a natural way. Me. You have me. Thats all you need. ? * * * ? So, this is it, huh? Raknamented as he stepped inside an oval chapel made of pristine white marble. He looked around at the stained ss depicting the tale of the Lunar Kingdom and gave a cursory nce at the gravure on the ceiling that seemed to fantastically portray the moon and its smaller versions orbiting around it. In the center of the wide room, there was a sort of sustaining pir that reached the roof but Rakna could tell with a nce that it wasnt just for architectural stability. Thats full of divinity, the werewolfmented. Ive be quite good at sensing that type of energy now that I think about it, he added and started walking toward the pir. Already, he could feel some resistance, and gradually, formations- no, matrixes began to appear in the air; each moreplex than the previous. That mage must have been trying to defuse these, Rakna muttered as he was forced to stop. Its rather impressive. I have to admit hes probably far better than me at magic theory. Granted, if it wasnt for my boosted attributes, I would have no chance to stand against them in the first ce. Rakna paused and patiently waited as Eye of Symphony scanned everything. Its not because he didnt have the knowledge that he couldnt forcefully hack his way through them. As long as the miniature supeputer inside his eye could analyze it down to thest detail, any formation could be bypassed. It was truer since his Eyes performance scaled directly with his Intelligence attribute. Those three, in particr, were close to level 650 Rakna muttered as he resumed his train of thought about the demons. Hm, so both the Clown and Foxy are stronger than that, huh? Probably by a lot too. {Well, that is an unfairparison. The Heiress and the Clown Warlock both enjoy legendary fame within the System,} Fraymented. {Rightfully so as they rank at the top of Hosts.} True, Rakna shrugged and the Eye finished its preliminary scans. Result? [| Matrixes Extrapted. Formations Analyzed. Function: Sealing of Divine Power. Time Required to Decrypt Defenses Estimated to 9 Days, 6 Hours, 12 Minutes, and 9 Seconds. |] The werewolfs eyebrow twitched. Other methods? [| Breaking Through by Force. Chances of Sess: 98.626%. Risk of Damaging Pir: 79.261%. |] right. n B then, Rakna muttered and snapped his fingers. Promptly, a constetion formed itself around him. Exactly 96 stars were being used to trace it. [Virgo,] he intoned and the energy congregated in one spot to shape the body of Astraea. When the star energy was fully expended to summon her, she opened her eyes and seemed quite surprised beforending on the ground. Oh my She said whilst looking at herself. Compared to her previous summoning, she was radiating far more power and divinity. As far as Star Entities go, you summoned me at my best, shemented and faced the werewolf who was staring at her with his arms crossed. Hm, it couldnt have been that much time since youst summoned me, right? Unless ah! She faux-gasped. Could it be?! You forgot about me?! How mean! Lord Monarch! Rakna deadpanned at her crocodile tears. Shut up. It technically hasnt even been a day. The half a year spent here notwithstanding, anyway. Astraea got rid of her exaggerated expression and smiled. I see. In that case, is this the Simtion thing I saw in Egregore? Systemas Hosts are enough in numbers through the years of its existence to allow me to find that out, she said thoughtfully. But why are you so evolved? Who knows. The Systems scripting choices aside, I summoned you for a reason. You did say that you had all kinds of expertise thanks to Egregore, right? Can you safely break through this? He asked whilst pointing at the matrix field and she turned around. She tilted her head at the sight and put a hand on her chin. Hm a Celestial made this Heavenly Rank by the looks of things. I should be able to if you give me enough time. How long? Oh, about an hour. Rakna raised an eyebrow. Do you have enough time before you return to Egregore? She smiled at him. Thats not a problem. Since you used 96 focal stars to summon me this time, I can stay for three hours. I see then after youre done, try to find a way to resurrect the God associated with that Divinity as well. It would probably save me some trouble. Astraea pouted. ve-driver How can you treat ady like this? Good luck. A demon mage shoulde sooner orter to help you. He seemed to know what he was doing before he had to go and fight me, Rakna said and headed to the exit. Eh?! Lord Monarch! Are you going to leave me here alone?! She shouted and could only gape as she saw the werewolf close therge door of the chapel behind him. oh, thats so unfair, she pouted and started working on the matrixes. Couldnt he have let me sightsee a little bit? I barely see the outside world She grumbled sadly. ? * * * ? Raknas ears twitched as he heard the goddess words through the door. He briefly nced back and snorted. Should have just asked me directly, stupid girl. I guess I can owe her that at least, he thought and focused on the group of people that were walking toward him. They were being led by one of the subordinates of the man that had guided him to the shrine, who had introduced himself as one of the three Captains of the Kingdoms Army. Before the group could even address him, Rakna used Appraisal on all of them at the same time and his lips curled in distaste. Nobles. The main reason as to why I was chained up inside a dungeon by the Moon Dwellers, he said internally. Why am I not surprised? Really. As he deliberated what to do, one certain aristocrat stepped forward and slightly bowed. It is an honor to meet you in the flesh, Lord Sentinel. My name is Ascios Ves Ymiligna. I hold the title of Duke. I will be the one tasked to amodate you after your return, he stated with a smile stuck between arrogance and pomposity. As Rakna smelled the fraudulence wafting off half of this group of nobles, he sighed, knowing that the most annoying thing he would have to deal with in this Simtion was probably going to be this particr aspect of it. Chapter 250: Fragarach Chapter 250: Fragarach I have heard from Captain Sanz that you wish to parley with the demons, one fat noble said with a raised eyebrow. Lord Sentinel, there is no need to keep that filth alive. We should get rid of them as soon as possible. I am sure it is easily feasible with your power. I concur, another said. Our Lunar Kingdom cannot be desecrated by those creatures any further than this. One of them dared to intrude the Shrine, Lord Sentinel. You cannot let that pass. One after the other, the group of aristocrats gave their piece. All of it was worded differently but it didnt change; Sentinel, kill those foul demons for us. Thats your duty. Rakna sighed, a small growl escaping his mouth and shutting their mouths. Are you done? pardon? I ask you The werewolf glowered and the temperature fell. Are you done with your disgusting theater show? He uttered and the shivers that ran through their spine forced them to be finally aware as they stepped back. What is it that seems to give you this sense of superiority over me, I wonder? Are you perhaps nning to use me and chain me again when youre satisfied with my services, you bunch of pigs? L-Lord Sentinel, the duke stammered with a nervous smile threatening to fall off. What are you talking aboC! He was interrupted by a sound akin to a hammer striking steel followed by a wave of heat. Rakna abruptly summoned a sword as tall as he was and nted it in the ground, causing meter-long cracks to open in the cobblestone. The group of nobles and the few soldiers apanying them jumped back in fright and looked at the source. The weapon was releasing energy in waves, colored gold, and red. The de was thick and had a diamond-shaped hole in it located about ten inches away from the handle. Within that hole, there was a sphere of concentrated air, as if destructive winds had been confined in it. [Star Hearth C Fragarach,] Rakna uttered with an emotionless tone, his hand tightly gripping the swords handle. Im not going to waste my time with you. If you believe that you will be able to use the Lunar Key to suppress me again, reconsider. Before you even dream of using it, I would have this whole city razed to the ground. Y-You wouldnt! One noble shouted in outrage. You would betray the Moon God?! I am the Shrines Guardian, tasked to protect it from the unworthy or malicious. Anything that is not rted to it, I couldnt care less, Rakna said and red at them. I have a better question for you. It is already obvious, but do you know what your ancestors did to me? The dukes eye twitched at the question. He was about to respond in the negative; since that was something they should never reveal. But Yes, the high nobility has been made aware of your imprisonment by the King every generation, his mouth moved on its own and when he finished, his expression paled drastically and he covered his mouth. Every other noble looked at him in shock and the soldiers who had no idea of said imprisonment were starting to get suspicious, though confusion was prevalent. What did you do to me?! The duke yelled; his voice muffled by his own hand. Raknas expression didnt change. Next question. This incident urred too easily; who amongst you worked with the demons in order to mount the attack on the princes coronation? His query made everyone gasp, even the duke was outraged. How dare you suggestC! I did, one noble suddenly said and quickly forced his mouth closed in shock. He wasnt the only one; several others followed and the duke froze at the sight. As scrupulous as he was, whether it was for his ambitions or politics, he never entertained the idea of colluding with demons. I-its that sword! Someone noticed what was happening and pointed shakily at the massive de that had faintly shimmered every time a noble spoke up. You manipted us into saying that! One of the men who outed themselves tried to save himself but that was for naught, because the only thing he saw in response was a sh of light, before he was engulfed in darkness. Rakna huffed and lowered his finger that was sparking with star energy, the head of the noble who had spoken now bearing a hole. His lifeless corpse wobbled before ultimately copsing. Everyone around gulped, the fear inside them reaching its peak. They didnt dare to raise their voices anymore, and the soldiers who had instinctively reached for their weapons were forced to halt; stuck in their stances when they grasped who they were about to point arms at. Fragarach, The Answerer, Rakna said, breaking the silence and hefting the sword. He pointed it at the nobles before shouldering it. Those in its vicinity cannot lie and must answer the questions posed by the wielder. It has two other nifty abilities, but none you need to know. Be honored; its one of my favorite constructs. They all pursed their lips and the werewolf scoffed. He nced at the soldier who had the highest rank around. You, he said and the man shuddered. Y-yes, sir? Take away those who answered positively to my question and put them up for trial. If it was up to me, I would simply kill them but Ill let your King make the decision, Rakna said and the soldier swallowed the lump in his throat. Right away He said, anxiously trying to neither sound too enthusiastic or disrespectful. You three; bring them to the dungeons! Understood! Three soldiers replied and the nobles were dragged; kicking and screaming. Now, Rakna turned back to the remaining aristocrats and let out a smile that promised nothing more than pain. Lets continue the questioning, he dered and they couldnt even escape as he had already erected a Rune Barrier around them. ? * * * ? After the small chat, Rakna watched as the defeated nobility ran off to their estates, their intentspletely revealed by Fragarachs influence as well as their souls forced into submission. {Sometimes, I forget how ruthless you truly are,} Fraymented. {You didnt hesitate for even a second to kill that man. I do not know if I should praise or scold you.} What are you? My mom? Rakna deadpanned. By the way, I forgot something too. You didnt give me any update about that book. Is it still the same? {Aah you mean the record of your uncle? No, ever since that incident where you got hold of the cross, it hasnt changed much. Then again, Im too scared to enter that room to check better.} Rakna snorted and star-shed into a half-demolished castle. I guess well see if it does something in the future, he responded as he followed the directions given to him by the duke. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for inside a secret vault; the Lunar Key. The item was a transparent orb filled with divinity and when he got a hold of it, a System message opened up. ? ? ? ? ? You have acquired the Scenario Item; Lunar Key! ? You have reached the principal clearing condition for your Path Quest! You can leave any time you desire but will automatically be transported out of the Simtion within ten days. ? ? ? ? ? Ah, so its like that, huh? I can stay to get an extra rating. It does make sense. For now, this Quest is too easy to be a proper challenge. Its probably simr to Ordeals. I will have to do more if I want to have a decent reward, Raknamented as he saw the Lunar Key vanish from his grip. At first, he just wanted to get rid of this item that could suppress his power. He had no idea it was supposed to be his main goal. Still, this end condition is far easier than what I braced myself for Not that Imining but now I have a ten-day limit to carry out what I wanted to do. Luckily, it should be more than enough to resurrect those Gods, Rakna uttered as he headed to the exit of the castle. Lord Sentinel! A voice called him and he turned to the source. His eyesnded on the captain he had entrusted the King to earlier. He hade out of one of the castles chambers while he was taking the main corridor. Behind the captain, a few attendants were helping udius stand. Ah, so youre awake, Young King, Rakna said as he stopped walking, casually pressing Fragarach, which he had yet to dispel, against the ground. How is it? Do you feel alright? The former prince nodded and slowly beckoned the maid supporting him to let him go. He sighed and approached the werewolf. I was informed of the events by Captain Sanz. You saved me and my Kingdom. I thank you for honoring your word, he said with a tired but firm tone. I decreed it on my soul, Rakna snorted. Of course, I would. I dont want to die. udius smiled in amusement. That is true. But my gratitude remains. I also must apologize for what my ancestors have done to you. We could have freed you centuries ago but every generation was too afraid of your retribution to act. I am ashamed to admit that If I hadnt beenpelled to seek your help, I wouldnt have either. Rakna snickered and hummed whilst looking at Fragarach. He lifted it and mused about something before bringing his ws to the t side of the de. Under the eyes of his spectators, he started carving runes on it. His tails once again began to gather lunar energy and he redirected everything toward the sword. After a rtively long minute of continuous carving, Rakna nodded and willed the sword to be smaller. He then nonchntly threw it in the air and grabbed it by the de with one hand before handing it to udius who had his eyes open wide. I give this to you, Lunar King. Its name is Fragarach, The Whisperer, The Answerer, and The Retaliator. None can lie in its presence. The wind is yours tomand when wielding it. And the wounds it inflicts are cursed to resist healing. I I cannot possibly ept a gift soC Take it, kid, Rakna huffed. This is a product of my magic. I enchanted it just now to be sustained by Lunar Energy. As long as it stays on the moon, it will never run out of power. As formand on its abilities; a drop of blood will suffice to bind the spell to you. If one day you decide to bring it to battle outside of the Moon, it will be your responsibility to sustain it. udius gazed at the sword in front of his eyes, radiating power and continuously gathering the energy of the Moon, and slowly nodded. He reached for the handle and lifted the de. He held it vertically and resolutely slid his thumb across the edge. His blood flowed and the weapon shone. He felt the connection being established with him and he smiled. He swung it to the side, the core ofpressed wind buzzing, and it sent a crescent de of wind that created a deep gash in the corridors walls. His attendants watched in awe as their King wielded the fearsome de. udius then looked at the t side of the sword, at his own reflection, and closed his eyes. When he opened them back, a sheath made out of lunar energy had already encased the weapon. Ooh Rakna eximed curiously. As expected of a Moon God Descendant. Your innate control over lunar energy may even exceed mine. I suppose I was right in my decision. You praise me too much, Sentinel, udius said amiably as he lowered Fragarach. I will be sure to treasure this gift for as long as possible. Well, dont be too sad if you cant, Rakna smiled faintly. I improvised those runes on the spot. I only thought it would be possible thanks to the abundance of lunar energy on the moon. Do not be too saddened if the spell one day loses its power. But I would indeed be curious to know how long your Kingdom, your lineage, would be capable of preserving it. Who knows, perhaps one day, the history behind that sword will give it enough spirit to truly exist on its own forever. I will not disappoint you, udius dered and bowed. Rakna nodded and abruptly turned his eyes to seemingly nowhere. On cue, a telepathic connection was established with him, {Your Majesty, the demons areing to you.} {Got it. Escort them as instructed.} {Understood.} All right, udius. This is your first act as a King; lets wee some guests, the werewolf said and moved toward the castles exit. udius nodded at his words, having already been informed about his decision in talking with the demons. I will trust your decision, Sentinel. Sanz, be sure to dispatch your men to calm any unrest caused by our visitors. The captain saluted. It will be done, Your Majesty. The Lunar King hummed satisfyingly and followed after the werewolf, who eventually grabbed his shoulder and star-shed them to their destination with teleportation-like speed. Chapter 251: Moon Shine of the Nine Moons Chapter 251: Moon Shine of the Nine Moons Rakna sat cross-legged on top of the citys wall whilst meditating. udius was nervously standing next to him, admiring the vast amounts of lunar energy that flowed into the werewolfs tails. Is this the power of the Nine-Tailed Sentinel? He thought to himself. The magnitude of energy hes assimting cannot even bepared to what we Moon Descendants can handle Meanwhile, Rakna furrowed his eyebrows as he felt the lunar energy have effects on his mind and was forced to slow down. I see even if there isnt technically a full moon, I can potentially force myself into a berserk state by overloading myself Though it might be short-lived and not strengthen me anywhere near what happenedst time. Ding! ? ? ? ? ? Werewolfs Moon Shine has broken through Exceled! Your race resonates with the skill You have gained the Max Exceled Skill; Moon Shine of the Nine Moons! ? ? C Moon Shine of the Nine Moons (Lv. Ex ???): By absorbing the lunar energy permeating the world, it is possible to wield its boundless power. This is a spell that can only normally be learned by lunar magic users but as a werewolf, this skill bes a racial skill. The effects vary ording to the phase of the moon. They will also increase depending on how many moons the users current surroundings possess, with a maximum of nine in total: ? Full Moon C All attributes +15%, -50% to All Cooldowns, +200% MP & Regen. Waxing/Waning Gibbous C All attributes +10%, -30% to All Cooldowns, +150% MP & Regen. First/Third Quarter C All attributes +7%, -20% to All Cooldowns, +100% MP & Regen. Waxing/Waning Crescent C All attributes +5%, -10% to All Cooldowns, +50% MP & Regen. New Moon C All attributes +2%, -5% to All Cooldowns, +25% MP & Regen. (Moon Count Multiplicator may range between x1.2 and x1.9) ? This skill has evolved to be able to take away Lunar Energy from the air to be controlled by the user at will. If they so desire, the Lunar Energy can be a substitute to mana, they can also be directly used to elerate healing, or used directly in its raw form to attack. ? Note: The increases given by the phases of the moon cannot be induced with pure lunar energy and must be triggered by standing on and orbited by one or more moons. Additional Note: This is a skillparable to Nirvana Skills but due to its unique requirements and situational uses, it will be ssified as an Exceled Skill. ? ? ? ? ? As I thought the effects of the moon cycle on me are conceptual in nature, Rakna thought. Its not just because Im on the moon itself that the attribute, cooldown, or regen boosts will take effect. [You are correct,] Ceres said and Rakna could almost imagine her human appearance nodding at him. [I have told you this in the past, but the idea of a night of full moon is abstract. It is like a spell cast by the world itself when the conditions are fulfilled. Since you are not in a position to witness an actual full moon, one of those conditions cannot be satisfied.] Rakna nodded faintly. Yes, I understand that However, Im quite curious about that new detail; if I find myself in a ce with nine moons, the skill will get stronger. I guess that falls in line with the name but I cant help but feel there is something more about it I dont believe it has anything to do with this Simtion in particr So, what As he was brooding that idea, a new notification startled him. ? ??? You have gotten closer to your Soul Marble! ??? ? His eyes widened. Now thats a message I havent seen in a while. Does it mean the nine moons have a rtion to it? Nine moons where could that-?! He stopped himself and despite himself, let out a few chuckles that made udius jump up. I understand now. I know where those nine moons are. {Eh?} Fray eximed in confusion. {What do you mean, have I missed something?} Rakna snorted. You might be smart, Fray, but you seriouslyck observational skills. {Well I never really was that good at it, in all honesty. It does that to you when you spend most of your time only focusing on books,} the storyteller replied, surprisingly unoffended. Well, all I can tell you is that Im suddenly a lot more eager to unlock this Soul Marble, he responded and put a hand on his knee before standing up. He looked toward the half-devastated Red Forest in the distance, which the demons had used earlier as a cover to retreat. Theyre here, he said to udius, who promptly followed his line of sight. The young king soon spotted a group of three demons walk out of the trees cover, along with arge wolf veiled in shadows. He squinted his eyes in seriousness and jumped down from the wall,nding in front of the city gate. Keep a safe distance and dont do anything rash, he ordered the guards behind him and they nodded. Rakna crossed his arms and watched as the demons came closer. He briefly made eye contact with Lilith who was leading them and smiled internally. It seems I havent made a wrong decision. No scent of dishonesty on her. I can also sense some form of trust, though faint. As for the two others rather bitter by the looks of things, but they harbor trust directed at her. So, theyre following along by association, huh? Good enough, Rakna thought and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from the wall and found himself standing next to udius. I have returned, Your Majesty, the Shadow Wolf suddenly spoke and the Moon Dwellers were jolted out of the tension bearing on them. Everyone nervously watched as the wolf split off from the demons side and made his way to the Sentinels shadow before merging with it. scary bastard, Norio grumbled under his breath, and Ramil, the living armor, could only agree with the sentiment. That wolf wasnt too strong from their standards, but it was at least as strong as a veteran soldier from their army. And they knew that the werewolf could summon many more without trouble since he had summoned dozens, if not hundreds, during their skirmish. Sentinel, Lilith raised her voice, catching everyones attention. Ivee as you asked. Would you mind revealing your motive now? She inquired. Well, Lilith Yamul, dont you already have an idea of that? The demoness pursed her lips, silentlyining about the werewolfs casual attitude. Every time he addressed her, he did so with her full name as well. For some reason, its as if hes joking around and remaining serious at the same time. What a frustrating person She said to herself. Rakna seemed to get an idea of what she was thinking and the corner of his lips curled a bit. Dont worry, Im not making fun of you. In any case He smiled. Why dont you let the son of the king you killed exin in my stead? He uttered and leaned against the fortification wall. Meanwhile, udius and Lilith froze at his words. The two of them crossed sight and the tension in the air multiplied. Intentionally mentioning his father Lilith narrowed her eyes. What is he ying at? Is this a way to demonstrate that they are being sincere? udius exhaled deeply, unclenching his fists. I am willing He grunted out. To forgive your crimes today if your side agrees to not harm my Lunar Kingdom further. We will not oppose the resurrection of the Gods, assist you even, and in exchange, the demons must not attack any of our cities. Norio raised an eyebrow. Are you saying that youre willing to cut ties with the Moon God? If the Moon God chooses to continue fighting upon his return, the Moon Dwellers will not involve themselves. However, if an agreement, a peace treaty, or even payment can be made with the Earth God, we will follow through as long as its reasonable. Hah, the demon mage scoffed. So, you wanna make buddies now, eh? Arent we the super bad guys though? He said sarcastically. What makes you think well ept? Because youd die otherwise? udius tilted his head impishly as he pointed at the Sentinel. Hes got a point there, Ramilmented and Norio face-faulted. Oi, stupid tin can! Dont encourage the enemy! As Ramil said, Lilith interrupted herrades tantrum with a wave of her hand. The Sentinel can kill us. He can easily defeat our forces as well. What would be the point of a cease-fire? Well, let me answer that with another question, Rakna chimed in. What did you do in the past half an hour or so after I let you go? The demoness scowled. I recovered and ordered my men to standby. What else? Oh, really? He said with an amused voice and her frown deepened. Then that means you have yet to send the green signal for the Earth to invade the Kingdoms other cities, right? Liliths eyes widened instantly. How do youC! Dont give me that shocked look. There is no reason for the demons to only send an army of your size to take the capital. Despite your strength andmand, Earth could have dispatched far more units to assure your sess. They have the resources for it. But thats only if you didnt know what you were diving into. You had everything you needed from the traitors on our side, right? The demoness trembled at the mention of the insiders. And yes, I already know. I dealt with them a bit earlier, Rakna added. Anyhow, you had all the intel you possibly needed. Which means, your side had all the cards in their hands. Thats why you knew precisely how much force would be required to take over the city. But despite that, even if the Lunar Kingdom isnt as strong as it once was, it doesnt make sense to hold back. Anyone with a sensible mind would purposefully overshoot in order to deal with unforeseen circumstances. Let me guess; something like you? Norio threw out a snidement. Exactly, Rakna snorted. You know where Im going with this, right? The reason you held back was that you had other uses for the rest of your forces. It doesnt take a genius to find out what could qualify as secondary targets. So, thats it? Lilith muttered in realization. Thats what you want from me; that I order the other teams not to attack. Sorry to disappoint you, but theres no guarantee they will listen to me. If the Demon King decides to continue the n, he will. The Demon King, huh? Rakna huffed and looked at Norio. You, mage, exin how you were going to use the Shrine to resurrect your God. Huh?! Why should I tell you?! Rakna gave him a t look. You want an early ticket to the actual realm of demons? A vein popped on the mages forehead and his eye twitched several times before he grudgingly opened his mouth. Tch I have an artifact with me that took five hundred years for our race to develop. As long as I install it at the center of the Moon Shrine, it will suck up the divinity and then make the connection with our Gods reliquary. Then, Ill perform the ritual together with my fellow researchers back on Earth. Hmm Yamul, Rakna turned back to the demoness. Contact your so-called King. Tell him to halt all advances. If he agrees, he might survive long enough to see his God return. On the other hand, if he refuses, Ill personally go to Earth and kill him. Understood? Lilith didnt reply for a moment. She swiftly nced at her two followers and both of them had a neutral expression on their faces. She breathed in and nodded. Understood Good. It all went nicely, Rakna uttered and headed to the city gate. Come on, you can follow me to the Shrine. I have a friend working on the seals there. Youll help her, mage. Wha-? Norio blinked. Wait, so you already have someone unsealing the Shrine?! Are you saying that you were going to try resurrecting the Moon God regardless of our choice? Yes, Rakna said without missing a beat. What the The demon gaped as the werewolf entered the city. I dont fucking understand this guy Whats his angle?! Lilith simply stared at the werewolfs back before moving. Lets go, she said whilst pulling out a transmission item from her storage to contact her. This is madness Norio grumbled. Hey, Ramil, do you think this is a good idea? The demon armor eyed him wordlessly before following after hismander. At least say something, tin can! Chapter 252: Varunastra Chapter 252: Varunastra The Sentinel is it? A man muttered to himself, sitting alone in a throne room situated deep in the demon territory of Earth. He nced at the turned-off projection magic that Lilith had used to contact him and mused. The Demon King sighed and rubbed his temples. Why now But should I be grateful that he does not seem to be outright against us? He uttered and leaned back tiredly. Whatever Kain. Yes, Your Majesty, a cloaked demon instantly appeared next to the throne. For now lets go along with the Sentinels ns. Far too much time has been dedicated to this endeavor for it to be derailed like this. The Earth Gods return takes priority over everything else. Understood. I will pass on the directive to the other Legion Commanders, Kain said with a bow and vanished just as fast as he arrived. Mino, the King called someone else, and an elderly man dressed as a butler approached from the space behind the throne. Yes? I want you to leave for the moon right away. It should take a few days for the Resurrection Ritual to be prepared. Until then, observe and report to me. But most importantly, make sure to keep an eye on the Sun Dwellers. Well have to act quickly if they decide to turn hostile. Or at the very least, make sure to protect the Shrine if the Sentinel engages them. The butler ced a hand to his chest and bowed. Understood. Shall I bring it with me? The King nodded. Use it if you deem it necessary. I trust your judgment. I shall not disappoint you, Mino stated and disappeared from the throne room. ? * * * ? Three dayster, Rakna was sitting cross-legged on top of the castle, continuously meditating with Soul Breath as well as doing mental training for his next goal; improving his martial arts. In this case, it was both his weapon mastery and his closebat skills. The former was currently stuck at level 10; Max. As for thetter, he had managed to get it to level 9 from image training alone. I truly need someone to practice against He muttered. Perhaps even a teacher. I dont suppose you can do that, Fray? {What do you take me for? Though I can teach you to write in cursive if you want,} the storyteller joked. {Otherwise, you could ask the Dusk Lioness when she attains her body. She is quite decent at closebat if Im not wrong.} Hm Maybe Rakna mumbled and opened one eye to nce at the Moon Shrine in the distance as an idea emerged in his mind. For the past three days, he had been invoking Astraea every time his cooldown was finished since he was told she could help Norioplete the ritual faster. That could work What could work? A voice abruptly sounded from behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see Lilith standing there. Rambling to myself, Rakna replied, unsurprised by her presence. What are you doing here? Are you already bored of helping with the ritual? The demoness scowled. I could ask you the same. Why are you not helping them? Sounds annoying, the werewolf said without an ounce of shame. You have Astraea anyway. She is enough topensate for my absence. Ah yes, her Lilith said weirdly. She still was confused about the nature of that woman. But Im sure she would be able to focus better if she wasnt so busy cursing about how badly you treat fair beautifuldies. Her words; not mine. Rakna snorted. Ill give her a gift or somethingter, he said and returned to his meditation. Why dont we stop this passive-aggressive conversation now? Take a seat, the view is rxing. The demoness raised an eyebrow but nheless sat down next to him, though of course making sure to keep her distance. The view you dont even have your eyes open. He snickered but didnt say anything else. After a few minutes of silence, listening to the noise of the city, the citizens fixing the damages, Rakna sighed and opened his eyes. All right, he muttered and nced at Lilith. Out with it. I smell your curiosity. What do you want to ask? She blinked in surprise. Is that really how you sense others emotions? By smelling them? Yes. And dont emphasize too much on that lest it bes awkward for the both of us, he replied tly and she couldnt help but snicker. Is that so? Then, I wont hold back. Why are you doing all of this? Hm? Rakna raised an eyebrow. Whatever do you mean? I understand that you established a Soul Decree with the Lunar King. The reason why you remain here is clear. But why does it seem as if you have no resentment? She inquired and he fully turned his head. I cant even imagine feeling protective of a Kingdom that has forsaken me for a thousand years, only to bring me back for their convenience. The werewolf gazed at her and then exhaled. All of you really think too much, he uttered and looked back at the cityscape. Yamul, clear your mind. Look around you and tell me what you see. Lilith scowled andzily threw a nce at the city. The Capital of the Moon Dwellers. Thats not what you see, Rakna retorted. Thats what you know. what? You know this is the capital of the Lunar Kingdom. You know those people are Moon Dwellers, a race birthed by the Moon God to survive in this environment. Try again. Get rid of that knowledge and tell me what you see. She fell silently for a short while. A city And? And people living it And thats all you need, Rakna nodded. You want to know what you are for me? He asked and pointed at the Earth. You are a girl thates from there. Thats it. Youe from there to fight here because you have a reason to do so. What more do you need? To me, the Moon Dwellers are the same. The ones who incarcerated me are people who had greed and insecurities. The ones that sought my help are people who were desperate. Do you think both are the same? No. Where should I shove my resentment then? Oh, but, believe me, if the ones who betrayed me were still alive, Rakna smiled darkly. I would have killed all of the ones involved. Lilith shivered and he snorted. Thats how simple the world truly is. Or rather, how it should be. Someone did me wrong; Ill pay it back. Someone did me good; Ill repay it as well. Only fools can possibly harbor resentment for a thousand years straight despite their target being long dead. Thats just pathetic. And I have no idea about you, but I certainly know that Im not pathetic, Rakna stated calmly. What humility The demoness retorted half-jokingly. Humility is not disregarding the obvious. If you are better than someone, then you simply know it. Unlike those delusional about their worth, someone who truly understands their own value also understands others. No one stands above another. But life is a road and there is an infinite number of people walking ahead of you. The werewolf grunted and looked up at the sky, his eyes shing for a second. Why dont you ask the real question youve been dying to know the answer to? Why am I risking reviving the Earth God despite the potential repercussions? Because I have faith. Faith? Lilith reiterated meekly. Faith that the likes of Gods know better than to hold grudges like pathetic worms. In this case, in a world that has forsaken their memory, I hope the Demon Gods target will be limited to the Moon God. But are you truly willing to let your creator die? If Gods need mortals to fight their wars Rakna sneered. They are not worthy of their title. Lilith pursed her lips. That statement rang truer than she could have ever expected. Would you like to know why we are doing this? She ultimately voiced and he nced at her. Seeing that he neither objected or concurred, she continued. Deeply, for some reason, she craved to know if this creature next to her would understand her reasons for fighting. Long ago, before the Earth God fell to be the Demon God, demons didnt exist. What existed in their ce were humans, she said and Raknas eye twitched. After many years of growth and evolution, humans slowly ran out of resources. Unlike Sun or Moon Dwellers, humans were weak and required precise climates, atmospheres, and food. They were not a race capable of surviving anywhere else and soon enough, the Earth became their own hell. Rakna sighed internally. Now, he knew where this was going. Thats why the Earth God tried to do everything in his power to help them. Save them. He even sacrificed his blood and energy to sustain their survival if nothing but a day more. He pleaded to the Moon God for help but was refused. Slowly and gradually, the Earth God was only left with his mind and divinity. His body was discarded. His magic was depleted. Then it happened. His mind finally gave out. Darkness invaded his thoughts and it fused with his divinity. Mutated it. And on that day, the Earth God became the Demon God. In the following two hundred years following his descent into darkness, he transformed the souls of humans so that they would gain bodies capable of living on; the demons were born. But our God could not stop anymore. The power he had gained to corrupt souls, twisted his own. He rebuilt a body for himself, recovered his power, and dered war on the Moon God and Sun God. And so, the war began, Raknamented. The Moon God created me around that time, he said to himself. Going by your tone, you respect the Demon God, dont you? Lilith nodded. Yes When the war began, he never asked for help from his people. The demons were the ones who willingly decided to fight at his side. Their God had given everything to them and the only thing they could do was assist him in his revenge. No matter what it was. Even to this day, we demons grow to love our God; he who sacrificed himself for us. So, you fight for his revival because you believe that he deserves it, huh? Rakna concluded with a hum. How refreshing What is? To see the sacrifices of someone be respected. People are not particrly interested in the efforts of others. They are just like that. Even if they recognize your efforts, they will quickly forget it and instead remember you for your mistakes. Im an example of that, the werewolf huffed. Look how quickly they decided to turn against me after they forgot all I did for them. Liliths eyes widened a bit. She could see the truth of his words and that only made her respect the Sentinel even more. Having your struggles forgotten was a thing. But being betrayed by the ones you struggled to protect is probably far worse. Well, dont think too much about it. Its inconsequential to me, Rakna said. More than you think too, considering this technically isnt even my life, he silently added, and shortly after, arge wave of energy washed over the city. Both of them looked at the source and saw that the Moon Shrine was emitting a silver light filled with divinity. Lilith jumped to her feet, Did they finish the ritual? I thought it would have taken a few more hours to get to this stage Rakna observed the Shrine, his eyes glowing golden, before looking up at the sky once again. He focused on the spot he had been looking at a bit earlier and mused. With a sigh, he stood up, and without wasting time, his body expanded to its full size, startling the demoness. Sonata, he muttered and his scarf returned to its default size. It unwrapped itself and crawled to the werewolfs open hand, where it transformed into a longbow with red-blue metallic ents across the limbs of the weapon. What are you doing? Lilith asked tentatively. Shooting down a bird, Rakna said and held Sonata with his left hand whilst facing the sky with his right palm. At hismand, frost energy erupted out of his arm and congregated to shape a weapon. However, it wasnt Dinsleif. This time, the energy turned into a crystal spiral arrow. It was vibrant blue and semi-transparent with waving patterns on its surface. Inside the crystal, you could see pockets of air traversing its length, as if it was full of water. Rakna nocked the undting arrow, the spiral releasing blue strands of energy. He pulled on the string and Sonata automatically infused Eion inside the arrow. ? ? ? ? ? Rhapsodic Sonata has synergized with the spell. Magic Damage increased by 200. Range increased by 1 000 meters. ? ? ? ? ? The werewolf smiled faintly and squinted his eyes as he spotted a red dot in the sky. Lilith simrly saw it and gasped in recognition. The Sun Dwellers! She eximed. She knew that the Moon King had contacted them to set up potential reinforcements but he hadnt received any answer yet. Why are they here? Dont tell meC! She shouted and nervously looked at the Shrine. Thats their n, huh? Rakna snorted as he aimed at the shining dot. Sadly for them Im not one to turn back on my ns, he dered and waited until his target was right outside the meager atmosphere of the moon. [Nimajjati Etad Jivaloka,] he intoned and the arrow released a cloud of oddly freezing vapor that engulfed the roof of the castle. Lilith widened her eyes as she sensed the humidity in the air before the Sentinel voiced the name of his arrow. [Varunastra..] Chapter 253: "Can you overcome a star?" Chapter 253: Can you ovee a star? Rakna let go of the string and the arrow flew off at incredible speed. It traced a line of vibrant blue on its path and met with the distant red dot. What followed could only be described by the sound of waves striking against a cliff. The only difference was that it was amplified beyond imagination and caused the sky to be momentarily taken over by a tsunami. Lilith and the citizens of the Lunar Capital gawked at the sight. Rakna nonchntly lowered his bow and watched as the tide he had conjured turned into a massive whirlpool before scattering as if nothing had been there a few seconds ago. Soon after, his eyes caught several figures falling from the sky. Most of them were unconscious as the spell he had used was more like a massive blunt attack. Water could be both destructive and soft but Varunastra focused on sheer impact. Anyone caught inside its currents would experience the pressure of swimming thousands and thousands of miles underwater in one single instant. Even for magically enhanced beings, the shock could easily incapacitate. Obviously, it could also infiltrate someones body and flood their lungs. But most importantly, it was good against mes. Rakna unfurled his three pairs of wings and poured mana into them. Yamul, go tell udius to send soldiers to coordinate the masses. No need to panic. I should be able to avoid damages to the city at least Wait! Are you going to fight them alone? The werewolf snorted. What? Do you think you can help me in your state? Youd need at least a few years before even hoping to return to a decent fighting capability after your stunt. ButC! Shut up and follow my orders. Based on what Im sensing right now Rakna frowned. Someone ising that only I can keep at bay until the ritual is finalized. What do you! Lilith swallowed her words and almost fell to the ground as a suffocating aura nked the entire city. No, it was even worse than an aura. It was a force of nature. The mes in her soul, representing her magic and her very existence, broke down. As if something other than herself was demanding their absolute obedience. Rakna merely grunted at the pressure and his eyes zoomed in on the group of airborne humanoids that hadnt fallen yet. They all were dazzlingly beautiful and simrly to the Moon Dwellers, who shared the same silver hair color, they sported a deep shade of red as theirs. But most importantly, they possessed a pair of crimson feathered wings. And amongst them, there was one figure that stood out. A stunning woman with six wings, not unlike Rakna, who gave off a feeling of oppression that no regr mortal could withstand. This amount of divinity the sheer intensity is almost sickening, he muttered. Divinity?! Then that is the Sun God?! Lilith eximed. She was a woman?! Just do what I said, the werewolf instructed and disappeared. Barely a secondter, a sonic boom resounded throughout the city and a new aura emerged, countering the divinity. The Sentinel reappeared in front of the group of Sun Dwellers, his wings releasing a silver mist while they were busy evaporating the water soaking them. Raknas eyes squinted as he beheld the woman. She responded in kind, though her reaction seemed to be a mix of reluctance, fondness, and betrayal. You She spoke. Me, Rakna smiled. How nice it is to see you Mother, he said sarcastically. This was one thing he had gotten from using irvoyance. In this Scenario, his existence, as well as his uniqueness, was set to be exined by the fact he was created from a joint effort between the Moon and Sun Gods in hope that he would be the perfect counter to demons. Youre alive The goddess said with some amount of shakiness in her voice. She stared at him for a while before hardening her expression. Son do you understand what you are doing? I perfectly know what Im doing, Rakna retorted and Sonata floated next to him, switching to its Guandao form for him to catch it. He pointed the de at his mother and it started osciting menacingly. Im not much of a reformist, mind you. But Im not stupid enough to not notice how bad this has gotten, mother. Its war if nothing is attempted. To be honest, I hesitated between two courses of action. The first one was to help them revive the Gods. She raised an eyebrow. That is what you are currently doing, she uttered whilst glimpsing at the glowing shrine. Before I personally interrupt it She narrowed her eyes. I will give you a chance to say your other n. Rakna snorted in amusement. The second option was to kill them for good. The goddess paused for a moment due to the shock. What? I wondered if I should have just destroyed the Shrine altogether; thest remnants of the Moon Gods divinity and soul along with it so that no one could ever bring him back. The only downside to this n is that it will cause an immediate war but prevent future ones due to ack of cause. The only down! Do you realize what you are saying?! Sheshed out, indiscriminately releasing her aura, and even forcing her own people to move back. You would be willing to destroy thest vestiges of your creator?! Yes, Raknas voice abruptly turned apathetic and she froze on the spot. And this should have been done from the start. You reap what you sow. Now, kindly retreat or I will have to force you to. The Sun Goddess bit her lip and her wings were set aze with orange fire. You are not the one in a position to demand that. Let me pass Sentinel. you cannot defeat me. Is that so? Rakna said smilingly. I may not be able to harm you Ramsa but are you sure you can fend me off? You may be the Sun Goddess, but can you win against the sun? He asked and his smile widened into a grin. Can you ovee a star? He added and crimson energy shrouded his body like a cascade of magma. Red dyed his fur, his wings, and even Sonata itself gained a red tint. Ramsas eyes widened as she sensed a stockpile of raw power that surpassed even her Domain. How did youC?! She had never known the Sentinel possessed an ability like this. She had always thought that he hadnt inherited anything from her when she helped in his creation. Hahaha! Raknaughed and his aura, despite not increasing in intensity, became far more deadly in nature. There was no doubt in the origin of this difference; unadulterated bloodlust. It will be the first time I use this one He grinned and exhaled smoke, volcanic energy rolling off his skin in waves. [Volcanic Star Manifestation] Ramsa shuddered and waved her hand at the Sun Dwellers behind her. Miniature suns encased them all and sent them away to safety right before Rakna finished naming his spell. [Internal Release.] ? * * * ? A few minutes earlier, when the divinity erupted around the Moon Shrine. Damn it! I didnt expect this! Norio grumbled as he remotely controlled the pattern of the seals. Hundreds of magic circles of all sizes were floating around the room; most of them around the divine pir. Well, it seems it is a failsafe. Or perhaps the Moon God is starting to awaken on his own, Astraeamented as she focused on the flow of divinity inside the Shrine. Since she herself was an avatar of a goddess, she was the best help in this situation. No shit! Norio snarked and waved his hand, superimposing a dozen circles and then making them disappear like ss shattering. But at least, we will be able to reform the divinity into a body very soon now. As long as there isnt any interruptC! His sentence was cut off by the weight of a suffocating presence. He almost lost control of his mana. Oh,e on! Astraea giggled as she nced upward for a second. You jinxed yourself, demon boy. What is jinxed even supposed to mean?! He barked back and clicked his tongue. He turned his head toward arge cube floating in the middle of the room. It had countless grooves on its surface and it wasposed of many different detachable sections that were currently spinning more or less fast as it sucked in the divinity. This was the artifact made by the demons specifically to revive the Gods. In fact, at the same time, a facility on Earth was also being invaded by divinity; albeit a much darker one. Is that the Sun God? Norio grumbled. Shit! Of course, theyd try to stop us! You guys should have never contacted the Sun Dwellers! It was an obvious possibility! Well, yes and no, Astraea said with a hum. Lord Monarch did it because it was the most effectivepromise. Regardless of their intentions, it is better to have them close in case something goes wrong. But the truth is we didnt tell them anything about the resurrection. They must have found out about this from investigating on their own. Yeah, well, what do you n to do about the god right outside, huh?! The Goddess of Innocence shed a smile worthy of her title. She pointed at the ceiling and waited three seconds for something. This, she uttered, and as if on cue, an aura fought back against the divine force, relieving some of the pressure on the artifact that had been forced to slow down. Norios eyes widened in shock at the familiar aura. Seriously? Does he really think he can contend against a God head-on? Even if he is the Sentinel Wait for it, Astraea stopped him amusingly, and soon enough, the aura grew in intensity and the mage started sweating buckets. Oh, shit Thats the only thing he could say. Astraea snorted in amusement and opened a telepathic channel with her summoner. {How much time can you hold out, Lord Monarch?} {Three minutes} The answer was immediate; as if he was waiting for her. {Perhaps a minute or two more if I push it. Be done by then or were dead,} he said and ended themunication. Sheughed wryly. ve-driver, I tell you She said to herself. Come on, demon boy! Redouble efforts! We need to have the Moon God revived within three minutes! You dont need to tell me! And stop calling me demon boy! Chapter 254: Cleaving Divinity Chapter 254: Cleaving Divinity In all her years, Ramsa had never seen anything like this. Her arguably surrogate child had transformed into a living mass ofva and ck volcanic rock. The heat in the air was enough to even make her wince. The werewolfs eyes, entirely ck and cracked like stone with red light flowing underneath likeva, were set on her. What is this She couldnt help but think as the creature grinned at her. She could see droplets ofva falling off his fur, or rather, his fur itself had beva and was spilling. This is madness, it feels like Im standing in front of an actual star. And this feeling hes producing a maic field by just standing there. The wind is flowing down around him She bit her lip. His mass has reached a state capable of creating its own gravitation pole. Raknaughed at her gaze and the emotions of aweing from her. He rolled his shoulders out of habit, but he could tell that there werent even any bones for him to pop. His whole body had been turned into a humanoid star; just like the first time he used the Internal Release against the Dreorin so long ago. But in contrast with the Cold Star at the time, who had granted him the ability to dematerialize his body, the Volcanic Star was doing the opposite. It waspressing everything. If the former was better for mobility, thetter was made for endurance. ? ? ? ? ? You have cast Volcanic Star Manifestation C Internal Release. ? For the next three minutes, your magical might and defense will increase by 50%. Your mana consumption will be decreased by 50%, and you will be immune to fire and heat. Your body will continuously behave like a star, releasing a maic field and producing a gravitational pull. Both magical and physical damage will be greatly reduced before even striking. Any injury will automatically be healed no matter the severity. Whether you are bisected, beheaded, crushed, torn apart, the volcanic energy will reform your body. ? Cost: 75% Stamina. Cooldown: 120 Hours. ? ? ? ? ? Are you ready, mother? Raknaughed tauntingly, Sonata fuming from the heat, but surprisingly unscathed from his grip due to the curse ingrained in it adapting to him. Ramsa narrowed her eyes warily and a spear appeared in her hand. She clenched her weapon and an aura still surpassing the werewolfs surged. She disappeared from her spot, and before Rakna could react, he felt something strike his chest. His entire torso twisted from the impact and he was sent directly out of the moons atmosphere, almost entirely out of the moons gravitational range. The vacuum of space was a new experience for him but he didnt have the time to consider it. He looked down at himself and saw that there was a hole in his chest. It was instantly healed but right after, his instinct took over him and he managed to block a spear that was about to liberate his head from his neck. He came face to face with Ramsa and from her expression, he could tell she was surprised. Not by the fact that he could sense her attack, but because his physical strength surpassed hers. Not to mention, the sheer metaphysical weight he possessed made it even harder. And that was only for her; anyone else wouldnt have managed to make him budge by even a centimeter. Rakna smirked and used his free hand to throw a fist over their intertwined weapons. She nced at it and used two of her wings to block it, only to regret it afterward. Layers of dimensional energy wrapped around the werewolfs arm and twisted her wings. She grimaced in pain and turned into a whirlpool of orange mes. At the same time, knowing her magic couldnt do anything to him, she slipped out of Sonatas lock and briefly rematerialized her upper body to hit him with her palm. The sheer difference in stages between mortal and God showed once again, flouting the Manifestations ability and caving in half of Raknas body and even blowing off one of his arms. But he cackled and retaliated with a kick. Since Rift Shuttle was still activated, his attack offended the very fabric of space andnded on the half-corporal goddess. She grunted and retreated a few steps but Rakna followed after her. [Artzpul,] he intoned and his wings released a burst that illuminated the moons sky. His speed temporarily surpassed his limit and Ramsa, who had already reformed her body, was prepared to strike back. But she was once again shocked when the werewolfs speed went up another notch right before she was able to parry Sonata. [Quintuple Burst,] Rakna triggered his newest skill, pouringrge quantities of mana into his speed attribute to catch her off guard. The de of his Guandao ultimately found itself hitting her shoulder. Normally, this wouldnt have done anything. Despite being reinforced with mana and possessing perks such as Oscition de, a mortal weapon shouldnt be able to hurt a God. But Rhapsodic Sonata was far more than just a worldly item. Rakna, for the first time, decided to activate two perks of his weapon at the same time. [10 000 Nights of Severance, Skulk Life Down,] he said internally and the miraculous ability of his matrixial spell backed up the innate power of the Skulking Angels, broke literal rules of nature, and cut through a Gods skin. Ramsas mind ground to a halt when she felt the vibrating and incandescent de cut her. She was able to release a massive geyser of sr mes just in time to separate them but the damage had been done. A gash had opened from her shoulder to her chest and her pale-colored blood flowed out. Rakna recovered his stance after being thrown out by the mes and let out a breath to properly sort out the information he had gained on his opponent. As shocking as it sounded, not even half a minute had passed since the moment he was flung away into outer space. He gazed at the Sun Goddess who was staring in shock at her bloodied clothes and Fray spoke up in his mind. {Her blood; it has traces of red. She is only an Earthen God. Youre lucky, if she was a Heavenly God instead, her blood would bepletely white and your attack right now would have at best scraped her skin to draw a few drops of blood.} Thank you for the words of encouragement, Rakna responded sarcastically as he kept his eyes strained on the goddess figure. Ceres was also putting the System windows on hold so as to not make him lose concentration but he knew that he had definitely gotten something for injuring her. I am impressed, Ramsa finally raised her voice, having finally managed to get her eyes off her own wound. I never expected you to manage this I always knew you had the potential but this exceeds all of my expectations. It seems I have to take you seriously. Oh, gosh. Not the stereotypical viin linC Rakna never finished his sentence since his head was blown off by the de of a spear. Ramsa raised her hand and an orange light gathered around it; it was divinity in its raw form. You can live through my mes; what about this? She said and pointed her palm at him, his head being reconstructed by the volcanic energy. [Surya Daha Rosa,] she chanted and a beam of raw divinity swallowed the werewolf and carried him back onto the moons surface; far away from the capital. He crashed on the ground, the divinity digging around him and causing the moon to nearly split off into two parts as a fracture spread for half of its circumference. Ramsa didnt even wait for her attack to fully disperse and flew through its light. She dived into the crater but before she could even see her target, a beam of bluish-silver energy forced her to halt and deflect it with her spear. Then, the Sentinel appeared in front of her with his eyes glowing golden, marked by a cross, and surrounded by grayish lines that extended to the rest of his body. His nine tails were brimming with lunar energy and he redirected it to his mouth. He growled and produced a mix between a howl and roar. A beam of concentrated lunar and volcanic energy wasunched at the goddess and she squinted her eyes. She used her full speed and fizzled out of range, riding the wave of energy. She cloaked her spear in divinity and thrust it at the werewolfs head. But, to her shock, he tilted his head in time to dodge it. In her mind, this was impossible. She had already determined that his speed couldnt match hers and even if his instincts allowed him to sense her, they couldnt close the gap. So, how? She thought as she saw him move his arm to counter-attack. She moved out of the way, confident that it wouldnt reach her but before she knew it, a fist struck her and propelled her out of the crater they had made. Her eyes widened in shock, shortly feeling out of breath, but otherwise unscathed due to her divinity-forged physique. Rakna dashed after her and transformed Sonata into a pair of chain scythes. He threw one in her direction and she dodged it with minimal movement. She sensed the weapon move on its own and circle around her but before she could do anything about it, the werewolf once again managed to predict her movements and directly hit her with his scythe. Unlike the previous time, the de merely scratched her skin, but it was enough to knock her back by a few meters and be at the mercy of Sonatas chain. It wrapped around her with startling force and locked her movements for a brief instant. Rakna instantly took advantage of it and rushed forward, Rift Shuttle made itself known around him and the crossed pupils of Cross Sight revolved. Ramsa felt dread and tried to twist her body as much as possible to lessen his uracy, but, for the third time, the Sentinel moved as if he knew what she was going to do and seeded in striking her in the only focal point he could see. The results were shown on impact, Ramsa was sure she felt something break inside her and she coughed blood. She gritted her teeth and destroyed the chains restraining her by bolstering her strength with divinity and mana. She grasped her spear with both hands and shed against Sonatas newly reformed katana. Her pupils narrowed and she initiated a closebat battle that was massively in her favor. She was nearly three times as fast as him and was continuously damaging the werewolf, sometimes cutting his arms, his legs, or even his head. If it was his normal state, even with his regeneration, he would have already died a hundred times. But that didnt stop him for even a second. Before they knew it, their battlefield had be the entire moon. There was not even one second where they wouldnt be miles away from theirst position. After some time, Ramsa noticed two things. The first was that the Sentinels soul power was decreasing. The second was that she was having a harder time injuring him to the same degree as before. His defense and attack power are both increasing as we go on She thought. I dont know if there is a limit to this; I have to end it fast, she stated internally and broke the deadlock by thrusting her palm at the werewolfs dominant shoulder. Raknas arm trembled and he became unable to use one of his twin katanas. Then, he was kicked in the ribs and sent skidding through miles of the lunar terrain. Then, Ramsa pointed her finger at the sky and summoned a giant orange and white magic circle. Eye of Symphony analyzed it in a blink and Raknas mind went into overdrive. Founding Intuition was starting to put a severe toll on him. He had never used it inbat before and it showed. Even if it gave him the aptitude to borderline see a few milliseconds into the future by predicting her movements, it was barely enough for him to survive. Condensing runes. Channeling formation to spin energy in the core, his elerated analysis of the magic circle ran through his head. Powered by divinity, internal energy, and mana. Advanced fractal spell. Damage estimate; one-quarter of the moon. Time of casting 0.945 seconds Probabilities of defeat if cast; 99.9%. Contingency necessary. Rakna wed at his face and summoned a bony red mask that blended with his fur. Ramsa froze at the emergence of the terrifying pressure but powered through. Time bought; 0.165 seconds. Not enough. Activatingst resort measure. [All Virtues Shall Sloth!] Chapter 255: Cliffhanger Chapter 255: Cliffhanger [All Virtues Shall Sloth!] Rakna yelled and this time, he didnt pass out from the activation of this skill. He felt like his body had be a thousand times heavier as a pair of curved horns grew on his head. His aura turned into a miasma and his bone mask became entirely ck. Ramsa couldnt ignore it anymore. It had only needed a nce and her limbs had refused to obey her. The magic circle she had conjured flickered several times but she didnt let go of it. She could tell that the Sentinel was struggling with the malevolence he had taken in himself. He was holding his head with his ws digging into his skull. He was doing everything he had to resist the call of Sloth. Give up, Sentinel! She shouted with a strained voice, the oppression of The Mask of Phobos was currentlypelling enough to even make her falter. You never stood a chance. The spell youre using to make yourself near-unkible will most definitely end soon. And even if not; if you are hit by my attack, it will take you too much time to reform and I will be able to lock you in an infinite regenerative loop. Rakna heard her but didnt bother answering. Under the influence of Founding Intuition, all that mattered to him was efficiency. Sounds, colors, field of view; they were useless. He threw them all away and focused on his target. He had two to three seconds before sheunched her spell. He needed something strong enough to pierce through the attack and incapacitate her long enough for him to recover. His mind rifled through possible solutions and his Intuition locked onto a particr one. He inhaled,manding Eye of Symphony to simte stronger pain to keep him from falling to the urge of his Sin Magic, and released the dams of his mana pool. [Holy Is Your Name. Destiny Is Your Wielder. The Grail Is Your Trophy,] he began to chant and Star Hearth manifested behind him as an actual spectral hammer striking against a chunk of mana. The Sun Goddess scowled at the odd spell and with every strike of the hammer, making a metallic sound, the oppression of The Mask of Phobos increased by a notch. The inner circles of her magic circles started spinning and aligning runes together whilst Rakna continued his lexis. [Let The Stars Shape Your de,] he uttered and the chunk of mana shone. The hammer, holding neither the characteristics of the Volcanic or Hoarfrost elements, swung down, the ck material it wasposed of glowing like a starry night sky. Itnded loudly on the shining mana and transformed it into a giantnce. The shaft pulsed with red light and the transition with the de was made by a white ornamental crucifix. The weapons steel wings expanded to the sides, preceding the head of the spear that was shaped like a hundred red thorns twisting around one another. Thats Ramsas expression finally copsed. How is that possible?! Holy magic?! No, its a spell imbued with the devilish energy hes exuding. Holiness and impiety manifesting into a weapon What she didnt know was that this spear was forged with a legend at its core. It was a story that her world didnt possess. Ance forged by man, spilled the life of God the Son, received the name of Holy, blessed by divinity, and blemished by the blood. A weapon bathed in the concepts of death and immortality; the God-ying Lance. [You Tasted the Blood of Christ,] Rakna intoned and the spear grew an aura of its own, birthed by malevolence and sanctity. The crucifix duplicated and formed a floating crown around the shaft of thence. It began to spin faster and faster as if to imitate Ramsas magic formation. The Sun Goddess gritted her teeth and clenched her hand. The runes were promptly aligned and the circle began to retract itsyers like a spring; charging a sphere of divinity and mana. On the other hand, the crown of crucifixes was condensingrge amounts of mana, lunar energy, and fake divinity. When the two spells reached their zenith, it was as if the world came to a stop. The atmosphere that was so packed with energy suddenly lost all consistency. For that split second, a part of the moons surface had turned into a pit of energy that separated itself from space-time. Ramsa waved her arm and broke the silence inflicted on them by the world, [Brahmyasta!] The magic circle overturned itself and shot a massive stream of destruction toward the ground. Rakna replied in kind and growled out one word, [Longinus!] The Holy Lance answered his call and erupted into an equallyrge pir of white and red light. The two attacks collided within less than a millisecond and the world was torn apart. Immediate and silent; a sea of shimmering shes swallowed half of the moon and erased it from existence to leave the ce to a sh between the tides of silver and orange-white energies. On the other side of the moon, the Lunar Capital was assailed by the worst natural catastrophe it had ever gone through. The citizens cried out in terror as the ground quaked. The wind suddenly became chaotic; the atmosphere literally breached. As that urred, somewhere in the city, the butler sent by the Demon King came out of hiding and observed the disaster. I suppose it is inevitable, he muttered and leaped into the sky. He grabbed the ominous ne he was wearing and threw it above his head. A pentagram whirled into existence around the object and he fed it his energy. Come, Tarasque! Protect this city! He shouted and a low-pitched cry made the city shake even more before a giant shadow emerged from the circle. A momentter, a titanic figure with a spiked carapace and a pair of wings was looming over the city. It opened its mouth and spat out a stream of raw mana that encased the whole capital, making it isted from the destruction and the quakes. At the same time, the lunar army was busy reducing the public unrest and they could only look at the dragon-like monster above them. Amidst the chaos, a minute after it started, a pair of silver eyes opened for the first time in more than a thousand years. ? * * * ? The battle of dominance between Rakna and Ramsa ended in less than a minute only. But at the same time, it could be said to havested an eternity for them. At their realms of strength, where a thousand moves could be exchanged within a second, the same timespan would be equivalent to hours for a normal human. The one who eventually won over the other was Ramsa. Her spell fully overwrote Longinus light and caused the both of them to detonate; shoving the remaining half of the moon away. She let out a sigh; her breath ragged and weary. She gazed at the energy dust left behind by their sh and examined her trembling hand. She bit her lip and then clutched the wound across her shoulder. She couldnt afford to rx now. There was no doubt that she had exterminated the werewolfs body but from what she had seen of his ability to regenerate, while it would be slow, he would definitely return. She looked around with a sharp look, expanding her senses to try and locate the location of his rebirth. Then, through the dust, she saw a sh. It was instantaneous. From one instant to the next, the tip of a giant thornynce had embedded itself in her stomach. She gasped and coughed blood, her hands reflexively trying to push away the object. The thorns pierced her palms but all she could focus on was the Holy Lance obstructing most of her vision. The red light that pulsed through its shaft was spreading throughout her body. The God-ying Lance was directly attacking her divinity and she couldnt move. She would not die from it, but it would take a very long time to recover from this injury. That attack was never meant to hit me She muttered shakily and noted the absence of the crown of crucifixes around thence. I see it was just its way of opening the path She said and after a while, thence started splintering until it crumbled into white dust. Ramsa fell backward, her limbs and wings devoid of strength, and let herself drift in the vacuum of space. Then, she felt a disturbance in her surroundings and struggled to move her neck. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the Sentinels half-reconstructed body. It started with his lower body until the head sprouted from the neck. Rakna opened his eyes right after and immediately was forced to dispel his Star Manifestation. His demonization was long gone as well, obliterated together with his body. Rakna groaned and his fur shed the red color and reverted to a soft blue. He had no mana left and even his oundish stamina had been exhausted. In fact, the System was telling him that it was in the negative. So He spoke up, his voice hoarse. How is it to be stabbed by the Lance of Longinus? Is that the name of that weapon? She replied without looking at him. It was terrifying. Just as much as you. You have grown powerful Rakna snorted. Thanks, I guess, he uttered and extended his hand toward the broken half of the moon in the distance. On cue, an azure light glimmered and then flew to him. Soon enough, a familiar scarfnded in his grasp. But it was full of holes that were stitching themselves. Sonata seemed to have been pushed to the limit because of the spell before it could start fixing itself. Good thing that the Skulking Angel blood makes it near unbreakable when being looked at. Or else it might have been reduced to nothing Raknamented to himself and wore Sonata again. The truth was that he had been forced to keep an eye on Sonata during the sh. Otherwise, when he was ultimately swallowed, the weapon would have been significantly more damaged without the quantum lock put on it. He had been fast enough to throw it away toward the distant shattered moon before his body was obliterated. Though, it hadntpletely escaped in the end. What are you going to do now? Ramsa asked with half-lidded eyes. What? He smiled lightly as he took his mind off his weapon. Do you think Im going to finish you off? Whats the point? The cause of our fight is no more already, he said as he looked at the cleaved moon with golden eyes. The goddess eyes widened. Dont tell meC? Ramsa, Rakna, a voice suddenly sounded and the werewolf trembled, hearing his actual name being spoken for the first time in this Scenario. He turned to the source, who had gently lifted the Sun Goddess into a bridal carry. She had a look of longing and pain on her expression as she beheld the one who carried her before she fell unconscious. The neer was a handsome man with long silver hair. He was wearing silk silver robes with broad sleeves that reminded Rakna of eastern clothing. He was absurdly beautiful; not in a way that one could admire, but one that made you feel like it was too abnormal to be real. The mans long and almost feminine eyshes fluttered as one of his silver eyes fell on the werewolf. My child there is much to be discussed. As soon as those words left the Moon Gods mouth, time stopped. Rakna blinked in surprise at the frozen figure of the man and was abruptly pulled into a ce full of darkness. ? ? ? ? ? You have reached a Scenario Frontier! The following events of the Scene are not conformed to the Path Quest assigned to you. The world will be paused and resumed when the Host returns for your next Main Path Quest. ? ? The Simtion has ended! Congrattions! You havepleted your Main Path Quest! Grade: Z C Perfection Rewards: 10 000 Exp, 5 Vtile Points, Lunar Key. ? Path Skills Gained: C Lunae Cosmos C Valkal of the Reverse Side ? ? You have unlocked the Path Skills section of your status. Scanning skills for Path Compatibility Moon Shine of the Nine Moons has been moved to Path Skills! ? ? Your STR, SPD, and INT will now increase by 0.2 at every level up. ? ? You have leveled up! 9x +1.8 STR, SPD, & INT! + 10 Free Points! ? ? ? ? ? After reading the System window, the next thing Rakna knew, he was sitting in his homes office once again. He blinked at the room with a dumbfounded look and Higure greeted him. Hey, Devourer, she said with a small smirk. How was it? You were gone for six minutes. Did you stay there for half a year? Thats generally the ratio of a simtion. Rakna looked at her with a weird look before fishing out a cigarette from his storage. He put it to his mouth and switched to volcanic for only a split second to light it. He inhaled and let out a cloud of smoke. This feels likeing back home after a vacation trip, he mumbled to himself. To answer your question, Higure, Im mad. Eh? What happened? The System put me in a cliffhanger. thats sad. I know.. Chapter 256: Chalice of the Crystal Wolf Chapter 256: Chalice of the Crystal Wolf Rakna ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He leaned back on his seat nced at Higure who waszily reading a book whilst her tail waved back and forth. So, six minutes only, huh? A month in the simtion is about a minute here then? Pretty much. But what kind of Scenario did you get? She asked. Ive heard of Scenarios thatst years, if not decades. But thats for higher-level Hosts. In this case, it should at worst be one or two weeks for you. A month if you stretch it. Well, when I woke up, I was locked up in a dungeon with chains made by gods. I had nine tails on my back. Then I found out I was on the moon; half a yearter, some kid came to me saying he was the prince of a kingdom attacked by demons. He freed me; I fought an army. I plotted to revive the Moon and Demon Gods; so, I fought the Sun God who was against it. Then, I returned here. The lioness stared at him tly for about a minute straight. You won? She eventually decided to ask and he nodded. Yep. I didnt expect to at first, I only wanted to buy time, but I won. I see. Congrattions. Thanks. Higure looked back at her book and after a few silent beats, she turned her head fast enough to cause whish and threw the book at his face. Did you seriously think I was gonna say that?! You reckless fool! Rakna hummed as the book slid off his face. I should have expected that My mood-reading skills need more polishing. I didnt even smell your change of emotions in time. How did you do it? Get your priorities straight! ? * * * ? After spending some time cating the hissing fit of the horny cat, Rakna focused on all the System windows he had missed, Ceres, if you will. [Understood,] she responded and organized the information, showing him his skill level-ups first. ? ? ? ? ? Mana Control has leveled up! Mana Sense has leveled up! Magic Theory has leveled up! 2x Magic Circle Theory has leveled up! Magic Formation Theory has leveled up! 3x Flight has broken through Exceled! cksmithing has broken through Exceled! cksmithing has leveled up! 4x Hoarfrost Star Magic has leveled up! Frost Soul Aura has leveled up! Magical Damage Resistance has leveled up! 2x Physical Damage Resistance has leveled up! 3x Dimensional Damage Resistance has broken through Exceled! Star sh has Exceled! Fabled Sight has leveled up! 2x Artzpul has leveled! Cross Dimensional Sagacity has broken through Exceled! You can now see, open, and interact with Dimensional Bridges. Weapon Reinforcement has broken through Exceled! Weapon-Mastery has Exceled! CQC has leveled up! Sloth Magic has Exceled! ? ? You have learned a new Proficiency; Lunar Control! Lunar Control has leveled up! 7x ? ? ? ? ? Okay Ceres, thank you for the trouble but this is a bit too much at once. [I apologize. There was a lot.] Yes, I can see that, Rakna said wryly. And here I thought reading it in blocks would give me less of a headache Anyhow, thatst one is certainly interesting. Also, it seems I reached Exceled in weapon mastery during my fight with Ramsa I guess I got a title or two from this as well, right? [Indeed,] she affirmed and two windows popped up. ? ? ? ? ? You have gained a new title; Anti-Divinity! You have gained a new title; Elysian Pariah! ? ? Anti-Divinity ? This title is parallel to the Title known as Anti-God. The bearers of it are the nemesis of Celestials and Divinities. While Anti-God simply increases the fighting capabilities of its holder by great margins when facing a being hosting Divine Energy, Anti-Divinity signifies that the holder gains the ability to harm divinity directly. Their body that is protected from mortal harm will be weakened and their natural ability to ignore mortal spells and weapons will be negated. ? Note: To receive the title of Anti-God, one needs to walk the path of God-ying. However, there exist creatures naturally possessing that empowering title; such as the Asuras. ? ? Elysian Pariah ? It is a title given to those who have forsaken both divinity and impiety. They do not care of Gods or Devils. They live knowing that neither is true, neither is false. They have the ability to ignore Holy and Demonic effects as they will. The holder of this title will be able to cancel all curses or blessings on their person. They cannot be influenced by the Domains of Divinity. The Elysian Pariah is one that does not follow the rules of the Celestials. The holder also receives the ability to mold their mana into either Demonic or Holy Mana and cast their spells possessing either of their properties. If both are used at the same time, they be the Mana called Hallowed Blight capable of oveing all manner of magics at an increased cost. ? ? Your Sealed Sub Path, Nephilim, grows stronger. ? ? ? ? ? Anti-God Tyran does have that title, Raknamented. It raises his attributes by 100% and his attack and defense by 200%. Quite a boon against any sort of God. But Anti-Divinity is more than enough for me. Not to mention that Elysian Pariahplements it perfectly. {I suppose thats what happens when you fight and subdue a God,} Fray remarked. Hm, by the way, you mentioned Ramsa was an Earthen God, didnt you? Is that the same thing I saw on the Divinity yer title after fighting Aqu? {Yes, I have been taught that Celestials are ranked like this. It starts with Divinity, which means a first step has been taken into Godhood by awakening their spirituality. Then, the Demi-Gods. It is named as such because it also includes children between Gods and mortal races; they are born at this stage of power. Then, we have Earthen Gods. They begin to detach themselves from reality as we know it. Their body bes something nearly imprable by mortality.} {Above them are the Heavenly Gods. They have fully shed their mortality. Obviously, they can still die at the hands of people with as much strength as them but they are immune to a great range of damage. A Peak Heavenly God wouldnt even have had their clothes ruffled by you. Thest three nominations are called Ancient, Mythical, and Primordial.} Fray paused before resuming, {Ancient Gods are also called Transcendentals as they transcend a certain aspect of the world when reaching that stage. For instance, I have heard that Eternal Night transcended elements. He cannot be hurt by any of the worldly elements, including but not limited to water, earth, fire, and wind; no matter their power. He can also reflect them with higher output back to their senders or consume them to regain mana.} Thats kind of broken Unfairly so, Rakna muttered. I dont want to hear that from you, Higure deadpanned. {Well, that aside, after thates the Mythical Gods,} Fray continued. {No one exactly knows if there is a specific benchmark to define them but it is said that Mythical Gods can destroy an entire sr system with just a finger snap.} And let me guess; my old man is a Primordial God? {Indeed, hes considered one of the most powerful of them all too. At the same time, few others can be said to hold the name of Primordial. Some thate to my mind are Ra-Horakhty, the God of Phoenixes, nderer, The Original Devil, and Yahweh, God of All.} Yahweh? Rakna blinked in shock. YHWH? Does he actually exist? {Of course, who do you think the Church worships? What is so shocking about that?} Well, were talking about the God thats supposed to be the First and Only. I thought it was wrong considering there are so many others that are real. {What can I say? It is recognized that Yahweh is real. He has made appearances in the past within the System. But no one ever actually saw him. Hes extremely elusive. He probably travels realities at his whim and only came to visit Systema for raritys sake.} Rakna scowled. That means he did something that my old man couldnt; locate the System. Fray hummed. {Indeed But I would presume it is because Yahweh is a God with the notion of omniscience in his Domain. Who knows what his raw power is? Many have wondered who would win between Eternal Night and Yahweh. But some also theorized that it would be the end of the world if they ever battled.} No kidding, the therian jested. Anyway, thanks for the lesson, I guess. Ceres, you can move on to the skills Oh wait, he suddenly remembered something. He opened his Item Box and searched for a certain set of items. When he found it, five Skill Cards with a fancy-looking interrogation mark on each of them materialized in his hand. These Random Skill Cards I forgot to use them before going to the Simtion. Well, I guess even you can get excited enough to forget about something, Higure said with a wide grin. Depending on your luck, those might give you something nice. Though, we both know your luck is nothing to doubt. Rakna sighed and injected his mana into the cards. Might as well do it now Shit, even more stuff to go through now, he grumbled to himself as the Skill Cards glowed and merged with him. Then, the System prompts sounded and disyed everything to him. ? ? ? ? ? STR Random Skill Card; you have learned a new skill; Sunken Fist! END Random Skill Card; you have learned a new skill; Mana Coils! SPD Random Skill Card; you have learned a new skill; Burst el! DEX Random Skill Card; you have learned a new skill; Rippling Touch! INT Random Skill Card; you have learned a new skill; Magic Sigil! ? ? Star Hearth has evolved into Forger of The Stars! You have learned a new Sub-Spell; Longinus! You have created a Sub-Skill Tree for Moon Shine of the Nine Moons! You have gained the Sub-Path Skill; Lunar Ascendant! You have gained the Sub-Path Skill; Moon Howl! You have gained the Path Skill; Lunae Cosmos! You have gained the Path Skill; Valkal of The Reverse Side! ? ? ? ? ? Right Rakna mumbled with a t look. Then, before he could see their descriptions, he felt an odd sensation on his back. He scowled and briefly used irvoyance to look at it. At first, he saw nothing but some random lines shining through Allegros fabric. Then, the lines expanded and started forming a pattern. Higure watched curiously as the strokes drew a crimson shape. It looked like a caricature of the Mask of Phobos. Then, around it, nine obsidian tails emerged, appearing as if they were made of ck crystal. Andstly, an unfamiliar image etched itself right under the red mask. This one was cyan and it had the form of an embellished and transparent chalice filled to the brim with white crystalline water. When the image was fully formed, the multi-colored light faded away and left no trace on Raknas clothes. Quickly after, a System window chimed in. ? ? ? ? ? Your Magic Sigil has been inscribed! Chalice of Wishes is reacting! The Magic Sigil has developed into the Trait; Chalice of the Crystal Wolf! ? ? Chalice of the Crystal Wolf ? A Magic Sigil is a phenomenon that urs when mages reach a certain level of proficiency in their craft. It often manifests itself in the form of a tattoo but it can also appear as a symbol in ones eyes or shade contained within their blood. A sigil is a way for mages to deepen their connection with the World and cast magic more efficiently. In simpler terms, a sigil is akin to a constant incantation. That is whyplex spells can be cast with it without necessarily needing chants or lengthy charging durations. Due to the Hosts unique circumstances, the Magic Sigil has mutated into a Chalice. It is a theoretic kind of sigil also called Vessel of Life. It has all the functions of a regr sigil but with improved effects. This sigil is also dynamic. The content of the Chalice portrayed by the tattoo represents how much mana the Host has left and will change ordingly. This Chalices root belongs to the one known as the Sage of The Crystal Mountain and has been inherited by Rakna Xiorra de. It grants a reduction in mana consumption, weakens the toll of magic on the body, elerates casting, and most importantly, serves as the catalyst that will collect payments and turn them into wishes. You are now able to actively grant wishes. ? Statistical Effects: -10% Mana Consumption & -10% to Cooldowns. ? ? You have fulfilled the first condition to awaken your Kzanaria! Note: The second condition surpasses the encoding capabilities and is unknown. No information can be given to the Host by the System. ? ? ? ? Chapter 257: Sunken Ripple of Rupture Chapter 257: Sunken Ripple of Rupture So, I couldnt actually grant wishes until now? Rakna blinked in surprise. I thought that I just hadnt met anyone who needed it. I guess the first was a freebie for both me and the kid then. {It would seem so,} Fray agreed. {The Crystal Sages legacy might be what fueled your first wish to transform that child into a Phoenix. After that, it is logical that you would need a way to convert payments into the wish you want to grant since you dont possess the power necessary to do it on your own. The Crystal Sage was most likely capable of it, but he set payments as a way to preserve his impartiality. But its that much more necessary for you.} Hm, Rakna hummed and mentallymanded Allegro to recede from his upper body, leaving it bare. Higure yelped on the side. He ignored her and conjured a mirror to look at his own back. On top of his old scars, there was now a sigil that took half of his back. But it hadnt any of the colors from earlier. All of it was simply drawn in a darker skin tone; all except for the transparent liquid that filled the chalice. All in all, it looked as if someone had carved it into his back before it became arge scar filled with magic. He squinted his eyes and focused on it. Then, he saw it glow and the wolf masks eyes shed red for a moment. The chalices content moved like actual water and a few drops spilled before fading away. The tails waved around before returning to a still image as Rakna stopped concentrating. Interesting, he muttered and Allegros armor covered him once again, forcing out a disappointed mewl from the lioness. The therian scowled at her and she stared back. stop drooling. I humbly refuse, she replied in the most dignified way she could. Whats humble about that? He deadpanned and sat back down. Not my fault your muscles were blindingly shining. they didnt shine. They did for me, she replied shamelessly. But seriously though, your skin did actually look like it was reflecting light a bit. Save for the scars; which are very hot, by the way. Rakna nced at the lost cause of a lioness and sighed. Have you already forgotten? My body is only half-organic. The other half is nano energetic metal. If you stare enough and as long as I dont actively conceal it, its noticeable. Oh, yes. That does make sense. But wait, if you can control every part of your body Higure said and her eyes widened in a mix of shock and excitement. ThenC! Her statement was cut short by a small bullet of frost crystal hitting her head, making her shiver from the cold. Rakna lowered his finger. Continue that train of thought and Ill have to cool you off by giving you the honor of being the first to know what a bath as cold as a Hoarfrost Star feels like. Higure blinked and calmed down. I will give you that one, Devourer that sounds terrifying. Im d we came to an understanding, he said tly and sheughed. Show me the four other skills, Ceres. [Right away.] ? ? ? ? ? Sunken Fist ? A martial technique said to have been invented by a mortal who practiced one single move for a hundred years without rest. When the punch is thrown, the space around the fist bends in the direction of the attack. Invertedly, the target feels a pull before the punchnds and once it does, the energy umted during the swing will erupt in a straight line, rupturing the world as it flies. It was named Sunken Fist from the principle behind it. It is a technique that defies thews of physical equivalence but is restrained by them at the same time. That is why, it is a fist sunk in the oppression of the world, seeking to be freed. ? Stamina Cost: 100 Cooldown: None Charging Time: 1.6 Seconds ? ? Mana Coils ? Mana Coils are a concept created upon the basis of Magic Circuits. They are akin to add-ons that increase the size of mana channels, thus allowing an increase in mana capacity. But it is also, as per its name, a pair of magic coils located around the heart and the stomach that produce an attracting force that eases regeneration from ambient mana as well as stamina regeneration by elerating the filtering of energy inside the body; such as digestion. ? Current Increase in Mana and Stamina Capacity: 100 & 10 Current Increase in MP Regeneration: 0.5/Min ? Note: These values will increase as the skill level increases. ? ? Burst el ? An exceedingly simple but equally effective skill that multiplies ones agility and thinking process for a split of a second. One can be nearly five times as fast when using this skill at itster levels. ? Cost: 500 MP & 50 STA Duration: 0.05s Cooldown: 30 Seconds Effect: +200% AGI ? ? Rippling Touch ? A mysterious technique created by a martial master from ages long past. It is a skill that employs internal energy like none other. By circting it in precise patterns, it is possible to build up momentum within the body and then release it through the fingertips. The stronger the user, and the stronger the internal energy, the better the effects. Rippling Touch behaves like a circr wave on hit. The spot touched by the finger will be struck by one concentrated pulse before spreading outward like a ripple on water. ? Stamina Cost: Variable Cooldown: None ? ? ? ? ? Rakna read the descriptions within a blink but his attention lingered on Sunken Fist and Rippling Touch for a moment. Those two are definitelypatible. I guess I could try to synthesize them or force them to merge by practicing both at the same time. Then, theres Burst el. If anything, its a scary ability that can allow me to cut someones throat before they can even notice. As for those mana coils He whispered and took out a heart from his storage. He broke it apart and ate it. He felt it being refined by Scavenger and converted into energy, but there was a new sensation too. I see its a godsend for me. I can eat more hearts without reaching my limit. That could be useful for the others too, huh? You could craft the Skill Card for it. True, but it might take some time to decrypt Unless I find a way to do it artificially. It says that its extra mana channels around the heart and stomach. I suppose it wouldnt be too hard to do it on someone else by manipting their circuits with my soul. Youre really turning more and more into a crazy researcher Higure sweatdropped. Hah, Rakna snorted and waved his hand at the System window to separate the skills. Ceres, my personal Terminal can be used for Skill Synthesis, right? [Yes? Would you like to perform one?] He nodded at her question and his Terminal popped up to his left. [In that case, please input themand skill_synthesis. You will then be prompted to add the names of the skills you want to synthesize up to a maximum of ten.] Can I also use Proficiencies? [Yes. Cognitive Skills, Spontaneous Skills, and Proficiencies can be synthesized together. However, there are exceptions such as Maximum Exceled Skills and Ultimate Exceled Skills.] I get it, Rakna nodded and breathed in. He closed his eyes and his soul power condensed above his skin, forming grayish circuits. When he opened his eyes, they scanned the entirety of his status and after a few seconds of thought, he started typing on the Terminal. The first two he keyed in were Sunken Fist and Rippling Touch. Then, without wasting even a second, he added CQC to it. After that, he momentarily paused and his soul circuits released a red-blue smoke. He turned off Founding Intuition and typed in the fourth skill; Burst el. There you go, Rakna sighed lightly. I used three of the five I got in the end. {Good idea to use Founding Intuition,} Fray praised. Figured it wouldnt hurt, the therian shrugged and confirmed his choices. Then, the Terminal sent out the request to the servers. ? ? ? ? ? Sunken Fist, Rippling Touch, CQC, Burst el synthesis evaluation in progress Compatibility Rating: S+ Request Approved and Completed. You have gained a new Proficiency; Sunken Ripple of Rupture! ? ? Sunken Ripple of Rupture ? A martial art built over an extensive expertise ofbat and three battle skills. It is a technique that requires astonishing qualifications to be exerted and mastered. Sunken Ripple of Rupture is an art that focuses on the uracy of movements to the point it maniptes reality with it. The execution speed of its stances can vary from the slowest of punches to the fastest of strikes. Internal energy must be circted at all times at precise quantities, speed, and intensity. When the blows connect, the energy pierces through the target in a straight line and creates a ripple that spreads on impact. This is an incredibly versatile technique that can allow one to flick or destroy des and to burst somebodys skull with the touch of a finger. Sunken Ripple of Rupture is an art that is on its way to denying allws of the world. Whether it be space, time, magic; it will surpass it in time. ? Note: This proficiency will start at the Ascended Level. ? ? ? ? ? The instant that the synthesis was finished, Rakna felt the biggest rush of information he had ever gotten since he entered the System. He didnt feel any pain but the time it took Eye of Symphony to process the technique, going as far as etching it into his body and rewriting his reflexes, made him feel ufortable for a brief period. When it was over, Rakna sighed as he glimpsed a few Eion pulses shine through his skin; his body was fixing microscopic but numerous injuries from the strain it had just been put through. No wonder it said astonishing qualifications, he grumbled. Most people would have exploded from the way it changed my bodys pathways, he said, noticing that his internal energy was now flowing through his body in a very different pattern. Not to mention the knowledge I got would have taken someone decades to properly train if it was not for my Eye, he added and stood up. [That is indeed a risk of Skill Synthesis It can naturally fail if thepatibility is not good enough but even when it seeds, there are cases of the skill overwhelming the Host.] And you didnt tell me that because? [my apologies, I was so ustomed to your pace that I neglected to mention it.] Rakna snorted. Well, I suppose thats quite human of you. Be happy. Yes, dont be disheartened, Ceresta, Higure said whilst exaggeratedly nodding. Its easy to get caught in the batshit crazy pace of this guy. Even if youre an AI, you cant escape. Language, the therian chided as he walked to the center of his office. Seriously? The lioness deadpanned. He gave her a small smile and regted his breathing. He controlled his internal energy to flow in the new pathways and distanced his legs. Then, he started raising his left arm. It was incredibly slow and methodical, his hand ck. Higure watched with a scowl and for a moment, she swore to have seen the arm be a blur as if it was moving in a hundred different directions simultaneously. Soon after, Rakna began to move his right arm but with his fist closed. He angled it vertically, his thumb pressed at the top, and once again, sluggishly, he ced his right arm perpendicrly to his body whilst his left hovered above it. This time, the blur was evident. Rakna stopped moving for a while, gazing at nothing, but Higure was growing restless. She could feel ripples in the air; constant and rhythmic. Though, rather than feeling pressured, it would be more urate to say she was sensing something both too dangerous and incredulous to stay calm. Eventually, the therian raised his fist, and in a swift motion that she couldnt even track, he hacked it down before stopping near his waists level. At first, nothing happened but Higure was squinting hard. Rapidly, her analytical expression was reced by one of shock as something coursed through the room and softly pushed back the lightest items in it, sweeping over her fur. Every hair on her body was standing at attention and she had the idea to activate Cross Sight, allowing her see a crack in dimensions where Raknas fist was ced. Albeit small, it was still one. HaHaha Sheughed dryly in her mind as Rakna went through other stances. Goodness, what kind of martial art is this? Is this what a technique sunk by the wordsws looks like when it tries to surface? She couldnt help the grin that appeared on her face. It is quite terrifying indeed.. Chapter 258: Valkal of The Reverse Side Chapter 258: Valkal of The Reverse Side Rakna waved his hand as if he was trying to push something away and another ripple swept across the room. He sighed and then fell off his stance, which appeared like a bnce between a rxed and prowling form. ? ??? Sunken Ripple of Rupture has leveled up! ??? ? The therian hummed at the notification. It had only taken a handful of minutes this time because the data transfer was still fresh but he knew that he would need far more time to level it up further. devourer, I might need you not to approach me for a while lest I fear exploding from a finger of yours or something, Higure abruptly said and he sent her a t look. Dont worry, I would need at least two or three seconds to appropriately channel internal energy to inflict that kind of damage on you. thank you for theforting words. Their banter was interrupted by a loud noiseing from outside. Though it sounded like a heavy collision, the mansions floor barely moved thanks to Astraeas reinforcing. Rakna sighed, knowing who caused it, and moved to the window to look outside. He spotted the two gigantesque figures of Pronos and Tyran bumping. The former had conjured a pair of multicolor wings made out of his Myriad Poison and was practicing his flight by sparring against the Asura who attacked him with fire breaths and fended off his plunges. Rakna gazed at the poison wings that asional selfbusted and smiled faintly. Looks like he finally managed it, he said and made sure to telepathically order his wolves to repair and limit any damages made by the two. He wasnt too worried about the sky formation either since he had made it to be able to repair itself as long as there was more than a quarter of it left. Wait An idea suddenly crossed his mind as he saw Pronos nine heads. How did I never think of this? He mumbled and Higure tilted her head. Something wrong? No He smiled. Its just that I found the perfect user for Stone Eye. Hm? What do you? Oh, the lioness turned to the window and paused. Thats devilish Youre going to give it to him instead of An then? Who knows. I might just buy two more. Im not low on money, Rakna replied and sat down. After using his Eye to scan his body, confirming that everything caused by the Sunken Ripple was fixed and calibrated, he moved his attention to the matter at hand. All right, next. ? ? ? ? ? Forger of The Stars ? The ability to create forms, objects, and artifacts based on the users imagination, memories, or magical knowledge. By condensing Star Energy, all sorts of constructs can be made. From the smallest of des to the mostplex and biggest of legendary weapons. The constructs will have nearly no distinction from a real object. If the user tries to replicate an item, the perks will not be unless they are the one who made said item. Furthermore, the more the user understands the object, the less mana it will take. Forger of The Stars also allows the user to alter the construct as long as they understand the process. This will cost mana depending on the nature of the alteration. The products of this spell under the 9th Tier will remain in existence for as long as there are stars shining in the sky. They will never disappear unless their perk activation causes them to. For the ones between 6th and 8th Tier included, they remain in existence for a full week but not more than one can be conjured at the same time. For the 4th and 5th Tiers, they willst twenty-four hours. And the Top 3 Tiers will only remain for the duration of their intended purpose. Furthermore, this spell can be used toplement forging techniques by acting as an enchanting tool. However, the enchantment itself must be created by the caster regardless but can be based on magic theory. ? Cost: Variable. Note: Sub-spells that were made prior to the evolution will be modified ordingly. ? ? ? ? ? Uh, so that means I can keep a stock of Sword of Liberation or Neptunia for as long as I want without worrying about their sustaining cost, Raknamented thoughtfully. I thought about doing that with runes like with Fragarach since the 9th Tiers and below are not expensive enough to need something like an infinite supply of lunar energy, but this is nice to have. Do you realize how ridiculous that is? Higure couldnt help but say. That means you can create matter out of your mana. Obviously, many magics can do that depending on the way you look at it, but to literally create items that have their own perks and energy structures Once again, it might be the influence of my Kzanaria, or the Crystal Sage as we know it, Rakna said casually. Lets continue. I already have an idea of what the two skills subbed to Moon Shine of the Nine Moons are, but Im curious about my path skills, he said and watched Ceresta carry out the unspoken instruction. ? ? ? ? ? Lunar Ascendant ? A Sub-Skill linked to the control of lunar energy. By harnessing it, it is possible to cloak the entire body into a thinyer of defense that reduces magic and physical damage. The degrees of effectiveness will depend on how much lunar energy is avable to use. ? Lunar Cost: Variable. ? ? Moon Howl ? A Sub-Skill linked to the control of lunar energy. By channeling it through the body and condensing it within the lungs and throat, it is possible to release a stream of energy akin to a dragons fire breath. It can be mixed in with other elements but at least half of it must beposed of lunar energy. ? Lunar & Mana Cost: Variable. Attack Value: Variable. Scaled by MA and Cost. ? ? Path Skills: ? C Moon Shine of the Nine Moons: Absolute control over lunar energy and power sourcing from the cycles of the moon. The effects can be enhanced up to a ninth level depending on the number of moons. Cooldown: None. Sub Skills: [Lunar Ascendant, Moon Howl.] ? C Lunae Cosmos: For each tail grown, a bank of 1 000 Lunar Points will be created. It can be used as a substitute for mana, a boost in statistics, lunar skills, raw application The stocks can be recharged anyce with lunar energy present. Cooldown: None. Note: 1 MP is worth 2 LPs. ? C Valkal of The Reverse Side: For each tail grown, the Host has ess to an ethereal equivalent of it called a Valkal. It is akin to a limb existing outside of dimensions but physically anchored to the real world; that is called the Reverse Side. The user canmand Valkals to do anything they desire. Their size is rtive since the dimension they are in does not have the concept of space. As for their strength, it is scaled based on the users real tails. Cost: Psychic Energy. Cooldown: None. Current Number of Valkals: 5 ? ? ? ? ? Both the Sub-Skills and Lunae Cosmos didnte as a surprise to Rakna. He had used the former during his fight against Ramsa and he could sense the lunar energy inside his tails. Not to mention that there even was a new statistic on his status. On the other hand, Valkal of The Reverse Side made him incredibly thrilled with the possibilities it offered. In some way, that skill could bepared to telekinesis. Butpared to via, it was far less malleable. What truly set it apart was in the name; the Reverse Side. If he understood correctly, he could summon tails of any size that couldnt be seen or sensed, and which essentially moved ces as fast as he could think it. As for the strength behind it, even if it depended on his physical ones, it didnt mean they were weak. After all, his STR attribute affected them as well. Even if,paratively, one of his tails wasnt as strong as one of his arms, there were still five of them. And nine in the future. It could potentially stop someone from moving altogether or stall them. His psychic energy consumption was also not a problem. He had Fatigue Immunity. While it didnt make him capable of using psychic energy infinitely, just like internal energy, at the very least, he wouldnt be bothered too much and it would take a lot for him to get exhausted. But most importantly He muttered and eyed Higure. Hm? What? She eximed. And why are you looking at me like that? Rakna didnt answer and squinted. Immediately, the lioness eyes widened in surprise as she felt something wrap around her body and lift her. Eh? She cried out and tried to free herself from the unknown grip. She hadnt tried to use her full strength purely out of confusion. She promptly activated Cross Sight again, as it generally allowed her to see anomalies. Even if it had nothing to do with dimensions, most abilities had a presence and possessed focal points or outlines around them that pushed the dimensional force away. What she saw when she activated it made her gasp. First of all, she could see what it was. That was not too hard to tell; the shape of an oddly fluffy lupine tail. However, after that discovery, her train of thought devolved. No focal points no outline no dimensional presence She said to herself. Its as if Im looking at something being squeezed by every dimension, but slipping through their gaps like an eel She could barely grasp what was happening. Rakna did the same thing as her, turning his pupils into crosses. He controlled the tail to carry her to him and grabbed her, letting the tail float around in between dimensions. He mused as he petted Higure like some regr house cat, who could only open and close her mouth repeatedly. The lioness was thankful for her animal form or else, he might have had seen her more flustered than she had ever been in her life. This cheeky brat doesnt even notice what hes doing, is he? She grumbled silently. Not that Im gonna say it She added and purred softly. Heaven Meanwhile, Rakna was staring at the Valkal and then, with just a blink, four more appeared around him. He willed them to go in different directions and there was no resistance. Now, he had to figure the range of it. He went to the window and opened it. He looked at the furthest spot he could see in the cavern and one of the Valkals disappeared from the office and reappeared there. So, they can teleport As for range, perhaps it is as far as my eyes can see but with increased psychic energy consumption. Final test, he dered silently and nced at the two behemoths sparring. He waited until Tyran charged a new fire breath and manifested a Valkal in its path. The fire hit it and exploded mid-air whilst destroying the tail at the same time. Tyran and Pronos looked at each other in confusion because of it while Rakna leaned against the window stool and almost felt like smirking as the fifth Valkal returned to his side as fast as it had left. Yes His lips curved.. Im definitely going to enjoy this skill Chapter 259: Blood Tear Crescent Chapter 259: Blood Tear Crescent Rakna closed the window with fine control of his Valkals and smiled in satisfaction. He dismissed them and put Higure down on the desk. She stretched her legs and grinned at him, You know how to treat ady, Ill give that to you. I dont know what youre talking about, the therian said with a snort as he headed to the door of his office. I only see a horny cat here. Hah, so you were aware, she said and leaped on his shoulder right when he opened the door. Is it your attempt at teasing me? If so, congrattions. It was a good first try at forey. Rakna sighed exasperatedly whilst walking down the stairs leading to the living room. You really are hopeless, he uttered and mentally noted that everyone was out, except for Evelyn who was still in herb along with Natsu with whom she had signed a pet contract. Since both of them had quite a good synergy, it was an obvious choice. Lets see, where should I ce it He mumbled and looked around the room. In the end, he just picked an empty spot next to the couch and pressed a singr card against the wall with a figure of a medieval queen on it. Queen of Clubs, he spoke and the item merged with the wall. It shone and expanded into a rectangr shape. After a short moment, the light receded and what was left was an elevator that opened with the sound of a chime right after. But that wasnt all, both Rakna and Higure could feel that some energy fluctuations had continued downward; at quite arge scale. What did you just build? The lioness asked with a blink. The therian snorted and entered the elevator. Before pressing one of the two buttons; which only gave the option of up or down, he opened up a visible circuit panel on the wall. There, he saw the wires transmitting the Eion to power the elevator. Perfect, it connected with the power supply on its own. It seems that the figure club cards have a significantly better exactness, hemented and pushed the down button. The doors promptly closed and the elevator started descending. At the same time, he opened his status. Right, there was Longinus left to check, he muttered and the spell details popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Longinus (T.3): Ance once used by a Roman soldier named Longinus to stab the side of the crucified Jesus Christ to confirm his death. Blood and water came out of the wound, coating the de in divinity. That day, Longinus transformed into the Holy Lance. It was never meant to be wielded as a God-ying Lance but that was before its entry in Egregore. Due to the user being a Monarch of Firmament, it was the concept of Longinus contained within Egregore that was used as the core of this spell. The ce where every thought gathers; the name Longinus lost itself in it. A Holy weapon that was blessed by the blood of God. And a weapon that spilled the blood of God. A Lance of Hallowed Blight. This spell can only be cast by those capable of wielding opposite natures of powers, a minimum amount of divinity, as well as at least one anti-divinity achievement. Additionally, one must possess the ability to materialize the power into physical form. Longinus appears as a giantnce pulsing with red light. A white ornamental crucifix connects the de and the shaft along with a pair of steel wings. The shape of the head resembles more an amalgam of red thorns than a de and gives the illusion of blood dripping from the tip. When conjured, it creates a halo of crucifixes around the shaft that will spin and discharge a beam of Hallowed Blight called Tear of God. But it is only the carpet unrolling for the spear to thenunch itself at the target, fast and stealthy, and pierce them with homing uracy. When it hits, if the target possesses divinity, it will attack it relentlessly until it is destroyed or crippled. Furthermore, Longinus will damage the target by spreading Hallowed Blight inside their body, causing internal damage. It is very effective against those of either Demonic or Holy descent and the injuries inflicted can only heal naturally, without aid, unless Hallowed Blight is utilized to counteract this effect. ? Lexis: [Holy Is Your Name. Destiny Is Your Wielder. The Grail Is Your Trophy.] [You Tasted the Blood of Christ.] ? Tear of Gods Attack Value: Users MA multiplied by 9. Lances Attack Value: Users MA multiplied by 2. This only refers to thences physical thrusting power. It does not include the damage to holy, demonic, or divine powers. Cost: 10 000 MP + 5 000 Demonic Mana + 5 000 Holy Mana. (Maximum Correction of 50% Reduction: 5 000/2500/2500) ? ? ? ? ? Tier 3. So, First-ss. Same as Hoarfrost Nova. The rest is roughly as I expected, he thought and stepped out of the elevator when the doors re-opened. Immediately, the hundreds of LED tiles in the ceiling lit up to illuminate the ce. Firstly, the room was massive. Its surface area nearly equaled the entirety of the cave above. Every inch of the ceiling wasposed of those same rectangrmps; reflected by the floor opposite of them that looked like thick opaque ss but possessed steel-like durability. The walls were made of a much darker material and quite imposing due to the distance between the ceiling and the ground that amounted to approximately five meters. The elevator was located in a corner of the room and one of the walls was directly to Raknas right. Incidentally, the corner of the room he was standing in had a different floor; it was like cemented stone. Alongside the walls, there were basic workbenches and tools, while at the center of this isted section sat arge st furnace connected to the ceiling that could be essed from every side due to its circr style. Higure whistled at the sight. Wow, did that card build all of this? What is this ce for? A forge and a training room? Pretty much, Rakna nodded and inspected the forging tools a bit before turning to the cold and empty furnace. It was about a meterrge and would easily heat up any size of weapon he decided to make. Now, I need a decent anvil and hammer. I guess I can make do with Forger of The Stars since they would stay forever now, but it would be better to have something rated above a mere ninth tier spell. {Hah, anything else for someone like you would be an affront to the cksmithing profession. In fact, scratch that, I would go as far as to say you have the necessary talent to potentially be a God of Crafting,} Fray remarked. Now, youre exaggerating a bit, dont you think? Rakna nkly said and approached one of the brand-new workbenches next to him. {Ah, yes. My apologies, I forget that you are but a mere Forger of The Stars possessing a body of the Alchemic Magnum Opus, with a mind connected to Egregore, a brain augmented by something as mystical as a magical Nano Mechanical Eye, and a soul with inhuman learning instincts,} the storyteller made sure to add the precise amount of sarcasm required for each word. you got your point across, Rakna deadpanned. You can stop now. {Hm, if you understand, I shall do so,} Fray sounded pleased with himself. The therian sighed at that and pulled out a certain item from his storage. In a sh, a weapon was ced on the workbench. It was arge ck scythe with waving patterns along the des edge that were highlighted by a red hue. Oddly, the body of the weapon seemed to be made of something simr to coal. But on touch, it was cold and smooth like any other metal. The scythe also had markings all over it, but their color was simply a darker shade of ck, so it didnt stand out. However, to someone like Rakna, every single marking had been spotted and analyzed within a nce. The markings were in fact scattered runic letters that once put together formed a full magic formation. Other than that, the design of the weapon was rather sleek and simplistic, but not any less threatening to an onlooker. Oh? The scythe of that vampire? Higuremented as shended on the side of the table. Yeah, its about time I check it out. I had almost forgotten, he muttered and opened the details of the item. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: de/Scythe Name: Blood Tear Crescent Rarity: Red Attack Power: +1000~ Durability: 87% ? Description: ? A weapon more than a hundred years old that has been bathed in a pool of vampire blood during its conception. The cksmith is unknown and the Lifeblood Curse that encroaches it stemmed from the blood and matured to this stage. ? Perk: ? C Lifeblood Curse: A curse that takes up the entirety of the weapons possible enchantment slots. It appears as a spread-out array of runes on the item. Its primary effects are to collect blood from the victims, strengthen itself, and repair itself. But that is not limited to it. A weapon with the lifeblood curse can increase the sharpness of its de and shoot out flying shes by tapping into its internal storage of blood energy. The cost varies depending on the quality and quantity. Current Blood Storage: 2360 Blood Units. Higher quality blood will be converted into arger sum. The maximum storage capacity at this level of the curse is 15 000 BU. The weapon can be repaired by spending 500 BU per durability percentage, or it can even be used to heal a targetpatible with blood energy by converting it into life energy. Furthermore, the blood can be directly used to boost the wielders stats at the cost of an increase in bloodlust. Finally, the curse possesses onest use. If even a drop of bloodes into contact with the weapons body, it will be forever capable of tracking the source for as long as they are alive and are located within the same dimension. Additionally, those whose blood has been registered will receive 10% more damage from the weapon, and the more blood energy is taken away from them, the more their defense toward the weapon will decrease, to a maximum of 25%. This can vary in effectiveness depending on the race and traits of the target. ? Note: Evolvable. Additional Note: If the Lifeblood Curse loses all of its blood energy, it might rebel against the wielder. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna briefly raised his eyebrow at the description. The curse itself and its abilities didnt bother or surprise him a lot. He had also already noticed that, whilst fighting Fang, his defense had been reduced the more his blood was spilled. Though it had been offset by Ireful Descent. However, when his eyes scanned the description, he couldnt help but smile wryly. It was rather amusing; he and this weapon were of the same ilk. He snorted in amusement and lifted the weapon that was as tall as him. You too fell into the pool when you were a kid? He joked and whirled the weapon around himself as if he had been handling it for years. He ended his small spectacle by stopping the de right as the tip was about to hit the floor. The momentum made the weapons material vibrate at a high pitch whilst producing ripples in the air. Maybe thats why I had the faint urge to pick it up when I saw it lying on the ground, he muttered to himself and rotated his wrist, making the de face him. He saw his reflection on it along with the red ethereal aura flowing across its length. First time I see a weapon other than Sonata thats evolvable too Hah, maybe youre destined to be the Grim Reaper. Oh my, how scary, Higure teased with a grin. I have no close or distant ns to ferry deceased souls as my career path, Rakna deadpanned and she cackled. Meanwhile, Sonata moved on its own and crawled to its owners arm, wrapping around Tear Crescent like a snake. ? ? ? ? ? Blood Tear Crescent ispatible for an Assimtion. Do you wish to evolve Rhapsodic Sonata? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Well, lets see what you be. Eat it, Sonata, he epted the prompt and the azure scarf shone until the light swallowed the scythe.. Chapter 260: Centaurus Chapter 260: Centaurus ? ? ? ? Assimtion Sessful! Rhapsodic Sonatas Perk, Blood Rage, resonates with Lifeblood Curse. A new perk was synthesized; Lifeblood Rage! Rhapsodic Sonatas Primal Curse has grown to the Second Stage! ? ? Designation: Weapon/de/Scythe Name: Rhapsodic Sonata Rarity: Unique Attack Power: +1500~ Magic Power: +600 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? C Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The item possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow, Kusarigama, Twin Daggers, Greatsword, One-Handed Doubled-Edged Sword, Twin Katanas, Scythe. ? C Eion Energy Production C Demonic Spiritual Anchor C Gale Outbreak (All Forms) C Hyper Mana Oscition de (ded Forms) C Skulking Wraith (All forms) C Skulk Life Down (ded Forms) C Tainted Holiness (All Forms) C Shield of Piety (All Forms) C Crescent of a Falling Star (ded Forms) C 10 000 Nights of Severance (ded Forms) C Tender Hands of Clemency (ded Forms) C Symphony of Magic (All Forms) ? C Primal Curse C Second Stage: This weapon has gained some level of curses from the evolutions it went through. It will inflict severe injuries to non-authorized wielders and the more the weapon is wielded, the more it will be altered to match its wielder. ? Unification (Unlocked at First Stage): The primary wielder, Rakna Xiorra, can urately control every movement of his weapon through his mind with no cost. ? Soul Unison (Unlocked at Second Stage): The weapon will react to the wielders emotional state and adapt ordingly to their soul. Furthermore, the items size can now be altered by an application of soul power without any structural weakness being created because of it. ? Note: Rhapsodic Sonata is on the verge of bing a Soul Weapon. ? C Lifeblood Rage (All forms): A refined version of Lifeblood Curse. It retained all of its antecedents abilities and has gained an active ability; if the wielder decides to use their own blood to fuel the weapon, a synergic perk will activate and for as long as the wielder provides blood, they will gain the ability to manipte blood which, among other things, can be used to paralyze or weaken enemies by hijacking their blood vessels. Additionally, the rebelling aspect of the curse has been cleansed by Rhapsodic Sonata. The Blood Storage is now bigger and the buffs have increased in potency: ? Current Blood Storage: 0 BU. Maximum Capacity: 30 000 BU. ? The weapon will repair itself faster by spending 100 BU per durability percentage. Healing a target with blood energy is now more efficient by mixing nanomachines with the blood. The damage increase to those whose blood is registered is now 20% and the defense decrease to enemies can now be stacked up to 50% at maximum. Finally, due to the refining of the curse, boosting stats is now stable and quantifiable; a 1% increase to the wielders stats will consume a baseline of 200 BU per second. ? Description: ? A masterpiece forged by a master cksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of de. After many evolutions and enhancements, it has gained both the facets of impiety and holiness and is gradually evolving to be its wielders soul weapon. It has gained a spark of ego and through an incredibly unique feat, a Spell Matrix has been absorbed by the Item that allows it to channel mana through its material. ? Note: Evolvable ? ? ? ? ? Rakna admired the azure scythe in his hand as awork of vein-like lines spread throughout its body and pulsed like blood vessels. Sonatas usual ribbon was also wrapped around the shaft, right below the head and it was mystically floating without wind, sometimes whirling around the de of the weapon. The therian slowly waved it and a crimson trail was traced in its wake with a certain cadence that matched the pulses of the red lines. The runes of Lifeblood Curse had also been converted into a far smaller version. It now appeared as lines of small symbols across the des t edge. Blood maniption, huh? Rakna muttered and with a thought, Sonata started floating up as he let go of it. He squinted his eyes and visible waves of Eion energy were released from it before it expanded to a size simr to the one during the Simtion Scenario. Finally, I dont need to hold back Gigantism when I turn into a werewolf, he groused and then caught his weapon back in its regr size. {A soul weapon, huh?} Fraymented. {It makes sense that Sonata is bing one} What do you mean? Rakna raised an eyebrow. {A soul weapon is literally that; a weapon linked to its wielders soul. In which case, the weapon will gain the ability to be stored inside the owners soul, change form, and grow stronger together with the wielder. A soul weapon can either be made out of ones soul power or assimted from an already existing weapon. Long story short, it is aplicated process that turns a weapon into an extension of yourself. It seems that Sonatas rued perks and curses are absorbing your soul power the longer you wield it. Soon enough, it will turn into a full-fledged soul weapon.} I see Who knew a curse would have that effect? Rakna muttered to himself and focused on the new perk that had originally caught his attention. Eye, how much blood do I produce per minute? He asked out loud and Eye of Symphony rapidly answered his query. [| sma And Red Cell Production Enhanced by More Than 4000%. Full Reconstruction of Blood Is Estimated to Take 15-20 Hours; A Liter Every 2-3 Hours. External Sources of Blood can be Drank to elerate the Process; Estimated to Require 1 Hour of Adaptation Per Liter. Warning: Body Structural Integrity Is at Risk If a Constant Blood Production Is Forced Without Proper Rest. |] I see I get the warning; it probably is the same as healing my injuries. My stamina would start to get into the negative, he muttered to himself. What is the minimum amount of blood needed for me not to be enfeebled? [| Current Estimation Based on Blood Purity of The Holder: 1 Liter Is Sufficient. Bodily Functions Will Last 12 Hours Without Blood. |] In that case, lets see how much my blood is worth, Rakna said and looked at the scythe. Drink it, Sonata, he uttered and the veins on his weapon glowed. The ones right next to where his hand was seemingly detached themselves from the material and then pierced his skin, directly aiming for his blood vessels. The therian only grunted as the tendrils began to suck up his blood, which had a pinkish color due to itsposition being purified by his physical traits. Rakna let it do as it pleased whilst keeping an eye on how much blood he had thanks to Eye of Symphonys HUD. At the same time, he was also getting familiar with the ability provided by Sonata. Instinctually, he knew that he would be able to move the blood of others if they were in his range, but also his own. Soon enough, he halted Sonata from draining more blood, leaving him with around 2 liters. When he checked the blood storage of Sonata, he saw that it had gained roughly four thousand units. Uh, so a liter equals one thousand Blood Units? {Well, for you,} Fray said. {As things stand, your blood is probably quite a delicacy. There are high chances the same amount of blood from other people would give far fewer units.} Hm, I guess so, Rakna mused and twirled Sonata around for a short while. He shouldered the scythe and stepped onto the reflective floor of the training area. He star-shed to the center and conjured a quill to draw a constetion. {Hm? Are you going to summon Astraea?} Fray asked curiously. No, maybe Ill do that tomorrow since I owe her for the help in the Simtion. However, right now, Im aiming for something else. My unarmed martial arts dont need much help anymore, but thats not the case for my weapon mastery. {Hm? But you said you would need a teacher oh, I see,} Fray realized his intent while Higure tilted her head in confusion at their conversation. Rakna smiled. Exactly, he said and tapped into his soul power to momentarily activate Founding Intuition before flicking the constetion. [Centaurus,] he uttered and the star energy swirled into one spot, forming the shape of a creature with the upper body of a human and the lower half of a horse. When the star entity was finished materializing and that colors filled its appearance, the therian was faced with a centaur reaching nearly three meters in height. The equine half was befitting of the physique of a warhorse and had dark brown fur that gradually faded to ck as it got closer to the hooves, with tuffs around the ankles. The human part was dressed in Greek-style leather armor, partly covered with red cloth, and the mans facial features were surprisingly handsome. He had long and untamed ck hair that gave the impression it reced the mane a horse would normally have. There were two more details that stuck out to Rakna; namely, the centaurs bright blue eyes and his elongated ears, not unlike elves, with a higher-than-average length as well as a slight downward curve. Hm, this is peculiar, the centaur spoke up and clenched his hands. So, this is what it feels like to be summoned from Egregore He whispered and turned toward Rakna who was watching him with a calm and appraising eye. Am I safe to assume you are the Lord Monarch? Yes, and if everything went well, you should be Chiron, correct? The centaur nodded with a small smile. The Teacher of Heroes, as they call me. At your service. If I may, can I ask how you summoned me? It feels incredibly stable. Normally, Firmament Monarchs should barely be able to call upon our physical vessels, much less our divinity. Hm, its roughly the same as Astraea. My magic element is Star. I used the constetion erected by Zeus after your death as the medium. Chirons eyes widened. Star Magic I see. So, it is you, his smile widened and he bowed his upper body, he even went as far as kneeling with one of his front legs. Its an honor. You too, huh? Rakna snorted. Raise your head. Im not the one you know yet, you might as well hold on to that behavior for the future. The centaur chuckled and straightened himself. Understood. By the way, Lord Monarch is this a Hydra I sense upstairs? He asked with an uneasy nce. Rakna hummed inquiringly before recalling something. Oh, sorry, I suppose that doesnt prompt any good memories, does it? You could say so, he replied wryly. Its hard to forget that I died because Zeus took pity on me after the Hydra poison made my life a living hell, he added with a faint hint of sarcasm. Rakna snickered. Well, dont worry. Pronos is quite different and I dont think hes quite reached a level capable of poisoning the son of a God and a Nymph like you. Anyway, Ive summoned you here for a simple reason, he continued and checked the description of his new sub-spell. You can stay here for two hours. In that duration, I would like you to teach me a bit. The centaur blinked in surprise. Thats unexpected. You are making me quite nervous. Tutoring one such as you might be a daunting task, even for me. Think so? Rakna smiled faintly and lifted Sonata off his shoulder. He whirled the scythe and put it to the side whilst pushing his empty palm forward. I have two jobs for you actually. I will switch between several weapons and have you help me improve on each. Ill control my body to match your physical specs. Additionally He trailed and his empty hand began to blur oddly. I will need a sparring partner to familiarize myself with a new art of mine. Chirons expression suddenly turned serious as he beheld the strange blurs. He squinted his eyes and used the divinity he exuded to form a scythe of his own. He took a different stance from Rakna, quite obviously taking his physiology into ount, and smiled. I see then, please allow me. I will make a proper warrior out of you, the centaur dered with the same friendly tone but with a very sharp intent. I mightck many thingspared to all the students Ive taught, but let it be known you have a long way to go before reaching my level of martial prowess. Rakna snickered and carefully controlled his internal energy. Sunken Ripple of Rupture began to make itself shown around his legs, and without using any of his fast movement skills, he kicked the ground and disappeared on the spot. In the next instant, the sound of des shing echoed in the training room, and Chiron allowed himself to grin as he saw Sonata chipping the weapon made out of his raw divinity. Yes, Im sure this will be interesting, he muttered and in a series of movements that looked incongruous to the human eye, he ended the sh with an upward swing and somehow retaliated from the side, as if his hand had teleported. Raknas eyes widened in rm. His high senses and instincts were the only thing that allowed him to dodge the de right before it hit him. He jumped back and his mind began to run through what he had just seen, but even Eye of Symphony didnt seem to be able to make out anything. Chironughed lightly. Give me a moment, he said and borrowed a small amount of mana from his summoner before channeling it into his body. His lower half started shrinking and after a few seconds, it had transformed into a pair of human legs clothed in what seemed to be the extension of his upper outfit. The only thing that remained inhuman about him was his long ears. This is better to teach you, dont you think? He said and employed apletely new stance. You are not a centaur, after all, are you? Well,st I checked, I wasnt half-horse, yes, Rakna quipped and prepared to attack; this time he was going to pay attention to every movement of his opponent. The two of them gazed at each other for a few seconds in silence before dashing toward each other and shing in a shower of sparks. Their movements were unfathomable and imperceptible. But it was not because of their speed. All of it was pure technique. Higure watched them from a safe spot with her head resting on her folded paws. Her eyes marked by a cross were carefully tracking the two fighters. In her eyes, she could see that Rakna was using his Ripple of Rupture in his footwork to move like he was. As for Chiron, she simply couldnt tell what he was doing at all. When she observed him, it was like she was watching a video with missing frames. Or perhaps, it was her mind that didnt have the necessary capability to register what happened in those missing frames. She smiled lightly, noticing that Rakna was clearly on the losing side but quickly adapting. This is a nice show, shementedughingly with her tail wagging.. Chapter 261: Intent Chapter 261: Intent Rakna twirled his daggers and swung one of them at Chirons neck. The centaur calmly countered with his own pair of daggers and they both pushed back against the other for a short second before taking a step back. They resumed right after and Rakna grunted as he was forced to expand his senses to its limits to cope with Chirons strikes that asionally felt like they wereing from two directions at the same time. The therians arms blurred as he directed his internal energy, and his daggers suddenly shed in a burst of speed only to once again be dodged by a smiling Chiron. Rakna scowled and his leg stirred this time. He parried onest blow and jumped tounch a kick at the centaurs head. The star entity briefly nced at it and raised his arm to block it. Ripple of Rupture should have normally shattered every bone in his arm with this action, but instead of the kicknding, Raknas leg was violently shoved downward and Chirons arm, which had been in a defensive position, was inexplicably in a pushing motion. Chiron didnt waste this opportunity and drove his dagger forward. Rakna gritted his teeth and pivoted on his remaining leg to dodge before jumping back. But before he could get far, the centaur thrust his second dagger. Rakna once again used Ripple of Rupture to give himself an uncanny boost of agility and parried the de. However, right after, his eyes widened and he urgently tilted his head, a small wound appearing on his cheek without any warning. In a panic, his entire body blurred this time and he retreated for a dozen of meters in a cold sweat. When his feet touched the floor, his cheek had already healed. There wasnt any mana or internal energy behind that thrust how did it injure me without touching me? He wondered silently andmanded Sonata to switch to the dual katanas. Chiron did the same with his weapons without a word. All right, I admit it. Not only in weapons, but even in unarmedbat, despite my Sunken Ripple of Rupture, youre leagues above me, the therian stated. Is that the name of that martial art? Chironmented. Its quite impressive. I would even say its far superior to anything I have learned before. Furthermore, you possess incredible instincts that would make Hercules jealous. Your motor capabilities, your reaction speed, your adaptivity, and your reading are top-notch as well. But youck two crucial things; insight and intent. Rakna raised an eyebrow. Was that invisible attack rted to that? He smiled and raised his des. You will have to find out. The therian huffed and gripped his swords tighter. He dashed forward but rolled to the side almost instantly after. A gash suddenly appeared on the floor and Rakna furrowed his eyebrows as he somersaulted back onto his feet with one hand. He quickly looked at Chiron who had an easygoing smile on his face, with one of his two swords currently lowered as if he had just swung it. Not ying anymore, I see, Rakna thought and his body began to blur. He kicked the ground with a resounding noise and he saw the centaur swing at him from a distance. He squinted his eyes and lifted the reproduction of Juuchi Yosamu. He felt and heard something collide with the katana. So, it is physical A flying sh? Without mana? Internal energy? Its not his divinity either, he noted to himself and approached Chiron whilst weaving through his attacks. When he finally reached a striking distance, his sword shed with the centaurs and he felt a strange force shake his wrist. The next thing he knew, his attack veered off course without his control, and the demi-god before him swung his other sword. The therian rapidly parried it whilst making sure to put more strength in his wrist and grip. He once again felt a pushing force but he didnt lose control this time. The two katanas remained entangled for a short moment and the duo began to exchange blows at mind-boggling speed, creating sparks and after-images left and right. But unlike before, Chiron had the obvious advantage. Rakna was fully on the defensive, to the point he was forced to take a step back every few seconds or so. Theres a force behind his strikes that wasnt there before, he remarked to himself. Assuming this is the same principle as those flying shes, where does ite from? Insight? Intent? What do they mean? He racked his brain for an answer and the centaur smiled. Have you tried extending that martial art of yours to your weapon? Chiron asked in between the strokes of their swords. What? Rakna eximed but the only answer he got was a blow strong enough to make him fly for a few meters, followed by a single swing that shot a volley of invisible shes. He narrowed his eyes and transformed his katanas into a bow. He pulled on the string midair and used nothing but his instinct to intercept every single invisible blow with an Eion arrow. He then set his sights on Chiron himself and shot three arrows at the same time. The centaur had already switched to a bow as well, and he responded in kind. However, his arrows pierced through the Eion and even curved midair to target Rakna from different angles. Now, that just isnt fair, he grumbled and batted the arrows away with a blurring knife-hand beforending on the floor once again. Did I try using Ripple of Rupture on my weapon? Of course, I did. It didnt work, he thought as he initiated a ranged fight with Chiron. Otherwise, my Founding Intuition would have made me synthesize Weapon Mastery for it as well. Is he trying to get me to think about the reason behind it? Rakna grunted and jumped away from a barrage of arrows that embedded themselves in the ss floor. Tch, I cant focus like this. Sorry, but Ill cheat a little. Eye, activate Time el, he instructed internally and his perception promptly elerated by many times. Everything around began to move in slow motion and he took that time to trigger Founding Intuition as well. He instantly looked at the bow he was holding and tried channeling Ripple of Rupture into it. Just like the first time he tried, the energy failed to hold and even rebounded. Rejection, Rakna came to a conclusion almost instantly. Sonata is not just ipatible with internal energy. It outright rejects it. Why? Internal energy is ones inner force. It resides in muscles, blood, and bones. It is not magical in nature. Ki Entropy theory an organic mass generating energy by friction, cellr micro-movements, spatial discements No, does it need to be organic? Raknas eyes widened and his slowed perception stopped. He caught one of Chirons arrows with his bare hand and changed his bow into a Guandao. The centaur raised an eyebrow at the therian who now had his eyes closed, surrounded by fuming soul circuits. Hm, Egregores Intuition is indeed cheating a bit but certainly not meworthy, he thought with a smile as he matched his summoners weapon of choice. Come, show me what your intent can do. Meanwhile, Rakna was undergoing a process some would call bing one with the de. It was as if his spirit, the extension of his mind, was fusing with Sonata. Insight, he intoned in his mind and began to feel like he had a new pair of limbs, eyes, and ears. A faint vibration was coursing through his body and strange waves of energy that matched the frequencies of his internal energy were surrounding him. Then intent! He opened his eyes and moved this new limb of his with nothing but one goal; cut. Sonata suddenly gave off an unsettling pressure and Rakna could clearly perceive it; a newyer of worldly energy he hadnt been able to detect until now. He could also see it around Chiron, but in a muchrger quantity, and unlike Rakna, the centaurs entire body was covered in it. Raknas look sharpened and he slowly raised Sonata over his head. Higure, who had been observing him from the start, almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the wall of the training room abruptly cave in. She looked at the spot in question and spotted a deepceration. She gaped in shock when she realized that it was perfectly aligned with the tip of Raknas ive. Chiron grinned. Beautifully done, he said as he beheld a geyser of power that only he could see. He didnt sit still and began to gather the same kind of force as the therian. As the two of them built up their power, a sound akin to thunder resounded in the training room and startled Higure who had barely enough awareness to follow the energetic movements. Cross Sight was also helping her a lot in that endeavor. What are these two?! Before she could finish her thoughts, Rakna and Chiron swung at the same time. The centaur was in perfect control over his intent while the therian carved a deep trench in the wall and ceiling to perform a full swing. Then, when the two forces collided, the thundering sound returned full force, even more deafening than the first. A shockwave swept through the training ground and a crater appeared in the nk space separating both fighters. The shsted a few seconds and was formally ended when Rakna staggered and kneeled with one leg, his left fist pressed against the ground and his other hand using Sonata as support. He had a mild feeling of tiredness, which made him aware of the fact that this stunt had expended some psychic power. However, his physique could easily ignore that kind of consumption. What made him lose his bearings was the influx of information caused by his proficiencies improving. ? ? ? ? ? Weapon Mastery has Exceled! Weapon Mastery has broken through Exceled! You have gained the new proficiency, Arms Master! ? Arms Master has leveled up! Arms Master has leveled up! Arms Master has leveled up! ? Sunken Ripple of Rupture has leveled up! Sunken Ripple of Rupture has leveled up! ? You have gained a new Proficiency; Spiritual Intent Control! Spiritual Intent Control has leveled up! 4x ? ? C Spiritual Intent Control (Lv.5): Spiritual Intent is also known as Worldly Ki. It is a known fact that organic living forms produce Ki naturally out of their physical presence. ? Worldly Ki, on the other hand, is a hiddenyer of Ki that emerges circumstantially. The Ki that humans possess is generally called Flesh Ki. It is a power that is generated from the inside purely from existing while Worldly Ki is something that is birthed within inanimate objects. The two energies can interact with each other, but if theye into contact, a rejection urs, making it impossible tobine them. Worldly Ki has many different possible states that aremonly called Intents. Such as Sword Intent, Spear Intent, etcetera. Intents are the product of a friction between the Worldly Magic Circuits and a living beings Inner Ki. Intents can only manifest when one achieves a state of spiritual insight with an object foreign to their body. The object in question will produce Intent within itself by extrapting those external forces into apletely new power. Ultimately, Intent is a form of psychic power heavily depending on ones power but also martial capabilities. It is also not limited to weapons. One can learn variants such as Fist Intent that temporarily wees Worldly Ki inside the body, generally the bones, before being released on impact. This is a technique known to be extremely hard to grasp, and even more so to master. Finally, infusing Intents with a Drive is the necessary trigger to properly wield them. When using Intent, one must always dedicate their spirit to only one idea; a goal. To cut, to crush, to sh, to defend, to destroy, to sever, to kill; Drives are the basis on which Intents are born. This is the one thing that must absolutely be trained in order to learn Intent Control. The peak of Intent Control, the ultimate peak of martial prowess, is said to allow a warrior to apply the nature of their Drive onto the very fabric of the universe through their Intent. ? ? ? ? Chapter 262: Kaleidoscope Crystal Sight Chapter 262: Kaleidoscope Crystal Sight Rakna only took a second to process all the words floating in front of him and that was enough to make his understanding of Intent go up by an extra level. He grunted and stood up, looking at the damage brought by the sh of Intents between Chiron and himself. The centaur was smiling at him. He pped a few times and nodded. As expected, you mightck a bit of control for now, but the purity of your Intent is unbelievable. I have no idea whats going on Higure mumbled from the side as she walked up to them. What was that just now? Did you learn some new power? There were weird dimensional fluctuations but I couldnt see a thing. Well, you could say that I guess you can think of it like soul power, Rakna said with a sigh. The principle ispletely different, but they are simr in their origin; everywhere and nowhere. Its like an energy that doesnt belong anywhere, doesnt have a source, but still is engendered. Yeeaaah Ill just stick with weird power. Makes more sense, the lioness deadpanned. Well, it seems my work is done for today, Chiron said. It had almost been two hours since he was summoned already. I probably have only a few minutes left. You can call upon me anytime if you wish to spar more. For now, its better if you rest and meditate on your Intent. Rakna hummed positively. Ill do that. But before you go, I want to test something. I realized that there were still things capable of escaping my cognition with your Intent. Even now, I think I could barely see it, even my own. Founding Intuition pointed me at a possible solution earlier Chiron raised an eyebrow in curiosity. What is it? The therian smiled faintly. Ceres, open my Terminal. {Oh, for the love ofC!} Fray could envisage what wasing. {What kind of monstrous skill do you n to synthesize this time?!} Why does it sound like youre ming me? Rakna retorted nkly and started inputting four skills from his status. Namely; Fabled Sight, Appraisal Vision, Cross Dimensional Sagacity, and Soul Breath. ? ? ? ? ? Fabled Sight, Appraisal Vision, Cross Dimensional Sagacity, Soul Breath synthesis evaluation in progress Compatibility Rating: Immeasurable ? Your Luck is affecting the result. Your Title, The Kind Demons Kin, is increasing the odds of sess. Your Title, Chalice of Wishes, is affecting the result. ? Synthesis Loading Request Approved and Completed. ? You have gained an Ultimate Exceled Skill; Kaleidoscope Crystal Sight! ? ? Kaleidoscope Crystal Sight ? The vision of infinite reflections and depths. The user of this skill is capable of discerning every movement of the world and analyzing them. While using this skill, the user will enter a state of passive meditation, increasing control over energies, mana and psyche regeneration, soul power control, and thinking speed. These effects apply even if the user is moving. Regr mediation can be performed if the user stops moving and closes his eyes with the skill active. The effects will be doubled in this case. Crystal Sight allows for the perception of all falsehoods, it shows the true nature of all things in the world, and nearly nothing can be hidden from it. When using this vision on other Hosts, Locals, or Wilden, anti-analysis items or skills will be ignored and unless there is an overwhelming difference in strength between the user and the target, their information will be revealed in full. Items dont have any secrets for the user; from the identity of their creator and theponents of its making to the names of thest person that touched them. Distance, size, and even obstacles be meaningless in front of these eyes. The user can observe matter on a microscopic level if the target is close. Dimensional Layers, Focal Points, Mana, Flesh Ki, Worldly Ki, Life Force, Life Energy, Death Energy, Magic Circuits, and many more Faces of Existence can be perceived by Crystal Sight. This is a kind of ability said to be shared by beings such as The Sage of The Crystal Mountain, the God of Eternal Night, and J?rmungandr. ? Passive Effects: +50% Mana and Psychic Regeneration, +10% Senses, Slows down time perception by a factor of 2 without side-effects. Meditation Effects: +100% Mana, Stamina, and Psychic Regeneration. Cost: None. ? Note: This skill has no cost and thereby can be activated for as long as desired. But the amount of optical information is not something that can be handled by a living beings mind for too long, regardless of their abilities. Aside from Meditation, overuse of this skill may bring damage to both the psyche and body. ? ? ? ? ? {Thats it, I am done! Farewell! If you need me, you will have toe to your soul realm. If I look at this any longer, I will lose my mind,} Fray dered and abruptly cut the telepathic connection. Higure sweatdropped at the storytellers outburst but couldnt help but agree with the sentiment. The therian snorted in amusement and focused on the new sensation that was coursing through his eyes. I see He muttered as he felt the instinctual instructions for this skill entering his mind. Worthy of being an Ultimate ss Skill, he mumbled and closed his eyes. He channeled every kind of force inside his body to his eyes and a golden-white hue began to shine through his eyelids. When he opened them, Chiron, who was in direct line of sight, froze on the spot. He stared right into the therians eyes that were marked byrge golden diagonal crosses. Unlike Cross Sight, it wasnt confined only within the iris. It escaped its borders, going into the sclera and somewhat appearing on even the skin as a small glow. Its like the pupils had suddenly expanded, turned into crosses, and tried to overwrite and escape his eyes altogether. Additionally, there was a white halo superimposing the cross, mirroring the contour of the irises that had kept their purple color, though it was mixed with a bit of blue. The moment he made eye contact; Chiron instinctively knew that his entire existence was locked onto. It was like anything he possibly decided to do would be revealed before he even did them. Rakna blinked and the golden crosses moved along with his irises, followed by the asional spin of the white halo. He grunted and closed one eye, listening to the voice in his head giving warnings without stopping. [| Error. Error. Error. Sensory Overload. Counting Optical Feedback Signals: 166 Million. Range of Perceivable Light Hues Increased by More Than 50 Million Shades. Three-Dimensional Vision Unstable. Recognizing Four-Dimensional Folding Calibration in Progress Filtering Unneeded Details Putting Circumstantial Information on Background Cognition Labeling Energetic Fields in Range Separating Electro-Maic Waves by Color Scheme Compiling Magic Circuit Grid in Crypted Code OS Updated. Kaleidoscope Crystal Sight Fully Incorporated. |] Well, Rakna rubbed his temple. Another skill that could have blown up my head, he uttered as he familiarized himself with the new elements in his vision. Among other things, he could see the literal light spectrum, the direction of the airflow, a minimized map of the magic circuits around him, and the way they connect to him, his blood flow, his ki flow He also had no blind spot anymore, he could see behind his back, through walls and flesh, and from a perspective that he wasnt even located at. He just needed to look at a spot in the distance, and he could somehow look back at himself from there without needing to move. This is what four-dimensional view means? He wondered and as he squinted his eyes, the golden crosses narrowed ordingly. Rakna looked back at Chiron, whom he saw connected to him by a strand of mana. There was a white fire-like energy inside the Demi-Gods body which he identified as his divinity. Can you release your Intent? He asked. Also, send one attack toward me. Chiron nodded slowly. If you wish, he said and formed a simple sword. He generated an intent with the Drive to cut and Raknas eyes widened, the golden cross flickering as it perceived an odd aura wrapping around the sword. To normal humans, it would appear colorless and shapeless, but in Raknas opinion, it was more urate to say that this particr energy had both a color and a shape that couldnt be registered by regr eyes and brains. The human eye can generally discern about a million different shades of color. But Raknas current eyes could see more than 50 times that amount; he was seeing colors that didnt even have a name at all. And thats the only way he could describe Intent. Chiron raised his sword and hacked down. The aura split itself andunched a force without set form, but which had a core that gained a sharp edge. Rakna watched it approach, highlighting the effects his eyes had on his reaction speed, and calmly struck the attacks core with a rapid thrust of Ripple of Rupture. The Sword Intent dispersed itself around his hand and he observed every single second of the process, being furthermore recorded and analyzed by Eye of Symphony. As long as he was able to save the energy signature, Eye of Symphony would be able to work in tandem with Crystal Sight and warn him whenever there was danger. It seems youve got yourself quite a good pair of eyes, Chiron said with a smile. Ive scarcely met people with such a daunting vision in my life. If we just consider perception, you already surpass most divinities. Rakna snorted and nced at the ceiling, looking through it, and spotted the different signatures of his friends. Coincidentally, he noticed something and scowled. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Chirons mana abruptly lost its stability. My time is up, the centaurmented as he nced at his vanishing body. May we meet again, Lord Monarch. I advise you to practice your Intent with various Drives in the future. The therian nodded. Thank you, he said and Chiron responded in kind before fading away. Rakna cracked his neck once he was gone and put Sonata back around his neck. He looked around at the damaged training room and sighed. I already have to repair it I can probably craft an automaton running on Eion to do it for me, he mused and turned toward a certain spot of the room, where a foreign dimensional object was located, which his eyes scrutinized from every angle. It was a sort of floating knot of transparent strings floating in the air. It resembled Focal Points to some extent, and Rakna confirmed it when the appraising nature of his eyes revealed to him that it was a Dimensional Bridge anchor. And here we go again The therian jested.. Chapter 263: Chintamani Lord Chapter 263: Chintamani Lord Hey, Higure, mind filling me in about Dimensional Bridges from your own experience? Rakna asked as he walked around the dimensional anomaly. Hm? Oh, right, your Cross Sight did ascend stage earlier, the lioness eximed. I guess you can see them even better now thanks to those new eyes. What does it look like to you? It should be a squirming mass of dimensional strands, right? Like strings. Yes, it looks a bit like a messy cats cradle. Cats cradle? Higure tilted her head in confusion. Whats that? A puzzle game essentially. You wrap strings around your fingers and pull them apart to form a shape. It can go from simple things like a star to veryplicatedbinations of figures. Uh, I see Its not too bad of aparison, actually. What you see is called an Anchor Point. They are special anchors where dimensions get stuck for theck of a better word. Their locations are rather random and while sometimes, you can find several next to each other, at other times, you could search for hours and not find any. As for their use; by using your mana to untie the knots, the dimensions will slot themselves into a tunnel and open a Dimensional Bridge that is connected to a random,patible Anchor Point. Depending on the size of the Anchor Point, the distance between the two exits of the bridge will be greater or lesser. So, its like a portal basically, Rakna summarized and reached for the Anchor Point. He counted each string with terrifying uracy and hummed. There are 86 strings here. How far would that go if I opened it? 86?! Higure almost choked on air. With that amount, it wouldnt be surprising if it connected to a location that is light years away! I cant believe that theres one here Is this your luck too? Thergest Anchor Point Ive ever opened in my life consisted of 28 strings Light years away, huh? Rakna scowled. Is the System that vast? Wont Ie out of this teau at some point? The lioness sighed at his indifference to the discovery. No, you wont Take it this way; no Host or Local has ever seen the end of a teau for the entirety of the Systems existence. And not for the fault of trying. Its as if its infinite. Is that so He hummed and began to channel his mana into the Anchor Point. Immediately, the strings began to glow and squirm chaotically. I see. The more there are, the harder it is to open a bridge. Large Anchor Points probably cant be used for urgent escapes Correct. An Anchor Point of this size it would honestly take me hours. Though Higure snorted in amusement. Its another story for you, isnt it? Rakna smiled lightly. You could say so, he said and followed the instructions of Eye of Symphony that was basing its calctions on the immensely precise feedback of Crystal Sight. It only took him five minutes topletely solve the Anchor Point. Right after, the strings scattered then reassembled to form an ellipse-shaped void. It began to blink in a steady rhythm and Rakna put his hand inside before waving downward as if he was trying to tear a veil apart. The ellipse widened in one go and revealed an unmoving gray vortex. It looked like a giant and uncanny eye. Thats what us Dusk Lions call a G. It means throat, Higure exined. Its the entrance of the bridge. Whenever an Anchor Point is solved, it will turn into a G for about five to ten minutes before returning to its initial state. The duration can be lengthened by feeding it energy. Can it carry people without dimensional resistance? Rakna asked. The lioness nodded. Yep. A G is very stable. You can send as many objects or people through it for as long as it stays open. You can also make it bigger with a bit of effort. Well, let me see whats on the other side before it closes. He put his hand through the G and instantly felt an atmospheric change. So, its direct transposition, huh? As expected, its closer to a wormhole, hemented and stepped back to inspect his hand. Once he was sure that there was nothing wrong with it, he deployed his wings. Stay here, Higure, he said and jumped right through. The change was dizzyingly instantaneous and in the blink of an eye, he was freefalling above theyer of ck clouds of the Swamp teau; within the stratosphere. Rakna had already predicted that oue from the cold winds he had felt and calmly stabilized himself with a p of his wings. Crystal Sight promptly scanned his surroundings and in the next second, he extended his hand to the left and grabbed the head of a pterodactyl-like creature that was about to hit him. And without looking, he crushed it, already focused on a dozen more circling him like a band of vultures. He conjured a in sword with frost energy and exhaled. He recalled the sensation from earlier and a mantle of ethereal force swallowed the weapon. The aerial monsters screeched and veered in his direction as he infused his Drive into the Intent. This time, he didnt go for Cut but a far simpler one. His cross pupils widened and he swung the sword only once. Crush, he uttered and all of them instantly had their heads bend, crushed from a frontal shock. ? ??? Spiritual Intent Control has leveled up! ??? ? Well, that particr Drive seems to take less energy but its a bit too crude and inefficient, Rakna remarked as the corpses fell through the clouds below. He then took note of a peculiar detail in the magic circuits in the area. Theyre converging? He muttered and looked in said direction. He stopped holding back the range of his sight and his view expanded to zoom in for thousands of kilometers. He quickly caught a glimpse of arge shadow and frowned when he made out what it was, A floating ind? ? Ding! ? ? ? ? ? You have located a Hidden Dungeon! A Hidden Quest has been issued to you! ? ? Title: Chintamani Lord Description: Explore the ind and uncover its secrets. Objective: Defeat the World Raid Boss located at the heart of the Dungeon. Rewards: Unknown ? ? Assessing difficulty ording to the Hosts strength ? ? ? ? ? Rakna blinked in surprise at the new type of notification. He tried to inspect the ind from a distance but there seemed to be a magic array that impeded observation, even from him. He put more of his ki and mana into his eyes to peer through it but as if a warning, the air vibrated and a wave of aura erupted from the ind. It swept past him in a matter of seconds despite the distance. He paled considerably and ran out of breath. He, who should be able to find air to breathe even in the emptiest of voids, was feeling like he was being suffocated. Something was staring back at him; something far more powerful than anything he had ever encountered in his life. ? ? ? ? ? Fear Resistance has broken through Exceled! Fear Resistance has leveled up! ? You are being subjected to intimidation! You have partially resisted as a Legendary Wolf Emperor! Fear Resistance has leveled up! ? ? ? ? ? It felt significantly more terrifying than the time he encountered Aster in thebyrinth Ordeal. As Rakna was trying to regain control of his body, the System finished its evaluation and the result didnt manage to make him feel one bit better. ? ? ? ? ? Quest Difficulty Rating: SS Note: RUN, BIG BROTHER! ? ? ? ? ? As if on cue to the message, a roar resounded and Rakna lowered his head without even thinking about it. His instincts, for the first time in his life, were being hijacked by fear. The distant cries of the fear-stricken aerial monsters pierced his ears just as loudly. Then, a second roar echoed and his mind suddenly nked. Crystal Sight was disengaged and thest thing he saw before that happened was a sh of green light appearing above the ind. Then, he began to feel sluggish and he managed to recover his wits long enough to look at his own chest and see a gaping hole in the shape of a horned jewel where his heart should have been. His regeneration factor should have healed that injury in a matter of seconds but his body seemed to be under the influence of an inescapable restraint. His mind was gradually darkening; until a yell prated his mind. [RUN!] Cerestas voice woke him up and in the split of a second, his unconscious mind made a decision that could save him. His mechanical eye activated itself and rooted itself further into his brain. [| Monger-Protocol. Temporarily Shutting Off Brains Amygd. Detecting Conceptual Aura with Fear-Inducing Properties. Further Adjustments; Temporarily Destroying Part of the Brain. Halting Organic Regeneration for Five Seconds. 5, 4, 3 |] The effects were immediate and emotions became an inexistent idea for Rakna. His consciousness returned to him and his expression became empty beyond understanding. Only one instruction was stuck in his head. Run. Within a second, he transformed into a werewolf, mobilized all of his mana to reinforce himself, and powered up his wings. A sonic boom shook the air as he flew back into the G. He came out on the other side and used Artzpul to forcefully negate his momentum, causing arge indent in the wall and floor because of the shockwave. Rakna?! Higure shouted in shock as she saw the hole in his chest and the pinkish blood staining his fur. He didnt respond to her and emotionally turned toward the dimensional portal. His aura manifested with a tremendous drop in temperature and he triggered Rift Shuttle before making the G explode with an explosion of frost energy mixed with dimensional energy. The portal promptly closed afterward and returned to its initial state of Anchor Point. Then, Rakna copsed on the ground, reverting to a therian at the same time. He coughed out some blood, and his heart was rapidly patched up by the nanomachines. [| Monger-Protocol Ending. Rebuilding Nerve Cells |] Rakna recovered his emotions along with his healing brain and rolled over to lie down on his back with a groan. It felt like he had just woken up from a year-longa. He breathed in and out a few times before finally calming down. Then, a chime sounded. ? ? ? ? ? The difficulty of this quest far surpasses your power level. Rmended to forward it to be issued as a Guild Quest. ? Note: Phew, I really thought you were a goner there, Big Brother. Youre seriously an idiot. ? ? ? ? ? Fuck you too Rakna deadpanned at the system window and jadedly mmed the back of his head on the floor.. Chapter 264: Prophecy Chapter 264: Prophecy Um are you okay? Higure asked as she poked her head above Raknas prone form. Does it look like Im okay? I almost died, quite pathetically to boot, the therian retorted and sat up, patting his clothes, of which the hole had already been repaired by Allegro. He then nced at the system windows, specifically the notes, and clicked his tongue. That brat I cant tell if shes genuinely worried or justughing her ass off, he muttered. I suppose youre fine if you havent lost that sass, the lioness deadpanned. So? Where does it lead to? It must be quite a hazard for you toe back like this Stratosphere and close to a Hidden Dungeon, Rakna said and slowly stood up. I looked at it for a short moment and something stared back. I got a Hidden Quest and by the looks of things, its a mission to kill a World Raid Boss. Higure made a beautifully-executed spit take at his answer. Sorry, what?! World Raid Boss?! And inside a Hidden Dungeon?! For a Hidden Quest?! Thats, what, a World Raid Hidden Quest Boss?! Rakna looked nkly at her. No need to use five words to describe it He uttered and looked at his chest. The title of the Quest was Chintamani Lord And my heart was pierced by some sort of projectile in the form of a jewel or gem. Going by your tone, you recognize something? Chintamani is the name of a wish-fulfilling jewel in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Its an object of both power and prestige. And, among other things Rakna squinted. Its viewed by some as the equivalent of the Philosophers Stone in western alchemy. Uh that again, huh? It said Chintamani Lord; do you know who owns that jewel? There are several figures that carry one at least; Buddha, the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara, and Ksitigarbha, Vishnu, Ganesha, the Goddess Lakshmi But Lord? I have no idea, Rakna concluded and nced at the Anchor Point, his pupils shing golden but without fully triggering his Crystal Sight. But theres one thing Im sure of He added and smiled dangerously. Im sure its heart will be delicious. Higure stiffened in surprise at the sudden surge of killing intent but when she blinked, the therian had schooled his expression into serene indifference. Anyway, its enough for today. Ceres, I also have to thank you. You saved me out there. [Youre wee] He heard her sigh as she responded. [You frightened me.] Rakna smiled lightly. Isnt that a good thing? It means our learning sessions are bearing fruits if you can recognize your emotions so easily. [Please do not joke about this,] she replied and he could almost hear the pout in her voice. He snorted softly. But yes, even I was a bit scared right there. If it wasnt for the resistance given to me by my Emperor title, even you couldnt have woken me up. Or maybe I would have crashed on the ground and ended up unconscious for days. Though, that is only assuming that the Boss did not finish me off or that my body restarted working for the bare minimum necessary for me to live without my blood being pumped. So carefree Higure mumbled. What can I do? It happened. I cant change that fact. Who wouldnt act relieved knowing that you survived a sure-death situation? Rakna retorted amusingly and the lioness fell silent. He snorted and picked her up. All right, lets go. Ceres, put that Quest on Obsidian Thrones Board for now. I will show it to Throne of Gloryter. Its not urgent, after all. I need to be stronger to go there and I will not allow them to go without me. That much? Higure tilted her head as she enjoyed being carried in his arms. Why? Instincts, Rakna replied candidly. Something tells me I need to visit that ce personally ? * * * ? Meanwhile, on the ind hidden within the Fifth teau, a pair of ssy reptilian eyes gazed at a dark wall, piercing through it to observe the spot where a portal had recently closed. The creature to which these eyes belonged was swathed in darkness, its roughly humanoid form sitting cross-legged on the ground of a massive, and pitch-ck space. The only source of light came from the dim glow of a dozen precious stones orbiting around the creature in random paths, directions, and distances. At some point, one of them flew by its head and illuminated it for a split second, revealing pristine jaded scales, and a draconic head partially covered by the hood of an enchanted robe. Another jewel passed by his torso and exposed three pairs of scaled arms and ws. A third jewel, that had the exact same shape as the one that pierced Rakna, exposed a pair of draconic wings embedded with gems pulsing with an organic rhythm. Someone found me and they survived to tell the tale His voice boomed amazingly softly. Does it mean that its soon time? I will fall and Eden will be harvested. Hmm The creature hummed and stirred. He stood up and walked toward the wall. The multicolored jewels of various shapes followed after him, forming a neat circle hovering behind his back. The Chintamani Lord phased through the wall as if it didnt exist and re-emerged inside a garden filled with emerald flora. Looking at the sky of his ind, which was upied by roaming jewels, the dragon-like creature squinted. Does this mean the wait has ended, Chronepsis? He said quietly. Your prophecy; I wonder, who is that child that can resolve it? Do you know, Adam? He asked to the empty air, and after a while of watching the jewels spin in seemingly inexplicable patterns, his eyes widened. Hes your little sisters big brother? The robed creature reiterated blinkingly. Hah Hahaha, Im not even sure how to take that, friend. But its a relief then, I suppose, heughingly dered and sat down. At least the one who kills me will be worthy and not aplete stranger. The gems in the sky moved again and the creature nodded without looking. Of course, Adam. I shall fight without restraint. This Lord does not yield A breeze carried these words away along with the harmonic sound of flying jewels colliding. ? * * * ? The elevator chimed and Rakna walked out with a hand massaging his nape. He noticed right away that someone was sleeping on one of the couches. He observed vias sleeping expression and nced at the lunch that was ced on the table nearby. Did she fall asleep while waiting for me here? He shook his head and smiled softly. I forgot about a way to recall the elevator from above, didnt I? How did she not wake up from all that noise? Higure remarked. Ah, you dont need to overthink that. The training room is just soundproof. Though the vibrations can probably be felt up here, the therian exined and looked out the window. Night had fallen, and a quick activation of Crystal Sight presented him with the sight of Pronos and Tyran sleeping on top of each other in their full size. Wow, your formation really makes it look like night, Higure whistled. Rakna nodded. The lunar energy in the air is being properly condensed too. I can already feel my tails being recharged, he remarked and she took a second to react. Huh? Wait, how many functions did you give that formation? Not much. Temperature control, weather control, atmospheric control, light modtion, armed defense, and lunar energy siphoning. I think I can even make thetter permanent if I force it to stay in its night cycle we need to have a talk about what you define not much. Also, does that mean you can literally simte different weather here? Of course, Rakna said matter-of-factly. If it rains or snows outside, the formation will gather the humidity from the earth around and reproduce that particr weather inside here. Obviously, I put a failsafe so as to not have a surprise catastrophe to form out of nowhere. Really The lioness shook her head. Rakna shrugged and conjured a nket to cover via. Not that she needed one with her physical attributes, but a warm cover made sleep somewhat morefortable. He reached for the lunch she had prepared for him and when he took the first bite, his eyes widened in shock. ? ? ? ? ? You have eaten the meal of an Ascended-Stage Chef! You will regain 50% more Stamina as you finish the meal. ? ? ? ? ? Uh thats new. Did she reach Ascended in her cooking proficiency? Rakna uttered and took a second bite. Higure curiously nabbed a piece of meat and tasted it with a hum. At the same time, the door of the house opened and Nyx walked in with her usual regal gait. She did, she suddenly said while closing the door and Rakna eyed her in confusion. She smiled faintly and continued, Her proficiency. She reached it earlier today. Ah, I see. By the way, have you summoned another Star Entity? I did. How did you know? Well, I sensed a new kind of divinity, she replied and sat down at his right before pulling out an ice-cream cone from her storage. Rakna snorted in amusement at that and put down the utensils on the te. Who was it this time? Chiron. Hm, the Teacher of Heroes, the night goddess pondered. So, thats what you were doing, she casually said and sighed. She took on a more solemn expression and turned toward the sleeping via. Now should we? She inquired and Higure gazed at her quizzically. Right, Rakna simrly dropped a bit of his tranquility and his pupils rotated and expanded into the golden crosses of Crystal Sight. If Nyx was surprised by the change, she didnt show it. Stop hiding. I know youre there, he abruptly said whilst looking at via. He pointed his hand at her and made a grabbing motion. He narrowed his eyes and steadily pulled something in his direction. An invisible link stretched between his hand and via and snapped quickly after. vias figure shot up with a gasp and her eyes opened wide. However, the hazelnut color of her irises had been reced by an icy one akin to snow. Her expression was also stuck between a mix of scared, angered, and resigned. How She spoke up, her voice sounding nothing like normal. Did you know? Chapter 265: Perfect Possession Chapter 265: Perfect Possession The unrecognizable figure of via confronted the trio in front of her. Her snowy white eyes that appeared both clear and clouded were beholding them with an unreadable look. The White Witch youre the Boss from that Dungeon, Higure concluded with a frown. She was quite fond of via, and the sight of her being overtaken infuriated her. She snarled, What is this supposed to mean? The witch ignored her in favor of ring at Rakna who was unexpectedly calm. Despite the fact that even Nyx, whoseposure could sometimes be terrifying, was visibly on edge. How did I know? Rakna finally responded to her initial question. Simple. I just saw it. What kind of bullshit exnation is that She gritted her teeth. Marie Vei Cuniya, the therian continued. That was your name, wasnt it? I dont have much to say to you, so Ill make it quick, release your hold on vias soul. Cuniya sneered. And why should I? Do you seriously think I would abandon my chance to return to the world of the living? The side that should make demands is me insC! She swallowed her next words as the temperature of the house shot up. For a second, she felt like she was dropped inside a volcano, and when she crossed Raknas eyes again, she stiffened. The remnants of his original eye color had turned red behind those golden crosses. The seat under him was barely resisting the heat thanks to Astraeas prior reinforcement. Listen, Rakna opened his mouth with forced restraint. The only reason he hadnt already tried to rip out Cuniyas soul and burn it like the first time, was thanks to Crystal Sights calming properties. There is no ultimatum allowed for either you and I. There is no demand that you can make. If you harm her in any way, you are dead. Its as simple as that. Even if I have to face via herself, if only to give her peace and destroy you at the same time. You you wouldnt do that! I saw this girls memories! Cuniya shouted in fear. There is no way that you would kill her! Shes too important to you! Thats precisely why, Rakna coldly retorted and she shivered. You have no idea of how badly you have chosen your victim. Theres no threatening avable for you here. The witch bit her lip and suddenly backed away from the couch. The therian didnt react much but both Higure and Nyx stood up. Cuniya was already looking around for a way to escape but she was quickly put down by Raknas next words. Give up. Youre in my territory. And my wolves are everywhere. But most importantly, you cant do anything can you? He said and put a cigarette in his mouth. He lit it with a snap of his fingers and Obsidian Bloodpletely died down. I can see it. via told me your magic was possession and that it allowed you to hijack thews of nature themselves. However, vias soul, even mixed with yours, doesnt have that affinity yet and youre currently reliant on it. In other words, you are alienated and powerless. Cuniya opened her mouth in shock and quickly closed it in mortification, her face paling. Higure was equally startled, but for apletely different reason. Wait, you can see affinities with those eyes?! She shouted and Nyx also gave him a curious look. Doesnt that mean you got a glimpse of her Soul Stele!? Rakna didnt reply and settled to just stare at Cuniya. He had a clear view of her internal energies and soul with Crystal Sight, down to thest detail. Even without prompting a System window, if he focused enough, words would appear to tell him what he was looking at. In a sense, perhaps he was indeed reading the surface information of ones Soul Stele. The White Witchsposure quickly began to break. Her expression was gradually approaching a state of distress and Rakna closed one eye, scrutinizing her with the other as if he had discovered something interesting. Damn monster She muttered with clenched fists. Then what?! Are you just telling me to go die?! Huh?! Her fa?ade ultimately copsed and her yell was loud enough to even put a pause in Nyx and Higures hostility. This girl is simr to me? To hell with that! She shouted, repudiating something she herself had first thought. She has everything! What about me?! Am I even denied myst chance to live?! Whats so wrong with that?! Are you going to tell me a monster like you would not make the same choices I did?! Her voice broke several times and tears spilled from her eyes. Nyx and Higure watched her with widened eyes while Rakna remained as impassive as ever. I would, he indifferently said. I would kill, rob, destroy, if it served my interests. Even more if it involved the safety and life of those I care about. Theres nothing wrong with that. Then why should I be punished for it?! Because you met me, the therian once again cut her off apathetically. Because your self-valued and self-justified interests conflict with mine. Thats all the wrong there is to it; its not fair. Cuniyas expression contorted into fury and sheshed out with her arm, summoning a wave of telekic power that knocked over the furniture. Some of it directly attacked Rakna but he only muttered one word before it hit him, Valkal. The telekic force collided with something and dispersed. Before Cuniya understood what was happening, something invisible and oddly soft wrapped around her and restrained her. Rakna then wordlessly extended his hand toward the crying figure of vias body and a limb of soul power extended toward her neck. He pulled and the transparent image of a beautiful white-haired woman emerged. Her skin pale as snow was stained with tears. The astral projection was helplessly dragged until Rakna was truly grasping her neck. He stared at her in the eyes, and she red back with pained and maddened eyes. I cant get rid of you forever, he uttered. But every time your soul begins to regain a major size and form like now, I will personally reduce it to nothing. Last time, I burned you with the mes of my Volcanic Star. This time, its the cold that will burn you. Soul or not, I realized that my magic could damage it. It will be far more painful this time around. {Then do it,} she gritted out through telepathy. {DO IT!} Rakna tightened his hold and a frosty soul power slowly covered her. Right before it seemed he was going to end it; a hand gently grabbed his wrist to stop him. The therian nced to the side where via was standing, giving him a sad smile. Its all right I want to take care of this myself, she said. He carefully observed her, making sure nothing was wrong, and nodded as if this development didnt surprise him at all. On the other hand, Cuniya appeared distant; her gaze was resigned and empty, up until the point she was shoved back into the deepest parts of vias soul by Rakna. So, its as I thought, isnt it? The therian sighed and blinked to deactivate Crystal Sight. He leaned back on his seat and via wryly smiled as she casually put the furniture back on their feet with a wave of her hand. She cant separate from you. What? Higure eximed. Why would that happen? For some reason, her possession is too advanced, Nyxmented with a hand on her chin. Its as if theirbined souls were a singr piece of cloth sewed with two different strings, but with equal repartition. Theyre very distinct, but inseparable. Thats why she reacted so severely, Rakna continued. She didnt need to cry over this if she had a way of actually leaving vias soul to overtake another. Not to mention there is no way for her to deceive me; she was genuinely despairing. via nodded at his conclusion. Youre right. Ive been aware of that for a while now. I have these asional dreams about her life, her experiences, and our current situation. Why did you never tell me? Rakna scowled and she smiled nervously. I didnt want to worry you When you forced her to take over my body just earlier, I could have regained control any time. And I have kept that status quo since a week ago. Apparently, the reason she returned so soon and broke through the temporary confinement of your guildmate is that our souls were morepatible than she expected. Dont tell me, youngdy, that in your all-epassing kindness, you took pity on her? Higure said exasperatedly, already aware of the answer. Um via shyly fiddled with a strand of her hair. Y-yes? Of course, you did The lioness sighed and flopped down on the couch. But its because I dont think shes as malicious as she appears, the Chaos Witch added with a mncholic expression. I saw her memories. And you too, Rakna. Im sure you already made your opinion on her. The therian looked at her in the eyes for a moment before shrugging. I did. At worst, she has a mean bone but nothing about her is inherently evil. Rather, Im probably worse than her. Dont say that, Rak, Ans voice sounded as he walked down the stairs with a yawn. Marie was following behind him with a thoughtful look directed at via. Eh? Since when were you listening? The former teacher asked. Well, not so much listening; we heard bits, the blond retorted. We only heard the chick in your soul breaking down; this house is so damn well isted. Its even better than what it was back on Earth. That didnt stop me from waking up though freaking enhanced senses. I like it when there isnt too much noise, Rakna said with a small smile. Ah yes, and you. Youre just an entry-level psychopath, Rak. Not really evil, An said helpfully and the therian gave him a deadpan look. Yes, Al, and a psychopath can easilymit evil without thinking. The blonde blinked. Whyd you Wait, no, you threw me off! You never call me Al! You only do it when you want to change topics! Because it works. am I that easily manipble? Yes, Marie was the one who concurred to the blonds self-doubt and his ego took a blow. Where is Evelyn? Sleeping? Nyx tilted her head. Huh? An recovered from his short-term depression. No I think shes still in herb. Maybe shes too concentrated. I swear, I tried to call her earlier. I entered and waved my hand in front of her but she didnt even react and just kept on mumbling iprehensible stuff. The fire pup told me she had been like that for hours. Well, the girls a Phantom. She doesnt need sleep or food, Higuremented. Theres basically nothing stopping her from being focused on one thing for all eternity. Hm, by the way, Rak. The System told us that you added a Quest to the Guild Board and that we had to go to the Pavilion to check it, An said. What was that exactly? Yes, I wanted to ask as well, Nyx concurred. Werent you down here all this time? Kind of. But you dont need to worry about that Quest. The difficulty is off the charts. We wouldnte back alive from it. Really? An eximed with a raised eyebrow. Even for you? Rakna nodded. Its rated SS. Ive never seen that danger rating before on any of the Quests given at the Pavilion. Heck, I havent even seen an S ranked one yet. But those are not scaled based on my strength but the overall prowess of Hosts and Locals. [An SS difficulty rating is the gray area between possible and impossible,] Ceres intervened. [Its not technically unfeasible, but you will either die doing so ore out crippled beyond the point of no return. Realistically however, it devolves into something along the lines of a sure death with less than a 1% chance of sess.] Thats kinda scary The blond sweatdropped. Anyway, the therian sighed and stood up with a grunt. Time to hit the hay. Also, tomorrow, Ill be busy with some stuff but after that, well start hunting again and getting your attributes up with the Scale of Maat. Right. The eating hearts thing, An deadpanned and yawned. Well, fine by me. Ill take the day off tomorrow then. I just wanna sleep honestly. Good night, guys, he said and went back upstairs. Good night, themia said and followed him. Nyx simrly excused herself and Rakna gave onest look at via. I know, the witch said with a smile without him even speaking up. Dont worry. Ill be okay. Ill talk it out with her for now. He nodded. If thats what you want. Good luck, and good night. You too. ? * * * ? Rakna breathed out as he came out of the shower. Nyx had apparently bought a Utility Item from the Pavilion that produces water self-sufficiently, and had connected it to the houses pump. She should have asked me for the money. It mustnt have been cheap since it was a Utility Item. I wonder how much she has, he wondered out loud. Well, she often goes out on her own, doing Quests and exploring the System. Considering who she is in the first ce, it wouldnt be surprising if she already has one or two trump cards of the same kind as yours, Higure remarked as she licked her paw,zily lying on the bed. Shes quite a hard-working one, that girl. But she never shows it. Mhm its true I dont see her fight at full power often, if at all. But with Crystal Sight, I was able to notice better than ever how strong she is. Excluding me, she is definitely the strongest among us. Hm, true that, the lioness nodded. I would know since Im the one she has a pet contract with. By the way, horny cat, why are you here? He inquired nkly. Im pretty sure there are still more than enough rooms in this house for you to take. Come on, you dont expect me to upy a full-size room. I dont even have ess to my human form yet, she huffed. Well, not that it will change anything if I get it. No, it will. No, it will not. It will. Not. Im not going to sustain this joke, Rakna grumbled andy down on the bed. Hehe, so that means, I win, Higure stated with an impish grin and jumped one of the pillows next to his head. Youll see. Soon enough, youll experience the male fantasy every morning. Of course, at night too. Shut up and sleep, Rakna replied dryly and turned off the lights with a snap of his fingers. When he was about to cast Sloth and Onera, he heard a loud boom from outside as well as the hisses and roars of two certain beasts. Oh, the kids woke up, Higuremented. I know someone who wont appreciate this Fucking reptiles! On cue, Ans yell echoed through the walls. Someones trying to sleep here! Yep, that, the lioness chuckled and Rakna shook his head. He prepared to enter the dream dimension when he caught a glimpse of Higures excited eyes. He stared at her for a moment and raised an eyebrow. No, he uttered. Huh?! Why?! No, Im not going to use Onera on you. I dont want you to sexually harass me in my sleep too. Well, that too, she admitted. But I just want to see what Ceresta looks like! Denied, the therian dered and promptly closed his eyes, falling asleep. Higure whined and rested her head on the pillow. Tch, youll see, when I catch up to your level, I swear to the cat gods I will infiltrate your dreams She cackled and closed her eyes. Then, she realized something and owlishly opened them again. Wait did I just profess to being a cat?! She gasped. I can hear my ancestors crying or is it the kid whos going crazy outside? AAAAH! Little shits! An shouted as he started his supposedly peaceful night brawling with the two little Hydra and Asura. Chapter 266: The Architect of Eternal Night Chapter 266: The Architect of Eternal Night When Rakna woke up the next morning, the first thing he did was obviously grab the cat that was sleeping on his face and throw it out the window. He listened to the sweet sound of Higure falling and stretched his limbs. An Eion pulse briefly coursed through his body, signaling his body functions being refreshed and restarted after a night of sleep. The cyan energy reached the veins of his neck before finishing its duty and Rakna walked out of the room with Allegro forming around his body into casual clothes while Sonata flew to his neck and wrapped itself around it. The therian did a quick check to see who was still in the house and smiled wryly when he noticed that Nyx was already out. I guess Higure is right. Shes quite a hard worker, hemented and went to visit Evelynsb, where he could sense Natsu as well. When he got there, it was exactly as An described it. The subus was scribbling notes while staring at a concoction and mumbling very quietly. Natsu, on the other hand, had a neutral look as he used his mes to fuel an experiment. Looks like youre making yourself useful, Rakna remarked and the Celestial ze finally noticed his arrival. Oh, My Lord. Well my mes are apparently good for alchemy as well, he answered. He looked at the dazed Evelyn with half-lidded eyes, And she hasnt bothered to tell me when I should stop as well. I dont even dare to move in case it disrupts her. How polite of you. Though youre probably used to staying immobile, the therian said and Natsu shrugged. By the way, youll also be helping me forgeter on. Thats 50% of the reason I got you as a member of my Imperial Guard, after all. Forging, huh? What about the remaining 50%? Fighting potential, of course. Youre a physical nemesis. Tyran is a magical one. Pronos is mostly a tank and damage dealer. Hes hard to kill and extremely deadly depending on how much he is allowed to charge infinity and poison. Then, theres Higure who is unpredictable and polyvalent; and a counter to dimension-bending threats. Hm, put like that, youve indeed acquired an interesting roster. I try, Rakna joked and approached Evelyn. All right, its time you wake up, he said and snapped his fingers near her ear, shooting an inoffensive soul bullet at her mind. Yes?! She abruptly yelped and looked around in haste. When her eyes fell on him, she pursed her lips and her face reddened. Ah uh um, how long? Well, it depends, Rakna smiled. How long have I been here? Or how long have you been here? Ive only been here for about a minute; youve been here since yesterday afternoon. its morning? She asked with genuine surprise and the therian snickered. What? Is it the first time you lose yourself in your thoughts? Not really She mumbled. But its the first time itsted this long, she said and her wandering gaze caught the sight of Natsu. Ah! Her face flushed. Im so sorry! I forgot to tell you it was done! Natsu chuckled wryly. I figured, littledy. Dont fret; it doesnt bother me. Im used to this. Still Rakna watched her panic like a lost child with an amused smile. Its okay, Evelyn. This guy isnt the type to be reproachful. More importantly, did you advance on our little project? Oh, yes! I couldnt work on your personal pills since I havent gone to Trafford yet, but I managed to optimize themon version, the subus instantly switched attitudes and walked to a pile of pills and potions she had ced on a counter. Raknas pupils briefly shed gold and a window popped up. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Consumable/Pill Name: Cardiac Scavenging Pill Tier: Special ? Description: A pill refined by an advanced alchemist with the heart of a deceased creature. This pill should normally have been nothing more than a nutritious supplement considering its ingredients but due to the makers ingenuity, it became a special consumable containing the transmuted form of aplete heart, performed thanks to the unique properties of the Legendary Wolf Emperors Nirvana Skill and Magic Crest. The me of a Celestial ze was used to purify its ingredients, the effects have been boosted and the pill gained a small elemental infusion. ? Effects: C Heals physical wounds and mild illnesses. C Increases Heat Resistance for 10 minutes. C Recovers 35% of MP C Recovers 35% of STA ? Consumption Cooldown: 1 Hour. Note: Ineffective for beings above Level 100. Must be consumed by beings above Level 25 at the very least. ? ? Designation: Consumable/Potion Name: Cardiac Scavenging Potion Tier: Special ? Description: A potion refined by an advanced alchemist with the hearts and blood of several deceased creatures. This potion should normally have been nothing more than a nutritious supplement but due to the makers ingenuity, it became a special consumable containing the transmuted form of aplete heart, performed thanks to the unique properties of the Legendary Wolf Emperors Nirvana Skill and Magic Crest. The me of a Celestial ze was used to purify its ingredients, the effects have been boosted and the potion gained a small elemental infusion. The organic concentration of this potion has been raised to its limits thanks to the celestial me and more than five hearts have been transmuted into it. ? Effects: C Heals physical wounds and illnesses. C Increases Heat Resistance for 30 minutes. C Recovers 75% of MP C Recovers 75% of STA ? Consumption Cooldown: 12 Hours. Note: Ineffective for beings above Level 100. Must be consumed by beings above Level 60 at the very least. Consuming this item twice within 12 hours has high risks of directly causing Internal Mana & Internal Force Suicide. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna nodded as he read the descriptions. This is definitely much better. I also didnt expect the potions. Evelyn nodded. These potions were made possible thanks to Natsu. Its nearly impossible for me to use more than one heart in the making of a pill with my current skills since it has a low breaking point. But when ites to potions; liquid solutions have a far higher capacity. I can use between three to seven hearts maximum for each. This is grandly in part thanks to Natsus ability to heat up every single molecule. It makes it much easier topress. Ive also noticed that using blood as the heating bath conducts the energy provided by your Nirvana Skills Crest better. Rakna sweatdropped as she continued exining all the manufacturing details with the boundless enthusiasm of a scientist. Shes talented and dedicated, he thought. The fact that her designation changed from intermediate to advanced in only the span of a night only proves it thats how I resolved the unstable mixture of mana and blood ki when forced to their overload point ording to Wolders Transmission Theorem ah She eventually realized what she was doing and bashfully cleared her throat. Yes Yes, is it? Rakna said teasingly and she pouted at him. Hah, all right. Sorry. If you dont mind, I will meet someone right now to talk about founding apany. I n to sell materials, weapons, and what will probably be one day called Magic of Science. How does it sound to you to add these consumables to the lot? We can revive the name of the Malcanthet. Evelyns eyes widened and raised her head fast enough to give her a whish. When she saw the small but gentle smile on the therians face, her expression brightened and tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. She quickly wiped them and beamed, Yes, please! I wont disappoint the name of my family! She dered with a determined tone. Rakna snorted and patted her head. Lets go then. Ill wait for you outside, he said and left her alone in theb. The subus watched him go and then slowly put her hands on her head. Her blush eventually calmed and her mouth curved into a joyful smile. Hoho! Littledy, are you lost in your love-stricken bliss? Natsumented with a smirk and he failed to react in time when a sk was promptly hurled at his head. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, on the 60th teau, Nyx exhaled a crystalized breath as the freezing winds surrounded her. She lowered her hand that was sparking with ck lightning after it had blown a hole through the body of a yeti-like monster. The creature let out a dying grunt and copsed on the ground, scattering snow and shattering ayer of ice. The night goddess nced at the killing notification and then focused on her hand that was still wrapped in Aeter. I really cant do it She whispered. Her Eternal Night Magic had been stuck at the Exceled level for the past week. She had long Ascended her Lunar Magic, but for this one, nothing worked. She had even tried to use a precious Skill Point, only to be returned an error. What am I missing? Is it that I am unconsciously scared of it? No, that cant be it She shook her head and sighed. She walked past the monsters corpse, storing it at the same time, and continued walking toward a sort of ice tower in the distance. When she arrived at the edifices entrance, she was asked to select a difficulty. She considered her options for a few seconds and chose the highest one; Hell. She was teleported inside the Dungeon almost instantly and found herself in the middle of an icy room, surrounded by unliving creatures of snow. Some were the size of giants, others smaller than a rabbit, but all of them were twisted. Arms bent in two directions, heads with half smirks, eyes of red diamond, or vacant holes. They had ws of ice and a visible wooden skeleton buried inside the snow sticking out in some ces. One of them roared, invoking a short-lived snowstorm and Nyx impassively looked at its dozens of rows of sharpened ss teeth. On cue, every monster rushed at her and the instant they stepped into her range, a mayhem of ck-red lightning burst around her, shredding the weakest to pieces and shoving away the bigger ones. She proceeded to conjure an Aeter Urumi sword and swung it at the closest target. The whip de of the weapon split into dozens of electrifying and scorching small sections that encircled the snow monster like a serpent. She rotated her wrist and the sectioned des closed in and tore into the creature, summoning a lightning bolt into the room. Nyxs expression did not change for even an instant as she pulled back her weapon and created a second one in her free hand. This time, it wasnt made of lightning but shadows. She pointed it at a small group of monsters and opened her mouth, [Union Magic C Dark Moon C Shadow Fang of Lunation.] The apparition of a wolf shot out from the tip and howled. It dashed toward the Dungeon monsters and decapitated them with a bite each. [Styxs Swamp,] she didnt stop and invoked a swamp of darkness below her feet that overtook the floor and trapped the monsters. She then pressed the two swords together and the ck lightning fused with the shadow and lunar energy. Her eyes glowed and a dark mass emerged around her hands. [Union Magic C Eternal Dark Moon C Aeternus dius Umbrae Lunae] (Eternal Sword of the Shadowless Moon). She gripped the shapeless sword forming before her as it whistled with power. She waved it with a rxed motion and thunder roared onest time before the monsters were swallowed by a bolt of lightning that consumed their bodies after striking. As the remnants of her spells died down, Nyx indifferently headed to the next floor as she recalled a conversation she had yesterday. She had been training at one of the Basilicas of Eternal Night in front of a replica of the Kind Demon Cross when a visiting Archbishop noted the ws in her magic. You certainly own up to the title of Eternal Maiden. Your Aeter is magnificent, he had said with a nod. But you seem lost in your practice. Perhaps is it a problem of faith? No, you dont need that, do you? I can see the diligence you possess. Even if you dont heartfully pray to Eternal Night, you respect him more than most of us I can see it. The old archbishop stroked his beard and Nyx nced at him. I cannot advance, she eventually admitted. I dontck insight, experience, or determination. But I still fail to improve further, she added and looked at her hands. And I cannot find the reason. Is this all that I amount to? Nyx paused her reminiscence as she sted a Dungeon monster with a condensed beam of lightning. Without the divinity that I was born with, despite all the advantages I naturally possess, I am still weak. I cannot catch up to him Perhaps I never was talented. When she had voiced these doubts, the archbishop hadughed. Dear, talent is subjective. No one is born for the sake of being better than another. If one trains for ten years and defeats someone that has trained for a hundred years, does it invalidate the hard work put in by the loser? If you feel like your path has suddenly put an obstacle in front of you, look around and search for a way out; always. Nyx remained silent as she gazed at the Demon Cross and the old man smiled. Perhaps the rants of this old man are of no interest to you. After all, how convenient would it be if a few words had the power to break limits I have a suggestion, Maiden. She looked at him and he continued, Your problem might be rted to your rtionship with the Eternal Night God. You might simplyck a perspective. There is someone else in the System that has met and battled the Kind Demon in the past. Nyx widened her eyes and fully turned toward the man of faith. Who? Where? The archbishop closed his eyes solemnly. Find a way to the Celestial teau. A resident God that lives there knows the Eternal Night God very well. At least, whats left of him. He was depicted by the Kind Demon Cross as a vile and evil man. He is called Day Breaker by the Basilica. None of us appreciate his existence, but something tells me that meeting him is something you ought to do. Who is he? The old man opened his eyes with a sharp look. The one they curse and eulogize as the Architect of Eternal Night. The Kind Demons nemesis; the God of Dark Slumber and Madness, Karaskan. Nyx ended her memory with a loud explosion of lightning that engulfed the entire floor she was in before proceeding to the Boss floor. It had barely taken her half an hour toplete this Dungeon, even at the highest difficulty. The boss was a creepy snowman with wooden arms and a jagged smirk. She scowled at it and her swords appeared in her hands. ? * * * ? When she came out of the tower, she was sporting a wound across her arm, spilling white blood that blended with the snow; it had already started to heal. Nyx breathed in and opened her status, looking at the skill called Celestial Gate. Something that she had quickly acquired due to her identity as the Night Goddess. She could head to the Celestial teau at any time with it. She hesitated for a while before closing the window. No, not now, if it must be done She rxed slightly. It would be much better to tell Rakna first, she muttered and went off to train more, feeling instinctivelyfortable with the idea of receiving help from the therian. Chapter 267: Defusing Chapter 267: Defusing Hey,d! I havent seen you in a while, Old Wang greeted Rakna as hended in front of his stall in ck Steel. And it seems youve brought the youngdy with you, the dwarf added as he saw Evelyn standing beside him. Good morning, sir, the subus smiled. Hahaha, at least youre polite. Your friend here, on the other hand, typically walks up to me and calls me Old Wang. Never missing the chance to remind me how decrepit I am, Wang huffed and Rakna shrugged at his re. I guess its a habit I got from addressing my uncle with old man for as long as I did. There really isnt a better moniker than this honestly. Faultless familiarity. And rudeness, the dwarf snorted and waved at the seats. Suit yourselves. Ill quickly make you some pancakes. Or did you eat already? Rakna simply shook his head at his question while they took a seat. So, what brings you here? Is it about your project? Yes. I also came here to ask if your friend has finished cracking thepound. I havent gotten any news since you asked me for an additional sample a few days back. Hm, Old Wang nodded as he prepared the food. I was actually nning to pay him a visit today since he hasnt contacted me back ever since. Knowing him, he probably made a breakthrough and locked himself up researching it. As soon as youre finished eating, I can take you to him. All right, in the meantime, take a look at this, Rakna said and took out two items that he tossed to the old dwarf. He caught them with a raised eyebrow and inspected them. One of them was a pill and the other was a silvery and bluish shard that pulsed with energy. This pill Old Wang read the description of the pill first and widened his eyes in surprise. You made this? He turned toward Evelyn who shyly nodded. How did you know? Rakna curiously asked. As I told you before, I have a highly specialized appraising skill. I cant see as much information as others in some cases but I have a full view of its manufacturing process and who was behind it. Well, there are exceptions; such as your scarf. No matter how much I try, I cannot see the makers history or even name. The therian hummed. Better not try any further. You might get a headache knowing who it is. Wang furrowed his eyebrows but ultimately shrugged. So, this is something transmuted by the youngdy and made possible thanks to your unique abilities, is that right? So, you know that much, huh? Yes, but not to the extent where I know the details of your ability. The only thing I see is the name of the Nirvana Skill in this pills root. The Harvester; is that it? Quite unnerving sounding. Tell me, the Nirvana ssification aside, is it as powerful as it sounds? Rakna faintly smiled. More than you probably think. The dwarf snickered and handed the pill back before serving the breakfast. Is that so? So, I assume you want to introduce that to the market as well? I can tell you already that it would be extremely profitable. Especially if you can make it for higher-leveled hosts. I agree. Though, the other item youre holding is far more valuable. Old Wang blinked and then remembered the strange shard he was holding. When the feedback of his skill returned to him, he almost couldnt believe his eyes. He gaped at the object and alternated between it and Rakna who was calmly digging his food. A-Rank Material across the board, he muttered. By Hephaestus this thinges from you? Out of you? He uttered in disbelief. Instead of replying, Rakna pointed at his eye that suddenly rotated and revealed its lenses. This is why. Did you see what happened recently? Im pretty sure my face was everywhere on the news and despite the vagueness of the image, it was pretty clear that I had lost my eye. You mean, what happened to you and fighting an underworld group? Who could miss that? You were and still are one of the main topics in ck Steel. Well, you could say I got this Eye from that whole debacle. It assimted with the nano-machines inside me and replicated Symphonyspound, revamping my body. I can make those shards as easily as breathing now by just tearing out a hand. The nanobots instantly repair it. Just tearing out a hand he says Evelyn deadpanned quietly. What she said, the old dwarf concurred, still transfixed by the item. Also, these things cannot be called nano-machines. Its outright nanites. They are so numerous and clustered it doesnt seem like it, but these things thatpose your body have long be smaller than molecules. The molecr volume of your current body would be enough to make three or four of you before the change. These nanites also move ording to specific signalsing from you. Mechanical or not, thats irrelevant, your body has transcended thews of science for sure. Uh, thats something I didnt know, Rakna replied andmanded Eye of Symphony to disy the data rted to Old Wangs discoveries. As expected, it waspletely authentic. Regardless, this is incredibly precious. Even more than the Eionpound. While thetter can be used to build pretty much anything, you could say this thing here wins in quality. You could make masterpieces with this. With enough of it, Im confident in being able to make a high-grade Gold Item without too much trouble after I break through to Divine cksmith. Precisely, Rakna agreed. The amount of money that could rake in is no joke. The only problem with it is that any weapon or armor it is used to forge will lose an unpredictable amount of power after being away from me for too long. Thats why your friends research is even more important now. If he manages to make the Eionpound inside that shard independent, we get ourselves an infinite supply of top-grade material. You sure know how to amaze people, the dwarf sighed and put the shard down on his counter. So, Ive heard, the therian quipped. Hah, Wang grinned. Im not going to lie, kiddo. Im suddenly much more excited about this idea of yours. Hell, Id be willing to sell my soul if I get to work with materials of this quality for as much as I want, he jested. Rakna snorted and made an ominous smile. You should be careful when making a joke like that in front of me, he uttered as his Chalice stirred on his back. From what he instinctively understood of his powers, this meant that Old Wang truly had a wish he was willing to give up his soul for, but merely not the one he had just joked about. It mighte true. Hm? The dwarf raised an eyebrow in confusion. First time I see that kind of expression on your face; what do you mean exactly? Well, if one day you truly wish to sell your soul to make a wish;e to me Rakna squinted his eyes as if he was observing through the cksmiths very existence. Considering the quality, this price would be more than enough to evenmand life and death. Wang hardened his face a bit and his eyes renewed in seriousness. Is that so He muttered and Evelyn pointedly stared at Rakna with a look of sudden realization. Well then, kiddo. Maybe, one day, Ill take that offer, the old dwarf ultimatelyughed it off and went on to close his stand. How about we leave? We can continue this conversation at my friends workshop. Rakna nodded, his expression returning to a passive one, and stood up. Ah! Evelyn, who had been in a small daze, eximed when she saw them prepare to depart and quickly stuffed the rest of the pancake in her mouth, puffing her cheeks. She heard a small snicker from the front as she followed the duo and swallowed her food before pouting at the therian. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, back at Raknas estate, via was sitting cross-legged on the bed of her room, her eyes closed and her body rxed into a meditative stance. There were a few noticeable beads of sweat pouring down her face. Within her mind, she was trying to navigate her soul power, which she had attained cognizance of after spending time learning soul meditation. She was certainly far from reaching the same levels of proficiency as Rakna, Evelyn, or even Nyx, but she was getting closer every day. That was most likely one of the additional reasons why Cuniya had woken up so soon. via had never tried to suppress her during her meditations. Her motive for doing so was not optimism or overconfidence in herself, but an objective and rational solution to her problem. It was her soul, after all. She knew better than anyone how much Cuniya had affected it. It was not a question of skills anymore; neither Rakna nor Nyx would be able to help her since, even if they could get rid of the White Witch, they would hurt via in the process. It would not kill her, but it would most likely cripple her to some extent. Thats why she had taken a frontal approach. Cuniya was a ticking bomb. Instead of confining it until it can be dismantled, it was far better to get hands-on and defuse it. So, thats why youre here, a melodious but cold voice sounded in vias head and she abruptly found herself in a strangely familiar but unknown environment. She was standing on top of arge branch that was connected to a titanic tree. via looked down and saw an unending ocean of pristine water. The tree was seemingly nted at the very bottom of it, but after looking around, she spotted several giant roots surfacing in the shape of arcs. But the true blindsiding elements of thendscape were the dozens of waterfalls sourcing from above and filling the ocean. When she looked up at the sky through the foliage, via widened her eyes in awe. A dynamic shape of a multi-geared clock formed out of pure white clouds was audibly ticking along with the sound of water. The waterfalls were in fact flowing down from the edges of the clocks needles. I honestly still do not understand this soul scape of yours, the voice sounded a second time and she turned around, noticing a cage made out of wood and carved with draconic symbols. Inside of it, a woman of icy beauty was sitting on the ground, her back leaning against the tree. The White Witch was looking at the horizon with a lifeless look, but there were hints of red on her face that indicated the fact she had recently been crying. You know Cuniya continued speaking, and as via remained silent, she slowly stood up. Your friends, your enemies, the people you meet they are all scared of that wolfwalker you love so much. But, the truly scary one is you, she scoffed and fully turned toward via. She was presented with a cold and callous expression that deeply contrasted with the usual warm and kind mien of the young woman. The via that was standing in front of Cuniya was absolutely nothing like the one who smiled at Rakna and the others. You want to defuse me, is it? How quaint. A Witch of Chaos trying to do things peacefully, the witch sneered. Sure, lets talk. Lets see how you defuse me, crazy woman. Chapter 268 Chapter 268: Cold Yet Warm Out with it then, or are you going to re at me like that all day? Cuniya sneered. via coldly watched her for a while, the cloudy clock ticking in the sky, before sighing softly. Her expression loosened up a bit but there was still a lingering frigidness left on her face. I want you to stop bothering me. Thats all there is to it. The White Witch blinked in a stupor. Excuse me? Thats it? She uttered. I was expecting a speech of some sort; I am thoroughly disappointed. And, pray tell, why should I listen to you? Because youre bothering Rakna. Cuniya fell silent and her eyes twitched. But of course Why did I even entertain the idea it would be something else? You dont care that I am taking over you. But youre angered knowing that my existence might upset your sweetheart. Exactly. The witch clicked her tongue at the womans cold and sinct reply. You didnt even think twice about that. Thats why youC I want to be with him, via interrupted her with a slightly downcast look. To be exact, I want to be by his side; support him. Not burden him. Ive sworn to myself that I would try everything to save him She said and then smiled bitterly. Though, it seems other people have already made much better results than me since weve arrived in the System. Cuniya didnt say anything for a moment, impassively observing her. are you not jealous? The witch ultimately asked and via erased her smile, shaking her head. If they are making him happy, then I also am. But if they ever hurt him She trailed and her eyes weed a dangerous glint, mirrored by the darkening color of the ocean behind her. You would kill them? Cuniya smirked, but no answer was given. Hm, the White Witch mused and leaned her shoulder on the prisons bars. Chaos Witches. They are known for their ability to induce berserk states into different elements and bring Chaos. In that regard, you have quite the talent. Even more than the woman who killed me. But do you know what trait every Chaos Witch shares? Unabashed by the silence, Cuniya continued, There is a gossip about them being notoriously sexually frustrated. That is not quite correct. The truth is, Chaos Witches all inherit Chaos Traits; a part of their self gets twisted by Chaos. The very first Chaos Witch had her lust pulled into chaos. This is what birthed the legend. For instance, the one that defeated me had her trust in chaos. She barely could allow a fellow living being to be in her vicinity without killing them. No matter how close to her they were, or how long they knew each other. And then, theres you, she pointed her finger at via. It took me a bit of effort, but after reading your memories, it quickly became clear. You have an obsession. However, you dont show it. Or to be exact, your Chaos Trait hasnt had the room to thrive. Usually, those traits grow the more you pander to them, and they also make a Chaos Witch stronger. Yours is that boy. The problem is that you dont allow yourself to indulge yourself. Thats why, if one day, that boy dies Chaos will consume you. Swallow you whole. You will turn into a crazed beast, an embodiment of chaos, with the sole goal of abolition. Then, you will end yourself. That is the reason why you are the real monster of your little group. Rakna Xiorra is akin to your shackle. If released, you will turn into a cmity. via scowled and the two women stared at each other in pin-drop silence until Cuniya eventually scoffed. Well, what are you going to do? Scold me then leave? Expecting me to go along with your wish and confine myself here for the rest of your life? What else would you do? via retorted coldly. Do you think you have a chance? Regardless of my feelings on the matter, I know that Rakna will help me if needed. MoreoverC You dont need to continue, Chaos Witch, Cuniya spat out bitterly and turned around. Returning to the edge of her cage and sitting on the ground, her head leaning against the trees trunk. What is the point when something like Eternal Night is involved? Defying that boy is the same thing as defying the highest authority of the universe. Who would be crazy enough to do that? via opened her mouth to speak but paused, simply gazing at the White Witchs back. After some more time spent in silence, she smiled sadly, finally breaking her cold fa?ade, Do you want help? Cuniyas entire body shivered but she didnt deign to look behind her. who do you think you are to believe youre capable of that? Didnt you say so? The authority of the universe. Isnt this the best group of people you could ever ask help? via said with a hint of hrity in her tone. If no one wants to aid you well do it. I will, at the very least. Damn woman Cuniya cursed under her breath, her tears flowing down her chin and perfectly visible from her back. You are making me second-guess if your chaos trait isnt that ugly kindness of yours. via simply smiled again. I need this kindness to bnce him, she whispered and faded away from her soul scape, leaving the White Witch alone. Cuniya bit her lip as she stared at the horizon and then closed her eyes, viewing a certain memory of the soul she was inhabiting. A younger via was crouching in front of a grave, a bouquet tightly held in her hands. Her eyes were darkened and hollow, looking at the name of her grandfather on the tombstone without focus. Then, footsteps echoed from behind her and someone crouched next to her. Her expression made an instantaneous transformation when she nced at the indifferent face of Rakna. Her eyes were revitalized as if she had seen the light of salvation. She wanted to say something but words failed her. Before she couldpose herself, he spoke up first, I didnt interact with him that much, but I could tell he was a good man. Im sorry for your loss. As always, his tone was gratingly empty and cold. But she had gotten used to this. In fact, she hade to findfort in it. Thank you via smiled lightly and in the next moment, she spotted someone in the distance leaning on the cemeterys fence; Raknas uncle. The old master was looking elsewhere, and in a disy of inhuman perception, he looked back at her when he sensed her gaze. He squinted his eyes in slight solemness for her grandfather and then shed a smirk, the lollipop in his mouth angling upward. via tilted her head in confusion and her mind gradually connected the dots based on where the old man was looking at and the mischief in his eyes. The young woman eventually realized her closeness with Rakna and her face flushed. Dont tell me hes hinting at this She thought and then saw the old man startughing, and although he was too far for her to hear it, she could practically replicate it in her head. She promptly looked away from the teasing old man and hurriedly checked if Rakna had noticed anything. But the only thing she saw was an expression full of grimness. The sheer concentration with which he was inspecting the grave was enough to wash her embarrassment away. Her mind then went to new ces, going through several ideas. Rakna She raised her voice. Hm? Do you She paused, hesitant. I only ever saw you with your uncle and I know that he is not directly rted to you. Do you have any family other than him? His eyebrow twitched at the question and that was already a bad sign in her opinion. Any sort of topic that could make him have a reaction seemed like a bad one. But she hadnt even had the time to apologize before he replied. I dont know, he said with a faint scowl. My parents; dead. I never met my grandparents, cousins, or my real uncles and aunts. Probably because they wanted nothing to do with my parents in the first ce. Long story short, because of my parents line of work, I was put in danger after their death. The old man saved me and kept me around since. I see via grimaced. She wasnt slow-witted enough to not recognize how much there was to unload hidden under his words. To some extent, its a bit like me, she continued. My parents died when I was very young and no rtives wanted to take me in. Back then, I wasnt what you would call a good child. I was different. A creep; I have been called. Then, grandpa came into the picture and took me in. He taught me how to be kind. Rakna raised an eyebrow, silently musing the idea of the girl he had always known as kind actually being without any sympathy in the past. Thats rather unexpected, he said. via smiled wryly at that. Im slightly envious. Eh? She eximed in surprise and her head snapped to him, eyes wide open. But as always, his face betrayed nothing. The old man isnt good at pep talks and even less at teaching things, he deadpanned and as the words left his mouth, the way Arimane jerked his head backward in appalment went unnoticed. What do you I am afraid, Rakna continued and this shocked her even more. Lets say I dont know if I can understand how to be kind further down the line. Or at the very least, Im scared of forgetting. ThatsC! via wanted to refute for his sake, but the words got stuck in her throat. She bit her lip and clenched her hands. Then Ill do it. Raknas eyes widened ever so slightly and he turned toward her, nearly taken aback by the palpable determination on her visage. Ill teach you. And if I cant do it either then I swear to always be here to point you in the right direction. He gazed at her in silent shock and he eventually gave her a small smile, the first she had ever seen and thest until a few years in the future. In that single moment, she knew she had gained every possible reason to live on. Cold Cuniya mumbled as she opened her eyes, resurfacing from the memory. Yet so warm. Is this what Icked? You are so much like me yet so different, she said and wiped her tears. That is so unfair She peacefully smiled. Chapter 269 Chapter 269: Eldron This is where he lives? Rakna asked, taking in the fa?ade of a skyscraper. One of the floors? Nay. The whole thing, Old Wang retorted and left his two followers in a blinking stupor as he got to the entrance. A drone that was slotted inside the wall peeked out and scanned him from head to toe. The light of its scanner switched to green and the doors slid open. This kind of building Evelyn muttered and looked to her right where she could see the roof of the Pavilion sticking out. Its very close to ck Steels center. For someone to own a skyscraper in this spot, they must be someone very wealthy and important. Hm, Rakna hummed and mentallymanded Eye of Symphony to hack into the nearby servers to find out who lived here. Within record times, bypassing cyber security that would put anything made by his uncles organization to shame, his Eye gave him the results. Though, of course, it was limited to the basic information of ck Steels webwork. Eye of Symphony didnt have anywhere near the requiredputing or decrypting power to get through the Pavilions infrastructure for example. Much less the System itself. This guy The therians eyes widened when he saw a photo of the owner. Hey, dont dawdle, Wang called them and they went after him inside the building. The entrance hall was already nothing like the outside. The simplistic furniture and the warm colors even gave it a homey atmosphere. Wee, Wang Faezi, a synthetic female voice resounded in the hall. Sir Eldron is currently in hisboratory. I have notified him of your arrival. Mhm. Thank you, Mina, the dwarf nodded at the buildings artificial intelligence and led them to an elevator. Eldron Evelyn whispered, digging in her hundred-year-old memories. I feel like Ive heard of that name before. Wouldnt be surprising, Wang said as he pressed on the digital tablet of the elevator, initiating their ascent. Hes part of a long-standing family of alchemists and Card Makers. One of the oldest in the System, actually. Ah! The subus eximed. Extremis Eldron! I remember now. It was the name of a ground-breaking potion capable of increasing someones level by 10, regardless of the consumers current advancement. It made big waves around a century ago. Thats one of their achievements, indeed. And the old coot youre going to meet is the head of the familys dealings as well as a member of the Myth Council, Wang added and turned toward Rakna, who visibly had no care for the revtion. You dont seem very surprised. I already knew. Huh? When did you find out? Thirty seconds ago, the therian shrugged, much to their disbelief. I downloaded everything to know about this family when we entered the building. Along with Extremis, they are involved in the dealings of the Churchs artifacts, the Pavilions shop, and Old Edens pharmaceutic farms. I swear, that Eye of yours is making me more jealous than I wish it did, Wang snorted. Do you have any idea of how easier it would make my life? He joked as the doors opened. Well, who knows. At some point, I should be able to make a replica. Ill notify you if that ever is a thing. Though, itll probably require you to pluck one of your eyes out first. On second thought maybe I dont need it, the dwarf deadpanned and Evelyn giggled. The trio walked through the corridor that the elevator had left them in, admiring the various odd machines located behind the ss walls. Some appeared to be straight up from the most alien of worlds, others were borderline organic. To Rakna, a quick and simple nce was enough to tell him what each one was. Crystal Sight had no trouble dissecting these items. But most of them were prototypes; failed ones as well. But the fact that a few had the potential to kill level 500 Hosts after blowing up almost made him trip on his own feet. On the other hand, Evelyn was straight up fascinated by everything, not bothered by the massive firepower casually stored in the middle of ck Steel. Here we are, Wang said as they reached a steel door. As he was about to open it, golden crosses instinctively expanded in Raknas eyes and he calmly pushed both the dwarf and Evelyn out of the way. Then, under the calming and slowing effects of Crystal Sight, the therian watched the door being blown off its hinges and thrown against the ss, breaking it and nearly hitting an item that Rakna was sure had the specific words C19. Unstable Dragon Coal stic Charge. Danger written on its description te. The three visitors pursed their lips and Wang forced out a cough. Well that hadnt happened in a while. Thanks, kiddo. The fact that this is not the first time deeply worries me, Rakna nkly retorted as his eyes faded back to normal on their own. He then walked over the debris and peeked his head inside the room that had just been sted. The room was an absolute mess, as expected, and countless broken devices littered the floor. The walls and ceiling were charred and cracked, and the obvious source of that damage came from the center of theb where a cylindricalpartment was located. It was rather unscathedpared to the rest and there were three rings of blue energy revolving around each other inside. Thats Eion, Rakna instantly recognized the familiar energy and looked around. Theres no one here. Old Wang, do you think your friend was vaporized? Dont say jokes like that with such a straight face, Wang retorted with a huff. And I know youve already sensed him. Look, hes about to scream like a little boy on Christmas in 3, 2, 1 YES!!! A yell echoed and someone crawled out from under a pile of debris. It was an elderly man wearing a singed ckb coat and a pair of flickering electronic goggles. I did it! I knew I just had to create a parallel dissonance between the poles! Hahaha! The man burst outughing like a madman as he stuck his head against the ss cylinder. This is pure genius! Aye, just like that, Wang sighed. Rakna watched the old man rave like a mad scientist. I guess some people really act differently when they indulge in their vocations. Eh? Do you know him? Evelyn asked. Sort of. Hey, old quack, you have guests! Wang shouted and the old man unglued himself from the ss surface. He turned toward them with a confused expression before it dawned upon him. Oh Ahem! He cleared his throat and dusted his clothes. He took off his goggles and rubbed the soot away from his face. Good to see you, Faezi. As you can see, when Mina informed me that you were here, I was rather upied by the final stages of this experiment. Right, which is why you forgot to ount for the deadly door flying out like it had grown wings. Bah! You would have survived, the scientist brushed it off with augh. He took off his dirty coat and hung it on a random broken metal table. So He grinned at Rakna. We meet again, young man. I have to say, you inted my confidence in my scouting abilities with all of what you have done. Is that so? Rakna snorted. In my opinion, you just got lucky thanks to my luck. The elder blinked. never heard that one before. You two know each other? Wang raised an eyebrow in confusion. I gave thisd a Badge of Honor a while ago, the scientist smirked. Who knew I was giving it to someone who would be a member of the Council in just a mere month? Seriously? Thats a hell of a coincidence, the dwarf uttered and Evelyn nodded. Well, I couldnt be happier. I cannot wait to see the faces of the other members when I tell them that I gave the infamous rookie a Badge of Honor before anyone else. Does giving away a Badge of Honore with conditions or benefits? Evelyn asked and the old man chuckled. Lets say its unspokenws. First of all, the giving Local is responsible for the receivers actions if they go against the System or Pavilions order. I would have gotten a p on the wrist if thisd had turned into some kind of criminal. Naturally, I hold no authority over him. When I gave him a badge, it wasnt upon a contract. However, his status is directly corrted to mine. Rakna hummed at this point of the exnation. From what I gathered, the higher level I am, the more benefits you get indirectly. You get Talys depending on how much I spend with the discount the Badge grants me; you also get more credits with the Pavilion which can further your political influence or increase your Honor Rank. Hahaha, it seems youve done your research. Is that also something youve just downloaded? Wang jested. The therian snickered. Not really. I looked it up a while ago. I wanted to know if using this Badge would unknowingly ce me in an unfavorable position. Hah, true, youre the careful type like that. Anyhow, its about time I introduce myself properly, the scientist said. My real name is Gaelius Eldron, Eleventh Seat in the Myth Council. I was using a small alias when we met. Yes, Kein, was it? Can you even do that with the System? Alter status elements? Indeed, its a small trick. It depends on the method, but its possible to falsify information to some extent. It is moreplicated if you wish it to be permanent. The System can be a bit irritable if you try to mess with too many things. I see So, what have youe here for today? If its for this, Gaelius pointed at the Eion rings. Then youre right on time because I have just finished stabilizing and systematizing it, he said and went to the cylinder, pushing a button on the socle of the structure. Promptly, the lower half of the energetic chamber transformed and expanded into a control board with numerous screens and inputs. Let me show what this can do, Gaelius said excitedly and started typing for a few seconds. When he pressed the confirmation button, the energy rings began to spin around each other. Water-like streams of blue energy flowed out of the cylinder and spread around theb. It fused with the debris scattered around and slowly knitted them back together, generating the missing pieces out of nothing. Within a short minute, every piece of furniture and electronic device of theboratory had been rebuilt in full. Hahaha, and all of it works perfectly! Gaelius said as he operated a few of the machines, checking that they were booting up just like they did before the damage. This energetic form is a marvel. It is still hard to believe. How does this work? Evelyn mumbled to herself whilst poking at one of the reformed objects with her finger. Does it replicate atomic structures and then modtes their frequencies until it matches theposition of a particr material? Rakna sweatdropped as the subus went into her own world and looked at Gaelius who was in a simr state, endlessly praising his newest creation. Well, its half the reason we are here. But this is the heart of the discussion, he said and tossed the Alkahestic Shard to him. The old scientist caught it midair and inspected its details. His eyes popped out of their sockets and he started bbering like a madman whilst hoisting the item above his head like some sort of holy ritual. Goodness Old Wang covered his forehead in embarrassment. Well, this might take a while, Raknamented nkly, watching the mad scientist shouting at the heavens in front of him and the mumbling mess of a subus next to him. Chapter 270 Chapter 270: Broken Depths Hm, so this is how it is, Gaelius mused as he appraised the Shard with everyone sitting around a table. Shortly said, yes, I can individualize this piece. Its no problem. In fact, with the tri-core you see over there, he pointed at the cylinder. I could essentially manipte this Eion in almost any way I want. Obviously, I also have to code in the specific schematics and instructions. Such as how it rebuilt myb; it needed a precise n of itsponents. Then, how easy would it be to make this shard disconnected right now? In numbers? Give me a day to program the code and then it should only take five minutes. If you give them to me in bulk, that wont change unless its over something like a hundred at once. The tri-core will need to recharge at some point too after all. And how fast can you build more of these tri-cores for industrialization? Hm, this is for yourpany project, right? Gaelius rubbed his chin and closed one eye. I would say that the preparations would take me about a week or two. Considering I am technically still on vacation from my work in Old Eden and for the Pavilion, I can dedicate my full time to it. I also have this tri-core ready, which will massively increase my productivity. In all honesty, this thing here is like an all-powerful 3D printer, given enough samples, I should be able to replicate material of the same ilk as mithril. Wangs eyes widened. Really? Is it that potent? Indeed. Of course, the energy required would be exponentially higher, but as we develop the scale of it, it should be easier and easier as it goes on. I have a question, Evelyn meekly raised her hand and the old scientist tilted her head at her. Can the tri-core also produce organic ingredients for alchemy for example? That is a good question, he slowly nodded. The answer is yes and no. This Eion cannot actually create organicponents as we know them. What it would make is something like his body, he pointed at Rakna. But without his original organic half. In other words, it could function like one but it wouldnt be able to make a full organism. It would be the same thing for alchemy ingredients. Of course, the energy itself might be able to synergize with recipes, but using it as an ingredient might be impossible. If otherwise, it would require far more research. I see I understand. I was just curious since it would help a lot, the subus replied. Are you an alchemist, youngdy? And a talented one! Old Wang remarked with a smile and she blushed. Take a look at this, Raknaplemented by presenting a Cardiac Scavenging Pill and the more potent potion version to the scientist. He read the descriptions with an awed expression. This is quite something, I admit. This whole thing will probably be even bigger than I expected if you get this kind of thing into the picture. Mhm, the therian nodded. Coming back to earlier, I wanted to ask, is it possible to modify the details of those pills and potions to erase my involvement in it? Make it anonymous? Yes, certainly, Gaelius nodded. I can teach the youngdy a small trick to influence the final product during the manufacturing process. The basic principle is to experiment with different methods, such as modifying the transmutation circles in odd ways, or involve third-party factors until the System gets confused. Thats interesting. The System does have limits like encoding levels, Rakna mused. It wouldnt be weird if some items create anomalies and were repaired in some algorithmic way, he said and subsequently noticed that he was being stared at by the three other people at the table. what? You how do you know about the encoding limits? Gaelius asked with a scowl. Hm? What? Is that supposed to be some secret? I have two skills like that. My Soul Marble is also in that category if Im not wrong from what Ive seen. The old scientist opened his mouth wide. W-w-w-w-what?! Which skills!? Can you show them to me?! He suddenly shouted and stood up. Rakna blinked in surprise. Is it that big of a deal? Are you joking? Do you have any idea of how rare those are?! The old man retorted. Listen, all that resides inside the System are existentially locked within its rules. Outside of it, everyone can wield as many elements as they want for example, even though its with various aptitudes. But, in here, its different. The System performs a one-time and irreversible modification to your soul and your magic essentially gets optimized to the maximum, awakening a deep-rooted facet of yourself at the same time. This is one of the biggest game rules in here. There are a few more key settings but the main point is that a skill surpassing the encoding limits is intrinsically superior to the System itself. Its like a speck of light surviving inside a ck hole; an electromaic wave strong enough to resist gravitational mayhem. Basically; its absurd. The System is almost omnipotent within its boundaries. Overpowering that authority is nothing short of a miracle. Rakna listened numbly to the rant and when he felt he could ce one, he opened his mouth, And you are so excited because? Because it means I can study its effect on the System! Gaelius replied with a grin. What if I could find a way to create a temporary breach in the Systems infrastructure and infiltrate it? Then you would die, a fifth voice echoed in the room and Rakna nearly jumped off his seat. In one moment, he didnt sense anything, and in the next, a suffocating presence had manifested. It filled the room like snakes crawling around their bodies. He slowly turned his head to look at the stranger standing a few meters away from them. It was anky man with gray skin and tribal red tattoos spread across his whole body. He had ck hair strangelybed with one side straight and the other longer and wilder. He was wearing a loose and torn outfit with random visible damages sewed together. Raknas eyes grew golden crosses and he scowled at what he saw. A Phantasm? He inquired with a wary eye. He could barely see anything else from this man. In fact, he was sure of it; the second that Crystal Sightnded on him, he had discovered that this man did not have a System Status. The therians question seemingly woke up the three other people at the table, as if they had been stirred from the grasp of a spell. It also made the neer frown at him. Tch, you already have a skill capable of seeing through my race, he grunted. I knew we should have killed you when we still had the chance. We could have used a scapegoat or med it on a monster, he scoffed under his breath but he had clearly no care about hiding his thoughts at all. Raknas eyebrow twitched at the careless revtion. Who are you? Gaelius asked with mounting seriousness, his aura steadily increasing. Rakna had already ascertained this mad scientists strength earlier. Shortly said; it was far beyond his. If there was anyone here who could confront this stranger, it would be him. Dont use that tone with me, the man spat distastefully. You are still bound by the System. I am allowed to cut off the supply directed to you at any moment. Gaelius eyes widened in understanding. This unknown person had a disturbing simrity to the personal soldiers of Eva; the Adjudicators. He quickly came to the realization that they were facing someone deeply linked to the System itself. I am only here to warn you. Prior instances of Hosts gaining off-encode skills exist and you should realize by looking at the records that anyone who tried to study them either died or gave up. Are you saying thatC?! Yes, the man interrupted apathetically. Do not even try. The System constantly listens and scans for traces of off-encodes. If you try, well kill you. I hope you dont throw away your life. Its a waste of resources for us to kill high-level Locals, he said and nced at Rakna. As for you mind your actions. The protection you get thanks to the identity of your kin, is not limitless. We cant risk killing you anymore, but that doesnt mean we cant be creative. Do be careful, he said and before he could leave, Rakna raised his voice. Your name? He asked and the man froze. He gave the therian a re. Brat you already saw it. Those eyes; disgustingly insightful. Humor me. The Phantasm huffed. Locura. Second Espectro, Rakna added with a raised eyebrow and the man growled. That crystal bastard; a fucking urban legend really had to choose you, as if you werent enough of a headache already, Locura groused and disappeared from the room without addressing them any further. Everyone in theboratory sighed in relief once he was gone and Rakna rubbed his temples. Trying to look into the Phantasms existence had made him terribly dizzy. Well that happened, Old Wang broke the silence that ensued and Evelyn let out a wry chuckle. Yes though Im not sure I understand what happened, she remarked. It is such a shame! Gaelius abruptly shouted and startled everyone. I cannot study the encoding limits anymore! Hemented and they sweatdropped. Im usually the one who doesnt have their priorities straight, Rakna snickered. Speaking of that, mind exining what you meant by Second Espectro? Wang inquired and the old scientist woke up from hisment to look at the therian as well. That man also seemed rather frustrated by your insight. To be fair, I dont know much more. This right here; Rakna pointed at one of his eyes that briefly morphed to wee a golden cross. Is a rather new powerful analytic skill. It managed to reveal to me his name, as well as a title. I dont know what the Espectros are. But one additional element I was able to discern was that hes a Phantasm; the race that Ivee to learn to be at the origin of the System. Wait, really? The old dwarf seemed startled at the revtion but Gaelius casually hummed. Yes, what he says is right. Phantasms are not much of a secret up there. We know that they made the System, but we have no clue why. We also have no practical information about their race as a whole, the scientist calmly said and sat down. Of course, Phantasms are documented; they are body-less entities that use other living beings to interact with the physical world by possessing them. They possess intriguing traits and some have incredibly unique abilities, but this information doesnt help much since the creators of the System are a mysterious organization of Phantasms with surreptitious members and resources; utterly disconnected from their main species. An organization? Evelyn reiterated curiously. Yes, Gaelius nodded solemnly. As of the most recent intel, they are called the Broken Depths. Chapter 271 Chapter 271: Rara The Broken Depths I remember Wis mentioning them, Rakna muttered. Hey, Gaelius. From your own experience in the subject of energies, what could Phantasms aplish by using a near unlimited source of life force? The scientist blinked. Im assuming you know something I dont by asking that as for the answer of it; I couldnt tell. Many potential miracles and unthinkable feats could be achieved by having a near-infinite source of mana, much less life force. With thetter, anything would be possible. But even then, the first problem would be to find something or someone capable of making use of it. I guess that doesnt do much to filter it down then, the therian shrugged. Mind exining? Lets just say Ive acquired some intel about the final goal of the System, but what I can make of it is unfortunately exactly as vague as what youve just told me, Rakna sighed and stood up. I will be going now. I have to pass by the Pavilion; I need to talk to someone but I also heard its a good idea to refer to them if I want to register or sign legal agreements for System-widepanies. Thats true. You have to invest in factories, storage, and distribution channels at least. Then, there are maybe employees to consider but our workforce can probably be reced by machines thanks to the Eion Core, Gaelius said. I can easily replicate automatons. As for thepany deration, the business n is up to you, but who are you going to write as the CEO? Obviously, the evident choice is yourself, but that has its downsides. It would guarantee your sess though, Old Wang added. Youre right, I suppose my current fame would help a lot. But I wont put myself as the CEO but as the president; I have a far better candidate for the top position. Oh? Who would that be? One of us? Gaelius raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Rakna smiled and without responding, a low and quiet growl came out of his throat and his body morphed into a quadrupedal beast. His fur went from pale blue to ebony and four tails sprouted from his back. The old scientist gawked at the sight of therge wolf slowly raising his head to look at him. Even when the transformation was over, he was still frozen in ce. Old Wang was also stuck between being surprised and epting the situation as if he should have expected it. Goodness youre a walking political warhead, waiting to be set off, Gaelius ultimately remarked before he burst outughing. But its perfect! I would certainly not mind working under someone who managed to be a literal public icon in record time; twice at that. Contact me whenever your preparations are over. Im quite excited to see where this will bring us. The nine-tailed wolf gave him an amused huff and nced at Evelyn. You can say here if you want to learn a bit more about item alteration. Dont forget you can use my card at Trafford afterward. Yes, I think Ill go buy some ingredientster and make the medicine tailored to you, she said. Rakna nodded and turned toward Wang. Thanks for the liaison by the way. It wont take too much time before you get to have as much material as you want. The dwarf snorted. Aye, if you say so, kiddo. The wolf made a small smile and as he was about to leave theb, he remembered something and looked at Gaelius. I almost forgot. I want you to do this as well, he uttered and sent a digital file through Eye of Symphony to the closestputer in the room. Hm? Gaelius swiftly opened it and checked the content, skimming over it. Oh? Interesting. Give me two weeks as well. The tri-core will need a few patches for this to be stably done. Thanks, the wolf said and while still in his lupine form, he fizzled out of view. ? * * * ? Rakna walked through the streets of ck Steel, purposefully allowing anyone to witness him in the city as a Nine-Tailed Wolf. He also had cloaked Sonata by manipting it to change colors like a chameleon; the same way he could do it with Allegro and Scherzo. {Sometimes, I feel like you need to feed your vanity,} Frays voice suddenly sounded. {Look at all those people looking at you with mouths open wide enough to fit a hundred flies.} The wolf slightly raised an eyebrow. Whats wrong? Didnt you say you would onlye out if I called you? {Yes, well, I now have something to tell you and I learned from Fenriu here that you almost died while I wasnt present. Something about ind and jewels, whatever that means. This child isnt one of many words. Regardless, truly, you cannot be left alone.} Uh uh, and the real reason? {I was bored.} Good answer. Now whats the thing you wanted to talk about? {The book; it changed,} the moment Fray said this, Rakna stopped walking in the middle of the street, ignoring the gasps behind him. What change? {Calm down, its not anything bad,} the storyteller continued. {I finally gathered enough valor to step into that room, which is admirably praiseworthy of me, thenC} Stop glorifying your cowardness. {CI took a look at the pages,} Frau pointedly ignored the wolfs jab. {It hadnt changed much from before and the content still ended in the middle. But I flipped the nk pages for a while and then I found one where words were being written; as if it was being gradually filled.} And what was written on it? {Um The.} The? Thats it? Rakna made an incongruous expression. {Well, it is not my fault. I can see the letters for a second word being formed next to it but whether it means that it will be fully formed with enough time or if it requires specific conditions is beyond me. So, my suggestion is that youe here yourself. Considering its your uncles life record, you would have most likely more luck than me.} all right. Ill take a look when I can, the nine-tailed wolf responded and decided to star-sh to the Pavilion. When he walked in, he made sure to notify people of his presence with a pulse of intimidation. Not that he needed that with his overwhelming size and appearance. As anticipated, this had the reaction of scaring away anyone in his direct vicinity. While he did this mostly for the persona, Rakna would be lying if he said he didnt like to have his path open as if a red carpet had been unrolled for him. He calmly walked to the reception, with almost everyone being forced to look up at him due to his height. When he got to the counter, the towering wolf tilted his head as he saw the sweating mess of a receptionist. Her lips were pursed and she was shivering in nervousness. There was only one reason why he paused; he recognized her. Elora, was it? Eh?! She stepped back with a yelp. Her mouth opened and closed. H-h-h-how d-do you? Ah, I am so sorry! She suddenly bowed. Rakna blinked. Why are you suddenly apologizing to me? I am not here to do anything to you if that is how it came across. Rakna simply told me about you. Huh? Really? His Majesty mentioned me? Elora reiterated with a blush. Um, uh Its an honor but I cannot imagine being worth remembering for ones such as you Rakna huffed under the guise of Obsidian. What an idiotic thing to say, young girl. The ones that are not worth remembering are not those weaker than you, but those stronger who believe that they are worth more than you. The receptionists eyes widened and his words simrly struck the minds of the Hosts and Locals listening in the Pavilions entrance hall. I thank you, Lord Obsidian, Elora ultimately said with a shy smile. Do not fret over it. Now, onto business. I have two things to ask. I have nevere to the Pavilion in the past, you see. So, I would like to know; who should I refer to for the legal rights of founding an industrial corporation? Elora blinked a few times, taking the time to process that information. Especially the fact that this infamous Nine-Tailed Wolf had never visited the Pavilion before; which only served to solidify the idea that Obsidian had remained hidden from the world to this day. The second thing she had to reiterate in her head was his question. The implications of it first went over her head then swung back to hit her full force. A a corporation, sir? Yes. Oh, and, Rakna nced around the room. You can spread this around. At least, itll be useful this time around, he added under his breath and no one dared toment on that. Um, Lord Obsidian, if you wish to go through the process, I will have to guide you to the dedicated lodges inside the Pavilion. Do you have time for that? She asked timidly. The wolf hummed and nodded. No problem. Take this one with you, he added elusively but Elora soon understood what he meant when one of his tails flew out and created a perfect copy next to him. The two versions nodded at each other and the original Rakna started heading to the stairs. W-wait, what about your second question, sir? She hastily asked but it was the clone who replied to her while the original entered the Pavilions private section. Ill exin on the way. Show me to those lodges, the clone said. She nodded after a moment spent recollecting herself; this was the first time she had seen the Nine-Tailed ns clone technique in action after all. She asked one of her colleagues to rece her at the reception and brought the wolf inside the main corridors of the Pavilions administrative infrastructure. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Rakna walked to the item shop and opened the doors with his tails. He shrunk himself a bit to fit into the room and the first thing he saw was a vixen. A beautiful one, as always, but there was one stark difference today, which was highlighted by his deadpan face. Hey, Rara! Good to see you. I have to say, youre quite a handsome one in that form, Kara said as she raised a cup of alcohol at him, an enchanting grin on her face. who the heck is Rara? And wheres foxy? Shes runningte, so Im here in her ce, the older woman said joyfully. this day suddenly got a hundred times harder, Rakna thought to himself with a sigh. Chapter 272 Chapter 272: Soulmate So, how are you doing nowadays? Kara asked merrily as Rakna, who had already reverted into a therian, drank with her. Compared to thest time he had that alcoholicpetition with the mother-daughter pair, he was even less affected now thanks to his new body constitution. Its rather fine, I guess, he answered the womans question. Really? I heard you exploded yourself not long ago, she retorted with a sharp smile. well, put like that, it sounds bad. Which is not, by the way. Its just that my clone decided to do something extremely dangerous without having any idea of what kind of repercussions it would have on its original self, the therian said unperturbedly and took a sip of his drink. Kara raised an eyebrow. And that is supposed to sound better? Yes. Hahahaha, the vixen burst outughing. Never change, Rara. Dont call me Rara, he deadpanned but she nonchntly continued. We need more people like you in this world. The way you gaze at the world is fascinating. is that so? Rakna wasnt sure what to make of that statement. Is that why you were harassing me through the system messages? Hey, dont call it harassing. It isnt my fault that I seek entertainment when Im bored, she pouted and gulped down the rest of her cup. Right. So, is there something this bored and fairdy here wishes to speak with me about? Oh my, fairdy? Dont tease an old woman like that, she mock-blushed and Rakna sighed. Kara chuckled at his reaction and refilled her cup. She set down the bottle and resettled her expression into a calm smile. Well, I wasnt lying when I said I just felt like entertaining myself a bit. What better way to do that than spend time with a delightful drinkingpanion? Rakna hummed without saying anything more about it. But then again, I figured I could warn you a bit as well, she said yfully. In the future, please refrain from making my sweetheart worry like that again. I heard of the stunt you pulled against the vampire on top of the most recent one, she added seriously and Rakna stopped moving his hands for a short moment. The vixen then sighed and shrugged. At this point, my little Kae literally needs you in order for her to continue living, you know? Wha-? Rakna eximed at the oundish deration. How could thatC Spiritual foxes, you see, Kara interrupted him. Have the innate ability to prey on the opposite sex with charm and attraction. Nine-Tailed Foxes are not an exception. You could say were a bit of a mix between vampires and subus in that regard; we have the charm and the drain. The therian scowled. What does that have to do with anything? Hm, do you know what a soulmate is? She inquired back. Heh, of course, you do. Theres no need to beat around the bush; you are Kaes soulmate. How do Raknas words died in his mouth. He sighed and rubbed his temples. How do you even discern that kind of thing? Ah, no, youre wrong. Soulmates are not predestined. It just happens. Two soulmates dont even need to feel instantaneous attraction toward each other. Instead, its rather like two people are sopatible that the more time they spend together, the more their souls mark each other. why did you mention the spiritual foxes ability? Rakna followed up, acknowledging what she was saying but now doubtful about why she had started the conversation as she did. Kara smiled. Spiritual foxes are bound to the person they love. Especially if theyre soulmates. In this case Kae may lose her will to live if you were to die. Silence fell in the room and Rakna broke it by clicking his tongue and pouring a shot. His fur shone for a short moment and turned red. The abrupt change startled Kara and he scoffed at her. I need another mindset to deal with this bullshit, he spat. She gaped at him for a few seconds beforeughing lightly. Well, if that makes you feel better, it would understandably be hard for anyone to resist your charm. Its odd, honestly, she tilted her head and he frowned at her. What? Its even more obvious to me as a spiritual fox, but you have a constant attraction around you. Its as if your entire existence was a pit calling out for help, seeking love in order to be closed. But I suppose, it would be more urate to call it desperation. Now, that hits a bit too close to home, so shut up, Rakna rolled his eyes. So, what? Youre saying that I have a natural ability that charms the opposite sex? Go write a romance novel already. What kind of surreal idea is that? He paused as he saw the vixen watching him with a wide smile whilst resting her chin on her hands. what are you looking at me like that for? Oh, nothing. But what if I told you that you truly and unironically had the ability to turn anyone affectionate to you into a soulmate? I would say that its terrifying and stupid. If that was true, wouldnt you? Rakna stopped his train of thought right then and there and his eyebrow twitched. His unease wasnt cated at all when he saw her smile widen and the smell of her emotions change dangerously. He considered her words seriously and Crystal Sight manifested itself. If she was taken aback by the golden crosses, she didnt show it. Instead, she allowed herself to be inspected without any sort of resistance. Rakna didnt look at her status; no, he pushed his newest skill to a far higher degree and stared at her soul. He peered into the concept she had just exined to him and after a few seconds, iprehensible characters appeared in his vision that only he could understand. At that moment, he instinctively knew what it was. One more legacy from the Sage. The Original Language, he thought, his mind reading Kara as if she was an open book. When he finally reached what he was looking for, it struck him right back. He was pulled out of his trance and his sight returned to normal. His crimson eyes widened from what he had just seen and also because Kara had moved from her seat and was hovering her head right in front of his. What an overbearing vision. As expected of you. So? Did you see it? She asked flippantly. you cant be fucking serious Oh yes I am, she retorted impishly and got even closer, forcing him to back away a bit. So, how about a hug to start things? Im sure thats a nice first base. woman, you cannot fool my instincts. I can tell that you wont stop at a hug. Oh, really? I suppose I have to go on the offensive then, she shed a smirk that promised a world of whatever it was, and as Rakna was about to make a perfectly noble tactical retreat, a spiral of blue mes appeared in the shop and Kaelith walked out of it. She froze on the spot when she saw the position of the two in the room. Everyone was silent for a while until crimson embers began to re around Kaeliths tails and hair. Mom She said with a dangerous smile, enunciating every letter of the word. What are you doing? Kara straightened herself and giggled. Nothing much. Im simply getting to know our soulmate a little better, thats it, she uttered sultrily and Kaelith twitched. At the same time, Rakna felt another presence teleporting close to him. He noticed that it was one of his Imperial Guard members using their privilege to transfer to him. He eyed the sphere of light on the table and it faded away to reveal the feline figure of Higure. Hm? It worked. Where is this? The shop? She said out loud and then looked around. Her eyes fell on the pair of vixens ring daggers at each other before turning toward Rakna. Cat fight? Speak for yourself, horny cat Rakna mumbled and lifted his drink to his lips. Hehehe, the lioness suddenly had a devious idea, But, Devourer, you promised that I would be the first to mate with you, didnt you? Rakna choked on the wine and started coughing. The two fox women instantly zeroed on the small feline that had appeared in the room out of nowhere. The tension went through the roof. Higure grinned widely, Kara giggled softly, and Kaelith smiled dangerously. As for the therian, he looked the other way and quietly cleaned the spilled alcohol. [Neglect My Reality, Enkata,] he whispered as if nothing was wrong and his body turned into shadows. He promptly ran away from the shop through the gap under the doors, waiting for the storm to pass. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, the clone waiting inside a private room after Elora went to fetch a certain item, looked up with an odd expression. He was receiving strange feedback from his original self. What is he doing? Lord Obsidian, Elora opened the door and entered with a small casket in her hands. I have it. As I mentioned before, for anyone with a territory and high nobility, the Pavilion gives it for free. You and His Majesty are both eligible without a question. Please tell your pupil that he has the right to collect it if he wants. Mhm. You dont need to worry about that. Im collecting this one for Raknas territory, the clone said as he retrieved the small box. Since he didnt have a storage ring with him, he stored it by using a creative application of his nano-mites, creating an empty space inside his body to secure it. I dont really have a territory, he added to his prior statement and she nodded slowly. Understood. Um, should we head to the offices? I have contacted the staff already. There should be someone waiting for you. All right. Lead the way, he said and followed her out of the room. By the way, may I know who this person is? Considering it is me, I do not think the Pavilion will send just anyone. Well, Elora smiled wryly and scratched her cheek. When I called them, they told me that they would be notifying the President. They havent told me who it would be When you say President, you mean the Pavilions? Um, yes? Rakna mused. Then I guess it will be him whom I meet. What?! You mean the President is going toe personally!? The young woman was losing it at this point. She didnt think she could keep her sanity after meeting so many high-standing figures in such a short time span. Well, from experience, fate has a tendency to make fun of me. So, there are high chances for it to be true, the wolf added and Elora started whimpering cutely whilst holding her head. {It is you who makes fun of fate, honestly,} Fraymented. Shush. Chapter 273 Chapter 273: Kryas Io Fascio what is this? The one-tailed clone muttered as he stared at the strikingly handsome man with quite an imposing mane of ck hair lying down on a couch, snacking on what looked like popcorn whilst watching a TV screen on the offices ceiling. Elora was standing behind Obsidian, the social pressure of being in the presence of the Pavilions President overpowering her fear for the Nine-Tailed Wolf. Though she was starting to doubt if the person rxing in front of them was truly the acimed leader of thergest organization in the entire System. Hm, I sense a fellow follower of Sloth, the President abruptly said and sat up, his deep onyx eyes gazing deep into the wolfs own. Likewise Rakna replied carefully. Though you appear to have more than just Sloth, he added after examining the man with purely his senses and his understanding of demonic energy. Hm you could say that. I also happen to possess Patience. A Virtue, huh? The wolf snorted. Quite abination. You think so? I agree, Im rather content with it as well, the President said and sluggishly stood up before making his way to the desk. He sat behind it and waved. Make yourselffortable. Thank you, Rakna nodded and silently used his magic to create afy pillow to sit on. Thanks to his Sloth, which the Pavilion President seemed to share with him, it was doable to use his magic and not have its nature discovered by anyone. Something that was promptly proven by precisely one of the Systems greatest residents, That is indeed a peculiar magic, he said as he nced at the construct. Creating something like that It is also definitive, isnt it? Yes, I can make itst forever, Rakna answered, maintaining the cordial and rxed mood of the conversation without disturbing it at any point in time. Elora had retreated to a corner of the room because she had no idea of what she should do without being told to leave. Hm, is that something youre also teaching your pupil? My magic? Yes, the wolf acquiesced. Not only that. I n to impart to him all my powers. From my magic to my skills, and my Sloth. Interesting The President squinted his eyes; his voice monotonous but strangely not difficult to the ears. It sounded disinterested but patient. I believe its about time I introduce myself, he followed up with a grunt. I am the Second President of the Pavilion, from its inception to this day, Kryas Io Fascio, at your service. You can call me Kryas. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Feel free to call me Obsidian. Hm. Lets get to the core of the subject then, Kryas said and tapped on the desk with his finger twice. The material lit up and projected a wide array of text. Theypiled themselves into one holographic pile that was rapidly imported by the System. Rakna watched the System open windows for him to sign documents. He didnt need to read them since Eye of Symphony had already done it in the short period that they had all been visible above the desk. I have skipped most of the boring steps for you, Kryas continued. I just need you to sign these and dere your corporation. Youll have to choose the name of it first and then the appointment of staff is at your discretion, but they must be disclosed appropriately. Mhm, Rakna simply said as he signed the most basic ones with an imprint of mana. The good thing about these documents is that the details about the founders identity were loose enough for him to apply himself as both the CEO and President by taking advantage of his shape-shifting and his ability to mask his manas intrinsic nature by using Pisces constetion. In the end, he was signing these documents as Obsidian but it was equally true that he was signing them as his real self. So, technically, there was both an issue and no issue at all. In other words, it was a convenient loophole. But the reason he would be able to pull it off is that he had made sure to publicly separate Rakna and Obsidian as two different people. This way, appointing Obsidian as the founder would not make anyone suspicious. Though He paused his thoughts and nced at Kryas who was calmly waiting for him to finish the procedure. People like him cant be fooled. I bet that the moment he meets me as Rakna, he will find out that we are one and the same. Or maybe he has already noticed something wrong. I dont believe someone of his level doesnt have the senses necessary to bypass my Sloth to at least peek into my overall strength through experience. Especially if he has that Sin Skill himself. Rakna looked away from the Pavilions President and finished the procedure, naming Obsidian as the Founder and CEO, and giving a name that he found appropriate. Harvest, Kryas said half-intrigued at the name shown on his System windows. Is that what you are going for the name of your corporation? Yes. What? Is it a problem? No, if anything, there isnt a copyright issue about anotherpany having the same name, the man casually said and turned off the desks projections. Well, the Pavilions and the Systems own infrastructures make it easier for you. Now, youre officially at the head of apany. But it is just a front for now. Go to the City Hall to buynd and channels. Then, once you start your business, you can appeal to the Pavilion for publicity. Depending on the promise of your n, at the cost of a portion of the shares or a revenue cut, we will back you up. Im all right. We wont need external financing. Kryas tilted his head. Are you sure? If you want this to be a decent project, especially to live up to your reputation, you would need at least a billion Talys. Building prices and shipping prices in and out of teaus can be costly. We dont see many new influentialpanies in the System for the very reason that it is obscenely expensive to make a ce for themselves in the market. And this is still assuming that you arent necessarily aiming for arge-scale business. Hm, yes, but I stand by what I said. Financing wont be a problem. There is no market for what Im about to sell in the first ce, nor can it be reced in any manner. Kryas widened slightly at that and sat straighter. Bold words. Can you live up to them? Only time will tell, Rakna said and stood up, dispelling the pillow into star energy particles that floated up around him. I see I look forward to doing business with you if it does, Kryas said as he also stood up. Thats when he spotted Elora trembling in the corner of the room and hummed. Ah, you collected your Portable Unit earlier, correct? He asked and the wolf nodded. The casket that he had gotten earlier was actually called a Portable Pavilion Unit. It was an item capable of building a functioning Pavilion inside a Host or Locals territory. He, of course, intended to use it for hisnd. Yes, I did, Rakna said and Kryas nodded. In that case, he paused and looked at the poor receptionist. Young girl, you are promoted to a Tier 3 Staff Official, effective immediately. You will follow Obsidian and be the Master of that new Pavilion Branch. You will be given the right to personally contact me at the will of either Obsidian or Rakna Xiorra. Elora froze right then and there. A few seconds ticked by and then her mouth cked open as if her soul had just left her body. Hm. She fainted, Kryas remarked as if nothing was wrong. You can bring her with you and leave her in your Pavilion Branch. When she wakes up, the System will tell her about her new post. Rakna speechlessly looked at his fellow sinner of Sloth before shaking his head. He summoned a single Valkal to lift the poor woman and Kryas eyes shed in awe for a split second. Thank you for your time. I am sure you are quite busy, the wolf said. No, its fine. This meeting was rather fruitful for me. And, like you, Im not actually here. This is a clone of mine, the Pavilion President admitted. I was very curious about what kind of being you would be, so I sent myself here. After sensing that tremendous explosion yesterday, my curiosity was through the roof as well. Raknas eye twitched furtively. Does he mean the Origin Explosion? Did he attribute it to me purely out of an arbitrary guess? Or does he think I taught it to my pupil? He thought. {Frankly, I dont think there would be many candidates for such an urrence on the 50th teau other than you,} Fray chided in and the wolf scowled. Whatever the fact that he sensed it is scarier. That means he probably was one of many, he added and nced at Kryas. I dont me you, that explosion even scares me, he said and the President revealed a surprised face. On that note, farewell. I owe you favor, Rakna concluded briefly and left the office. About a minuteter, while he was walking through the main corridors of the Pavilion where some staff members would pass by and bow to him, he awkwardly eyed the floating Elora. {She is going to have a rough wake-up call,} Fray jested. You dont say wait, Rakna suddenly realized something. You; how are you here? Shouldnt you be with the original? {Ah, well, he is dealing with stuff,} the storyteller snorted. {I am not necessarily keen on being there at the moment. So then, in a stroke of genius, I thought; Couldnt I switch between the clones since I am technically part of the original soul? And thus, here I am. Rejoice! I have found a way for you to converse with your clones! Though it does take a bit of time for me to move around. And it might be impossible if you are too far apart} Fray trailed. {But you know it counts. Sort of.} And here I thought being a clone had its advantages, the wolf deadpanned and headed to the hall of the Pavilion. {Hey, that is awfully rude of you.} ? * * * ? Is it good now? The original Rakna asked as he poked his head inside the shop after waiting for five minutes or so. When he saw that the three girls inside were calmly sitting and not tearing each others throats, he exhaled and extinguished his cigarette; his affinity having returned to Hoarfrost while he was outside. He cleared his throat and fought the urge to activate both Crystal Sight and Founding Intuition as he approached their table, expecting for something to get out of control from any of the rooms upants at any moment. When he finally took a seat in the mind-numbing silence, no one said anything until one additional intruder came into the picture at thest second. Pronos teleported in as Higure had done, but on top of Raknas head this time. The small Hydra hissed happily in greeting at the women who snapped their heads toward him in a strangely stern way. The little guy tilted his heads at their stares. Kaelith and Kara stared at him for a moment andpletely ignored the fact that he was a Nine-Headed Hydra before simultaneously asking a question, Is that a woman as well? Pronos blinked nine times in utter confusion and Rakna facepalmed. No no, you definitely need a few more minutes to yourselves, the therian sighed. Chapter 274 Chapter 274: Stash No Pronos isnt a woman, Rakna deadpanned and the small Hydra puffed up his cheeks to the girls, perhaps trying to show off his manliness. And you should know this already, foxy. Yes, well, we never know, Kaelith crossed her arms. How many stories have I heard of creatures turning out to be female and ending up smitten with the one they followed for so long. dontpare me to a novel character. Shut up, thats exactly what you are. Im perfectly real, thank you, the therian sighed. All right, this is enough. The situation is harder for me than you here. Stop making this difficult, he ultimately dered and red at Higure who whistled innocently. fine, but I will find and throw away your alcohol stash, mom, Kaelith scoffed and Kara instantly paled, finally losing her amusedposure. S-sweety! You cant do that to me! Please! She cried whilsttching around her daughters torso like a child throwing a tantrum. M-mom! Get off! The younger vixen embarrassingly tried to pull her away. No! Not until you promise not to harm my dear stash! Why are you personifying it?! Those children are too young to be thrown away! Are you seriously putting me on the same level as your alcohol!? Rakna sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today as he watched the two women grapple with each other. Come on, devourer, you must give me some credit, Higure spoke up next to him and he raised an eyebrow at her. Look; dont tell me that you cannot appreciate the eye candy, she said shamelessly whilst pointing at the two vixens with her paw. The therian shifted his attention briefly to the rather captivating wrestling, before looking back at the lioness with a nk expression. There is no credit to give. Eh~? Damn, if even that doesnt work, we have a lot of work to do in the future, Higure remarked and chuckled to herself before finally getting rid of her overflowing hrity. But, well, its about time we stop ying arounddies, she raised her voice, looking at the mother-daughter pair. The two fox women stopped their small struggle to face her before separating themselves with a curt cough. Right, that went a bit too far, Kaelith said bashfully. But thats moms fault. Excuse me, but I didnt expect you to pull the alcohol stash card, Kara pouted. Ill never understand women, Rakna muttered to himself. Actually, scratch that. That sounds silly. Ill never understand horny wo He paused and looked at the ceiling for an instant. Scratch that too; Ill never understand people. Higure sweatdropped at the gradual decline of his statement. Thatsing from the one capable of smelling emotions and scheming their thoughts like a machine She butted in sarcastically. Regardless, he ignored her and pointedly stared at Kara. Well need to have a proper talk about what you said. Oh~? About the getting along better part? I am all for it right now, the older vixen said sultrily but promptly sobered up when she saw how unkindly he was looking at her. It is not amusing, nor fortunate. What you described sounds nothing more than a curse, he added and she switched to a more solemn attitude. She folded her hands on herp and calmly returned his stare. A dark and bloody pit, she uttered gravely, her eyes squinting. Is that how you look at yourself? Rakna raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Had she used a skill on him? It wouldnt be that much of a surprise for her to be capable of breaching his Sloth. Just as Kaelith probably could. Or perhaps she was just relying on a sixth sense to understand him. He couldnt tell. Hm, as the Dusk Lioness said, Kara hummed. There is work to be done. One day or another, one of us, one of your friends, or perhaps your eventual introspection, will make you realize. It is not just because you cannot avoid people falling into the pit that it is a curse. The bottom is what you make of it. Who cares how many you ensnare? She smiled gently. So as long as you offer them what they were looking for inside, is that so wrong? The therians eyes widened ever so slightly and Kaelith finally couldnt hold it in, Okay! Stop! I let you two say whatever you wanted, but now I need an exnation. Mom, what are you both talking about? Hoho, sweety, thats a secret, Kara said with a renewed impishness, and Higure, who seemed to have caught on to the nature of their discussion, grinned and gave the vixen a thumbs up; as far as her paw allowed it anyway. Kara returned it in kind, further confusing Kaelith, while Rakna was busy trying to break a dam in his mind that had stood strong for years now. What the older woman had told him about the odd charm of his soul was startlingly truthful to him. Because he knew that somewhere inside him, in his core that had been invaded by animal instincts when he bathed in the Eion blood, something was trying to break out. Originally, he had always assumed Obsidian Blood had been the oue of that bestial instinct and he was correct to some extent. But it would have been more correct to call it a side-effect; barely the fumes of a much bigger fire emerging. The thing that he always buried, which constantly tempted him to indulge in his carnal side, was perhaps more necessary to him than he expected. Maybe thats why I keep my distance He thought. Maybe thats why Harvester was the Nirvana Skill I awakened to. Because my soul is desperately trying to harvest others; harvest what itcks. Rakna? Are you okay? Higure inquired worryingly. But letting it out goes against all my rational instincts what a stupid predicament, he abruptly muttered with a self-deprecatingment, and the lioness was taken aback. Im fine, Higure. Are you sure? Yes, and I have something to tell you. You too Pronos. And you two bickering foxes, Rakna raised his voice and they all turned toward him. He grinned at them, his eyes fluctuating with three colors meshing together; red, blue, and purple. Im counting on you, he said and the colors blended into pitch-ck before once again fading out to purple. Kaelith opened her mouth wide in shock at first but something told her that there was only one thing she could possibly answer. In fact, it was as if she had been unknowingly waiting for it to happen ever since she met Rakna. You can count on me, she beamed and Higure had a simr reaction, while the older vixen had a very soft look across her expression for a moment. Yes, you are definitely getting closer, Devourer, the lioness said with a lightugh. How they grow up so fast, Kara jested whilst wiping an inexistent tear. Kaeliths expression immediately soured. Stash, she uttered emotionlessly. I am so sorry, the fox matriarch responded without missing a beat. ? * * * ? So, what is it that you wanted to talk about? Kaelith asked as she sat after leaving to fetch a drink for herself. You should know; what happened after my clone self-destructed? Rakna retorted. Ah, right, that insect did say you directly looked at him at some point, she said in distaste. Did you get a clear look? Mostly. I saw their outline, and obviously the scorpion tails. Amusingly enough, I now have a skill that could have allowed me to see it, but I sadly didnt have it at that time. Who was it? Hm, well, as you probably guessed, it was a Nine-Tailed Scorpion. After I roasted him a bit, she cleared her throat. He ultimately said that he was tailing you, not because he intended to, but because it was a coincidental chance to gather information on you as per his ns directives. And you didnt kill him? Kara asked in genuine puzzlement. Kaelith groaned. Mom, youre supposed to be the role model here. I couldnt kill him without real proof or even a trial. Youre the Matriarch, for gods sake. Act like it for once. Why should I care? Im just a figurehead, the older vixen shrugged. That boring stuff is perfect in your fathers hands instead. They go hand in hand. did you just call dad boring? Of course. Look, how can you evenpare him to our little Rara here? Firstly, dont call me Rara. Secondly, dont bring me up in that conversation. That is frankly very awkward, the therian said with a nk expression. Thirdly, why are you even the Matriarch if youre divorced, an alcoholic, and azy butt? my dear Rara, you didnt need the extra adjectives there, Kara replied with an equally deadpan tone. Also, you can ask Kae for the answer to that. Kaelith rubbed her temples. Essentially, wolfy, Im the reason why she is the Matriarch. As you know, I am the next on the line to the head of the Nine-Tailed Foxes. I was chosen by my father as the heiress, and byw, my mother receives the title of Matriarch from it, even if she is not bound to the Patriarch by marriage anymore. Hm Rakna mused. Is there a particr reason you were chosen as the heiress? Because Im the strongest child obviously, she shed a smug grin. Right, miss level 900 something. Hey! She eximed indignantly. Its 956! I worked hard for it, okay?! Yes, Im sure of it. But with all that aside, does that mean the Scorpions know about my race? Kaelith instantly calmed down and hung her head low. Yes at the very least, he saw your clone turn into a werewolf. Im sorry about that. When I noticed him tailing us, it was already toote. Dont mind it. If were going to give me for something like that, then that would mean Im also in the wrong. I dont know about you, but I dont want to me myself, he jested and the vixen made a wry smile. Hm, but there is one good news though, Kara remarked in between sips. Certainly, the whole of the Nine-Tailed Scorpions branch is probably already in the know about you. At the same time though, its very unlikely for them to release that info unless it advantages them. And, while this revtion could indeed be bothersome to you if it goes public, its not to the point that it will significantly detriment you. Rakna scowled at her in unspoken inquiry and she shrugged. The scorpions keep to themselves, she added. The only instances that they would disclose what they know about you are; if you either be their direct enemy or if they sell the information to a buyer. They are also quite involved in the underworld, so assassination attempts on you could be a possibility if there is someone wealthy enough to hire them. In which case, their intel will be put to use. But I dont think anyone is daring enough to target you at the moment. Much less seek the scorpions specifically. I see then I suppose I just have to continue doing what Ive done until now, the therian said. I dont have many other options since I cant fight them off on my own yet. Kara smirked. You are saying that as if youre not far from it. He responded with a t look and the vixens mouth twitched. You are not right? Rakna snorted. Give me a year or two. By then, I predict I will be at least level 500. At that point, forget if I can survive or not, I should be able to leave the System on my own. And Im not basing that on confidence alone; that hat said it himself, and despite being obnoxious, Wis hasnt said anything that yet disproves his trustworthiness. Really apologize to every hard worker out there, Kaelith sighed. Truly, Higure shook her head in agreement. A year, is it? Kara smiled. I certainly would love to see that happen. Just thinking of the waves that you would make by alerting Eternal Night makes me shiver in anticipation. Rakna snickered. I would be lying if I said I didnt agree with the sentiment. But anyway, its about time we speak business, he added and the girls tilted their heads in confusion. He shed a brief smile at them and leaned back on his seat. Chapter 275 Chapter 275: Infinity of Stone I dont like it, Kara said with her mouth set in a straight line whilst staring at a sample of cardiac scavenging pills and the prima shard. She crossed her arms with a pout. These things will make you a tycoon in no time. You wont need our help anymore. Isnt that a good thing? Rakna deadpanned. No! Because then you wonte to me for help and Ill be sad! Rakna nkly looked at her and nced at Kaelith who was covering the side of her face with an embarrassed and exasperated expression. Right I wouldnt have done that either way. What?! Why?! The older vixen was shocked. Who would go asking for help from someone as unreliable-looking as you? The therian replied with unbeatable logic as he retrieved his items. my perfect lovey-dovey n She ultimately wept with her hands on her face and Kaelith was put through further embarrassment, trying to pretend, even to herself, that she wasnt rted to this woman. Meanwhile, Higure was having a st. Devourer, I love these two. They suit you so well, she said with a grin and Rakna casually knocked on her head, making her yelp. Though, between you two, Kara, is the less busy one, right? He asked and the two vixens looked at him inquiringly. The reason I want to share this business n with you is that your n is sure to build it far better than me; logistically wise. Having Harvest being established in Old Eden would be far more lucrative for me. This is why Id like to ask one of you to join mypany and be at the reins. I could make you Co-Founder or Vice CEO. Kaeliths eyes widened a bit. Youre willing to let us have this much power over this? I honestly am getting used to your shenanigans, which is why I didnt fuss over it, but what youve just shown us has the potential to tilt the economic bnce of the System. Heck, I would bet that if it ever got out of it, the entire universe would lose their minds over this. And youre seriously saying that you will give us free rein? Well, Im not really an entrepreneur, Rakna shrugged. And the reason Im telling this to you two is that I trust you. The rest of your n notwithstanding, or that council of yours, Im sure you can do a much better job than me. Even if you scam me and take 90% of the returns, I would not mind it that much considering the scale it will probably operate on. I you Kaelith struggled to respond for a moment. She sighed and rubbed her temples. Its not like I would ever swindle you or anything but youre just too carefree. Hm, so Kara then raised her voice. You mentioned I was the freest. Are you saying that youre willing to give the position to me? She asked in a rather critical tone. Yes, Rakna nodded. The vixen instantly flipped expressions and smirked. No problem! Ill have to wake up a few hours early from now on, but I can do that for you. Are you happy now? You got a new lovey-dovey n, Kaelith said sarcastically and her motherughed wholeheartedly,pletely ignoring the passive-aggressive satire of her daughter. You cane to discuss the details in my territoryter on, Rakna followed up. Ill send you the location by message. Normally, my clone should have already retrieved a Pavilion to set up there and by the rules, if I give you authorization, you can use the Pavilions dimensional tunnels to visit my territory directly. Oh? You established a territory already? Kara tilted her head. Yes, I already built a house there as well. Its in the 5th teau. The swamps? Kaelith blinked in surprise. Isnt that a bit too dreary? I cant see myself residing there out of all ces. Not to mention what happened to you over there Rakna smiled. Dont worry. And you would be surprised; I quite like how it turned out. Youll see once youre there. If you say so Also, was there something else you wanted from the shop? Now that you mention it, Rakna mused. Are there still Stone Eye Skill Cards avable? Let me see, Kaelith opened her system and checked the stock. Theres only two left they also went up in price a bit after people noticed that one of the only two ces in the System that drop them has been destroyed by a certain someone, she added with an usatory look. Wow, that someone must be really strong, Rakna retorted jokingly. How much do they cost? Each is worth 2.4 million at the moment. All right. Its not too much, Ill buy both of them. Its only 1.44 million in total after all, he casually said after subtracting his discount and Kaelith screeched to a halt. Oh my, you hit a sore spot, Kara giggled whilst covering her mouth. 70%, is it? Impressive. Thank you, Rakna replied. Ugh, one day I swear Kaelith grumbled and went through the procedures to get the skill cards in question out of the Pavilions backroom, which were then brought to her by Sylvie, as always. She grumpily unlocked the sealed boxes and tossed them to Rakna. The therian let out a chuckle and checked the cards before handing them to Pronos who was still perched on his head. Hey, little guy, can you learn this? The Hydra grabbed the cards by biting them and then used two additional heads to read the chant that was written behind. A sort of articted hiss came out of his mouth and soon enough, the cards merged into his body. After a few seconds, the light faded away entirely but Pronos stayed still, his eyes closed as if he was in deep focus. Hm? Did something go wrong? Kara inquired and as soon the words left her mouth, a shudder coursed through her body and, before she knew, the little Hydra had already opened his eyes. The nine pairs were glowing silver and green, a symbol of infinity etched on them. Rakna and Kaelith also reacted simrly. The former even activated Crystal Sight on instinct as if to fight against something. The truth was, for a second, he had felt bound to his seat; it was like he had been pulled into an illusion where he truly had turned into a statue. The two vixens in the room were vastly stronger and higher-leveled than him, but despite having resisted it, even they felt like their body had gotten heavier. The one that was worst off however was Higure who actually saw her paw start petrifying, forcing her to release her aura to fight it. Pronos seemed to be in a daze and it was only when he blinked and the infinity symbols left his pupils that everyone could feel their minds rxing. Thats definitely not Stone Eye, Kaelith finallymented. No shit, the lioness added whilst flexing her paw and ws. She then glowered at the little Hydra who seemed to be acting sheepish. But whatever that thing was, you better learn how to control it properly, she said with a frown and Pronos rubbed one of his heads with his tail. Meanwhile, Rakna was practically stunned, the golden crosses of his skill still glowing fiercely as he observed the status of his pet. Wolfy, while I would love to also ask about those eyes of yours, can you tell us what your pet just did? Kaelith scowled at the therian and he broke out of his stupor before clearing his throat. The golden crosses of Crystal Sight receded and he made a wry expression. Well, what can I say, I make a good role model, he jested and shared the system window he was looking at. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Nirvana Skill/Spontaneous Skill Name: Infinity of Stone ? Description: This is a Nirvana Skill exclusive to the Nine-Headed Eion Hydra, evolved and mutated from the skill Stone Eye. It is branded by the power of Ouroboros, conferring Infinity in its name. ? Effects: ? When the user looks at an enemy, their resistance and agility will be reduced by as far as 50% depending on the difference in levels, specific traits, or special skills. In the instance that the agility debuff reaches its cap, the victim will start to turn into stone at a varying rate and in a random pattern. Once petrified, they will either die or remain as a statue forever, unless the user releases them. These effects are further amplified up to a factor of 10 if the victim looks into the users eyes directly. Finally, due to the users unique physiology of polycephaly, the level difference between the user and a much stronger target can be forcefully abstracted ording to how many heads are looking at them at the same time. ? Current Estimation: Targets that are as much as 50 levels ahead of the user can be subjected to the full effect of this skill as long as the nine heads are focused. ? Note: This skill does not require cost as it is powered by Infinity itself. If conditions are satisfied, it may also be possible to synergize with Infinity Magic and y part in spell creation. ? ? ? ? ? Hahaha! Higure burst outughing before she even finished reading. Oh my god, I cant this is way too good, she wheezed in between breaths. Kaelith rubbed her face whilst burying herself in her seat. Why is it so easy for you all why did it never do that when I learned my skills? This is so unfair Kara looked at the contrast between the lionessughs and her daughters depression and could not help but smile. Ah, I understand now. So, this is how you drove my little Kae crazy, she said merrily. Admittedly, even I would lose touch with reality if this was a regr urrence. Rakna snorted and patted Pronos. How is it, little guy? Do you like your third Nirvana Skill? You got them quite fast, you didnt even have one a few days ago. His words immediately made Kaelith groan louder while the Hydra hissed happily in return. Look at him, shamelessly imitating you, Higure snorted and then realized something. Wait if Im not remembering wrong that means only Marie, An, and I dont have Nirvana Skills among our group. Hm? The therian mused and tilted his head. Thats true I forget about the fact that Evelyn also has one; just that its still Unawakened, he muttered, and now even Kara was about to freak out. Her smile twitched a few times. Three Nirvana Skills in a few days? Your whole group? What about the one in ten thousand probabilities to have only one? What about the one in a million chance to have two? Even as experienced as she was, the matriarch had to admit it was bewildering. Kaelith sighed and her fox ears dropped a bit as if she was tired. Ah, Im drained. Thats it. I have reached my maximum quota of energy I can waste on you for today. What a weird measure to have Rakna deadpanned. Shut up, its your fault. And since were on the topic, Evelyn is that Phantom, right? From what I saw when I met her, it seems her dormant Nirvana Skill is quite unruly. Im sure youve seen it a few times already; that dark energy she releases when upset? Rakna nodded slowly. Yeah The vixen shrugged. Well, Im sure you can handle it. More importantly, I did some research about her familys demise, as I promised. The culprit mentioned by Wisdom of Ariv was found; hes still alive and currently at the head of the Jill. Sadly, I cant do much more without the direct testimony of Wis. I can try and investigate them but they are quite an influential family of alchemists. I dont want to aggravate any affiliated Guilds or ns. Not to mention even our Nine-Tailed n has some dealings with them. I see Rakna said. Thats going to be harder than I initially thought. That shitty hat wont wake up for a while as well since we made him answer more than he should havest time. Mhm, Kaelith nodded. What I rmend is that when you reach the 100th teau, raise this issue during the Myth Council meeting. If its there, your words cant be ignored since you would literally be speaking from the highest possible social standing in the System. Then it would be easy for you to punish the Jill family as long as you can provide clear evidence. The therian pondered over the idea and it truly seemed to be the most effective method. Frankly, he could even raise the issue immediately under his own name or as Obsidian but considering his limited influence over other teaus, it wouldnt amount to much. So, indeed, his best bet was either with the Myth Councils backing or Harvest; when thepany grows powerful enough. Or if ites to it Rakna squinted his eyes. Assassination is a possibility in due time Ugh, Im here to rx, not talk politics, Kara grumbled from the side. Im sick of those. And there she goes again, Kaelith groaned. Rakna snorted. Thats my cue then. Its about time I go. I have a few things to do today and after thats done, Ill probably start helping everyone reach level 100 and grow their attributes before rushing to the 100th teau, he said and stood up, prompting Pronos to curl up inside his scarf. Sure, you do that. Ill visit your territory once in a while. Ah, me too, me too! Kara mored with a grin. Ille by tonight for more details about thatpany of yours. Also, we can have a chat about that if you want. That? Kaelith frowned and her mother chuckled. Its a secret, sweety. The younger vixen clicked her tongue and redirected her re to Rakna who was already running away. You better tell me what that chat is about at some point! She shouted right before he was out of the shop and he let out a chuckle before waving them goodbye, leaving with Higure. She sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today and tly nced at Kara who was pouring herself another cup of wine. It was at that moment she reacted to something, Wait did he say help everyone grow their attributes? She mumbled owlishly. Chapter 276 Chapter 276: Domineering So, I just have to pour my mana into this, correct? Raknas Obsidian clone asked Elora after he brought her back to his underground territory. The poor girl had been stunned into silence when she saw the terraforming around them. Ah! Y-yes, thats all. The Pavilion will then use it to form and link itself to the owner of the territory it is in. His Majesty will then be able to control the dimensional zones inside through the System. He nodded and channeled some mana into the casket held by his tail before tossing it to the middle of a spot ofnd he had chosen. While his house was built roughly at the center of the cavern, and the crystal mausoleum was a few hundred meters to its left, this ce was almost touching the borders of the cave and rtively close to the entrance. When the object touched the ground, it opened and light instantly flowed out of it like water filling the air. Elora covered her eyes and Rakna barely moved his eyelids until it was over. After the light disappeared, the oval building of the Pavilion had already been made. Hm, its definitely smaller than the one in ck Steel, but thats to be expected, Rakna remarked and furtively nced at the System window that appeared in his vision. ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions! A Pavilion Branch has been established in your territory! Your territorys range and buffs have increased. Current Facilities Avable: Private Section, Commune Section, Training Room, Gravity Room, Guild Quest Board, Shop, Quest Board, Portal Room, Staff Lodges. This Pavilion is currently set to Independent Mode; only recognized Hosts or Locals will be capable of entering its premises. Currently Recognized Beings: Rakna Xiorra. Branch Master: Elora Hoshi C Tier 3 Staff Officer. ? ? Do you wish to switch this Pavilion to Public Mode? Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? Rakna promptly selected no and was instead asked topose a whitelist. But it seemed like only his original self could do it since it required the help of his AI and Ceres couldnt directly interact with a clone Um, Lord Obsidian, if I am no longer needed, I will take my post, Elora spoke up and he turned toward her. And, um, since I have been promoted, I have new responsibilities to get used to Rakna nodded. You dont have to ask. You can go. There shouldnt be much to worry about when ites to the reception for this territory. There wont be many visitors so you can rx when ites to that specific part of the job. She smiled lightly and bowed. Thank you. Have a good day, sir, she said and ran to the Pavilion. When she closed the door behind her, Rakna heard some footsteps and looked over his shoulder, lowering his tails. He spotted via walking in his direction with a small smile on her face. He squinted his eyes and sighed. Did you have a talk? She made a wry expression. Yes at least, I think theres no risk that she will take over me. There should be some margin to negotiate and coexist. Is that so via smiled calmly and eyed the Pavilion. I didnt know one could build Pavilions like this, shemented and Rakna hummed before reverting to his therian form. He massaged his neck before answering. Yeah. Thanks to this, we can ess the Shop or the Quest Board from here. And that means we can do something like this, Rakna said and on cue, the Pavilions entrance opened and a version of himself with four tails walked out, closely followed by Higure. via blinked in surprise and the original Rakna smiled at them. I just tried it out; I took the Portal of the Pavilion in ck Steel and I reappeared in this one. Quite nice. Oh, and I think I dealt some more mental damage to Elora. We should let her rest for at least a day after this, he said as he approached his clone who had already extended his hand. They shook hands and the assimtion started,sting barely ten seconds before Rakna was back into one piece, his fifth tail grown back. He popped his neck and processed the memories. Hm, right. The whitelist, he muttered. Ceres, add all the members of both Obsidian Throne and Throne of Glory as recognized entries. Also, obviously, add the pair of you-know-what as well. [Do I also include the rest of your friend list?] She inquired back and he mused. No but do add Lana to it. We cant ever have too much sheep-girl, he jested. [All right. It is done,] the AI stated with a faint humorous tone, and the list was updated in front of his eyes,pleting the whitelist of his Pavilion. Lana? via tilted her head at the name. Yes, Im sure you would love her. Even Nyx couldnt help herself. Ah, I remember. She did mention something about your Bank Manager being too cute for it to be magically or scientifically possible, she reiterated with an amused voice and Rakna snorted. And I stand by what I said, a new voice echoed and Nyx herself appeared next to them in a burst of speed. It couldnt be more urate, she said with a faint smile. Oh, youre back. Perfect, I can start making you that sword you wanted, Rakna stated. I wanted to practice smithing with the Prima Shard today. I might as well use it to make your Urumi sword. So, if you have time, work with me on the schematics. You too, via. Im going to upgrade your weapon so tell me if you have specific requests about the design. Hm, no, it should be fine, the witch shook her head. But it would be nice if instead of the burst enchant you gave mest time, you turned it into a multi-projectile like Evelyns spear. I want to be able tounch a volley with my telekinesis. So, duplication? Rakna pondered. Wait actually, tell me how small and how many projectiles you think you can handle? Hm, as long as theyre not too small to see, the size doesnt really matter. As for the number, that depends on their overall weight or how strong I want tounch them, but if its something like an arrowhead, Id say I can handle around a hundred with enough spiritual energy to spare. I see. In that case, I already have a design for you. Lets go to the smithy, well talk there, he said and when he was about to follow up on his words, Nyx interrupted him. Wait, Rakna, there is something I have to discuss with you. It concerns your uncle. He paused on his tracks and both via and Higure also had their interest piqued. Tell me The night goddess squinted her eyes. Have you heard of the name Karaskan? Raknas eyes widened in a rare disy of disbelief. ? * * * ? So, an archbishop of the Basilica told you about a Mad God who was the nemesis of Eternal Night and the main actor into making what he is today, Higure narrated as she sat on the table, everyone settled around her. Rakna had his arms crossed and seemingly in deep thought. Nyx nodded at the lioness. Yes, that is correct. I reached a bottleneck in the mastery of my magic and he told me that a new perspective on the Kind Demon could help me understand it better. Karaskan via muttered. But if he is a god, the old master shouldnt have met him while he was on Earth, right? Yes and no, Rakna finally spoke up and everyone looked at him. He sighed. Honestly, Im not sure what I should do now that I know about this. Even if the Karaskan residing in the System is not the real one Ill have to find a way to kill him. Eh? Higure eximed. Wait, what? How did ite this all of a sudden? Karaskan; thats a name I saw on some files my old man hadpiled, the therian exined and leaned back. One day, I coincidentally saw hundreds of reports from all across the world that my old man had collected; he was searching for someone worldwide. When I asked him about it, the answer I got was; I must kill him. Thats it. He didnt add anything. He didnt say that he wanted to kill him or that he would kill him; he just said that he must. Thats hard to imagine, via uttered quietly. I dont recall your uncle ever speaking in such a way before. Hah, Rakna surprisingly let out a shortugh. Of course, thats normal. To be honest, I felt that the older he was getting, the goofier he got. Maybe it was his own way of coping. There were only a few times I saw him show his true side, what the stories about him depicted; a demon in human flesh that kills his way through everything He trailed and the room fell silent. Rakna lowered his head a bit and breathed out. Regardless, after I tried to insist a bit, saying that if there was something he wanted to do, I would help him to repay the life debt I owed, he got very silent. The next thing he said was thest time the topic was raised. Word for word, it was: Kid, if one day you find a man; a creature named Karaskan, and Im not around anymore, kill him for me. A pretty heavy request for a child, even for you, Higure whispered solemnly. Regardless of your stance on the subject, devourer, giving someone else the burden of your revenge is a grim act. He must have known that. It simply indicates how desperate he was. I wonder what this Karaskan did for him to be loathed this much by Eternal Night He never told me but, the therian narrowed his eyes. I have an idea So The lioness mused. Does that mean were gonnamit some deicide now? She asked as if there was nothing wrong with that sentence and Rakna deadpanned at her. What? Its like asking to be killed, Nyx said with a shake of her head. I dont know about this version of Karaskan, but someone with a title like his should be at least a Heavenly God. I was previously an Ancient God, so I have the insight necessary to judge everyones strength here. And despite your collective talent and quick rise in strength, at this point in time, you would probably only be able to deal with Demi-Gods at best. Even the lowest-ranked Celestials, Divinities, would be trouble for any of you. She then looked at Rakna. Except perhaps for you. Perhaps if its you, an Earthen God isnt too much of a far-off goal. Hm, maybe. Thats only if I use my trump cards though, he responded. I fought an Earthen God during my Simtion, after all. But, not only did I have an advantage in magic elements, but I also had an environmental boost. Realistically, I could be killed in seconds. Much less a higher-ranked Celestial Fine, fine, stop! Higure waved her paws around to stop them from continuously painting a worse and worse scenario. I never said to go right now She pouted. What should we do then? via followed up. Do we go meet him? I heard that those that live in the Celestial teau are prohibited from harming non-Celestials if not provoked. So, in that sense at least, there shouldnt be much danger. Yes, Nyx nodded. Thats why the archbishop suggested the idea. But after hearing what that God truly is, I dont know if I even can trust the perspective that it would give me on my magic Rakna nced at the night goddess who had a slight downcast look. He didnt need his racial trait to sense her mood. Nyx, he called and she looked back inquisitively. Do you feel unsatisfied with yourself? His question made her freeze up. is it that obvious? Well, its not like I cant understand. You fell from so high, and are struggling to climb back up. To make everything worse, youre using the power of the one who defeated you, and being outssed in talent by the student and nephew of that same person. Higure sweatdropped. Devourer of mine is that really something you should say? She nkly remarked and via wryly smiled. Well, what point is there ignoring the obvious, the therian shrugged and crossed his arms, gazing at Nyx who didnt seem to be fazed by his statement; she had already epted it. Hey, Nyx, did you know? My old man liked lightning. Huh? She eximed at the unexpected information. What do you mean? It was just a random urrence. There was a storm one day and my old man casually told me he liked lightning. He said that it was fast, powerful, domineering, unyielding, and bright. And most importantly, it tore through the dark and disappeared within the blink of an eye. He said that it was a beautiful thing and that he wished he could have been the same. Nyx furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her hand. A few strands of silent ck lightning coiled around it and she squinted her eyes. But this isnt Let me finish, Rakna cut her off. To be honest, I was quite curious when I learned that this dark lightning was something that the old man defined himself after. But I quickly found out why. Say, what do you think of thebination of darkness and lightning? What do I think of it? Nyx scowled. How so? What kind of qualities could each share with the other? Well, its She paused and took some time to think about it. For me, it always was about speed and power that cannot be parried. You cant see iting, it is unpredictable like a shadow and it ensnares you before you can understand how. Are you sure? Rakna retorted with a small smile and she blinked in surprise. You fought the old man, didnt you? Are you sure thats what you felt? IC Aeter is not bright, he cut her off before she could continue. It does not tear through darkness either since ites from it. It is indeed fast and powerful. It never stops; it chases its target like a shadow. But theres onest thing; an aspect that regr lightning also possesses. Domineering, Rakna dered with a hint of finality. Lightning is breathtaking. Aeter should be even more than that. It should empty your lungs until you suffocate. My old man, before this whole magical stuff even happened, was just like that. Before he even hits, when you see him, hear him, or sense him, you will already feel like youre dying He then pointed at Nyx and she flinched. Thats something youck in your application. This ck lightning is indeed like a shadow, but it shouldnt be silent or subtle. Wherever it goes, it should roar and unt its existence. It should dominate and swallow its prey, he said and stood up. He walked around the table and everyone followed him with their eyes. He stood right next to Nyx and raised his hand cloaked in a fog of demonic energy. Since words are most likely not enough, would you like me to show you? The former goddess steeled herself and stood up, face to face with him. Do it. Rakna nodded approvingly and pointed his palm at her. Then experience it for yourself. This is a hybrid spellbined with my dimensional ability, he said as the energy of sloth slowly wrapped around her. [nt the Seeds of Marvel, Onera C Morfas Efiltis] (Morpheus Nightmare). Nyx willingly allowed the sloth and dreams to invade her mind and in the next moment, she lost consciousness. Chapter 277 Chapter 277: The Last Page When Nyx came to, she was standing in a pure white world, blemished by only herself. The change in her surroundings felt surreal and she couldnt help but wonder how Rakna had done it. Was he capable of illusion magic? She thought. No he said it was his dimensional trait. The thirdyer of Enthymio; The Cloud of Dreams. So, he put me to sleep with Sloth Magic and pulled me into a dream of his making, she concluded as she was looking around, affirming that she was all alone in this ce, then she heard a low and subdued noiseing from above. She looked up and spotted a twisted area amidst the white. It was akin to water spilled onto an oil painting. Then, the sound got louder and before it was loud enough for her to properly recognize it, she was taken by surprise when it rose to full volume in an instant. Thunder; loud and deafening. One that made her entire body vibrate along with the sound waves bouncing in this unicolor world. It was as if her body had been chained by the echo. The thunder roared several times, each louder than the previous. But there was still no change in the dreams color. Everything was still white, but it was also clearly being twisted by something. Then, she saw it, a ck strand of lightning shot out from behind her and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Both her body and mind were frozen. She felt a chill down her spine and her every instinct refused to allow her to turn around. The thunder began to be apanied by a dreadful pressure and she paled. Her legs nearly gave out on the spot but she persisted until more of the lightning crept into her sight. It was uncannily slow, like spider legs forming an encirclement around her. A faint crimson outline was pulsing around them at the rhythm of her heartbeat. I see Her eyes widened. I understand now Quickly, the thunder had be loud enough that it was hurting her body itself. And the lightning was still creeping around her; nearly a third of her field of view had been obstructed. Then, all of it suddenly stopped. The lightning became immobile as if locked in time, and the thunder faded to silence. Then, Nyx regained control of her body. She stared at her trembling hands and clenched them. She knew what this dream wanted her to do. She remembered this feeling all too well; helplessness in front of an insurmountable power. She could run or turn. The dark lightning was not moving, but it was still glowing and electrifying the air to the point of making her skin itch. She took a deep breath and slowly turned her head. The second she reached the halfway point, the lightning abruptly gained a speed worthy of its name and finished swallowing the white world in the span of a millisecond. All that Nyx was left to witness was the epicenter of it; a hazy figure with draconic wings, a beastly silhouette, and a voracious grin, so dreadful that it felt vociferous to her every sense. The image was reflected in her pupils for a split second before everything turned ck. It was a darkness that even the Night Goddess herself felt lost in. Then, she heard a voice. She would have assumed it was merely a part of the dream had she not met the man himself in the past. This Night, do you know why I called it Eternal? The question made her shiver. Because the lightning bolts that thrive here are not beautiful. They are eternal. They never fade for they are always here, squirming in your shadow. As such, they are ugly. And as such, the voice paused and she could imagine the grin widening. it rebels. A burst of thunder paralleled hisst word and Nyx gasped when she felt a cold touch around her throat. Tell the kid for me. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Thest page is being written. Then, the next thing she knew, she was hurled out of the dream. ? * * * ? Back inside the house, Rakna was wincing whilst his wolf ears bent to muffle the deafening sound of thunder that had invaded his territory. His hands were busy maintaining a small rune array that was keeping the lightning emerging from Nyxs body in check. This kind of noise isnt normal! Higure yelled with a deep frown on her feline features. There is definitely divinity in both the lightning and thunder! Its not just here, the sky outside this cavern should also be in chaos! Rakna scowled and when he decided that he should add a newyer of runes, the noise went away and the Aeter finally retracted inside Nyxs body. But he didnt fail to notice that something about it had changed. It felt eerier than usual and moved like a sentient being. The therian ultimately sighed and took down the runes. It seemed that it was a sess. He just never expected that ascending Nyxs Eternal Night Magic would cause such a mess. Argh, my poor ears. That sound was filled with power, the lionessined right after it was over. She rubbed her ears with her paws and Pronos gave her a quizzical look. Oi, dont give me that look! Youre lucky that snakes dont have eardrums! Rakna sighed as via supported Nyx, stopping her from falling after being released by the force of the runes and her own power. It didnt take long for the goddess to open her eyes, and she did so with a rasping intake of air. Her expression was pale and she was visibly out of breath. Are you alright? via asked her and she took a few breaths to calm down before nodding. Im fine, she uttered and directed her gaze to a system window signaling that her Eternal Night Magic had directly broken through to level 13. She groaned and wobbled to her feet, supported by via. She retook her seat at the table and sighed in relief; what happened seemed to have taken a lot out of her. There was also the fact that her divinity had drastically increased. When she opened her status, she saw that her level had actually gone up on its own. She was only two levels away from reaching the one-hundred milestone now. How was it? Was I able to properly convey it? Rakna asked and she chuckled dryly. Yes definitely, she responded and looked back at him. By the way, while I might already have an idea, theres something I need to confirm with you. Hm? He tilted his head. What is it? I am asking just to be sure but the words that were spoken to me in that dream were not of your design, were they? Rakna raised an eyebrow but his mind quickly came to a conclusion based on the small encounter he had had with a version of his uncle. An incarnation He muttered. What did he say? He mentioned why he had named his element Eternal Night and then he told me to pass on a message to you, she said with a slightly puzzled tone. I didnt understand it but he said exactly this: Thest page is being written.'' Thest page is being written? Higure reiterated. What kind ofC! She stopped herself and then snapped her head toward Rakna who had the same realization as her. His face darkened a bit and he stayed silent for a moment before nodding. I see, he muttered. I have something to verify on my own; Ill be going to the smithy alone, join me there for your weapon after youve gotten some rest, he said and started walking toward the elevator. via and Nyx looked at each other but didnt try to ask him for an exnation. From what they had seen on his expression, it sounded like it could potentially be serious and personal. ? * * * ? Rakna sat cross-legged on the ssy floor of the underground room and expertly plunged into his soul realm. He opened his eyes, standing in the field of flowers, the ck and blue petals raining from above. He nced at the two opposite stars in the sky then turned to the shore of his soul sea above which Frays library was currently drifting. A high-pitched cry reached his ears barely a few secondster and Rex promptlynded next to him to cuddle with him. The therian smiled lightly and stroked the Luqus beak. As fast as ever, huh? I didnt even have the time to react after noticing you, hemented and the young creature cried out happily. He petted Rex for a little longer before leaping toward the library. He could control everything in his soul so his jump was closer to him falling in reverse. When he arrived at the buildings entrance, he caught something from the corner of his eye. It was Fen who was nonchntly resting on top of the illusion-like book pages that orbited the library. It seemed that a bunch of them had gathered to make a bed for him. The Nine-Tailed Wolf opened his eyes when he sensed the gaze. He briefly made eye contact with Rakna before yawning and returning to his sleep. He hasnt changed, has he? Rakna snorted and on cue, Fray came out of the library whilst waving his fan around as usual. Well, he has been this way ever since he released that Tailed Pearl against the demon that came out of that book. So, I controlled the pages a bit to make a bed for him, Fray shrugged. Between you and me I am plenty certain that he has already recovered but he seems to have developed quite a troublesome addiction to sleeping. Troublesome? Azy one, rather. Oh, well, the storyteller chuckled. The poor pup is technically dead, despite his living soul. It is not like there is anything much he can do or even look forward to. Is it? I think Rex is doing quite well, Rakna retorted matter-of-factly. Look at him go, he pointed up at the Luqu who was happily flying in the sky and performing stunts. Haha, he is an exception. It could be said that he was born here. Its to the point he sees you as his father, Fray said as the two of them began to head inside the library. At any rate, this is not what you came here for now, is it? I heard it. So? Is it true? Rakna shot back. yes, Fray nodded. At first, I didnt pay much attention to it when I told you. But, indeed, it is thest page of the book that is being filled. But for those words to directlye from your uncles mouth, even if he was a temporary incarnation made by your dream, it gains a whole new level of weight. If we take the word st in the most pessimistic way, then I know, Rakna stopped him from going on as he stood in front of the room where the book was stored. He didnt look nervous at all but he did pause for a few seconds before opening the door. He walked inside and approached the book, which was emitting an unsettling aura as usual, whilst Fray merely peeked inside like a curious child. Do not worry, I have your back! I am simply staying here in case of an emergency, he merrily stated and Rakna gave him a nk look. What kind of emergency? Running away? Hahaha The therian rolled his eyes and reached for the book. Nothing happened when he touched it, so he swiftly skipped to thest page. As Fray had said, one word had been written near the center. He squinted his eyes and slowly traced the paper with his finger. When the tip of his index covered the word, he stopped for a moment and then continued tracing the page further to the right. As he went on, more words appeared as if it was following his touch. Even as the sentence was getting formed, Raknas expression didnt change. No to be exact, it got colder and colder with every passing second. Fray quickly noticed that something was wrong. What does it say? This book has only told your uncles history until now is it truly his lifesst page? Rakna didnt answer and distanced his hand from the book, right as the twost words signaling the end of the story appeared. He silently turned around, leaving the book open, and walked to the exit. He halted at the doorstep; Fray gazed at him. Why would you think that thest page of this book is rted to my uncle? He asked and the storyteller blinked. Huh? Well it is as I just mentioned. The story inside is what I conjured with what remains of my magic. It recounts Eternal Nights life, doesnt it? You saw it yourself. Rakna snickered. Fray, where is this book? Remind me. Where, you say? Obviously, that would be Frays voice died down and his entire body froze. He breathed in sharply and Rakna vanished from the soul realm. The storyteller rushed inside the room after recovering from his shock. Hepletely threw away his fear and frantically read the booksst page. He stumbled and mmed his hands on the table to recollect himself. This book is part of his soul It exists because this soul realm exists. The same way I do. So, if the realm itself ceases to exist the book will naturally end, Fray uttered, his eyes already repeating the exact same movements for the fifth time. This is ? Thest page of the book. ? < The Once and Now, First and Last, where Life resides, a cherished wolf howled and presented his existence for the sake of bnce. > < His Last Harvest plucked the Fruit of Eden. > ? < The End. > Chapter 278 Chapter 278: Paths Onward Two weekster. ? After sorting out the matters of Harvests management with Karas help, Rakna went on to work with Old Wang as to what kind of applications the Prima Shards could be used in smithing, while Gaelius and Evelyn cooperated for both the alchemy and scientific side of the project. At the same time, he brought the guild to climb teaus, as well as to hunt higher leveled monsters in order to increase their attributes with The Harvester. Additionally, thanks to the Path Skill of Nyx, they were able to do it even faster. As such, all of them had reached level 100 with all of their attributes sitting at a minimum of 90. The only reason they hadnt gone higher was simply that The Harvester had seemingly a limit for the way it was being exploited. A limit that would potentially be exponentially higher as they go through their Ascents. This all brings us to the present. After triggering their First Ascents, everyone initiated their Main Path Quests, which they had been pushing off until they maximized their attributes. ? * * * ? Pronos opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself deep underwater, almost enough for apleteck of light from the surface. Without wasting time, a System window popped up right after. ? ? ? ? ? Simtion Transfer Complete. Path Quest Initiated; The Hydra of Legend. ? The Host Pets form and abilities have been fixed at their strongest state for the duration of the Quest. Your role will be exined to you by the Scenario. You have several possible goals and clearing conditions. Feel free to do whatever you fancy. ? ? ? ? ? The not-so-little guy read the description and remembered Rakna telling him about very simr conditions. He looked around in the empty depths and after a moment of consideration, he chose to swim to the surface. But before doing so, he used his Call of Fangs to create small serpents and scout the ocean. Then after close to ten minutes, he peeked one of his heads out of the water. The first thing he noticed was that he was far fromnd; he couldnt see a coastline anywhere. But one thing he spotted was a boat. Pronos squinted his eyes; he could sense something oddly yummy inside. He thought about it and ultimately came to the conclusion that since this was a Simtion, it wasnt a problem to attack that boat, right? As such, his pupils expanded into Infinity signs. After reaching Lvl.100, like everyone else, Pronos had been prompted to choose a Sub-Path. The one he had selected had originated from the very skill he had evolved into a Nirvana Skill just before. It was called Master of Statues. It had given him the specialized Affinity, Statue Magic, and a Path Skill that allowed him to control the bodies of people he turned into stone like puppets. With the guidance of both Rakna and Marie, he had developed strategies that synergized with it. One of them was this one; Pronos channeled his mana into his mouths and spat out an ash-colored poison mist. It swallowed the boat and the area around, and the effects instantly began to show. Some parts of the wood and sails turned into stone and the boat slowed down considerably. This was the product of a Union Magic, Poisonous Stone. The specific spell was called Petra Powder; it attacked both living and nonliving things and petrified them. Pronos hissed and dived underwater again, swimming toward the boat. However, there was one thing he hadnt noticed, as well as something he most likely wouldnt have understood; the name of the ship carved on the sides of the hull. In gold, the words The Argo were written. ? * * * ? Hm, I wonder what this is about, via asked herself as she sat in a small creepy hut, filled with all sorts of jarred ingredients. There was even a cauldron boiling some purple mixture with green mesing out of it. ? ? ? ? ? Simtion Transfer Complete. Path Quest Initiated; Witchs Craft. ? Some of the Hosts abilities have been limited or sealed for the duration of the Quest. Your role will be exined to you by the Scenario. You have several possible goals and clearing conditions. Feel free to do whatever you fancy. ? ? ? ? ? {Hmph, if you ask me, youll get your answer once the owner of this ce returns,} Cuniya, who had taken to talking on her own ord,mented. Even if you say that, should I really wait, or run before that happens? via responded and right on cue, as if to answer her, the door of the hut squeaked open and a hooded figure entered. After closing the door, they lowered their hood to reveal a wrinkly and old woman. She walked to the cauldron and stirred it with a giant spoon before nodding. Then she looked at the other person in the room who was gawking at her. How long are you nning to stand there like a fool? Come here already. Didnt you want to learn sorcery? vias mind overclocked to analyze the situation and quicklyposed herself. It seemed that this Simtion had taken her Sub-Path of Sorceress as the main theme. Y-yes I will be in your care, she said and set out to follow the old womans instructions. ? * * * ? what kind of shit is this? An mumbled to himself as he stood in the middle of a moonlit street that strikingly reminded him of old London. ? ? ? ? ? Simtion Transfer Complete. Path Quest Initiated; Vampire Hunter. ? The Hosts abilities havent been limited but certain traits may have been altered. Your role will be exined to you by the Scenario. You have several possible goals and clearing conditions. Feel free to do whatever you fancy. ? ? ? ? ? Vampire Hunter? What is this? Arent you taking the Abyss Monk a bit too literally? I dont have holy scriptures to read, you know? He grumbled under his breath whilst tightening his gloves. He looked around and slowly began to walk. Everything was terribly quiet and he could hear the wind more than the sound of his steps. There was something else that gave him a hint of what his role was in his scenario. He had appeared in this city with a different outfit; a ck trench coat, a tool belt, and a wide leather hat that was just enough to cover his eyes if he angled it slightly low. Thats definitely the stereotypical look, huh? He said as he saw a gun holstered under his coat as well as water vials. Tch, who the fuck do you think I am? Im a Pugilist, not a brooding lonesome hunter, he jested. The Sub-Path he had picked for himself was called Spiritual Pugilist. The reason for such a path to be offered to him was half obvious, but the spiritual part of it was mainly because he was the only one amongst the group that had managed to awaken Intent like Rakna. To be exact, Fist Intent; a rather difficult one. It was the only thing he had been able to proudly say he was more talented at than his childhood friend. As An was pondering what he should do, if perhaps he had to spend his nights looking for traces of bloodsuckers, he heard somethinging from an alleyway. At that moment, he didnt notice that his hearing was far sharper than it should be. Without thinking, he headed to the source of the noise and caught the tail of a cat that jumped off from the alleyway into the street. An followed it with his eyes and then they widened when he saw the animal jump in the arms of a little girl with red eyes and golden hair. Where? The blond thought to himself with a scowl. Where did this girle from? She wasnt here an instant ago, Im sure of it. Mister, the childs voice jolted him. Are you not going to the banquet? The banquet? She tilted her head in confusion beforeing to a conclusion, Oh! Are you new to the city? Come follow me! I can show you! She said cheerily and right before she fully turned around, she smiled and disyed two noticeable fangs. An froze on the spot as the girl skipped away toward the banquet. Is she? Then what does she mean by banquet? Why did she invite me? It feels like Im missing some He shuddered when he nced at the window of a house next to him. thing The ss was nk. He was standing as close as he could be, the moonlight was more than enough to give minimal lighting, but it was still nk. And it was then that he realized. How can I see so well? How did I hear that sound? Why can I smell something sweeting from the direction that girl went to? The picture began to form in his mind. Hm? Mister! Are you okay? The little girl called from afar, hugging her cat. An raised an eyebrow and looked up in time to see a swarm of bats fly over the buildings. He breathed in and walked toward the little girl, passing in front of the windows that did not show either his or the childs reflections. I guess its time I look at the Abyss, he muttered to himself, following the young girl as she tip-toed around him whilst ying with her cat. But her grin felt dreadful. ? * * * ? This is interesting, Mariemented as she read a document on an electronic tablet. She was currently riding a limousine for her scenarios storyline. To be specific, she was moving under an order; a kill order. Investigation, sabotage, and assassination; these were her instructions. She nced at the System window floating in the corner of her vision. ? ? ? ? ? Simtion Transfer Complete. Path Quest Initiated; A Serpent in Divas Clothing. ? The Hosts abilities havent been altered. Your role will be exined to you by the Scenario. You have several possible goals and clearing conditions. Feel free to do whatever you fancy. ? ? ? ? ? Her Sub-Path was called Diva of Concord. The total opposite of her Path; Serpent of Discord. It was quite an ironicbination and she couldnt deny that it was one of the reasons she selected it. The abilities it had given were a maxed-out proficiency with musical instruments, as well as a skill that allowed her to produce various magical feats depending on the songs she yed. Every little detail impacted the result; notes, instruments, lyrics, tones, and genres. This Path Skill also came with a Sub-Skill capable of conjuring instruments for her needs. Shortly said, it was an ability with endless possibilities. One of the most basic kinds of songs she had learned to y were Death Lubies. The longer they were listened to, the higher the chance for the targeted listeners to get hurt or die altogether. I suppose this is why the scenario made me a pianist for a party, Marie thought. She had targets to gather information on. As long as she yed a song capable of inducing people to obey her every request, she could easily do it. When the limousine arrived at its destination, the driver opened the door for her and she stepped out. She was wearing a high-low red dress and her beauty made waves among the people waiting to enter the party hall. She smiled warmly to make an impression and elegantly walked down the VIP path. Inwardly, she smirked as snakes were already being created under her sleeves. When she entered the building, she stealthily let them crawl up the walls and ceilings. And as she approached the piano on the stage, she prepared to give her audience a performance they would never forget. ? * * * ? A giant fistnded on a transparent barrier and erupted into a geyser of mes andva. The caster at the origin of the barrier yelped and was sent off flying from the rebound. But before she crashed on the magmatic ground of the hell-likendscape that surrounded her, she deployed a pair of bat wings and stabilized herself. This She huffed. Isnt fair Hahahaha! If you cannot beat me, how can you be our Priestess? Her opponent hollered with a big grin. He was close to six meters tall and wielded arge hammer around like it was a toy. His upper body was bare, his skin like charcoal, and with fire-like tattoos on the shoulders. His lower body was covered by a shredded but mystical-looking garb and his feet looked like the talons of a dragon. He had several pairs of reddish horns on his head and his eyes were two perfect slits ofva. ? ? ? ? ? Simtion Transfer Complete. Path Quest Initiated; Hells Trial C The First. ? The Hosts abilities have been fixed at their strongest state for the duration of the Quest. Your role will be exined to you by the Scenario. ? ? ? ? ? How does that make sense?! Evelyn finallyined, healing her bruised body again. Is it not the role of a Priestess to act on the sidelines?! Why am I fighting you?! Bah! Dont ask the pointless stuff. Thats not pointless! She retorted with a helpless tone. Haha, well, its a tradition, you know? When a Hell Priestess reaches a certain level, in your case that would be Lv.100, they get to make a contract with those like me. You even know about the System The subus whispered. This is so unfair Miss Vera told me that her first Simtion was just about closed-door training not this. Oi, oi, we cant have that. I cant give you my allegiance with just some measly training. That also applies for the next Demons youll contract to as the Hell Priestess, he uttered and shouldered his hammer with a smirk. Prove yourself. How do I even do that? I cant beat you Well, your Hell mes will indeed not work on me. Your barriers arent strong enough to handle my attacks, and dont get me started on physical strength. But! Arent you forgetting something, girl? Youre the Hell Priestess! Dont forget that! And whats the name of that profession you chose, huh? That is also part of your power! Evelyn opened her eyes wide. Her Sub-Path; Infernal Transmuter. At the time of the selection, this name and its rarity had instantly stuck out to her. The synergy with her main Path was clear. And it was when she learned it was a Sub-Path linked to transmutation and mage craft such as alchemy that she was sold on it. And hes telling me to use my Path Skills against him, she thought and exhaled. She brandished the spear Rakna had made for her and the Eion in it glowed together with her will. Thats the spirit! Come at me, Priestess! This Belial shall face you! Evelyn tightened her grip and covered her body with reactive barrier magic. [Hell Evocation!] ? * * * ? The first thing Nyx thought when she entered her Simtion was that she should have expected it. It was impossible to have normality with a Path like Eternal Night, after all. ? ? ? ? ? Simtion Transfer Complete. Path Quest Initiated; Queen of The Crepuscule. ? The Hosts form and abilities have been altered and augmented to fit the narrative for the duration of the Quest. Your role will be exined to you by the Scenario. You have several possible goals and clearing conditions. Feel free to do whatever you fancy. ? ? ? ? ? Her form and abilities had been altered and augmented. She had done some research on her own about Simtions and she knew that these types, thatpletely transformed a Hosts power, were considered the rarest. Even more so than the one Rakna had experienced. Nyx sighed and looked at her hands or should she say ws? When she was transported into the world of the Path Quest, she woke up in apletely new body. She had been perched on top of a dark mountain, with a pair of wings, her own, wrapped around her like a cocoon. When she unfurled them, the full moon was shining brightly right above her. Then, she looked at herself as the moonlight bounced off her ebony and purple scales. A dragon. She had be a dragon. And not just any kind; an unknown species called Crepuscule Dragon. It seeminglybined her abilities to control shadows and moon energy into a race. But what probably made the mold of it all was her newest Sub-Path. Child of Twilight, she muttered whilst gazing at the foggy horizon. An Exotic Sub-Path that is supposedly a legacy from an ancient and forgotten being that the System had collected from across realities. And it chose me as its sessor Were they originally a Dragon? She wondered. What made ite to me? My Domain? She also couldnt cross out the possibility of it being a product of Eternal Night. The Kind Demon was sometimes referred to as the strongest Dragon God after all, despite only being part dragon. Regardless, I need to figure out the goal of this simtion. Based on the Quests title, am I the one that they call Queen of The Crepuscule? In that case, I should have a Kingdom to rule over. Or at the very least and to protect, she squinted her draconic eyes and peered down the mountain she was on. Or perhaps this is a ce where only I exist. As such, I am its Queen. Nyx huffed and purple mes came out of her nostrils. She deployed her wings and jumped off the mountain peak. She plunged and effortlessly handled her first flying experience as if she had done it for years; as if it was ingrained in her body. After flying for a while and scrutinizing her environment, she knew something was wrong. Everyndmark, every tree, rock, or even strand of grass, was being recycled into a newndscape after she had traversed a certain distance. Then, once she looked back at her starting point, she realized that the maximum distance between her and the mountain had ceased increasing. It was as if she was imprisoned inside a verbatimputer simtion I see She muttered, staring at the moon. Its not moving. Daytime will nevere. This is a cage. Perhaps this is an actual reenactment of events that happened to the owner of this legacy. In which case, my role She nced at the ground below and smiled ominously. Would be to break out. Then, without further ado, Nyx pped her wings and flew back to the center. She ascended as if she was trying to reach the moon and then flipped back to face the earth. Let me show you the might of Moon Magic, she dered and her wings opened wide, triggering the apparition of a massive magic circle. Lets see what my cager has to say about this, she said and her eyes shone blindingly with the color of the moon. ? [Pray To the Sun as it Burns You.] [Pray To the Sky as It Copses on You.] [Pray To the Earth as It Swallows You.] [But Yield to the Moon Illuming You.] ? Nyxs incantation made the whole realm shake and behind her, a terrifying phenomenon began to take ce. The moon was moving, but notterally. No, it was getting bigger. Closer. ? [Beg To the Heavens.] [Kowtow To the Devil.] [For The Illuminance of The Night Shall Take You Away.] ? At this point, the moon was the sky itself and Nyx spread her arms and wings wide with the grace of a Queen looking over its subjects. Meteors are old-fashioned, she joked an Chapter 279 Chapter 279: Assault Contingency ns Rakna lifted a dark blue and silver hammer and struck down on a heated piece of material, a hiss of airing out of his mouth as he exhaled. His eyes were marked by a golden cross, their focus entirely on the forging process. Stronger, the therian muttered as he lifted the hammer again. Got it, Natsu replied from inside the hearth and increased the heat of his mes, wrapping them around the rectangr object that was slightly stretched in the middle like an arrow. This will be thest weapon, right? The Celestial ze asked. Yes. These weapons shouldst everyone quite a while. Forever, in the best case. Even if theyre not as good as Sonata, they can still evolve at a satisfying pace. Thank god, thats all weve been doing since thatpound waspleted, Natsu sighed. Even for me, three days in a row is too much. Its even worse than when you were just practicing The sound of the hammer striking resounded again and Rakna snorted. He put the tool down and picked the heated material with his bare hand by turning off his heat receptors and transforming the nanomites of his fingers into a silver-bluish metal. He inspected it with Crystal Sight and Eye of Symphony before turning around. Okay, that should be enough. You can stop now, he said and put down the metal piece on the workbench, aligning it with exactly fourteen other identical pieces and a swords hilt. Splendid news, Natsu said and the mes emerged from the hearth, reforming into a small dog who promptly stretched his limbs. Well, I have no muscles to stretch though He muttered to himself and strode toward his master. He jumped on the workbench and observed the unfinished weapon as Rakna sharpened thest piece and added the necessary runes. How is it, My Lord? Any errors? The therian mused silently for a few minutes before nodding. Its good. Now, I just need to chain up the enchantments and the weapon should finalize itself, he said, and soon after he said that, a chime resounded in the training floor,ing from the elevator. Natsu turned his head curiously and saw the doors open. Hi, Rara~ A certain entric vixen greeted as she walked out. Ivee to y, she grinned and the Celestial ze groaned. Not that woman Oh, Nat, youre here too! Kara cried out and happily rubbed the pups head. Leave my head alone, you crazy minx! You know you love me, she retorted smilingly. Rakna simply snorted at theedic exchange, still focused on his runes. Kara noticed that and skipped over to peek over his shoulder. Oh? An Urumi? Is it the definitive version for Nyx? This is thest one, isnt it? You already made the greatsword, the spear, the dagger, and oh, yeah, the gloves! He grunted. Dont remind me of those gloves Such a pain to make, he grumbled and injected a strand of mana into the hilt. Then, it lit up and began to produce energy on its own. He sighed. Its done back off a bit, just in case, he added and Karaughed. Yes, we wouldnt want to do a repeat ofst time. It wasnt pretty. If almost blowing my head off is just not pretty for you, sure. Lets say that, Rakna deadpanned and the vixenughed further, not forgetting to take their distance from the workbench though. Then, the sword hilt on the table abruptly released a thick string of blue energy. It twirled around as if it was trying to find a target then swiftly shot to the first small de piece. It went through it, making the runes glow, then continued to the next piece, until it reached thest one that had just been made. Then, in the blink of an eye, the string of energy was sucked back in by the hilt. The de pieces were seamlessly tensioned and assembled as the weapon settled down. Rakna sighed in relief. Good. It didnt explode, he muttered and checked the swords description. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Weapon/Whip Sword Name: Rarity: Red Attack Power: +1300 Magic Power: +300 Durability: 100% ? Description: A weapon designed, forged, and enchanted by a Legendary being with a godly perception of dimensions and mana flows. It was crafted with mithril and a mystic piece of material capable of indefinitely generating and storing an energy called Eion. ? Perks: ? C Eion Energy Production: The weapon constantly generates energy and is incidentally able to regenerate the systemsposing it with time. C Basic Sword Intent: The makers sword intent was infused into this weapon at a basic level, increasing its inherent sharpness. C Basic Magic Conductor: Mana can be channeled through the weapon to enhance the casting of spells and increase damage. ? C wless Dimensional Stability: The technique used during its forging has maximized its dimensional stability and durability to extreme extents. The incredible skill of the maker and the material used in the crafting have allowed this weapon to possess a vastly greater power against all sorts of physical and magical defenses. ? C zing Frost: Due to the irregr and special mana used during its forging process as well as the refinement of a Celestial ze, this sword has developed ingrained enchantments capable of fighting any element weak to both ice or fire. ? C Superior Rune Carving: Thanks to the exceptional integrity of the material, fifteen double-runes runes, one triple rune, and one folded triple rune have been sessfully carved into the weapon and its multiple parts. The runes do not need mana to operate; they are fueled by the weapons intrinsic energy. (15x) Union Rune + Control Rune => Object, State, Link, Self + Object, Motion, Control, Wielder. ? Union Rune + Energy Rune + Transmission Rune => Object, State, Link, Self + Force, Momentum, Creation + Object, Self, Link, Triple, Execution ? Command Rune + Energy Rune [Overload] + Shape Rune [Union] => Object, State, Limit, Tuning + Force, Momentum, [Overload], Creation + Form, [Union], Wielder, Motion, Execution ? Note: Evolvable. This weapon is capable of cannibalizing other equipment to increase its own strength. With slight luck, it is possible to assimte shapes and perks from particrly powerful items. There is a limit to the assimtion rate based on the users level. ? ? ? ? ? Kara whistled as she read everything. The more I see it, the more impressed I am. Your growth in the past two weeks when ites to runecraft and smithing is truly unbelievable. Hm, its all right, Rakna shrugged and she chuckled. He then raised the sword upright and traced the unified de with his finger. He poured some of his mana into it to link himself with the runes and swung it in the training floors direction. The de lit up with a blue light and separated the sections of the de. Then, in a sh of azure light, a gash was opened up in the ceiling and floor, and in the blink of an eye, the whip sword was reformed. Doesnt seem to have anything wrong with it, the therianmented. He said and put the sword down on a stand for Nyx to pick upter. At the same time, the damage he had made was already fixing itself thanks to the Prima Shards that had been incorporated into it; this was an additional experiment for Harvest, with which they could not only build anything but have it mend itself afterward as well. I cant wait to have that at home, Karamented while Rakna was tidying up things. Well, youll have to wait a few days. Gaelius and Evelyn still have to smoothen up a few things and after that, youll get full control and you can do whatever you want. Mhm, I know. Im done with the preparations already. I have been hyping up the public by selling your name to everyone, she said with a small grin. Im jealous, honestly. The kind of publicity it gave to just mention Rakna Xiorra and Obsidian was obscene. Despite not even reaching the 100th teau, you managed to turn into some sort of hero for children and a role model for the rest. Rakna huffed in amusement. Is that so? Yep. And, even better, she smirked. Did you know you have a fan club now? excuse me? You heard me right. Plenty ofdies have a crush on you and formed a club to spread their faith to the world, she replied whilst waving her finger. I dont like the way you said spread their faith. And which me are you talking about? Well, your actual identity, of course. But She paused. Well, you have a point. I believe Obsidian has a following as well. Even the fake twin brother you made, Karna, has one. Even if you only got to appear once on the news like that. You are quite a topic on social media. Rakna twitched. I never thought Id ever hear the words social media again. Hahaha, well, deal with it, Rara. Theyre everywhere. Maybe you should make an ount? Hard pass. She giggled and looked around. By the way, is the lioness not with you today? Shes usually stuck on your head or something. Higures outside going through her evolution with Tyran. Pronos watching over them. It seems that Wilden cannot evolve the same way that Pets like Pronos, who came to the System together with Hosts, can. But they do have an extra feature to their Ascents. Thats true, Kara nodded. But why do you sound so sullen about it? Rakna stared at her with a scowl. Really? She tilted her head at first but then realized something. Oh! I see. You know that she will probably unlock her human form. Oh my, Rara, are you nervous? She asked with a smirk. Lets say that Iming up with contingency ns in case Im assaulted, he deadpanned. Hmm, but then that means, I have you all for myself right now? Rakna froze as he was reaching for one of the extra Prima Shards to store it. He mechanically looked at the vixen and his eyebrow twitched. Natsus hereC Ill be seeing myself off, My Lord. Good luck, the Celestial ze cut him off as he withdrew behind the closing doors of the elevator. The training grounds promptly fell silent, with only the sound of the elevator cage going up gradually fading away. That little Rakna muttered under his breath and Kara grinned widely. Now, now, what shall we do? {If that makes you feel better, I will retreat in your soul once you two start to get steamy. I highly value others privacy,} Fray stated very unhelpfully and Rakna really wished he could punch his face right then and there. Chapter 280 Chapter 280: Do not be alone. Kara happily hummed a tune, one of her hands resting on herp while the other held a small cup of wine. Behind her, Rakna silently tended to and brushed one of her tails. This is surprisingly tameing from you, hemented, switching to another tail and running the brush through her fur. Well, Kae would probably hate me if I hogged you, she replied and sipped on her drink. And you may not know, but for a fox, to have someone brush their tails is one of the most intimate actions they can allow. Im very pleased with this. is that so? Rakna nkly said and briefly paused before continuing with a sigh. Yes, indeed, she chuckled and resumed her humming. hey, Kara, can I ask you something? The therian spoke up and she looked back at him from the corner of her eye. His expression was rather casual so she answered simply. Sure! Go ahead. Why are you constantly drinking? Ive noticed you dont do it for pleasure The vixen stiffened but quickly recovered, making a wry smile. I dont know if you are asking to make fun of me or if you are being serious Your choice. Haha youre quite mean when you want to, she said solemnly and gazed into the ripples of her cup. Hm, you might already know, but I am a full-fledged Host. I wasnt born here like Kae. I was taken from the outside by the System like everyone else. The world I came from was lonely, she admitted and looked up. Long story short, Nine-Tailed Foxes didnt exist. At the very least, they didnt exist in the plural sense, she said bitterly. I was the only one. For decades. And it wasnt a strong world; you could say I was the only fox spirit altogether. Normal humans couldnt see me. I was so very lonely, she whispered. During that time, I got to taste sake for the first time. Sake, huh? Rakna hummed. Rice wine is good. Its a good first pick. Haha, you dont tell me. I fell in love with it But the story of how I got my hands on some though has quite a different tone, she added. I was being hunted. Some shamans, wanting to capture and sell me. Spiritual beasts were rare like that. Humanoid ones even more. As for me I was a great treasure in the wild. Well they might have thought I was a golden goose. Literally so, she stated and smiled slightly. I can feel it, you know? She said, ncing at Rakna who was expressionless. But she could discern more than just that, Youre getting mad for me. Thats pretty sweet of you, Rara. youre wee. She chuckled. But, well, dont worry. I killed them. What point is there loathing the dead? At the end of the day, they were the ones carrying a treasure for me. I found some drinks they had with them and tasted them in curiosity. Then, I drank it all. Got drunk; forgot my loneliness. Then I stole some more from towns and viges. Drank again. Forgot again. Drank. Forgot. Rinse and repeat. So, thats why, Rakna, she looked over her shoulder. Do not be alone. This is the first thing I saw in you when we met. So alone that you were, that I couldnt look away. What a weird reason to be interested in someone. You think? She smiled. But Ive seen some progress since then already. You have epted what I told you about your hungry soul. You havent tried to do anything about it as well. You said you wanted to discuss it but all you did, in the end, was ask for details. Say, can I ask you a question in return this time? what is it? Rakna responded, never stopping his movements. Youve been acting differently for the past two weeks. Its subtle, but its there. At first, I thought that maybe my little pep-talk had helped, but I quickly discarded the idea. The way you changed was odd, more than anything else. It was as if, instead of avoiding others love, you suddenly let go of your doubts and decided to go along with the flow why? Rakna hummed softly at her question. He didnt sound surprised nor bothered. To be clear, there is no decision involved. Let me answer you with another question, if you knew that something was set in stone, would you try to fight it? Eh? Im not sure personally, he continued, still brushing her tails. At this point, the stakes have been flipped on their heads. The true conflict now is not whether Im worthy of others love or not, but if Im willing to put my selfishness to have them by my side over their own good. Rakna? The vixen was getting worried. Some people say that once you know the future, you can change it, he added. Thats stupid. Its a contradiction of thews of the universe. If you get to know the future, its obviously a future in which your current self, the one who knows about it, will end up at. That you know is irrelevant; it will happen. Otherwise, its a paradox. And people cant consciously create paradoxes. Wait, what are youC?! Kara turned around to grab his wrist but they were interrupted by the sound of the elevator and cheery shout. Hey, Devourer~ Im back! A beautiful woman with dark skin and golden eyes stormed inside the training floor. Her long ck hair was tied in a pony-tail, her lion ears sticking out, while only half of her upper body was covered, having opted for a sports outfit as per her preference. When she arrived, she paused as she saw the strange expression on Karas face and the abnormally tranquil one on Rakna as he stood up from his seat, letting go of the vixens tails, all of them fully groomed. The lioness became slightly more serious, her smile ttening. What is The therian nonchntly turned toward her and mused. Hm, yes. Youre beautiful, Higure. There is no doubt, he said, stunning her, and walked past her, back inside the elevator which departed soon after. Kara and Higure were left alone after that, thetter in a state of shock. Thepliment had been so sudden she was blushing hard enough to overpower her skin color. what in the world was that? She uttered after calming down and Kara sighed. I would like to know as well. Nevertheless The vixen said and stood up before putting a hand to her chin whilst inspecting Higures appearance from head to foot. W-what? The lioness was still a bit disoriented, so she got nervous at the gaze. Hm, Kara quietly approached her and poked her defined abdomen. Then squeezed her forearms with an appraising touch. I see, I see what an incredible body, you have. I suppose these muscles are a representation of your more barbaric instincts. Higures mouth twitched and she cleared her throat, finally recovering her bearings. Are you done molesting me, you damn fox? Also, I wouldnt get ahead of myself if I were you. Barbaric? Are you the one he just called beautiful, huh? She countered with a smirk, her fangs poking over her lips. Kara huffed and backed off, crossing her arms. Dream on, you dull lion. Thepetition isnt even close. Your unrefined self is no match for me, or much less my little Kae. You wish, Higure shot back and the two red at each other. ? * * * ? {Did you just run away?} Fray deadpanned as Rakna leaned against the wall of the elevator. Tactical retreat. Those two already created sparks before when there wasnt anyone around. I dont want to be in the crossfire now that she has a human body. Maybe foxes and lions dont get along {Says the wolf} Rakna ignored him and resumed, Also, please remind me what you said about privacy earlier? {Well, I was referring to the birds and the bees. How was I supposed to know that woman would want to do something so innocuous? So, I just stuck around.} But doesnt that mean you stayed long enough to check? {point taken.} Dont worry, if it ever happens. Ill be the one closing you off. {Hm, I think I should be happy for you but what is this disappointing feeling?} Your depravity. {Hey! Please cease that ndering!} Fray grumbled and switched topics. {And what about that? You were close right there. Are you truly not going to tell them?} What good is there? They will try to change the future if I do. {Is that not a good thing?} Didnt you say so yourself? There is no use struggling once you know about it. {Yes I am plenty aware. Ones death is a fixed point in time. Once it is known, it cannot be altered in any way, nor can it be avoided. There are plenty of recorded examples in the past. But, are you really nning on giving up so easily? That does not sound like you.} Fray, there is one person that I trust more than anything in the world. {} If the old man told me to look at thest page, it wasnt for nothing. He knew. That specter, made by my dreams, he knew and wanted me to know. Thats why I cant do anything else than believe it, he dered as he opened the door of his office. He nced out the window where Tyran and Pronos were. It seemed the former had even grown a pair of wings with his evolution. Hes looking more and more like a dragon, Raknamented in amusement and picked up a paper on the desk. The words written on it were the ones that had appeared on the booksst page. Ive had two weeks to pick apart these two sentences, word by word, he said and sat down. The only conclusion I came at is that this is not necessarily my inevitable death; rather, it is something that I will inevitably do. That was probably the true purpose of that message. {your fate?} Rakna smiled and leaned back in his chair. Fate be damned, he spat, ncing outside where he could sense his friends awakening from their Simtions and practicing their new powers just as he had done. He momentarily activated Crystal Sight and couldnt help but admit that this group of his was certainly full of monsters. That Im fated to do something means someone or something else decided for me. What a load of bullshit. I might be unable to escape the future, but it doesnt mean that my future-self will make a decision that I would disagree with. Im not surrendering to fate; Im simply trusting myself. {Hm I suppose thats just like you. Should I praise your wisdom? Or your ego?} Fray joked and the therian snorted. Why not both? Anyway, were going to the 100th teau today. Anything useless toment as usual? {Why do you say it like that?} Im just stating a fact. Your inner fabulistes out and you just never tell me what it actually is so that I keep the surprise. It only makes it worse when Kaelith and Kara go along with it. {Well, if you put it like that But its not like its useless. Im giving you my impression of it.} Thats useful? Rakna asked as if he was truly confused and Fray fell silent. {firstly, the 100th teau is a Main teau. So, it means you will be teleported into a city as it happened for ck Steel after you came out of the Tutorial. Youll see for yourself when you get there, but that teau is considered the most rxing and exotic location in the System.} Oh? {Mhm, indeed. Put into words Living there makes you feel free. Aside from all that though, its a ce where nobility starts to get prevalent in the System, and higher leveled Hosts and Locals aremon there. Its not as much as Old Eden in the 500th teau, but be mindful. I dont think there is anyone courageous enough to confront you head-on, but they might try to provoke you.} I see. Speaking from experience? {You could say so. And after that, hm you have the Myth Council Tower you will head to for your first meeting or things like the Arenas.} The Arenas? Rakna raised an eyebrow. {Haha, you will see once you get there.} The therian shook his head and huffed. I guess that was somewhat useful this time, he remarked and stood up. Lets go see it then, he added and left the room. Chapter 281 Chapter 281: Child of Twilight So, in short, you became a werelion, Rakna remarked as he walked through the barrennds of the 90th teau; called Diluvian mes. The whole teau was filled with craters that no one could identify the cause and there were only a few ces that seemed to have been spared long enough to develop vegetation. The sky was an undting mass of gray clouds as if they were about to fall off at any moment. Basically, Higure answered the question with a nod. She smiled widely. I could have gone other ways to evolve. Its an instinctual process for Wilden. But for me, since I wanted this form She grandly waved at her body, which caused vias and Evelyns eyebrows to twitch. The evolution made it possible. So, I have a shapeshift trait now. Its simr to yours, which in itself might be the reason why I gained this ability in the first ce. The lioness then pointed at the sky and Rakna calmly followed her finger. He spotted Tyran flying over them with his new wings, followed by Pronos who had conjured a pair of green poison wings. It was quite honestly a terrifying sight. Likely, anyone that saw an Asura and a Nine-Headed Hydra overtaking the sky would feel as if it was the end of the world. Tyran over there, Higure continued. His wings are a product of his evolution. Maybe he wanted to look more like a dragon unconsciously. Perhaps because a certain someone made fun of him for being a wannabe, she said with a smirk and An cleared his throat on the side. Come on, it was in good fun, the blond retorted. Who knew he would turn into this though Anyway, his wings should have some special characteristics to them. Either they are even more sturdy than the rest of his body, or perhaps they even grant him a skill, the lioness concluded. Hm, youre right about that, Rakna nodded. His wings not only have increased magic immunity like the rest of his body, but they also turned into momentum machines. Physical damage will be absorbed and then released at his whim. Thats incredible, Nyxmented. He already had Anti-Magic abilities with incredible physical defense. But now, even the physical damage can be countered. If he grows enough who knows what kind of monster he could turn into. Fighting him would be like trying to move a mountain. Everyone nodded at that while Natsu, who was hanging off Evelyns shoulder, abruptly perked up and looked up. Another onesing, he casually stated and everyone followed his line of sight. Who is taking this one? Marie asked as the clouds began to swirl menacingly. Let me do it, Higure said and stepped up whilst cracking her knuckles. At the same time, Tyran and Pronos moved away from under the swirl in the sky. The lioness smirked and sped her hands. Devourer, she spoke up. Let me show you what it means to face Ruin, she stated and Rakna raised an eyebrow as she slowly unsped her hands. A string of silver mana was formed between them and her eyes shone. Then, as if on cue, an object suddenly breached through the grayyer of clouds. It was fast and burning up from entering the atmosphere. A meteorite. The 90th teau was a treacherousnd where meteors constantly rained down, and always targeted living beings traversing it. Everyone, I rmend you put up your auras! Higure shouted with augh and the silver mana turned into the manifestation of a blurry giant bell. Immediately, the group felt a chill going down their spines and hastily put up their auras. [Union Magic,] Higure exhaled as the meteor got dreadfully close. [Echoes of Ruin C The Bell of Silence,] she chanted and the silver bell tilted and rang once. The sound spread like a ripple and everything it touched became muted as if incapable of making any noise. Raknas eyes widened slightly. He couldnt hear the wind, his steps, or even his heartbeat. For him, who had all of his five senses insanely sharpened, it was quite ufortable. However, there was one thing that was still emitting sound; the meteor. To be exact, it was as if its volume had been reduced to the lowest level and it was gradually going back up. Simultaneously, its descent was slowing down. Over the course of two seconds, the sound went from almost entirely muted, to even louder than it was originally. In fact, it was as if multiple reverberations were ovepping themselves. Then, Higure smirked and snapped her fingers. The meteor instantly slowed to a total halt and the sounds ended. Therge chunk of stone had long stopped burning. In a world of absolute silence, you mustnt break it, the lioness said ominously and a crack appeared on the meteor. If you fight back, you will be punished. The louder you are, the more echoes are swallowed and confined around you, until it is too much for you to handle, she finished and the bell rang for the second time. The meteor promptly scattered into dust. And ruin falls upon you. The bell faded away together with the meteor and the domain of silence that entrapped the area was lifted as well. The first sound that reached everyones ears was An gulping. R-Rak where do you keep finding these scary women? I had no idea that cat was yandere material I know right, Rakna deadpanned. I feel like I should invite Lana next time I see her. Having her in the Guild might just be enough to bnce things out via threw him a sharp look. Mister, are you saying we are not cute enough? She inquired and he pursed his lips. no. I never said that. But you implied it, didnt you? Before Rakna could answer, Higure saved him by turning around and shing them a grin. So? How was it? Impressive, right? I wasnt joking when I said Echoes of Ruin was my strongest magic, she said and the therian sighed. Let me guess, in a fight, opponents caught in the spell will get damaged proportionally to how much noise they make and umte? The lioness snorted. Exactly. Thats why I once joked you would have to lose a limb or two while sparring me. Once the echoes reach a certain threshold, even just a footstep could be loud enough to lose your entire leg. But this is only one of my magics applications. To be fair, I could have just used my Ruin Magic on its own, and the meteor would have been ultimately destroyed in the same way, turned into a state of ruin; essentially disintegrated. lets move on, shall we? Rakna nkly said and the lioness burst outughing. ? * * * ? They eventually arrived at the edge of a crater much bigger than the others. At the center of it and lowest possible location, the monument to trigger the Trial could be seen. I wonder what its going to be this time, Higure mused. Let me take a look, Rakna remarked and his pupils turned into golden crosses. Everyone already knew about his Crystal Sight but it was always as amazing as the first time he used it to peek into the Systems hidden details. In this case, he could determine what the Trial would be without even getting close to it. When he was done checking, he snorted. Well, its a very fitting Trial for this teau, he said and nced at the others. Its a Survival Type. Survival, huh? They are usually fairly easy, via hummed. What do we need to survive? Rakna made a small smile and pointed at the sky with his index finger. seriously? An couldnt help but exim in disbelief. Let me guess; theyre also going to be a lot tougher than those weve had on the way here? Got it in one, the therian shrugged. Lets take advantage of the situation while were at it. None of you have properly shown what you can do after your Main Path Quest. You might as well do it now. Oh, thats a good idea, Nyx nodded. Then, let me take the honors. It most likely wont take long if I use the skill I received from my Sub-Path, she said and her body turned into a whirl of shadows before reforming in front of the Trial instantly after. Rakna watched as she reached for the Trial stone with her hand and looked at Higure. Horny cat, what is the name of her Sub-Path? You should know since youre her Pet, right? The lioness nodded. Child of Twilight, she held her chin. It was exotic; like yours. But unlike you, it seems she was able to assimte it without trouble. Perhaps because the quality of her body is much higher than yours, even with your Alkahestic body. She is by birth a Heavenly-Goddess. That kind of status cannot be fully erased no matter how much power she loses. What was the description? Evelyn asked curiously as they all observed the clouds swirl after the System signaled the start of the Trial. An invisible barrier had already been constructed around the crater and no one would be able to enter or exit until Nyx cleared it. The legacy of an ancient and forgotten being. A creature whose very life and death were denied by the world, Higure narrated. Thats essentially what it said about its origin. Denied by the world Rakna muttered and raised an eyebrow when the meteorite split the sky open. It was at least five timesrger than the ones they had encountered before and undoubtedly stronger. Not to mention that he could sense tremendous mana oozing out of it in waves. Natsu whistled. Worthy of a Trial to reach the 100th teau. I can feel that the mes born from the friction are actually gaining life; almost like one of my kind. Then that means it will be highly resistant to most elemental magic, Mariemented. It might even be able to umte firepower to release on impact. That thing is not a meteor anymore, it is arge-scale destruction spell. Tyran, who was lying his head down on the ground, made a dejected purring sound whilst staring at the meteor. It was as if he was in front of a delicious meal he couldnt touch. Due to his Nirvana Skill, he was well-ustomed to swallowing magic and he was sad that he couldnt taste a unique one such as this. Rakna snickered at that and then, Nyx finally made her move. She raised her hand and pointed her palm at the meteor closing in. Her eyes lit up, the red of her pupils mixing with a dark purple, and a dark spot appeared in the way of the meteorite. [Realm of Twilight,] she chanted and the spot expanded in the blink of an eye. It swallowed the whole meteor before shrinking and disappearing just as fast. That was it; the Trial had ended. Everyone gawked in shock as Nyx calmly lowered her hand. Meanwhile, Raknas eyes were wide open and Crystal Sight was going out of control. For a split second, he had seen something hidden in the depths of that dark sphere. Was that a dragon? He wondered internally and hazy words of which he normally shouldnt know how to read formed in his vision. Queen of the Crepuscule. {Wait, what did you just say?} Fray suddenly raised his voice. {Queen of the Crepuscule? I feel as if I have heard that title before. Oh god, this might be as annoying to find as the records on the Crystal Sage. Give some time to look for it,} he didnt even let Rakna speak before he cut himself off to search his library. The therian shook his head internally and nodded at Nyx who was walking back. She responded in kind with a small smile. That was a pocket dimension, wasnt it? Higure inquired. A terribly stable one as well. Correct, the night goddess replied. This is one of the two abilities Ive received. The first, which is called Realm of Twilight, sends a target into an empty dark dimension. The second one is called the Crepuscule Night. It sends anyone, myself included, within range, into a dimension where the environment is heavily in my favor. But thetter is rather taxing. However, I can also activate it partially and make the night fall in a certain radius instead. So, you could theoretically make a Full Moon at any time, Rakna said and she smiled. Yes. You can take it that way, she said in amusement. You can note that. He almost chuckled at that and looked around. So, whos going next? No one spoke up. youre kidding, right? Who would go after that? Anything we do is going to beckluster. Aah, I can already feel my trauma from middle schooling back An shivered. All right, you go next. Rak, my best friend, have I ever told you that youre a piece of shiC Chapter 282 Chapter 282: Ichubyr Vapiria Rakna looked on with an unusually serious look as An stood at the center of the crater, waiting for the Trial to start. Whats wrong? Higure asked, leaning awfully close to his side. The therians mouth twitched. Shes doing it on purpose, he thought wryly whilst ncing at the lioness grin. He sighed. Im thinking about something, he said. Dont you remember what kind of Path he has? Oh Higure eximed, switching to a less frivolous tone. If youre mentioning that now, does that mean you sensed something? Yes and no. I took a peek at his status with Crystal Sight, Rakna said whilst watching the clouds swirl. His race has changed. What? Marie uttered in rm. What do you mean? I havent noticed anything different. Neither did I at first. The only reason I used Crystal Sight on him was that Sonata had been acting up ever since he finished his Path Quest, the therian said with his hand on his scarf. Sonata? via asked in confusion. How so? Remember how I asked each of you for a drop of blood a while back? Rakna replied and they all nodded. Sonata has essentially locked onto your blood and can now track you down. But now, the signature of Ans blood has changed and Sonata noticed it. Are you saying his transformation into a creature of the Abyss has already started? Higure asked with a somber frown. What race did he change into? At this point, we can only hope its something along the lines of a vampire. Thats manageable. And since he doesnt seem any different, it seems we still have time to handle the transformation. Rakna unexpectedly smiled at her words. At the same time, the meteor emerged from the clouds, and the topic of their discussion was looking at his clenched hand with a serious face. I dont think well need to be too cautious, Rakna stated and pointed at the blond. Everyone focused on An who was straining his neck to stare at the meteorite, his arms not even raised in any form of stance. That didnt change even as it was getting dangerously close. What is he doing? Evelyn asked worriedly. Meanwhile, Natsu hummed and looked at Rakna. My Lord, if you already know, what is the exact name of the Abyss Race he turned into? The therian snorted. I didnt know what it was until I saw it today but maybe some of you do. The words written on his status are exactly this; Ichubyr Vapiria. Oh, I see, Ichubyr Higure stopped herself and twitched. Sorry, what?! {Excuse me, what?!} Fray echoed her. An! Marie yelled right after and everyone saw the meteor finally crashing. In their eyes, there was only a split second where they could see the blonds immobile figure before it was swallowed by an explosion. The barrier of the Trial confined everything to a limited radius and thus it was filled up with mes climbing upward and numerous rocks firing off in all directions. {The Ichubyr Vapirias are hailed as Ancestors among vampiric races,} Fray started exining as the st reached its peak. {But they are quite different from the true Ancestors widely known as Ambrogio and d Drac Tepes. Their name is derived from the reputation they gained as the Ichor Vampires; the bats that feed on the blood of Gods.} The mes eventually died down and before the dust could even settle, the clearing notification of the Trial rang. Higure smirked as she saw a silhouette through the cloud. Hey, Devourer, since you used those eyes, then you should know, right? She said and he calmly eyed her. The dust fully settled and the silhouette was revealed. It was nearly four meters tall, bulging with muscle mass. It had dark skin and short ck fur concentrated around the upper body, specifically around the neck like a lion mane. It had wide and vertical ears, a short muzzle that was slightly pushed in but elongated like a canine, and intimidating rows of fangs, sharp and long. Its legs were bent forward as if ready to jump and, on its back, protruded a pair of translucent and reddish wings; just like a bat. Amidst the destroyed environment, it was standing perfectly upright, its unicolor red eyes focused on nothing but the front, and smoke emitting from its body. It seemingly had survived the meteor impact with no injury whatsoever. Ichubyrs are also called werebats, Higure grinned. Hahaha, so weve got a third shapeshifter on our hands, huh? Rakna snorted and as soon as the Trials barrier was down, An, now in the form of a humanoid bat, pped his wings and swiftlynded next to the group. He silently looked at everyone with an unreadable gaze and after a short awkward silence, the werebat grunted. Um, Ive got a problem. I dont know how to return to normal He muttered with a deeper tone of voice. Also, Im hearing a weird whistling and its annoying the shit out of me what do I do? Oi, dont just look at me like that. use yourC I swear to god, Rak, if you say instinct, Im gonna punch you. ? * * * ? After five minutes spent trying to shrink his body back, An finally seeded and patted himself in relief. Thank God, I almost thought I was going to be stuck like that Sure, but put some clothes on now, Rakna deadpanned while almost everyone else had turned around when they realized the blond had lost his clothes in the process of his transformation. Oh, right. I didnt even think of that, he replied whilst wearing a change of clothes from his spatial ring. Honestly, after seeing you transform so many times, I forgot it was a thing. Well, Allegro does automatically fit my werewolf form. But you can just ask your AI from now on to program the automatic action of storing your clothes whenever you transform. I guess Ill do that. Thanks, An nodded and anxiously nced at Higure, who had not bothered looking away, and was now staring at him. Um, something wrong? Hm, the lioness hummed and alternated between him and Rakna. Then she made an exaggerated sigh whilst shaking her head. Hey, what the hell?! An shouted. What is that supposed to mean?! Well, you really cannotpare to my Devourers body after all, Higure casually said. I dont even want to respond to that. More importantly, Marie spoke up with her arms crossed. How do you feel? Do you have urges to kill or drink blood? An sweatdropped. Come on, if I had those, I would have probably instantly told you. Id be way too scared to be on the opposing end of Rak if I ever lost control or something. Haha, thats a very wise judgment, Higure chuckled. But there is no need to worry. From what I know of Ichubyrs, they have a much tamer hunger. However, they are extremely attracted to holy or divine blood. Lets see; do you feel anything when you look at Nyx? She asked and An nced at the former goddess before shaking his head. No, nothing. I also was worried about that at first but it didnt happen. Is it because my divinity is low at the moment? Nyx tilted her head. No, that shouldnt be the case. I have heard of your kind before; outside the System. When ites to my ichor, I should be leagues above most Gods, even in my current state. {Its more likely that his conversion into a creature of the Abyss isntplete yet,} Fray butted into the conversation. {Presumably, the change has yet to fully ur. For example, the color of your eyes, or the shape of your teeth, hasnt changed in your human form. If I had to guess, I would say that the more Path Quests youplete, the more youll transform.} Thats what I figured as well, An shrugged. Also, if I trust what the System is telling me, there should be no problem for me to feed on animal blood if needed. So, I guess I got lucky. I could have turned into a race much harder to satiate. That does intrigue me a bit, Higure remarked. How did you even turn into an Ichubyr? Thats not something you can transform into just by random luck. Were talking about a creature capable of being ssified as Legendary such as me or the Nine-Tailed. Its not a typical urrence. How the fuck am I supposed to know? An shot back with a nk stare and she blinked. Uh fair enough. What did you do for your Path Quest? Rakna asked. Maybe that can help. The blond stiffened and rubbed the back of his neck. My Quest He sighed. Basically, I became a sort of Vampire Hunter in the scenario. It started with me encountering a little girl and it didnt take long for me to notice that she was a vampire. But most importantly I also was one. So, the Quest changed your race before you even cleared it, Higure mused. After that, I followed the girl to something she called a banquet. I honestly expected what it was before I even got there, but that didnt help me prepare at all. It was some sort of celebration full of vampires, drinking on the blood of hypnotized humans. Some were already dead too. When we arrived, the girl that I had been following nonchntly joined in. Im not going to lie, I was rooted on the spot, he said with a strained smile and Marie softly grabbed his hand. did you attack them? Rakna asked. Hah, as if I could. There were too many of them, so I could only clench my fists and hold it in. But thats not the worst part; I actually felt thirsty. The smell of blood was damn near-intoxicating. Everyone fell silent at that. They could hear the sheer struggle in his voice. They didnt need any further details to understand what he must have felt. {What did you do?} Everyone heard Fray ask. {From my own experience, and the testimony of other Hosts, Quests like the one you had are tests. They influence your growth; the style, you could say, of your future abilities. If you had sumbed to the urges, you might have turned into a Thrall, a Ghoul, or a low-rank vampire.} An snickered at that and they looked at him. What did I do? Nothing. Its not like Simtions have time limits. I could have stayed for as long as I wanted if I never aplished anything. Wait, what do you mean by that? I didnt move, the blond said with a sigh. For two whole months, I did nothing but stand there where that girl had left me off. Day and night. Whether vampires or humans came to talk to me, I did nothing. I felt like if I moved even just an inch, I would lose control. I just endured the burn of the sun and fought the bloodthirst by channeling my Intent and internal force until I could perfectly control myself. I guess vampires are strong enough to survive that long without food, he uttered nonchntly. Higure scowled. That would require inhuman amounts of willpower. How did you cope? This time, it was Rakna who let out a chuckle in his friends stead. This guy might be an idiot, but do not underestimate his mental fortitude. An smiled wryly. Thanks for thepliment, I guess, he said and nced at the lioness. This was nothing for mepared to the days where I would spend weeks without eating when I was not even ten years old. Theres no better way to shape your mind than controlling your hunger for years on end. Thats just what it means to be an orphan on the streets. I owe it to the old master and Rak for pulling me out of there. Marie held his hand tighter but maintained her calm expression. What what did you do afterpletely reigning in the thirst for blood? She asked to change subjects and he chuckled. Simple, I hunted them down during the day. One by one. Then when I got to thest and strongest vampire in the scenario city, I purposefully drank his blood. It was the only thing I coulde up with to take revenge for all those people they killed. I gave them a taste of their own medicine. {I see} Frays musing hum sounded. {Admirable. That is why you got that race Not only did you refuse to bow to the vampiric instincts, but you also defeated them. Furthermore, you drank the blood of your strongest target; an act that resembles the Ichubyrs in their proud hunt for the highest quality of prey.} Well, honestly, at the end of the day, Im kinda happy, An added chirpily. Those two months were super useful to me. I advanced my Intent Control quite a lot and although I still have no idea how to use soul power, that Ki Foundation technique from Frays library is quite nice. In summary, we dont have to worry about you anymore. Good to know, Rakna casually closed the discussion, and everyone almost face-faulted. All right, who is going next? Hey, Rak! The newly born Ichubyr snapped in mock annoyance. Dont brush off my struggles like that! Dont worry, its not like I dont care about it. But you took a bit too long to exin and we dont have all day, the therian retorted dryly, but there was a small curve in the corner of his lips. Thats the same thing! An promptly retorted but he also had a grin on his face. The rest of the group caught on to what was happening and smiled now that the mood had been cleared. Chapter 283 Chapter 283: Infernity Evelyn breathed in and pressed the System window in order to start the Trial. She looked up and sighed internally. If she wanted to show off what her Path Quest had given her, she would have to summon him. She quietly groaned. Lets just hope he doesnt try anything weird, she muttered to herself and spread her arms out, her eyes red up with power. On the ground below her, a pentagram made out of blue mes was drawn in an instant. [By Our Contract, I Summon You,] she chanted and a hand abruptly shot out from within the magic formation. Ittched onto the ground and pulled the rest of its body up. The towering figure of a horned demon with charcoal skin gradually emerged and stood behind his summoner. His mouth formed a grin as he hefted a great hammer. His eyes, which resembled ellipses ofva, narrowed as he looked at the meteor. [Hell Evocation C Belial,] Evelyn called his name and heughed as he felt his existence being anchored. Haha, I shall show you the might of Belial, Priestess! Feast your eyes, he dered and his talons struck against the ground. In the blink of an eye, he rocketed through the air, his hammer held in one hand; rxed and parallel to his body. As he approached the meteor, the mes became tamer as if they were afraid to burn any stronger in his presence. From below, Rakna watched his ascension curiously. That demonic being was releasing a type of energy that closely reminded him of divinity but simultaneously feltpletely different. Gods have divinity, Nyx suddenlymented whilst standing next to him. It was as if she knew what he was thinking about. Were not all necessarily holy beings, but divinity is by nature. That is why even Hades himself would have holy energy. Because that is what Gods are. They are not good or evil; they are just holy. What that represents for humans is up to them only. Right then, Belial collided with the meteor and what happened next was instantaneous. The whole integrity of the giant rock copsed without resistance. Every single bit of debris didnt even get the chance to fall further, and stagnated in the air before being swallowed by the mes that had previously coated the meteorite. Belial emerged from the mes, surrounded by ashes and the meteor that had been pulverized to microscopic scales, and let himself drop with the force of gravity. Then, theres the opposite, Nyx continued as Belialnded. There are demons, but they are not quite equivalent to Gods. The only beings capable of standing on equal but opposite sides to Gods are Devils. They arent holy in any shape or form, but you could say they nheless have a divine essence. At the end of the day, the main difference between Gods and Devils is the source of their power; the formeres from faith while thetteres from dread. Rakna nced at the former goddess as the Trials barrier was taken down. Gods are ideals of grandeur. Devils are ideals of terror, she said with a sigh. Some people refer to both of their energies as divinity. But others started using another word for Devils; Infernity. It is what youre currently sensing from him. Oh? I see that theres someone knowledgeable about the inner workings of Hell here, a loud and booming voice echoed, along with the sounds and tremors of footsteps. Belial was approaching the group, ignoring the flustered Evelyn floating around his head to make him stop. Hey! I told you not to do anything weird! Why are you still here?! Youre taking way too much mana! Sheined with crocodile tears. Haha, its fine, Priestess. Im sure you can keep me around for a few minutes more. Thats not the point! The devil eventually stopped walking and looked at Nyx with a smirk. Hm, are you a divine vessel perhaps? He mused and crossed his arms. No, not quite. A fallen goddess? Lets see the feeling of darkness and silence around you; night? Then, that would make you He seemingly reached a satisfying conclusion and nodded. I did hear about one of the Elysium Pirs disappearing after their fight with Eternal Night; was that you? You sure know a lot Nyx responded with narrowed eyes. Hell has eyes everywhere, he retorted and gave everyone else a cursory nce. A Dusk Lion, a Nine-Headed Hydra, an Asura, an Ichubyr, a Chaos Witch, a Green Lamia, a Celestial ze, andst but not least, a Nine-Tailed Werewolf, he listed and focused on Rakna. How special; the causality around you is immensely strong. Is it just because the Kind Demon is rted to you? Raknas eye twitched. Causality? And how do you know about my old man? Belial snorted and pointed at Evelyn. Whatever my Priestess knows, I know as well. But even if it wasnt that way, its hard for any dweller of Hell not to know about Eternal Night. For a while, we were quite scared that he would put his sights on us. So, we kept an eye on him, and also looked into him, which includes you among other things. Wait, what is this Hell youve been talking about? Higure inquired with a frown. The only one I have ever heard about was the ce they called an Original Land outside the System. And that was exactly one of the things that Eternal Night is supposedly responsible for destroying. {Thats what I heard as well,} Fray concurred and Belial was a bit surprised, not having sensed his presence inside Raknas soul until now. {You are seemingly referring to something that even the Kind Demon didnt bother interfering with.} Hmph, I see the people in this pocket world dont know about it. What do you children think Hell is? The devil asked and Evelyn groaned quietly, understanding that the conversation would take a little while, and popped a mana recovery pill. The ce where the dead go? An casually answered the question and Belial shook his head. Wrong. Maybe there are ces like that, but they are simply lesser dimensions attached to small Realities or nes of Existence. They use the name Hell out of convenience at best, he exined and snorted. No, the Hell I hail from is the true one. It is a Realm. You may not know, but a ce that has gained the qualification of Realm is considered the height of creation. For instance, the few Realms known to Existence are the Dream Realm, the Nightmare Realm, the Life Realm, the Death Realm, the Quantum Realm, the Chrome Realm, the Prison Realm; poprly known as Kymestuos and Eternal Nights greatest creation; and finally, we have Akashas Realm, or Egregore if you prefer, and Hell; also called the Infernal Realm. That is a bit too much information to handle, via wrylymented. Belial snickered. Well, you probably cannot even fathom how important they are. But would it be easier if I told you that among those, the Life and Death Realms are the reason why Magic Circuits and Worldly Energies, such as mana, exist in the first ce? What? Then that would mean Yes, theyre responsible for almost everything supernatural in Existence, Belial stated. Do you understand now how big of a deal Realms are? Everyone fell silent as they processed the new information. They thought that they wouldnt be surprised by revtions like these anymore after joining the System, but the more they learned, the more they realized that the System itself was probably just a small part of the universe. Now, I wont bore you with the details about each Realm, Belial continued. In the first ce, no one even knows if there arent any that havent been discovered yet. Even those that stand at the top such as Eternal Night are lost in that regard. But what I can tell you is how Hell was created. Its not thatplicated in actuality, he added. Hell is an agglomeration of negative emotions. We devils are born from masses of negativity across Existence. My Infernity is mainlyposed of Wrath for instance. But you could say its just one of my many ingredients. You act pretty chill for a devil of wrath, An remarked and Belial burst outughing. Hahaha! Is that so? If you see me that way, its fine. But just so you know, wrath has many forms and they are not always indiscriminate. Lets say my aspect of wrath only res up against beings that havemitted very specific sins. Oh, and dont misunderstand, we have nothing to do with the cardinal sins. Devils can be anything; jealousy, desperation, revenge, hatred, sadness, and even twisted versions of love. {If I may,} Fray raised his voice. {If the Realm of Hell exists, does Heaven?} Ah, that, Belial huffed in amusement. Of course not. What would it be if it did? An agglomerate of positive emotions? Thats nonsense. Eh? Why? Evelyn asked curiously as she stood on his shoulder. They dont linger I would assume, Rakna interjected and the devil grinned. Right on the money. Thats the thing about positive people, isnt it? Heughed. They dont have the grit to fight; they die with a smile on their face. Their emotions scatter without intent. You can only be a devil He harrumphed. If you have the desperation and hatred necessary to w your way back. Hell is a regtor. If it didnt exist, the negativity would run rampant and do far more destruction than any devil or demon back home could ever do. That is most likely why Eternal Night decided to leave us alone. Lest he finds a solution, we are the worst Pandorica he could ever open. And its not like Hell is much of a threat, despite its name, Belial shrugged. The most interaction we get outside the realm is through people like Hell Priests. Which Evelyn became, huh? Raknamented. Yes, the girl has a satisfactory amount of death causality and abilities for the job, Belial said. But it seems weve talked too much. I just wanted to chat a bit, but after not being out of Hell in more than a thousand years, Ive forgotten how annoying it is for us Devils to remain materialized, he added as he felt the mana provided to him gradually fading. The subus on his shoulder gave him a re as if to say no shit. Even if she replenished her mana with medicine, the Path Skill that allowed her to summon Belial had a time limit, and it put quite a strain on her magic circuits as well. Belial was considered a High-Low Rank Devil ording to the Systems measuring. If it were to be tranted into levels, however, he was well over 900 with incredibly powerful personal skills and energy. Summoning such a being, even if its in a weaker state, was a monumental feat. Wait, you mentioned causality when you saw me as well, Rakna said. What did you mean? Oh, that? Belial cocked his head. You dont know? I can feel the wrath inside you though. I think you should be plenty aware of it. Wrath? The therian muttered and his eyes widened. There were two prominent elements on his status that had Wrath in their description; Ireful Descent and Wrathful Obsidian Blood. Well, if you dont know, let me tell you this. The causality I was talking about is something we use in Hell to describe the creation of negative energy, the devil exined before pointing at Evelyn with his finger. Thisss has an affinity for it. But you, you simply have it. Get it? Nyx seemed to have caught onto something and turned toward Rakna in shock. That would mean he that cant be! She raised her voice and to everyone who knew how calm she could be, it was rather unsettling. That goddess understood it already but Ill tell you anyway, Belial continued as his body began to fade. He pointed his finger at Rakna. Youre generating death causality on your own. I have no idea how, honestly, but youre doing something that only devils should be able to do. Maybe youve been exposed to extreme amounts of lingering negative energy in the past and somehow managed to merge with it without dying. Raknas face twitched at that. There was only one possible instance in his life that could possibly match that kind of circumstance. Could it be? That would exin many things, he thought with a frown and made a mental note to analyze himself with Crystal Sightter. All in all, you have infernity inside you and if youre not careful, you might turn into a full-fledged Devil, Belial concluded with a smirk and everyone looked at Rakna in confusion, more than actual concern. None of them had noticed anything weird about him prior to now, and only Nyx seemed to be flustered because of her own knowledge about the subject. Well, regardless, Hell would dly wee you if that happens, Belial finished with augh and a pentagram appeared under him, opening a gate to bring him back to Hell. Oh, times up. Damn, that was fast. Hey, Priestess, next time, summon me for a proper fight, okay? Punching a big rock is fun and all but it doesnt make my blood pump. Um sure? The phantom sweatdropped. Alright, see you on the battlefield, the devilughed and was sucked in by the pentagram. As the traces of energypletely died down, Rakna exhaled before anyonemented on what they had just heard. Ill go next. I guess Ill go see myself if what he said is true, he dered and dashed to the Trial stone with a burst of Star sh. Chapter 284 Chapter 284: Grand Reinforcement Before starting the Trial, Rakna inhaled and made a conscious effort to trigger Crystal Sight at its highest possible output. For a split second, the golden light shone all around him and two crosses even momentarily manifested outside his body before being sucked in by his eyes. The world slowed down and he used his inhuman vision to look at himself from every angle. Then, he grunted and a fiery aura enveloped him. His hair and fur became crimson, and he observed the transformation millisecond by millisecond. When his eyes shed red under the golden crosses, signaling theplete shift, he had already found what he was looking for. I knew it, he spoke with a pronounced inflection befitting of his volcanic state. That guy was right; whenever Obsidian Blood activates, infernityes out of me for less than a second and converts my magic and physical attributes. I knew I had felt something inside me respond to the demonic energy when I used the demonization {Hm, you should indeed have felt something,} Fraymented. {Infernal and demonic energy are fundamentally different things, but its not to the point that parallels cannot be drawn. After all, if you asked a random person what the difference between a demon and a devil is, they would chalk it up to being the same thing; thats how simr they are.} Its fucking confusing, thats what it is Rakna spat and the storyteller coughed. {Ah yes, I almost forgot that youck eloquence in this state} What annoys me is that I cant control it, the therian continued. Whether its demonic or infernal energy; one just warps my mind, and the other swallows it I guess ites down to this in the end; I need to Ascend my volcanic element. {Huh?} Fray was confused. {Why did ite to that all of a sudden?} You dont remember what happened with my Hoarfrost Star or what? Rakna retorted and before saying anything else, he quietly reverted to his normal mental state after igniting a cigarette. He huffed then promptly solidified his soul power into circuits. He activated Founding Intuition and let his mind plunge into the knowledge of Egregore. Soul dust gushed out of his body as it was being burned to fuel the skill. When my element gained the Crystal aspect of my Kzanaria, my mind was stabilized, he said as he tranted the vague feelings given to him by his skill. Although the System didnt show it, I felt a change ur with Obsidian Blood. If Im not wrong, if I borrow the Crystal Sages power through my opposite elements, and thenbine them, I might be able to ovee a long-standing wall in my soul, he dered and groaned, closing one eye and consuming more of his soul power to get a specific answer. From that point onward He paused, struggling to speak for a short moment, and then squinted his eyes. gathering the Seven Sins shoulde easier. Once I possess all of them, I will be able to be a Devil by kick starting the infernity with demonic energy and with that, the crystal will be filled and the stonC! He abruptly stopped and wed at his throat as if he was trying to restrain something. The soul circuits were forcefully closed afterward and Founding Intuition was terminated. [Rakna?!] Ceres yelled in worry as the therian wobbled and copsed on one knee. She had beenpletely taken off guard by the unexpected development. RaknaC! A voice cried out from outside of the Trial zone and Rakna waved at his group to stop them froming. He quickly recovered his bearings and sent them a brief telepathic message to tell them everything was fine. {Did you just?} Fray spoke in disbelief. The therian grunted and stood up. I was forced out of the Intuition. I guess trying to dig into the Third Stage of the Origin Flux for my irvoyance was a bit too rash. [The Solon Intent of the Firmament Monarchs] Ceres whispered. [That would mean you were about to form a prophecy about your future based on Egregores knowledge.] {Good God, its one thing after the other with you,} Fray sighed. thats enough chatting. In short, I have to be Satan, then a Devil, and by some lucky stuff that I most likely wont understand, Ill get some skill that might be rted to my described death in that book, Rakna uttered and pressed on the button to start the Trial, causing the sky to swirl. {What a casual tone for such an outrageous statement} The fabulist couldnt even react. While the meteor was on its way, Rakna opened his status in full for the first time in a while. His eyes scanned the words and numbers to refresh his mind about his current abilities. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra de Age: 19 | Level: 126 (590/1 386) Race: Alkahestic Nine-Tailed Werewolf Path: Nine-Tailed Werewolf Sub-Path: Nephilim [126/250] Affiliation: Throne of Glory (Member) C Obsidian Throne (Leader) ? Titles: Legendary yer C Legendary Wolf Emperor C Divinity yer C Treasure Hunter C Nemesis of the Abyss C Dungeon Bane C Cmity Hunter C Dimension Breaker C The Kind Demons Kin C True Imperial Designation C Chalice of Wishes C Limitless Traveler C Sovereign Monarch of Firmament C Emperor of a Solitary Land C Anti-Divinity C Elysian Pariah ? Potential: S+ | Host Rank: X | Ascent: I ? Normal Attributes: STR: 125.2 | END: 121.4 SPD: 125.2 + 12.5 | DEX: 118.4 INT: 119.2 | LCK: 9 ? Werewolf Attributes: STR: 202.8 | END: 196.7 SPD: 223 | DEX: 191.8 INT: 193.1 | LCK: 9 ? Avable Vtile Points: 0 Avable Attribute Points: 200.8 (Ascent Correction: 100.4) Avable Skill Points: 3 ? Normal Statistics: STA: 921/941 | MP: 5521/5644 SWI: 700 | AGI: 733 SEN: 3410 | ATC: 630 ATT: 1265 + 20% Frost | DEF: 1171.28 MA: 470 | MR: 74.1/min LP: 4680/5000 ? Werewolf Statistics: STA: 1405 | MP: 7122 SWI: 1082 | AGI: 1012 SEN: 5257 | ATC: 1016 ATT: 1873 | DEF: 1535 MA: 714 | MR: 91.9/min LP: 4680/5 000 ? Proficiencies: ? C Rune Smith (Lv. 21 ??) C Soul Sense (Lv. Ex ?) C Mana Sense (Lv. Ex ?) C Mana Control (Lv. Ex ?) C Magic Craft (Lv.19 ?) C Flight (Lv. 17 ?) C Arms Master (Lv. 15 ?) C Sunken Ripple of Rupture (Lv. 15 ?) C Weaver of The Material (Lv.12 ?) C Tracking (Lv. Ex) C Lunar Control (Lv. Ex) C Spiritual Intent Control (Lv. Max) ? Magic Skills: ? C Hoarfrost Star Magic (Lv. 17 ?) => [Hoarfrost Star Manifestation (T.0); Natcattiram Carivu (T.2); Hoarfrost Nova (T.3); Natcattira Vi (T.4), Natcattiram Cataract (T.5), Hoarfrost Blizzard (T.6), Natcattira Kir?am (T.6), Natcattiram Vi?untatu (T.6), Star Puppetry (T.10 C T.1); Forger of The Stars (T.10 C T.1); Star Monarch (T.10 C T.1); Hoarfrost Mist (T.10)] ? C Mystic Hoarfrost Star Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Uniform] C Sloth Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Morfas Efiltis (T.8), Path of Absolution (T.9)] C Union Magic (Sloth + Hoarfrost) C Frosted Sloth => [Niflhel Niflheim (T.7); Tkkamum (T.8)] ? Cognitive Skills: ? C Absolution of Belphegor (Lv. UEX ???) C Pain Immunity (Lv-) C Mind Immunity (Lv-) -Fatigue Immunity (Lv-) C Souls Decree (Lv. 29 ??) C Fear Resistance (Lv. 22 ??) C Primal Soul Core (Lv. Ex ?) C Frost Soul Aura (Lv. Ex ?) C Damage Resistance (Lv. 19 ?) C Death Perception (Lv. Max) C Mana Coils (Lv.8) ? Spontaneous Skills: ? C Awakening of Divinity (-) C Empirical Tribtion (-) C All Virtues Shall Sloth (UEX ???) C The Mask of Phobos (UEX ???) C Kaleidoscope Crystal Sight (UEX ???) C Rift Shuttle (EX ???) C Tail Clone (EX ???) C Quintuple Burst (Lv-) C Celestial Gate (Lv-) C Eonian Gate (Lv-) C Grand Reinforcement (Lv.21 ??) C Star sh (Lv. Ex ?) C Soul Scourge (Lv. 17 ?) C Dead Men Tell (Lv. 17 ?) C Call of Hounds (Lv.16 ?) C Stealth (Lv. 15 ?) C Artzpul (Lv. 15 ?) C ws (Lv. Ex) C Legendary Imperial Guard (Lv. Ex) C Raise Undead (Lv. Ex) C Gigantism (Lv. Ex) C Soul Drain (Lv. Ex) C Gradation Hex Buffer (Lv. Ex) ? Path Skills: ? C Moon Shine of the Nine Moons => [Lunar Ascendant; Moon Howl; Lunar Drop.] C Lunae Cosmos C Valkal of The Reverse Side ? Nirvana Skills: ? C The Harvester C The Scavenger C Ascension of the Titan C Ireful Descent C Wings of Spatial Copse C ny Ka?aiciykac Cirikkum C The Wolf Shall Have The Last Laugh ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? C Wrathful Obsidian Blood C Shape Shift C True Smell of the Wolf God C Luqus Wings C Void Breathing C Eye of Symphony C Prima Alkahest Materia Physique => [Integrated: Shuttle Specter Physique; Standard Regeneration; Internalized Magic Circuits.] C Chalice of the Crystal Wolf ? ? ? ? ? {As usual, it is a status that could make one faint.} Wait, Im 18? Rakna blinked. {thats what you focus on?} The therian ignored Fray and made a simple calction in his head in the split of a second. Oh, I see now. Hey, Ceres, how does the System count age? [By how much time they have experienced,] she answered swiftly, already aware of why he was asking that. I suppose that makes sense. I wasnt that close to my birthday before entering the System but I did spend half a year inside the simtion. Its kinda funny now that I think about it; my body has surpassed literalws of nature at this point, but its not even fully grown. I might even still have a few inches to go to reach my full height. [But you could make it happen,] Ceresmented. Rakna smiled faintly. True. If I wanted to, I could even turn into an eighty-year-old man or a ten-year-old child. But I dont like changing my appearance like that. If changes ur naturally, I dont care, but consciously redefining my features feels wrong. Especially if its for something as childish as wanting to look older. At the end of the day, with a body like this, which could be anything, I have to be careful or one day, I fear I wont ever feel like its me anymore. [I see] She sounded pensive. [I think I understand.] He let out a chuckle and focused on his status. Lets see now, what should I use for this Trial? He mused like a child deciding what game he should y. This was how trivial this Trial was for him. He hadnt gained many status elements during the past few weeks, but he had massively increased their level. Actually, he would even say that his array of skills had decreased because of the several Skill Synthesizes he had performed. In total, it amounted to five. The first was abination of cksmithing and Runecraft; Rune Smith. It was a culmination of proficiencies that involved weapon making and rune creation. Its a skill that vastly improved his forged items and he even used a Skill Point to push it to the Demi-God stage. The second synthesis had formed the proficiency Magic Craft. It incorporated the three essential pirs of magic knowledge; Magic Theory, Magic Circle Theory, and Magic Formation Theory. Overall, it had made his magical knowledge more solid in his mind and easier to unravel. The third, Weaver of the Material, was a rathermon one despite its grand-sounding name. Itbined manufacturing techniques such as woodworking or even sewing. The fourth was Damage Resistance, made from three different kinds of Resistance skills. In this case, they were Dimensional, Physical, and Magical Resistance. The advantage of this skill was obvious; instead of epassing only one kind of damage, it applied to everything. The fifth andst one was Grand Reinforcement. He had gotten this skill in a stroke of luck after learning a skill that dropped in the 80th teau. It was a rare one called Astral Reinforcement. It could affect the non-physical and had a wide spectrum of applications. He then synthesized it with the three other Reinforcement skills he had; Hoarfrost, Projectile, and Weapon Reinforcement. Overall, Grand Reinforcement was the best skill he had learned. Since it had been made with the special breed of Reinforcement of his Star affinity, it turned out rather unique. Not only could he reinforce himself and anything he touched, but they would also transform into star energy as his body did. Well, I guess I could use that, Rakna mumbled as he looked up at the meteor finally falling toward him. For some reason, he could see that it was a bit stronger than the others and it also had taken a bit more time to arrive. Really why are the Trials always harder when its me doing them I swear, Ill spank my so-called little sister one day, he kidded and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his body erupted with an aura of frost. The temperature fell so fast and drastically that the air confined by the Trial barrier turned foggy. Where Rakna stood, patches of frost appeared on the ground. Then, he clenched his right hand and his nanomites squirmed as he attempted something he had used some time to perfect recently. Allegro and Andante glowed and fused with the Eion material of his flesh, and after a moment, his skin shone silver and became as smooth as metal, with pulses of cyan energy coursing through it. This was his experiment; topact his nanites to the maximum with the help of his defensive items perks. In this case, his sleeve and glove got temporarily sucked in by his body to bolster his arms defense and power. The downsides were that it inflicted damage to his items and the less austere perks of his items couldnt be used. If used on his entire body, it would make it harder to move properly and it also restrained some of his traits and skills. Not a really effective technique honestly but it does have the side-bonus of boosting reinforcing magic, Raknamented and promptly transformed into a werewolf. He didnt hold back on his Gigantism and nearly reached seven meters in height. His arm was still transformed, but with his fur and ws recolored silver and cyan. It felt uncanny because of its mechanical-looking appearance. Rakna clenched his fist a few times and smiled faintly. He lowered his body as the air around him began to be affected by the meteors heat. Two pairs of majestic wings sprouted from his back and started shimmering. He put one hand on the ground and charged his mana. [Artzpul,] he intoned and in the blink of an eye, a sonic wave tore through the air and a small crater was dug. The werewolfs figure disappeared and in the next second, a collision was heard above, followed by a shockwave. Everyone spectating gawked as they saw a winged blue dot going head-on against the meteor. Hes pushing it back, Evelyn muttered in awe. The meteorite had literally stopped falling and the mes had been extinguished by the cold aura of the Hoarfrost Star. Now, it just looked like Rakna was carrying a small mountain. Rakna snorted as his silver arm was buried inside the stone. If he wanted, just like this, he could let the meteor fall harmlessly andplete the Trial. But that wouldnt be fun now, would it? He jested and activated one of his newest skills. [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath] He intoned the first line of his Cl Lli to bolster his strength and narrowed his eyes. [Grand Reinforcement.] Arge amount of mana flowed through the metallic arm and then spread throughout the meteor with a visible-like pattern. Rakna immediately smiled as he felt the meteor be lighter. He could finally rx his wings that had been supporting the weight and soon enough, it was as if the whole mass was gone. Rakna pulled his arm out and calmly let himself be dragged by gravity. Hended on the ground with his wings gone, his werewolf form dismissed, and his arm back to normal. Meanwhile, the meteor was simply floating. It wasnt falling or even going up, it just remained still and airborne while releasing a faint blue light. Aah, well, Id say that worked out pretty well, the therian said and popped his neck. He pointed his hand at the meteor above him and created a vacuum of energy in his palm. The giant rock was promptly deconstructed into millions of motes of light that were rapidly sucked in by his hand. Rakna grunted as he siphoned everything in a few seconds and when it was done, the momentum made him lower his arm and close his fuming hand. ? ? ? ? ? 90th teau: Survival Trial Completed! You have gained the right to leave the 50th teau. ? Do you wish to exercise it now? You have 26 206 hours to make your decision. Yes/No ? ? ? ? ? The Trial barrier was taken down right after and the therianspanions were dumbfounded. In all truthfulness, they already expected something incredible from him. It wasnt new. But what he had just done was apletely different story. Thats Nyx held her chin. He reinforced the meteor and turned it into Star Energy To convert it fully, it would undoubtedly require several thousand units of mana and monstrous control. Its rather crude and inefficient but Rakna has the necessary talent to drain the energy afterward to recover the spent mana or even use it to fuel his spells. Incredible I could have never guessed Elemental Reinforcement could be used that way. It feels like some kind of advanced energetic transmutation, Evelyn muttered. I wonder if I could do the same thing Of course, Rakna said as he appeared next to them. He smiled at the subus. My reinforcement may be a bit special, but you can probably do the same with your Sub-Paths transmutation. All I know is that it looked crazy, An said with a snort. Well, I dont think it was that amazing, honestly, the therian shrugged. Each of us has distinct ways of dealing with that thing. For example, An, you decided to withstand it, but you could have destroyed it with your fists if you had wanted. You could also have used Void Magic to erase any threat in you direct vicinity. Its all a matter of perspective. Indeed, Higure nodded with an impish smile. After all, the only reason we cant help ourselves whenever you do something is just that youre a chronic show-off. Rakna pursed his lips at that and everyoneughed. That aside, what happened to you there before you started? An asked with a scowl. You gave us a fright. Hm, long story short, I was a bit too greedy and tried to look into the future, Rakna said casually and tilted his head toward his friend. Kind of backfired. Turns out its hard. no shit. Chapter 285 Chapter 285: Noble Passion via smiled, her eyes viewing the fiery meteorite. Much like everyone else, she had many ways toplete this Trial but if she were to show off her Sub-Path, a more special method would be needed. She slowly and meticulously formed hand signs. With each one she performed, a symbol the size of a fist would pop up in front of her hands before fading. She went through about seven of them and then fished out a ceremonial dagger from her storage. She cut her palm and felt no pain thanks to the weapons specific enchantments. Her blood flowed out but instead of dripping off, it traveled upward to the tip of her finger. Then, all seven of the symbols returned and revolved around it as if to charge something. Are those runes? Marie asked whilst watching and Higure shook her head. No, or at least, its definitely not the runes I know. thats Theban, Nyx said and everyone looked at her. If you had to ssify it though, those are technically runes. They are also called the Sorcerers Alphabet. It is a variant of the Latin alphabet used by ancient ultists. Uh, did you learn that while you were a goddess? An asked curiously. My closest friend, which I also consider my mother figure, is one of the most powerful witches to have ever existed, she replied simply. As far as Sorcery goes, there is no one better than her. Its a given I would know about it. Then, what is she doing right now? Evelyn asked whilst pointing at via who was pointing at the meteor with her bloodied finger. Those seven letters she formed are E, X, I, T, I, U, M. Its a word. Depending on what specific kind of energy she put into the runes, it would give a different result. But considering the meaning of the word, her blood ritual, as well as the hand signs, shes probably Nyx trailed as she saw a minuscule sh of red light at the tip of vias finger. Itunched a crimson bead at the meteor and seemingly disappeared in the mes. But via had a smile on her face as if it was already over. She lowered her arm and calmly wiped the blood off her dagger with a white cloth. The instant the de was entirely clean, the meteor abruptly changed courses. As if driven by an invisible force, it turned at an impossible angle and collided against the barrier. It burst on impact and the Trial was terminated. via exhaled a pleased huff and walked back to everyone as the falling debris of the meteor faded away after being retrieved by the System. Hey, teach, what was that exactly? An promptly inquired as she approached them. Then, with a terrifyingly pure beaming face and a small peace sign, she answered, I cursed it. The blond silently took a step backward and cleared his throat. I-I see Nice going. Marie gave him a t look as he made himself smaller behind her. Really? W-what? He eximed. Thats scary, okay?! And you call yourself a man? Shouldnt you be consoling me?! An retorted in betrayal. I can hear everything you know via muttered with a twitching eyebrow. Anyway, Ill be going. Imst, arent I? Themia said and used sh Step, the skill that Rakna had eventually managed to craft into a card for everyone. It even had turned into a better version than the original through his improvements. She quickly put her hand on the Trial stone and initiated it. The barrier rose and during the time that was given to her to prepare, she channeled her mana to her hand and activated the inherent skill of her Sub-Path. A ratherrge string instrument with supporting legs began to appear, floating above her palm in a half-materialized state. She waved her fingers and it swiftly settled on the ground,pleting its creation and revealing itself as a long zither. She then sat on her knees and closed her eyes. Hm? What is that? Natsu perked up. What he was seeing waspletely alien to him. What is that thing she summoned? A musical instrument, Rakna answered him. That ones called a guzheng; a traditional Chinese instrument. Basically, its to make music. Certainly not something you would be familiar with since you were stuck in a Fire Well all your life. Hmm The Celestial ze hummed in wonder. What is she going to do though? I know her Sub-Path is about music, but thats about it, Higure tilted her head in curiosity. Is she going to use Sound Arts? Hehe, its much cooler than that, An chuckled knowingly. Just watch. On cue, Marie breathed out and extended her arms above the instrument. Her right hand slid over one of the strings and plucked it. The first note sounded so clear to the group that it was as if they were standing right next to the source. Marie continued ying with only her right hand for a moment before her left joined in. Her pace was slow and soft. There was no aggressivity in the music and by all ounts, it seemed she was going to y in a rather light tone. The melody was neither good nor bad, but simple as it was, it was enough to catch the ears. In fact, it was as if Marie was intending to serenade the world, and eventually, she strummed three low notes at once and opened her mouth. Her voice promptly mixed with the strings. Fleeting and abying Fragile and docile In water, they flow. In earth, they grow, she sang softly what sounded like a luby and a poem, her voice bordering hypnotic. Pausing momentarily, she quickly plucked four notes in an instant from high to low. Each noticeably manifested its effects on the world, and the ground around Marie began to shed its dreary nature. In its ce, a small patch of green began to appear. At the same time, strands of mana emerged from the guzheng and spread in the air. The meteor on the other hand, somehow, slowed down and gradually began to sway from right to left as if it had started to behave like a leaf riding the wind. Raknas eyes widened a bit as he understood what was happening. {Oh? Now, thats interesting} Fraymented in his mind. Marie plucked another string and a rotund pulse of force spread outward from her. In color, they will surprise you In time, they will remind you, she sang with a small smile on her face as flowers began to grow next to her. You are the petal falling to thend The stem rooted for nd Themia paused her ying and looked up at the meteor that was merely falling with the wind like it weighed nothing. Then, she yed one single string. You are the flower She sang over it and followed up with thest line. Of this fairnd She intoned softly and the meteor instantly burst into thousands of green flower petals with onest pluck of the strings. At the center of the cluster, a giant flower was glowing; a green rose. The Emerald Rose of Shangri-La. As the petals rained down, and the sound faded out, the Trial rang out its clearance and Marie let out a long breath before pulling her arms back. She stood up and the instrument disappeared on its own. {Beautiful,} Fray couldnt help butment with a broad smile as he watched the petals through his hosts eyes. {A kindred being she is. Her songs fold onto reality as she performs them, much like my stories. That is no shabby ability. Her Sub-Path must at least be a Legendary ss.} Youre right, Marie said as she rejoined the group, responding to the fabulists telepathy. {If I may ask, it is to my understanding you have spent all your life inside a Dungeon. However, a Sub-Path of that caliber requires more than minorpatibility. Do you perhaps have an idea on what could have possibly given you that opportunity?} yes, themia replied with her head hanging low. A Host that once raided my Dungeon. She was the first and only person I had ever seen using music as a weapon; I believe it was about five years ago. I fought against her party and won, she said bitterly. I killed them. With their bodies left behind, before the Systemunched the reset for my Dungeon, I took a look at her equipment and I found recordings, books, and instruments. The hour or so that I miraculously had to skim over them were enough to enthrall me, she said and looked at the sky. Sadly, the reset came and all of it disappeared. Since then, alone, within thest floor of that castle, I sang whilst imagining the music in my head. It felt less solitary An made a soft expression that was rarely shown on his face and Marie smiled weakly at him. {I see} Fray spoke up solemnly. {I understand. You have a noble passion. There is nothing for me to question anymore; you have received a power worthy of you.} Thank you, Marie replied smilingly and An fondly patted her head. She gave him a half-hearted re because of it but didnt shake him off, which incited him tough lightly. Well then, shall we go up now? Higure pointed at the sky with a small smirk. Rakna snorted and opened the transfer window. He selected the highest teau to skip and the confirmation arrived right after. ? ? ? ? ? The selection has been confirmed. ? The Host, Rakna Xiorra, and his party will now be transferred to the 100th teau, Antis. You will be automatically dropped at the main hub in thirty seconds. Brace yourself for the spatial transfer. ? ? ? ? ? Ah I see now. I can infer what this teau is from the name alone, the therian remarked. {I know, right?} Fray chuckled. {Wait for it; you will be enchanted in an instant.} You sound oddly excited now that I think about it, via interjected curiously from the side. Is there something you are looking forward to there? Inside Raknas soul, Fray smiled mncholically and stood up from his seat in his library. {Maybe you could say that,} he answered and walked to a lectern that was always highlighted. Resting on its top was an old book; the first he had ever written with his familys support. {Is it weird? It is my hometown after all I grew up in Antis,} he uttered whilst caressing the book. No wonder, Rakna hummed. Do you think theres a chance well find your sessor there? {Hm It is more likely than for any other teau at the very least.} I guess well find out, the therian replied and a light soon swallowed the group. ? ? ? ? ? 3 21 Transfer to Antis Initiated. ? ? ? ? Chapter 286 Chapter 286: Antis Antis. A mythic kingdom. An allegory of hubris turned legend when it sank under the ocean in the span of a day and a night. Its literary interpretations were many. The one existing within the 100th teau of Systema was the height of its legend. It was an ocean of pristine water, bearing a color so radiant it looked like a sea of gems. Scattered throughout its surface, ind-sized cities floated around, connected together by streams of congealed water that were used as natural self-hovering bridges. Below these cities, far underwater, submarine mirror versions of it were built. They were called the deep marine lights; masterpieces of magic engineering. Most were fortresses made to research and defend from the countless maritime lives inhabiting the teau. A lot of them were used as residential areas and others were private regions owned by organizations, individuals, or groups. Amongst those cities, one stood bigger than any other. Much like ck Steel, it was the main hub of the teau, and it was baptized New Athens. This capital covered thousands of miles worth of distance and was built in a pyramidal configuration. The floor height was at its lowest while closest to the ocean bounds while if you explored further into the center, newyers of streets and houses would appear until you reached the very top that was nearly high enough to touch the clouds. Hundreds of water bridges could be seen flowing in and out ofyers, transporting submarine vehicles within them or supporting the more ssic means such as boats. One could also see many small species of fish swimming through them and canals also descending into domestic areas. ? ? ? ? ? Wee to Antis! ? You have reached the 100th teau; the metaphysical stability of your surroundings has now increased. Any material will now feel sturdier or heavier as per the procedure put in practice by the System in order to keep environmental damage in check. We rmend neer Hosts to carefully experience this change and adapt to it. ? Survive well. ? ? ? ? ? Well this is certainly something, Raknamented, briefly glossing over the system window, before focusing on the view of New Athens port, which extended for the whole circumference of the city. The docks weed hundreds of ships, ranging from the simplest of wooden ones to the most futuristic-looking he had ever seen. Of course, there were many who appeared more magical than merely technological. The air is so pure, Evelyn said with a smile as the smell of the seawater reached her nose. Hm, Rakna acquiesced as he bent his neck to look at the city rising into the sky. The fact that he was on the very edges of the city made the sight that much more impressive. He nced at a small group of flying fish passing by before inspecting his direct surroundings. They had been transported in the middle of an empty area seemingly made to wee those that came from lower teaus. New Athens, huh? He snickered and his group turned toward him in confusion, pausing their own sight-seeing. Whats funny about it? An asked. Well, I dont know if it was meant to be satire, irony, or even a joke But, to be short, Antis was originally a fictional ce written in one of tos works back on Earth. It was meant to be some sort of allegory to highlight the vanity of nations. In that dialogue, Antis is a naval power that besieges Ancient Athens, which essentially embodies tos ideal state. Its based on the actual city of Athens, capital of Greece and one of the oldest and most powerful cities in the world. Antis is ultimately repelled by Ancient Athens and their siege fails, Rakna said and viewed the city again. Antis then falls out of favor with the gods and sinks under the ocean. So, that goes without saying that a name like New Athens for the main city of Antis is quite hrious. Higure blinked. I have to say, devourer, your trivial knowledge never ceases to impress me. at least call it trivia, he deadpanned. You make it sound as if my knowledge is worthless. Well, it is worthless, pragmatically wise, Nyx remarked with a yful tone. You all really like to gang up against metely, Rakna groused half-heartedly and they chuckled. Um, guys, An spoke up with a hesitant tone. If youre done chatting, can we please actually do something about that? He said nkly whilst pointing at Tyran and Pronos with his thumb. The two behemoths had been transported while in their full size and it was without surprise that they had quickly caught the attention of an ever-increasing crowd. let them be, Rakna said with a weirdly conceding tone as he watched them take pictures of his two pets. I dont have the energy Ill have to check the news tomorrow, he added with a silent groan and the others couldnt help but sweatdrop at his rare show of anguish. Anyway, wait here for me, Im going to check something, he abruptly said and headed toward the edge of the port. Huh? Where are you going? An inquired and the answer came in the form of his friend jumping off the ind-city. He heard the water ssh down the edge and blinked. eh? At the same time, Rakna felt his body automatically adapt to the water. Of course, he did not need an oxygen filter thanks to Void Breathing, but it was something he could have done if he wanted to. No, instead, his body transformed to allow him to swim more easily. Faint pores appeared across his body and opened up to act as miniature thrusters. He only needed to think and his body would move as if he was flying in the air instead of swimming underwater. This was again an example of how rule-breaking his physiology had be. Once he was deep enough, Rakna let Eye of Symphony do the calctions and took the asion to look at the bottom of New Athens. His vision was not hampered in the slightest so he could see every single detail. The inds structure essentially resembled an iceberg. What was at the surface was but a small portion of what was sunk, which in itself was the reason why it could float in the first ce. It seemed that the submerged section was made of some sort of precious material gleaming silver through the water. He approached it and tentatively tried to reach for it. When his finger touched the material, it instantly was pushed back and a small magic circle of mind-numbingplexity was revealed for a brief instant. Of course theres no way it wouldnt be magically reinforced. Or rather, this whole thing seems to be magic personified. It feels like a solid naturally formed block of mana that was then repurposed with a magic formation, Rakna thought then looked down. His pupils became crosses and his sight reached the very bottom of the ocean where he could see a city even bigger than New Athens. It seems that the underwater conurbations are far more popted, he concluded. [| Reporting; Calctions Completed. Based On Sensorial Feedback, This Water Has a Density of More Than 1200 kg/m3. Scans Simrly Reveal Stronger Energetic Resistance. Reactions Such as Electric Conduction Require Higher Outputs. |] Rakna mused as his Eye gave its report before backing away from the silver substance. So, thats what it is, huh? Metaphysical stability or perhaps calling it the strength of molecr bonds could also work. But its metaphysical because it applies to magic as well I see. [You are correct, as always,] Ceresmented with slight amusement. At this point, she was all but unustomed to seeing him deduce answers instead of demanding them from her. The therian internally smiled and as he was about to return to the surface, he sensed something approaching from behind. He looked over his shoulder and spotted a shark-like creature racing in his direction with bloodthirsty intent. Hm of course, most Wilden in this teau must be just like this, he thought calmly and leveled a mild re toward the beast. For a split moment, a mask blinked into existence on half of his face before disappearing just as fast. However, that had been more than enough. The Mask of Phobos had done its job and the shark had been mentally hit by the full brunt of Raknas full strength, instantly fainting. Rakna snorted at how easy it was to deal with enemies of that level and then channeled his mana for something else, [Call of Hounds.] In the blink of an eye, a pack of water-elemental wolves was summoned around him. They blended in with the water, their red eyes shining. The therian eyed all of them. {Spread out and scout the teau. Pay attention to the deep marine lights,} he ordered them telepathically and the wolves bowed their heads before shooting off like live torpedoes. Each of them was over level one hundred and water elementals; they could easily sneak through or fight off most hostilities they faced. It would be hard to sense water within water, after all, Rakna thought in amusement and started heading upward. Right before he resurfaced, he used Star sh tounch himself out. He flew over the railings of New Athens andnded back in the transfer zone. He huffed and both his body and Allegro promptly began to heat up. The water on him evaporated into steam and the modification he used to move underwater faded away at the same time. It was during that process that he noticed someone standing not far from him. It wasnt any of hispanions; they were behind that person in fact. May I ask if you are Rakna Xiorra? He spoke up. It was a tall and burly man wearing a blue and silver uniform. There were decorations on his shoulders and an insignia hung from his chest. Yes, and you are? Army? Now-enforcer? Rakna said as hebed his hair back into ce, a cloud of steam still rising around him, and his eyes briefly shone gold. Level 400? Thats decent. What do you want with me? The man blinked in both awe and shock. Someone that just arrived in Antis had simultaneously seen through his level and called it decent to top it off. It seems Your Majesty does not deserve the criticism you received over your appointment to the Council, he said respectfully. Criticism? Rakna cocked his head. What? Jealous keyboard warriors? He jested but his joke fell t when Ceres responded. [Yes.] huh? [Social media have been in a war for quite some time now. Its a battlefield between those who say you are perfectly capable of being a Council member due to being a Legendary Emperor and those who say you do not deserve it due to being too weak and merely pampered by Obsidian. Millions of people are involved in this.] I didnt know it was that bad [Would you like me to create an ount in your naC?] Denied. Chapter 287 Chapter 287: Silver Mana I see, so you came here in case I would try something stupid down there, Rakna summarized the enforcers intentions, and the man, who had introduced himself as Drath, nodded respectfully. I apologize if I have offended you. Theres no need to apologize. Its natural that you would be alerted if someone suddenly dived into the waters surrounding the city. It could be a threat to the inds integrity after all. Thew-enforcer nodded once again. That would be mostly correct, Your Majesty. However, your identity and safety were also involved. The citys defenses are on par with ck Steel, and we have plenty of contingencies if the inds buoyancy were to fail us. However, strong maritime Wilden sometimes wander around New Athens, attracted by the Silver Mana. We were worried that Your Majesty would get hurt. I see, Rakna said. Incidentally, by Silver Mana, do you mean the submerged half of this ind? Indeed. Are you not worried Wilden would damage it? Impossible, Drath retorted without hesitation. Silver Mana is the name we give to the material born from a natural urrence called Mana Metamorphosis. It is mana in its primal form given shape through a physical medium residing in the limbo between physical and spiritual. In secr terms, it is an indestructible object. It cannot even be scratched. An whistled at that from the side. Damn, is that even possible? To be indestructible? Well, rather than indestructible, perhaps calling it immutable would be more urate. It is a force of nature that will retain its defined shape until the concept of nature itself is erased from it. You could say that only powerful Celestials could have a chance of doing anything to it. Are all cities in Antis built upon something like this? Rakna asked curiously. Drath shook his head. No, Your Majesty. While there are a few other cities aside from New Athens that have a simr foundation, Silver Mana is far too rare to be employed for every one of them. It is already a miracle for there to be such an amount of it. Research has led us to believe that Antis exceptionally pure watersbined with the foreseeable waves of energy produced at the time of the Systems creation let such an agglomeration of mana be possible. Hm, Rakna candidly replied as if he had something on his mind. Let me guess, My Lord, Natsu spoke up from Evelyns shoulder. You are thinking of attempting to use Silver Mana as a forging material, hemented withplete confidence in his words. Of course, the therian affirmed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But Ill need to find a way to do it. I can probably get some results with the skills I have, and Founding Intuition should help me. Hispanions smiled wryly as he said that, he clearly didnt even entertain the word impossible in his objectives. Thats something they were used to but Drath was repeatedly blinking. Hm? Rakna then noticed something. Hey, where are Nyx and Higure? Oh, they went on ahead to visit the city, via exined as Tyran cutely sat on top of her head after having reverted to his smallest form. I see and Pronos? He inquired again, not seeing the little guy anywhere. He closed his eyes for a moment to sense his presence and nced at the water with a wry smile. Nevermind he does like swimming. I should have expected that. Ill let him have fun, he said and turned back toward the enforcer who was awkwardly standing there. So, Drath, was it? Yes What else have youe here for? Rakna questioned and the man promptly straightened. Dont lie and say you have no hidden motive. You even said so yourself; my identity is part of the reason youre here. So, who is it that wants to see me? Drath lowered his head with a stiff expression. I apologize I am plenty aware that this might be an inconvenience to you, but it was an order, he prefaced his next words. New Athens does not have a singr ruler, unlike ck Steel. Instead it is self-regted under the influence of a group of nobles. They have ordered me to make contact and invite you to a celebration nned in your honor. Rakna clicked his tongue. I barely arrived and theyre already trying to butter me up He said under his breath but Drath visibly heard it as he further lowered his head in shame. Well, its not your fault. I appreciate the honesty. Do you have an invitation letter for me? Yes, he nodded and pulled out a neatly crafted envelope radiating faint energy. Thanks, Rakna didnt even wait before he was handed it and used a Valkal to snatch it. To anyone else, it would appear as if the envelope had jumped out of Draths hand tond in his. Thew-enforcer in question instantly began to sweat as he stared at his empty hand. God a monster. This boy is a monster That was his honest thought. After all, how else could he exin having been unable to react to this phenomenon despite there being more than 300 levels of difference between them? Meanwhile, Rakna opened the envelope and checked the letter. He read the invitation in a matter of seconds and then scanned it with Crystal Sight to make sure there wasnt anything untoward contained in it. This letter was made of a special paper to make sure it wouldnt be damaged in a conventional manner as well as serve as an unfalsifiable identification. At least theres no tracker or a remote analysis spell crafted into this, he thought and stored it. Since he had crossed out his biggest suspicion, he might humor them. Alright. You can go now, he said to Drath and the enforcer perfectly understood he wouldnt get an answer to the invitation right away. So, he simply saluted by putting a fist to his chest and left. I guess thats that, An shrugged afterward. So, how was it down there? He asked his friend as they collectively headed further inside the city. The crowd had be much smaller after the two giant pets were gone, but even then, they still parted ways to allow them to pass. It was interesting. Water is heavier than normal and more magic-resistant, Rakna replied. I see. So, thats what metaphysical stability meant, via nodded in understanding. {And you should be mindful of it,} Cuniya abruptly spoke up. The White Witch usually remained silent but she tended to barge into conversations from time to time. {An increase in metaphysical stability implies that most spells will vary in rtive gradation. After all, even the air itself has an increased resistance. Explosions, for instance, wont be as big.} Hm, but that applies to everyone, Marie remarked. It puts no one at disadvantage. But we should indeed be careful to adjust our spells to familiarize ourselves with the difference. I think I can bypass that with Rift Shuttle though Dimensional energy shouldnt be affected by the metaphysical stability of the physical world. Pouring it into my spells should shield them from interference to some extent, Rakna calmly theorized and the others fell silent. An sighed, Marie shook her head, Evelyn smiled wryly, and via facepalmed softly. And Natsu had that far-away look on his face that would make Buddha proud. {Damn cheater} Cuniya grumbled through telepathy before returning to the depths of vias soul with a harrumph. Rakna nearly let out a chuckle at their reactions before observing New Athens architecture. They had entered the firstyer of the city, with the second already above their head. It seemed that the buildings themselves were the pirs used to support the upper floors. The view was intriguingly clear as well; eachyer had numerous openings for streams of water to connect them as well as enough to share sunlight. Though, as expected, that couldnt extend to everywhere, so there were asional parts that were plunged into darkness. The therians gaze lingered on one of those ces for a short moment then focused next on the attention directed at him from the passersby. Unlike moremon teaus where a lot of normal civilians lived, he could feel a drastic difference in pressure. The average strength of the crowd around him had unmistakably skyrocketed. That could be dangerous He thought then was pulled back to reality by vias voice. So, how long are we going to stay this time? She asked with a tilted head. Oh, well, it depends He responded with squinted eyes. In the first ce, there were two things he had to do in Antis. The first was obviously the Myth Council. Ceres, would you happen to know when the Council meeting is scheduled for? He asked out loud. [Yes, its in exactly four days time. You should normally be notified by the System on said date and time.] Well, thats that. Well stay for at least four days, Rakna casually shrugged. Other than that, there are those Arenas I heard about. Id like to see what theyre all about. Also Fray, he abruptly called up to the one residing in his soul. Youve been awfully quiet. Can I assume its what I think it is? {Hm} The storyteller sounded pensive. {Yes, I believe so. It is quite hard to sense it urately from within your soul but the likeness of our nature makes it possible; I found them. The sessor to my Tale Magic is in this teau. But they seem to be quite far from New Athens.} I see. Which direction? Ill send one of my wolves there. {There,} Fray voiced and used a strand of soul power to point in a precise direction. Rakna let out a positive hum and mentallymanded one of the summons he had invoked earlier to head there. My wolves should be able to recognize your inheritors presence if its any simr to yours, so I can leave that on hold for now until I get a result. {That is no issue.} Well, in that case, lets go check out the Pavilion first, as always, the therian followed up. Ah, but before that He stopped walking, suddenly recalling something. Whats wrong? Evelyn spoke as everyone came to a halt as well. Nothing. I just better fulfill my promise or Ill get chewed out, Rakna deadpanned as he conjured a small constetion in his palm. He activated Crystal Sight to boost his concentration and began to fiddle with it, sometimes making a magic circle appear before it ultimately faded away again. are you altering a spell in the middle of the street, My Lord? Natsu asked incredulously. Truly, only his master would do something so unbelievable as that so nonchntly. Well, yes, Rakna snorted in amusement and then flicked the constetion to activate it. Right as he did, star energy began to flow out of his body to form the silhouette of a woman. Her white long hair adorned by golden hairpins fluttered together with her wings as she materialized, her blue eyes slowly opening. When the spell waspleted, Astraea stood in front of Rakna in her usual white dress. The angel promptly beamed at him, Lord Monarch, it is a pleasure to see you again. He let out a faint smile. Sure, sure. Here, as promised, this is Antis. I can tell that youre barely holding in your excitement. I modified your constetion so that you can stay manifested for half a day. Of course, I had topensate with some of your fighting strength for that. The Goddess immediately dropped all pretense and let out an even bigger grin before wrapping her arms around him. Hehehe, thank you, Lord Monarch! She said happily, her wings pping flippantly behind her as if to mirror her mood. Evelyn sulked at the sight and An burst outughing. Really that man doesnt ever seem to stop collecting women, Mariemented nkly with a mock bite in her tone. Please dont make me sound like a yboy Rakna deadpanned as Astraea rubbed her cheek against his face like some cuddly cat. Also, you, stop doing that and retract your wings already, theres no need to give people more material for their headlines, he said as he pushed the angels head away. Oh, you are correct, she came back to her senses and cleared her throat. Her wings then shone before dispersing into motes of light. So, so, so! Can I go? She asked enthusiastically. Rakna sighed. All right, but take this guy with you, he said whilst waving his hand. A wolf jumped out of his shadow before shrinking itself into a pup. The therian picked it up and gave it to Astraea who held it in her arms. What a cute little one, she said with a smile. The therian snorted. Well, that little one is level 120. He could p you to death if he wanted. Woof! The wolf barked with his tail wagging. Anyway, hes insurance. In case you get in trouble, Ill know. Astraea pursed her lips and pouted. What? Dont you trust me, Lord Monarch? Its the world that I dont trust, Rakna replied solemnly and she began to recover her smile. As well as you, he added and she froze. Did you really need to say it?! Yes. Now, off you go. To minimize risks, be sure to avoid obese men with pimples, blond men with annoying smirks, and overly nice people, he said with closed eyes as if he was conveying words of wisdom. Arent all those cliches, Lord Monarch? But weirdly urate He uttered with a sad exaggerated sigh. Astraea blinked speechlessly. I see She replied with a tilt of her head before quickly recovering her eagerness. Well, I will be going then! Ill be careful! She professed happily before dashing off toward the closest water bridge with the shadow wolf in her arms. She looks really excited, via remarked. Its quite a cute contrast to her usual self. Hm, from what I gathered, entities from Egregore are both ageless and children, Rakna said as he watched her leave. They know nearly everything there is but until they are summoned in the way I do; they are essentially just people with knowledge but no experience. To her it probably feels like her first adventure. So, this is what you promised her? Yes, I summoned herst week to reinforce the house and she got a bit mad that I had once again called her for work The therian recounted wryly. In the end, I made a promise to let her roam freely in the 100th teau when we would reach it. I owe her that. I see. Hopefully, nothing happens to her Well, if ites to it, she can dismiss herself. Though itll probably depress her, Rakna said and resumed walking. Anyway, lets go. I want to get settled while my wolves gather information, he said and silently brought up a system window. He swiftly eyed it and hummed. I guess its time for this too, he thought. ? ? ? ? ? Hey, Big Brother! Come see me, Ill give you what you need for your mission. ? ? ? ? ? This was thest thing he had to do in Antis. The Quest he had epted in exchange for Maries rights as a Host. This is going to be a pain, isnt it? He grumbled. Chapter 288 Chapter 288: Fishing a Kraken Pronos swam through the depths of Antis at high speed, his nine heads not hindering him in the slightest. He had developed a skill purely for amphibious movement and to some extent, he was faster underwater than onnd. After roaming for about an hour, the Hydra caught sight ofrge bulbous fish approaching with their mouths wide open, their multiple rows of teeth on disy. They were too weak to realize they were alienating something far more powerful than them. Before they could even react, Pronos extended three of his heads and killed them all off in one bite without trouble. Then, casually, he chewed on his impromptu meal while looking around with his other heads. It was then that he spotted something curious. He tilted his heads and swallowed his food before propelling himself forward. At the same time, a magic circle marked by an infinity sign enveloped him and decreased the friction factor of his body. He elerated even further and his heads showed unusual grins as he reached his target. Without dy, a giant tentacle emerged from the dark depths at incredible speed; too fast for the Hydra to dodge. But he had no such intent in the first ce. Pronos nine pairs of eyes instantly snapped toward the iing appendage and shone green and silver. The tentacle promptly slowed down, almost to a halt, and the Hydra dashed forward, closing into the massive creature resting on an elevation of the ocean floor bare of submarine cities. A guttural roar, muffled by the waters, spread in the form of ripples as a Kraken-like creature faced its offender. Its circr mouth revealed itself, powering up a sphere of auburn energy. Pronos responded in kind, using his nine heads to charge an azure stone of energy. Heat radiated from it in waves, producing short-lived steam explosions. Then, the two behemoths released their attacks at the same time. A beam of orangish energy shot out of the Krakens mouth and the Eion Fission Stone was engulfed. However, the beam of energy didnt go further as the atomic explosion urred inside of it. An expanding surge of orange and blue energy briskly overtook the maritime space. ? * * * ? At the same time, at the surface, a fair distance away from New Athens, the city being nearly but a spot on the horizon, a small-sized ind was floating unperturbed. The modest mansion on top of it was built in an old traditional style; like a house in a fantastical fable for children. Inside, a figure was sitting at a desk, the oval window illuminating the room and the many books and shelves lining up the walls or cluttering the floor. He was writing on a paper with a quill when he abruptly paused. Then, a tremor coursed through his home. what is it this time? He muttered, his voice sounding noticeably deep but with an oddly childish under-tone. He stood from his seat and took off his round sses, revealing dark blue eyes. He walked to the window and looked outside just in time to see a pir of energy burst out from under water. pardon? ? * * * ? Pronos was pushed away by the st, his organs thoroughly crushed, and one of his heads even blown off. But the damages quickly were repaired and the head grew back as new. This kind of self-harmingbat strategy was something the Hydra was even better suited at than his master. His regeneration was above most creatures and as long as one of his heads remained, he would not die. As such, he charged right back at his opponent. The Kraken had also note out unscathed butpared to the Hydra, the damage could be considered inexistent. Other than cuts and burns, it had no other injury and certainly nothing fatal. Pronos was fine with that. He was aware that he was testing his mettle against something stronger than him by more than just a few levels. In fact, he felt ecstatic. Perhaps Rakna had rubbed off on him no, it wasnt that. His thirst for battle was much higher than the werewolf. It was in his nature. Taking advantage of the turmoil the Kraken probably was in, Pronos opened the dam of his mana pool and activated his own version of Call of Fangs. Dozens of serpents promptly appeared from the Hydras vicinity. Unlike the shadow element that Raknas initial wolves were summoned with, the default ones for Pronos were of the water element; perfect for maritimebat. However, that did not matter to the Hydra. Immediately after summoning his serpents, he focused his petrifying eyes on all of them and since they were his, they offered no resistance. They turned into stone in the blink of an eye and instead of sinking, their eyes suddenly mirrored the ones of Pronos. They suddenly became faster and stronger despite their conditions. This was another idea meant for Pronos Sub-Path. He would summon serpents to petrify with his Nirvana Skill and then use his Sub-Path Skill; Puppeteer of Stone. They would be sturdier thanks to the stone and faster due to the fact he mentally controlled their movements. To make it better, even turned to stone, Pronos was able to employ his summons magic due to them being creations of his. And finally, his Puppeteer of Stone skill made the statues he controlled more powerful depending on how strong he himself was. In summary, thisbination was a candidate for one of the most powerful army-creation abilities in the System. The stone serpents rapidly surrounded the Kraken, attacking his tentacles and pinning them down as best as they could. As they performed their duty, Pronos charged in toward the Krakens head whilst having his Infinity of Stone perpetually shining in his eyes. At the same time, he used five of his heads to create green magic circles that quickly blended in with the water. Pronos intended to unleash one of his strongest spells at point-nk in order to end this fight as fast as possible. Otherwise, there was no way his mana reserves or even his psychic energy couldst long enough while fighting an enemy that much stronger than him. But he had to abandon the idea as soon as the giant sea creature invoked its magic. The water around began to twist to its will and turn into cyclones. The closest stone serpents were crushed or blown to bits before reforming themselves away from the raging swirls. Pronos squinted his eyes and used Kic el, his favorite Infinity spell, to forcefully change his course of movement. Instead of continuing his charge, he made an instantaneous 90 turn downward right when the Kraken began its retaliation. It swung all its tentacles in his direction, an orange glow surrounding them, andunched several des of energy. Considering how there was also an independent membrane of water around them, it probably was something along the lines of a Union Magic spell. Pronos was barely able to dodge them; they tracked him as he moved. He managed to counter one by sacrificing one of his heads while biting into it, he also dodged a few of them, but the rest opened gashes across his body, one of his necks being nearly severed too. Then, the Kraken let out a rumbling of infuriation and deployed its aura. Waves of mana erupted and the cyclones promptly got stronger before changing shape. The currents tightened and began to look like drills, an orange hue emanating from them. If those hit, Pronos might literally find himself ground to dust. The Hydra quietly squinted his eyes and nced at his injuries as one of his heads strayed from the others. The injuries he had suffered from the orange energy were healing slower than normal. The multiple minds offered by his Nirvana Skill conjectured the Krakens ability while he focused on his next move at the same time. Corrosion? Rust? Erosion? A Destruction-ss Magic Element. As Pronos came to that conclusion, he was already readying his next spell, slowly and gradually channeling his mana for what came next. However, until then, he would need time as well as an opening. And both could be attained soon The Hydra eventually grinned and unexpectedly charged forward again. The Kraken had a short-lived doubt about his intention but it couldnt cancel its spell now. It was about to be fired off when something unexpected happened. The ocean water abruptly changed color, a dark green tint mixing with it. It was as if a veil had been lifted. The Kraken would have ignored it if it was not for how it was suddenly unable to move; its body going numb. Thats the only opening Pronos needed. He immediately focused his Infinity Magic and triggered his sh Step to dash into the Krakens close space before it recovered. The poison he had set up earlier was a dy cast, spread unnoticed through the water and further scattered by the cyclones spinning currents acting like mixers. However, such a spell was as simple as it was frail. It was diluted and easy to ovee. But despite that, its unpredictable factor was plenty effective. Pronos opened his maws wide open right as his destroyed head regenerated fully. He then sank his fangs into the Kraken as deep as he could and his entire body began to glow, cyan veins bulging across his necks, the Eion poison known as the Molten Worm being injected into the monster. The Krakens eyes red with anger as the poison invaded its body. The Wilden forcefully broke through the paralyzing poison, expunging it with a burst of energy. The water undted outward like a shockwave, countless air bubbles appeared and popped as Pronos was shoved away. Regardless, his goal had been achieved. The Eion poison had been injected and even if its advance could be stunted with mana, as long as the victim itself wasnt aware of that fact, they would eventually experience their downfall by their own hands. However, the Kraken still had plenty of strength to spare. Taking advantage of the defenseless state of the Hydra, it extended one tentacle and pointed it at him. A magic formation appeared at the tip and a sphere of water began to bepressed in front of it. Its creation barely took a few seconds and Pronos couldnt steady himself in time. Instead, he let out a mentalmand, and all of his stone serpentsbined into onerge b, pushing him off to the side. On cue, the Kraken released the spell, and a terrifyingly pressurized stream of water, borderline approaching a simr state of matter as sma due to how charged it was with mana, reached the stone defense in a blink. It pierced through, taking away a chunk of Pronos body with it. But due to the serpents efforts, it wasnt deadly, and the spell was deviated, making its way to the surface at massive speeds. Immediately after, the Hydra took a hold of himself and without dy, used Infinity to elerate upward as if to follow the spell. ? * * * ? On the surface, the inhabitant of the small ind had stepped out of his house just in time to see a stream of water shoot out like a supersonic geyser. It was powerful enough to reach the sky and punch a hole through the clouds. The unknown individuals deep blue eyes observed the urrence calmly before focusing on the ocean itself. Shortly after, a creature with nine heads jumped out with an infinity symbol flickering on its back. Then, it conjured a pair of gaseous-looking wings, flying off. It reached about a hundred meters up in the air and turned around, concentrating its nine pairs of glowing eyes to re at the water. This feeling petrification? The inds owner mused and then it happened, arge area of the oceans surface promptly solidified into a block of bluish stone. It was proportioned correctly enough for it to start floating instead of sinking. Liquids too I see. Quite mighty. Soon after, giant tentacles pierced through the stone as if chasing the Hydra. Thetter grinned at the sight, seemingly pleased with it. Pronos set his n in motion with the first step. He channeled nearly all his remaining mana for the sake of a spell; one pertaining to the newest magic element he had learned. ? [Remembrance of Stone.] Chapter 289 The instant the spell was articted in Pronos mind, a magic crest spun into existence. It was one that reflected the Hydras abilities; the core of the formation resembled nine snakes biting into a single spot together. The crest revolved then imprinted itself onto the petrified water below. It promptly expanded and covered its whole surface before merging with it. The b of stone then suddenly shook; its shape twisting. After a short moment, it began to float up, breaking down into smaller pieces and leaving behind the Krakens tentacles, of which the owner stuck its head out of the water. The spectator watching the two behemoths fight raised an eyebrow at that. Oh? A World Boss? It must have migrated recently from the recent Reset... A stroke of luck to find it considering its stealth capabilities within the deep waters, hemented before looking up at the Hydra who was controlling therge volume of stone clouding the sky. Pronos gradually started feeling the strain of his tired state but soldiered on, he used his parallel thinking skill at its fullest to increase the casting speed of his spell. The rocks melded into a roughly humanoid shape holding a polearm. At the same time, the Kraken squinted its eyes and without dy, raised all of its tentacles out of the water. It began to manually draw a magic formation on thin air. The Hydra didnt even bat an eye at that, he merely gave thest push for his spell to bepleted and a bright light swallowed the giant statue. It overtook the sky for a moment and when it died down, the final result was revealed. A titanic statue depicting a werewolf with nine tails, wielding a ive and sporting three pairs of wings on its back. That is The blue-eyed bystander muttered, his eyes widening. If he had to give his opinion, that statue was nothing short of majestic. It was quite clearly based on something the Hydra himself was closely rted to and it gave off an aura of boundless power. StoneofRemembrancewas a spell with a varying Tier, from 10 to 1. The short exnation was that it gave form to the users mind. It would give birth to a statue of varying strength and abilities based on the model. However, this is not enough, the onlooker continued. That effigy is indeed formidable. But it is nothing more than a hollow husk if its conjurer cannot make use of it. Precisely so, at this moment, that Hydra does not have enough power left to contend against the Kraken with it. As if arriving at the same conclusion, the World Boss in question let out a sneer-like sound. Right after, the magic formation it had been constructing shrunk and activated. A force wave rippled around the Kraken, agitating the water. Then, the water rose in several different spots, growing into mirror constructs of the monsters tentacles, outlined by an orange hue. The Kraken moved its appendages, and therger aquatic versions followed. They spread out and elongated themselves, shooting toward Pronos and the statue hovering over him. The Hydra watched them approach, eyes calm and calctive. There was no doubt that he needed more time toplete his strategy. But he wasnt scared. The exnation showed itself when the tentacles paused. The Kraken let out a pained noise as a cobweb pattern of cyan light shone through its skin, the Eion Poison acting up. Therge monster was forced to halt his spell for a short second, redirecting some mana to stop the Eion from further harming his body. That small window of time was more than enough. With a loud hiss, Pronos opened his eyes wide and a golden apparition depicting a snake manifested behind him. It filled the area with its light before slowly forming an infinity symbol with its body. Then, the snake eventually opened its mouth, ready to bite its own tail. In that instant thatsted less than a second, the Kraken felt blindsided and frozen. That golden snake, without any sort of presence to it, was emitting pressure beyond what words could describe. What this serpent was; it didnt take much to know. There werent many options to consider once a snake biting its own tail appeared. Even more so if infinity was involved; Ouroboros, the actualization of Infinity and the Cycle of Nature. Pronos had inherited the power of Infinity through his magic. Now, after his Main Path Quest, he had received his first Path Skill. The Cycle of Nature was divided into three stages. The first step was the most straightforward, the start of everything; birth. The golden snake eventually closed its mouth and the skill was fully invoked. Nothing ostentatious happened and the snake disappeared as fast as it had arrived. However, the otherworldly pressure had been reced with a much more tangible one. The statue of the werewolf suddenly released enough power to surpass even its very creator. The eyes red up with a golden and silver light, erasing any trace of inertness. The statues wings unfurled themselves with fluidity unbing of a figure of stone. Some of the feathers even detached themselves like a real being, falling into the water and causing sshes much like what you would expect from massive boulders being dropped into the ocean. The werewolf then pointed its Guandao at the Kraken, a crystal-like sphere appearing at the tip of the de. Inside of it, an icy blue energy raged, ready to be released. Anyone who had seen Rakna fight before would have recognized the familiar sight of the Hoarfrost Star. As for the Kraken and the third party spectating the battle, they didnt need exnations as to what was going on. The Ouroboros snake had not failed to emit a subliminal-like suggestion into their minds as if demanding them to bow and worship it. Pronos had no need to be able to speak. The name of the spell echoed like a harbinger of defeat as if spoken by the world itself. - [First Cycle of EternityCLife.] - The werewolf statues eyes shed brighter for a split second before it thrust its ive. The de dug into the crystal and, like being released from its shell, a stream of frost energy erupted out unterally in the Krakens direction. The World Boss had been forced out of its daze at the same time. It urgentlymanded the water tentacles to concentrate on the iing attack. The appendages moved swiftly, colliding with the wave of energy. The impact instantly projected its influence on the surroundings. A circr tsunami was formed but before it could get far, it got frozen in ce by the waves of frost energy. The Kraken let out a roar as half of its body was being trapped in ice but it didnt give up. The tentacles began pushing harder and the orange hue spread to the frost energy; eroding it. As it stood, the werewolf would lose this sh. However, the statues eyes merely shed again as if to imitate a frown. The werewolf then used its freehand and pointed a palm to the sky. A crystal object in the form of a five-pointed star appeared above it before beingunched into the sky. Soon, a magic circle bearing Raknas crest overtook the sky. [From Above Cometh] The statue chanted, its voice sounding nothing like a human and reminding one of gravel grating against steel. The Kraken looked up in shock as miniature crystals began to rain down like snow. When the first ke touched the creatures body, they collectively shone like a starry night sky. After that, it was over. [Natcattira Vi.] Silently, and overbearingly, a cascade of light descended from the sky. It swallowed everything in its wake, shimmering in various patterns due to the crystal mixed in with it. The delugested close to half a minute, and the pir of light eventually disappeared. It gradually thinned down from the top like a flow of water after the faucet was closed. When it was entirely gone, the final state of the Kraken was revealed; encased no, transformed into crystal, the adjoining water frozen solid. Then, after a few silent beats, a crack opened along with the sound that came with it, and everything broke down. The crystal Kraken copsed into thousands of small pieces and the ice shortly followed. In the next moment, the ocean water flooded the void left behind, creating a massive whirlpool. From above, the werewolf statue held its ive parallel to its body, unmoving. The light of its eyes flickered between bright and dim until it finally turned offpletely. The statue lost the aura it exuded as if it had all been an illusion and began to drop. It broke down much like the Kraken had and its pieces sunk into the whirlpool. Pronos, who had been blown off by the sh of forces, helplesslynded in the water due to having expended all of his power with his final attack. And as he started floating up, the System delivered him the messages telling him that he had killed a World Boss, his level instantly rising by ten and his rewards being given out. A skill capable of infusing life into a target An unknown voice made the Hydra look away from the fruits of his battle to stare at a small moving ind located not far. He had of course noticed it during his fight, but he hadnt bothered doing anything about it. He was actually surprised it had survived the earlier bout. Your expression tells me you are intrigued, the inds owner spoke and Pronos blinked, taking in his appearance. The person was, for theck of a better word, a child. As far as appearances went, he looked like a boy barely above the age of ten. He had somewhat spiky and short dark blue hair. His eyes were of the same color, albeit a lighter shade, and he wore a strangely formal attire, adapted to his age and essorized with a bowtie. If you are wondering, I moved my ind prior to that final sh, the boy continued. I predicted this acrimonious mess you have caused. I, of course, would like to avoid my house being damaged in this manner, he said with a cold and somewhat severe tone. Pronos blinked confoundedly. The Hydra had two questions on his mind; why did this boys voice sound so deep despite his age, and why did he have disgust stered all over his face? He could tell that the disgust wasnt directed at him, however. In fact, toward him, it seemed like the unknown boy was polite, even if his tone sounded hostile. Ultimately, Pronos could onlye to one conclusion; this person was not disgusted by him... but everything else. It was as if this revulsion was an inherent part of him. Anyhow, are you nning to stay there forever? The boy eventually asked with a scowl. Pronos tilted his head in confusion. What are you looking at me like that for? Hop onto the ind if you cannot move. Athens might send a few scouts to know what happened here very soon. You were lucky that there were no deep maritime instations under where you fought, or they would have hounded you down already. The Hydra looked around reflexively to see if anyone wasing. Regardless, I will be leaving. So,e along if youd like. I do not want to deal with the authorities interrogating me, the child uttered. As for you, are you not a Pet? It is clear you are not a Wilden. Would you not like to avoid bothering your master through your actions? He added and turned around, headed for the front door of his house. His words seemed to get a reaction out of Pronos. He nodded before shrinking to his smallest size and slithering up the edge of the ind. The instant he was on, thendmass started moving with seemingly no source of energy powering it, but still evidently controlled somehow. You can stay until you are rested enough, the blue-haired boy said as he entered his house. Make yourself at home. Follow me if you wish, I can offer you coffee or whatever else a Hydra such as yourself prefers to eat or drink. Pronos stared at the strangers back for a short moment before shrugging his imaginary shoulders and following after him. He had a good sense for people, and he could feel no danger from this odd child. Furthermore, he looked interesting, so the Hydra happily entered the house. After going inside, Pronos couldnt see how the ind faded out of existence like a mirage. Chapter 290 I think you need a better decoration, little sis, Raknamented nkly as he stood inside the dark space where he was meeting Eva. You really are not letting go of that sibling dynamic anymore, are you? The little girl deadpanned, having long given up to continue the cute act in front of the therian. Also, what, do you want me to move us to your soul realm likest time? Why not? At least, my soul realm is pleasant to look at. Eva rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. How about this instead? She said, the surroundings changing into the room she uses when alone. Rakna blinked at all the plushies everywhere and the pink furniture. What are you, a kid? what are you, stupid? * * * So, are you done being passive-aggressive? Eva said with a pout, sitting on her bed while Rakna leaned against the wall. Did I do something to make you mad? Or are you just making fun of me? Arent you the one increasing the difficulty of my Trials? What? As if that troubles you, she retorted nkly. Take it as friendly teasing from your lovely baby sister. Now, onto serious matters. When do you n to deal with teau Zero? As soon as my wolves find what Im looking for, Rakna answered. When I used Dead Men Tell on Fang way back, it wasnt high level enough to see things in detail. As a matter of fact, it was not enough to see what the 100thteau looked like. But I got names of ces supposedly meant to be entrances or meeting points. On that front, dont you have some intel for me? Not really, she shook her head. They hide well. Sometimes, I find them, but theyre always quick to erase their traces and destroy any sort of meeting point I potentially discover. How do they even do that? Well, I initially wanted to be the one to tell you, but you found out yourself, didnt you? That the Nine-Tailed Scorpions are involved with Arena Zero? Those pesky bugs have a few members that are incredibly good at concealing themselves and others. I believe one of them even has a Nirvana Skill capable of somewhat affecting the Systems surveince. I see Also, if I had to guess, the Nine-Tailed Wolf Cub they kidnapped, the one you killed, was probably nned to be handled in teau Zero if it had gone as they intended. That kind of scheme using the Initiation dimension as a way to mask their traces is something only the Scorpions could do. Uh, uh. And? Eva gave him a sullen re. Yes. I dont know anything useful about their location. Happy? Yep, he nodded shamelessly. Aah whatever. First, take this, she said whilst tossing a small object toward him. He lifted his hand to catch it before looking at it. It was a small yellow cube releasing faint light. You will need that once you get there. As I said before, your primary objective is to find a Terminal and use that for me to get ess to it. I remember, Rakna acquiesced and stored the cube. What about the one I have to kill; Bora? Do you have at least a grasp of his strength? Hm, yes and no. You see, teau Zero is a w in the System, as you know. I made sure to iste it the best I could after it was hijacked, but Bora came into the picture a few centuries ago. Before that point, it was a problem that wasnt worth fixing and only a few individuals would find their way there out of pure coincidence. However, Bora came into the picture and managed to hack the Terminal. He disconnected himself from the main server and turned teau Zero into a ce under his control, expanding his reach to wherever he wanted. I dont have any information about his status due to that. But I do know one thing; his level before he was disconnected was 359. And I suppose he cant level up further without a connection to the server? She nodded. Exactly. That doesnt stop him from growing stronger through his own efforts, but it shouldnt have made much of a difference to him. Its been a few centuries, yes, but that man was not particrly talented. Since he lost all the support from the System once he disconnected, you should easily be able to defeat him since you possess a status that would be far less handicapped by theck of supportpared to other Hosts. In short, I can expect him not to be too strong but have tricks up his sleeve What are the chances someone stronger is protecting him? Plenty, Eva shrugged. Its your job to pull through if that happens. Im not asking you to go there and fight them head-on. What Im telling you to do is destroy them whatever the method. Rakna squinted his eyes and they both fell silent for a moment. hey, do you think its possible I could keep my magic going in there? He ultimately asked and she frowned. Frankly, Im not sure. Its not as if a Hosts magic is solely provided by us. The magic element you awakened to belongs to you and you only. What we provide though is the mana. We also provide the magic formation creation, as well as what you would normallyck to cast it. Its basically the same thing as skills; we give you resources to use something that you learned. You have the engine on; we give you the fuel. And in a sense, the opposite is also true. So, essentially, if I want to use my magic in teau Zero, I would need to first escape the clutches of the Systems infrastructure, learn how to cast the spell all on my own, and find a new source of mana? Uh yeah pretty much. Thats why I dont know. Normally, it would be impossible since youd need to literally overpower the Systems influence and youre nowhere near the level required for that kind of stunt. But you do possess other things that happen to overpower the encoding level by just existing. My connection to the old man and the Crystal Sage, Rakna nodded in understanding. Yeah Eva slowly responded, her breath hitching when she heard Crystal Sagee out of the therians mouth. T-thats why it might be possible for you, but its only hypothetical, she cleared her throat to hide it. Hm, Rakna seemed too lost in his thoughts to notice. Ahem, anyway! You can go whenever you want, she continued. If you think that you cant do it alone after getting a grasp of things, you can ask me. Ill try and get you someone trustworthy. Or if you manage to find a way to bring people without raising suspicions, then thats fine too. Alright. Ill infiltrate the teau whenever I can. Before I leave, itd be helpful if you could give me a way to alter my status. It would make blending in easier. Aah, that well, I can. But its a special case, understood? Eva frowned. Its against the rules of the System for someone to be able to fake their status. Ill send an update to your AI soon and she will be allowed to do it but only if it involves your mission. Is that fine with you? Rakna shrugged. I have no problem with that. Its not like Im desperate for that kind of ability at the moment. Right, youre already going willy-nilly around with enough identities as it is, she deadpanned. I suppose a new one must be made this time? She added with a satirical tone. The therian snorted. A short-lived one though, he said casually. Whatever. You do what you think is best, Eva waved her hand and his body started fading. See you soon, Big Brother. Dont die, okay? She jested and he was ejected from her virtual space. Once he was gone, she let out a sigh. I did my part; this is what you wanted, right? She sighed, speaking to no one but herself. Gaah! This is so annoying, she shouted and jumped on her bed, rolling around. Prophecies, my ass! As if an AI cared about that She uttered with a pout. Aah but its about time. Youll take another step forward, Big Brother. Good luck, she whispered. * * * When Rakna came to, he found himself back inside the Pavilions Terminal Room. He hummed to himself and quietly left, heading to the entrance hall through the corridors. {How was it?} Fray inquired. {Eva cut me off from listening in.} Nothing special. I got the item needed to do what she wanted me to and she told me a few things about the involvement of the Nine-Tailed Scorpions. {Aah so as we feared, it be even moreplicated.} I suppose. Though for now, all I have to do is wait. {Hm} Fray mused. {Well, that aside, I have something to tell you. I have found a few transcripts about the Crepuscule Queen,} he abruptly stated, his tone sounding quite odd. As if he was about to say something that made him give up on life. Uh? Something interesting? {I would say so, not on the level of your Kzanaria however. But at the same time, you could say it surpasses it in sheer absurdity. From the start; eons ago, before most Laws of Existence had even been established, existed a realm called First Twilight. There, lived creatures that were one of the first to have ever existed. As ancient as Phoenixes, as old as Gods, and hoarier than Time.} {Those creatures of Twilight had an unfortunate weakness. They could not live with Time. Only the Darkness of an Immutable Night could wee them. When the world began to move forward with time, they perished one by one. However, they had a Queen. As they were going extinct, she made one desperate attempt to save their ancestry.} {She sacrificed her blood and flesh to create offspring that would survive the mutable world. Her children went on to spread around the world; their survivability and power reaching heights that even Gods were jealous of. Soon, they were named Dragons.} eh? Rakna eximed dumbly, his steps pausing. {The Queen of The Crepuscule then decided to scrap her realm into a dimension that would never see the light of the day or the waves of the River of Time,} Fray continued his story despite the therians interjection. {She imprisoned herself for one day she would be able to be free. Her titles resound far and wide, the Crepuscule Queen, Mother of Twilight and Dragons, Tiamat.} what the fu--" Chapter 291 No, no, no, there are limits. I dont think even my luck can take responsibility for all this, Rakna said with a hand on his forehead. Wait am I actually a ma for crazy stuff? {Why do you sound like you have just gotten to that realization? You arete,} Fray retorted with a deadpan voice. {But well, Nyx was the Goddess of the Night beforeing to the System, after all. We should give her the credit for her own absurdity.} True, but a word of advice, dont go around calling people absurd. {Haha, I shall be careful. But Tiamat, eh?} The storyteller mused. {She is part of a ssification rarely attributed to anything; an Originator. We use that name for beings that have given birth to significant facets of the world as we know it. She truly is a forgotten and ancient legend. You should have heard of her name before, right? A primordial goddess shares it. To be exact, she was named after Tiamat.} Hm, the one from Mesopotamian religion? {Well, if that is the name given to it on your home, yes. After all, as you know, mythology spreads throughout realities thanks to the Spiritual Tree, but the name of civilizations can change depending on local history.} I see. What do you think will happen to Nyx, though? Sometimes, it feels like Paths involving these kinds of specific individuals are inheritances put forward by the original owner. What do you think the Crepuscule Queen wants to do by giving Nyx her power? Shes still alive, is she not? {The most obvious answer would be that she is seeking a way out of her self-imprisonment and to revive her race. As for why she chose ourmon friend oh!} Fray eximed as if he realized something. {Eternal Night! Nyx is most likely, in the whole of Existence, the person with the most affinity with Aeter aside from the creator himself. That is probably the key. Twilight creatures were a race that couldnt live in a world where the concept of a night that never passes did not exist.Eternal Nightis realistically their mostpatible conception.} Aah so Tiamat seeks a solution. She probably wasnt capable of directly contacting my old man so shes going for the next best thing that has just appeared; Nyx. Maybe she wants to create a new dimension or Realm for her kind. {If that is the case, we ought to help her, dont we?} Perhaps, though it wouldnt hurt to keep an eye open, Rakna said as he stopped walking through the streets of New Athens. He looked up at the nextyer and star-shed to it, appearing where he wanted to be. So, this is the Athens Arena, he remarked, viewing therge building located near the border of one of the midyers of the aquatic city. It was built rather grandly; practically detached from the ground and being sustained in the air by a tform of dense water. There were also a few pirs supporting it from below attached to New Athens. To give it a more concrete description, one could havepared the city to arge space station and the Arena to a smaller vessel docked to its outer hull. Hey, from what I gathered, this Arena is a sort of colosseum with numerous games, right? The therian asked out loud whilst watching the stream of people going in and out of the building with different methods. The Arena itself was octagonal and made of steel and stone with spires on top like a medieval castle. He inspected every nook and cranny of it, his eyes glowing golden. He gathered every single bit of obtainable information throughCrystalSight, which was capable of peering through the walls to some extent. The only thing that stopped him from being able to know everything inside was that the building itself seemed to be magically reinforced and expanded. {Yes,} Fray eventually replied to his question. {What of it?} Do you think Arena Zero, the supposed event in teau Zero, was based on this? {Hm, well, now that I think about it, it could be. But if I had to guess, it is most likely far cruder as well. Dontpare the Arenas in Athens to the underworlds dealings.} Im not saying that. Its just that I may have found the perfect cover {The perfect cover? Oh, I understand. Indeed, that could work.} Rakna shrugged and then blinked, his pupils returning to normal. Well, its an easy disguise and an inconspicuous one if I y my cards right, he said and turned around. He weaved through the crowd; his presence almost nonexistent. The only reason he wasnt being recognized at the moment was that he was usingStealthconstantly. In a public setting, this skill didnt stop people from spotting him but they would fail to get a grasp of any of his features. It was akin to him wearing a cloak. Rakna wanted to visit the library of Athens next. Antis was known as a ce of high cultural concentration and evidently, home to plenty of artists, including writers. It was part of the reason why Fray had expected his sessor to be here. A part of his group had also headed there as well while he was meeting with Eva. But before the therian could get far, something caught his attention. Since he was still close to the outer edges of the city, he had a clear view of the loweryers, and he could also see the area where his group had appeared earlier. Thats why, when he saw a pir of blue mes emerge there, he got a bad feeling. The passersby around him also got curious and began to look at it from above, their whispers being caught by his ears all too well. This presenceRakna began to sweat nervously as the mes turned into a sphere. It then quickly shot up into the sky.Its heading here, isnt it?He thought helplessly. {Indeed.} [Correct.] Fray and Ceres responded simultaneously, both obviously amused at his expense. H-hey, its just me, or is it getting closer? One person spoke up and everyone else began to notice it as well. Quickly, a small panic spread as the blue mes became closer and closer. The crowd scattered and only Rakna stayed still with a straight face. Then, the mesnded near him and briefly swallowed the area without hurting him in the slightest. Immediately after, a pair of handsnded on the therians shoulders and a panting vixen red at him. why are you so out of breath? Did you fight an army to get here or something? Rakna meant it as nothing more than a jest but she narrowed her eyes in even further irritation. Yes. oh. I was killing those wyverns and smanders, feeling pretty good about myself, then mom called me and messed it all up. She bragged about how you brushed her tails all smugly. ah. Then I had to rush out of that Dungeon; I almost broke it! That Boss was annoying too! What the hell is a Magma Wyrm?! Why did it have so much physical and magical resistance?! eh. Dont give me that oh ah eh shit! And thatst one sounded more like augh! She grumbled and the therian pursed his lips. You know what you have to do, dont you? She added with eyes that promised endless pain. * * * Hehehe Kaelith chuckled giddily, her ears twitching animatedly as she sat on the bench of an aquatic park in the middle of New Athens. You had to give it to this city for having public parks with reverse waterfalls and corals the size of trees mixed in with the vegetation. Meanwhile, Rakna sighed as he brushed the vixens tails, taking a spot behind her with an armchair he had made with his magic. Please dont turn me into your family''s exclusive hairdresser. Oh, good idea! Brush my hair too, will you? right. Youre oddly good at this, by the way. Did you get this good by doing it once? Not really. I had a pet once, Rakna said casually. A dog, actually. Before my life became the mess it was, of course. I really liked brushing his fur while he sat on myp. I see Well, if thats the case, she let out a small smile and suddenly moved from her seat. In the blink of an eye, she hopped from the bench right onto the theriansp. Rakna blinked at the sudden change. It was actually terrifyingly fast; he almost couldnt react. He was obviously forced to stop brushing her tails, her frame taking most of his personal space. Im not sure you thought this one through, foxy. Its a bit awkward to brush you in this position, he said with a small hint of mirth. Heh, and what? If I had to choose, being on yourp is better than you brushing me. Also, its not fair that you get afy armchair while I settle for a bench. Youre surprisingly a luxury seeker. Who doesnt like beingfortable? Why would I not when I can basically conjure any furniture you could possibly think of, he said with a snicker and eventually just slipped his arms across her waist to continue brushing her tails above her ownp. Both of them enjoyed a restful silence surrounded by the sound of water. Their surroundings had been wholly vacated in another show of authority from the Nine-Tailed heiress. The enforcers that hade to wee her after her shy arrival had been forced to make a perimeter for nothing more than their privacy. Kaelith sighed and fully leaned into him when he finished taking care of her tails. She rested her head, snuggling in his shoulder. She closed her eyes for a moment before speaking up, Hey are you ever going to do anything about it? She asked softly. About it, huh? Rakna smiled faintly. Whatever do you mean, I wonder? Dont tease me, she grumbled quietly. I believe we are far past the stage of throwing subtle hints at each other, dont you think? Skipped it, rather. Well, of course! I had to. As if I could count on you for that. Whats the damn point if you can smell it anyway? Youre cheating, as always. Thats a rare aptitude even among full-fledged Nine-Tailed Wolves, you know? Honestly, it doesnt even surprise me you have it. And Im not going to let you change the topic so easily, wolfy. For shame. Now youre just being cheeky, she said with a chortle and opened her eyes. She turned around halfway and wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs going over the armrest. She closed in on his face until their foreheads were almost touching, her tails leisurely iling around them. a seated bridal carry? Rakna let out calmly, his eyes fixed on hers. I hope youre not expecting me to carry you off somewhere. Tch, if that was something youd do, this whole thing would be much simpler, she pouted. Why do you think Im sitting here, right now? The therian tilted his head with an eyebrow raised. Appeal? She groaned. Its not like thats wrong? Wait, thats not it! Look at you! Even after this, youre still not moving. Come on, I didnt fall for a piece of woo--! Her words were cut off, muffled by the lips that pressed on hers. Her eyes widened in shock and her mind shut down for a second. When she registered what was going on, her grip tightened and she silently pushed back, closing her eyes as a sole tear trailed down her cheek. They gradually reciprocated stronger and stronger until they were lost in it. The fiery and frosty tails blended together, intermittently covering their figure as if to iste them from the world while they relished the moment for as long as they could. Chapter 292 When Kaelith separated her lips from Rakna, she didnt dare to pull away and rested her chin on his shoulder. The therian breathed out next to her, leaning in as well, his expression was the most rxed it had ever been in a long time. He could feel something stir inside him but he put a lid on it; he didnt want anything to ruin his mood. He made a small smile as he heard the vixens muffled sobs. Is that really that big of a deal for you to start crying? Youre acting as if weve been reunited through life and dea--ow Shush, she replied tamely after weakly hitting the back of his head. She sighed shakily. This is a bit more than I expected, she said bashfully. I didnt know it could feel so gratifying. I agree. You better, she shot back instantly and gradually calmed down as he ran his fingers through her hair, gently continuing his earlier brushing work that suddenly had a whole new weight to it. So, happy? Kaelith huffed. Yes, but the way youre asking annoys me, she answered, hugging him tighter and burying her face deeper. are you hiding? Rakna asked with a tilt of his head and a mirthful voice. Are you scared I would make fun of you if I saw you blushing or something? Shut up and Im not scared; Iknowyoud do it. So, stay put. As much as Id love to The therian trailed, his irises upying the corner of his eyes. It seems like a certain someone got into trouble as I feared. Might need to go there. The vixen rolled her eyes a bit before taking a deep breath and lifting her head. Now being able to look at her, Rakna could see a bit of red tinting her face and he chuckled internally. See youre making fun of me inside your head. I can tell. Are you a mind reader? Tch, youre just that kind of guy. Anyway, who is it? Hm, Astraea. A summon of mine. Kaelith blinked before making a teasing grin. Wow, wolfy, youre bagging goddesses too? Dont channel your inner Kara, please, he deadpanned. Also, just ask and I wont be too intimate with another woman ever again, if thats what you want. No, wolfy I cant do that. You need more than just me, she said softly. Is that what you think? Rakna retorted. I believe youre more than enough. The vixens cheeks red for a small moment before she cleared her throat. I-Ill give you an eight out of ten for that one. Well done. Thanks. She snickered at his dry response. Wolfy, tell me, would you die for me? She abruptly threw him something so unexpected that he froze in utter confusion. Thats rather sudden? Just answer. no He muttered calmly before squinting his eyes and shaking his head. Or thats what I would have said not long ago but after today, I probably would. Kaelith smiled widely at that. Thats exactly why you need more than just me. I dont follow. I want you to know your worth. I want you to never consider giving your life up, even for me. I want you to forever step back. For that I need you to have more than one reason to stay alive. thats a messed-up logic, Rakna nkly said and she flicked his forehead. Idiot. Its perfectly logical when it concerns you. Its not just because you need it, but because you are the kind of person that we instinctively want to support the kind of person we want to stay close with. You need love. The more, the better. In a sense, you need to be tied down. None of us want you to get lost. to me, that just sounds like you want to increase the weight I carry on my shoulders. Thats precisely what I want, wolfy. If we want to bring out everything youre suppressing, there is no better method, she said sternly whilst staring directly into his eyes. Well push you around until you decide to dly bear it. So you want to squeeze me dry. I see, he nodded exaggeratedly and Kaelith flushed. You little She grumbled under her breath. She sighed and very reluctantly separated from him to stand on the ground again. Anyway, its not like any of the girls aiming for you will need your opinion. Theyll just hound you down until you submit, youll see. Especially that Chaos Witch and the Dusk Lioness. Well, isnt that quite scary? Rakna said jokingly, standing up and scattering the chair into motes of star energy. Do you count your mother in that? Kaelith rolled her eyes. Dont even mention it. Shes at the top of the list. But please dont try to be considerate. I dont care about a rtionship between you two. Shes a great person. Dont you dare push her away if shes serious. She may not look like it, but mom is very sensible. If she truly aims to be by your side, please give her a chance. Rakna looked at her in surprise at how earnest she sounded toward the end. He ultimately let out a chuckle and shook his head. Look at me; I wonder what the old man would say if he knew that both daughter and mother were going after me. The vixen smirked. From what I hear from you, he sounded like the kind of person to congratte you, no? Hm, not quite, he snorted. He would probably say something more along the lines of damn, kid, a harem? Nice job, and then ask me how many girls I n to add to it. Oh, so that means Eternal Night would be on my side in this, wouldnt he? Shouldnt you do what he would want you to? Well I cant say I have a riposte for that one, Rakna shrugged helplessly. Kaelith giggled victoriously. You can go now. Didnt you say you had a damsel to rescue? Yes, yes But it seems she got help from some decent people, he replied, his left eye closed and connected to the wolf familiar he had left with Astraea. The situation is nearing its breaking point though. I better intervene, he said and was about to walk off. Ah, wait for just a second, Kaelith raised her voice and he turned toward her. What is--! Rakna immediately swallowed his words, Kaeliths lips crashing on his again. This time, he was the one taken by surprise, and her initiative was far stronger than his earlier. Their kiss didntst long and the vixen quickly stepped back, licking her lips with a grin. Were even now, she said, enjoying the rare dumbstruck expression on his face. Last thing; me too, wolfy, she uttered softly. I would die for you as well. Mom told me this; to mutually wish for the life of the other at the cost of their own is the purest of loves thank you for that, she finished with a clear smile and Raknas eyes widened. Hah So, you say you would die too but Im the only one who has to be tied down. How fair is that, foxy? He jested and she merely smiled at him. He truly felt likeughing. Honestly, he was still processing the first kiss, despite being the one at cause. In the span of a few minutes, he realized that this woman had long managed to ensnare him. I wonder since whenBidding a silent goodbye to her that they mutually were aware of, he made his way toward the parkske with a light heart. [Reflect My Core,] he whispered a step before he got to the edge and closed his eyes.Thank you, KaeHe thought and his foot moved forward as if he was trying to step into the water. [Antanasia,] the second he made contact with thekes surface, a sound akin to ss breaking resounded and he blinked out of existence. Kaelith watched him leave with a soft expression and once left alone, she put a hand over her chest and smiled.Youre wee * * * Sometime earlier, Astraea was strolling through the upperyers of New Athens, visiting the trade center of the city where most businesses were settled; from mere stalls topany headquarters. Aww I should have asked for some currency from Lord Monarch The goddess pouted sadly while the wolf pup in her arms wagged its tail, curiously looking around. Astraea passed by a few boutiques, asionally lingering on what was disyed. Hmm I wonder if there are any nice ones to bring back to Egregore, she wondered quietly. The world of the collective unconscious was surprisingly not just mere abstract. The entities born from it after being summoned once by a Firmament Monarch get to live in an evasive state. There is no concept of time, colors, senses, spirit, or physical. Living in Egregore is like dreaming and waking up when summoned. Entities could interact with each other like normal beings and the objects that they woulde to own personally while summoned could be taken. Artemis and Aphrodite might like the exotic craftsmanship of this ce Astraea muttered then sighed deeply. I really should have asked for pocket money. Next time, for sure, she told herself with a fist bump. She ultimately unstuck her eyes from the vitrines and continued her stroll. Half an hourter, with an additional ten minutes spent ying with aquatic fauna around Athens, the goddess reached the fifth-highestyer of the city. You cannot go further, a guard said as he stopped her from essing the nextyer. Eh? Astraea blinked in unison with the pup. Why is that? Did something happen? You must be new to New Athens? The man asked after looking at her up and down. He seemed to be doing so purely out of professional intent, unlike several stares Astraea had felt whileing up to this point. Odd you have a divine aura. Who are you? Oh, um, I suppose you can consider me a familiar, she replied with a hand on her chin. The guard blinked. A familiar? Someone summoned you? I see well, if that is the case, there is no specificw stating I cant let you pass, but I dont rmend it. For your own sake. Theyers up above can only be essed by the nobility. Its not prudent for you to intrude. Nobles can be rather whimsical. The goddess slowly nodded. I understand. Thank you for the advice, she said with a quick bow. Youre wee. After bidding goodbye to the guard, Astraea retraced her steps, searching for Raknas presence so that she could maybe borrow some money after all.Perhaps mentioning Lord Monarchs Emperor status could have easily gained me a ticket to those upperyers,she thought.But the real issue is more about how I stick out... She giggled to herself.Lord Monarchs warnings may have been most pertinent in the end. As she was thinking about that, she happened to spot something from the corner of her eye. It was a pair of children wearing rags, hinting at the possibility of them being destitute. Something else that she noticed was that those children had some distinctive traits; faint scales blending with the skin and a pair of fins located behind their ears. Astraea corresponded those characteristics with many of the merfolk races she had knowledge of before her focus switched to the group of people standing over those children as they hugged each other on the ground. The group consisted of several bodyguard-like individuals and a man wearing high-end clothing at the front, seemingly leading them. The goddess squinted her eyes, viewing the infuriating sneer on that mans face. Before she even weighed the situation, she was already stepping forward, the wolf pup in her arms narrowing its eyes at the same time. While advancing, Astraea had one amusing thought that reminded her of the time she had been summoned by her Lord during the Moon Simtion,Another jinx? Chapter 293 Tch, how dare these filthy fish be so close to my residence, the aristocrat spat as he looked on at the pair of merfolk children with a disgusted look. He waved his hands at his bodyguards. Get rid of them, definitively, hemanded offhandedly and turned around. One of the guards nodded with a stiff expression and began to draw his sword, but before he could fully pull it out, strings of shadow wrapped around his hand and arge ebony wolf with crimson eyesnded in front of the children. The aristocrat turned back again, a scowl on his face. What? Whose mutt is this?! He asked loudly whilst ring at the passersby. Most of them walked away with their heads low, but some people with seemingly higher strength were casually watching the situation in interest. The aristocrat frowned and followed their line of sight to a woman with angelic beauty quietly approaching. She eventually stood next to the shadow wolf, a neutral look on her face. I am Nefertrion Xaris; name yourself, the nobleman said calmly, putting aside his infuriation to ascertain who would defy him. Astraea. Thats the only name I have to give, she replied with a steely voice. She had no sympathy for low lives who hurt children. Justice was one of her Domains. What kind of goddess would she be if she ignored this affront? Xaris eye twitched and eyed the bodyguard closest to him. Thetter answered without even being asked, The wolf is a summon with nothing unique about it but it is level 120 and capable of magic and several other skills. Its a high ss. As for the woman I cannot see through her in the slightest, but I can sense divinity around her, albeit somewhat diluted. I can also tell that she isnt the wolfs creator. Divinity? He raised an eyebrow and scanned the womans body. Calling yourself Astraea? What is it; delusion or truth? Some sort of vessel? That is none of your business, Astraea coldly shot back. What you should be pondering is what you were about to do to these children. Hmph, what is there to contemte? I am giving them enough mercy as it is. Dirty halflings not even capable of breathing underwater, polluting these streets, Xaris responded without an ounce of hesitation and the goddess hands clenched into fists. The aristocrat snorted. What? Were you expecting me to take them in as servants out of pity? How droll. You--! Your opinion matters not. You, he cut her off and looked at the bodyguard who still had his hand wrapped in shadows. Kill that wolf and carry out your previous order. Do the same to the woman if she gets in your way. The guard nodded and put strength in his arms, the shadows bursting apart, and the sword drawn in a single movement. Astraea grimaced at that. Purely from the weight of presence, those people were at least level 200 at the lowest. Raknas wolf wouldntst long and she herself had no way to fight. Should I seek help from Lord Monarch?She thought.No he must already know. I should only need to wait a bit,she concluded and watched as the bodyguard dashed toward the wolf. But before he could swing his sword and end the shadow creatures life, a third party suddenly intervened and grabbed his wrist. The swing was forced to a stop and a gust of wind spread outward. Astraea blinked in surprise as a tall figure shoved the bodyguard backward. The neer then stepped back, letting everyone see what he looked like. He was a rather handsome young man with in ck hair and eyes. He also possessed features that Earthlings would recognize as Asian. He wore a sort of runic robe and an inner streamlined armor. A sheathed sword was hanging at his belt to his left and a sachet to his right, which seemed to house scrolls. I am sorry, but I heard your conversation, he spoke up calmly. I couldnt help but intervene. Another annoyance? Xaris let out some anger. He truly had no wish to deal with random pests like these but at this point, backing down would be an affront to his pride. Who is it this time? Kim Shin-Woo, he simply replied, his expression neutral. Level 103, sir. Hes a Host from this year, the bodyguard from earlier spoke again. So, its just another nonentity. However, the appraiser quickly added and leaned in to whisper. He also seems to be affiliated with the Silver Sacrament. Xaris eyes widened. What? Why would the strongest Guild of spell des recruit a fledgling? So, how about it, could we just forget this ever happened? Shin-Woo said amiably. The aristocrat gritted his teeth; this whole situation had gotten much more irritating. The crowd had also grown in size and it was sure that this would lead to rumors. In the worst-case scenario, if there was too much noise, the enforcers mighte to check. That would be even harder to deal with,Xaris thought. He nced at the children, who cowered under his stare, then viewed Astraea. He observed her and his mind unconsciously focused on her beautiful appearance. At that moment, he grinned as an idea came to him. The goddess who was the subject of his scrutiny felt a chill down her spine. I see, the noble eventually said and waved at his man to back down. Lets settle this in a more civilized way. How about a deal? I will forgive those children, and perhaps evenpensate them for the trouble. In exchange, how about youe to my estate so we can discuss an eptable arrangement? He said with a shameless smirk. Shin-Woos expression switched to a frown this time and Astraea froze on the spot. There was no way an entity of infinite knowledge such as her wouldnt understand what this man was trying to do. By offering an agreement, he would shield himself from critics of his conduct by other nobles in the off-chance that they use his conduct here as a weapon against him. Within political spheres, this wasmon behavior. However, the implications of his invitation were sickeningly obvious. Not only would he have the chance to silence her as he wished, but he obviously intended to spur her into giving herself away. Hey, dont ept this Shin-Woo whispered to her. This mans family is one of those that sit at the top of New Athens but I should have enough connections to help, he said and looked over his shoulder at Astraea whose face was shadowed due to her drooping head. Hey, are yo--?! Everyone abruptly shuddered and stepped back from the woman, a tyrannical surge of dread washing over them. Then, a holy aura erupted around Astraea and pure white wings unfurled out of her back. Xaris group was shaken just as much as the onlookers nearby but the aristocrat quickly recovered and formed a loathsome smile. An angel, is it? That is a new one. I dont have anything of the sort in my collection, he said whilst scrutinizing the angelic womans face distorted by anger. Astraeas buttons were being pushed far too much. She was a goddess of many Domainspared to others. In the state she had been summoned from Egregore, she ruled over Justice, Innocence, Purity, and Precision. Justice had been defiled in front of her eyes. Her Innocence and Purity were being besmirched right to her face. And, most importantly, she who also had the name of Virgo and Libra, was being insulted in the worst of ways; being offered a deal with such revolting stakes on the bnce. You She uttered. Do not deserve the mercy of justice, she dered and her aura inexplicably became many times stronger and Xaris bodyguards moved to shield him. Shin-Woo raised his arm to shield his eyes, his expression looking startled but otherwise not too agitated for some reason. Be prepared--! As she seemed about to unleash even more power, a handnded on her shoulder. Now, now, calm down, another stranger intervened, and the moment he appeared, the holy aura was silenced in an instant. Astraea blinked in shock and snapped her head to the source. It was a pale man with long rosy hair, his eyes thinly squinted, giving the impression he had them closed at all times. He was wearing a white gothic-styled suit with cherry blossoms drawn on it as well as a white and golden overcoat hanging off his shoulders and partially covering his arms. If you release more power than this, Egregore will erase your existence for attempting this kind of stunt and breaking your shackles, the elegant man said and the goddess forgot all about her ire to rece it with bewilderment. You are?! Xaris gasped out as he spotted him. Uh, uh, the rosy-haired man waved his finger, slightly opening his sharp eyes. He pulled his arm away from Astraea and smiled broadly. Now is not the stage for me, Im afraid. You have a much biggerwolfto pacify at the moment, he stated. On cue, the shadow wolf that had been quietly sitting next to Astraea opened its mouth and a ball of darkness shot out. Xaris head bodyguard promptly moved in front of him to defend him but the shadowy sphere never hit. It slowed down to halt barely a meter in front of them before expanding into a rectangr shape with a rippling surface. Before anyone could react, the ripples became stronger and the shadows began to reflect what was in front of them. Xaris saw himself appear in the reflection and scowled. A shadow mirror? What is this for? Right after he was done speaking, a noise of ss breaking resounded and the bodyguard stiffened for a split second. Everyone else became rooted on the spot and some unfortunate souls outright fainted. In that small timeframe, the shadow mirror distended forward and a hand emerged, passing over the bodyguards shoulder and wing at Xaris skull as if it was seeking to crush it. The aristocrat not only felt like his lungs had stopped functioning but his very body began to lose all strength. Then, slowly, the other end of that arm surfaced from the mirror. I have to admit A voice echoed as a crimson wolf mask made out of bone-like material gradually appeared; every second passing increasing the terror filling the air. I was having quite a good time just now The voice continued and the shadow mirror began to move back, materializing the rest of the masks wearer at the same time. When Xaris saw the tails fan out through the fingers grasping his head, his mind made one conclusion after considering the incredible level of intimidation he was currently experiencing. After all, there werent many beings in the System that could release this kind of oppression that was strong enough to knock out others. In fact, those with the notoriously strongest intimidation skills are well known to be the King-Title bearers. And at a much higher level the Emperors. Xaris started sweating, panicking from the fact even his strongest bodyguard, well over level 400 and who should have been able to easily fend off this surprise attack, had been intimidated long enough to allow him to die if his attacker had so pleased. Now, kindly answer me, how do you suggest I punish you? Raknas demon-like voice sounded a third time and Xaris wondered if this was what it felt like to meet the devil. Chapter 294 Xaris bodyguard took a whole second to react and it was almost enough to crush his pride. When he got out of his daze, he promptly moved to grab the arm hovering above his shoulder but despite being physically much faster, Rakna casually managed to distance himself withStarsh. It was as if he had been able to react before the action had even been initiated. What a tremendous reading ability or perhaps instinct,the bodyguard thought as he caught a glimpse of gold in the therians eyes, through the holes of the crimson mask. He quietly raised his guard, making sure he would be able to properly neutralize anything thrown his way next. Rakna silently gazed at him for a moment before giving his surroundings a cursory nce. With a squint, he reached for his mask and slightly moved it sideward, uncovering half of his face. Interestingly enough, his eyes color was a gradation of crimson and purple whileMaskofPhoboswas active. Astraea, he eventually spoke up with a deadpan face. Didnt I tell you to avoid asses with annoying smirks? The winged woman hupped and pressed her index fingers together. Um well, Lord Monarch, if I am not wrong, you specifically said blond men with annoying smirks, right? She said with a cough. Look! He isnt blond, is he? The therian raised an eyebrow and looked back at Xaris. True, the man had dark brown hair. Soo I didnt do anything that went against your warnings? I see. Good job then. Astraea breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her forehead; Shin-Woo watching their tensioncking exchange with a stunned expression. It was almost surreal at how unpreupied they were. Meanwhile, the elegant rosy-haired man that had appeared just before still had his eyes forming perfect crescents as if everything pleased him. But if the widening of his smile was anything to go by, he seemed to be entertained by the sight. Now, lets see what shall I do with you? Rakna returned to the topic at hand, directing his only uncovered eye toward the aristocrat. Nefertrion, huh? Let me download a few things, he uttered to himself before several lenses showed themselves in his dual-colored eye. [Shortly said, it is a powerful family involved in the inner circle that governs New Athens,] Ceres took it upon herself to summarize things while her Host received the information. [This family, in particr, is mainly in charge of casinos, hotels, banks, and gray institutions such as brothels and legal ve shops. They also enjoy partial ownership of the Arenas, albeit small.] Oh more than I expected, Rakna tilted his head. It would probably be a pain in the ass if I killed him, he muttered, apparently not talking to anyone, but Xaris flinched and his defenders got even more on edge. However, the nobleman recovered quickly, his experience in social dealings ultimately winning over his nervousness. If I may ask? Would you happen to be Rakna Xiorra, by any chance? He asked as politely as his stiff tone could muster. Rakna stared at him in the eyes and the Mask of Phobos ever-present dread made most people in his line-of-sight shiver. Oh, right, sorry about that, he swiftly said and fully took off the mask. His eyes returned to normal and he tossed the mask in the nobles direction. Xaris bit back a yelp as it hit the ground in front of his group, shattering on impact and freeing the air of its grasp. The head bodyguard visibly rxed a bit when that happened. What a powerful subjugation skill... It didnt even seem like it took anything out of him to pull it out either. He removed it like it was an old trinket,he couldnt help butment inwardly. T-thank you for releasing it, Xaris followed up after clearing his throat. It seems Ive entered a conflict with a retainer affiliated with you, he went straight to the point. He had already thrown away any of the preposterous thoughts he had earlier. Having your life at someones mercy was that much of an eye-opener. But that didnt mean he was about to bend his knee. Wait, Rakna raised his hand before the man could continue. I dont need to hear you speak or even exin the situation. I saw everything through my wolf here, he said whilst pointing at the shadow lupine. I already have my answer as to who is in the wrong, he dered and swiped his hand to the side, opening his Terminal. He had learned how to use it better in the past weeks. Hm? What are you doing? The rosy-haired man asked curiously and Rakna nced at him, not offended by his questioning. He had activatedCrystalSightupon his arrival and in the blink of an eye, he had collected the basic information of everyone in his sight. That man wasnt an exception. Basically; calling an enforcer, the therian casually replied. Oh? A-an enforcer? Xaris raised his voice in slight confusion. Internally, he was sighing in relief that this would be far easier to deal with than anticipated.Good hes just a kid, in the end. Emperor or not, he doesnt know how to wield power,he thought with a sneer. Outwardly, he disyed a smile of fake awkwardness. Your Majesty, there is no need to involve the citys forces for a small affair such as this. I will be sure topensate you for today. Did you not hear me? Rakna instantly replied and scowled at him. I was having a good time and you forced me toe here. Unfortunately for you, I have deep grudges. Furthermore, I am plenty aware of why Astraea confronted you; did you really think I would let you go? Xaris smile stiffened a bit. Your Majesty, I believe there are better solutions to this problem. How about 100 million Talys for the trouble? The therian gave him a t look before pressing enter on his Terminal. As you dont seem to have caught on yet, let me exin a few things to you. First of all, I can smell dishonesty on you. While that does not mean you werent going to follow through with your ims ofpensation, it does put a perspective on whats going on in the back of your mind, doesnt it? I wonder what youll try to n after this to get back at me. The nobleman froze on the spot. Secondly, what gave you the idea I was contacting New Athensw force? W-what? Then, who--?! Xaris closed his mouth as he heard a sound that he hade across only once in the past. He looked up and started quivering when he saw a gap in space being torn open above the street. From inside, arge silhouette measuring about ten meters in height slowly emerged; a pure white body, and wings made out of a material akin to marble, and wielding a double-sided spear. Its two pairs of eyes were filled with undting light that stretched to its entire form like a set of clothes. The oval head quietly turned toward Xaris, the spiral symbol etched onto it glowing fiercely. That cannot be! Why is an Adjudicator here?! Oh my, the rosy-haired man opened his eyes from the side. A Commander-Rank as well. It could match a level 600 Host in raw strength. The spectators gawked at the marble soldier in awe. It was rare for normal Hosts or Locals to ever see an Adjudicator appear. Usually, they would only appear when a situation was severe enough to constitute a threat to the System. Perhaps you were not aware, Rakna spoke up calmly and Xaris snapped toward him. Emperors are eligible to request intervention from an Adjudicator when conditions are right. Thats nonsense! The aristocrat shouted disconcertedly. This situation couldnt possibly justify the involvement of an Adjudicator! You think? The therian smiled faintly. You were about to kill those children, werent you? It was a threat against Locals; a resource of the System. What? That is not--! Enough? Rakna cut him off. You would normally be right. An Adjudicator would only appear forrge-scale offenses endangering the lives of thousands of people at once. As for you, there is no doubt that you canugh off this kind of small crime without issues. After all, New Athensws are made by nobles; if they want to kill, they can simply say they are allowed. And the System does not care in the slightest as it doesnt affect its infrastructure. Small fry like you is ignored. Xaris gritted his teeth and his expression contorted as the therians nonchnt words continued to resound without interruption. However, dont you already know? The world is not fair, Rakna said with a silent scoff. People are not equal. Nor you and I. The one who dispatches Adjudicators is Eva and lets say we currently are in a mutually beneficial agreement. She can grant me this small favor. You must be lying! Why would Eva collude with a recently-recruited Host?! That is none of your business, Rakna retorted and nced at the Commander Adjudicator. Do it, he ordered and the creature silently pointed its palm at Xaris who stepped back in fear. D-do something! He yelled at his bodyguards who could only look at their boss. It was suicide to go up against a Commander Adjudicator and no one wanted to alienate Eva herself. stand down, the head bodyguard eventually said. Crayn! You traitor! Regrettably, Raknas voice then echoed and everyone focused on him. It seems I am not allowed to give you the death sentence, he uttered coldly. So, Ive settled for the next worst. Adjudicator, Verdict, Code 1. [| Approved, |] the being spoke mechanically. [| Descendant Host; Xaris Nefertrion. Confirming Code 1 Sentence. Gathering Credentials |] A light began to swirl around the Adjudicators hand. Xaris swallowed in terror and after staggering backward for a few seconds, he immediately made an escape, pushing off his bodyguards and running off. His speed was between level 150 and 200 at best. Raknas eyes calmly followed his figure as he whispered one word, [Valkal.] On cue, an invisible force ensnared Xaris body, and despite it being rtively weak, the uracy of the timing as well as the swiftness disrupted the noblemans movement skill and made him crash. Then, before Xaris could recover, the Adjudicator was already hovering above him, his palm still pointed at him. [| Credentials Authenticated. Beginning Code 1 Sentence, |] it dered, and Xaris was suddenly grabbed by the giant hand. Right afterward, he felt extreme pain that was tranted into screams of agony. Everyone in earshot winced as they saw a stream of energy being sucked out of him back into the Adjudicators arm. After a long minute, the creature dropped the unconscious body. [| Ruling Enacted. Subjects Status Has Been Reinitialized and Downgraded. |] After leaving these words hanging in the air, the Adjudicator quietly opened a gap in space again and departed. When it was gone, a suffocating silence overtook the area. Rakna watched as Xaris was picked up by his bodyguards before finally turning toward the two people who hade in earlier to help Astraea. Now then, lets talk, he uttered in apletely rxed tone as if nothing had happened. Chapter 295 Well, wasnt that an exciting show? The rosy-haired man smilingly said to Shin-Woo who was standing next to him, the street life around them gradually returning to normal after the earlier event. A-aah yes, sure, the young man slowly replied with an odd expression. So, I suppose you already know who I am? The elegant stranger then turned toward Rakna who was looking over at Astraea crouching near the children she had protected, handing them a small pouch of Talys provided by him. The therian simply nodded to answer the mans question. Well, I suppose I cannot y the mysterious act anymore, he jested. Let me introduce myself properly then. My name is Caer wen, a member of Throne of Glory as you must have seen. Some people know me as Blossom Wind and my in-guild name is Prunus; pleased to meet you. Likewise, Rakna responded and tilted his head. I havent seen you in the chat, right? I initially thought you were Petal with the whole impression you give. Caer chuckled. Hah, how ironic. For your information, Lilia, Petal, is my daughter. Though, it does make me happy as a parent that you would rte her to me. Oh, and incidentally, my wife also happens to be a member of the Guild. White Spring; to be exact. Uh, well, that exins it then Rakna hummed. From what Ive seen of your wife, she seemed like a rather serious-sounding person. I see, no wonder your daughter turned out like that if the father is like this. I am not sure I should take that as apliment, Caer said wryly. And, by curiosity, could you exin what you mean by like that? Someone who is apparently lurking in chat rooms trying to learn aboutmunication efficiency and having fun disrupting it. So, a social recluse that most likely grew up in a household where the conflicting personalities of her parents turned her into a quiet girl. Wow now I understand what Gray was saying about you, heughed. You really got that from seeing how she writes? Yes and no. I obviously dont know her personally, and I dont im to understand who she is in full. But people are simple; we all have different personalities and dispositions for sure but we can generally be lumped together into a substantially low number of pots. The only thing that actually changes is fine details about a person, Rakna said with a small shrug. Even I; there are plenty of people that resemble me or act like me. But its quite obvious that they differ when ites to experiences, morals, or downright talent. Stereotypes exist because we are not nearlyplicated enough to be able to escape social constructs, he snorted. Thats how it is. We cant use prescience to describewhoyou are, but we can definewhatyou are. Caer opened one eye with a small smile on his face. I see. Indeed In that regard, I would say Im proud that I was able to raise my child this way. We were able to properly impart to her what we had to teach. She may have ws, but they are lovable in their own way, wouldnt you say? Rakna smiled faintly. I guess. Uuh Im not sure I understand this conversation, Astraea said awkwardly as she returned from sending off the children to the loweryers of Athens. Really? The therian deadpanned. What about the whole being born from Akasha thing? Hey! Having unlimited knowledge doesnt mean unlimited wisdom! thats such a sad thing to say about yourself. The goddess pouted at that before suddenly remembering something. Ah, right! She eximed and looked at Caer. How did you know I was from Egregore? I cant sense any connection to you from the realm. Oh, that? The man let out a subtle chuckle. Its a bit embarrassing to say in front of an authentic Firmament Monarch, but I once attempted to reach Egregore. Sadly, I failed. But I have done my research and I havente out empty-handed from the experience at least. It was easy to identify your nature. More so after you named yourself. Wow, thats impressive, Astraea said. Its exceedingly rare for someone to be a Monarch or even simply have a small insight on it, and it generally happens by coincidence or luck. But from how it sounds, it seems like you actively created a link to Egregore through sheer effort. Even if you ultimately failed, its stillmendable. Caer smiled. Why, thank you. It is pleasing to hear from an entity of Akasha. So, can I ask why youre here? Rakna changed topics. You didnte to see me here purely by coincidence, right? Hm, yes and no. I would say I am here for a reason that both concerns you and doesnt, the man said then hummed in puzzlement. But shouldnt you know? Have you not paid a visit to the Guild Quest Board yet? The therian blinked at the sudden question before shaking his head. I havent, no. Why? Should I be aware of a new entry? Huh? You didnt receive the notification? It was issued about half an hour ago by our leader. Ah, Rakna eximed with a nk face. Around that time, he had been in Evas space. He sighed and rubbed his temples. That was probably why the System hadnt shown him anything and that spoiled little girl hadnt even bothered warning him about it. At this point unironically, is this how it feels to have an annoying sister?He silently wondered. Hm, well, if you dont know, our leader notified us that it was time forthat, Caer stated whilst making quote signs with his hands. Which is? He smiled and replied, Your assessment. Every new member of the Throne gets to participate in a joint Quest with everyone else in the Guild. It is meant to disy your talents and at the end of it, a vote decides if you are to stay or not. Though no one has ever been voted out before. Thats interesting, Rakna squinted his eyes. I suppose I will meet the whole Guild then? Correct. Though it will happen after the Myth Council meeting, in which case, you will have met the leader already. And thats it; I was here today because Antis is the location for the Quest and as I was passing by, I happened to see this good boy over there, he paused to point at the shadow wolf wagging its tail. I peered into its owner; you. I figured thisdy was connected to you as well, so I intervened. Though, frankly, an Egregore entity would have caught my attention regardless. I see. Thanks for that by the way. Ive heard the entities I summon can break the limits imposed on them by trying to break out of Egregore. Though, they get erased if that happens, the therian said whilst ncing at Astraea with a scowl. She pouted immediately. Dont look at me like that! Im sorry, okay? That man transgressed every core moral of my Domains. I couldnt let it pass. He sighed and Caer chuckled, Well, dont me her too much. She was caught up in her anger. It happens to the best of us, dont you think? I cant deny that, Rakna shook his head. Well then, I rmend you go check the details at the Pavilionter. You might cross paths with one more of us on the way too, Caer bowed slightly. On that note, I will be going. Also, it seems this young man has business with you so I should stop bothering you, he said whilst ncing at Shin-Woo who had been quietly standing to the side. The man in question smiled wryly. You dont need to be considerate of me Nonsense, Caer retorted good-naturedly. It would be impolite to make you stand there forever like this. I was on my way to see Sazieyl anyway. Have a good day, he waved them goodbye and his body turned into a flurry of cherry blossom petals before disappearing. Uh, fits the moniker, Rakna snorted at the disappearing act. So? He then turned to Shin-Woo with a sharp look. What is it? I cant help but feel like you have more business with me other than just coincidentally helping Astraea. The emotions I smell from you all over the ce have I met you before? Well, not really, no Though I suppose you could say Ive had an encounter with your pet a while ago on the 5thteau, he responded whilst rubbing his head. Pronos, was it? He gave me a bit of a scare. It was barely a few days after the Tutorial and I thought he was going to kill me and my group. The 5thteau so, as I suspected, youre from my version of Earth. Korean, right? Im surprised you were able to get to Antis so fast, Rakna squinted his eyes. I honestly think it to be quite a hard task for regr people. Not to mention, you seem quite well-off. You have at least three Gold Items on you right now thats more than impressive. Shin-Woo snickered as the therian eyed his equipment with a golden eye. Thank you but, really, there is nothing to praise me for In fact, this is rted to why Ive been wanting to meet you, he dered and momentarily paused to nce at Astraea. Um, if possible, could we talk in private? There is something I want to say that you might not want others to know Rakna scowled at that. If he had to be frank, this conversation felt weird to him. It was in neither a good nor bad way; it was rather uncanny. The person in front of him was sincere in his behavior and he knew it. But there was a dissonance when it came to his motive and the emotionsing from him; one that he couldnt ignore. Astraea, the therian spoke up and she looked at him. Move on ahead. The others should be at the library. Ill see you there once Im done here. The Star Entitys expression briefly became more serious, she nced at Shin-Woo before nodding slowly. Understood See you there, Lord Monarch, she replied and held the shadow wolf in her arms before walking away. Lets move somewhere else, Rakna said and they relocated to a quiet alleyway where he swiftly erected a runic array to prevent eavesdroppers. The therian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. So? What is it? Well Im not sure how to say this Shin-Woo said awkwardly. He sighed and straightened his back with a deep breath. I assume you didnt look at my full status earlier? I havent. I just looked at your name and affiliation Should I have noticed something? Yes and no. Its just that if thats the case, I might as well say it openly, he uttered and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they had a new glint in them. To keep things short Im a regressor. huh? Chapter 296 Regressor; a rewind of time. Rakna wasnt unfamiliar with that word, but it was not something he was expecting to hear. A supernatural feat such as regression was not a simple thing. You couldnt just chalk it up to random luck. Not to mention that the System should know about it. The question that woulde to be asked is if such a Host would be allowed to live. The only logical possibility would be that a being more powerful than the System was asserting their influence on said regressor, forcing Systema to leave them alone; like how Phantasms have to walk on eggshells around Rakna due to Eternal Night. Rakna promptly activatedCrystalSight, his pupils fully revolving into golden crosses. He peered into the alleged regressors status without holding back. ? ? ? Name:Kim Shin-Woo Age:29(21)|Level: 103 Race: Half-Faerie |Path:Scroll Edge Sub-Path: Silver Emperor(Partially Sealed) Affiliation: Silver Sacrament(Member) Titles: Emissary of ???, Regressor, Crowned Seedling, Divinity yer, Inheritor of Scroll Edge, Spell de Master, Elemental Lord, Secret Seeker, Silver Rule, Disaster Hunter, Mythical Designation. Potential: NR |Host Rank: X |Ascent: I Attributes: STR: 86 |END: 48 SPD: 103 |DEX: 116 INT: 132 |LCK: 6 Statistics: STA: 451 |MP: 6640 SWI: 570 |AGI: 405 SEN: 499 |ATC: 491 ATT: 627 |DEF: 300 MA:744 |MR:114.6/min Proficiencies: -ScrollCreation(Lv. 22??) -MagicInscribing(Lv. Ex?) -Mana Control(Lv.17?) -Sword Arts(Lv.16?) -Runecraft(Lv.12?) -Mana Sense(Lv.16?) -MagicTheory(Lv.15?) -SpiritualIntentControl(Lv.8) Magic Skills: -Spirit Magic(Lv. 16?) -Water Magic(Lv. 12?) -EarthMagic(Lv. Max) -Light Magic(Lv.9) -Fire Magic(Lv.7) -WindMagic(Lv.6) -Lightning Magic(Lv.4) -Darkness Magic(Lv.2) -True MagicCSilverofTheEightRoots(Lv.5) -UnionMagic(Darkness + Light)CDarkLight(Lv.3) -UnionMagic(Spirit + Water)CUndine(Lv. Max) Cognitive Skills: -FaeInkTattoos(Lv. UEX???) - ???(Lv-) -Foil Aura(Lv. 21??) -Fear Resistance(Lv. 15?) -Fatigue Resistance(Lv.12?) -Damage Resistance(Lv. 11?) -SoulHeart(Lv. Ex) -Pain Resistance(Lv. Max) Spontaneous Skills: -Spell Sight(EX???) -ApogeeSynesthesia(EX???) -TripleBurst(Lv-) -Celestial Gate(Lv-) -Eonian Gate(Lv-) -ElementalReinforcement(Lv.18?) -Reinforcement(Lv.15?) -shStep(Lv.13?) -Weapon Reinforcement(Lv.12 ?) -AlmightyPalm(Lv. Ex) -SoulDrain(Lv.6) -SoulScourge(Lv.5) Path Skills: -MagicReading -ScrollEdge Sub-Path Skills: -Silver Rule(Partially Sealed) - Elemental Dominion Nirvana Skills: -Scroll Birth -Elemental Phasing -??? Unique or Racial Traits: -Faerie Blood -InternalizedMagicCircuits -Lesser Regeneration -SoulBeastContractCEstablished Note:A man of originally mediocre talent with good luck. His peaceful life was disrupted by his entry into Systemakva Etr Zotan. He struggled through eight painful years of both losses and sesses, until one day, the world fell apart around him. A powerful being reached out to him and gave him the power to reverse the causality of his soul and regress him to his past. ? ? ? who? Rakna ultimately asked with an even tone. His eyes were most likely the greatest analytical skill possessed by a Host or otherwise. His Kzanaria, the Crystal Sage, had a sight that could perceive the truth of all in the world. Despite that, the therian could feel it. Instead of actually managing to pry into Shin-Woos secrets, it was as if he was allowed to instead; by that skill and title that he could not decipher. It was as if the status; as if something was weing him. And he recognized it. I dont know, the spellde shook his head at the question. The only things I have are this title and skill that I cant even read the description of. From what Ive gathered, both seem to have an effect on my survival capability as well as the secrecy of my status. I also learn things faster than before but thats it. However, I did have an instruction when I woke up as my younger self An instruction? Yes, he nodded and gazed at Rakna. It was you; I was told to save your life. The therians eyes widened in shock. * * * Meanwhile, far into the sea of Antis, Pronos feasted upon the buffet presented to him. The table was full of food. Meat, fruits, and vegetables; nothing wascking. The little snake swallowed them whole, as if his stomach was infinite. You sure eat a lot, the blue-haired child that had weed himmented. He was sitting on a wooden chair, his sses resting on his nose as he read a book. After a short moment of silence upied by the Hydras eating noises, he eventually continued, So, your master is Rakna Xiorra? Pronos instantly lifted all his heads in attention except for a few still munching on food. at least pretend to worry about my knowledge more than your pte, the boy retorted without looking away from his book. Your name is Pronos, correct? He continued unbothered. The small Hydra slowly nodded. Hm oh, right, the house owner eximed. I suppose it would be bad manners not to introduce myself. Hans De Vale; a modest author. Do not be fooled by my appearance. There is more than meets the eye, as they would say. Though I will admit, I enjoy it; the world is all so more beautiful from a childs view, he said with his deep monotonous voice, his expression betraying nothing. Once again, the incongruity of his harsh tone felt bizarre. To Pronos, it was an odd sight. Even Rakna couldnt bepared to this person. The therian was, for theck of a better term, inhibited. But it wasnt because of ack of understanding or an inability to feel emotions; it was both a conscious and unconscious effort to control himself. The fledgling Hydra was far more perceptive than most people would peg him as. Perhaps he knew more about Raknas inner struggles than even his closestpanions. For some reason that the little snake couldnt figure out, he had a deep connection to Rakna ever since they first met. It was as if the then human was more animal than himself. In fact, when Pronos first saw him, he thought he had stumbled upon a terrible den of beasts. It was like he had been facing a wolf then a tiger in the next split second; then a bear, an eagle, a lion, a deer, an elephant, a fox, a gori And when he got close enough to touch this terrifying human he had be as familiar as any reptile. Thats why Pronos could understand Rakna better than anyone else. They both possessed animalistic instincts that were normally overpowered by a rational mind, like the way humans evolved to be intelligent instead of savage. Even Higure had that w, her instincts were logical rather than purely bestial. And it is precisely because she is intelligent that she naturally forsook that part of herself. Pronos had always wondered since then. How was it that Rakna was like that? Why did he have such instincts inside him despite his intelligence? Why did it feel like his existence was made of wild beasts? The Hydra shook his head at the train of thought, then gazed back at Hans; the child-looking boy whose harsh tone carried tant contradictions. Unlike Rakna, whose coldness was attributed to his mental imbnce, this proimed author was the opposite. His poise felt too stable. The emptiness of his tone; the hatred in the inflection of his words; the peace within his eyes; the confidence in his posture; all of it pointed to a man whose mentality had reached the peak of an extreme. A man who embraced the worlds ugliness. He was hatred incarnated, confined inside a soft but unyielding bubble of eptance. The truth was, Pronos was not smart enough to properly form his opinion. He only had instinct to carry out his judgment. But that was sufficient, and he preferred it that way. Something told him that his current growth depended on it; he wouldnt be the one he is today otherwise. Ultimately, all he knew about this human boy was that he deserved the utmost respect. You have quite a fascinating perspective, Hans suddenly said, his eyes briefly moving away from his book to the Hydra. Your thoughts have no eloquence, and there is no sign ofprehensible structure, but you are strangely wise. Pronos tilted his heads at that. Could this human hear his thoughts? Not exactly. What I do isreadyour consciousness, the blue-haired boy retorted. It is rather easy to do so with you since you do not possess strong mental barriers. Externally, at least. Aside from that, there is no doubt you are a powerful creature. Exceedingly so. I suppose that is fitting for the pet of the Kind Demons Kin. The small Hydra promptly froze on the spot. Even he was aware that Rakna being Eternal Nights nephew shouldnt be known publicly. It is not that shocking, is it? What do you think Ive been reading all this time? Hans said whilst hinting at the book in his hands. You do have my precursor as a panion, do you not? Pronos immediately connected the dots. There was one person in his memories that fit the bill. Correct. I am the current bearer of Tale Magic. I apologize to say that you were caught in a passive spell the moment you entered my house, he said. Though unlike my predecessor, I do not dwell in the politeness of such an act, I am afraid. You will have to forgive me. I am not the kind to worry about something as insignificant as anothers past. It makes for an entertaining story is all. The Eion pet hissed softly. Hm? Hans nced at the Hydra. You are wondering what I will do with this information? I was simply curious. Rakna Xiorra de I am interested in meeting him. Your point of view is not adequate for aplete narration, he said and squinted his eyes at the book in his hands. Normally, I should have been able to use Tale Magic on him through you as a medium but he is much too shielded by fate for that. So, meeting him personally seems to be the only way. And as things stand, I do not have to lift a single finger for that to happen. He is looking for me, after all. Pronos stayed silent. He scrutinized the boy with his nine pairs of eyes until he made a shrugging motion and pushed his answer to the top of his mind, allowing Hans to read it. The blue-haired child allowed a smile to grace his face, but he never broke character. It was small and looked like a sneer mocking the world. Is that so? He uttered and the little guy promptly resumed his feast without any care in the world. Hans nced at him and mused internally.Rakna Xiorras pet, huh The Kind Demons Kin word for word; could that rumored prophecy be true then?He thought and looked out the window of his house at the ocean whilst pondering something.Why not It does not hurt. Inspiration can be hard toe by after all Chapter 297 Chapter 297: Eternal Nights Prophecy Aah this is boring, Higure yawned whilst sprawled on one of the many rows of benches around her. She looked up at the high ceiling, where she could see colorful stained ss depicting a story like the ones youd see in a Church. Werent you the one who said she wanted to see what one of the Basilicas of Eternal Night looked like? Nyx retorted as she sat on her knees, her hands resting on herp. She had her eyes closed and ck lightning was faintly coiling around her body. In front of her, a peculiar totem was erected. A wooden ck eight-branched cross, a silver skull embedded in the center, and chains held in its teeth; it was the Kind Demons Cross. Still, thats a weird icon, the lioness raised her voice, gazing at the cross that was big enough to make her crank her neck to observe it in full. I never quite understood. The cross, the skull, the chains what is that supposed to represent? It sounds silly but cryptic on sight. Mostly because its so confusing, honestly. What about you? Do you have an idea? Nyx opened one eye to nce at her before focusing on the cross. Im not sure either The cross shape is probably nothing much in itself. The basic religious intent of it has existed even before Christianity. In fact, I would say that even the skull isnt worth mentioning. After all, Eternal Night was a Life Hunter. Its merely a simple connotation. Instead, I would say that the true crux is The chains being bitten, a new voice suddenly joined in, and the two women looked over their shoulders to see an elderly man walk toward them from the entrance. He wore an embroidered ck and white robe with the cross of Eternal Night hanging from his neck as a pendant. Both of the girls could sense the vast power he exuded. You are? Higure fixed her posture a bit while Nyx stood up. Hes the archbishop I mentionedst time, Lacros Hortensia, the goddess replied. The one who suggested me to try another perspective for my magic. Ah, the lioness eximed in recognition and the old man smiled. Hm, it seems youve ovee your bottleneck, he said whilst inspecting Nyxs lightning. She nodded silently, her hand gathering the Aeter around her. Yes, thank you for the advicest time. I did find my answer by asking someone who knew Eternal Night. Oh? The archbishop raised an eyebrow in curiosity. It sounds as if you found someone other than Karaskan am I correct in my assumption? Nyx smiled faintly as she dispelled her magic. Thats a secret. Lacros chuckled. I suppose I shouldnt expect any less from the Eternal Maiden. Hey, wait, Higure spoke up. Can you exin what you said whileing in just now? Oh, that? He smiled good-naturedly, not taking any offense to her informality. He approached the cross and ced his hand on it. As you know, this cross you see here is a replica. One that we made based on the original. If you had seen thetter, you would have understood, he paused and looked up at the skull. Even to this day, some of our clergy get scared by the real one. Dont get me wrong; its not about the energy it exudes. Rather the ttering sounds that one can hear when they have their back turned to it, the archbishops smile widened. I tried it myself. The most daunting aspect of it is that no matter how fast you look back, nothing has moved. The lioness fell silent for a few seconds, And thats part of the conclusion you arrived at I assume? Yes, he nodded. I must say that Ive always wondered; the chains connected to the cross are all binding it to the ground. But before that, theyre pooled within the skulls mouth and pressed tight by the teeth. Youve got to ask yourself; is the cross being tied to the ground, or is the skull the one locking the two together like a coacher pulling the ropes? What are you implying? That this cross is self-coercing? The elderly manughed lightly and waved his hand. How about this? I will show you something so lets turn around for a moment, he said and distanced himself from the cross a bit before facing his back toward it. Come on, dont just stand there, he added and the two women looked at each other before standing next to him. Now, whatever happens, do not look back, he stated, and on cue, his aura erupted and filled the hall in an instant. Higure and Nyx shuddered as they saw ck lightning, not unlike the Eternal Night Magic they were used to seeing, but with a white outline and an oddly soothing presence. Certainly that Aetercks the mark of the original one, Nyx thought. Thats what they meant by mine being authentic. His is a variant; mutated to some extent. However, I can tell that even the Kind Demon himself would be proud. To reach this far without theplete form impressive. As she was thinking about that, she noticed that the lightning was moving toward the cross, which they were unable to see. Then, it happened; a metallic noise resounded. It was oddly soft, but the intermittent screeches of grinding metal made her wince. Aside from the archbishop, the two women were having a hard time resisting the urge to turn back and hopefully clear up the chills crawling up their spines. Lacros smiled at that and eventually stopped his lightning. As he did so, the sounds stopped and the girls quickly jumped a few steps away from the cross whilst pivoting. Once they saw that the cross had not changed in the slightest, they sighed in relief. What the hell was that? Higure uttered, wiping her sweat. Yes, I would also like to know, Nyx scowled. Didnt you say that this was a simple replica? The old man snorted. I did. I merely gave it a kickstart. In this world, symbols and identity have power. Even drawing the cross on paper would have an effect if you inject the appropriate energy into it. The existential weight of Eternal Night is high enough to transform anything about him into a crude magic formation. What you just experienced was a temporary simtion of the original cross that I created by sharing some of my Aeter with the replica. Higure huffed. Well, that was a bit too unsettling for my taste. Do you all really worship the person behind that cross without fear? She asked. Despite knowing very well from Rakna that Arimane was not an evil being in any manner, what she just felt cemented one fact. That man was a monster of untold magnitudes. Without fear? Of course not, Lacros retorted. Eternal Night does not promise anything to his believers. He has no doctrines, core principles, or a sacred afterlife. If anything, he has the greatestherworld, he added with a chuckle. No,dy. We do fear him. But in fear, we find respect. In respect, we find admiration. And as such, we follow. He is powerful and has reached heights that incite respect in his enemies. That is the kind of God Eternal Night is. As for those His voice trailed as he nced at the chains. I like to think of them as a struggle. A struggle? Nyx reiterated in confusion. Yes, the idea of struggle, to be exact. It is the chains that weigh down the world. The Kind Demon is the symbol of them being shattered. When you turn your back, he devours them for you and you remain blissfully unaware. However, there are times when the skull drops the chains and when is that? Higure urged him on and he grinned. When there is something more urgent to bite of course, he saidughingly. If you see them being released, it means the cross is about to purge a struggle rising before them instead. Uh-uh, the lioness responded. In short, you all follow a God whose dogma is to follow his whims and destroy whatever stands in the way of the betterment of his vision of the world, she uttered nkly, until a smirk graced her features, her fangs in full view. Cant say I dislike it. Lacros closed his eyes with a hum. Im happy to hear it. I would be happy to wee you into our ranks if you wish so. A friend of the Eternal Maiden is a friend to all of us. Ill pass, Higure snorted. Not that your organization doesnt sound interesting, but all the faith that my mind could possibly produce is already directed at someone else, she said with a sincere tone. Love is the highest degree of faith, after all, isnt it? Nyx blinked and her eyes widened slightly at the lioness abrupt confession. Thetter gave her a nce in return and shrugged with a calm expression, not hiding for even a second who she might have been referring to. Hahaha, I see. I envy you; what a beautiful faith that is indeed, Lacros said with a nod. Treasure it. Those kinds of things must be held tight and forever preserved. No matter its end. You dont have to tell me, Higure snickered. The archbishop smiled and his eyes abruptly shifted somewhere else, seemingly peering through the walls of the basilica. Oh thats quite interesting, he muttered. Is something wrong? Nyx asked, confused about what he was looking at. Neither she nor Higure had sensed anything warranting his sudden change of focus. Well, if it is wrong or not, I have no idea, Lacros hummed. An Adjudicator? In the middle of the city and so quietly? And with quite an interesting presence next to it He thought. Something happening outside? Higure asked and he nodded. Indeed. And Im sure you will learn of it very soon. That unique presence is telling of who it may be, he said with a chuckle. On this note, before we part, would you like me to tell you something else about our Basilica? Yes? Its about a prophecy, the archbishop crossed his arms behind his back. Much like the one that announced your arrival, Eternal Maiden, there is another that describes a special individual who appears at the same time as you. Someone His eyes narrowed. Very close to Eternal Night. Higure and Nyx stiffened and looked at each other. I see so, you knew about him after all, huh? The lioness raised an eyebrow. I guess theres no harm or even surprise in your organization knowing that. But whats that prophecy about? Lacros snickered softly. A simple affair, really. The prophecies we hear by tapping into the faith we created for Eternal Night are always quite straightforward. They arent detailed, just like every other prophecy out there, but theres nothing flowery about it either. Perhaps it is due in part to the Kind Demons personality. So, hear this, he dered and gazed at the two women. The Eternal Maiden of Elysium will find herself stranded in Systemakva. Together with her, the Kind Demons Kin will follow. He will rise and conquer; he is your liberator and yourst chance to survive long and well.'' Chapter 298: The Systems Collapse Chapter 298: The System''s Copse "Save my life?" Rakna uttered with a frown after the regressor''s confession. Shin-Woo lowered his head a bit. "It will happen soon or at least, it happened in my timeline. I''m not exactly sure when, but shortly after you reached Antis, you died." "" "I still remember that day because a lot of things stemmed from it," he continued. "The life inside the System was flipped over its head. At first, the news came out a few days after Eva notified the Hosts and Locals about the sessful recovery of an offline teau." Rakna''s eye twitched. ''Then that would mean Eva''s mission isn''t the cause of my death or perhaps it just took some time to do me in?'' He thought surprisingly calmly. It''s not like he was doubting the man in front of him either; his Crystal Sight wouldn''t allow anyone to lie in front of him without his knowing, much lessbined with his sense of smell. "Then, it gradually got worse and worse," the regressor continued with a grave expression. "The first urrence happened instantly. A Chaos Witch" He paused and nced at the therian''s face stiffening. "Went berserk in the middle of Athens. She nearly killed ten thousand people in a rage and even defeated three Adjudicators before she was put down by a high-leveled Host. From what I heard, a Chaos Witch losing to their Chaos Trait can sometimes boost their strength by more than tenfold. That one had been particrly powerful." Rakna remained silent, his face frigid, but not hiding the red glint in his eyes. Shin-Woo naturally noticed it but he knew he had to go on. "The second urrence happened in the midst of the Nine-Tailed n. The heiress of the Fox Branch fell ill no one knows about what happened to her afterward, just that she never reappeared again. The foxes fell into disarray and the scorpions abruptlyunched an attack. For months, the Nine-Tailed n was stuck in a severe internal war" This time, the temperature clearly started rising around them and Rakna had to force himself to calm down. He covered his face with one hand, his ws digging into his skin, before releasing a deep breath. He forcefully pushed down his aura and faced Shin-Woo emotionlessly. "I get it. You are telling the truth. Get to the point," he growled. The regressor nodded. "Several other incidents took ce in the span of a year. It was like a nasty butterfly effect. But the real danger manifested two yearster. To be exact, it became noticeable during that time. It had been going on for a long time and it was finally hitting us." "What was it?" "The ''death'' of the System," Shin-Woo answered and Rakna scowled. "I was confused as well. But the traces were there. While on itsst legs, the System deteriorated. At first, it was just the system interfaces glitching. Then Dungeons started copsing prematurely. Some became unable to level up and there were no more yearly batches of Hosts. Resets stopped working. Locals couldn''t issue Quests anymore. teaus started degrading; shrinking and tearing holes in space." "It gradually turned into a hellish ce to live in. The remaining Hosts that were strong enough to pull through did their best to clear the Trials, albeit also being faulty at times. Everyone thought that ourst chance would be to reach the 1000th teau. The entire Myth Council spear-headed the clearing of thest teaus. In the end, two people seeded; Throne of Glory''s leader, Ensis Credo Gen, and the top-ranked Host, Cain Unsworth." Shin-Woo paused momentarily and gritted his teeth. "They never returned," he said gravely. "The two strongest Hosts had vanished. That put a damp on a lot of people''s hopes, but they didn''t give up. However on my side of things, before I could even hear any further news about the situation, someone came to me in Old Eden. I believe you know her; Nyx Nocta Regysnite." Rakna raised an eyebrow at the unexpected mention. His mind worked out several scenarios as to why she woulde up here and drew a conclusion after considering the feeling he had been getting from Shin-Woo''s status. "Was she the one who ''reversed your time''?" The regressor nodded. "I believe so. At the very least, she was the medium. She was quick in doing it and the only thing she said beforehand was that she didn''t have much time to exin. All she instructed was to save you. In her words" He lowered his eyes. "''Save Rakna please.''" "" "The next thing I knew, she drew her sword and pierced my heart. My vision faded and I remember hearing the sound of chains rattling before I woke up during the Initiation; the rest is history," he said with a sigh. "I used the little knowledge I had to gain an edge over regr Hosts and came here to meet you." Rakna squinted his eyes in thought. Without a doubt in his mind, Nyx could only have done such a thing with his uncle supporting her. ''Wait'' His eyes widened as he realized something. ''Is that why she is the Eternal Maiden? But there''s no way the old man predicted I would die is there?'' The therian groaned at the train of thought and looked back at Shin-Woo. "Before anything else, why did she choose you? Knowing Nyx, she certainly didn''t pick you off the streets at random to undertake this mission." "I''m not sure I wondered that myself at first. But I came to the conclusion that it was because of my Fae Blood." "That wasn''t something you got after your regression?" He shook his head. "No, to be exact, it was a secret inheritance that I found in my first run. I simply got it again after returning. You see, Fae folk are creatures of ethereality. They are made of mana, soul, and matter all at the same time. With it, my mana''s purity and consumption are massively boosted. My soul power is stronger and easier to control, and my body is stronger. Other than that, I heal faster and am immune to temporal or spatial attacks. If I had to guess, thetter is what allowed me to survive the regression and return to my past self." "Why is that so?" "Well, how to exin" Shin-Woo rubbed his neck. "Simply put, regressing into the past would mean denying the present in which I exist. Normally, time travelers go around that by forcing the creation of a paradox or a new timeline. However, the problem is that the System is a singrity. It''s apletely isted domain. What exists inside is fixed; only one timeline. Ever." "In that situation, regressing would mean denying the path you took for the regression to happen anyway. Without the interference of paradoxes, and without a new timeline to escape to, you will be erased and history will not change Or, in the worst case, the regressor will cease to exist; both in past, present, and future. As if they had never been born." "And your Fae inheritance saved you from that fate, huh?" Rakna uttered and sighed. "Fine. Then I''m going to ask just to be sure; you don''t have any specific idea of what caused the System''s death or mine?" He shook his head. "I''m sorry, I don''t. There were theories going around about both though. Some said the System was getting attacked, others said that the ones who made it had decided to discard it because it had expended its worth. As for you most people assumed that you were caught in some terrific battle. They also spected that it involved the Nine-Tailed n based on the news that followed and the fact that your master, Obsidian, never reappeared afterward." Rakna''s lip twitched at the mention of his other persona. Other than that, in his opinion, probably none of those conjectures rang true. There was no way he would fight the Nine-Tailed n aside from the off-chance that the scorpions tried something. But even disclosing his real race wouldn''t do him much harm at this point and he had the Fox Branch on his side. ''Then, there''s the System dying should I ask Eva about it?'' He mused. [to me, what this Host described matched a core failure,] Ceres spoke up for the first time since the conversation had started. ''Hm?'' Rakna perked up and Shin-Woo tilted his head in confusion. "{Would you mind telling us what you mean?}" Fray simrly joined in with a tense tone. He had lived in the System for hundreds of years. It was awfully disturbing for him to hear it would be gone within less than a mere decade from now. [It is a hypothetical scenario,] Ceresta answered. [As you know, the System has servers in ce to save the data of all Hosts, Locals, teaus, Statuses, Skills, etcetera. Not only that, behind that also exist ''programs'' that are meant to create Instances, Wilden, Trials, Ordeals, and any physical or dimensional feat you see daily. As an AI, I do not know what it is specifically, but the System has a power source. Whatever it is, it''s capable of fueling everything here.] ''I see,'' Rakna understood the crux of what she wanted to say. ''In other words, if that power source were to be destroyed, be unstable, or even grow too powerful for the servers to withstand, the System would ''die''.'' [Yes. As described by Kim Shin-Woo, were the power source to fail in any of those manners, the end result would be as ensuing; gaps in functioning servers affecting input and output data; ack of clearance information would fool the Dungeons'' matrices into crashing; Hosts will stop leveling up or regenerate mana due to a severance between them and their assigned servers; us artificial intelligences would lose connection; Host Batches are halted due to an inability of adding them to the servers; ack of Resets signifies the relevant program is not being triggered; Trials will not change and will likely struggle to restore themselves afterpletion.] [And finally, without a stable energy supply, teaus start losing their infinite size. It is akin to an intable structure slowly losing its air through a hole that, up until now, had continuously been used to blow air into it instead. In extreme cases, some lesser teaus mightpletely copse within a few months, while the rest will inevitably follow over the course of a few years.] "{That is frankly hard to imagine,}" Fray said with a sigh. "{But there is no point deluding ourselves into thinking that this boy is lying. I always considered the System to be nigh impervious. I wonder what could cause its death.}" ''perhaps age; like a rusty machine,'' Rakna thought. ''But you want to know my guess? Eden.'' "{You mean the supposed agglomeration of life force located in the 1000th teau? I see that does make sense. If it was unregted, it would get stronger and stronger without limit. It would be possible, given enough time, to overload its shell!}" The fabulist abruptly gasped. "{No--! The Fruit of Eden! Then, you are!}" "Took you that long to figure it out?" Rakna said out loud with a snort and Fray fell silent in pure astonishment. "It was not that hard to construe." "Yes?" Shin-Woo spoke up perplexedly. "You''ve been spacing out Is something wrong?" The therian let out a brief chuckle and shook his head. "Nothing. I was discussing your story with my AI. If it''s as we think don''t worry, I''ll deal with it." "Huh?" The statementpletely blindsided the regressor for a few seconds. "Y-you know how it happened? And you said your AI? But none of them knew the reason no matter how much we asked right up until they were all disconnected from us" "Probably because they only answered the question. To normal AIs, stopping at what is the limit of their factual knowledge should be what ismon." "Normal AIs?" "Don''t ask me. I don''t even know myself," Rakna shrugged. It was the truth. Despite his intentional efforts into making Ceresta develop her own thoughts, he was plenty aware that her current state of sentience was much too abnormal to be the result of a small push on his part. "Anyway, thank you for the heads up," the therian said and turned around, taking down the runes he had put up to private their conversation. "Good luck on your climb." "Wha-?! Hey, wait!" Shin-Woo eximed. "Are you not going to do anything about your death?!" "There''s no need to. Your job''s already done," Rakna retorted, looking over his shoulder. "The me of your timeline he probably knew he was going to die." "what?" "Just as I do," he uttered, his mind shing back to a certain book in his soul. "However, mine is not the same. Thanks to you, we''re already in a timeline in which my death will not ur any time soon," he stated with uncannyposure. "" "Here," Rakna followed up by sending the regressor a friend request. "If you remember something else or if you need something, contact me. I''ll do the same if I need assistance fitting your skill set." With those words, the therian walked away into the crowd of Athens and Shin-Woo nkly stared at his back until it was out of sight. The young man sighed and scratched his head. "The tell-tales of his personality really were true my job is done, huh?" He muttered whilst looking at the new entry on his friend list. If he had to be honest, he had no idea what to do. Much like most Hosts, he had no goal. The drifters from outside the System simply get stronger out of convenience. They don''t have goals of grandeur or domination or at the very least, they don''t have it for long; crushed by reality. They merely live to live. Nothing more, nothing less. They have dreams, hobbies, and loves. There is nothing that separates them from a normal person outside the System. Shin-Woo was like that. Unlike Rakna, whose goal no, whose drive consisted of a powerful sense of honor and duty, he was nothing special. Reaching thest teau felt meaningless. But when he was asked to do something that might decide the fate of millions of people, when he was given the responsibility of life or death, he felt awakened. Not all of it was pleasant. He felt pressured, fearful, and anxious. But he felt alive; he had a goal. His actions affected the world. "Aah what am I even thinking?" He breathed out with a wry smile. "That''s a stupidplex," he scoffed at himself, chuckling, before walking out of the alleyway, his eyes determined and firm. Okay, came back at 8pm Friday. Then spent all Saturday morning helping my dad on renovation, spent the afternoon packing cuz I''ll be going abroad for attending family stuff. . I''m scheduling this at 3am, by the way, gonna have to go in... five hours and still stuff to do beforehand. Fuck. . Anyway, it''ll take ideally two or three days for us to set up a temporary hotspot there, might take longer. I could schedule the two next chaps now, but I''m honestly way too tired to do the usual pre-post proof read. But I''ll try. . On that note, have a good day.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 299: Nebula Chapter 299: Neb Higure and Nyx were walking together through the streets after leaving the Basilica. Both were marching in a silence that the night goddess eventually broke. "So love, is it?" She asked in a rather light-hearted tone. The lioness smirked at her. "What? Was it not clear enough already?" "Pardon the terminology, but everyone had the impression that you were thirsty for his body and gung-ho for his genes more than anything else." "Woah, now those are words I wouldn''t have expected to hear out of your mouth," Higure said with augh. "And what''s so surprising about it? A dashing young man saves your soul, gives you a new life, cares about you, and silently screams out for care. How can I not answer?" Nyx nced at the grin of the dark-skinned woman and mused. "I suppose that makes sense. So that means you also noticed, right?" "Of course," Higure nodded. "I lived rent-free inside his soul for a short while. I would see ''them'' from time to time, roaming thendscape. In the distance, hidden in the dark; their glowing eyes peering into me. No wonder my every carnal instinct has been ringing bells ever since he ate my heart. The longer I am around him, the harder it gets. He just forces you to indulge." Nyx didn''t say anything but her silence was more than enough. "Well, it''s what it is, isn''t it?" The lioness crossed her arms behind her head. "That boy has such a warm heart, but it''s besmeared by a wound and drowned in fear." "do you pity him?" "I do," she instantly acquiesced. "But don''t get me wrong. I know that he doesn''t need pity. That''s why I want to give him even more," she dered with a grin. "I''m sure you understand yourself to some degree." "Maybe," the goddess replied evenly. "Haha, you know, you''re the only who has no bias toward him. Even Natsu would begrudgingly admit having a small attachment to him, despite having basically been forced into servitude." "" "You, however, treat Rakna as an equal from every possible perspective. You appreciate him in the way a best friend would. In a sense, you might be the mostpatible with him." Nyx raised an eyebrow at that, not feeling particrly troubled by the evaluation, and Higure let out a chuckle before waving the topic off. "Anyway, look over there," the lioness pointed at an approaching group of men. They were clearly looking at them. "Another one. Who do you think they''re going to hit on first this time, eh? I bet on myself." "I will bet on myself as well." "Hahaha! You''re on!" ? * * * ? Rakna casually jumped down to a lower floor of Athens, momentarily summoning a Valkal to use as a foothold and gently glide until hended. When he touched ground, he nced at the invisible tail of his Path Skill and nodded internally. ''Quite nice. I can use it as surprise footholds in a fight if necessary. Though it seems the Reverse Side does not have the concept of momentum. The Valkal will not gain ''speed'' in the truest sense. I guess there goes my idea of using it as an invisible bullet.'' "{Why would you need to be even more terrifying?}" Fray deadpanned inside his mind. "{And can you please act more worried about your imminent prospective death?}" ''It''s fine. We both saw the ending of the book. What will happen, will happen.'' "{I know but}" The fable writer sighed exasperatedly. "{In the first ce, my magic shouldn''t be capable of looking into the future I admit there are some special circumstances but how can you trust that prophecy so much?}" ''It''s my old man''s book, duh.'' This reply floored any and every argument Fray had. "{Why does that make so much sense? That is not fair,}" heined. "{All right then. How about trying to filter possible threats? Is there a chance of Xaris Nefertrion plotting revenge against you?}" ''Ah, yes. There is. A very likely one, to be fair,'' Rakna admitted. ''But anyone would think twice if they know I can have Adjudicators do my bidding. Though anyone with a brain should be able to realize my control over them is limited. Regardless, I''m not afraid of the Nefertrion''s retaliation. In fact, you could say I await it.'' "{Why is that?}" ''Think about it,'' the therian shook his head. ''If they get caught red-handed trying to harm a Council Member, won''t they be in loads of trouble? If that happens, I can just reap the rewards by taking over their family''s possessions.'' "{Wait that is diabolic}" ''Thank you. I need to start thinking like a businessman now that Harvest is soon going to open,'' Rakna said as he opened a system window. He scrolled down his friend list and selected a certain person to initiate a voice call with. "{I was not praising you}" Fray''s retort went unheard as someone picked up the call. "| Rara? This is the first time you call me. Is something wrong? |" Kara''s confused but greatly excited voice sounded in Rakna''s head. "| Ah! You wanted to hear my voice?! Is that it?! |" "Shush. I need you to do something. There''s a family in New Athens called Nefertrion. Do you know them?" He went straight to the matter and he almost could hear her pout on the other side. "| Yes. I do. Minor aristocrats. What? Want me to get rid of them? |" "why do you--? Actually, never mind. Yes, basically that. They''re probably going to move against me soon. Some guy named Xaris, to be exact. Keep an eye on them for me, and when they make a move, corner them and take over their family." "| Wow, |" she eximed in awe. "| How devious. |" "I don''t want to hear that from someone who just proactively suggested getting rid of them." "| Semantics. By the way, did something happen with Kae? |" "maybe. Why?" "| Because she came back home a giggling mess, and is now rolling around on her bed. |" "That''s" Rakna blinked. "Unbelievably adorable. Send it." "| On it. |" ? * * * ? About ten minutester, Rakna reached the Capital Library of Athens. It was quite ascivious building near the center of the towering city. It was spherical in shape and was built through threeyers. The entrances were all around it, ced over a massive curtain wall that followed the entirety of the library''s circumference; something that was repeated across the library''s outer shell and made it gleam under the sun. When Rakna got inside, he instantly felt a coercing power that forced him to disengage his stealth skill. The therian looked at his hands and squinted his eyes. ''Looks like an array is ced in here to limit the use of skills. A pretty powerful one too since it can stop my stealth which is passively boosted by my sin of Sloth.'' Thankfully, there didn''t seem to be many people paying attention to him. It''s not like there were no visitors, but most of them were busy with their reading or searching for books. Rakna hummed quietly, noting the high quality of the furniture. He nced to the side where he could see a reception, which also included a digital terminal. He then walked past the bookshelves tall enough to touch the roof and reached a railing. He put his hand on it and curiously looked down at the same time. The sight made him smile a bit if nothing but for how impressive it was. This library had several floors, and they were all visible from one another through an opening in the center. Following the outside shape, each floor was smaller than the previous, and the space in the middle abided by the same trend. Which gave birth to a fascinating optical illusion. The same obviously applied to the floors going up. Furthermore, a ring aspect of the interior was a giant floating armiry sphere taking up the free air space. Its every intricate piece was made of golden metal and exuded shapeless waves of energy. "{How is it? Impressive, isn''t it?}" Fray spoke up. "{This library has been standing for almost 900 years. The artifact you see in front of you is a Gold Item capable of appropriating itself a territory and stopping the time of objects within its range. In other words, books here will not deteriorate. Also, people call it a library, but the bottom and top floors host museums and galleries as well.}" ''I see. Does this building have a name?'' "{Oh yes. We call it Neb. It was named after a unique kind of '' that exists in a Reality fully submerged underwater. Nebs are ''reverseds''; the inside is hollow and livable.}" ''Sounds like an interesting world,'' Raknamented and picked up on the presence of his friends while heading toward the stairs built alongside the walls. The library was quiterge and taking his time, it took him about ten minutes to get to his destination. He was then promptly weed by the sight of everyone sitting at a table together. Evelyn was quite literally drowning in piles of books for some reason, An had fallen asleep on his chair in a rather convoluted posture, Marie was listening to something with earphones whilst reading, Nyx and Higure were standing next to each other as they browsed a shelf and chatted, and via was using a digital screen to look through titles with Tyran sitting on her head. And then "What are you doing?" Rakna muttered while staring at Astraea near him, who was ying puppet with the shadow wolf he had given her. The poor thing had been dressed up like a doll as well. "I didn''t leave this guy with you so you could torment him," he said nkly, quietly noticing that she was wearing a ne she didn''t have before. "But look at him! He''s so cute!" The goddess replied with a smile, lifting the wolf''s front legs and making them wave. The shadow beast''s deadpan eyes suddenly lit up when they fell on Rakna and he quickly escaped Astraea''s grip. He dashed toward his summoner and jumped into his shadow without waiting, disappearing and leaving behind all the essories. "" Rakna and Astraea looked at each other in silence afterward; a summon with limited intelligence had just been traumatized to the point of dispelling itself. "So? Do you have something to say?" The therian spoke up with squinted eyes. The goddess averted his gaze with pursed lips. "sorry." I love Astraea, I dont know why. Shebines fun, silly, and cute perfectly. Maybe its just me. The way I usually design my characters is based on feeling alone. I rarely think about what they should say or how, I just channel myself through them, I guess. Thats most likely why I like them so much. Sadly, that also creates ws in characterization from time to time. . PS: Mobile data ftw! Woohoo! Also, I apparently scheduled the previous chapter wrong. It was supposed to be for Monday... tch, inkstone strikes again.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 300: Soul Beasts Chapter 300: Soul Beasts "I got thirteen. You got nine. I win." Rakna reached his group''s table as Higure concluded her conversation with Nyx. He already knew what it was about since he had heard it from afar, but that didn''t stop him from sighing. "That is not fair," Nyx spoke with a rare defensive tone, putting back a book where she had picked it up. "I''m not the one showing off my midriff so casually." "Hahaha! Well, that''s not my fault. You could have done the same." "Who would do that so shamelessly?" The night goddess retorted slightly louder, but never letting it breach into an actual shout. Then, as she said those words, her expression suddenly fell. "This is Why am I letting you provoke me like this? This is not something to be proud of" The lioness chuckled impishly before turning toward Rakna. "How about it, Devourer? Would you like to join the conversation?" "No, thank you, I really don''t care about how many people hit you up," he deadpanned. "Come on, don''t be like that," Higure smirked. "You know you''re the only one for me." Rakna took on a rather difficult expression at that. "I don''t know if I should be ttered by that or downright fearful," he uttered. "Both, devourer of mine. Both," her grin was so sharp it could prickle one''s skin. "Thirteen though?" via remarked curiously as she returned to the table. "I received some looks on the way here but nothing that extreme." "That is probably due to the cityyer we were in," Nyx exined. "The Basilica we visited was on one of the upper parts. Those ces are filled to the brim with those wealthy pigs dissociated from reality," she spat out with a disgusted tone and everyone sweatdropped. "Power corrupts, after all," Astraea said as she took a seat. "Humans are terribly susceptible to it." "Aw, it''s a bit mean to generalize them like that," Higure argued. "Among the guys that approached us, there were a few gentlemen and some stuttering kids. Well, actually, now that I think about it, I was the only one who got those. The more detestable ones went to Nyx, for some reason. I swear, I had to stop her from killing them more than once." Everyone nced at Nyx after hearing that and she harrumphed, a small blush of embarrassment creeping into her cheeks. "I''d say it''s because of the difference in charms between you two," via said pensively. "Without sounding too crude, Higure has a roguish appearance that appeals to exotic seekers, but Nyx has a cold air that rather vile men enjoy peeling apart." Nyx huffed with a frown. "I still think I should have killed them..." She mumbled and everyone let out a wry smile. She certainly wasn''t one to anger carelessly. "By the way" Rakna changed topics. "I don''t see Natsu." "Oh, he''s going around the library on his own. He''s surprisingly knowledge-avid," Marie stated and nced at Evelyn who hadn''t lifted her head even once in the past ten minutes. "Though he is not as bad as her for sure" The therian snorted and snapped his fingers, using the same trick as before to snap her out of her daze. The bullet of soul power reached her and the subus instantly yelped. She looked around in panic then spotted Rakna lowering his hand. "Stop doing that" She muttered meekly. "It''s not my fault you keep spacing out." She pouted and properly sat up. "It''s just that I found something interesting," she changed subjects and pushed the open book in front of her to the center of the table. "I thought you would like to see it as well." "Soul Beasts?" via read out loud the words written at the top of one page. "You mentioned those when we reached the 60th teau, right?" She asked Nyx who simply nodded. "I heard about those actually," Higure dered. "I heard it''s like a ritual. It involves splitting a part of your soul thatys dormant and turning it into a ''beast'' best suited for you. It''s intelligent, grows with you, and fights with you." Evelyn nodded. "That''s the gist of it. It was one of Wolder Kristan''s many inventions." "That guy again" Rakna whispered and everyone looked at him. "Both Eva and Fray mentioned his name once. Who is he exactly?" ""A genius."" "{A genius.}" Several voices ovepped to answer him. Nyx, Higure, Evelyn, Astraea, and Fray had all said the same thing at the same time. "Wolder Kristan is the creator of many innovations in magic and alchemy," Evelyn continued. "He has created forms that tackle mana rtivity and formationplexity. He has fashioned the apex of mana generators, dubbed the Wolder Chart. He is the one who created transmutation itself and us alchemists use his various magic circles in every single concoction possible." "{Based on what is known, Wolder was a human who had transcended his mind and spirit rather than his body and life force. No one knew him personally, but his discoveries spread everywhere they were required. He is a true legend,}" Fray added with clear admiration in his tone. "Even the most prideful of Gods regarded him as a genius and openly used his works for their own endeavors," Nyxplemented. "Countless beings within Egregore respect Wolder," Astraea dered. "Not only is he the origin of plenty of information contained within our realm, but he is also the only being in all Existence to have been a Firmament Monarch from birth," she revealed, much to Rakna''s shock. "The base rune alphabet was also created by that same man," Higure followed up and he barely could react to the rapid-fire ofplimentsing from hispanions. At this rate, he might just start to venerate the man himself. "Okay, okay, I get it so, how do you go about getting a Soul Beast?" "Ah, yes," Evelyn focused back on the topic. "Normally, if this was outside the System, you would just need to draw a magic formation, albeit veryplex, and trigger it with your blood. There is also a minimum of life force and mana required to properly activate it. On top of that, the rate of sess is abysmal. It has less than a 1% chance of seeding." "In the System, however, you first need to be level 100. Then, to go through the ritual, you have to go to the Pavilion and request it," the subus said and looked back at the book. "But it''s not all of it. There is a second type of Soul Beast. This one is not summoned but contracted. You either bring a willing creature to go through the bonding with you, or you kill one and trap its lingering soul to fuse with; that''s the Soul Beast Contract and is what I thought you''d be interested in." "Why so?" "Wolder Kristan created the Soul Beast summoning," Evelyn replied. "But the one who invented the Contract wasn''t him; it was the God of Eternal Night." "Of course, he did," Rakna huffed in amusement. "So? What are the specific differences between Contracting and Summoning? The former sounds far too convenient not to consider it odd." "You''re right. Contracts also have very low chances of failing. In fact, you could say that as long as you have the necessary strength, and that the soul you''re bonding with is no more than equal to yours, it''s a 100% chance of sess. However, Contracts are much weaker and they grow much slower. Not to mention their Resonances are also iplete inparison." "Resonance?" via repeated inquiringly. "It''s the harmonization of the bond between Soul Beast and Summoner," Evelyn exined. "Even fewer people manage to reach that state after sessfully summoning a Beast. What it entails is simple; the two concerned partners enter a state of soul unison; they be one. I have heard that kind of thing is also possible between fellow humans, but resonating souls in that way is much harder." "I see. So, the main downside of the contract is simply a deteriorated result," Marie remarked. "But if you consider that most people fail the Summoning, Contracts serve as a reasonable secondary option." "Correct." "This whole Soul Beast thing sounds incredibly powerful though," via noted. "I find it hard to imagine for anyone to miss out on that opportunity. Does that mean everyone after Level 100 has one?" "Not really," Nyx shook her head. "Both Eternal Night''s Contract and Wolder Kristan''s Summoning have an inherent w. As Evelyn said, a Soul Beast is born off a dormant piece of the summoner''s soul. The Contracts simrly cannibalize it to form the bond. This does not harm either party but it forever takes away a certain ''possibility'' from them; Soul Manifestations." Rakna''s eyes briefly widened at her words. "Manifestation, Resurrection, Core Release; it''s the culmination of one''s existence," Nyx continued and looked at her palm where her shadows emerged. "It''s something that mortals awaken once they reach the level of a Heavenly-ss God. It''s like a perfectly tailored trump card. It cane in the form of a weapon, a transformation, or a spell. I had one before. Sadly, I lost it." Once again, the therian''s eye twitched and he couldn''t help but open his status and inspect one of his spells with Crystal Sight. ? ? ? ? ? - Hoarfrost Star Magic (Lv. 17 ?) => [Hoarfrost Star Manifestation (T.0)] ? --- ? Manifestation Spell ? An apotheosis of power hidden within the deepest depths of one''s soul. It cannot be unlocked withoutplete refining of one''s life force, a full divinity conversion, or transcendental enlightenment of soul power. ? Personal Note: ''Star Manifestation'' falls under the Self-Cast Type out of the four; which correspondingly include Instant-Cast, Eternal-Cast, and Weapon-Cast Types. The System Analysis conducted upon the Host Rakna Xiorra de during his Magic Awakening has detected a natural disposition for the use of an elemental-driven Soul Manifestation. < The Reason Is Unknown. > ? --- ? Tier 0 A Tier employed for spells or items of which the origins or makings are not understood by the System but nheless possess a readable effect and quantifiable cost. ? ? ? ? ? ''Well, damn,'' Rakna uttered in his mind. ''No wonder this spell was so powerful. It''s supposed to be a trump card for people much more powerful than me...'' "{I will pretend as if I did not just see or hear that,}" Fray spoke up nkly in his head. "To put it briefly," Nyx continued her exnation and Rakna focused back on her voice. "Resorting to Soul Beasts will make you stronger faster and bestow you apanion you can trust, but it will strip you away of your chances to have a Manifestation; something much more powerful in most instances." "I see. So, that''s why Hosts wouldn''t necessarily rush to get one," Rakna nodded. "While inside the System, their potential is limitless. As long as they level up steadily, they will eventually reach a level of strength where they can easily awaken the Manifestation. On the other hand, some would like to have a Soul Beast as trusted aides or as an urgent solution to get a boost in power." "Ah, yes, but there''s another more important reason," Evelyn said. She scratched her cheek and made a bitter smile. "The Pavilion demands a fee for the ritual to be conducted Perhaps as a way to intentionally regte the spread of such a potent skill" "It can''t be that bad, right? How much?" "{Haha}" The quiet subduedugh of Fray resounded in Rakna''s head at the same time. "Um" The subus chuckled uneasily. "50 million Talys for a Summoning Ritual and 100 million Talys for a Contracting Ritual cost" Everyone fell silent and quite ironically, An suddenly snorted and opened his eyes at that exact time, waking up from his sleep as if he had been having a nightmare. "I''ve just had a wacky fucking dream about capitalism what the heck was that?" He muttered to himself and the others almost face-faulted. I swear, Fridays have a bone to pick against metely.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 301: “Efficiency. Teach me.” Chapter 301: Efficiency. Teach me. [| Result Found. Second Floor. 3rd Dimensional Bookshelf. First Row. Thirty Second Book. Digital Version Avable. Loading. |] Rakna''s left eye rotated its lenses as it scoured through the database of Neb. There were many interesting reads in this library; some were works passed down from powerful Hosts of the past. Obviously, none of them were a Skill Book, the superior version of Skill Cards, and the skills or spells exined in it couldn''t be learned instantly. But given the right talent and practice, it was possible to learn. ''Well, I currently don''t have a skill I''d want,'' he thought. There was no point in scattering his focus with his current status. Additionally, most skills recorded in Neb were rather basic and ranged from many different styles. You would need a specific idea and n when trying to learn anything here. "{But you also just hacked into the database as if it was nothing}" Fray deadpanned. "{You could just filter everything you don''t want. This Eye of Symphony of yours is truly a nightmare for any sort ofwork.}" The therian snorted and watched as his Eye projected several documents on his retina. The others were studying to further their knowledge about their ability. Such as Evelyn researching alchemy, Marie exploring music transcriptions, and An learning more about his new race. ''Now that I think about it, don''t you also have most of these books in your library?'' Rakna asked back to the fabulist. "{Well, I have indeed read most of the works in this library during my time. But ever since my death, I am sure there were countless more entries. But, I also have more. Do not underestimate my life collection. I have books with lost and forbidden knowledge; products of my magic amidst. Though, it is admittedly just grand-sounding. Essentially no one would be able to make use of it without a circumstantial context.}" Rakna hummed and finished reading all he wanted. He wasn''t studying for anything in contrast to the others. He was merely scanning the public archives of New Athens, trying to find matches for the potential entrances to teau Zero. ''I have isted a few possible ces. My wolves will let me know soon enough,'' he thought and his eye returned to normal after a blink. He nced somewhere and squinted. ''I suppose it''s time to go see what Pronos has been doing'' "{Uh? Has that little Hydra done something?}" ''He''s calling me,'' Rakna replied. ''I don''t know what it is exactly but it seems he finds it important.'' "{Is he in danger?}" ''No, he''s as rxed as he ever could be. I can tell that through our link for sure,'' he retorted with a small smile. ''If I had to guess, however, this probably concerns you more than me.'' "{Hm?}" Fray was initially confused but he quickly understood. "{Oh what a coincidence if that''s truly the case. Nheless, it would be nothing too unexpected for your luck.}" ''I''ll go there a bitter with everyone if you don''t mind,'' the therian said as he stood up. ''I''ll go check my Guild Quest before that. Oh, and Eye, download any information you find relevant in this library into your internal storage.'' [| Acknowledged. Calcting Time Required 9 Minutes 37 Seconds. |] "{Speaking of, youin to me about not telling you anything about the teaus, but it''s not like you are unable to look it up this way.}" Rakna shrugged. ''What can I say? I also like surprises. What''s the point of purposefully taking away the fun out of life? Though, I''d still prefer if you were more pertinent in your advice from now on,'' he said whilst leaving a message for his group and heading to the exit. "{More pertinent, is it? Hm after careful deliberation I don''t think I will,}" the fabulist replied merrily. "" ? * * * ? Rakna swiftly made his way to the Pavilion of Athens, using both his Stealth and nanites to change his face so that no one would recognize him. When he arrived at the private section, he looked for the Guild Quests'' room and entered. Restoring his appearance to normal, he inspected the interior. "I guess it''s fitting," he muttered as he noted his surroundings. Pale colors, a few couches, a board on the wall, and an oval table in the middle for meetings, which also served as a digital screen. He quietly approached it and tapped on it. It behaved like a standard Quest Board and promptly disyed a list of Quests. There weren''t many of them; less than ten. But, Rakna snorted when he saw that each of them was rated between A- and S+ by the Pavilion. Essentially, it was for people ranging from level 500 to 1000. The gaps between the higher ranks were awfully steep. "Well, that doesn''t concern me. This one here is probably the one I''m here for" Rakna muttered as he selected a Quest that was pinned at the top. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Guild Quest C Throne of Glory Issuer: Credo Title: Wild Boss Subjugation ? Description: A Rogue Dragon has been sighted in the waters of New Athens, born from an Ordeal and bearing the designation of Wild Boss; potentially Raid. The creature''s abilities are unknown but it is suspected to be an amphibian breed. The Boss'' Level is estimated to be approximately 520. ? Objective: Kill the Rogue Dragon. Difficulty: A- Guild Rewards: Decided by the Leader uponpletion. ? Guild Leader Note: All members are to be present for this mission. The 13th Member, Rakna Xiorra, will be the only one engaging the target to have his qualifications ascertained. ? ? ? ? ? "should I be happy that it''s this straightforward of a task, or shocked at how absurd it is?" Rakna muttered. "How do they expect me to fight a Lv.500 Wild Boss? And a dragon on top of that." "{If you ask me, I am more surprised by the fact they managed to ''reserve'' a Wild Boss. Everyone usually fights over who gets to subjugate them for the instant-level rewards. However, your Guild Leader seems to have put in the resources to persuade other big Guilds to let him have it. All just for you.}" "Thrilling, Fray. Truly," the therian sarcastically said. "{Don''t be like that. You probably have your chances at winning that fight Actually, merely using your Ascension of the Titan would grant you aplete victory. If you transform into a werewolf and use that skill your attributes reach the seven-hundreds.}" "That''s fine and all. But I can only use that skill for a bit less than 10 minutes. Not to mention that my strength will plummet afterward for three days." "{Well, isn''t ten minutes more than enough for you? And with your body, the crippled state is no more than a temporary inconvenience.}" "Perhaps. But I don''t feel like that''s the kind of demonstration Credo is looking for," Rakna retorted and mused internally about how he could potentially fight something that strong. He obviously had fought higher-leveled foes before, but a gap of 400 levels? It was too much, even for him. The only ways he could think of besides using Titan Ascent or his Demonization would be his Manifestation Spell. But even then, it would be a close call. "Would a ck hole like the one I used against Fang be enough?" He wondered. "Maybe if I use my Mystic Magic to cast it? But then again it would require funneling my entire mana pool in one go." Fray sighed at the therian''s unbelievable thoughts for a Host of his level. "{If you genuinely wish to hold off on those two abilities of yours I suggest you focus on the enemy''s nature instead.}" "The enemy''s nature?" Rakna repeated out loud then eximed in realization. "Oh, I see. That does sound like a usible method," he nodded and failed to notice a tall silhouette peeking over his shoulder. "What does?" A rather soft voice abruptly sounded from behind him and he almost jumped up in fright. He stepped away in shock and stared at the figure standing next to him. It was a tall woman with beautiful features and light mauve hair that reached no further than her shoulders. Her expression appeared rather listless, but it didn''te across as cold orzy. It was quite soft and gentle in some way, but not revealing any sort of emotion. "how long have you been there?" Rakna asked tentatively, and her purple eyes, slightly darker in shadepared to his, blinked as she tilted her head. "Five?" She answered sinctly. "Huh? Five minutes? I wasn''t even here at that--" "Seconds," she added with a faint nod. "" The therian fell silent. ''Couldn''t you have said ''just now'' or something in that case?'' He retorted internally. ''Also she''s terribly discreet. I can''t pick up her presence with my senses at all,'' he thought and nced at her outfit. It was rather lightweight, almost no different than what a normal person would wear. A fur jacket, jeans, and a rather tight-fit turtleneck sweater. ''She''s probably wearing casual clothes like the way I make Allegro change modes. I can''t tell anything about her abilities from that,'' he concluded and looked at her in the eyes; he made the sensible choice not to use Crystal Sight on her. "So let me guess, Lilia wen? Petal?" He inquired and her eyes widened a bit, conveying some amount of curiosity, but she didn''t voice it out. Rakna snickered internally at that. It seemed that he had been more urate than he thought when he initially described her as a quiet girl. "I met your father earlier," he exined without wasting time and her gaze changed to something else. She looked at him with eyes full of apology. His mouth twitched in amusement. "I''m not sure what that look''s for but don''t worry, he wasn''t too annoying or anything," he said and her face rxed, nodding in understanding. ''So, you were seriously worried about that, huh?'' He couldn''t help but retort in his mind. Lilia then silently reached for the Quest Board and took a look at the mission prepared by Credo before tilting her head in confusion. She nced at Rakna, then back at the disy. "First time" She mumbled. "Hm? First time, what?" She pointed at the Quest. "Difficult." "You mean it''s the first time you see that difficulty for a new member?" She nodded. "Well, I''m not surprised," Rakna said sarcastically. "No chance this is a very borate prank? "No," she instantly denied it. "Not Leader." "He''s not like that, is it? Makes sense. He certainly felt like a no-nonsense kind of person over the chat," he muttered in response and if there was anyone else spectating, they would have wondered how he was able tomunicate so easily with someone who did not utter more than two words at once. "Efficiency," Lilia''s eyes shed in excitement as she remembered her new guildmate interacting with Credo. "Conversation. Teach me." "" Rakna looked at her owlishly, processing her question. "Um you can try to infer someone''s intentions based on what they know about you? This is the kind of thing you have to consider with both strangers and close friends. You can''t just ''read'' or hear; you have to sometimes assume stuff based on the situation something like that?" He concluded hesitantly. She hummed and put her hand on her chin. "How?" She followed up without waiting. ''oh, this is going to be a long one.'' "{Indeed.}" I''m sorry. I came back to France Sunday evening, and then went right to working with my dad all Monday. Yesterday and today as well, and certainly more from now on. We have to get something done by the beginning of next month, and it''s gonna be tight. I''ll try not to fall back on updates too much, but let me say that the best I can do is try. I''ll probably prioritize my Patreo.n too, cuz otherwise I''ll feel like shit. . PS: You might not remember the specifics of Ascension of the Titan since its been a while, but I have decided to nerf it a little bit. Cuz, I realized 400% increase to all attributes is way too OP (I know, Im dumb). So, now it will be a hard increment of 500 points instead; not a multiplicator. Ill have to go back and rewrite a few thingster on to match it. It shouldnt be too much trouble thankfully.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 302: Full of Hatred Chapter 302: Full of Hatred "Okay" Rakna rasped out between breaths, his mind thoroughly exhausted in ways he could have never imagined possible since he had his brain augmented. "So get it?" He asked tiredly, using the table to support himself. In the first ce, he was thest person someone should ask formunication advice. He was the kind of person to force someone else into his flow, or unassumingly follow another''s. He was more ustomed to analyzing than conducting a conversation. Lilia looked deep in thought until she eventually replied, "Maybe?" "good enough," the therian muttered. All he wanted was to wash himself off this burden. "While we are on this, you could also try to say more than a few words when you speak. You know, aside from your writing messages. It could help. A lot. It also could have; especially me." "No," she instantly refused. "why?" "Weird." "right. My fault for asking," Rakna deadpanned and sighed, straightening himself. "Can I ask you about something else then? I need info on a couple of things if you have it." She blinked and waved her hand to signal him to go on. "First of all, do you know about teau Zero?" Lilia''s expression shifted instantly, her eyes sharpening. "Why?" Rakna calmly raised his hand, "Before you get any ideas, I must do something there. I''m currently already looking for entrances to that ce. I just wanted to know if you ever encountered them or if you have knowledge about its inner workings." She stared at him silently for a moment. "nothing," she said. "Difficult to find. Strong guards. Ask for status," she exined in session, using more than two words for the first time. "They ask for your status to get in?" Rakna scowled and she nodded positively. ''Then I suppose it really was a good idea to ask Eva for that'' He thought and mused. "Has the Throne of Glory ever tried doing something against them? Our Leader is the second-ranked Host, right? I feel like that would be something he''d at least get around investigating." The quiet woman shook her head again. "Zero System against us. Kratos avoids strong Hosts." "Well, shit," the therian clicked his tongue. "What the brat said about it being well-hidden to the point it evaded her surveince was not exaggerated after all." "{Hm, would Bora Quaso have more control over the teau than Eva expects?}" Fray voiced out his doubts and Rakna sighed internally. "Fine. I''ll wing it," he shrugged. "What about Soul Beasts? Would you rmend getting one?" Lilia tilted her head. "No. Inefficient." "Why do you think so?" "Weaker. Soul Beast is half your power. Lost if it dies." Rakna frowned. "True. I didn''t think of it that way. If the Soul Beast dies, it''s an important part of your soul lost forever." "Ah, but," Lilia softly eximed. "Powerful race; worth it. Exclusive skills too." "{As she says,}" Fraymented. "{If there is a specific aspect in which youck, you can bolster it up by choosing an appropriate Beast to make a contract with. Additionally, powerful races such as dragons will always grow strong even if they are technically weaker versions of Soul Beasts. In that regard, the Summoning which relies on luck, if it even works, is far more disadvantaging.}" ''Did you have a Soul Beast while you were alive?'' Rakna asked back. "{I did not. I reached my Manifestation. Considering my rather unique skill set, it was the optimal choice to aim for somethingplementing it. No Soul Beast could have synergized with my Tale Magic. And if there were, the rarity would make it unviable.}" ''Makes sense,'' the therian nodded. "All right. Thank you, Lilia. It was" He paused for a second and cleared his throat. "Fun talking to you, I think? Anyway, I''ll be going. See you next week for this obviously unfair test of mine," he jested and headed to the door. "Hm," she subtly hummed. "Bye-bye." Rakna smiled faintly at the adorable sendoff. ? * * * ? After he was out, he considered trying his hand out at a Summoning Ritual. He had plenty of money for it, after all. And he apparently had the ability to use his Manifestation already. And that either meant he could once again cheat the system, or it would be impossible for him to get a Soul Beast. After deliberating, he ultimately chose not to. He wasn''t too keen on getting a newpanion all of a sudden. However he had the perfect candidate for a Contract instead. ''As for the others, I''ll let them choose. Though I certainly don''t have enough Talys for everyone,'' he thought as he quickly returned to Neb. ''100 million for a Contract is a bit much. My discount should work for this, right? But for the others, it might not be epted to share I''ll have to wait for the earnings of Harvest toe in, or ask Kara.'' With that settled, he gathered everyone and led them outside Athens, where he made a tform for everyone to stand on with his GHB skill. The green hexagonal shield appeared above the water and, as he had once done before, Rakna enclosed everyone within a closed structure. "I''m going to try something by the way," he immediately said afterward, as if he had been waiting for them to willingly enter a trap of his making. The group began sweating nervously. "Please, tell me it''s not something dangerous" An nearly begged on the spot. "When you say ''I''m going to try something'', it''s the ''I''m going to make a nuclear bomb with magic'' or ''let''s try to forge a weapon that explodes with every strike'' kind of trying." "Well, there''s no explosion involved in this one," the therian replied a bit too calmly. "that doesn''t convince any of us, devourer of mine," Higure shot back. "Don''t worry. Now, let me focus. [Valkal,]" Rakna intoned and everyone instantly felt the whole buffer shield being struck from the back and shoved forward by a few meters. The one who caused it merely let out a rxed hum. "I see. I thought too fast and not clear enough." "Rak, what the heck is ''thought too fast'' supposed to mean?" "It cannot be a good sign in my opinion," Natsu said nkly. "Let me try again," the therian ignored them and took a deep breath. "[Valkal,]" he repeated and the improvised shuttle abruptly began to fly forward without any prior sign of eleration. The scenery shed by rather fast but it was nothing startling for anyone there. Astraea was even eagerly admiring the beautiful sight of the blue horizon. "Uh it''s actually fine?" An said hesitantly. "Wait, I think I got the hang of it. I''ll elerate now." "Of course, I spoke too fast," the blond hung his head down, and soon enough, they felt the shuttle moving faster and faster. But nothing shocking happened. When it reached its apparent maximum speed, it was still slower than what Rakna could achieve with his wings, or even what most of hispanions could if they went full throttle. Nevertheless, it was considerably fast. "How are you doing this?" Nyx asked curiously. "It doesn''t feel any different from usual, and I can''t sense any sort of energy propelling us. And it''s certainly not the shield itself." "My Valkals; my tails are pushing it right now," the therian answered with a small frown on his face, it took more concentration than he expected. "They aren''t that strong, but what they can do is move as fast as I think. They don''t have the concept of momentum on the Reverse Side, but they also don''t have a concept of physical recoil. Thus, I can make this thing go pretty fast like that." "No, no, no; I didn''t understand a thing of what you just said," An waved his hand around. "However, the limit to this is when the resulting speed bes higher than the pushing force. In this case, my Valkals will phase through the buffer shield altogether because they can''t interact with something whose Reverse Version is at a higher stage of discement," Rakna exined and paused to take a look at everyone staring at him. "Get it?" ""No."" "Oh ok." ? * * * ? Ten minutester, they all jumped down andnded on the water, which was instantly frozen by one step from Rakna. Thetter also raised an eyebrow as he sensed a more than familiar energy several miles away. ''That feels like me?'' He thought perplexedly. ''It''s as if I released a spell there'' He ruminated and eventually looked at what the others were focused on; a small floating isle with a house built on top gradually appearing before them like a mirage. Pronos'' presence could be felt inside. Rakna hopped onto the ind and as everyone followed after him, the house''s front door opened and a blue-haired boy stepped out. Instantly, the group had two distinct impressions. The first was born out of confusion about the presence of a child. But the second quickly turned into wariness. A boy with azure eyes and hair, clothes that seemed juvenile but formal, an expression set in stone, and a gaze that could make one cower in self-doubt. "{That is him,}" Fray spoke up with certainty and Rakna squinted his eyes. At the same time, he let out a short burst of his frost aura. A cold breeze spread throughout the ind and a strange sound akin to something shattering echoed, but the boy did not even react. However, he opened his mouth right after. "You noticed, have you?" His deep register of voice, disparate from his appearance, startled most of his ''guests''. "As expected, reading your story turns out to be quite a difficult venture. To be clear, my Tale Magic you have dispelled now was passively cast. It was not out of malicious intent." "Tale Magic?" Evelyn reiterated and looked at the boy. "Then, this is Fray''s sessor?" "If you mean the next owner of the Unique Path known as the Scribbler of Tales, after the Exalted Quill; it is I indeed," he acquiesced with a faint nod. "Hans De Vale. At your service." "Eh?" Higure eximed oddly. "I know that name. Devourer, that''s him, right? The author of that book we read." "That foolish hero''s story; the one who kept trying in vain," Rakna added calmly, but his expression uncharacteristically disyed some amount of displeasure, which earned him a few concerned looks from his friends. "That''s rather shocking, honestly." "What is?" Hans replied with aposed attitude. "That someone full of hate like you could write such a selfless story," the therian retorted and the two of them fell silent, engaging in a nerve-wracking staring contest. "Looks like these two don''t have the best of chemistries," Marie remarked quietly. "Huh? What do you mean?" Evelyn raised her voice in confusion. "They''ve barely met. Why would they dislike each other?" "You got it wrong, girl," Natsu retorted, hanging from her shoulder. "People don''t need a reason to hate sometimes. Some love without prior signs; some hate without reason. That''s just how it is." "As he says," Hans broke the stalemate with Rakna by briefly ncing at the Celestial ze. "But there is one; a reason. Ladies and gentlemen, do you know in what circumstances hatred proves itself to be the strongest?" He inquired everyone, his tone incisive and borderline mocking; just as he had demonstrated to Pronos previously. "" No one answered his query and he eventually lowered his head, closing his eyes to answer it himself. "Two men cut from the same cloth," he stated and snapped his eyes open to re at the therian in front of him. "Those alike despise each other. Why? For in simrity,es understanding. Simr or not, they are different; and they intuitively spot those differences. That is the source of their hate; they see a denied version of themselves. An alternate fate." Hans raised the corners of his mouth and let out an insidious smile. "Naturally, nobody appreciates gazing into a distorted mirror, having their splintered reflections jeering at them for being able to be what they are not," he dered, and once again, silence befell the small ind. However, this time, this stillness was denied by a nonchnt hiss and the figure of a little Hydra slithering out of the home with a chicken leg in one mouth. Pronos blinked as everyone turned to him and continued chewing on his food before swallowing the chicken piece whole. The little guy let out a burp-like noise and licked his lips. Then, he gave them all a look as if he was asking them ''what are you standing there all dramatically for?''. Ultimately, the conflict in the air was decidedly expunged by Pronos watching them like they were crazy people. At this point, I might just be conditioning you guys to not even care about my update schedule through sheer numbing... . Anyway, I have something that might interest you. You see, I yed around with NovelAI for the past two days and got the idea of generating pics of my characters. . Result? It''s scarily good. Not perfect, obviously, as it is still quite a wed method. But, I tell ya, this AI is only going to get scarier as years go on. . For now, I have done Rakna, Kaelith, via, Higure, Nyx, Ceresta, Lanata, and Evelyn. Might do more, such as Kara, An, Marie, Shin-Woo, etcetera. I''ll keep you updated. . You can check them out here: /a/y6gh1XB . For you people on Webnovel who can''t copy-paste, just go on imgur and type thest string into the url. Enjoy. And if you don''t like how it looks, heh, well, suck it up. I tried my best with the limitations of Novel AI. . Seriously though, if you prefer to keep a purely imagined thing, just don''t look. It''s not that deep.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 303: Open Books Chapter 303: Open Books "I see. So, you already read most of the important stuff through Pronos," Raknamented as he flipped through the pages of a book. Hans nodded impassively as he sat at his office, writing on something with a quill pen. "You have me intrigued, I have to say. Putting your ''kin'' aside, your whole existence is odd to me." The therian raised an eyebrow at him and closed the book. "How so?" "Hm, in simple terms" The boy hummed and put his pen down. He looked over his shoulder, his sses reflecting the lighting from the window. "You are impossible." "I''m not sure I understand what you''re implying." "How about this, then? Take your uncle as a parallel. What is he? A monstrous creature. His power and intellect are essentially high above any other divine entity imaginable. No one alive would be capable of confidently saying that they can match him. However, what about his existence itself? Is it possible for such aw-breaking being to exist?" Rakna narrowed his eyes. "To me, it is possible. Anyone who knows the old man personally could tell you that even if you don''t believe in it, he will make you do so instantly." "Correct. Overwhelming factual coercion. You, on the other hand, do not make sense. You possess talent beyond understanding and unfathomable luck. You are as if a child of fate," Hans expressed and turned back to his desk. Picking his pen back up, he continued, "Your achievements are rather unbelievable. Your life itself is still alight despite its negative causality. Your karma is hollow and your soul a wounded beast. As I say, you are not possible. You should not exist." "how would you know all of that?" Rakna retorted with an even tone and Hans gently closed the ancient-looking book he was taking notes from, taking off his sses at the same time. He sighed and stood up, facing the therian who towered him. But none of them even consciously acknowledged how they had to look up and down at one another. "You are an open book. Your text is merely muddy. That is why I cannot read it. If I could not know at least this much, it would be ridiculous of me," he scoffed and put his hand on the old book. "On that note, my thanks for bringing this to me. Both to you and the Exalted Quill in your soul. I will return downstairs and see if your pet has not eaten my whole pantry yet," he said and headed to the ground floor. "If you wish to follow and continue this discussion, be my guest." Rakna silently watched the boy walk out of the room and when he was left alone in the dimly lit office, his mind rewound the whole conversation, word by word. Ultimately, he didn''t know for certain why, but he recalled a memory from years ago; when he woke up after having been thrown into the Eion Blood. ? * * * ? The first thing he had heard was the bleeps of a machine. He slowly and gradually recovered his senses and the feeling in his limbs. His mind, however, was heavy. Before, he had been filled with animosity for everything and anything. Now, he felt shackled and numb. "Awake, kid?" He heard the coarse voice of the old man and opened his eyes. He viewed the ceiling and recognized it as the warehouse Arimane used for most of his vehicles and weapons. He turned his head a bit and saw the elder man walking toward him. He pulled up a chair and sat down near his bed. "So? How do you feel?" "tired," he replied with an empty tone of voice he didn''t even know he could produce. "Tired, huh?" The old man snorted and crossed his arms. "You remember what happened?" Rakna blinked at the question before nodding. The research facility, the bio-weapon, the cisterns of blood, the animals'' voices raging in his head, and the people he killed. He remembered it all and it didn''t even make him flinch. "I do," he said indifferently. He wasn''t even resentful. "interesting," Arimane muttered and mused. "I suppose it''s to be expected. No way your brain wasn''t messed up in some way after that. You fell into that blood, didn''t you?" "" "I''ll take that as a yes. For your information, that thing was an extra-sensorial antitoxin filled with Eion and the lingering neural signals of dead animals; a freaky serum. You swallowed it, had direct contact with every inch of your body, and had some through your wounds. In a way, the intended purpose of the serum was sessful. Your every muscle''s nerves suddenly began using Eion as a power source to break your limits. You became a little superhuman for a short while. Isn''t that exciting?" He quipped with a grin. "Of course, the Eion eventually ran out but the serum itself merged with your metabolism. I''m not sure what it can do now, but if I had to guess, it probably just got diluted and will eventually fizzle out entirely without a trace," he added and paused for a moment. He stared at the abnormally cold expression of the boy and scowled. "For the past week, you''ve been brain-dead." Rakna''s eyes widened a bit at that. "And I mean that fully. Technically, you were dead. The freaky thing though is that your body was working all fine. It wasn''t receiving any sort ofmand from the top," the old man put his index finger to his head. "But your heart was beating; your blood pumping and your organs working. So, honestly, I only have one question for you, kid. How the fuck are you still alive?" His solemn words felt like a tremor in the silent warehouse. Rakna was frozen on the bed and the silence stretched on for an entire minute until Arimane breathed out. "Well, I didn''t expect you to have an answer to that," he admitted and let out a snicker. "To be fair, you remind me of me. I also went through something simr. It was much weirder though. It was a situation where I should''ve died without question; blown to bits. But I woke up unharmed with the wreckage burning around me." Rakna looked at the old man with a strange look. "how?" "As I said, kid, I have no fucking idea," he shrugged. "But something tells me that both you and I will get our answers someday. And it will probably be significant. Best to get on with life until ites to you," he said and stood up. "Now, get up. I don''t care if you''re tired; your body''s fine. We need to find out what side effects you were left with" ? * * * ? Rakna opened his eyes back from his reminiscence and rubbed his eyes. "Confusing shit" "{Is something wrong?}" Fray asked. "No anyway, was that diary all you wanted to pass on to your sessor?" "{It is no mere diary; it was already passed down from even before my time. A Spell is written on it; a Tale to be exact. However, it is iplete. Even I was unable to finish it. Perhaps I could have if I had grown the right way as an author. But as you know, I got embroidered into a war. I lost a core part of myself.}" "And you think that guy can? He doesn''t feel that different from a soldier fresh out the battlefield. Just being near him makes my nose re. He reeks of hatred," Rakna uttered. "{You think?}" Fray said smilingly. "{I would not be so quick to judge. Hatred is a weapon; haven''t you learned that yourself over the years? In my opinion, he did that to himself. He grew that much enmity within himself on purpose.}" "Why would he?" "{A great weapon; a great tool. The stronger, the harder to control. In all likelihood, more than his intrinsic view of the world, he reigned in his hatred to pour it into his stories. The Foolish Hero that you described just earlier; haven''t you noticed? It is filled with hatred as well.}" "" "{It is not as forthright as one would expect, of course. The protagonist has no sense of self with a drive to seek an unattainable ideal through repeated and brutal treachery. Can you imagine? The determination no, the sheer hatred directed at a world where an ideal cannot be achieved. He loathes everything because everything is a cog running against the freedom of life; even thetter itself. That is the boy''s real strength. He is free from the concept of eptance.}" "Is that so?" Rakna grunted. "Aah and what about the reward?" "{huh? Sorry, what?}" "Your Quest. The one you gave me to find Hans. It said the rewards were Unknown. What is that about now that I''vepleted it?" "{}" The fable writer began to sweat within the soul realm. "{Um you see strictly speaking, that Quest was a product of Tale Magic. The rewards are not decided by me per se. The conclusion has been reached so, perhaps, eventually you will get something?}" "Perhaps?" The therian scowled. "{yes,}" Fray answered meekly. "{B-but it is not as if you received nothing! You have unlimited ess to my library, after all.}" "Fray." "{Yes?}" "I don''t care." "{I''m sorry.}" ? * * * ? "What is all that?" Rakna asked as everyone was gathered in Hans'' living room, inspecting a few items on the floor; there were three to be exact, aside from a bunch of Talys. A Spell Card, a Skill Card, and some sort ofrge dried tentacle. One of them even seemed to be of Red Rarity. "The little guy killed a Wild Boss apparently," Higure exined. "These are the drops. Pronos had some of his snake familiars fetch them when he remembered about it." "A Wild Boss?" The therian blinked in surprise and checked his pet''s level; his level had increased by more than 10 in one go. "How high was that Boss'' level?" "It was a Mid Second-Ascent Kraken," Hans informed as he entered the room. Everyone promptly focused on him as he conjured a thin book in his hand. He tossed it on the small table in the middle of the room. "Take a look if you wish. The whole battle is recorded in it." "Mid Second-Ascent, huh?" Higure hummed as she reached for the book first. "That''s at least level 250," Natsu stated. "Very impressive for a Host''s pet to fight across levels to that extent. I have seen a few in the paste to my teau but none of them canpare." "Wow, an avatar of life?" Astraea abruptly eximed as she peeked over the lioness'' shoulder at the book. "Lord Monarch!" She shouted excitedly. "Your pet used a spell capable of emting your power to near exactness. It''s incredible! He created life force out of a mental image." "His Path Skill, right?" Rakna nodded. "I had seen it, but I didn''t know what it could do. So, that''s why my energy can be felt some distance away then." "The Road of Eternity," Hans remarked calmly. "The First Cycle is Life; Breath of Birth. The Second Cycle is Death; Caress of Loss. The Third Cycle is Rebirth; Mask of Immortality. Together, they are what constitutes Ouroboros'' Infinity." "You know a lot," Nyxmented suspiciously. The boy''s hateful gaze shifted toward her. "Open books... Like you, Girl of Elysium, Hope of Tiamat, and Agent of Eternal Light," he uttered, startling her. "Hm, however, much like Xiorra''s fate, the motive behind your selection as Eternal Maiden is unreadable. The details of Tiamat''s intentions are blurry as well." "Would you like me to continue?" Hans sharpened his eyes. "A young girl among Gods and a fear of inadequacy hidden in the night," he dered and switched to via. "A witch lost in self-doubt and emptiness filled by the wolf," he paused. "and a second witch, in a cage of dragons, white as snow, who regrets." ? "A vampire who honors blood, who knows his limits, and embraces them." "An estranged lioness who discovered devotion with timeworn sorrow united in strength." "A revengeful ghost, held in innocence and passion, seeking resolution anxiously." "A sad and lonely creature, locked, deprived of purpose, granted liberation and happiness." "A proud mystical me, in peace with himself, gratified in his servitude." "An impable envoy of light, born from everything and nothing, grateful for her chance." "A fragile skin shed in the past, a wise snake whose master it chose in faith." ? "A hm," Hans was forced to stop for a second when his eyesnded on Tyran. "A brave and silly one saved from the dead," he ended his terrifying assessment and turned toward Rakna, everyone still reeling in shock from how fast and easily their inner selves had been picked apart. "And you," the boy waved his hand at the expressionless therian. "You already know it. A hollow heart beating with zeal, a denial of the gift of life under the stars, and an imperfect beast. I wonder where it is... that your fate is leading you to perish." I got carried away toward the end, but this is kind of necessary to appropriately anchor this character. I designed Hans like that. He will look at you, pry and judge you without remorse, understand you in full, and refuse to sympathize anyway. Hes hateful through and through, but thats what you can respect. . PS: New images; /a/IUesRnD . This one has a redesign of Kaelith (cuz I wasn''t satisfied with the previous one), Kara, Lilia, Eva, An, Marie, Fray, and a little surprise.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 304: Incarnation Chapter 304: Incarnation "" Rakna did not respond to Hans'' ims. Was there even a need to refute his words? The same went for the rest of his group. They had nothing to say, nothing to repudiate in good faith. "{This boy}" Fray whispered. "{I have severely underestimated him. He is looking into you and yourpanions as if you were not human; this has gone beyond typical Tale Magic. It is as if he can read your!}" He gasped in realization. "{Rakna, could you inspect his status?}" The therian wordlessly agreed and triggered Crystal Sight. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Hans De Vale Age: 36 | Level: 216 Race: Human Path: Scribbler of Tales Sub-Path: Painter of Realms Affiliation: None. Titles: Omen of Hatred, Conceptual Incarnation, Fairy Doll. ? Potential: S+ | Host Rank: XII | Ascent: II ? Attributes: STR: 216 | END: 216 SPD: 216 | DEX: 216 INT: 216 | LCK: 2.16 ? Statistics: STA: 1296 | MP: 2376 SWI: 1080 | AGI: 864 SEN: 1080 | ATC: 1298 ATT: 1620 | DEF: 1080 MA: 864 | MR: 23.54 ? Proficiencies: - Story Telling (Lv.27 ??) - Fine Art (Lv.17 ?) -Mana Control (Lv.17) - Mana Sense (Lv.16) - Weapon Mastery (Lv. Max) - Divine Speech (Lv.8) - Magic Theory (Lv.7) ? Magic Skills: - Word Magic (Lv. 15 ?) => [Typing Craft (T.6), Effacing (T.10 C T.1), Imprinting (T.10 C T.1), Scripture (T.10 C T.1)] - Book Magic (Lv. 12 ?) => [Time Diary (T.2), Arcana Order (T.10 C T.1), Invocation (T.10-1), Trace (T.10)] - Painting Magic (Lv. 11 ?) => [Rule of Color (T.7), Image Link (T.10 C 1), Conjuration (T.10 C 1), Trace (T.10)] - Tale Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Divine Land (T.3), Garden of Eden (T.4), Guillotine of The Fallen (T.5), World of Hatred (T.5), Noble Road (T.6)] + [Unregistered Tales (T.10 C T.7)] ? - Union Magic (Book + Word) C Transcript Magic (Lv. 11 ?) => [Tome of Possession (T.7), Mimic Tome (T.10 C T.1)] - Unity Magic (Book + Tale + Painting) C Chronicle Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Overwrite (T.10 C T.1)] ? Cognitive Skills: - Pure Soul Heart (EX ???) - Fear Immunity (Lv-) - Mind Immunity (Lv-) - Fatigue Resistance (Lv.18 ?) - Aura (Lv. Ex) - Magical Damage Resistance (Lv.9) - Pain Resistance (Lv.6) - Heart of Stone (Lv.5) - Physical Damage Resistance (Lv.3) ? Spontaneous Skills: - Rewrite (UEX ???) - Quintuple Burst (Lv-) - Skill Burst (Lv-) - Celestial Gate (Lv-) - Eonian Gate (Lv-) - Gaze of Madness (Lv.13 ?) - Screening (Lv. Ex) - Fleeting Stroke (Lv. Max) ? Path Skills: - Quill of Heaven - Sublimation of Reality ? Sub-Path Skills: - Jade Brush - Realm Canvas - Realm Invocation ? Nirvana Skills: ? - Cursive Insight: A Nirvana Skill obtained after incarnating into a specific concept. It is the ultimate vision capable of seeing all lives through the eyes of a creator following his children. A story unfolding, page by page. In one look, the holders of this skill understand sentient creatures more than they will ever understand themselves in their whole lives. They cannot be lied to, deceived, or even be left in ignorance. ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? - Magic Sigil ? - Doll Soul: A trait belonging to those bearing the title of Fairy Doll. Their attributes, luck included, will always be scaled to their level on top of a matching stat boost. Their soul will be imprable and they will never age. In exchange, they cannot earn Attribute Points, nor can they assign any if they were to be offered some. ? - Fool''s Hatred: The holder of this trait has reached a state of immutability with their spirit and has learned to think through a deep controlledyer of hatred. They cannot be made to hallucinate nor can they fear anything. ? Note: ? Born with Tale Magic, he awakened Word and Book Magicter on in life. gued by hatred that he could not escape, he nurtured it to the extreme, taming it through willpower. As a mere child, the world itself cursed him into a Fairy Doll, forever banning him from aging and turning his body into a nk puppet capable of being rewritten. Pouring his loathing into writing, and developing his Sub-Path, he became in tune with his potential, bing an incarnation. After acquiring his Nirvana Skill, he could not stand the presence of others, and his hatred devolved into a stale and grim torment from which he escaped by isting himself to focus on his craft. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna''s face twisted strangely. This was even more unbelievable than Shin-Woo''s status, and thetter even had proimed his identity as a regressor beforehand; its impact was attenuated. ''That''s an absurd amount of multi-tiered spells,'' he muttered internally. ''His attributes grow with his level even his luck. He has an Ultimate Excel Skill too, but that''s nothingpared to his Nirvana Skill or even thebined nature of his magic elements. Not to mention this is the first time I see someone with an S+ Potential other than me.'' "{I knew it,}" Fray added right after. "{He is an Incarnation. His whole existence gravitates around one concept. But this is to a degree I have never heard before Words, Books, Tales, and Paintings; eachplement one another. Using them concurrently only strengthens their mutual effects. If you are the pinnacle of talent, Rakna, this boy is the ultimate specialist.}" "Are you satisfied?" Hans'' voice jolted the therian out of his thoughts. "I assume you now have a better understanding of me. Do you have a particrment?" Rakna narrowed his eyes slightly. "How much can you perceive with your Nirvana Skill?" "Hm, pertinent question," the blue-haired boy nodded sagely. "It is less than you believe. You may be ''open books'' in my eyes, but turning pages and deciphering their text is another issue. You have a strong resistance, for instance. It varies between people and countering my Magic can be done through aura, as you have done before. What is easy to see about you, is what every book simrly has in in sight." "The cover?" via interjected on impulse and Hans nced at her, startling her. "And, um the synopsis, right?" She finished weakly and the boy leisurely nodded. "Correct. That is essentially what I did with every single one of you. Would you like a physical copy of it?" He asked them. "It is quite a unique experience to see yourself illustrated and summarized in a paragraph." ""No, thank you,"" nearly everyone replied in chorus. "That is your choice," he said uncaringly and grabbed a jacketplementing his suit. He put it on and faced Rakna. "Now, it is about time we enter the main subject, do you not agree?" He dered all of a sudden, confusing everyone in the room. "You still have a reward to receive, after all." Rakna furrowed his eyebrows. "You know about it? Are you the one who has it?" "Indeed," he nodded. "Let us proceed within that context," he said and approached the front door before speaking out as he exited the house, "Follow me." The therian threw a cursory look at his friends before following after Hans. Once outside, the blue-haired boy leaped out of his ind andnded on the water''s surface. If one looked closely, they would notice faint and transparent forms of lettering around his feet. Rakna swiftly imitated him and stood a few meters away from him with Star sh active under his feet. "What is this about?" He asked and Hans silently pulled out a pair of sses from his inner pocket. Right away, the therian could tell it was not a normal item. Hans pushed them up his nose and let out his aura. "You will fight me," he stated and without waiting for a reaction, he opened his hands and stretched his arms forward. His left hand''s palm was pointing upward as if he was waiting for something tond on it, and his right hand appeared to be prepared to hold a pen. Mana began to coalesce around them, ready to be consolidated into constructs upon being named. However, before that happened, Hans closed his eyes and exhaled. "[Rewrite,]" he whispered and his figure was swallowed by a white and cyan light. Circr waves surged outward with him as the epicenter and struck against the borders of the floating isle. After a moment, the bright disy died down and two hands became visible first. One was holding a luxurious-looking quill while the other had an ornamented book hovering above it flipping pages on its own. The rest of Hans'' body emerged and Rakna''s eyes widened. Gone was the child''s appearance and a slim handsome man with long azure hair stood in his ce, wearing a more ceremonial suit with the jacket unbuttoned and swaying with the wind. The man pushed his sses which had be bigger to fit him, highlighting his glowing blue eyes and eyshes sharing the same color. He swiped his hand to catch the floating book, closing it in the same movement and pointing it at Rakna as if it was a weapon. "Show me," he spoke up coldly, a distant fa?ade set; his matured appearance finally giving credit to his true temperament. Rakna frowned at the sudden chain of events but readily called Sonata to his hand, prompting it to change into a Guandao in the process. As soon as he had a grip on his spear, his instincts yelled at him to move. Using Ripple of Rupture''s footwork, he stepped aside, his foot splitting the water as it slid to dodge some kind of ck bullet. It shot past his head and fizzled out a few meters behind him. The therian traced back its trajectory in a cold sweat and saw Hans'' quill pointed at him, the tip tailing a word written on thin air. ''Just now that small spell was a real threat to my life,'' Rakna thought grimly. ''Death Bullet that''s what it said. His Word Magic can probably conjure whatever he writes. But how did he do it so fast?'' "{The Quill of Heaven}" Fray uttered dumbfoundedly. "{That quill he is holding is the first Path Skill of Scribbler of Tales. It writes whatever the user thinks in an instant. It is normally meant to be a tool to silently cast Tale Magic, enhance its power, and create new spells. Butbined with Word Magic good lord, that is a terrifying synergy.}" Rakna groaned. ''Great. That makes him ten times more dangerous,'' he grumbled. ''His level surpasses mine by about a hundred. I can''t hold back against him,'' he admitted and immediately transformed into a werewolf, his two pairs of wings deployed from the get-go. Sonata adjusted to his size and he activated his Crystal Sight, ready to analyze everything his opponent does. "Good. You are taking this seriously," Hans remarked. "Your death would be most unfortunate if you did not." "can I ask why we are fighting to the death out of the blue?" "Survive first." "" "{Good luck.}" ''Shut up.'' Man, its getting annoying to design statuses the amount of time I have to spend on those at this point in the story is equal, if not higher than writing a whole chap. And I still feel like I didnt add enough but my brain cant fucking perceive what.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 305: "A tale just for you." Chapter 305: "A tale just for you." Rakna gritted his teeth and poured mana into his wings as he barreled into the sky, a silver trail joining the clouds behind him. He dodged a hail of spell bullets and looked down at Hans calmly hovering in the air, his quill penning words with barely any movement. ''That bastard has only been using that single spell but he can still put me on the ropes,'' the werewolf thought in annoyance and locked his golden pupils onto him, slowing down his perception of time to spot every single projectile. "[Valkal,]" he intoned and summoned all five of his spectral tails, using them to block the bullets momentarily and recreating them every time they were destroyed. ''That''s enough,'' he concluded and spread his wings wide to stabilize his flight. Sonata promptly transformed into arge bow and as he moved into a shooting stance, he pulled out a mystical ded arrow from his storage. Since his Star Hearth had evolved into Forger of The Stars, he could now pre-cast his lower-tiered spells and store them for subsequent use. The mid-tiers would structurally copse after a week but it was worth replenishing them. The number was simrly limited to one, but it was more than enough to gain the edge in a fight and his spell would also be avable afterward since the cooldown had long passed. Furthermore, using his Mystic Magic to make it would double its power without the consumption drawback. The ded arrow responded to its conjurer''s mana right after being retrieved and grew in size to fit the bow. Rakna pulled the string back and aimed at Hans. "[Mystic Dinsleif,]" a blue sh red from the tip of the arrow, and in the next instant, it shot off and dispersed Hans'' magic as it pierced through the air. The azure eyes of the Tale User calmly followed the star construct. "[Arcana Order C Firestorm,]" he muttered and the book hovering above his hand finally moved. It opened itself and a cyclone of mes erupted out of it. It expanded and swallowed the iing spell like a voracious snake. But it was not powerful enough topletely stop it. Dinsleif sustained flight but the storm exploded midway, deviating its path into the water. The arrow''s des splintered and detonated once submerged, siphoning the water inward and freezing it into a pit in the middle of the sea. Hans nced at the aftermath and then quickly looked up to spot a rain of swords descending on him. He squinted and waved his quill in a straight line. "[Scripture,]" he chanted and two words, filled with mana appropriate for their intended purpose, faded into existence. In the next second, every sword in Hans'' field of view broke into two pieces exactly in the middle. "" The blue-haired author then fell silent when he noticed he lost sight of the werewolf. He raised an eyebrow at the falling pieces of metal and their reflections; his Nirvana Skill told him everything about the ''story'' behind their creation and the intentions of their maker. That''s why, he wasn''t surprised when he turned around to witness Rakna appear out of nowhere, not out of the Mirror World, but through the use of his Enthymio Step, of which he had recently managed to craft the Skill Card. The werewolf raised his osciting ive glowing with Eion and swung it at Hans. Thetter had already initiated his counter; waving his left hand and snatching his floating grimoire. At the same time, his quill wrote words on its nk pages without contact. "[Mimic Tome,]" Hans muttered and in less than a second, Sonata shed with the book while it was transforming into a thin double-edged sword. The Guandao''s superior quality nearly cut right through it but it barely held on. The two fighters silently gazed at each other past their entangled weapons, Rakna towering over his opponent. After about ten seconds of inertness, the werewolf''s weapon ripped through the sword in an instant. "[10 000 Nights of Severance,]" a ghastly force shot out of the ive''s edge and Hans flew back in haste, his face remaining impassive as per his typical behavior. The flying sh zoomed past his neck, cutting the clouds in its path apart, and he immediately countered with a spell. "[Page Rush,]" he uttered, and on cue, the sliced sword crumbled into hundreds of paper pages that scurried toward the werewolf as if seeking to restrain him. In response, Rakna''s wings unfurled and shot a barrage of feathers strong enough to pierce metal if needed. The pages were shredded within a second but Hans had taken his distance once again, a new arcana book summoned in his hand. A distance from there, back on the ind, Nyx breathed out, "Incredible. Both of them." "Is this what a fight between geniuses looks like?" Natsu huffed. "None of them has done anything too shy, but the way they calcte every move in such a fluid manner is amazing." "Uh, shouldn''t we stop them rather than admire them?" An retorted nkly. "Don''t stress yourself up," Higure shrugged. "It doesn''t seem like they''re actually fighting to kill the other sort of. More like a mutual understanding of their respective abilities. They won''t take it too far. Probably." "Sorry to break it to you, but that ''sort of'' and ''probably'' don''t sell it to me," the blond retorted in a dead tone right as a stray Cataract spell from Rakna whizzed over their head and froze over at least three thousand square meters of water in the distance. The light shone over everyone as they looked at each other in silence and when it died down, the lioness shamelessly doubled down with a cough, "I don''t see the problem." Meanwhile, Rakna was rolling his eyes as he heard their conversation due to his senses. He surged his wings with mana to double his speed and dove to avoid arge beam of energy that had been birthed by its literal description written by Hans. ''The range of application of that guy''s magic is insane,'' he thought and negated his fall right before hitting the water with Artzpul. Right after, he felt his body get heavier and he was forced tond on the water''s surface with Star sh. Star energy flickered under his ws and he frowned. He already knew what was going on; Crystal Sight told him everything. Hans had simply written a mand'' to increase the gravity for him. Rakna groaned and gathered dimensional energy around him. "[Rift Shuttle,]" he uttered and broke the spell. The time he had spent pinned down was enough for his opponent to conjure his next ''line''. He barely had the time to look up before he was struck by a massive pir of lightning. It shrouded him entirely and sparked around the surface of the water. Hans watched it with narrowed eyes and, raising an eyebrow, he let go of his book and let it float above his head. With his free hand, he called out a new tool, "[Jade Brush.]" Just as the name suggested, it was a painting brush crafted out of a green precious stone. It appeared in his grasp like colors flowing into a mixer and, just like his quill, he used it to draw something at a ridiculously fast pace. In barely two seconds, a moving painting of a sunrise was finished, and immediately after, a silver and bluish beam of energy emerged out of the lightning storm, soaring toward Hans. However, as if everything was nned, the moment it encountered the sunrise, it scattered like rain. The lightning storm below was dispersed at the same time and Rakna leaped out of it, a silverish glow permeating his tails and spreading to his entire body like a protective skin. "you even can do that, huh?" He spoke up, eyeing the painting that was gradually disappearing. "Using the concept of ''sunrise'' through a painting to negate lunar energy," he said with a snort and the silver glow around him receded into his tails before fading. "How about you tell me your motive already? What is this fight even for?" He asked with a frown. "I wonder," Hans replied calmly. "this fight is pointless. We both have skills capable of thoroughly predicting the opponent down to thest detail. Going farther would require us to be far more heavy-handed," Rakna stated and narrowed his eyes. "And we both know who would win a contest of raw strength." "Is that so?" Hans lifted the corners of his mouth. "And your ''Rewrite'' skill," the werewolf added. "You used it to ''modify'' yourself. You optimized your physical frame and re-bnced your statistics. You even forcefully ''produced'' a skill made to stalk high speed and dimensional movements. The thing is; you didn''t remodel yourself for offense purposes in the slightest. So, what are you plotting with this?" "Well, it is only natural that you would notice," the blue-haired man candidly responded and lifted his two instruments of art. He looked at them and brought them together until they were pressed between his palms. "But you are getting one thing wrong. I understand that your eyes can see most of my status without resistance despite our level difference. But you seem to still be in the dark about the blunt usage of Tale Magic." "" "[Rewrite,]" Hans once again activated his Ultimate-Ranked skill, but this time, it was not his body that was subject to the modification. It was the quill and brush. After a brief sh of light, the two tools had be one. "[Barb of Heaven,]" he whispered and gently held the new object. It looked ornamented and modest at the same time, new and ancient, but the tip brought a whole new world of incongruity. It simply broke thews of science. It was both a quill and a brush simultaneously. Did it mean that it was a terrificbination of the two? No. It was a mind-numbing experience; it was like seeing it swap between one another every millisecond. Or as if it changed every time you blinked. "You wanted to know what I was plotting?" Hans said as the arcana book slid down before his eyes again. "I have something for you, did I not tell you? This is a tale I wrote just for you," he dered and pushed his sses. "I hope you enjoy it. Its title Hurlement D''Hiver." Yes, those twost words are in French. Might as well implement my primarynguage in my story for fun; youll see. Ill give a full trantion at the end of the next chap.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 306: Hurlement DHiver Chapter 306: Hurlement D''Hiver "[Depuis Les Profondeurs De Sang]," Hans chanted as his pen made contact with the book in front of him, the same line of words forming on the left page, along with a murky painting on the right depicting a dark red moon dripping blood. Rakna reacted violently to the chant. The words were spoken in anothernguage, recognizably French, as a lexis. As per the nature of the ''words of power'', the trantion of the System didn''t work and he couldn''t understand it. He would have normallyunched a trantion program with Eye of Symphony, or even wondered if Hans came from a parallel version of Earth, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. It felt as if the lexis had stabbed his heart. Without wasting even a second, the werewolf put his all into Star sh and simultaneously, Rift Shuttle manifested around him, distorting space itself. His body blurred, the signs of Ripple of Rupture, and he took a step forward in a punching stance. In the fastest action he had ever performed, Rakna shed out and in of existence right in front of his opponent as if he had teleported. His fist was already on its way, filled with Intent, and strong enough to blow off Hans'' whole upper body. Shockingly, however, the storyteller moved in advance and took on the punch with nothing but the tip of his writing instrument, which manifested into existence the word ''Impact'' in red letters instead of the normal ck. The impact of Rakna''s fist was instantly ''erased'' but the shockwave and dimensional cracks spread out around them, causing a massive depression in the air. The wind flowed in and the water below bafflingly rose for a few meters before falling back. "[Le C?ur Bris D''une Bte Sans Amour Chante Ses chos,]" Hans calmly continued his tale even as Rakna swung Sonata with his other hand, extending into a scythe to minimize the chances of escape. A second illustration appeared on Hans'' floating book. A heart half ice, half fire, obscured by a dark world devoid of light. He then felt the weapon dangerously closing in; the curved de enclosing his back. "[Fold of One,]" Hans muttered and Sonata cut through his body. But nothing like blood came out of that wound. He was bisected, but his expression remained the same, then a secondter, both body pieces turned into a swarm of papers. Half of it reformed Hans'' body some distance away while the remaining half each grew bigger and turned intoplete books. The dozens of books then opened at the same time and a magic circle formed in front of them, generating different magic elements. "[Arcana Order C Macabre Firework,]" the blue-haired man intoned and each grimoire shot its magical energy. The elements merged into one and turned white as they threatened to consume the werewolf. Rakna growled and his tails channeled the lunar energy they contained. It gathered inside his maw where the silver light began to escape through the gaps of his fangs. At the same time, hoarfrost energy was joining in as well. "[Lunar Star Howl,]" he roared out and a wave of energy surged out of his mouth. The two attacks collided and burst into a twin-colored halo that overtook the sky. "[Comme Une Cloche Sonnant La Fin D''Un Temps Vcu,]" Hans continued his incantation, calmly riding the shockwave, and the third page of the tale book weed the depiction of a lonely ck wolf walking through snow. Afterward, the storyteller raised his pen to the sky above him before the werewolf resumed his assault. The incongruous tool poured color into the atmosphere and hundreds of spears,rge enough to hunt giants, were sketched. Then, Hans snapped the fingers of his free hand. "[Conjuration,]" he muttered and the spears materialized. They all shot off at tremendous speed, clearly aiming at Rakna. Furthermore, midway, Hans wrote the words ''elerate Spears'' and ''Strengthen Spears''; doing exactly what they implied. "[Call of Hounds,]" the werewolf riposted and summoned hundreds of wind-elemental wolves to counter each spear. At the same time, he switched Sonata to its twin-katana mode and triggered two mana bursts at once from his wings. He used Star sh at the same time and dashed toward Hans, who calmly called upon the books he had summoned just before, and used his quill to change their nature into swords. Right when Rakna entered striking range, one of the grimoire swords flew into his hand for him to parry Sonata. It instantly broke but was reced by another right after. Like that, both of them began a chase that could barely be followed with the naked eye. Rakna was obviously incredibly fast in the air with his wings and skills, but Hans was surprisingly elusive as well. It was not the same ''kind'' of speed; it was calcted moves. He would sometimes use his Word Magic to create sporadic increases in his agility, boost his instant-travel ability with his Rewrite, or even switch locations with a book in the vicinity in the blink of an eye. During that time, he continued his ominous chant. The book received two new entries; a broken ss spilling the water being poured inside of it, and a wolf with a beating heart in its maw and a sea of corpses under it. "[Creux Et Abattu, Une ?me Avide, Il Ne Con?ois Nullement La Valeur De Lui-Mme.]" "[S''Il Fut Un Jour O L''asion Se Porte, Son Arrogance Dtruira Autrui.]" "[Ainsi, Est-Il Correct De Lui Concder La Gloire Qu''est L''Orgueil?]" Hans spoke this line as they crossed arms again, and behind the lens of his sses, one could see the hostility instilled into that specific sentence. "The pride and duty you believe in are a lie," he uttered and Rakna''s eyes widened. "You do not deserve to uphold its values," he added and his voice, imbued with a strange sense of oppression, made the werewolf lose strength in his limbs despite himself. ''Divine Speech'' Rakna remembered the odd proficiency he had seen in his status. It wasn''t a skill or a spell, it was a phenomenon invoked by the mere act of speaking. If one spoke the reality of truth, it would affect the one it was rted to. "[Bookmark,]" Hans immediately followed up and a rectangr piece of cardstock appeared in his hand. It was a spell he had been silently preparing for almost a minute. While Rakna was unable to react as easily as normal, he hastily stuck the object onto his arm. Right away, the werewolf froze; he could not move, could not speak, could not attack; his story had been paused. "That also means your story cannot be altered or ended," the author whispered as he jumped back andnded in midair. "I cannot injure you nor can I kill you. But I can pull you into a new narration in that state," he stated and turned the page of the book he had been illustrating and writing until now. "Considering it is you, this will not hold you more than twenty seconds," he added and raised his pen. "But that is more than enough." "[Un Mensonge Ne D''Une Frayeur Infame. Ton Devoir Est Une Excuse.]" "[La Distance Entre Ton C?ur Et Ton Esprit, Que Tu Crois Ncessaire, Est Une Fise.]" "[Elle T''Avaleras Entier. Te Dtruiras De L''Intrieur. ject De Ce Triste Rve.]" "So, for you I will grant you a rapid fall," Hans dered and turned the book''s page, which had a bottomless cliff painted on it. The next image, a wolf sleeping in a shell of snow, was already being drawn. "[Le Loup A Bien Trop Dormi. It Est Temps De Secouer La Neige.]" "[Le Hurlement D''Hiver Ouvrira La Voie Vers La Berceuse D''t.]" Hans closed the book and tossed it. "[Unity Magic C Chronicle C Overwrite,]" he whispered and the book made contact with the werewolf. It merged with thetter''s body and immediately, the bookmark that had been binding him vanished and he started falling, his eyes shut and his body inert. Without interruption, Rakna dropped into the sea and sank. "That bastard--!" An nearly leaped out in anger when he saw that. His canines were already in the process of elongating before Nyx curtly put her hand in front of him. "Stop," she said coldly and looked at via whose eyes were unfocused and on the brink of frenzy. "You too. Don''t get carried away. He''s alive. He also won''t die from drowning. You know that." The Chaos Witch trembled and frantically shook her head to clear her head, covering her forehead for a moment. "I''m sorry" She whispered but that did not stop her or any of herpanions to give Hans a sharp re as he slowly floated down toward them. The blue-haired man was getting younger at a speed visible with the naked eye, his hair bing shorter as if it was rewinding time, and his clothes shrinking and reverting to their original state. When Hansnded on his ind, he had fully returned to his child-self. His unique pen was gone and the sses artifact he had used in his older form were stored back. The boy exhaled rather loudly, a bead of sweat going down his face. "Oi, what did you do to him?" Higure eventually asked, her tone perfectly even, but there was no hiding the threat hidden behind it. "It may sound hypocritical from someone who willfully let you two duke it out, but if I don''t like your answer, I promise to kill you." "" He looked at them with dropped eyelids. Truly, if they all decided to attack him, he would have no chance of resisting. "I gave him his reward," he stated sinctly. "That was a reward?" via uttered; her voice filled with venom. Hans nced at her and clicked his tongue. ''What a crazy man he is, to keep such a dangerous one beside him,'' hemented inaudibly and turned toward the calm waters, where he had thrown the werewolf into. "You should thank me," he said. "Why? What was thatst spell?" Evelyn raised her voice with a stony expression. The dark energy she asionally manifested when upset was unconsciously gathering around her. "And another one" Hans muttered before pointing at the sea. "Just watch. And wait. Everything from now on purely depends on your dear wolf. Whether he returns or not, it is his resolve that will decide it. Though, it would be sphemous for one with such fate to fall short today. He will pull through and wake up anew." ? * * * ? Meanwhile, in an unknown realm, extended a boundless pasture ravaged by blizzards. Lost deep within, a nine-tailed wolf was asleep; the snow forming a thick nket over him. Dreaming, the wolf will sumb to the cold were he to fail to awaken in time. ? --- ? From The Depths of Blood. The Shattered Heart of a Beast Without Love Sings Its Echoes. Like a Bell Ringing the End of a Time Bygone. Hollow and Trampled, A Greedy Soul, He Perceives Naught of The Value of His Own Self. Were a Day to Be, Where the asion Presents Itself, His Arrogance Will Destroy Others. As Such, Is It Correct to Concede Him the Glory That is Pride? ? A Falsehood Born from Abhorrent Fright. Your Duty Is an Excuse. The Distance Between Your Heart and Spirit, Which You Believe Necessary, Is A Cliff. It Will Swallow You Whole. Destroy You from The Inside. Ejected From This Sad Dream. ? The Wolf Has Slept Far Too Much. It Is Time to Shake Off the Snow. The Howling of Winter Will Open the Way to The Luby of Summer. improv. Again. . Also, there you have the trantion of the chant. I decided not to give it to you in the chapter itself cuz I wanted you to be in the dark; just as Rakna was. It hits better than just giving you the English version right next to it. It also gives you room to theorize what Hans is trying to convey in his chant with the few words he speaks in between. Though, that could be only me, idk.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 307: Wake Up Chapter 307: Wake Up The chirping of birds made Rakna open his eyes, the vast expanse of the blue sky being reflected on them. He sat up and looked around, inspecting the roof of his school. "I fell asleep, huh?" He muttered to himself and as he was about to stand, he heard a hiss. But when he tried to look at where it came from, he saw nothing. "My imagination?" "RAKNA!" A shout resounded from the door as it was pped open. Rakna''s naturally taciturn expression turned toward the woman who yelled his name. He already knew what she was going to say but when she took a proper look at his face, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and blinked dumbfoundedly. "What''s wrong?" He scowled. "Eh um" She stammered. "Did something happen?" She asked oddly. "Why?" "No, it''s just you look different somehow," she blushed a bit then cleared her throat. "A-anyway, give me my key back and get yourself back to ss!" "Yes, yes" Rakna mumbled and jumped down from the elevated flooring of the roof. He looked back briefly at the empty rooftop before going inside with via. ? * * * ? Several hourster, with the sun setting down, Rakna exited the school grounds and headed back to his house alone. Five minutester, as he waited at a crossroads for the lights to turn green, someone greeted him from the side. "What are you brooding about, Xiorra?" Rakna looked at the source of the voice to see a man older than him by a few years standing there without even facing him despite having addressed him directly. The man was taller than him, but not too tall either. He also had a lean build but was far from skinny. As for his face, he could be considered quite a handsome man. He had a gentleman-like charm with short ck hair, that was so naturally smooth it would make women envious. But the most ring feature were his eyes; entirely closed at all times. One would only need to look at the telescoped cane in his hands to understand why they were so. "Eizen" Rakna muttered the man''s name. "It''s been a while. How have you been?" "You know, working my ass off in this unfair society," he responded dryly. "What about you? Why do you stand there all edgily like a kid with eighth-grader syndrome? You''re not with An today?" "how did you even know it was me, much less how ''edgy'' it was?" "You''re like your old man, you have a presence. Spend enough time trying to sense people without sight and you''ll eventually feel some sort of ''air'' around people. It''s basically instinct. Isn''t that the thing you''re so good at?" Eizen retorted as they both began to walk when it was green. "it could also be exined by smell, but we don''t talk about that," he added. Rakna snorted and mused. "I was thinking." "Wow, that sounds so much worse." The younger man rolled his eyes. "I took a nap earlier," he said nkly. "Uh-uh? And?" "I''ve been feeling weird since I woke up. Several times in the past hours, in ss or otherwise, I unconsciously asked myself what I was doing there. I''m not sure why It was weirdly impulsive." Eizen didn''t scoff at him this time and hummed. "Interesting, I have to admit. Did it finally hit you? You and the old asshole trounced Flood, which you hated so much. And as if nothing happened, you decided to live a normal life afterward. It was crazy to me." "why?" "Because that was not human," Eizen expressed and stopped walking. Rakna did the same and turned toward the blind man next to him only to see a pair of nk blurry white eyes roughly directed at him. "The change was instantaneous. No hesitation, dy, or deliberation." "is that supposed to be a bad thing?" "Yes," he affirmed firmly. "You went from a life of blood to the mundane as if both were the same shit. But they''re fucking not and you seem to be incapable of recognizing that. It''s psychotic at the very best. If you ask me, I''d say you''re rejecting yourself." Rakna''s expression twitched. "Remember how you told me why you adopted that ''duty'' of yours? You said that if you, out of all people, don''t try to do what''s right, your revenge would be meaningless. You don''t think there''s anything wrong with that sentence?" "" "Doing what''s right is something a morally decent person does. It''s not a freaking sry job with paid vacations," Eizen spat and closed his eyes again. "You don''t even feel happy doing it. Running away from yourself is all you''re doing. Poor via is chasing after you with all her might, but you refuse to slow down." "That duty is an excuse you created so you can dissociate yourself from your past sufferings, deeds, and crimes. For so long, you had no damn idea of what you were doing. So, you made up one once you had the chance." "My advice for you, Xiorra; wake up," the blind man finished and walked off on his own way back home. Rakna watched him go and stayed immobile for who knows how long before he was pulled out of his daze by the pain in his legs. By that time, the night had already begun to fully set in. He looked down and almost staggered as he walked the remaining distance to his house. When he crossed the entrance of therge oriental house handed down to him by Arimane, he dropped his bag and exhaled. Much to his confusion, the breath that came out of his mouth was white. He frowned at that and went to check the thermostat. The numbers were perfectly normal, just as he felt, but he increased it for good measure. As he was about to go ahead and cook a quick meal before going to bed, he heard a noiseing from the backyard. He scowled and opened the back door leading to the porch. He skimmed thewn and spotted a small silhouette hiding behind a bush. He approached and parted the branches to see a small fox with red fur lying on its stomach, breathbored and body trembling. It sniveled quietly and Rakna slowly reached for the animal, when he touched it, he instantly felt how cold the poor thing was. He lifted it softly and brought it back inside where he lit the firece. He sat down with the little fox on hisp and stroked its fur until it stopped shaking. Quickly, the animal blinked its eyes open and noticed the human holding it. But it surprisingly didn''t get scared or startled, it merely made a small happy noise that seemed to convey its thanks. "What a rxed little guy you are," Rakna snorted but the fox narrowed its eyes and lowered its head as if pouting in anger. "What? You don''t like being called a little guy? Are you a girl then?" He tilted his head and he seemed to have gotten it right when the fox nodded in satisfaction. He huffed in amusement. "Smart too, huh? So, where do youe from? There''s a big park a block away, I suppose, but why were you so cold?" The vixen looked at him in the eyes for a moment then whimpered, looking away. Rakna shrugged and settled to pat her, which she seemed to appreciate quite a lot. After a few minutes, the heat of the fire got to him and an urge to sleep overcame him. He leaned back on the couch behind him but while closing his eyes, the fox cried out and suddenly jumped on his face. "Woah, woah" He shifted his head to the sides to avoid her paws hitting him and when he took a closer look at the vulpine''s face, he shuddered at the intensity of her gaze. He didn''t know for sure, but somehow, he knew they were screaming at him; don''t fall asleep! ""Wake up."" At the same time, he heard two voices ovepping in his head, saying the exact same thing, and in his brief moment of daze, the fox jumped and ran off to the backyard again. Rakna took a few seconds to react and when he did, he shot up to his feet and made a strange face when he saw a trail of snow on the floor leading to the gap of the sliding door leading outside. He rubbed his temples to clear a strange numbness he didn''t realize had set in and followed after the traces. He stepped out onto the grass and tried looking around for the fox but she was nowhere to be found. "Looking for something, kiddo?" Rakna stiffened and looked over his shoulder with widened eyes. Before he knew it, someone had sat down on the porch. "Old man" He uttered. "Yep. That''s me." "Where the fuck were you for the past six months?" "can''t even enjoy the reunion a bit, huh?" Arimane snickered as he unwrapped a lollipop and put it in his mouth. "Where was I, you ask? Who knows? I think you are the most pressing issue." "Huh?" Rakna glowered and the old man smiled. "Come on, sit," he said whilst patting the spot next to him and Rakna scowled before eventuallyplying. He sat down with a groan and kneaded his forehead with his knuckle. "Sleepy?" Arimane inquired and he instantly stopped. "You look cold, as well." "I''m not col--" "Look at your hands, kid." Rakna furrowed his eyebrows and inspected his open hand. He was rmed when he realized he couldn''t stop it from trembling. Not to mention that his skin had traces of swelling preceding frostbite and was dangerously losing its color. "What" "Maybe you caught some nasty sickness. The inexplicable kind," Arimane remarked. "I have seen a lot of weird stuff in my life. I had allies and enemies whose capabilities were beyond human. One of them was a genius engineer at least fifty years ahead of his time with a brain that couldpute information ten times faster than normal humans. Another was so physically gifted and proficient in martial arts; he could cut flesh with his bare hands." "why are you telling me this all of a sudden?" "Because you are one of them," the old man replied seriously. "People like you and me, we''re damn weird, aren''t we?" He jested. "And we''re also high maintenance. I had a point in my life where the only thing driving me forward was the aplishment of an empty goal; till my death. Perhaps I was even worse than you. I lost everything worth gaining anything for." "And you, kid, are going the opposite way. You have nothing to drive you forward, so you made up an excuse to move backward," Arimane smirked and chuckled. "Sounds silly, don''t you agree?" "" "Wanna know what your most fundamental w is?" He followed up and pointed his lollipop at his nephew. "You have ack of pride in your aplishments. The only thing you''ve ever shown being satisfied with is your strength. Nothing else. Not your little hunt for righteousness or even your sessful revenge." "Everything is just a step to you. Have you ever seen someone not get tired by perpetually walking down the same road for their whole life? I certainly haven''t they''re probably dead anyway," he shrugged. "Regardless, it''s about time you realize," he dered and stood up. "Take pride in how far you''vee; take pride in having survived; take pride in being the one who killed instead of the victim; take pride in the people that love you despite that; take pride in how many lives you have saved." "And most importantly find pride in your weaknesses; find pride in yourself. And for fuck''s sake, kid, learn that your little worries don''t mean shit in this world. It''s do or die," he concluded with a shit-eating grin that Rakna would have loved to punch had the situation been different. "Now, if you get it, you know what to do," the old man said whilst pointing at the adjacent house and Rakna automatically looked in that direction as well. The ''cold'' was growing stronger and he could feel his body bing numb. In a haze, heughed in the driest voice he ever mustered. "This day doesn''t make any sense" He muttered in exasperation, his breath crystallizing every time he opened his mouth. "Of course, it doesn''t. Dreams never make sense." Hearing those absurd words, Rakna snapped his head back toward Arimane but, as if he had never been there in the first ce, the backyard was bare of the old man''s presence. The cold and lonely teen sat there, not knowing or understanding what was going on. But sticking to his rationality, he knew one thing for sure; this cold would soon kill him. Whether it would save him or not, there was one thing he had to do no matter what. Chapter 308: "Something to be proud of." Chapter 308: "Something to be proud of." Rakna stumbled out of his house into the moon-lit street. He put his hand against the wall and let out a shaky breath, his eyes stretching to look at the full moon in the sky. He gazed at it for a while as if entranced and forced himself to turn away. He pushed himself off into the sidewalk and before even taking the first step, he abruptly felt as if a massively strong wind was blowing against him. He lowered his knees and when he blinked, the streets changed into a vast expanse of snow and blizzard for a split second. "so that''s how it is now, huh?" He muttered nkly, his vision blurring. He took a deep breath to clear up his head and slowly but surely, he made his way forward. He nearly lost his bnce a few times to the point of falling. Within the painfully long time it took him to reach the neighboring house, he had plenty of time to acknowledge something he had reflexively been ignoring for half of the day. Hiding in the shadows of walls, trees, and houses, dozens of pairs of glowing eyes were peering at him with no interruption. Cats, dogs, rats, birds They stared at his every move piercingly. It was to the point he could swear he felt pain from it. Ironically, it helped him keep his head clear. Nheless, the cold was making him lose control over his limbs. "And I can''t even feel it" He grumbled before mming his back on the wall of his neighbor. With a rasped breath, he scowled at all the urban animals approaching him through the darkness in an eerily organized fashion. Rakna''s eyes narrowed at them and they came to a halt. After a few seconds, they backed off until they were out of his sight. He grunted and with a shivering hand, he reached for the inte and rang the doorbell. He heard a familiar rhythm of footsteps and when the door opened, he felt a rapid rush of warmth banishing away most of the cold. "Yes?" A soothing voice echoed and he nced to the side to see via peek her head out. It was without saying that when she saw him there, her eyes widened in shock. "R-Rakna?" "hey," he waved his handzily. "Can I get in?" He didn''t get a proper answer until she finally came out of her stupor. "S-sure!" She hupped as she opened the way for him. She had every right to be stunned considering Rakna had never taken the initiative to visit her in the past. Not once. However, once he stepped foot inside and the light hit him, she sobered up very fast. His skin was pale and she could see he was struggling with his movements, despite showing no obvious sign on his face. "Wha--?!" He covered her mouth before she could continue and with a dreadfully calm expression, he quietly ced his index over his mouth in a shushing motion. Without saying or doing anything else, he let go of her and walked into the living room where he sat on the couch. She apprehensively followed after him but did not take a seat. She seemed to be barely holding in the urge to speak up but Rakna eventually did it for her. "you said I looked different earlier, right?" He whispered. "Could you tell me how exactly?" "I" Her voice came out too weak for her to answer. She bit her lip and resumed, "I suppose this is something that I eventually had to be upfront with you about. Rakna; if I had to be honest, I hate the way you look at me," she admitted with her head lowered. "Don''t misunderstand. I" She paused and looked away. "I know you care about me... I know you would do so much for me if I asked for it, but I can''t help but see it every time you look at me, it''s as if you''re in front of an obstacle you wished you could take down. It hurts to know that the care you give me is also something you wish didn''t exist." Rakna silently gritted his teeth when he saw the genuine sorrow on her face. "But, today" She continued with a small smile. "For the first time, you looked at me with no ''wall'' in between. You were truly seeing me and nothing else. It felt like you wanted me there." "" He quietly listened and slowly unclenched his hands. He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "If I had to be frank as well, I have not even a single reason that could justify myself. You shouldn''t just hate the way I look at you, you should me me for it; much more harshly." "That''s not--!" "--true?" He cut her off with a sharp nce. "But it''s what I''ve always wanted," he uttered and she pursed her lips. "You''re all saying the same thing about me in the end; that I''m running away. But from what? Any idea?" "" Rakna sped his fingers and rested his forehead on them. "From myself? No, I don''t believe in that kind of silly notion. Escaping what I am, already means I epted myself. I''m not enough of a coward to fear it. From others? Idiotic. If that''s what I truly aimed for, none of you would even know me. You just watch me go; some follow; others overtake me as if strolling." "The truth of the matter is that I''m not running because there''s a big bad monster chasing me," he said with a faint smile. "It''s because I''m scared of stopping. Because if I stop, everyone will be able to reach me. And if they do, they might either leave me or disappear forever, incapable of enduring it. I prefer to have you follow me from afar than not be there at all," he confessed. "So, via, please, tell me one thing" Rakna''s voice nearly cracked and via gasped when she saw tears falling on the carpet. She couldn''t see his eyes, but that had absolutely no influence on the disbelief she felt. Rakna had never cried. She had never seen him even do as much as express sorrow. "If I understand this correctly, this messed up day" He continued steadily, audibly forcing himself not to lose his voice. "I must trust you. I know that whatever you do; it will be something" Before he even finished, he felt two arms wrap around him. "Something I need to stop for..." via rested her head against his neck as she knelt behind his seat. "You are unfair" She spoke softly. "Why must I say it, even though you already know?" "" "You should have realized by now. Whatever I say here, it won''t be real But, precisely so, it means so much to both you and I," she dered and tightened her grip. "I love you. No matter what. Even if you continue running, or if you stop, I will be with you. Always." "thank you," Rakna whispered and in the span of a blink, the world distorted. The house turned into a tempest of snow, via''s warm touch vanished, and the cold became tangible. The ck wolf buried in snow opened his eyes in the middle of a blizzard. His deep purple eyes contracted as they gazed forward with an unshakable will. He slowly stood up, the nket of snow sliding off his fur, and looked up at the obstructed sky. He breathed in and for a moment, the kes of snow unanimously halted their flight. The wolf then exhaled a crystallized cloud and they started moving again. "Thank you" The lupine opened his mouth. "For being something that I can be proud of," he said and with a growl, he whipped his head and roared. The snow in his vicinity was blown into the air and the kes promptly began to spiral around him. Everything congregated into one giant dome over him and full of regality and power, both of his eyes shone crimson and turquoise. Instantly after, the dome closed in on itself before immediately being destroyed by an eruption of red crystal spikes containing mes of a darker shade within. Rakna''s vision was ovee by darkness only to be overtaken by one very clear sign of his return to reality. ? ? ? ? ? The Tale Has Ended; Hurlement D''Hiver. ? --- ? You are exhibiting overwhelming emotions. Your Sub-Path, Nephilim, is reacting. Your Title, The Kind Demon''s Kin is reacting. Your Title, Chalice of Wishes, is reacting. ? --- ? You have gained a new Ultimate Excelled Skill; Ego of Lucifer! All Virtues Shall Sloth has been updated to All Virtues Shall Yield! ? --- ? Volcanic Star Magic has broken through Excelled! Volcanic Star Magic has Evolved into Inferno Star Magic! You have gained a new spell; Altar of mes! Inferno Star Magic has leveled up! x6 ? --- Hoarfrost Star Magic has leveled up! x3 Hoarfrost Star Magic has Excelled! Hoarfrost Star Magic has Evolved into Everfrost Star Magic! You have gained a new spell; Stardust Temple! ? ? ? ? ? --- ? Author''s Note (It''s here because it''s too long for Webnovel): ? These twost chaps took me a bit more thought than usual. I went in this direction on a whim so I had to think up everything on the spot. ? What follows is my reasoning and exnation of what happened. Read it if you''re curious but if you wish to make your own theory beforehand, feel free. Please go easy on me, I''m not really a mystery writer. Might try my hand at it in the future if I feel like it. ? Here''s how it went in my head; Hans'' Tale is about a lone wolf walking through an infinitely vastnd ravaged by blizzard. He cannot stop because if he does, he will be swallowed by the snow; disappear and die of cold. But he cannot continue forever, so he eventually got tired and fell asleep. Then, he dreamed. In that dream, he entered a reenactment of the past where he was at his initial state, unperturbed by the System. There, four people appeared. Eizen, the fox, Arimane, and via. The idea is that all four of them are constructions of Rakna''s mind trying to save itself. At the same time though, the only reason they exist is that he had those people in his heart. This means that without any of them, he would have fallen asleep for good and died. Eizen was the grand questioner. He is the person Rakna considers the most likely person to be able to tear into his inner self without holding back and objectively pick apart his every w. The reason I decided to implement him in the dream instead of An is that anyone else more suitable to fill that specific role doesn''t exist in Rakna''s mind. I could have added An for another scene for sure but he would have ovepped a bit too much for the purpose of the dream. The little fox that came after was obviously an apparition of Kaelith. But since she was not part of the reality the dream created (Rakna''s past), she appeared as a fox that saved him from certain death when he almost fell asleep. She has the biggest role in this, despite being lowkey, because she has be the pir that allowed the possibility of this dream''s end result. Arimane was there to make Rakna realize something strange was happening. He revealed to him what the key to waking up was and he also was the one to make him notice the cold afflicting him; which was essentially a sign of impending doom. The animals stalking up to him are both a foreshadowing that I''ve already written in previous chapters and a part of Rakna''s soul. They represent the source of his power and the cause of his distress. Finally, via is his way out. She is the first person to have loved him and the first one to have made him start fearing someone getting too close to him. She''s also the one who found salvation in him, wanting to be with him forever because his presence and unique soul would mitigate her unawakened yet present Chaos Trait (which you will eventually know what it is in reality). As long as Rakna embraces her feelings, he will be able to resolve the knot that unconsciously stops him from waking up. Again, why she had to be the one to take on that role despite Kaelith holding a fairly bigger ce in his heart is due to his personal struggles. via is someone trying to catch up to him, something he''s scared of, but Kaelith literally crashed in front of him effortlessly and forced him to give her his attention. Then, there''s the cold itself. The obvious corrtion can be made between his star magic and the blizzard, which is ultimately his power going out of control and slowly killing him. The ending scene was him acquiring Pride; the resolve to dominate everything and what he needed in order to tame the blizzard. ? There. That''s it. Lemme tell you, this is definitely the biggest character growth experience Rakna will have in the whole novel. The next will most likely be the one where he bes plete''. Chapter 309: "What the fu--" Chapter 309: "What the fu--" On Hans'' ind; it had been more than five minutes since Rakna had sunk in the water. Everyone was silently waiting for him to resurface while the boy at cause was sitting at the outdoor table, a book opened in his hands. "how much longer is it going to take?" Nyx spoke up, her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall of the house. Compared to the others, she had almost no hostility toward him. In fact, aside from her, even Pronos was utterly unbothered despite it involving his master. The little hydra always trusted his instincts when it came to people. To him, Hans was without an ounce of doubt the most harmless person he had ever met. Which was both oundish and oddly eptable. The blue-haired boy nced up from his book at Nyx and grunted. He slipped his hand under his jacket and pulled out a pocket watch. He clicked it open and proceeded to write a few words in the air with his finger. They merged with the object and the needles began to spin relentlessly. Hans calmly waited until they stopped and when he saw where they pointed, he snorted and put the timepiece back in his pocket. "Six," he uttered indifferently while resuming his read. "Five," he added and everyone perked up in realization. "Four, three, two, one" On cue, without warning, a pir of turquoise energy erupted from underwater and brought with it a deluge of snow. The entire sea around the ind, and further, instantly turned into a block of ice hundreds of meters thick. The drop in temperature was daunting but it was nothingpared to the intimidating aura that followed. It felt like the heavens had grown eyes and were looking down on every lifeform below as if they were nothing but, and everything less than ants. "Pride at its purest form," Hansmented as everyone sweated under the pressure. "Unpleasant for sure but arguably respectable," he muttered and the pir of energy eventually receded. The sound of waves had been reced by the noise of ice distending. The snowkesnded on this picture of ice age and spawned protrusions akin to frost flowers. However, the effusive spiritual force was still present. In fact, it was getting stronger. At the same time, a dreadful miasma began to seep out from the ice. "Demonic energy no, sinister mana," Evelyn reflexively made the observation. "Two, huh?" Hans noted as he saw the miasma. "Pride and Sloth. Interesting." "What is?" Nyx scowled at him. "Firstly, there are not many people capable of harnessing the power of Sins. There are even fewer capable of acquiring more than one," he responded. "He is on his way to gather all seven I reckon and be a Devil, though not literally; it is nothing more than an honorary title. Those kinds of people are called Nefis; humans possessing mock Infernity. They are also known as the precursors of Nephilim." "Gathering all Seven Sins is not about symbolism; it is about understanding the nature of life itself and being capable of channeling that perception into Demonization. Those who take the opposite road; the Seven Virtues, be Nefas, imitations of Divinity. Rakna Xiorra took the path of Sins for that is what he partakes the most in." "Ultimately, I am simply wondering," Hans squinted his eyes at the ice in the distance. "If this man''s fate is so convoluted and intertwined it borders causality, what is the purpose? Where are the Sins going to lead him? Why does he need to understand the concept of human inception?" Then, the ice cracked loudly like a p of thunder. Booming sounds echoed as if the whole block of ice was being smashed in repeatedly until a certain spot burst into pieces. Arge w speared through and each fingertched onto the ice. Slowly, the creature pulled itself up and a werewolf with aqua fur stepped onto the ice. Shrouded by the dark miasma of demonic energy, his purple eyes shone through and disyed a terrifying oppressive sense of domination. In between blinks, one would see the illusion of a pair of demonic horns and wings on the werewolf. Thissted for an agonizingly long handful of seconds, until the sinister energy scattered in a short burst, leaving ce to Rakna as he reverted into a therian. The oppression in the air was lifted at the same time and he walked back to the ind. Everyone gradually noticed something different about him. Other than his fur, of which the shade had be a slightly glossier blue, there was a different air around him. He audibly sighed and hopped onto the edge of the ind. Almost instantly, via crossed eyes with him, and the second it happened, her lips quivered and she covered her mouth. Her eyes watered and Rakna looked at her with a smile; it wasn''t like his usual half-hearted ones or those he showed consciously. It wasn''t anything big but she could tell for sure; it was genuine and filled with an eptance she had always hoped to see. She approached him and once she was close enough, she broke down crying and hugged him. Her muffled sobs echoed as Rakna patted her back and everyone concurrently agreed to simply watch fondly. On the other hand, Hans raised his eyes briefly with a nk face. He eyed the hugging couple and hummed. "The romance genre is to becking nowadays," hemented and someone promptly clutched his head. His eye twitched and he nced up to see Higure looming over him, her eyes glowing menacingly and her mouth forming an ominous smile. "May I help you?" He replied sassily. "Shut your mouth, or I''ll tear you a new one." "fair enough. That is a satisfactory bargain." ? * * * ? ? ? ? ? Inferno Star The second stage of maturity of the mythical phenomenon known as the Volcanic Star. Within a shell of pure crimson, its energy is capable of burning everything ites in contact with. ? --- ? Everfrost Star The final stage of maturity of the mythical phenomenon known as the Cold Star. The raging blizzard within its core, the cold it emanates, and the brilliance at which it shines is said to be able to pierce time itself. ? --- ? Note: Elemental Stars, as per their ssification, are posited to have four stages of maturity. The first one is called Expansion. The second is Consolidation. The third is Culmination. And the fourth has never been properly conjectured, but it was dubbed Copse. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna read everything in a blink and summoned an enneahedron crystal of Everfrost Star in his right hand. The new version had its expected turquoise color while the energy inside of the crystal was a spotless white and in a perpetual motion that resembled a snow storm. Then, in the blink of an eye, Rakna triggered Obsidian Blood and the crystal turned crimson, with raw energy of a darker shade than its container sluggishly moving around inside. "Back to square one" He muttered as everyone observed his experiment. "The volcanic star got its evolution but so did the hoarfrost. They''re still unbnced. I can''t fuse them quite yet." "You''re trying to make a Union Element of the two, right?" via inquired from his side; her mood noticeably cheerier than usual. "Do you know what it would make?" "Not sure exactly," Rakna replied as he extinguished his magic and switched back to Everfrost. He then grabbed one of his lupine ears and pulled it above his eyes to see. "Still blue at least. It didn''t go back to white or anything." "About that, what happened exactly?" An inquired whilst raising an eyebrow at Hans who was dispassionately spectating from the side as if what he had just done, which included him besting Rakna in battle, waspletely trivial. Rakna also nced at the silent author and wordlessly swiped his hand in his direction. The azure-eyed boy lifted his head at the same time and casually pressed on something in midair. ? Ding! ? ? ? ? Hans De Vale has joined Obsidian Throne! ? ? ? ? "" An gawked at the message in his eyes. "What the fu--" ? * * * ? "My, my furthering the decoration," Fray muttered to himself as he stepped out of his library. He had purposefully not intervened in the battle between his tenant and his inheritor. He knew that Hans was attempting something based on an intrinsic understanding of Rakna. "It was a good call, after all," he added and looked around. This soul scape had been put through even more changes during the ordeal. The twin stars that hung in the sky resembled giant jewels filled with power rather than stars at this point. The rain of petals afflicting this realm was a much blurrier blend of turquoise and crimson than it was before. The original ck petals were now much rarer. The flowers covering the ground were of a purple as beautiful as ever and the rivers of mana shimmered like always. However, the mostvish additions were the numerous spike monuments made out of either red or blue crystal scattered across thend. Somey t on the ground, others tilted to the side, and the rest stood perfectly straight; but they all reflected their respective colors like a lighthouse. "That is fine and all but what are they doing now?" Fray narrowed his eyes at the thousands of animals suddenly emerging like mirages. This was not the first time he had seen these anomalies in Rakna''s soul. He had always assumed they were a part of his past and what makes him who he is, but they had never been as rampant as they were now. These animals, ranging from all sorts of wildlife, were all gathering around the spikes in a circle. They slept near it, guarded it, and admired it. Fray sighed. "My tenant is getting more and more confusing as time goes by. It is one thing to have a talent that surpasses logic, or impossible aptitudes, but this soul does not make any sense and what I just said is also quite a sentence" He droned. "What do you think?" He asked out loud and a growl came from above him. "Don''t care," Fen grumbled as he rxed on the floating pages of the library. The nine-tailed cub had a callous attitude toward everything happening. But beyond his gruff personality, one could see the vignt eye he spared to look over these animals. The truth was that some of those were threatening enough to be wary of. Elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, tigers, and bears. Heck, there were even a few actual dinosaurs roaming the soul scape. They were far less in number, hardly reaching the tens, but that did not undermine their presence. "Lady Ceres," Fray spoke up, speaking up through an isted telepathic channel he had managed to create to converse with Ceresta without involving Rakna. "I am aware that you have been shown his past. Do you have an idea of what this is?" [I do,] her voice resounded in the air as if she was being broadcasted everywhere. As a matter of fact, a few of the beasts perked their ears when she spoke. [I refuse to betray Rakna''s privacy but there is a need for you to know, I am sure. My assumption is that these animals are the lingering death causality Belial mentioned; a side effect of Rakna surviving direct contact with concentrated negative energy from all of their remains, giving birth to Obsidian Blood.] "What? All of them?" Fray uttered dumbfounded, his face twisting. "How could he have survived that? Not only was he in a world without magic, but no amount of willpower or talent could allow a human to survive an influx of death causality into his soul. Much less if ites from an amalgam of ipatible life forms. I would have given it the benefit of the doubt in any other context, but this does not hold in any manner." [I''m afraid I am in the dark as well] The fabulist frowned and scrutinized all the wildlife again. He gradually noticed a peculiar detail, other than the monuments, they asionally gazed at something else. He followed their line of sight and gaped in realization. He had almost forgotten about the crystal mountain erected far off into the soul sea. "Him! That is the only exnation," he uttered. "But that cannot be a coincidence" He concluded and leaped off his library for the first time. "Rexam, if you will," he said calmly in his fall and a light shed in the sky. It swooped by at speed even Rakna himself would have a hard time perceiving and caught Fray. "Thank you. Could you do me a favor?" He asked the Luqu he was riding who chirped happily in response. "Splendid. Get us to that mountain over there. Do you think you can?" Rex twittered positively and pped his six wings. He shot off toward the hignd that shone like a diamond as Fray firmly held onto his fur. Chapter 310: Wish Of The Unknown Chapter 310: Wish Of The Unknown The crystal mountain was getting closer at a rather fast pace, unlike when Rakna tried to approach it for the first time, confirming Fray''s belief that it only affected the soul scape''s owner and not a part of it; which he had be. Rexam chirped as they reached their destination. He circled the mountain top and they spotted a wooden vi releasing smoke through its chimney. "Let''snd," Fray uttered and the Luqu nodded before gliding to the snow-covered ground of the mountain. The storyteller dismounted him the instant hended. He looked around carefully, observing the soft snow falling from above and the small, albeit cold, breeze. Despite its hypothermic nature, the ce gave an oddlyfortable feeling. "What do we have here?" A majestic-sounding voice resounded crisply as if the sound was always meant to be heard at the most perfect volume and equalization no matter the distance. The door of the chalet opened and someone stepped out. The man''s appearance was nothing short of gorgeous. He wore a navy and white suit, a silver tie around his neck, and arge coat sharing the same color pattern hanging off his shoulders. It was further adorned by red and gold on its finer details and iled with the wind. There was a silver chain hanging from his chest pocket and the cane he held in one of his hands appeared to be made of a quartz-like material; gleaming and translucent. His facial features were the very definition of wless. His skin was pale as you would expect from one living in a coldnd, and his eyes shone cyan, like gemstones given life. His looks were further enhanced by his diamond-colored hair long enough to reach his waist and his tall frame that struck awe on the onlooker without taking anything away from his beauty. "I confess; I did not expect a guest today," he spoke serenely. "I wonder for what purpose you havee here? I am afraid I cannot grant wishes currently if that is a hope you harbored." Fray didn''t say anything outright and inspected the man from head to toe. There was something about this person that unsettled him. He invoked respect by his mere presence and speech, and there was something about him that simultaneously felt familiar yet foreign. "are you the Sage of The Crystal Mountain?" He asked tentatively and failed to notice Rex cutely tilting his head at the stranger as if he was perplexed about something. "That is a futile inquiry, would you not agree?" The man smiled. "At this very moment, with all that you know when you chose to visit my abode, the only two things I can ever be are an impostor or the genuine article," he said cidly and approached the edge of the mountain top where he gazed into the distance at Rakna''s soul scape. "For posterity; call me Sage. Let''s avoid wasting our time and proceed to the core of the subject, shall we?" He dered. "What is it that you want to learn from me?" Fray stared at the legendary being''s back and breathed out. "You saved Rakna Xiorra''s life when he was exposed to those amounts of negative causality, correct?" "Indeed," the Sage nodded without hesitation. "My mountain acted as the filter that purified it intopatible fate with this soul; permitting its survival and mutation." "You are his Kzanaria," Fray followed up straight away. "A Kzanaria is defined by a materialization of a soul''s ''character''. It is an avatar; a persona. They asionally invoke the image of a historic figure or a mythological ideal. That is why practitioners of the soul cane into possession of divine power through their Kzanaria. But at the end of the day, those avatars are not the authentic heritages. But there are natural exceptions to the rule." "Tiamat, the Crepuscule Queen," he mentioned. "Her existence within Nyx can be associated with a Kzanaria; it was essentially overwritten when Nyx agreed to receive her Sub-Path. Then, there is you if you have saved Rakna before he interacted with the preternatural, that would mean youtched onto his soul, not as he began to stabilize his soul scape, but since he was born. Why? And how did a legend such as yourself end up in a child without power?" The Sage smiled. "Without power, is it?" He repeated. "That is of the utmost uracy. Rakna Xiorra is a boy without power," he said calmly with a nod. "But it is also his strength. He is, forever and ever, one who takes the power he does not have." "As for why I am here," he continued with a hum. "I wished for it myself." "You wished for it?" Fray frowned. "Does that mean you chose Rakna on purpose?" "No, that is far from the truth," the Sage shook his head. "I had no need to choose anything. There was only one choice that ever mattered; to be who I am." "What do you--?" "Shh," the Sage shushed, a finger over his mouth, and Fray abruptly felt like he had lost the ability to speak altogether. "Some things are better left unknown. Be on your way, my friend," he stated and that was thest thing the storyteller heard before he vanished from the mountain along with Rexam. The diamond-haired man lowered his hand and lifted his cane, about to head back inside his home when he caught a glimpse of a quiet ebony wolf staring at him from the side. "Oh, you came to visit as well?" The Sage said as if he wasn''t surprised. "Fenriu, was it?" Fen didn''t show any reaction to having his name called and simply approached the man. He circled him and sniffed a few times with sharp eyes. "I see you are a Nine-Tailed Wolf, after all. What can you tell from my scent, I wonder?" The wolf took a few steps back to put a distance between the two of them before grunting. He spun around with his tails spreading out naturally. He seemed to be about to leave when the Sage let out a chuckle. "Did you notice?" He asked and the wolf paused. He looked behind him and growled. "Pesky fool," he uttered inexplicably and flew off with a casual jump. The Sage watched him go with an amused expression. "Truly not a chatty one, this pup," hemented and returned to his chalet without any further disturbance. ? * * * ? "Please, give me a moment," Hans said as everyone had already stepped out of his ind, ready to leave. He crouched and began tracing strange butplex patterns on the ground with his finger. As if progressing through a puzzle, at the same time, the ind itself began to show changes. The outermost edges began to fold in like paper and the center dipped downward. Hans performed a few more adjustments to the spell only he could see before floating up. Out of the blue, the entire ind closed on itself and morphed into a giant book. It quickly shrunk to a normal size and flew to its owner''s raised hand. "It is over," he said whilst turning toward Rakna''s group. "I still don''t know what''s going on" An mumbled. "Would you like me to enlighten you?" Hans suggested as he came up to them. "To make things short, I made the decision to apany your little band as a quest for inspiration of sorts. The words you write reflect the scenes you live; it would not hurt my creativity to finally part from the 100th teau." "Uh-uh," the blond deadpanned. "So, like, you arbitrarily made Rak go through an existential crisis for his own good--" "Oi." An ignored his best friend''s interjection, "--and somehowmunicated your intentions to him fast enough that he invited you to the guild right after wing his way out of a frozen sea?" "I detect a substantial amount of sarcasm in your tone," Hans quipped. "No shit how about you say that to the two girls who were considering murdering the heck out of you earlier?" The brawler snorted whilst pointing his thumb at via and Higure. Both of them had a surprisingly wide smile on their faces. "Don''t be fooled. That''s the ''scary smile mode''," An added as a whisper. "Thank you, but I have enough social awareness to understand it on my own," the azure-eyed boy retorted without missing a beat. via sighed. "I don''t mind," she voiced out and they looked at her. "The danger you put Rakna through aside no matter how hard I try to me you, I can''t help but be grateful for what you did," she uttered with a lowered head and the therian next to her silently started patting her. Her expression melted instantly and both An and Hans stared at her nkly. "Same here," Higure said with a snicker. "I was partly responsible anyway. What about you?" She asked Evelyn and the subus sullenly looked at the author before huffing. "I''m fine with it" She grouched and a few people smiled wryly. "Let''s go back to Athens then," Rakna said and initiated a System transfer; since their destination was a hub city like ck Steel, it was possible to simply teleport there. "Oh, Hans, by the way, do you happen to have some money to spare for a few Soul Contracts or Summons?" The blue-haired boy blinked and slowly raised an eyebrow. "are you trying to take advantage of me right after joining your Guild?" "No why would I do such a thing?" The therian replied with an exaggerated shrug. Hans stared at him like a disappointed parent before silently opening his System interface. A few secondster, a chime resounded for everyone in the group, followed by a notification. ? ? ? ? ? Hans De Vale has deposited 200 000 000 Talys into the Guild Fund. ? ? ? ? ? Nobody said anything for a moment. "Rak," An spoke up first and put a hand on his friend''s shoulder with a straight face. "I love this guy. Good catch." "" Sorry, I have been busy. Moved outst week as well and you would be surprised at how long and annoying it can be. Heck, I don''t even have the inte installed yet. Fucking shitty provider... I knew I should have switched to Orange. Which... doesn''t mean much for those of you that don''t live in France, I''m sure. . I also spent like days on a single chapter I was writing, and I considered scrapping it more than once. That never happens with me normally, but it did now. And then there was another that I never knew where I should stop it and it messed with my head. At some point, it was more than six thousand words long until I eventually went around splitting it. But anyway, who cares about my life.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 311: Ego of Lucifer Chapter 311: Ego of Lucifer Rakna sat in a room inside the Pavilion, waiting for his turn to go through the Soul Beast ritual as the others went before him. Aside from himself, An, Evelyn, and via had decided to try their hand at it while Marie and Nyx decided not to get one. As for Higure and Hans, the former simply couldn''t form a Soul Beast link because of her status as both a Wilden and an Undead, and thetter hadn''t even bothered to voice his choice as he quietly read a book. In the meantime, Rakna opened the descriptions of his newest Sin Skill. ? ? ? ? ? Ego of Lucifer ? Ego of Lucifer is one of the Ultimate Skills of the Sin Series, assuming the epithet of Pride. The bearer of this skill will gain the ability to ovee any mental interference through sheer willpower and their pride will allow them to deny failure and turn it into sess. The Sin of Pride is considered the strongest of the Series and rules over all the others as the centerpiece where they converge. As long as there is Pride, there is a way, and all is possible. ? Effects: - Increased damage against opponents who insult the user''s pride. - The holder''s spiritual forces (Life Force, Mana, Killing Intent) all gain a passive coercing force. - Immunity to attacks on the psych and curses. - Acquire the skill; All Virtues Shall Yield (Pride + Sloth) - If not awakened, unlock the Extra Magic, Pride. - Acquire the spell; Wheel of Ego. - Acquire the Nirvana Skill; Perfidious Edict. ? Special Effect: - Any act made for the sake of Pride will have its efficiency raised. ? Note: The Sin Skills are separated into seven categories named after the cardinal sins. They are at the peak of the System with most of them being Tier 1. There also exist the Virtue Skills based on the seven great virtues. Additional Note: This is an Ultimate Excel Skill. It is non-upgradable. The Sin of Pride is the only entry of the Series that grants a Nirvana Skill. ? --- ? Perfidious Edict ? A Nirvana Skill worthy to represent an absolute stand of determination and self-assurance. Once per day, the user can activate this skill to reinitialize every cooldown in progress. In return, ten minutes after the activation, everything will be reverted to its full duration regardless of if they were affected by the reinitialization or not. ? --- ? All Virtues Shall Yield ? Secondary State of Nefis. Upon activation, be the herald of Surrender. ? Effects: - Demonize and double All Attributes (Luck Included). - All beings thaty eyes on you will begin to feel powerless. - Your Mana will be fully converted into Sinister Mana. +100% damage from and against Holy & Divine. ? Cost: 10 000 MP. (Correction: 5 000 MP) Cooldown: 666 Hours. Duration: For as long as the user can resist the call of sins. Multiple kinds will require a bnce to be kept by the user. If broken, the demonization will automatically fall out of control. Note: ???... limit2/7...???... Nefis. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna furrowed his eyebrows. The demonization hadn''t changed much, except for the note which now had been updated to 2 out of 7 with two additional words. The Nirvana Skill was also quite a surprise and definitely a powerful trump card to add to his repertoire, but one specific line of Ego of Lucifer''s effects caught his attention. ''Immunity to curses and attacks on the psych, huh?'' He thought. ''That would mean the curse of Ireful Descent can no longer threaten me and possibly...'' "What are you thinking about?" Higure asked curiously from the side and he lifted his head. "Nothing just theorizing a few things," he replied calmly. "By the way, are you sure you and Nyx don''t want to form a contract? I feel like both of you could make a powerful duo." "That is uncertain," Nyx retorted as she stood near them. "Her Ruins of Echo, as well as her Dusk Star Magic could potentially work well with my ''night''. But I prefer a Manifestation personally as I have experience using one. But most importantly; Higure is mostly humanoid and has a strong sense of self." "Why does that matter?" Marie inquired as she was listening in. "There is a reason why they are called ''Soul Beasts''. The ultimate goal of a Soul Link between two creatures is something we call ''Resonance''. It is essentially a fusion of souls and body," the goddess exined. "You would normally think that two simr beings would make it easier, right?" "Yes probably." "It is the opposite. The more different, the better. Imagine that both parties involved are akin to a structure of specific blocks. Performing a resonance between two different structures would mean superimposing what each other doesn''t have. But when they''re simr, there are many duplicates and it makes it harder to build into something stable." "Retrospectively, there is a fine line between too simr and simr enough. Soul Beasts are the best type of creatures to perform a Resonance with; they frankly make it widely viable. But there is indeed the possibility of achieving it with a fellow affiliate to your physiology. However, in that case, the two parties would need to be extremely simr. One example would be twins, though it would fail if they were of different genders." "There is also the aspect of the soul to consider," Hans chimed in without looking up. "People can have pr opposite natures which cannot harmonize. In summary, it is best to avoid Soul Links of poorpatibility." As he said that, via entered the room along with Evelyn. Everyone turned toward them at the same time and they noticed instantly that the subus had seeded in her contract. There was an overt link of soul power between her and Natsu on her shoulder. It was still in the process of stabilizing itself so it was easy to notice. "Congrattions, Evelyn," Nyx said with a nod and looked at via. "And?" The Chaos Witch shrugged. "It didn''t work. I tried the Summoning and it failed. I thought about making a Contract with Tyran instead, but I was told by the staff after the failure that my soul was far too ''chaotic'' to have a Soul Beast. Looks like it''s not just my magic," she said wryly. "Looks like a perfect example came right on time," Higuremented in amusement. "{You don''t need a contract anyway,}" Cuniya spoke up from within her soul and everyone heard her. "{A Chaos Witch''s Manifestation is said to be the apex of destruction. And don''t even make me start about how powerful yours would be with your talent. I admit it would have been interesting to see a Soul Beast born from you, but that''s how it is. Regardless, you have me. If it''s us two a Resonance should be possible.}" "The White Witch and a Chaos Witch" Hans mused. "Interesting. You are indeed alike. And your differences only entuate your resemnce. The result would be quite a scene to immortalize." "{}" Cuniya didn''t reply and seemed to return to the depths of via''s soul. If it was because she was annoyed at the boy''s tant disregard for courtesy, or because he had dared to express that she was simr to her pseudo-jailer, it was unknown. via smiled. "Thank you for the suggestion, Cuniya. I appreciate it." There was no response but she knew her words had been heard. "Surprisingly a nice girl, that one," Higuremented with a smirk. Soon after, the door opened again and An came out with a deeply annoyed expression. The cause seemed to be perched right on top of his head. It was arge bat with white fur, ck wings, and crimson eyes. It held itself with palpable dignity. "You little shit, get off my head," An grumbled. "What is with you, young people? Can''t even carry a small beast?" The bat spoke with a deep tone of voice. It sounded erudite and old. "What do you mean ''young people''?! You were born two minutes ago!" The blond shouted back. "That is irrelevant." "How?!" The bat harrumphed and looked around the room. His eyes fell on Hans and he promptly flew off tond on the seat next to the boy. "Someone here who can match my grandeur, good," he uttered with a nod and even Hans himself eyed him with a strange expression. "who''s that guy with personality issues?" Rakna asked his friend as he scratched his head. "My Soul Beast, obviously," An sighed. "My summoning worked and that thing came out." "Don''t call me thing," the bat interjected. "My name is Akronis!" "And for some reason, he turned out like that," the blond ignored it and sighed tiredly. "And also, yeah, he named himself." "That''s a White Blood Bat," Higure said with a raised eyebrow as she stared at the Soul Beast and the bat immediately focused on her. "Oh! You recognize me, I see. That''s indeed what I am. Be awed!" He puffed his chest proudly and everyone collectively agreed that ignoring it would be a good habit to take early on. "What''s that exactly?" Marie asked curiously as she tried poking the bat while thetter frantically batted her finger away with his wing like an irritated cat. "A White Blood Bat isn''t strong but they have incredibly special traits. Terrifying almost. They are known for having a near-perfect smell. Specifically, they can detect blood in a hundred-mile radius and make a profile based on it. Gender, strength, race; they perceive it." Higure paused and nced at the bat. "They use this aptitude to hunt with sure sess as well as avoid predators or people hunting them for their blood; which is actually the most important thing about these animals. White Blood Bats were named after the color of their blood. It has incredibly potent healing properties for its carrier whilst simultaneously being a deadly substance. Some say it can be used to melt any material, cure every disease, and even contend against mana itself." "How strong of a healing property are we talking about here?" Rakna inquired. "It depends," the lioness replied. "A White Blood Bat grows stronger the more blood they consume from various sources and since this one has just been born as a Soul Beast; it should be equivalent to Lesser Regeneration. But it should evolve very fast at first and it most likely will reach the stage of Superior Regeneration within a few weeks." Nyx hummed. "Combined with the Ichubyrs'' Regeneration, they definitely have a Resonance with tremendous potential." "Haha, do you understand my magnificence now, child?" Akronis boasted toward An who rolled his eyes. "I also possess what an Ichubyr doesn''t; the ability to create Thralls. I can contaminate another creature''s blood with mine and hijack their bodies." "Hm? That''s something I didn''t know," Higure eximed. "You must be a special breed," she said and the Soul Beast let out a smugugh. "Okay, I get it," An groaned. "But you need to fucking stop acting like you''re older than me." "Technically, a Soul Beast''s memories and character are an amalgam of both your life and an influx of informationing from the Magic Circuits and the Spiritual Tree," Nyx said thoughtfully. "By that logic, they are always at least as old as you and can theoretically be much older than you as well on a conceptual level." An fell silent and covered his face in mortification while Akronis returned to his headughing all the way. Rakna shook his head in amusement and stood up. "Pronos," he spoke up and the Hydra sleeping under his scarf stuck a head out. "Time to see what we can do together," he dered and the little guy hissed positively. I literally caught covid... fml. . Don''t worry btw, I''m already recovered. Just barely have some remnants of a cough and clogged nose. But still! Fuck! I wish I had a fraction of the luck I give my characters, holy shit.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 312: "How tear-jerking…" Chapter 312: "How tear-jerking" "Please stand in the center of the formation," a member of the Pavilion''s staff led the way for Rakna into arge oval room with a high ceiling. There were several other people stationed there with monitoring equipment as well as a guard meant to intervene in case a Soul Beast goes berserk. They all disyed amon behavior at the moment; nervousness. No one in the System hadn''t heard of the ''Legendary Wolf Emperor'' at that point. "Out of curiosity," Rakna began as he stood in the center of a magic formation written on the floor and powered by some sort of transparent cylinders containing a blue liquid. "Why did you make me wait instead of performing my Contract along with everyone else?" "That is because Your Majesty is on a different scale Your soul power was measured to be much higher than our base parameters can handle. We adjusted the output while yourpanions were taking their turns," the woman attending to him replied uneasily. "I see. When did you measure my soul though?" "At the entrance of the waiting room" She muttered. "Do you remember the person that fainted earlier? He was one of our staff with a specialized ability to visualize a soul." "Oh. So, that was that. I just thought he got scared or something." "Haha yes" Sheughed wryly. "Ahem, about the target of your Contract," she calmly continued in a professional way and pointed at a slot located in the formation a few steps away. "He will need to stand there preferably." "You heard thedy," Rakna uttered and Pronos jumped out from under Sonata. When hended on the spot, everyone in the room began sweating even harder. The creature was small but its nine heads were menacingly tant. "U-um" The woman stuttered but eventually got her speech under control. "Does your pet have a Gigantism skill?" She asked and the therian nodded. "In that case, there is no need for him to be at his full size, but it would be preferable if he grew to fit the slot fully. It''s not really important to the ritual in itself, but" "I get it. Details add up together," Rakna finished for her and nodded at Pronos, who was already following the instruction. He grew three meters in the span of a breath and his presence became even more intimidating. "A-all right. Everything is in order," the attendant bowed before stepping out of the formation. She nodded at the staff and they triggered the cylinders in the corners of the formation. The liquid inside began to deplete and the strokes of the magic formation gradually lit up. "That is?" Rakna asked the staff as he watched the light flow like a timepsed painting. "Liquid mana," they answered him. "It makes the conjuration stabler and since it doesn''t require the participants of the ritual to provide the energy, there is much less room forplications." "We''re reaching full charge, Sir. Please add one drop of your blood into the formation, anywhere you wish; your pet will also have to do the same." The therian instantly cut his finger with his other hand''s ws while Pronos breathed out a cloud of poison which consolidated into a sharp arc. He nicked his tail with it and a green drop of blood dripped into the formation at the same time as Rakna''s rosy-colored one. In the blink of an eye, the color of formation appropriated a gradation of both colors and erupted with mana and soul power. The staff nearby had to cover their faces from the outburst but they managed to witness hazy apparitions of a Hydra and three other unrecognizable beasts spiraling around each other before merging. It was over as fast as it started and when the Contract Formation died down, the figures of Rakna and Pronos stood immobile with their eyes closed. A torrent of visible soul power was connecting them and when they opened their eyes, they shed in unison and everything settled down. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Beast Contract Established! Pronos'' Status has been updated from Pet to Soul Beast! ? --- ? A Soul Beast will receive 100% of their master''s experience points except when levels are incremented directly by reward or earned through Quests. However, the Soul Beast can never have a higher level than their partner. Surplus experience will be transferred over in the opposite way. Additionally, a Soul Beast and their partner have a passive extrasensory link far surpassing one between a Host and a Pet. They can forever interact no matter the distance. Finally, a Soul Link opens the possibility for the ultimate art of Soul Unison; Resonance. It is a difficult skill to achieve and only the most talented pairs can manage to execute it. ? Note: Summoned Soul Beasts will die if their creator perishes; this does not apply to Soul Beasts acquired through a Contract. ? --- ? Pronos'' soul is being tempered by yours through the link. Pronos has formed a Soul Core! ? ? ? ? ? In the little time it took Rakna to read the notifications, Pronos'' soul power had already increased in magnitude by at least three-fold. ''Even better than expected'' He thought as the Hydra seemed to be focusing on the changes. ''I guess this will make Resonance easier for both of us. My Soul''s Decree is soon going to reach Divine ss, after all. As far as Soul Practitioners go, I''m near the peak,'' he said internally and then nced at one other System window shing repeatedly. ? ? ? ? ? Error! Error! Error! Information on the Host''s Soul has been corrupted! Error! ? Searching for Manifestation Potential Found. Searching for Soul Link Found. Searching for a Cause Variable Not Found. Error! Error! Error! ? Information on the Host''s Soul has been corrupted! ? ? ? ? ? It was repeating the same alert over and over again as if it was stuck in an infinite loop. Obviously, it seemed that having both a Manifestation and a Soul Beast was not something implemented to be possible during the programming of Systema. Rakna watched it scroll down for a short moment before it abruptly ended. ? ? ? ? ? Error! Err --- ? Error Terminated by Administrator. Status Confirmation Will Await Eventual New Data. ? ? ? ? ? The therian almost expected to see a note from Eva at the bottom, like she always did. But there wasn''t any this time and considering the word ''Administrator'' had been used specifically, there were chances that someone other than her was behind the correction of this error. "All signs are green," someone from the Pavilion staff told him and he nodded. He approached his reptile friend who eventually woke up from his trance and with a quick check of his status, Rakna could see that his Soul Core had already Ascended. Unlike his Primal Soul Core though, Pronos'' had evolved into Undying Soul Core. His Soul Control proficiency had simrly sky-rocketed. "Well, looks like you got a big boost from this," the therianmented and the Hydra nodded as he shrunk back to fit under Sonata. "We''ll need to work on our Resonanceter on. Knowing us, it shouldn''t be too hard, should it?" He jested and Pronos cried out jauntily as Rakna was led out of the room. ? * * * ? "{He was quite a dashing gentleman, I admit. Perhaps slightly more than me,}" Fray recounted as he finished exining how he met the Crystal Sage. Rakna silently rubbed his temples. ''I asked why you went to see the Crystal Sage. Not how dashing he was.'' "{Oh, well, now you know.}" ''right. So, you''re saying my soul is filled with animals all around and that the Sage willingly became my Kzanaria at my birth? Which saved my life when I was flooded by that death causality?'' "{From what I have gathered, yes.}" ''I remember Wis saying I had gotten him as my Kzanaria through an arbitrary roll of fate,'' Rakna reiterated with a scowl. ''That would mean the Sage didn''t choose me specifically, right?'' "{Or it could also be that choosing you was from an indiscriminate happenstance.}" ''Right... Did the Sage say anything else?'' "{Not much, I''m afraid. He kicked me out rather brusquely afterward.}" Rakna shook his head at that and sighed as he typed a response to a message from Kara. It seemed that she had already caught wind of the Nefertrion family acting against him for the punishment he gave to one of their heirs. "As expected of pathetic men driven by arrogance," he muttered inaudibly and closed the message window, ncing up at the empty Private Section of the Pavilion. He was alone there as the others were visiting the shops or strolling outside like Astraea. As for Hans, he had given him the location of his territory in the Fifth teau to go and settle in. "{''Pathetic men'', huh?}" Fray chuckled. "{Well, isn''t that a curious thing to hear from you? I assume your pride is doing wonders?}" The therian huffed. ''While we''re on this topic, why don''t you exin the reason you didn''t warn me when Hans cast that spell on me?'' "{Why, of course, I could tell the boy''s intent was not malicious. Besides, he used a Unity Magic of which I had no understanding. Unity Spells are even harder to establish than Union Spells as they require thebination of at least three elements. I only was familiar with one of them.}" "{The way his spell affected you was different from the regr application of Tale Magic. To put it simply, it was far more powerful and focused. It was a spell made for you at its core. It will not work on anyone else. It pierced through your every defense because you had a weakness it could exploit.}" "Then, what exactly is Tale Magic''s normal application?" "{Hm, that is a nuanced question. But, shortly said, Tale Magic brings stories into the world. It will not alter reality but superimpose it. For instance, my magic could potentially create an illusionary world but it won''t truly transform the world. But what Hans can do is much more powerful. Due to his status as an Incarnation, he can overwrite the world.}" "{What he used on you was a Tale Magic spell at its root, indeed, but the result was far more. If it was a regr spell, you might have been subjected to ''witness'' the story. But it wouldn''t have put you in any real danger since its intrinsic nature was not meant to harm you physically. However, Hans'' Overwrite went as far as transforming your mind and soul. For a short moment, you were not Rakna Xiorra anymore; you were truly that lone wolf dying of cold.}" ''that''s frankly scary,'' Rakna confessed. ''I truly believed I was going to die during that ''dream''. Even as I found my way out through via, I felt utterly lost and out of control. I was being yed around by a plot leading to nothing other than my demise.'' Fray smiled to himself and replied, "{But you came out of it grateful, did you not?}" '''' "{Well, if it makes you feel better, that spell will not work on you anymore. The basis of the story was written around yourck of pride and self-denying behavior. You overcame both.}" ''How tear-jerking'' Rakna scoffed half-heartedly and Frayughed. I''m sorry... I''m alive and I honestly don''t give a shit about giving an excuse because I''m too tired to do it... tee-hee. . Anyway, imma try to channel the spirit of Christmas into me to pump more chaps this month . Please bless me, Padoru Padoru!AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 313: "I have a little job." Chapter 313: "I have a little job." "You''re already done?" Rakna asked as via returned from the shop. She smiled the moment he spoke up and nodded, "Yes, there wasn''t much for me to get. You have already made a weapon for me that works forth both magic and melee, after all. As for spells, the Wan Guild provides some to its members. Miss Vera has been very generous to us." The therian snorted in amusement. "Good to know she''s as grateful as ever to have Nyx, Evelyn, and you in her Guild." "Well, she has been promoted thanks to us. Mostly because of Nyx," via added as she sat down next to him. "She is tireless when ites to doing Quests; the Guild''s included. Even if she doesn''t gain anything much from it, she still does it purely for training. I hear that whatever ce she goes to that requires fighting; she leaves it devastated by a lightning storm." "She''s doing her best to master Aeter. She''s much more of a hard worker than I am for sure," Raknamented and she chuckled. Afortable silence settled between the two of them until it was interrupted by via tapping herp. Rakna blinked at her smiling expression and then back at herp. "really?" He deadpanned. "Yep," she replied energetically. "I want to see what it feels like to have you on myp." "that sounds oddly suggestive, innocent, and threatening at the same time," the therian couldn''t help but remark. Though, he merely let out a sigh andplied with her wish. "This might make one certain vixen jealous even if she tries to deny it," he muttered as heid his head down. via made a wry smile at that. "You and Kaelith is it what I think it is?" "I have no intention to lie about it," he answered calmly with his eyes closed. "I know that. Out of curiosity, since when?" She asked casually; she didn''t sound hurt or anything which frankly lifted a weight off Rakna''s shoulders he didn''t know he had. "Actually, funnily enough, it was earlier today. Shortly after arriving in Antis," he said. "She had to allegedly fight off an army to get to me as fast as possible when her mother gloated about me brushing her tails." The Chaos Witch looked down at him with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged. "Don''t ask me. You''ve met Kara." "true," she easily conceded since it made perfect sense to her. "So you''re making a harem?" She said with a mischievous grin, knowing perfectly he wouldn''t like that word. He groaned and she giggled. "Your uncle would have loved it, you know?" "Oh, believe me, I know. I can imagine his half-mocking, half-proudugh clearly enough to hear it in my head and now I''m annoyed," he grumbled and viaughed lightheartedly. "But all that aside, can I ask you something?" "Yes? What is it?" "What did you see?" He asked vaguely and she tilted her head in confusion. "Back on Hans'' ind." "Oh" Her eyes widened and she pursed her lips blushing. "I''m sorry about that, by the way. My emotions got the better of me." "It''s fine. I''m just curious." "I''m not sure how to exin it. I just knew the moment I saw your eyes. You were looking at me differently in a way I always hoped you would." Rakna silently acknowledged her answer and lifted his hand. He startled her by pressing his index finger against her forehead and spoke, "Would you like to see what happened?" She blinked perplexedly until she realized what he meant. "please, do it." He let out a suppressed chuckle and channeled his soul power to the tip of his finger. In the blink of an eye, it reached via''s mind and reenacted his memory of the ''dream''. From his awakening on the roof to Eizen''s sermon, the shivering fox, Arimane, the beasts stalking in the shadows, and her embracing him. She saw it all and emerged out of the memory with a gasp right as Rakna lowered his arm back to his side. "That was" "Hans'' spell. Everything you saw was built by my unconscious and if I had to guess, a bit more than that considering it happened in a dream. Belial told us, didn''t he? The Dream Realm is a real thing. It can go beyond just us," the therian said. "What I said in that dream" via whispered. "It''s a bit mean," she stated with a smile. "Uh?" Rakna eximed. "To whom?" "Me, of course," she huffed in mock anger. "If that was a product of your unconscious, that means you were plenty aware of my feelings, even more than I thought. It''s cruel that you needed some dream to at least grant them your attention." Rakna stared at her incredulously at her small outburst. She giggled impishly and his expression twitched. "You" He breathed out. "Sometimes you don''t hesitate to make fun of me." "Is that supposed to be a hard thing?" A third voice abruptly echoed behind them and both of them nearly jumped out in fright. Hans made himself known as he took a seat in the lounge. He crossed his legs and raised his eyebrows at the sight of via slowly dying of embarrassment and Rakna nonchntly staring at him with no visible intention to lift his head off herp. "It is such a simple thing to ridicule your existence, it is not even a challenge," the boy followed up on his previous statement. "At the very least, I hope you are enjoying my reward for you." "So, that''s what it was," Rakna snorted. "Your reward for bringing you Fray''s journal was a high-risk, high-return spell cast on me. In that case, I suppose I owe you my thanks." "Keep them. I have no need for appreciation from someone shamelessly enjoying ap pillow in front of me," Hans scoffed. "Ahem," via cleared her throat after recovering from her flushed state. "Did you not go to visit our house in the Fifth teau? You came back quite fast," shemented and simrly made no attempt to move out of their current position. "You too?" The azure-eyed boy retorted and she promptly broke down into a groan,ining under her breath about ''damn cynical mood-breaker brats''. Hans nkly gazed at her, "Well, my most sincere apologies for being all those things. As for your inquiry, it was but a quick trip. I merely chose a room to deploy my book. It automatically adapted to its new environment and furnished it properly." Rakna hummed and sat up, smiling unconsciously as via quietly grumbled and pouted. He gave her a pat, which she leaned into, and faced his newest rade''. "Hey, Hans, by any chance, ever heard of Kratos?" "I have," the boy replied calmly, unaffected by the question, while via looked puzzled since she had never heard Rakna mention the mission Eva had issued to him. "Do you know where I can find them?" "Not at all." "Well, that''s a bummer." "" "" "?" An interrogation mark appeared above via''s head at the odd silence. "I have a little job," Rakna uttered. "It consists of killing their leader and giving back control of teau Zero to Eva. Wanna help?" Hans impassively stared at him in the eyes before answering, "Sure." "Cool." "???" via''s eyes spun in sheer confusion. ? * * * ? "Why did you not buy it?!" Akronis yelled in indignation as An came out of the shop. The blond was barely holding in the urge to bang his head against the wall. "Aah! Fuck! Shut up already!" He snapped back at the bat. "I''m not going to spend 20 million Talys on an essory for you! I don''t even fucking have that much money to spare! We already wasted 50 million on you! That''s enough for the day!" "Wasted?! How dare you, punk?!" "Okay, that''s it! Wanna go?!" Meanwhile, some distance away, the group which had already been reunited in full, watched them bicker in amusement. "They''re getting along well," Nyxmented. "Are we looking at the same thing?" Natsu cut in dumbfounded. "As my old man once said," Rakna raised his voice. "Those who only scream at each other while in optimal range for strangling are friends. If they kill each other, they''re probably enemies." "that''s the most entric quote from him I''ve heard you reference yet," Higure uttered. "And I don''t think ''probably'' is required at the end there." "I can''t say I disagree," the therian shrugged. "Back to the subject," via interrupted their small tangent. "That mission Eva gave you are you sure that you''ll be fine with just you and Hans? We could help." "She''s right," Marie added. "It''s because of me you have to do this." "No," he shook his head. "The only reason I even asked Hans is for his Rewrite. It''s required to give your status to enter teau Zero apparently. Eva allowed me to edit mine and he--" He paused to wave at Hans. "Has a skill capable of modifying his status up to even his name." "Is that possible?" Nyx raised an eyebrow. "I heard it was forbidden to fake your status" "The point of focus here is ''fake''," Hans corrected her. "I can alter it; genuinely change it. I can even decrement or increment my level, and if I alter my name, I will personally believe it is my real one despite knowing it is not. My Rewrite functions right up to the source of my being. I can implement memories I never lived with, learn skills I never practiced; and so forth." "That sounds overpowered," An interjected as he tiredly flopped down on a couch with Akronis taking im of his shoulder. He hadn''t heard the whole conversation but he was already working out the gist of it. "There''s no way you can make yourself immortal or something, right?" "I assume there are limits on it?" Higureplemented his question. "Obviously," the azure-haired boy replied. "I am limited in the number of elements I can alter. The scale of the change also matters, and it must have some sense of consistency." "I see then you''re certainly the only one who can safely sneak in along with Rakna. None of us have that kind of ability," via muttered. Nyx hummed at that, "Not necessarily. I should be able to tag along as well." "How so?" Rakna asked. "Do you also have something simr?" "No," she shook her head. "I don''t mean that. What I''m trying to say is that I have another way to go in along with you. The main issue is that to be given ess to teau Zero, Kratos must be able to verify you are not a threat to their organization, right?" "Pretty much. At least, that''s what I figured." "Then, I can just do this," Nyx replied by directly demonstrating it; she calmly stepped up to a faint shadow cast by the couch and it suddenly began to darken. It expanded and seemingly crawled up her legs as if it was trying to swallow her. "Remember that I''m not human," she stated. "First and foremost, I am a Heaven-Born Goddess. My body is made up of holy energy turned matter. Out of faith, you could say. Its properties are vastly different from normal humans. My body can be one with shadows to a degree anybody at a mortal level cannot even dream of reaching. If I were to hypothetically merge with your shadow, no amount of perception would allow me to be detected. I would be your shadow." Rakna blinked before snickering. "I guess you''re the Night Goddess for a reason. Having you would also exponentially increase our chances, so I wee it fully. If things go south a radiant night should help." Wow, I''m actually so far ahead in my stocked-up chapters that it feels weird to read this back for the pre-post proofread.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 314: Pecking Order Chapter 314: Pecking Order After spending some time discussing the finer details of Eva''s Quest, everyone called it off for the day since the location for a potential entrance to teau Zero hadn''t been found by the elemental wolves yet. They temporarily returned to Rakna''s territory to pass the night where they trained for Resonance for a few hours. Pronos panted as all of his headsid on the ground of the garden, and with his size, some of them were even using trees to hang from. "Hm, this is harder than I expected," Raknamented as he stared at his hands. The Hydra let out a brief apologetic hiss but the therian shook his head in response. "It''s not your fault it might be mine entirely. It has nothing to do with mental states or anything; we''re perfectly in sync. But my body''s Alkahestic nature is in the way. I have to find a way to make it work" He unconsciously tried to run a few isted simtions with Eye of Symphony, but since it mainly was a piece of technology, understanding Resonance through calctions wasn''t possible without enough information. At best, it coulde up with different physical constitutions to test with. "Should I try Founding Intuition?" He mused offhandedly before sighing. "Well, let''s leave that for another day. I''m not even sure I will be able to bring you with me to teau Zero anyway," he uttered and Pronos nodded before shrinking to his morepact size. Rakna then thought of something. "Hey, Ceres, do you think it''s possible to call upon my Imperial Guard down in teau Zero? Teleport them to me?" [I doubt it,] she answered firmly. [Your Imperial Guard skill is mostly a System feature. When the mainframe is cut off, it will likely be impossible to make use of it.] "And what about my Wings of Spatial Copse?" The therian followed up. "That''s a Nirvana Skill, right? That would mean I can still use it without the System''s support. What if I sneak in, then use it to leave and bring over other people?" [It would probably be feasible,] she acquiesced. [However, there is one major issue. Whether the skill works or not is irrelevant; the fact is that such spatial interference will easily be noticed and tracked down back to you. Whether it is to leave or get back, Kratos will intercept you. The scale of teau Zero is much smaller, after all. Surveince is much more unforgiving.] "Fair enough," Rakna nodded. "Not to mention it has a long cooldown. It would be risky and very inefficient since I can barely bring one person with me I suppose we really don''t have any other choice," he said and nced at his territory''s Pavilion right in time to see Kaelithe out of it. "I knew it" He muttered in amusement and in the blink of an eye, she was already standing next to him with a wide grin, her tails and ears wagging excitingly. "Knew what?" She asked impishly. "Let me guess; if you''re here at this hour, you want to spend the night here?" "Nope," she replied with somehow an even more delighted expression and the therian gave her a confused look. "I''m moving in," she uttered and he nked. "well, never mind. I didn''t know," he mumbled and sheughed happily. ? * * * ? "So, where''s your room?" The vixen instantly asked after they entered the house and Rakna let out a sigh before pointing at the stairs. "Go up. The door at the very far back is the room I use as my office. My bedroom is the door to the right. Make yourself at--" He couldn''t even finish his sentence that she had already bolted off. "" "Wow, way to go. You didn''t even hesitate to allow her to take your room," An said as he peeked from over the back of the living room''s couch with a grin. "That''s quite different from how the girls had to force you to sleep with themst time." "Hoho? Is that thedy of the house then?" Akronis eximed, hanging from the ceiling just like any regr bat. "I should give my regards." "Keep it," Rakna snorted. "Also, the amount of energy required to make Kaelith change her mind out of all people is something even I can''t hope to possess. What''s the point in trying?" "True," the blond concurred. "Still though, you can''t lie to me, Rak. So? Which base?" He followed up and the therian scowled at him. "Do I ask you where you''re at with Marie?" "point taken," An acquiesced and gave up. On cue, they heard a startled yelp from upstairs and they automatically turned their heads to see Kaelith walking down whilst hauling two people from their cors. One of them was Astraea who clearly had no idea how she should react. The other was Hans who had seemingly renounced the idea of resisting in the first ce. He was serenely reading his book even as the vixen lifted him like a cat to show to Rakna. "Wolfy, who are these?" She asked in apparent curiosity. "I already told you about Astraea," Rakna deadpanned and her mouth rounded into an ''O'' shape. "Oh, right. So, it''s this girl. She''s pretty," she nodded meekly and let go of the goddess who blinked in a daze. "What about the kid?" "Hans De Vale" Rakna didn''t even know what else to say. "New guy. Also, he''s older than you." "De Vale?" Kaelith recognized the name and looked at the boy. "You''re that famous author?" Hans nced back at her. "Correct. Now, would you kindly let me go?" "Sure," she shrugged and let himnd on the floor. He sighed and closed his book, throwing one of his trademark frowns at her. "What? Is there something you want to say?" "A simpleton," he muttered as if to confirm something to himself. "wolfy, can I burn this guy?" Kaelith immediately asked. "Preferably, no. Don''t worry, I don''t think he meant to insult you probably." The blue-haired author huffed and started walking back up the stairs. "You are a simpleton. If you feel offended by such a term, that provides it that much more authenticity. You are not aplex being take it as praise." The vixen silently watched him leave with a raised eyebrow. "I see you got yourself a happy ball of sunshine to join your group," shemented sarcastically and Rakna snickered. "He may seem like that but at least, you can be sure he knows what he''s talking about," he replied with a shrug. "The fact he hasn''t said anything spiteful about you is probably the highest order of praise he can give you." "Hm," Kaelith hummed and tilted her head at him as if she had found something interesting. She walked up to him and quietly started ying with his lupine ears. Astraea spectated from the side with a hand over her mouth like an excited gossiper. "stop ying with my ears," Rakna deadpanned and she chuckled. "Did something happen?" She promptly questioned. "Again?" She added drolly. His expression twitched. "How did messing with my ears help you reach that observation?" "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to do that." "" Rakna really wanted to retort on that but it somehow feltpletely meaningless, so he gave up on it. At the same time, via stepped into the living room and spotted the vixen. "Oh? Kaelith, good evening. You came to visit?" "Actually, I''m moving in," she replied smilingly. "Moving in?" via repeated in surprise before giggling. "I see well, either way, you can join us for dinner, right?" Kaelith blinked. "Uh, that was a much tamer reaction than I anticipated," she muttered. "You don''t have anything to say about it?" "Not particrly, no. Why?" The Chaos Witch fired back with aposed smile; almost too much in her opinion. "you did something, didn''t you?" The vixen immediately shot a suspicious re at Rakna. He rolled his eyes and walked off to take a seat at the table. "I''ll just tell you what happened as we eat," he uttered as via served the table with her telekinesis. No less than ten minutester, Kaelith suggested burning Hans again. ? * * * ? Rakna opened his eyes inside the familiar dreamscape he got ustomed to see in the past weeks. He breathed in the scent of the Craiste flowers and made an exasperated expression as he sensed the two people standing next to him. "Wow, so this is what you''ve been creating with Onera, huh?" Higure eximed as she took in the surroundings. "It feels surprisingly rxing. This world is infinite darkness and you designed a little haven in the middle of it. It''s like a warm little refuge." "I can understand why you''re here. You can use Onera too, after all. But how did you do it?" The therian threw a side-nce at Kaelith who was prodding one of the silvery-branched flowers. "I have my ways, wolfy," she replied cheekily. "Wait my real body--" "Oh, it''s definitely being kept warm," Higure dered with a thumb up and Rakna had to shake his head for a few seconds beforeputing what she meant. "Just like this," Kaelith said mischievously as she grabbed his arm and pressed her breasts against him. His expression twitched but aside from that, he kept a calm fa?ade. She red at him, "Tch, I swear I''ll put a blush on that face of yours one day." "You can try." "Is that so?" The vixen smirked as she thought of something. "What about Lust?" She said and he stiffened. "Why don''t you just obediently let me help you unlock it, huh? You will have to get that Sin eventually, right?" Rakna sweated nervously and he didn''t even have the chance to say anything before the horny cat beside him made it known why he even nicknamed her that way. "Who says you have to be the one to do it?" Higure challenged boldly and Kaelith narrowed her eyes at her menacingly. "I''ve been aiming for that chance for a while now, you know?" "Sure," the vixen uttered and crossed her arms. "I''m not against wolfy fooling around" Rakna mumbled, "What the heck do you mean ''fooling around''?" "but I will be the first. Know your ce and follow the pecking order," Kaelith continued as if she could not hear him. "Ooh? So, that''s how you''re gonna be, huh?" The lioness glowered. "''Pecking order''" The therian muttered again. "What am I? A full-course meal?" The two girls ignored him, or to be exact it didn''t seem like they had enough headspace to listen as they were far too busy ring at each other. He sighed and quietly walked off toward therge tree erected at the center of the field of Craiste. He sat down against it and looked to his right where Ceresta was sitting, barefooted and with her legs to the side. Her dollish beauty was as wless as always. "Hey, Ceres, seems like we got guests tonight," Rakna remarked jokingly as she watched the two girls bickering in the distance; her captivating golden eyes transfixed on them. There was a slight sense of peace in her gaze. "It is of no bother to me," she spoke up wistfully and faced him. "The more the merrier, right?" She asked with a small smile that could banish this dreamnd''s darkness all on its own. Rakna''s expression rxed and he nodded. "Yes you''re undeniably right." I wanted to post a chap Wednesday but I... uh... um... kinda forgot. . ...ahem.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 315: "Dont bully?" Chapter 315: "Don''t bully?" "So, this is what our lovely Ceresta looks like," Higure smiled and the doll-like woman tilted her head. "Damn, she''s too cute" "Isn''t this a bit unfair?" Kaelith pouted as she patted Ceres'' body all over. "Your skin is as beautiful as porcin, your eyes are gorgeous, and you have such a slender frame," sheined light-heartedly and a near-unperceivable blush appeared on the AI''s cheeks. "What is this she''s too powerful," the lioness muttered when she saw that and joined the vixen in fawning over the poor quiet girl as they all sat on the ground. Rakna spectated as the two girls pushed Ceres to embarrassment for most likely the first time in her life. In his opinion, it was definitely a good thing for her to interact with people other than him. "So, wolfy retreats in here with you every night," Kaelithmented. "How do you pass time?" "He tells me stories," Ceres spoke in her usual subtle voice. "I have been learning how to meditate as well and he teaches me about some tabletop games to have fun," she recounted in a joyous tone and the other two women couldn''t help but melt under the wholesomeness of it all. "I also train my skills from time to time," Rakna added. "My proficiencies to be exact. Some of my skills can''t be trained in this environment since it''s made purely out of my ''mind''. I practiced my Sunken Ripple of Rupture for instance. Leveling it is hard in here, but the base of the martial art can still be consolidated. You could say I''m using this dream to strengthen my basics." "I wish I had that while I was going to school" Kaelith groused. "School?" The vixen huffed. "Of course. What? You didn''t think there would be schools in the System? There are plenty across teaus. In fact, Antis has one of the best. Though the number one spot has to go to Veritas in Old Eden; the one I studied in." "What do they even teach you there?" Higure inquired. "For students less than ten years old, it''s mostly normal stuff. Math, history, economy We also learn about the important governments, organizations, guilds, and ns in the System. After that, we are taught magic theory, physicalbat, strategy, and all that." "Though, it''s limited since most of the students are Descendant Hosts who need to wait to be 18 to be able to ess the most essential features of our status; levels and magic elements," Kaelith said and shrugged. "Personally, I was talented enough to learn how to control mana, soul power too to some extent, and my aura before even that. And obviously, my traits and Nirvana Skills." "That''s impressive," Ceres honestly praised. "I am aware that Descendant Hosts have their growth heavily repressed until their Initiations. Oveing it to that degree is extraordinary." "Hehehe, it was nothing much," the vixen responded humbly but with a contrastingly very smug expression. "Now that I think about it, what are your Nirvana Skills?" Rakna asked. "You used plural, does that mean you have more than one?" She smirked. "I have three. You''re curious?" "Well, yes." "Too bad, I won''t tell you. Why should I do that when you don''t do it yourself?" She said with a harrumph. "Always making fun of me when you get something new" She grumbled. "so, if I tell you mine, you''ll tell me yours?" "Uh?" She eximed and donned a skeptical look. "is that trap?" She questioned suspiciously. Rakna retorted with the most wless poker face, "Why would it be?" "I don''t trust you," she immediately said. "It''s not like I''ve heard you list them out, but I''m pretty sure I know all your Nirvana Skills'' overall uses... you''re waiting for an asion to--" "So, I got my seventh one today. I can reset my cooldowns," the therian calmly interrupted her and she froze like a broken clockwork. "Nifty ability. But it''s nothing much. I''m sure you have better." The vixen''s body progressively trembled stronger and her face darkened. She made a high-pitched sound out of annoyance and threw herself on Ceresta with crocodile tears. "Ceresta! Look! Wolfy is bullying me again!" She cried out as the dollish beauty was stuck in a flustered daze. "what are you, a kid?" Higure couldn''t help butment. "U-um" Ceres panicked a little bit and then timidly turned toward Rakna. "D-don''t bully?" The therian instantly felt as if an arrow had just pierced his heart. Higure was not spared and the vixen nearly spat out blood from the damage despite being the instigator. ""I''m so sorry,"" Rakna and Kaelith spluttered at the exact same time out of guilt. "Eh?" Ceres became even more flustered. ? * * * ? "Anyway, as I said, I have three Nirvana Skills," Kaelith said. "The first is the one that essentially carried me into bing who I am today. Have you heard of my title?" "The Nine Heavenly me?" Rakna reiterated what he overheard about her some time ago. "Yep, that. Thates from my main Nirvana Skill. Mine is a rare kind, even amongst its ss, as it affects my magic elements bterally. As it says in the name, I have ess to nine ''mes''. They each have different applications and uses." "So, you basically have nine different magic elements?" Higure raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly. Technically, I only have one. The element itself is called Nine Heavenly me and it essentially exists purely thanks to my Nirvana Skill," she exined. "It''s a bitplicated but in other words, my Nirvana Skill is itself my magic element. Oh, and of course, on top of that, I have ess to Mystic Magic like every other Nine-Tailed n member." "What kind of mes do you have?" Rakna asked curiously. "Well, I can show you," she said and conjured a circle of fireballs. Though, they were nothing more than projections from her mind due to the dream realm they were in. There were exactly nine of them and each had a distinct color. From the top and in clockwise order, they were blue, red, green, yellow, silver, orange, ck, white, and purple. "They''re called the Pure, Nether, Life, Amaterasu''s, Arcana, Force, Demonic, Hallowed, and Feral mes respectively," Kaelith named them one by one and they each shone a little brighter when they were mentioned. "I leave the interpretation of their uses to you. Though you''ve seen me use Pure mes the most since they have the most versatile purposes. Such as reinforcement, physical interference, teleportation, and defense." Higure whistled in appreciation. "No wonder you''re the heiress of the foxes." "Indeed," Ceres agreed. The vixen naturally took thosepliments in stride and grinned, "Thank you, thank you~" "What about the other two skills then?" Rakna resumed the conversation and she pouted a bit butplied regardless. "The second is one I acquiredter in my life. As you should realize, I have a shapeshift trait. Much like everyone else in the n, it gives me a second form. As things would have it, those of my kind turn into actual foxes when we transform. Remember when you fought Fen; he was in hisplete wolf form, wasn''t he?" "Does that mean you were born as a fox?" "Yep. Then, we evolve into this," she waved at herself with a snicker. "We usually reach this stage at around five years old. Our ''mystical core'', which is what our race''s strength is built upon, takes at least that much time to mature. Afterward, our shapeshift trait bes avable to us and we can then switch to our primal state to enjoy a bonus in attributes." "I see. What does that have to do with your Nirvana Skill though?" "Shortly said, what my second Nirvana Skill does is grant me a new evolution stage. Just like you possess a Werewolf form, I also possess a superior form. The truth is that I relied on it a lot whilst climbing teaus and levels. Even without transforming, its power bleeds into my status as actual skills, but fully transforming greatly amplifies them." "Can I ask what kind of evolution we''re talking about here exactly?" "Well, I suppose I need to mention how I got it in the first ce," she mused. "It''s actually from a Hidden Dungeon in the 170th teau. I found a tomb. Actually, you could say the whole Dungeon itself was a legacy. The important thing is that it was an Immortal''s tomb." "I feel like those twost words don''t go together," Rakna deadpanned. "Immortal should not necessarily be taken literally," Ceres pointed out. "You do remember about the Eonian teau, which is reserved for those bearing that title, right?" "Yes?" "Those who achieve an ''Immortal Aspect'' are able to live in that teau. Much like how you would be allowed, or rather be forced, to stay in the Celestial teau if you be a full-fledged divine." "It''s as she says," Kaelith nodded at the AI''s words. "Immortals are enlightened beings, you could say. Not only do they possess a power deserving of thatbel, but they also are transcendentals who see no value in the mundane. Does that mean they''re necessarily more powerful than Hosts here? No. It is solely because they are ''immortal to the world''." "They are fundamentally ''dissociated'', so the System has a ce for them alone," she stated. "Much like how Celestials are isted, not because they are powerful, but because divinity itself is a spell for trouble. Conditions vary, but that is how it is." "That''s a bit confusing, but I''ll take that exnation for now," Rakna hummed. "In that case, what is it that you found in that tomb? Whose was it?" "As an Immortal, he was known as The Cager," the vixen replied. "For convenience, there is a very simple way to describe the power I got from conquering his legacy; chains. Immortals are usually forthright beings and transcend one specific concept. I can chain down everything," she dered whilst deeply emphasizing thest word. Rakna raised an eyebrow. "That sounds ominous how did it manifest as a second form?" "Because I made it into one," she huffed. "I''m not like you, being spoon-fed every skill ever. I didn''t get this Nirvana Skill outright. The Cager''s legacy only gave me a base to work on. I had to climb my way up to learn that power. It took me two years to master it and even then, it''s only by using my second form that I can have decent control over it," she concluded with an irritated groan. "an Immortal is a being who usually spent hundreds of years striving for enlightenment," Ceresta couldn''t help but retort. "I believe two years is a small sacrifice inparison." Rakna snickered at that and the vixen red at him, prompting him to look away. "And the third one?" Higure took it upon herself to resume the topic. "You all know about it," Kaelith sighed. "The one thing that all the members of the Wolf and Fox branches have; the Tailed Pearl. It''s our unforgiving trump card capable of destroying anything down to a conceptual level." "I was curious about that, actually. Is it really only the foxes and wolves who have it?" Rakna asked and she nodded. "Yes, but that doesn''t mean the others have nothing. However, they are different or simply weaker than a Tailed Pearl. For example, the tigers possess a skill called ''The Hunt''. The way it activates has variations depending on the user, but it essentially is just as it sounds. It turns you into the ultimate hunter. Reinforced physique, healing, senses, instinct, etcetera. It is a feared skill amongst the n." "There''s also the Scorpions," she added with a frown. "They don''t reveal much about their branch''s inner workings, but simrly to the tigers, it is known that they have an acute affinity for hunting prey, and their Nirvana Skill is tied to the legend of the nine poisons." "The ones that can supposedly kill a god if all nine are injected?" Rakna asked, recalling what she had told him a while ago, and she nodded her head. "That does sound dangerous" "Speaking of which," Kaelith''s voice became grave. "You better be careful in teau Zero," she said with steely eyes. "The Scorpions are powerful even without the System. You may have a higher-than-normal attribute count thanks to Harvester, but it won''t save you from everything." "I know," Rakna replied calmly but it seemed that wasn''t enough to cate her. "If those bugs truly are involved in Kratos, you must be careful," she insisted. "At the very first hint of danger, escape and call me. I''ll protect you. Do you understand?" She asserted and this time, the therian looked back at her with renewed seriousness. "You''re strangely unrelenting about it," Higure observed. "All of us here know what my devourer can do. Him being found out aside, he still has the ability to fight well over his level." Kaelith''s expression sank. "I just have a bad feeling about this," she confessed. "There''s something wrong with this Quest. Eva is hiding something from you. There''s no way that she would give this kind of mission to you out of nowhere. I admit you have the talents for it but it just doesn''t make sense. If she put her mind to it, she could contact the Top Hosts and devise a n to reim control of teau Zero. Or she could even wait for you to get stronger. So, why?" Rakna fell silent at the unveiled worry on her face. He reached for her and hugged her to calm her down. Higure and Ceres widened their eyes at the scene, and Kaelith herself merely let herself be soothed by his presence. "It''s all right," he whispered. "I already knew," he stated and she blinked in surprise. "Eva has tried to justify it a few times, but I know she danced around the truth. At first, I thought she simply saw an asion to take advantage of me and have me do her bidding to save resources. But now? I''m not so sure. I''vee to trust that brat somehow. I feel like she''s not sending me to my death just for the fun of it." "You''re truly a fool" The vixen muttered and buried her head in his shoulder. ''Damn, I''m jealous,'' Higure grumbled inwardly. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted that Ceres had a far-off look as she watched the two lovebirds. There was a sense of discord around her as if she wanted to do something but had no idea what. ''Ah her too, huh?'' The lioness thought and smiled sympathetically. ''She hase far, much farther than I ever believed an AI ever could,'' she sighed. ''But can she grow enough to fully understand even love? I pray that you do.'' How did I forget twice in a row...? . Man, my brain''s a mushtely. For context, I''mpletely free for like two or three weeks. But guess what I did? I utterly fucking demolished my sleeping schedule within the first day of my break. Now, time''s passing weirdly as I try to fix it... . Anyway, tune in for Sunday. I''ll post some treats.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 316: Creatures of Aesthetic Chapter 316: Creatures of Aesthetic The next morning, An yawned as he walked out of his room. He noticed with some apprehension that no one other than him seemed to be around. He had also woken up before Marie who usually was the one who waited for him. "Uh that''s a first. I''m usually deadst getting out of bed," hemented to himself and raised an eyebrow when he heard a noiseing from Rakna''s room. He tip-toed to it very sneakily and put his ear against the door. "yes, that should be fine. Hm, a bit bigger up there" That was Higure. "Add some curves around here too oh, and the hair should be a bit glossier. And get rid of that frown, it''s not cute." And that was Kaelith. ''The hell?'' The blond thought. ''I mean, I know Rak''s getting a bit more proactive these days but two girls in one night from the get-go? Damn, I''m proud of him'' He nodded like a satisfied parent then squinted his eyes. ''What the fuck is that conversation about though?'' "I feel like this is more than enough" Then, he heard a third voice. But it wasn''t a male one, it was another girl and this time, he was puzzled. He didn''t recognize that voice at all but it somehow sounded familiar. ''A third one!? And I don''t even know about her!'' He shouted internally. ''Shit we got a situation, we can''t let Rak be a womanizer'' "What are you snooping around for, child?" Akronis suddenly appeared on his shoulder, his head menacingly close to his. "Holy shit! Don''t scare me like that!" An yelled as he hopped away from the door. "For you to not even sense your own Soul Beast''s presence" The bat nkly stared at him. "You truly are one ipetent partner." "Fuck off! Who are you calling ipetent?! Aren''t you the one who lost control of the Resonance first when we tried it yesterday?!" "Hmph, typical. Redirecting your fault onto me." "Redirecting, my ass! You were the one who messed up!" "Why are you so loud in the morning?" The door to Rakna''s room opened and the speaker walked out. An immediately froze on the spot due to the alienness of the neer. It was a beautiful woman with purple eyes and long ck hair. She was just a tad shorter in height than Kaelith and Higure and was wearing a suspiciously simr outfit to Allegro. But it obviously was more feminine and it hugged her curves well, which were in the in-between of generous and downright erotic. "What the" The blond blinked in a stupor and then noticed the vixen and lioness inside the room behind collectively crying in joy as they gazed at the woman. "This is my masterpiece," Kaelith said in the most emotional tone he had ever heard her use. "Who are you calling your masterpiece?" The unknown girl retorted with a re, but since it was disyed by such a beautiful face, it looked terribly charming. She seemed to have a cold and quite sharp temperament that would give Nyx a run for her money. Then, the realization hit An like a brick as he noticed a ck scarf around her neck. He pointed at the woman with a trembling finger, "Y-y-you you are--!" "Yes," she answered tly, a pair of wolf ears momentarily appearing on her head, and he fainted. ? * * * ? When it was time for breakfast, everyone stared at the woman casually eating together with them at the table. At that point, she had fully revealed her lupine features and none of them had doubts as to who it was. But that didn''t stop even Hans from shooting a judging nce in her direction. "So" An cleared his throat and as he was about to speak, the words failed him. He grimaced as he realized he didn''t even know what to ask and then gave up entirely. The group sweatdropped at that and Natsu eventually raised his voice. "My Lord," he said and Rakna, who was obviously the one who changed genders overnight, looked back at him only for the Celestial ze to point at Evelyn with his paw. The subus was ogling him with murky eyes, lost in seemingly inner fantasies. "I believe you have awoken something in mydy over here," Natsu deadpanned. "looks like it," the therian uttered wryly, and once again, everyone had to take a deep breath topose themselves for the sake of their sanity since even ''her'' voice sounded too enchanting. "Okay, what the fuck?" An finally mustered up the mental coherence necessary to ask; even if it was nothing close to a sophisticated sentence. "me them," Rakna uttered and pointed at the very pleased looks of Higure and Kaelith, and the focus instantly switched over to the two women. "Thank us, you mean," the vixen retorted indignantly. "Look at her, isn''t she just perfect?" She said mirthfully as she leaned toward her ''creation'', not failing to entuate the specific pronouns. "What brought this on in the first ce?" via asked curiously. She herself was not bothered by the sudden ''makeover'' and she couldn''t deny that she enjoyed the eye candy. She wasn''t one to be attracted by the same sex but she could admire its beauty, and when she knew the person in question was Rakna that escted it to apletely new level. "A weird discussion, followed by a bet, and an unfair game," Rakna sighed. "I went along fine with it, figuring it could give me an edge in hiding my identity. My original n after getting to teau Zero was to join in as a fighter in their Arena to gather information and approach my target. I still intend to go through with that idea but" He paused and looked down at his well, cleavage; a sight he didn''t think he could ever get ustomed to. "You are envisaging a honey trap as well" Hans remarked. "Do I understand that right?" "What can I say?" Rakna shrugged. "It''s a proven strategy. Depends on the guy, but most of them will let their guard down in front of a beautiful woman. I can''t lie and say it''s not true." "Even you?" "Even me," he answered calmly. "Not beautiful women; but beauty in general. It''s something that applies to everyone. Some of you know it already, but I had a friend on Earth called Eizen. Smart guy, who was born blind but still somehow had more insight on people than I ever could." Everyone perked up in attention and Hans seemed visibly interested in the description. "He once told me something. In his own words; ''Humans are creatures of aesthetic. They want to protect cute things. They want to own beautiful things. They want to destroy ugly things. They have no qualm killing anything grotesque and they despise those different than them.''" Rakna snorted as he recalled the scene. "He also added something else. I don''t remember exactly why but we had been talking about my first kill. He said this; ''The only reason your first kill felt like one is because you were able to see them die. Not the knowledge of the action; but the visual cue.''" "I have to admit, devourer," Higure interjected. "The more I hear about this Eizen, the more I wish to meet him." "I concur," Hansmented offhandedly. "It would be refreshing to finally encounter somebody whose struggles do not define their insight. Those kinds of people are incredibly scarce. They do not need experience; all they have is understanding. Without even experiencing the cause of your pain, they are able to feel it even better than you. On the flip-side, they also have a tendency to tear you apart with their words for daring to make them empathize with you." Rakna snickered. "Sounds about right. But aren''t you quite the same?" "No," the boy snapped without missing a beat. "I will never understand. I will never empathize. I will watch and make sure they understand why they are pathetic. That is the extent of it." Higure couldn''t help butugh while everyone else gave Hans a strange look. "I wonder, kid, what made you into this?" The lioness was intrigued. "You are an ''Incarnation'' as I''ve heard. Your soul and powers are essentially built upon a theme; you are like a living story. Can I assume you were ''written'' to be a tragedy? Not to mention your cursed physique" "Believe whatever you want," the author replied tly and the conversation naturally ended there until An rekindled it by saying somethingpletely out of left field. "Hey, Rak, I have a question." "What?" "I''m seriously curious here, by the way," he prefaced. "Hypothetically, does your ability to convert your body make you able to get pregnant?" "" The room fell silent no, it was negative noise, if that even made sense. The silence felt like a ck hole that was swallowing the blond. "Stop looking at me like that!" He snapped after everyone just kept staring at him. "I''m genuinely curious, okay?! Whatever the fuck you''re thinking right now, stop!" He shouted but not one person bothered to reply and they continued eating. "Don''t ignore me!" "Don''t worry, I won''t judge you for your fetishes. I love you all the same," Marie voiced out and his heart was both simultaneously warmed up and stabbed by her soothing tone. "Marie" He whined. "Why would you betray me like that?" He cried and was still ignored. ? * * * ? "This ce," Rakna said whilst sharing a System window of a map of Antis with Elora inside his territory''s Pavilion. She took a look and then copied the coordinates into the reception''s terminal. She was sweating really hard, trying her best to ignore the fact the owner of the territory she was stationed at had suddenly changed genders and was beautiful enough to even throw her in a daze. ''And here I was getting used to seeing absurd things like the Matriarch and Heiress of the Fox ning in and out every day,'' she cried internally but outwardly answered, "T-the closest Pavilion to your destination is about fifty kilometers away. Is that fine, Your Majesty?" "No problem," the therian nodded. "I don''t care about the distance. I just want the closest." "Understood. I have already set the portal, so you can go through whenever you wish," she stated while pressing a few confirmation keys. "So, your wolves found what you wanted," Kaelithmented from behind Rakna and he turned around to face her. "Don''t forget what I said." "I know, don''t worry. I''ll try my best to keep it as safe as possible," he said and simultaneously, he retracted his wolf ears and tails back into the mass of nanites that was his body. "Pronos, time to get out of there," he deadpanned to the Hydra who was blissfully lying down in between his hills for a while now. Pronos hissed grumpily but jumped off anyway and very quickly made his way to via to do the same thing. Rakna watched him do so nkly while the Chaos Witchughed lightly. "Anyway let''s go," he addressed Nyx and Hans, who had already altered his appearance. He had grown into an adult with dark brown hair and eyes, supplemented by a pair of round sses. As An had quaintly put it; he looked like a moody nerd. Nyx promptly walked to Rakna and stepped on his shadow. They nodded at each other and she sunk into it within a few seconds. The darkness rippled for a moment afterward until it alleviated and showed no sign of her. "Good luck," via and the others said as Hans and Rakna headed to the portal room. Merry Christmas, people. Five chaps for you. . I feel like I''m doing this in reverse though... why am I essentially giving my work while on a holiday...? What a weird world we live in. . PS: It was a pain the ass to schedule all five of them at the same time.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 317: Deep Maritime Lights Chapter 317: Deep Maritime Lights Rakna and Hans came out of the portal and the former promptly opened his map to check where he was. There was no doubt Elora had connected him to the correct Pavilion, he didn''t distrust it, but now he needed to think about where his destination was. "The only thing I learned from Fang was the name of a region in Antis," he said out loud so that Hans could hear him. "My wolves spied around until they eavesdropped on it being mentioned at the coordinates I gave Elora." "So, you do not have a specific location," the author summarized. "Not exactly. I know the region is called the Humpback Sector," Rakna said as he zoomed out the map. One nifty thing about his wolves is that they could fill up the map for him. Therefore, he had them explore everything within a ten-mile radius from their initial discovery. "Hm," Hans hummed and therge empty portal room reverberated it back. "With only that much lead we will have to search and question people. That would bring too much attention to us." "Who said anything about questioning?" Rakna retorted and the author raised an eyebrow. "I have long ascended my memory reading skill since the time with Fang. Now, I''m confident I canpile years of memories and assimte them." "so, you will kill? As I remember, that skill of yours can only be cast on the dead." "What did you expect? I''m not a saint, and where we''re going is a ''bad neighborhood''," he jested and started walking toward the room''s exit. At the same time, hemanded Allegro to turn into battle mode. His outfit became tougher-looking, still outlining the features of his body, and then the hood covered his head on its own. Rakna swiped his hand over his face and Scherzo emerged. The mask''s eerie material promptly lit up with two purple ellipses and they thinned down as he nced at Hans. "Come on," he said and opened the door. Hans grunted and followed after him. When they were out of the Pavilion, both of them inevitably looked up. They were currently at the bottom of Antis'' waters, within one of the Deep Maritime Lights. The underwater city had a ceiling of thick reinforced ss to hold off the water and the lighting was being taken care of by countless floating orbs simr to jellyfish. They produced a surprisingly powerful glow that was capable of bringing a simr feeling to daylight. Other than that, this maritime city was a paradigm of its name withrge corals everywhere and a mostly blue-stone architecture. "I have not been to Lower Antis in two decades I believe," Hansmented as they both walked in their intended direction. "It has not changed. It looks scenic but feels ustrophobic." Rakna snorted. "I think it feels peaceful," he said as he ced his hand on a nearby wall and closed his eyes. "The sound of the deep currents spreading throughout is rxing." "Is that so? Perhaps your senses allow you to appreciate this ce on a bigger scale then." "Maybe. Anyhow, let''s speed up," the shapeshifter replied and star energy flickered at his feet. He shot up into the air with Star sh and Hans followed with a huff, a line of scripture blinking at his feet as well. As they flew past residential areas with their respective stealth skills activated just in case, they had a perfect view of the Deep Marine City for miles. The buildings appeared to never be built too high and mostly all of the avable space was upied by farming fields. ''Interesting so the agriculture is done down here in Antis,'' Rakna thought. "{Indeed,}" Fray spoke up. "{Antis also happens to be the teau with the most export of food across the System. The sea floors here are incredibly fertile, not to mention that the water is pure and full of life energy. Those jellyfish you see up there are called Sun Veils and give off the same radiations as the sun. This is the perfect ce to grow crops.}" "{Can I ask what you mean by export exactly?}" Nyx''s voice suddenly sounded and both Fray and Rakna were startled. Thetter even almost missed his next Star sh. ''You scared me,'' the therian mentally responded. ''So, you still can use telepathy from there'' "{Yes, I forgot to mention it,}" she replied as coolly as ever. Fray audibly cleared his throat. "{Right. I was surprised as well. But anyhow, you asked for details about the exporting business in the System?}" "{Yes. I got curious. teaus are essentially like countries, right?}" "{Correct. That is a good way to put it. They form markets, agreements, and sometimes treaties and alliances. There have been past cases of wars breaking out between teaus. The gist of it is that resources in the System have long been implemented into an economy. Much like how ck Steel exports a lot of technology but imports a lot of food and metal, other teaus have simr trades in ce.}" "{Then, it''s as I thought. The System doesn''t provide anything, right? And the Pavilion was created with nothing but resources given by Locals and Hosts.}" "{Exactly. The Pavilion is at the center of trade as it is responsible for ferrying cargos in between teaus. But they are also the biggest buyers. The Pavilion''s shop is filled up by both their own production teams and importation. The System was never responsible for its inhabitants'' survival other than giving them the tools and challenges to get stronger. I''ve heard that during the first few hundred years of the System''s history, there were a lot of conflicts over fundamental resources.}" "{I see}" Nyx hummed as her curiosity was satisfied. Rakna was content just listening to their conversation and assimting the information. After they were finished, he scoffed, ''I suppose Kratos has a part in that market for illegal stuff?'' "{as far as I know, yes,}" Fray responded. "{Mind you, I did not know much about teau Zero or the organization that governs it during my life. But I havee across those suspicious market channels more than once. Smuggling, human trafficking, prostitution, assassination, drugs these markets could be found here and there, but never through the Pavilion. It would not surprise me if more than half of it came from Kratos.}" The therian mused and slowed down his momentum. "Let''snd here," he voiced out to Hans and they both descended into the midst of a forest of corals where there was no one to see them. "So? What is your n now?" Hans promptly raised the question. Looking in the distance at the beginnings of some drastically darker and more rundown buildings and streets, Rakna mused and crouched. He grabbed a fistful of the soil and watched it fall through his grip. "Seems good enough. [Call of Hounds,]" he intoned and the ground shook as the sign of several wolves being summoned under his feet. "Go," he whispered and the shaking stopped. "They''ll be my ears," Rakna said and turned to Hans. "Aside from that well, can your magic help us find our target? I have a spell that could help, but I feel like you might have better results." The spectacled author pushed his sses in thought. "I have my ways but as you know, if there truly are Nirvana Skill users concealing themselves from the System, my spell will not be able to give you a specific location." "Of course. I expected that already." "However, you are correct in thinking I would offer better results," he followed up and summoned his Jade Brush. "It is simple, really. If we cannot get to the end, we brave the journey," he dered and cast one of his Painting Magic spells to conjure a floating canvas. He promptly began painting what seemed to be their exact surroundings. The colors were flowing into the nk canvas on their own, sometimes without even needing the brush to touch the spots themselves. As such, the painting was quickly finished but Hans didn''t stop there. "[Union Magic C Revtion of Epic C Journey of Epoch,]" he chanted and the painting suddenly twisted into a spiral of paint before reforming into a map. There were two crosses on it. One was white and drawn geometrically straight while the other was red and rough. "Red marks the spot," Hans said indifferently as he rolled the canvas into a scroll. Rakna smiled faintly as his Eye of Symphony already created a waypoint for the red cross depicted on that map. "I knew it was a good idea to bring you along," he said and blurred away in a burst of frost energy, hispanion trailing right behind. Chapter 318: Soul Weapon Chapter 318: Soul Weapon The Humpback Sector of Lower Antis was a notoriouslywless part of the teau. There was nothing shocking at first sight but you only needed to observe one area for more than a minute to see that there was something wrong. Barely any traffic, quiet, lower number of Sun Veils, damaged streets, and shady exchanges. Not to mention the asional traces of dried blood. On one of those streets, a scruffy man with a scar on his cheek handed a bag of Talys to someone in return for a small pouch which he promptly stuffed in a pocket before they both walked away from each other. The buyer came to a stop next to a street pole and took a smoke. He was about to light it up and a pair of boots crept into his lowered field of vision. He scowled and slowly raised his eyes which widened at the suggestive figure of a woman until he was staring at an ominous mask. His gaze lingered a bit on the curves of the stranger until he spoke up, "what do you want?" Non-verbally, the woman answered by reaching for the zipper of her upper garment and opening it by a few centimeters so it showed her cleavage. "Wannae with me to the back?" Her sultry voice sounded and the man first froze, before grinning perversely. ''Looks like I hit the jackpot today. Lucky,'' he thought and followed the girl into an alley. When they were out of view, his thoughts had long been ovee by lust. He started reaching for his pants whilst sneering, "Alright, bitch, why don''t you start" He never finished his sentence as the woman turned around faster than his reaction time and with a single knuckle, blurring as if it was ovepped with a hundred others, she hit his forehead and shook his brain hard enough to knock him out instantly. He copsed on the ground with his eyes rolled over and on cue, a third person came out of the shadows. "Goodness. This is the fourth one who falls for the exact same trap," Hans sounded exasperated as he approached the unconscious man. "Are all men truly this foolish nowadays?" The woman snorted and waved her hand as the visual effects of Ripple of Rupture faded. "Didn''t I tell you so? Not only do they lower their guard, but they forget to even think properly if I show them even just a small bit of submission," under the feminine guise, Rakna said and zipped his jacket back up before crossing his arms. "{I have to say}" Nyx muttered with aplicated tone. "{You truly are a terrifying actor. Don''t you feel embarrassed? As a woman, I would have no idea of your real gender if I didn''t know you personally. And your voice how do you do it so sultrily?}" She asked timidly whilst imagining him using that tone while in his normal appearance. For some reason, the image made her queasy and peculiarly bashful at the same time. "There''s no shame in deception," Rakna responded calmly. "No, I believe there is plenty of shame to have," Hans deadpanned as he read a thin book he had conjured from the unconscious man. After a few pages, he scoffed coldly, "You have my clearance. This one is more than worthy of the gallows." "Got it," the shapeshifter acquiesced and unhesitatingly impaled the man''s brain with a w. Right afterward, he clenched the corpse''s head and called upon a skill. "[Dead Men Tell.]" The scattering soul of the dead man was robbed of itsst moments of freedom and torn apart by the therian. He perused its memories for a short moment before letting go of its remnants. "Found it," he stated and Hans nodded. He unrolled his scroll to look at the map he had made and confirmed that a new mark hadn''t appeared. The ''journey'' was no more. "So, we have our way in," the author said and let the painting dissolve into motes of light. "Do we proceed in the same manner?" "Mhm, but before that" Rakna waved his fingers and reinforced the array of runes he had set up earlier to conceal themselves. "I want to do something before going for good. If I understand what ack of System support means correctly, there are a few specific things that can help me. More than just my Nirvana Skills, or my more exclusive skills that are too powerful for the System to be fully in charge of it''s my soul and this beauty over here," he said whilst patting his scarf. Hans raised an eyebrow as he sensed the fake woman, as he liked to call him internally, gathering a hefty amount of mana. "[Forger of The Stars,]" he intoned and a harmonious hammering sound echoed in the alleyway followed by a gush of frost energy. "[Fragarach,]" he called and arge sword was formed in front of him. The core of wind energy inside the diamond-shaped hole of its de was just as powerful looking as when he summoned it during his Simtion. "I got two new evolution slots when I reached level 125," he uttered as he pulled out his scarf from his neck. "I already used one on an improved version of Alzero and with this one, it might just be enough to make Sonata into the ideal tool for this mission," he said and brought the two together while Hans spectated inquisitively. Sonata glowed ominously and ravenously wrapped around the weapon, swallowing and breaking it down into absorbable energy. Soon enough, a version of Fragarach with a crimson edge and an azure de appeared. The exposed core of energy now seemed to hold a mix of red, green, blue, and ck energy. ? ? ? ? ? Evolution Sessful! Rhapsodic Sonata has achieved full transformation into a Soul Weapon! ''Primal Curse'' has been reced by ''Apotheosis of Soul Armament''. ? --- ? Designation: Soul Weapon/de/Crux Augury Sword Name: Rhapsodic Sonata Rarity: Unique Attack Power: +2000~3000 Magic Power: +1000~1500 Durability: 100% ? Perks: ? - Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems: The item possesses memory of form and is able to switch from one form to another. Currently avable: Scarf, Guandao, Bow, Kusarigama, Twin Daggers, Greatsword, One-Handed Double-Edged Sword, Twin Katanas, Scythe, Cao Sword, Crux Augury Sword. ? - Eion Energy Production - Demonic Spiritual Anchor - Gale Outbreak (All Forms) - Hyper Mana Oscition de (ded Forms) - Skulking Wraith (All forms) - Skulk Life Down (ded Forms) - Tainted Holiness (All Forms) - Shield of Piety (All Forms) - Crescent of a Falling Star (ded Forms) - 10 000 Nights of Severance (ded Forms) - Tender Hands of Clemency (ded Forms) - Symphony of Magic (All Forms) - Lifeblood Rage (All forms) (27 627/30 000 BU) ? - Absolute Dimensional Stability: Rhapsodic Sonata has absorbed the properties of a weapon crafted with nothing more than dimensional structure in mind. Eion is an energy generated from friction between dimensions and perfectly synergized with the perk. Sonata is several times more resistant to all sorts of damage and can affect many kinds of non-solid phenomena. ? - Focal Concentration (All Forms): Dimensional power is constantly being infused into the de and, coupled with its excellent stability, it allows interaction with Focal Points in order to pierce through and destroy dimensions. It however necessitates being directed through the influence of a Shuttle Specter Physique for its full potential to be exerted. ? - Apotheosis of Soul Armament: This weapon is in eternal resonance with the wielder''s soul and its size and finer details can be altered at will. Soul power can be channeled through it even when distanced apart from the wielder. Attack and Magic Power will be attributed a bonus based on the owner''s current strength. Any damage, ranging from a nick to total destruction, will always be reconstructed as long as a connection to the wielder''s soul exists. Finally, the item itself can be stored and taken out of the soul without cost or dy. Note: Regr Soul Weapons would have the feature of changing forms at will, no matter what it is. But due to Sonata''s unique ego as well as specialized transformations, only forms unlocked through evolutions can be used. ? - The Three Decrees of Dominion: The Whisperer: The user canmunicate with the air itself and bend it to their will. The Answerer: Its presencepels the truth to be stated. The Retaliator: Wounds inflicted by this weapon will be cursed to resist healing. ? Description: ? A masterpiece forged by a master cksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of de. After many evolutions and enhancements, it has gained both the facets of impiety and holiness and has reached the peak of unison with its wielder, bing a Soul Weapon. It has gained a spark of ego and through an incredibly unique feat, it has assimted a Spell Matrix as its own to function as a magic catalyst. This is a weapon impervious to the erosion of time and impervious to defeat itself. ? Note: Evolvable ? ? ? ? ? As Rakna read the new perks and adjusted to the new sensation, a sliver of surprise wormed into Hans'' expression. Thetter had no problem peering into Sonata''s description, after all. "That is frightening," he couldn''t help but remark. "Soul Weapon aside, the number of perks and their variety is bordering on the absurd. Merely being able to wield it would transform a weaker Host into a monster." The disguised therian snorted charmingly and swung therge sword. The air around the de whistled as if responding to it. "This is perfect. Items are one thing Eva told me will definitely not work in teau Zero aside from specific aspects such as Allegro''s naniteposition." "So, the perks will be rendered useless but the material itself will still function as intended," Hans stated in understanding. "Such things as your Bio-Mechanical eye and body, which are traits, will simrly not be subjected to restrictions." Rakna nodded and mentally willed Sonata to switch to a less conspicuous form. It promptly turned into a regr-sized one-handed sword and altered its color scheme to blend in with its wielder''s clothes. "However, now that Sonata has fully be a Soul Weapon, there are high chances it has already escaped the clutches of the System''s infrastructure," he concluded andmanded the sword to create a scabbard around its de before hanging it to his belt. "All right. Now, I just have to test something," Rakna dered and stared at Hans. "Answer me; do you find me attractive in this form?" "Yes," the author responded automatically and his expression stiffened. His eyes widened as if he was horrified at what had just left his mouth. "you bastard" He uttered infuriatingly. This was the first time he had used an actual insult in years. On the other hand, Rakna nodded satisfyingly. "Good. It works beautifully. You wanted to lie, but were forced to tell the truth instead." Hans just red at him. "{Poor man}" Fraymented. "{Jokes aside, you didn''t even use mana or a keyword,}" Nyx raised her voice. "{You are a walking ''truth field'' as long as you carry Sonata in any way or form. It''s frankly scary.}" "I agree. The question is; how strong is it?" Rakna wondered and triggered Crystal Sight to dig up every detail about the perk. "Hm, the range is about 10 meters from Sonata itself. But the strength of thepelling force doesn''t seem to be measurable." Hans clicked his tongue. "A difference in psychic or soul power presumably. Perhaps both. But by inference, I would say it will work on almost anybody who is not prepared for it. Though the effect of obliging an answer might require a steeper gap between you and the target." "I agree," Rakna said and popped his neck. He nced at the corpse on the ground and used Forger of The Stars to create one more weapon. This one was much smaller and weaker than Fragarach though. It was a jagged ck dagger with quite a dark aura. The therian casually flipped it and held the de with two fingers. He threw it at the corpse and it cleanly stabbed the dead man''s back. Immediately after, crimson runes appeared on the dagger and a wriggling mass of reddish gasses began to devour the body; audibly and loudly. The sounds of bones and flesh being chewed were dreadful to hear. This dagger was the result of an experiment Rakna had conducted when forging a cursed item for the first time. Curses were an interesting force. The way they are created is different from regr spells. Not to mention they asionally have oundish uses, just like via had done when she cursed a literal meteor to derail its path. Curses were a disrupting force. Sacrifices and corruption; such were its devoted heralds. "Why would you make such a dagger?" Hans sighed as he saw the dagger devour the corpse before disappearing altogether as if it was never there. "What an unpleasant thing." "It''s not like I crafted a dagger that eats flesh and bones for the sake of it," Rakna deadpanned. "It''s more like an ident. I truly wanted to get a grasp on curses to apply on weapons." "Why?" "Because curses are the deadliest anti-personnel counters," he replied sharply. "People react badly when they hear that word for a good reason. Ittches onto you; makes you fear for your life. And the best ones will never let you go until you die." "" "Just like the perk that was just added to Sonata," Rakna added whilst patting the sword. "A cursed wound that doesn''t heal. Curses are like that; they deny the very freedom of all concepts. There''s no better ally in a battle. Cowardly or evil; who cares?" "then you ought to ask your enamored friend for assistance. A Chaos Witch with a Sub-Path of Sorceress would handle curses far better than you bastardizing your runes," Hans said, naturally having discerned everything as to how that dagger had been made. The therian smiled wryly. "Enamored friend, eh?" He repeated in amusement as they both walked out into the street again, heading to the location where they could meet the middleman supposed to be able to transfer them to teau Zero. "Why do you not just im all of them already? Polyamory is not that rare of a thing." "why should I even take advice from you?" "Listen to your elder." "Do you even have experience in rtionships?" "Unnecessary. I understand and write them." "Your fictional stories don''t give you any qualification to counsel anyone." "I disagree. I have not heard of my works being criticized for romance as of yet." "You really are a piece of work" The duo chatted about a dubious topic as they walked down the murky streets, bewildering the passersby who happened to hear it. listen, I have absolutely no interest in gender-bender stuff. But why am I having so much fun imagining a dynamic between a female Rakna and Hans? . Gosh, Im falling to the dark side Ill have to pour this unholy drive into another novel. Maybe a female MC, thatd be a fresh experience for meAhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 319: The Hanged Man Chapter 319: The Hanged Man Rakna entered a certain bar with Hans following behind him, and he immediately felt a myriad of stares directed at him. Some were clearly wandering too. ''Uh, so this is how girls feel'' "{Yes, go and feel some of our pain,}" Nyx quipped and he snorted. He nced around and walked to the counter. He made eye contact with the bartender and right as he did so, he flipped one Taly and tossed it to him with one finger. The man paused and caught the coin with a raised eyebrow then put it down on the counter before tapping twice on it. When Rakna reached the counter, he followed up by tapping the coin the same number of times and taking the coin back. The bartender huffed and silently walked to the back. "{A code?}" Hans asked through telepathy and the therian nodded. They both went after the man as he left and ultimately ended up at the end of a corridor. The barkeep leading them opened the sole door located there and entered a rather simple ying room with a group of four people ying billiards. "Hey, Undertaker. New faces," he addressed a fifth person sitting on a couch at the far back as they smoked a cigar. It was a tall man with an imposing stature. If one were to ssify a certain amount of muscle mass to be the optimal state of a human being, most people would describe it as how he appeared; with obvious muscture while still passing by as lean. He was a rtively aged man, with almost fully gray curly hair that reached his chin. His eyes were blood red and a burn mark could be seen on his cheek as well as a scar above his left eye. Most of his attire was centered around the ck belted trench coat he wore. When he was called out, he raised his eyes from the Tarot cards he was shuffling and squinted at the sight of the unknown duo. One was a spectacled man who at first sight didn''t look anything special and gave off a very snobbish vibe. But it wasn''t until he actually paid attention to his eyes full of unadulterated antipathy that the unknown gray-haired man straightened his back. And if that hadn''t been enough to put him on edge, the woman would have for sure. Her mask and armor aside, or even regardless of her palpable sensuality, anyone with a functioning brain and a decent amount of experience would have felt the danger she exuded. "Ooh Seems like we finally got some guests worth my time," he uttered and the bartender who had brought the duo in took that as his sign to be able to leave. "Well, name''s Treiber. But you can call me Undertaker. What''re you here for?" "Zero," Rakna replied sinctly and the man chuckled. "Is that so? Figured. In that case, you both know what to do," he said and put the cards down whilst tapping his cigar on the ashtray. "Show me your status. No need to share everything; just give me the first section. If you refuse, I''ll pry into it myself and look at everything." The purple ellipses of Scherzo narrowed. ''this man''s dangerous,'' Rakna thought after activating his Crystal Sight under the cover of his mask, making sure the LEDs wouldn''t turn golden. The result wasn''t reassuring at all; even enough to make him sweat. "{Level 912}" Fray spoke up in disbelief. "{What is this monster doing in Antis and working for Kratos? Any Host above level 900 is a disaster that should be avoided at all costs.}" [Rakna, that man''s presence is cutting me off from the servers,] Ceres abruptly said. [This is most likely one of their methods to keep Eva in the dark. They possibly may even have a secondary measure in ce to lock specific data from being transferred] "{I suppose we have our answer as to how Kratos has been avoiding the System,}" Nyx remarked calmly. "{This Undertaker is perhaps just one example of their assets...}" ''If there are more people of his caliber in teau Zero'' Rakna frowned. ''This will be hard;ck of System be damned,'' he uttered internally and nced at Hans. They nodded and promptly sent out the altered versions of their status. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Ranka Valcroft Age: 22 | Level: 192 Race: Human Path: yer | Sub-Path: Soul Eater Affiliation: None. Titles: Ill-Fated C Legendary yer C Hunter From Yonder C Divinity yer C Seeker of Blood C Flesh Devourer C Cmity Hunter C Anti-Divinity C Femme Fatale ? Potential: S | Host Rank: XIV | Ascent: I ? --- ? Name: Chris Andersen Age: 26 | Level: 198 Race: Human Path: Tale Puppeteer | Sub-Path: Painter of Realms Affiliation: None. Titles: Doll Maker, Omen of Hatred, A Thousand Horizons, Pacific Killer, Fairy Doll. ? Potential: S- | Host Rank: XV | Ascent: I ? ? ? ? ? "Well, well, well would you look at that?" Undertaker stroked the stubbles of his beard. "Looks like we got ourselves a pair of S-Ranks" He uttered and caught the attention of the others in the room. "And you girl; quite an impressive assortment of titles but, Femme Fatale? Really? That''s a first," he stated with a boisterousugh. "Mind taking off the mask? Curiosity aside, I''ll have to forward your face to Kratos'' database." Rakna wordlesslyplied and reached for Scherzo. He slid it off for a few seconds and he could hear and see the room''s upants gulp and widen their eyes. Treiber whistled with a grin as the ''girl'' put the mask back. "Now, that''s what I call a befitting title," he said as he puffed a cloud of smoke. "Word of advice,dy. While you''re down there, be wary of the food you''re given, the buildings you pass by, the items you''re sold, and dirty rats." "Advice taken. But unnecessary." "Hahaha, of course! You''re probably used to it. Femme Fatale means you have thorns after all," he chortled. "Both your statuses are green. My skill is telling me they''re authentic," he added and took on a serious expression. "Now, I need you to answer one question. What''s your motive in Zero?" "To kill someone," the answer instantly sounded through the mask, and Treiber was left gawking for a few seconds before he burst outughing from the top of his lungs. "Hahaha! Holy shit, this is the hardest I''veughed in a while!" He dered joyfully. "Then be on your way," he said and tossed two crystals at the duo. Their shape was rough and uncarved and released a ghastly white and ck glow. "Break that and you''ll be transferred to Zero. To leave, you''ll need a new pair and if you want to return afterward, you''ll have to buy the third one down there in advance. Clear enough?" Rakna nodded as he inspected the crystal. Any sort of appraisal through the System was returning an error but when he used Crystal Sight to see through the existence of the object, he confirmed its legitimacy. "Also, a gift for you,dy," Treiber added and fished out another item. This one was a sort of badge not unlike the Badges of Honor issued by Locals. But it had no perk or shy appearance. It was just a symbol. "It''s like a VIP card," the elder man exined and tossed that one as well. "What does it do?" Rakna asked as he caught it. "It lets you skip the lines," Undertaker snickered. "Use it to get wherever without trouble. It gives you a free entrance to the Arena. Other than that? I guess it can make you a special guest at casinos and brothels if that''s your jam," he said with a smirk. "" The disguised woman answered with silence and Treiber chuckled nervously. "Hey, hey, don''t re at me. It was just a joke admittedly, it is an insult for a woman like you to bepared to those stooping to that level," he snorted. "thank you for this," Rakna said whilst waving the badge. "Farewell," then immediately crushed the crystal. A light with a strange coloration, as if it was glitching, swallowed her and she vanished from the room. Everyone in the room blinked at the impressive decisiveness and then directed their gazes toward Hans whose expression was twitching. "what about you? You''re her boyfriend?" Treiber bantered lightheartedly but the reaction of the other party was downright the opposite of that. "Heavens, no," he spat and crushed the crystal as well before departing. "well, that was an interesting duo," Treiber muttered and leaned back. "Hey, Undertaker," one man from across the room raised his voice. "You sure it was a good idea to let her in? What if her target is a higher member of Kratos or something?" "Who cares," the man retorted with azy wave. "Not my problem. I did my job. They showed me their status and I confirmed they were real. Even if they ughter all of Kratos, I don''t give a crap about it. In the first ce" He narrowed his eyes. "There''s much scarier fish behind Kratos and Bora no matter how strong that chick and guy are, they still can''t harm that thing." Treiber hummed and looked up at the ceiling. "Though that girl was definitely something special for sure. I''m not sure but it felt like even if I had tried to peer into her status, it wouldn''t have worked. Aside from that, she also felt odd. I had a strange feeling as if there was more than just a mask hiding her." "Whelp," he shrugged and grabbed his deck of Tarot cards. "Let''s hope that such an outstanding specimen doesn''t end up in the ditch of a back alley," he uttered as he randomly pulled out a card from the top. He put it face-down on the table and made it spin. He stopped it with one finger and then revealed it. His mouth formed a grin, "The Hanged Man in its upright position" He mumbled and chuckled. "Good luck with that." Chapter 320: Worlds Will Chapter 320: World''s Will teau Zero was an anomaly. This was an established fact, and much more so, considered the way it had been altered. Its overall size was nothingpared to other teaus. Unlike them, it had a finite boundary. "{Well, we talked about Nebs recently, haven''t we?}" Fray remarked amusingly as Rakna stood up after having been disoriented by the transfer. Already, he felt heavy and sick. He could feel that so many of his abilities were inessible to him as if they were shackled; but not inexistent. Briefly pulling his attention away from his condition, he couldn''t help but admire his surroundings which first started with his direct vicinity; a worn-down cross-road withnes made of steel. The buildings followed the same pattern; dirty, metallic, rusty, but very electrically equipped. Steam and smoke filled the air about five meters up and once you actually bent your neck to look up, a confounding sight would be presented to you. There was no sky. Just an inverted city of metal. The whole teau was a sphere with inverted gravity. The curve on the horizon went up instead of down, so you could simply see the city rise, curve, and then hang above your head with arge sphere of metal affixed in the center, connected to the city''s grounds through several columns. "I believe this is what they call cyberpunk," Hansmented as he appeared next to him, brushing the dust off his shoulders and seemingly impassive to theck of System. "You and your armor fit perfectly in here." Rakna moved his eyes away from the upturned city and snorted. "Maybe." "{Wait, I''m more concerned about something else,}" Nyx spoke up, this time using her soul instead of mana tomunicate with him. "{Femme Fatale? Really?}" She asked dumbfounded. "{Did you truly add that to your status?}" The therian''s expression twitched under the mask. He groaned half-heartedly, "I did not." "{Huh? Then how?}" "It popped up naturally sometime after I had finished designing the fake status." "{Are you telling me that?}" "Yes," he replied with a grunt. "It''s a genuine title the System gave me after I lured those men and killed them," he grumbled and a snort sounded from the side. He scowled at Hans who outwardly appeared as callous as usual. "Did you justugh?" "Yes," the author responded and then froze again. His eyes darkened and he red at the sword hanging from the fake woman''s belt. "I despise this weapon of yours," he spat. "Good to know it still works as intended," Rakna fired back and then looked around. He narrowed his eyes at a few groups of people who were pointing andughing at them. "Let''s move to a ce more isted," he said and started walking. "Do you even know where to go?" Hans questioned. "Don''t worry," his answer was immediate. Eye of Symphony activating beneath Scherzo. "I know everything I need about this teau already." "of course, you do." ? * * * ? Five minutester, in a hotel room, Nyx stepped out of Rakna''s shadow with a strained groan. It seemed that recovering her physical form was also made harder by teau Zero even though it relied purely on her physique. She staggered a bit and Rakna supported her so she wouldn''t fall. "Thank you," she smiled at him and sat down on the bed. "As you say, it''s quite disorienting" She rubbed her temples. "Is this ce safe enough to talk?" Hans asked whilst leaning against the wall. "It should. I already hacked the security and I don''t sense anyone close enough to listen in. I would have put up some runes but as you know," Rakna trailed as he tried to draw a rune. It appeared for a second before fading. "Technically, it works fine. The problem is that I need to provide mana to it constantly. And since we can''t regenerate it, it''s just a bad idea. Not to mention its effects are severely weakened." "It''s as if there is ack of ''world'' in this ce," Nyxmented as she stared at her hands. "What do you mean?" "Well take it this way; outside the System, the influence of the ''world''s will'' is what''s responsible for the manifestation of magic through chants, gestures, etcetera. Inside the System, it''s as if it was modified to be some sort of life-support machine that its inhabitants can''t live without. But in here? There''s nothing. All we have is ourselves. Not only do we have to make do with the mana that we have and can salvage, but we also need to act as our own ''Gods'', if you will. We are the ones creating the magic, not engendering it. It makes everything much harder." "I see" Rakna squinted his eyes; his mask dismissed after they had entered the room. "I suppose it''s a bit moreplicated than just ''no System''. Let me check something," he uttered and walked to the center of the room. He took a martial stance and breathed in. Soon enough, his body began to blur but it was sporadic and unrefinedpared to what Ripple of Rupture can normally do. Rakna sighed and stopped using his internal energy. "Even my internal force is being somewhat affected," he muttered. "Ripple of Rupture is a martial art that basically functions based on how I channel my ki, without necessarily expending it. Looks like even that is restrained, but it''s not unusable at least." The therian hummed and then looked at himself. "From what I can feel my traits and most of my Nirvana Skills are usable. All except Ascension of the Titan. I wonder why." "Most likely because it is more akin to a blessing," Hans answered. "It is stated in the description, is it not? That it is a skill gifted by Kronos to the System. You were essentially blessed by a God with the System as an intermediary. Not all Nirvana Skills are exclusive to Hosts," he added. "Makes sense. Other than that, my Path Skills are fine too. I tried summoning my Valkals on the way here and they work fine. Though obviously, there isn''t a moon in this teau, so I can''t gather lunar energy. That would have been a useful substitute for mana." "My magic is off, Gigantism is off, Star sh is off, Dead Men Tell is off, Stealth is off, Reinforcement is off to some extent," Rakna said as he tried to trigger each skill. "Call of Hounds is off. Tail Clone is also off. Even aura is off. But it seems that my Ultimate Excel Skills are still essible. Rift Shuttle is weakened but avable. And of course, my attributes went down a bit. What about you two?" "I got it a bit worse than you," Nyx replied. "My Path skills are not responding. They''re essentially spells at the end of the day, Eternal Night or not. However, my Sub-Path is fine. My skills rted to my divinity are working fine too, but my attributes went down by a fourth. My Nirvana Skill is good to go and I also have a Max and Ultimate Excelled skill that should work." "Oh? I didn''t know you had any of those," Rakna eximed curiously. She shrugged. "It just happened while I was doing Quests for the Wan Guild here and there. Me aside, what about you, Hans?" The author''s expression twitched at the name. Since he had ''rewritten'' himself, he had the urge to correct her, but he resisted it. He sighed, "All things considered, I am the least affected. While it is a fact that I cannot use my magic, I am content with my Path Skills. My Cursive Insight is not hindered in the slightest and my Rewrite is still usable. Most importantly, however, my attributes have not changed. The curse of the Fairy Doll is still applicable. They all are exactly 216." "Ah, I didn''t think of that before," Rakna nodded. "It would make sense for you not to be affected by the reduction of attributes since your physique is what dictates them" He mused. "Well, on that note, we should start discussing our ns." "You said you hacked everywork in range, right?" Nyx remarked. "What did that tell you?" "Many things. There are plenty of electronic devices around. Most of them have little to no digital protection, as if it wasn''t a concern," he said and his Eye projected a list of the connections it had already established, with details about the force of the signal, the battery of the device, and so on. "Presumably, people here don''t care about stuff like this," Rakna added and walked to the window of their room. He looked out, down at the streets where he could hear conflict. Then, barely a few seconds after watching, he saw someone getting stabbed. "It''s to be expected," he uttered and went to take a seat even as gunshots echoed outside. "We have two targets; Bora Quaso and the Terminal. We kill the former and ess thetter." "So, the issue is finding them," Hans summarized. "Without magic, it would be difficult. Unless you have already triangted a probable search zone?" "Sort of. I don''t know about the Terminal. So, our best shot is to find Bora Quaso and interrogate him directly," Rakna replied and crossed his arms, emphasizing his current body''s chest. Even Nyx had to clear her throat and look away while he continued. "I have no idea where the guy lives. But as luck would have it, he spends a lot of time at the Arena and he''s apparently sexually promiscuous. So, with Undertaker''s little VIP ticket in hand, the best course of action is to participate in the fighting games and catch his attention. I only need to meet him alone and then he should be dead without much trouble." Hans raised an eyebrow, half-sarcastically, and half-amused. "Truly? It seems everything is being set up in your favor. What a boon." Nyx couldn''t help but giggle. "We should thank Kaelith and Higure when we''re done. If they hadn''t goaded you into donning this appearance, things might have worked out much slower. Even that man, Treiber, seemed to give you preferential treatment just for your ''beauty'' alone," she said with a mirthful smile. Rakna clicked his tongue at that. "Don''t rub it in." "So, you are joining the Arena," Hans put the conversation back on its trail. "What about us? Do we follow you?" "No I want you to gather information. Nyx, shadows can make you near-undetectable, so it would be best if you could trail Bora outside of the Arena when I can''t. Find out his daily trajectories and then ry them back to me. Also, see if you can profile his bodyguards." The goddess nodded in understanding and then Rakna turned toward Hans. "As for you, your Cursive Insight is our key to discovering this teau''s secrets. First, help Nyx find out the bodyguard''s capabilities when she deems it optimal, and when you''re on your own, I want you to search for the location of the Terminal and see if you can find any trace of the Nine-Tailed Scorpions or the creatures of the Abyss." Hans scowled. "The bugs and the pests? Why?" He inquired and Nyx sweatdropped at the terms. "Kratos is an organization led by Bora. That''s what Eva hase to learn," Rakna replied. "But she also has intel that the Scorpions. As for the Abyss I have my doubts. Fang was a vampire, and he was far too involved in this teau for to be normal." "If I had to be honest, I''d say Bora is a smokescreen; a figurehead. Think about it. How did that guye out of nowhere, with apparently no talent or power, and hijack control of teau Zero so thoroughly? Not to mention that I fought a vampire a while back, who was part of Kratos." "So, you are saying that the real danger is not Kratos itself, but the furtive forces who potentially built it," the author nodded in understanding. "And? Do you intend to fight them?" "No, I want to avoid them. If my hunch is right, Bora will be an easy target to kill. But I will probably be hunted down afterward. At the very least, I want to be aware of the ones capable of doing that before ites to it." Hans and Nyx looked at each other before acquiescing simultaneously. "Before we go, Nyx, I have a question I forgot to ask you before." "What is it?" Rakna narrowed his eyes. "For how long do you think you can maintain your Twilight Dimension on a night of Full Moon?" Chapter 321: Sinful Chapter 321: Sinful Rakna sat on a bench with his eyes closed, his legs and arms crossed. While he had unconsciously taken that pose, he wasn''t ignorant of the effects it had on the people around him. He secretly used Astral Projection and observed the waiting room he was in. He looked around in his soul form and scoffed at the oglers. He was currently inside the Arena, waiting for the time they could enter the fighting area. As it turns out, Arena Zero was therge spherical structure he had seen hanging in the center of teau Zero like a core, and the columns supporting it were in fact elevators. It had been surprisingly easy to be admitted. He showed the badge given by Undertaker and the people manning the elevators, as well as registering fighters, allowed him entry without question and made a ce for him in the next ''games'' by kicking out someone else in the queue. It really was a VIP ticket to skip lines Though, there was nheless a day to wait for the games to start, and until then had helped hispanions in their respective searches. He had seen Bora Quaso; and his verdict? That man was a joke. Fat, smug, arrogant; he was every little thing that makes a human detestable. Certainly, Crystal Sight had revealed to him that the man was around level 400 in terms of power if he was outside Zero. But in here? His attributes were not higher than his even if he didn''t shift into a werewolf. The bodyguards apanying him, however, were another story. Most of them seemed to be on the same level of capability as a level 500 Host. They also seemed to be equipped with weapons that ran on stored mana they brought from outside in some sort of special container. ''And some of these guys have them as well,'' Rakna thought as he floated around hispetitors and checked their equipment. ''I guess they didn''te in here unprepared'' At the end of the day, the n was the same as discussed before. Nyx would continue tailing and Hans would investigate on his own. As for him, all he had to do was fight and catch Bora''s attention so he could assassinate him. Preferably, meet him alone outside of the Arena would be the best scenario. ''As for the Arena itself how should I do it?'' Rakna mused. From what he had gathered, the Arena went through a cycle every week. On the first day, everyone would participate in ast-stand-type contest. Someone would volunteer to get up on the ring and then anyone would be able to step up and challenge them. Whoever wins, by killing the other, has the right to leave or wait for the next fighter. And so on. The more challengers you kill, the more points you''re given. Those allow your participation in the next round as well as affects the rewards you get after retiring from the games. Regardless of if you won it all or not, those points can be used as currency in Zero for many services. Most importantly, points allowed one to buy the Transfer Crystals necessary to return to Zero as well as items to conceal traces of them ever being there. You could say this was a necessity since they would otherwise be found out by Eva. Of course, there are other ways to gain points, such as trading and offering services for a price, but one could say that the Arena was a dying man''s saving grace for most wanderers seeking Kratos. ''It''s all far more intricate than I expected,'' Rakna huffed. "{Personally, I think this is a weeding and herding stratagem,}" Fraymented solemnly. "{The owners are purposefully making them kill each other for benefits so that their number can remain optimally low. And obviously, they keep them on leashes, and all of that is nicely packaged inside a death game for their entertainment. Smart and outright devious. Not to mention that it normally requires a million Talys as a participation fee but you got it for free. Imagine the profit, not limited to mere mary gain, they make from all of thatbined.}" Rakna stayed silent as he contemted the situation and narrowed his eyes at the soulless body that he had left behind. Some guys were approaching it and reaching with their hands. ''Tch, idiots. Sonata,'' he called, without even returning to his body, and the sword attached to his waist vibrated quietly. ''Retaliation,'' he ordered and a breeze coursed through the room. He saw a few people widen their eyes before the men who were next to his body were shoved back onto the ground a few meters away. He then repatriated his soul back into his body and opened one eye, Scherzo lighting up and ring at the downed men. They first looked baffled, but then griped in anger. But before they had the chance to do anything, an announcement rang. "| First rounds will begin in one minute. Please prepare, |" a monotonous female voice resounded and Rakna stood up, ignoring the men''s res. Truly, he was starting to understand some of the ramblings Kaelith had about her beauty being a blessing and a curse. ''Ceres, you''re sure that Sonata can''t be analyzed, right?'' He asked internally as the timer ticked. [Yes, you should know yourself already, that no status page can be disyed in this teau. The only reason you can appraise others regardless is your Crystal Sight. You can discern truths about a target and instinctively understand them. Hans De Vale literally reads them. But for others? At best, they will be able to tell it is a soul weapon, but won''t be able to see its perks or its description.] Rakna snorted to himself. ''Then, I can only hope there isn''t anyone as rare as Hans or me around.'' [That would be the overall circumstances, indeed,] she responded with a tinge of amusement. "| Ten seconds left, |" the announcer stated and arge metal gate in the wall creaked as it started rising. The noises of a crowd were heard as the countdown began. Rakna rolled his shoulders and ordered Eye of Symphony to increase the material tension of Allegro, raising its defense. He then activated his mask''s wide field of view. He silently groaned at the change of perspective but quickly ''rewired'' his senses to adapt. When the announcer ended the countdown, the gate was fully open, and beyond itid a massive circr arearger than several football fieldsbined. It was surrounded by metal grids that separated them from the thousands of people that could be seen spectating on the other side. In the Arena itself, hanging from the ceiling with chains, was a tform that could only be their imminent ''performance stage''. "{Spectators even more profit and conditioning, huh?}" Fray sighed and Rakna silently scanned everything in sight. One particr spot in the upper parts of the walls caught his attention. It was an opaque ss likely hiding some sort of VIP lounge. He narrowed his eyes and tried to look through it, only to hold back when he felt resistance from something. ''Someone''s skill is obfuscating that ce Eye of Symphony can''t seem to be able to hack anything inside of it either,'' he noted and then focused back on the announcer dering the rules of the rounds which were far from substantial. It was just as he had learned. Everything was allowed and you could not surrender. This obviously put anyone who went first at a disadvantage as long as the subsequent challenger could urately estimate their strength. "Hey, what''re you thinking about?" A chirpy voice with a sly undertone abruptly sounded next to the therian and he raised an eyebrow at the stranger. It was a beautiful woman with short auburn hair sporting a skin-tight armor suit. She was smiling at him and leaning forward with her hands behind her back. "what do you want?" Rakna immediately asked. "Oh,e on, don''t be like that. Girls need to stick together," she replied and he fell silent. ''right'' He eximed internally. ''Somehow I''m sorry,'' he silently apologized to her. "What''s your name?" She asked and he sighed. "Ranka and you are?" "You can call me Rita," she replied cheerfully. "So? What brings you here to Zero? To me, you don''t seem like the kind of girl who''s desperate enough to hang out around here." "what do you want?" Rakna repeated himself without changing his tone and she narrowed her eyes, her smile bing a bit sharper. "You''re not the cute type, I see. Well, I guess it''s for the better in these ces," Rita said and crossed her arms with a more serious countenance. "I''ll be straightforward then. You''re dangerous. I don''t think anyone here worth their salt can''t notice that after that little scuffle, as short as it was. I just want one thing; don''t go first." Rakna raised an eyebrow under his mask. "Why?" He questioned whilst observing how everyone around seemed to be waiting for the first fighter to enter the ring. The rules only allowed five minutes before someone would be chosen randomly; something that happened nearly every time since it was better to leave it to luck than to willingly put yourself at risk. Naturally, he had no intention to do so either. If he potentially decided to go first and then kill everyone that came after, it would certainly get the attention of Bora, but it would be too hasty for his liking and might get him in trouble due to excessive awareness. It was better toy low and somewhat stand out in small bursts. Rita straightened herself. "Because I can''t have you go before me," she stated. Rakna blinked. "You''re saying you want to go there first?" "I have a n," Rita replied smilingly. "One that I can only execute with initiative." "Why haven''t you already gone then? I had no intention to go first anyway." "I see, that''s a relief. As for why I''m still here, it''s because I still need a bit of time to prepare," she replied calmly. "Somehow, I felt that amongst everyone here, you were the one who was the most likely to go first without waiting for the random pick." "is that so? I suppose I did consider the idea for a moment." Rita smiled. "Well, I hope you''re the only one to even get that idea," she said and looked up at the arena with a gloomy look. "I can''t afford to take the risk. I can''t die here..." She paused and lowered her eyes. "Did you know? You can do whatever you want to your opponent up there as long as you kill them in the end." Understanding shed through Rakna''s mind and he frowned. "Ah, looks like you realized," she chuckled, but it did not reach her eyes. "Girls like us are rarer to see in Arena. They get targeted, humiliated, tormented, and before getting killed, they are vited in front of a crowd that cheers for it," she spat with a somber voice. She sighed to calm herself and started walking away. "Don''t end up like that, Ranka," she uttered darkly and the disguised therian silently watched her go. He faintly shook his head as he finally understood the oddly high amounts of lust he could smell from the men nearby, as well as the disproportionate sense of excitementing from the crowd as they looked at him specifically. ''Humans simply never change,'' he thought as he went to lean against a wall, waiting for how that girl would perform. ''So sinful.'' Chapter 322: To Seek Danger Chapter 322: To Seek Danger Whatpelled a human to risk their life? Rakna nced at one twitchy pale man visibly shaking; addiction. Another man was grinning and awaiting the next events happily; thrill. A woman was licking her lips, her gaze thirsty for blood and suffering; pleasure. One other person was sweating and nervous; desperation. A fourth type was cautious but eager; desire. Thest one was determined and anxious; hope. "{What is it? Are you apprehensive about having to kill them?}" Fray asked. "{That doesn''t sound like you. Though perhaps that implies something good about your growth as well.}" The therian huffed. ''You think? Sadly, apprehensive is not the word. It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly feel regret for the lives I take after all this time,'' he retorted and let his eyes roam toward Rita, visibly ready to jump. ''What this is about is far simpler and grimmer. For the first time, I might not have a choice. The death of my opponent will be my only solution and for that I pity the fool who will be in that position,'' he said right as the auburn-haired woman leaped toward the hanging arena. "{How prideful,}" Fray remarked with a smirk audible in his tone. At the same time, they both saw Rita look over her shoulder during her jump. She stared at one particr man below and her eyes glowed, somewhat forming an aura around them. Her target first froze then suddenly followed after her in a daze before anyone else could. ''I see. So, that was her n,'' Rakna thought. ''Charm? Mind control? Taunt skill? Might be a Nirvana Skill thatbines all those into a sub-type. She chose and prepared a target she could defeat. That''s smart. After all, as long as she kills one person, she would be allowed to not only safely get to the next round, but even leave thepetition with credits in her pocket.'' "| Match Start, |" the announcer said as the mind-controlled man suddenly shook his head awake and paled when he found himself on the hanging arena with Rita smirking across the tform. ? * * * ? Within a private room located near the top of the Arena, a corpulent middle-aged man was sitting on a leather couch, twirling a ss of wine whilst groping a woman sitting at his side. "Oh? We have a stalemate breaker this week," hemented whilst watching Rita jump on stage through several monitoring screens. "Hehehe, she''s quite a specimen too," he cackled perversely and waved at the butler standing behind him. "Hey, Oslort, who''s that woman?" "Rita Ross," the servant replied immediately as if he knew everything about her already. "She is a decently strong Fifth Ascent. Until a few weeks ago, she was part of a Guild called Orion, but it was attacked by a rival and subsequently destroyed. Some of their members were sold to us, including her little brother. If I had to guess, she is here to earn him back." "Hahaha, good! Makes it easier to ckmail her," the man said gleefully and the woman that was in his arms secretly made an expression full of hate. "Prepare it forter." "Understood, Lord Bora," Oslort replied formally and wrote a few things on a paper note before giving it to one of the maids in the room. She bowed and exited the room with the note. "Zasha," the fat man, now identified as Kratos'' leader, Bora Quaso, spoke and turned to a tall figure leaning quietly in a corner. The unknown man had dark skin with purplish scaly-looking skin near his neck and his hair was uncannily sharp looking; enough so that a strand felt as if it would be able to draw blood. He wore a pair of sunsses that fully hid his eyes and an attire that could pass him off as a gentleman from the 80s London. "Do you see anyone worth my time down there?" Bora asked and the clearly inhuman being faintly observed the feedback of the cameras from across the arena. He noted a few people worth citing, such as arge man with bluish skin, sharp teeth, and fish fins, whichbeled him as a shark therianthrope. Another was a dark elf carrying himself gloomily and emotionlessly. Plus a few others. But when Zasha''s eyes fell on a certain woman, evidently beautiful by her silhouette alone, with a strange armor and an eerie mask, he trembled subconsciously. Something felt off Despite him looking at her through a screen, there was an abnormal sense of oppression. It only cemented that idea when the masked woman turned her head to gaze right into the camera that was filming her. "Her," Zasha promptly spoke up, his voice sounding gruff, and pointed at the screen, where she had already retrieved her gaze. "Hoho!? What a wonderful body!" Bora grinned and licked his lips as his eyes scanned the image on the screen. "Zoom in!" He ordered and the camera focused solely on her. "Yes she''s absolutely perfect! I wonder what her face looks like. If it is anywhere near her figure Oslort!" The butler furrowed his eyebrows slightly at the call, "Ranka Valcroft. Identity Unknown. She was screened yesterday and is a Host with an S-Rank Potential Value. She came together with a man called Chris Andersen. When asked, she stated her reason foring to Zero was to kill someone." Bora raised an eyebrow. "What? That''s it? Who''s the idiot who assessed her?" "Undertaker, Sir." The fat man immediately changed expressions. "That fucker, of course. He didn''t even ask her who she was targeting and just let her in. Tch, that''s why I said we shouldn''t hire him" "He has nheless forwarded her face as required," the butler continued as he ignored his boss''ints. "Would you like to see it?" "No, that would spoil the surprise," Bora smirked. "I want her to lose her mask in battle and have it revealed on the most perfect of stages Zasha, you confirm she can pass the first two rounds?" "Undoubtedly," the man answered confidently. "Good! Then, on the third, pit her against the strongest fighter and tell him to destroy her mask in exchange for half a million credits. I can''t wait to see her defeated form then I''ll pull her out and break her myself." Everyone in the room sighed internally as amon thought rang through their mind, ''Pig.'' Only Zasha kept staring at the image of the masked woman, two bright red dots peering through the ck lenses of his sses. Somehow, he knew this would not go down as Bora expected. ? * * * ? Rakna frowned at the gaze he was feeling. He was already aware of the cameras monitoring the ce thanks to Eye of Symphony. In fact, he could watch their feedback at any moment and when he saw how one of them zoomed up on him, he clicked his tongue. ''Should''ve never humored Kaelith and Higure. Now I''m too conspicuous,'' he thought. "{What, don''t you feel ttered?}" Fray asked mirthfully. ''Shut up,'' Rakna snapped back and observed as Rita drew a pair of daggers before dashing at her opponent. Thetter reacted fairly well considering he had been mentally manipted into being there. He pulled out his mace and swung it at the approaching woman. Rita dodged the blow with noteworthy agility and nked him past his blind spot. The man''s eyes widened in shock right before a de pierced through his neck. Blood filled up his throat and he gargled before copsing dead. The battle had been conducted without either side escting anything. No ability or skill cast at all; a simple head-on confrontation that ended in less than three seconds. ''Decent speed,'' Raknamented internally as Rita seemingly activated her skill again. He noticed a faint sigil appear on the back of a random participant and before the announcement for her win had even rung, another challenger stepped up, once again in a daze. "{Indeed, her speed right then felt like a 90,}" Fray remarked. "{Considering most Hosts don''t have a method anywhere near as formidable as yours to raise their ''root attributes'', that is quite an impressive amount.}" Rakna wordlessly agreed and squinted his eyes as he saw Rita gather a small amount of mana into her daggers. Her opponent also unleashed his limited mana whilst gritting his teeth, butpared to her, his panic made him use a muchrger amount. An explosion of raw energy erupted in the arena and momentarily covered the view until a figure flew out of the smoke. The unconscious man dropped to the floor with a stab through his heart. ''Fighting with pure mana, huh?'' Rakna thought. ''No magic involved at all and since there''s no ''World'' like Nyx said, you need to use disproportionate amounts of it for the effect desired. Perhaps I can use it to substitute the use of Internal Energy using Ripple of Rupture. That would probably be the most cost-efficient way of using mana for me aside from Sonata''s perks...'' "{She''s doing it again,}" Fray interjected as another man vacuously jumped on the stage. "{While it is admittedly a smart way to ensure your battles are under your control, I wonder why there is no one intervening? There are plenty of people here who could jump in first}" ''It''s in the rules,'' Rakna retorted. ''After a fight, the winner can decide to continue or stay for the next challenger. After she won once, it was over; her n seeded. Now, every time she kills someone, even if someone that is not under her control steps up afterward, she can decide to step down in all validity. So everyone lets her do as she wishes since she''s culling numbers.'' "{I see... How witty. That makes me curious, however. How effectively are the rules of this game enforced?}" ''Who knows they didn''t say it. Nor do I seem to be able to find info with my Eye. Maybe by force, threat of death, or even a ban from teau Zero. The thing is, Kratos has no need to threaten them with retribution. Setting rules is itself the warning; breaching them would be suicide as long as you are under Kratos'' territory.'' As he said that, Rita defeated her third opponent by overcharging one of her knives and throwing it at him, triggering a built-in self-destruction. Unfortunately, she had note out unscathed; she had miscalcted his strength and was left with a gash across her shoulder made by a sword. She clenched the wound in pain and frowned before jumping off the arena. ''Looks like she''s finally done,'' Raknamented. ''Though, her expression distinctly shows that she''s not satisfied with the final result.'' "{Perhaps she was aiming for a greater number of points,}" Fray guessed. "{But she didn''t want to take the risk of fighting with an injury, which is sensible on her part. On the downside, if she is set on gathering more rewards she will have to enter the next rounds.}" ''Mhm,'' Rakna hummed in response and squinted his eyes as she approached his location. Behind her, someone had already reced her in the arena. She had lit the fuse in this room and now, the mongers were all but happy to get their hands dirty; in the most literal of senses. Rita mmed her back against the wall next to Rakna with a grunt. "Ah that was an embarrassing disy, wasn''t it?" She asked whilst looking forward, still pressuring her wound. "I had the luxury to choose my foes and take them by surprise, but I messed up after only three," she said gloomily, not even sure herself what kind of answer she was expecting from the masked woman. Mutely, Rakna stepped in front of her. "Don''t move," he said sinctly and pried her hand off her shoulder before putting his own in the same ce. With barely any effort on his part, hidden under his palm, some of his nanites detached from his flesh and filled the gap made by the wound. When he pulled back, Rita blinked in shock as the pain had disappeared. She even tried to roll her shoulders and it was as good as new. Somehow, it even felt better. "How did you?" Rakna then returned to his spot against the wall and crossed his arms. "Nothing much. You could say I reconstructed your lost flesh and blood with a substitute material. Don''t worry, it''s a special kind of matter that will eventually replicate your physiology to perfection." Rita didn''t know what to say. That exnation had honestly gone over her head; not grasping the nature of what the ''substitute material'' was supposed to be. "As for your very much embarrassing disy" The words made her flinch. "Don''t beat yourself over doing your best." But the next startled her. "Eh?" She eximed dumbfounded. "I don''t know for what reason you decided to participate in this thing," Rakna began as he spared her a nce. "But I''m not daft enough not to notice you''re feeling down for having failed something you aimed for as if you had let down someone." The auburn-haired woman opened and closed her mouth several times. In the end, sheughed in a helpless manner. "You''re a weird girl" She muttered. "" She chortled at the silence. "But thank you, I guess," she said and none of them spoke further, the sounds of fighting echoing throughout therge spherical space of Arena Zero. Happy new year to you all. Wishing you afy and happy twelve months. Also, good luck achieving your goals. I for sure need to set a few things straight with my life, kek.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 323: Badass Chapter 323: Badass Rita sighed audibly as one more participant died; beheaded this time. It had been a few hours since she had retired from the round, and about two-thirds of the participants had already died. From the initial tally, that meant about fifty people had died. "This is sickening," she muttered under her breath as she tried to tune out the roars of the crowd. She huffed and nced at the mysterious woman standing next to her. When Rita had first seen her, she had been intrigued; a beautiful frame, sitting there silently. Then, without moving even a muscle, she had generated a gust of wind powerful enough to shunt a group of men away. And she had done so in a ce where magic couldn''t be invoked in any form or manner. This is why such a simple feat was so impressive. It had been as if the air itself had bent to hermand for nothing more than her existence as an incentive. Not to mention she had healed her injury; once again without magic or even a speck of mana. ''Heck, it didn''t even feel like anything at all,'' Rita thought as she rubbed her shoulder. ''It was as if her palm itself was the healing spell'' As she was thinking that, she heard the masked woman sigh and was jolted. "It''s about time I go," she heard her say through the mask before she began walking away. "W-wait!" Rita shouted reflexively. "There''s no one on the arena right now. Are you sure you want to be?" Her voice died down and she never finished her sentence as one glowing ellipse peered over the woman''s shoulder in her direction. "No need. Nobody here poses a danger to my life." With those words, she watched as Ranka casually propelled herself toward the arena with a speed even greater than hers. ? * * * ? ''Let''s get this over with,'' Rakna said to himself as hended on the tform. In all honesty, he had gotten bored of this farce. Barely anyone here constituted a threat to him and among those that did, not even one had deigned to step forward as of yet. "{Grumpy, are we?}" Fray jested. ''I don''t think anyone would be happy to watch psychopaths kill each other, hear the incessant buzzing of a brainless gallery, ignore the repugnant scents of lust and animosity, and be disallowed to leave the premises before the round is over.'' "{good points.}" "Hahaha! You''re done for, girly!" A cocky voice resounded as a man of wide staturended on the arena shouldering a greatsword. "I was waiting for you toe up. Be ready to squeal" "do I know you?" Rakna deadpanned and the man popped a vein. He gritted his teeth and pointed his weapon at him. "I''m one of the guys you attacked by surprise earlier, you arrogant bitch!" "Oh" The disguised therian eximed dully and Scherzo disyed droopy eyes as if it could read its wearer''s emotions. "You felt the need to add ''by surprise'', didn''t you?" "Shut up! You won''t be as calm when I make you beg me for your life!" The man yelled and readied his stance with a grin. "Don''t worry I''ll let you feel real good before I gut you," he stated whilst licking his lips and the crowd cheered in agreement. "Uh, uh," responding nkly, Rakna calmly reached for Sonata. "You as well, don''t worry, I can tell your lower half is stealing a bit too much blood from your brain; I won''t judge your idiocy with respect to that. Then again, I doubt there is much being stolen, is there?" "You damn!" He growled out and put strength in his legs. He also decided to pour mana into his greatsword from the get-go, but when he was about to kick off, the masked woman drew her de with an audible whistle of steel and he froze on the spot. "Eh?" He uttered dumbly as he felt his muscles constrain; his veins suddenly bing far more apparent under his skin. He couldn''t move at all. It was like something inside of him was rebelling against him. "Aah" Rakna sighed as Sonata glowed crimson. He then silently approached his opponent with the sword lowered to the side as if he had never unsheathed it with the intention to fight in the first ce. "What did you do?" His opponent struggled to speak, his every vein and muscle bulging in an attempt to free itself from the unknown bindings. Wordlessly, however, Rakna thrust Sonata and pierced his heart. He then pulled it out in the same breath while the man copsed on the ground. The crimson glow around the sword receded and its victim felt the hold over his body vanish, but far toote as his life came to an end right after. The Arena had fallen silent. "Next," Rakna spoke up, his voice cold and loud. At the same time, he kicked the dead man at his feet off the tform. A few awaiting participants below had to step away as the corpse crashed on the floor before some staff members of Kratos came to clean it. No one dared to move and Rakna groaned. He was getting tired of this thing. Being continuously near a bunch of criminals, smelling their decadence without being able to filter it out, and having to on top of that watch their pathetic battles to the death was wearing on his patience. Perhaps he truly had been affected by the Sin of Pride more than he first thought. "I said" He growled out and extended his Soul Power, directing it at a random guy whose overall criminality was high, as shown by Crystal Sight. "Next, you bunch of pigs," he added with finality and his target''s eyes emptied, his soul being overtaken and manipted under his control. When the mannded and recovered from the control, Rakna''s sword was already on its way to separate his head from his neck. Just like that, he continued killing one participant after another without rest. His Soul Power was more than enough to subdue most of them and if that did not work well enough, Sonata hijacked their blood and paralyzed them with Lifeblood Rage. This perk was one of the more versatile and powerful ones of his Soul Weapon. The cherry on top was that it consumed Blood Units and he could easily fill that up with either his own blood or the one of his victims. Though, he also had plenty of it stockpiled in advance. It was after he put down his sixth opponent that Rakna stopped his spree. The reason was that a man had stepped onto the arena of his own free will. It was one of the strongest people he could sense in the room. Someone with an estimated level of 600 or higher. It was a tall man from the merfolk race; a half-shark, half-human. However, this man was nothing like the pair of children Astraea had protected back at New Athens. This one had a pure bloodline and his suppressed aura couldn''t bepared to the rest of the ipetent fools here. Furthermore, merfolk were a physically superior race to humans. Their root attributes were thus much higher, and this man specifically possibly had them at around the 150-mark, if not the 200s, despite the absence of the ''World'' or the System. Even if Rakna tried, both his Soul Power and Blood Control wouldn''t work at all. ''And if that wasn''t enough'' He muttered internally as he observed the shark''s weapon attached to his back. It could be called a greatsword if you stretched it, but it was widely inurate. In fact, its appearance was so odd it reminded Rakna of his Dinsleif; an arrow with bulky des. ''There are traces of Spiritual Intent around it,'' he added internally. ''And for some reason, looking at it makes me uneasy I can win, but only if I reveal a vast array of my abilities and traits. It''s not worth it,'' he thought and sheathed Sonata. "My name is Ranka. Yours?" The shark raised an eyebrow, the fins on his cheek twitching at the same time. "Cura," he replied calmly, his sharp teeth showing momentarily. "See you tomorrow then," Rakna nodded and jumped off the hanging tform. Up until now, the spectators had been quiet at his performance. He may have killed sixpetitors in total but it had been done in such a fast session that it barely took a few minutes. It wasn''t until they saw the masked woman step off the arena that they recovered. They immediately began to holler and cheer; chanting her name. Rakna clicked his tongue and simply went back to stand next to Rita who was positively gawking at him with her mouth wide open, enough so that he was almost genuinely worried her jaw would fall. "Ranka you''re a badass," she eventually stated and he smiled internally. My brain went to Narnia, my soul said hi to Jesus, and my bodys been ying an unending game of Uno with the monster under my bed; WHICH I''M LOSING BTW! . Thats pretty much how I feel at the moment and I refuse to borate.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 324: Lurking Chapter 324: Lurking "| Did you see that everyone?! |" An irksomely enthusiastic voice sounded from the many speakers scattered across teau Zero, matching the screens installed onrge buildings. It showed some kind of robot entertainer speaking into a mic as the video of a mysterious masked girl killing six people in the Arena yed behind him. "| Looks like we have a stimting new face in Zero, folks! Feel free to ce your bets for tomorrow''s round! |" Walking down the streets of the teau, a certain meek-looking man pushed up his sses as he nced at one of the screens. ''Xiorra is doing well,'' he thought before continuing his walk with an inherently dignified gait that he refused to let go of even if he had toy low. Hans hummed as his eyes flickered from side to side, reading everything about the people down to even the buildings or the pebbles on the ground. Much like Rakna''s Crystal Sight, his Cursive Insight would show him not only present but past happenings of a target. Though, it gave much more detailed results than even the Crystal Sage''s eyes. The ever so spiteful author had already read the history of entire city blocks since they had arrived at this teau. Sadly, he had yet to find any traces of the Terminal. It appeared that it was being shielded from any form of scrying. That is why Hans was constrained to rely on his ability to find anything that had a connection to the Terminal''s location. Such as a building including something along the lines of ''built over the vestiges of an olden connection to the System'' in its history. Obviously, the day before, with Rakna apanying him, they hadn''t neglected to inspect the most suspicious ces such as the spherical structure of the Arena, Bora Quaso''s residence, or the busiest criminal andmercial streets. Hans clicked his tongue. "How tedious. A mere 8th Tier spell would have resolved this issue," he uttered to himself and routinely ced his hand on a building''s walls, closing his eyes to focus on the reading he had to do. In his mind, a book flipped its pages at such a speed that the words formed blurry lines. Regardless, he absorbed everything contained in them. What he was doing couldn''t really be called reading, it was more urate to say that he was absorbing the book itself rather than its content. As a living incarnation of the concept of Story Making; a literal Tale Book that he was, Hans could learn everything about any text the instant he touched it. As he was close to fully integrating the information and filing it in the back of his mind, a buzzing noise overtook his ears. He silently gasped and opened his eyes in shock. He staggered away from the wall and calmly got his breath under control. He blinked several times, trying to get rid of the odd disruptions in vision resembling disy glitches. "What was that?" He muttered to himself. It had felt wrong; extremely so. He pressed his temple as he confirmed that the ''history'' he had read was without holes or anomalies. "External stimulus then?" He guessed and furtively looked around. He analyzed every single passerby and narrowed his eyes when he sensed nothing out of ce. He wasn''t foolish enough to believe what had just happened was nothing more than coincidence or apse in concentration. There was a cause to it, he was sure of it. Someone or something. ''I should move,'' Hans thought as he walked down the streets. ''Whatever it was I must ascertain its nature. If I cannot be assured of my safety, I shall move alone. Those two will understand.'' As the author increased his vignce far past levels that most people couldn''t even fathom, he still failed to notice two pairs of yellow eyes peering at him from a distance, too close to each other to possibly be from two different beings. Nor could he see the inhumanly wide grin that followed. ? * * * ? Rakna groaned audibly as he finally exited the arena. He leaned against the wall of the elevator bringing him back to the solid ground of teau Zero, a small card held between his fingers that had been issued to him by Kratos'' staff to transfer him the prizes. Right now, the card disyed 60 000. It was the number of credits killing six opponents had given him. If he had understood right, aside from being used for local transactions of specific kinds, each credit was also about a thousand Talys worth if converted; which was no paltry sum. "Why do you keep staring at your card?" A voice shook him out of his brooding, and he nced to his right where a curious Rita was leaning in. The girl had followed him out of the Arena like a lost puppy. He sent her a deadpan look and pocketed the card. "For no reason. I was just thinking how funny it was to earn this much money from just eviscerating a few pigs." Rita almost face-faulted and awkwardly took a step back with a stiff smile. ''did you really need to use that terminology?'' She asked internally but didn''t dare to voice it out loud; a thought that was shared by everyone currently apanying them in the elevator. Rakna sighed internally and looked at the Arena from the corner of his eyes. Before leaving, he had considered using either Astral Projection or Antanasia to do a reconnaissance of that room behind ss that seemed to be observing him. But he gave up on the idea since both had risks in the current situation. Using the Mirror World would make him disappear; the word ''suspicious'' doesn''t cut it to describe how reckless that would be. As for his soul projection, he was confident to have enough control to avoid detection even from others who had a grasp of soul power. But Bora''s bodyguards? There was a high chance they would notice. ''It''s best I wait perhaps I can use Antanasia tonight and tear that ce apart. It''s not like I need to worry about damage or loudness in one of Enthymio''syers,'' he thought. This strategy would at least give him a clear idea of the Arena''syout. And if pushes to shove, he could also use the same method to find the Terminal if Hans couldn''t. Of course, that would be hazardous at best and without even counting the time limits he would have due to the dimensional damage, he couldn''t know if System infrastructure was something that had a real presence in the Mirror World. Antanasia only ''reflected'' the real world, after all. It didn''t imitate it down to thest detail and some things could either be twisted or omitted in their entirety. At the end of the day, Rakna settled for a tamer strategy, to begin with. Which happened to involve a little stick-bug-like robot he was currently ying around with inside his jacket''s pocket. It was a miniature automaton made from his body''s Prima Materia. Powered by Eion, programmed by Eye of Symphony, and built almost as small as flies, these things could act as both trackers and listening devices. He had spread nearly a hundred of them while he had been bored watching the fights. He ordered the Eion bugs to crawl into the surviving participants'' clothes, except those he feared would be able to notice. While lost in his thoughts, the elevator reached the bottom and he pushed himself away from the wall with a huff. Before exiting the elevator cage, he nced back. "See you tomorrow and go back safely," he said nonchntly to Rita who had awkwardly been standing next to him in silence. The young girl blinked in surprise before smiling faintly. "Thank you. You too." Rakna left it at that and quickly blended in with the crowd, heading back to the hotel. "{Did you take a liking to that girl?}" Fray asked teasingly and he snorted. ''At the very least, she was a nice presence to have amidst the stench,'' the disguised therian spat out irritatingly. ''I never knew the True Smell of The Wolf God could be so maddening until today. If it was not for keeping a tab on potential animosity, I would have cut off my sense of smell entirely.'' Fray''s wryugh echoed in his head in response. ''But, aside from that, I have a hunch,'' he added. ''That girl could help me elerate our schedule. Call it my instinct, if you will.'' "{But of course. Let me guess, do you wish to use her as bait of some sort?}" ''We''ll have to wait and see,'' Rakna ended the topic and walked into an alleyway. Once he was sure no one could see him, he whispered, "[Neglect My Reality, Enkata.]" Calling upon the secondyer of Enthymio, his body crumbled into a shapeless cloud of shadows which quickly merged with the darkness. A short momentter, the reason he had done so stepped into the alleyway; a group of agents sent to tail him. They looked around in confusion and he sneered at them from the depths of shadows before whisking himself away like a breeze of wind. ? * * * ? On another side of the city, Bora Quaso exited a private elevator with a cackle, his bodyguards and servants following after him. "This was a very entertaining first day. That woman made me even more interested than before," he said excitingly. "She is strong. It''ll be even more satisfying." As the fat man fantasized out loud, from a building above his head, a silhouette hidden by shadows watched him. Nyx narrowed her eyes as she focused on a specific bodyguard, if he even was one, that wasn''t there yesterday. This odd man wearing gentlemen-man-like clothes, including a top hat, was releasing a presence that felt stronger than anyone else around him. Or to be exact, the danger she could feel from him was exponentially higher. Not to mention that his noticeable body was not human. She eavesdropped on Bora Quaso''s ramblings through her shadows with a disgusted expression. Now, at least, she knew Rakna had made the desired impression on the man, its foulness aside. As she was thinking that, she shivered and retracted her shadows. She hid deeper than before as she nervously saw the opaque sses of the unknown man turn toward her general location. Red dots glowed through them as he gazed at her hiding spot before slowly looking away, departing with the rest of Bora''s group toward thetter''s quarters. Nyx let out the breath she was holding and quietly decided to leave. Tailing Bora with that man in range was too risky. Chapter 325: Second Round Chapter 325: Second Round "A new bodyguard?" Rakna raised an eyebrow as he heard Nyx''s report. "Then is he the one who was interfering with Crystal Sight?" He muttered to himself. "Did you notice anything discerning about that guy?" "Not much. Faint purplish skin around his neck, sharp-looking hair, and if I had to guess, his eyes are not normal at all. I don''t know a lot of creatures capable of producing a perfectly rounded light from their pupils like that." "So, it''s an umon race," Rakna concluded as he sat on the hotel room''s bed. "is he one of the Scorpions, you think?" The goddess said with narrowed eyes. "Well, it wouldn''t too high of a leap of logic," the disguised therian hummed as he twirled Scherzo on the tip of his finger. While in thought, he nced at the window, "By the way, do you know where Hans is? He should have already returned." "I do not," she shook her head. Rakna clicked his tongue and his left eye deployed its mechanical lenses. "I should have made him buy an HL," he grumbled. "That bastard only has ink and paper in his head. Not even a basic phone to contact him." Nyx giggled softly while Eye of Symphony hacked through the city''s cameras until it found his target. "Found him. Looks like he''s staying in another hotel," Rakna frowned. "Should I just call the hotel itself and switch to him?" "Wait," Nyx stopped him. "If he went out of his way to book another room Don''t you think he is purposefully avoiding us? Calling through Zero''swork might go against his purpose." "Avoiding us, huh? What could oh," he interrupted himself. "He caught some unwanted attention then? And he doesn''t want to lead it back to us But if we can''t contact him, it''ll beplicated to share intel." Rakna sighed and took off one of his gloves. He then willed one of his fingers to detach itself and fall into his other hand. At basically the exact same time, a new finger had already regrown in the former''s ce. "as unnerving to watch as ever," Nyx couldn''t help butment and he snorted. He clenched his hand closed and when he opened it back, the finger had transformed into a steel-colored Eion automaton in the shape of a pillbug; also humorously known as roly-poly. They were small crustaceans often mistaken for insects, with a glossy external shell that could roll into a ball. "This should be appropriate enough to contact him sneakily," Rakna said with a nod as he let the pill bug roll off his palm out the window. "Though, the question is, what managed to unsettle Hans enough for him to decide to keep his distance," he added as he watched the miniature robot go. "It''s not another member of the Scorpions, is it?" Nyx raised an eyebrow. "Who knows? The Abyss is supposed to be around too after all," he retorted. "I''ve sensed several vampires in this teau already. Demonic energy as well." "Are any of them participating in the Arena?" Rakna shook his head in the negative. "Doesn''t seem like it. Mostly humans; a few elves, therians, and the sort. There weren''t too manyrge threats, to be honest." "I see a full conteststs a week, right?" Nyx asked and he nodded. "Do you think you will have topete there for the whole duration?" He shook his head. "Unlikely. At the very least, Bora might be impatient enough to try something against me as soon as the second or third day. I mean, look at me," he joked with a half-smile whilst waving at himself. "Irresistible." Nyx chuckled. "Enough to earn the title of Femme Fatale, indeed." "Don''t remind me," Rakna grunted and changed his sitting posture. He sighed and crossed his legs whilst stirring his soul power. "Well, we''ll see tomorrow. I''ll be meditating for now. I couldn''t hope for a better ce to train my soul. If you need me, don''t hesitate to shake me or something." "Understood," Nyx replied and watched him close his eyes. After a moment, she could tell his mind had already retreated deep inside his soul. She smiled faintly and quietly went to sit right next to him. She then pulled out a book from her soul storage, something she had already taught Rakna beforeing to Zero, and peacefully started reading. While it was embarrassing to admit, she had never felt as rxed before as she did while listening to the therian''s heartbeat close to her. ? * * * ? "Hm?" Hans raised his head from the desk provided by the hotel room where he was writing on a small notebook he carried at all times. His eyes secretly turned toward a miniature steely creature making noises as it crawled on the wall in front of him. ''of course,'' the authormented ndly and let it roll into his sleeve where it stuck itself onto in wait for a futuremand. ? * * * ? "| The second round will now begin. Please prepare, |" the emotionless announcement sounded in the Arena the next day. Rakna hummed as he looked around. Somehow, the whole substructure of the Arena had changed overnight and what used to be a massivelyrge open ground had turned intoyers of individual rooms. Currently, he was alone in one of them. That didn''t stop him from being able to hear the crowd through the walls, nor did he fail to notice the obvious cameras encrusted in the corners of the chamber. "| First Wave. Begin. |" As the statement rang, several undtions of blue light appeared in the room. Rakna furrowed his eyebrows under the mask and calmly unsheathed Sonata. Shortly afterward, a dozen of creatures had been fully teleported inside with him. They were all about the same size as a human. Some had animal legs, horns, tails, etcetera. Others were deformed with even bones pushing outward against their skin as if they were trying to make an exit. ''chimeras?'' Rakna thought and raised his guard even as they made minimal movement. They just groaned and dithered on their feet without acknowledging his existence. That was until he opened his eyes wide and activated Crystal Sight. The feedback he received almost made Obsidian Blood shift. At the same time, all of them abruptly roared in his direction and charged simultaneously. He immediately jumped back to a safer spot, kicking one of them against the wall in the same action. ''Some botched up homunculi'' He frowned heavily. ''All these things are human-based chimeras,'' he added internally and parried a scythe-like arm from one of them. His arm surprisingly trembled at the force behind it. He had already activated Lifeblood Rage but they barely seemed affected by the blood control. ''Physical abilities enhanced several folds,'' Rakna noted calmly before increasing his soul weapon''s oscition frequency. The de whistled softly as it cut through the weaponized arm like butter and lopped off the owner''s head right after. Rakna proceeded to gather Sword Intent just as Chiron had taught him. An invisible, formless, and ethereal force d his sword as his eyes moved to pinpoint each target. ''Cut, Sonata,'' he mouthed silently, and with Ripple of Rupture''s footwork, he weaved through the attacks and swung his weapon exactly eleven times. His figure appeared like a blur, not due to his speed, but the sheer absurdity of his skill. When he stopped moving, the strange blur disappeared in a snap and every chimera promptly lost its head. Their vanquisher was about to sheath his de, but he paused when he sensed one of them twitch and stand back up. The others followed suit soon after. "undead?" He muttered. "No. There''s no death energy a core maybe?" He theorized and used Crystal Sight. This time, he focused on their internals. "It''s not?" He blinked in surprise. However, he felt something else. It felt horrid, like a curse, but far more condensed and stable. Rakna scowled as they prepared to lunge at him. He gathered Intent once again and pulled his arm backward, wielding Sonata in a thrusting stance. His Soul Weapon''s Tainted Holiness didn''t seem to be triggering against this energy. It should be able to harm evil-aligned creatures but it seemed this strange energy was more ''primal'' than a simple curse and somehow resistant to Holy Magic. Quietly, he decided to pour a decent amount of mana into his Intent and use it to forcefully scatter the dark energy. A dyed st of pure mana should do the trick. ''Pierce,'' he spoke in his mind and thrust forward. The force around the de burst and split into the same number of chimeras. In the blink of an eye, all of them received perfectly round holes in the middle of their torso. Then, small waves of mana erupted around their injury and as if puppets severed from strings, they crumbled to the ground. "| Ranka Valcroft. First Wave Cleared, |" the voice announced in his room. "| Sixty seconds before the Second Wave begins. |" "Tch," Rakna clicked his tongue and returned Sonata to its scabbard. "{So, they even use living beings as bogus zombies for their games}" Fraymented. The disguised therian remained silent; his gaze fixed onto the unmoving corpses that were slowly being teleported away by teau Zero itself. He couldn''t help but feel something unsettling about these creatures. Their strength was ratherckluster admittedly but What made them so much stronger? Science? Magic? A Nirvana Skill? An alchemist like Evelyn? What about outside of Zero? Would these chimeras be able to use skills and magic? Can they be made to retain mental faculties? Can they be created without a living base? How many of those do Kratos have? Do they collect the dead participants for this? And most worryingly, the weird power source controlling their body emitted some sort of feeling he was familiar with. But perhaps because it was too diluted or twisted, he couldn''t pinpoint what it was. ''dangerous,'' Rakna thought grimly. "{What is?}" ''Nothing. Let''s say we better destroy Zero as fast as possible,'' he uttered and readied himself as the next wave of enemies appeared. And as he feared they, albeit in fewer numbers, were stronger. He sighed and drew Sonata, his legs blurred and he kicked the ground toward them. Chapter 326: Grafted Chapter 326: Grafted "| Final Wave. Begin. |" The fifth announcement rang and Rakna grunted nomittally, Sonata slightly steaming in his hand as its inherent heat cleaned the de. The pair of chimeras he had just defeated, clearly twins in origin, disappeared from the ground and left the ce for a surge of light muchrger in size. He frowned deeply at the sensation of power. Once again, there was a dreadful sense of familiarity, but it was doubly so with this specific one. "Kekekeke" A rather infuriating cackle echoed in the room as the final chimera materialized. Its overall appearance was undoubtedly far less hazardous than the others. The limbs were grafted seamlessly and it had a consistent form. The legs and body of a werewolf, the arms of a bear, and the head of a giant rat wearing sses in a weirdly schrly manner. Rakna''s eye twitched at the features. Not to mention that, somewhere deep inside, a small part of his newfound Pride was offended by the disgusting defilement inflicted upon the race he was the emperor of. "Kekeke, a fresh prey" The rat head rattled its teeth as itughed. It stared at Rakna and its eyes noticeably lit up. A forked tongue came out of its mouth to lick its lips while it readjusted its sses at the same time. "Yes, yes, yes I''ll defeat you, gain my freedom, and turn you into my woman!" The disguised therian groaned silently. "Even experimental abominations like you think with their dicks in this teau is it a virus?" He spat out. "Let me warn you, rat. If I see a ''sheath''e out, I''ll chop it off first and feed it to you." "Kekeke! Feisty, I see," the rodent chuckled maddeningly before nchingpletely. "I don''t like that," it suddenly uttered with a sinister tone. Then, in the blink of an eye, cracks formed on the floor it stood on and its w found itself on its way to hit Rakna. ''Fast--!'' His eyes widened under his mask and he instinctively expended one mana point to trigger an improvised version of sh Step, since his Star sh was unavable to him. The bear w phased through his afterimage and he promptly counter-attacked. This chimera was admittedly fast. At the very least, more than what he could do without shifting into his werewolf form. But there was simply no way for him not to be able to react to it. With thebination of his instinct, senses, Crystal Sight, and Eye of Symphony, nothing at this level was fast enough to outpace his reaction time. ''Come back when you have a few hundred more attribute points in speed,'' Rakna snarked internally as he channeled his Internal Energy for Ripple of Rupture. He dashed behind therge chimera and swung Sonata at the back of its neck. However, to his surprise, before he could strike, a tail moved to hit him. It was an appendage that matched the body''s head; a rat tail. Rakna grunted and used an insignificant amount of mana to step on thin air and pivot his body to dodge it. Without wasting time, the chimera turned around to w him while he was in midair. In response, Rakna swung his sword at the bear arm and nearly cut the hand off to deviate it. He then triggered Ripple of Rupture around his left hand and hit the chimera''s body right in one of its Focal Points. On impact, the dimensional bonds that linked the chimera''s body together were destroyed and its lower torso suddenly had arge hole in it, opening as if it was a maw. The creature flew back from the shock and crashed against the wall. Raknanded on the ground afterward and for some reason, he waspletely frozen as if he had seen something he couldn''t believe. "This is" He muttered out loud as he stared at the chimera slowly standing up. "{What''s wrong?}" Fray asked worriedly. ''I used Crystal Sight to target his Focal Points,'' Rakna replied solemnly as he straightened himself and watched the rat-headed creature hiss angrily, moving as if its injuries didn''t exist. ''I saw more than I expected; I know this guy.'' "{What? You''ve met this chimera before?}" ''Not exactly'' Rakna replied without further exnation and the monster shouted angrily. "What is this?! Why won''t it heal?!" It yelled as its body seemingly tried to regenerate itself. Therge hole in its stomach was struggling to stitch itself but it would eventually seed. But on the other hand, the cut Sonata had inflicted upon its arm didn''t show any trace of recovery. "Give up," Rakna spoke up. "It''s my weapon''s curse. It won''t heal anytime soon." "You!" The rat''s face distorted for a second before it forcefully calmed itself down with a deep breath. Its uninjured w pushed the sses up which had not suffered even a crack. "All right, it seems myposure almost fell. It is indeed hard to control this grafted brain" Rakna scowled at the sudden switch in behavior. ''Looks like my hit shook its mind a bit. It''s unstable; a human mind stuffed into a rat''s skull and linked to ipatible organs...'' "It''s just my luck that an opponent like you would be myst," the rat huffed. "Oh well, I''ll be sure to have you pay me back with that body of yours." "yourst opponent, huh?" Rakna replied, without even humoring the creature''s carnality. "Why, yes. All the Grafted of teau Zero get to return to the System once they have umted enough kills in the Arena. Kekekeke, I''m excited beyond belief," it admitted with a maniacalugh before stopping. "Eh? Why did I just answer?" It tilted its head nkly like a faulty machine. Rakna didn''t say anything as Sonata sneakily vibrated in his hand. "Do you remember your name before being turned into a chimera?" He asked and the rat gave him a confused stare. "Of course, I do" It said then froze again. "Huh? Eh? What?" It started snapping its neck in every direction like it was experiencing some sort of internal malfunction. "Why did I answer again?" ''The Answererpels one to say the truth,'' Rakna thought. ''It does more than deny the ability to lie; it forces them to speak. This guy is too weak to resist it.'' "And what''s your name?" He asked in a casual tone. "Herts," the chimera promptly answered and its eyes narrowed. "You are the cause; how are you doing this?" ''As expected, it''s that bastard'' "{Who?}" Fray interjected. "{I have never heard of this person.}" ''It was before I met you. He''s a typical scum that was in the same batch of Hosts as me this year. He tried to get his hands on via during the Initiation. I would have normally killed him but I decided to err on the side of caution due to myck of information on the situation. And here I assumed he had died in some ditch though, you could say this is a worse fate.'' "{}" "You know what? You remind me of a hateful kid. Maybe I''ll just kill you after all," Herts suddenly said with a growl. His veins bulged and his arms began to morph into something longer; the bear ws bing sharper and more dexterous. "A hateful kid, huh?" Rakna almost chuckled at that. In the next instant, both of them had vanished from their respective spots. Sonata shed with one of the arms, which surprisingly managed to resist the sword''s sharpness, with only a small cut to show and no blood to be seen. ''Some sort of armor?'' The therian posited before stepping back as the second w came swinging at him from the side. ''It feels like hitting wood... He changed theposition of his body to something more durable than flesh how? And he''s even started using Reinforcement. But why can''t I sense any mana being used?'' They exchanged dozens of blows whilst navigating the fighting area, creating more than just a few marks on the walls. Rakna had already started using Sonata''s Blood Units to boost his statistics instead of mana. It wouldn''t hurt to save as much as possible until necessary. Triggering Ripple of Rupture around his arm, Rakna huffed and struck the chimera''s shoulder de with his elbow. The rat let out a breathless cry and he followed up with a precise thrust of his sword into one of the visible Focal Points near its heart. Herts'' chest quite literally imploded and he found himself lifted off the ground again. Ruthlessly, Rakna used sh Step to appear above him, and with a leg cloaked by Rift Shuttle and ripples of ki, he kicked his neck and hooked him before mming the chimera''s body against the floor. The material splintered and cracked under the shock, spreading to the walls. The masked therian calmlynded on his feet afterward, Herts letting out strangled noises as he tried to push his neck and spine back in ce. "It''s enough; you will never defeat me," Rakna stated with finality. He walked around his downed opponent and unceremoniously booted the rat''s neck back into ce. A dreadful crunch echoed in the room and Herts cried out in pain. "Aahh! You bitch!" He instantly roared, trying to stand back up, but to no avail. The attack that had torn his chest apart had been handed out by Sonata. Despite the dimensional damage diluting its effect, The Retaliator''s curse stopped him from regenerating. "How about you answer me this?" Unbothered, Rakna loomed over the former human and Herts shuddered. "How did you find yourself in Zero?" The rat visibly tried to hold itself back from replying, but the gap between itself and its questioner was far too big. "I-I was fooled After the Tutorial we were not invited by any of the official Guilds Kratos lured us to this teau!" "And turned you into one of these ''Grafted'' you spoke of," Rakna nodded in understanding, he was about to ask something else when a beep resounded. "| Competitor Ranka Valcroft, we advise you to mind your inquiries. |" The therian smiled furtively as the woman warned him. "I see," he said out loud and crouched next to the chimera. He clenched the rat''s skull as it thrashed about, effectively shutting its mouth. "Well, then, I suppose I shouldn''t test my luck. I''ll simply kill you," Rakna said as he roused his soul power and passively created a telepathic link with his enemy. "{I admit I was a bit annoyed when I had to let you go back then.}" The chimera''s eyes dted in confusion at that statement before it suddenly felt a gut-wrenching pain that was anything but physical. Herts seemed to have evolved enough to stay sane and control the strange power allowing him to regenerate. But, in exchange for that, it appeared that he had regained a fully-functioning soul with said power being contained inside as one entity. "{But luckily, you gave me a nice bit of info in return,}" Rakna added with a chuckle. "{Thank you and have fun in hell, teacher.}" "YOU--!" The chimera widened its eyes in recognition right before its head was crushed along with the pitifully weak soul sustaining the creature''s life. "| Final Wave. Cleared. |" Rakna stood up quietly as Herts'' corpse was quickly repatriated. ''Kratos abducts estranged Hosts after their Tutorial,'' he thought sourly as an exit opened for him. "{And turns them into this,}" Fray continued for him. "{I have never seen this before. They don''t feel like normal chimeras, undead, golems, or even homunculi. It''s as if their body is randomly put together for some purpose and then converted into apletely different kind of existence.}" ''I have a conjecture,'' Rakna narrowed his eyes, their color flickering. ''And I fucking hope I''m wrong.'' Bruh, I keep forgetting to schedule chapters after spending so much time without posting anything.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 327: Reconnaissance Chapter 327: Reconnaissance After Ranka left her assigned cubicle, Zasha slightly adjusted his sses while Bora began to shout in glee about the masked girl''s performance. While his employer continued to lose himself in his excitement, the mysterious bodyguard connected his holographic lenses to the camera feed before rewinding to something everyone seemed to have missed. When the womannded the first hit against the lower abdomen of the Grafted, a golden light had briefly escaped through the gaps of her eerie mask. Subsequently, her bodynguage, despite how suppressed it was, had exposed some amount of surprise and shock. Then, Zasha listened to the conversation that followed. ''This girl knew this Grafted''s identity. But thetter was one we picked up this year. The only way for her to meet him is if she was also a new Host at the same time But her level is allegedly near 200. I also didn''t see any profile matching her in the n''s records about this year''s draft'' He secretly grinned and dipped down his hat. ''Interesting. Ranka Hm, an anagram? Hah, wouldn''t that be a nice surprise?'' He thought and nced at Bora. ''well, who cares. This teau''s usefulness has run its course anyway. If someone is willing to do the cleaning, why not? I need to ry this to that guy'' With that verdict, Zasha quietly left the room. ? * * * ? "| Xiorra |" Hans'' voice sounded through Eye of Symphony as Rakna walked into the hall of Arena Zero, a ce that served as the building''s entrance all across its circumference and amodated several relevant services, for leisure and resting included. ''I hear you,'' the therian responded mentally as he handed his scorecard to a staff member of the Arena for them to update it. "| I found it, |" the author''s dry and blunt statement made him pause. ''I assume you mean that you located the Terminal?'' "| Yes. I am sure you can gather my current coordinates with this little thing, right? |" Rakna replied with a hum, as he had indeed already tracked his position. ''Anyway, how is it?'' ? * * * ? "less than desirable," Hans answered as he sat near a vending machine, sipping on a can of coffee with his eyes closed. He opened one eye and furtively nced at the building on the opposite side of the street. It was a moderatelyrge property, but nothing grandpared to everything else. The outside seemed to paint the establishment as some sort of high-end brothel, but it was mostly a cover. The Terminal was located below it and severalpetent guards upied it. "It is rtively well guarded," he continued, whispering to the small bug under his cor. "To the regr folk, that is. A few Second Ascents, some Third and Fourth Ascents, and then one Fifth and Sixth Ascent. Thetter is a substantial threat, but otherwise, you should be able to infiltrate alone without much noise. They do not have the skill set necessary to stop me, much less you." "| I see I''ll go check it out in a moment. What about your ''other issue''? |" Hans grunted and stood up, walking away from the building to avoid suspicion. "In all honesty, I am unsure. I felt something yesterday. I do not know what or who, and it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, but it was there." "| Do you think someone''s onto us? |" "There is no point wondering. At the moment, my only option is to stay passive and isted. Either way, the fallback will end up being the same. We cannot retreat now. Returning afterward would be an incredibly precarious idea. We get this done soon, or we fail." "| alright. I have a new role for you. Firstly, when you get the chance, verify the identity of a man close to Bora Quaso. A bodyguard wearing a suit and sunsses, with razor-sharp hair and scales around his neck. Both Nyx and I think he is one of the Scorpions. The Eion bug I sent to you should be able to guide you. Once Eye of Symphony gets a visual on the cameras, the pill bug will start blinking and you just have to head in the direction it reacts. Your Cursive Insight is less forceful than my Sight, so it would be better if you were the one to check. |" Hans quietly nced at the miniature robot with an impressed eye. "Quite a nice device" "| Other than that, forget about the Abyss creatures for now, and gather information on something called the ''Grafted''. Abel for some sort of human experimentationb product. |" "Oh, I believe I saw it earlier," the author mused, inly unperturbed by the concept. "It should not be a problem. I will contact you back after I take a deeper look into it." "| Understood, |" Rakna acquiesced and hung up. With the Eion bug retreating inside his clothes, Hans opened the archives in his mind. As if a bird flying across a library, he searched for the right book and flipped its pages. "Hm a morgue," he muttered and his eyes shifted to the side. "Now, where was it?" He muttered to himself and headed into a different alley. ? * * * ? "Ranka!" Cutting the call with Hans, Rakna lifted his head to see Rita approaching him. He sighed softly and pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against. "Took you some time," he uttered and the girl smiled. "You were waiting for me?" She asked happily. "Something more along the lines of checking if you were still alive or not," he deadpanned. "Hey! That''s not nice!" She huffed and crossed her arms. "Not everyone is like you. I can''t bulldoze everything. I heard on my way out that you even had the leisure to talk with thest monster. Are you crazy?" "my curiosity was piqued," Rakna replied sinctly and left it at that. "More importantly, do you have enough credits now for your goal?" "Eh?" The short-haired woman blinked in surprise. "How did you know?" "It''s obvious. You''re certainly not participating for the thrill of it. The desperation with which you fought in the first round was real. Other than being a willing participant or beingpelled to, the natural motivation would be the prizes; you want credits." Rita opened her mouth to speak but swiftly closed it and pursed her lips. She looked down bitterly and slowly nodded. "So? How much do you need?" She bit her lip and answered, "Half a million I''mcking more than three hundred thousand." Rakna scowled. For what did she need that much money? Does she have a debt in Zero? Or is she being ckmailed? Regardless, that many credits would require 300 million Talys to buy normally. It was true that Zero''s credits could be bought and sold for Talys, but those two actions hadpletely different ratios. Selling was 1:1. Buying, 1:2. In other words; 600 million. ''I guess I can''t help her on that front Hans is wealthy from his writing, but most of his fortune is in the Pavilion''s Bank. And that''s something we can''t ess in this teau. Kratos figured out how to crack personal wallets, but certainly not the Pavilion'' After some thought, he spoke up, "Pass me your scorecard." "Huh? Why?" "Don''t worry, I''m not going to steal it or anything." Rita hesitatingly pulled out her card and handed it to him. He grabbed it and proceeded to press his own against it. A transfer confirmation popped up on the object and he used his fingerprint to allow it. Promptly, his entire bnce, a hundred thousand credits, was wired into Rita''s card. He handed it back to her who was gobsmacked at what she just had seen. "With that, you onlyck about two hundred thousand, no? If you manage to get through the third round, ourbined earnings might be enough to reach your goal." Her expression went through several swings. Her mind couldn''t keep up. She eventually snapped out of it. "W-wait! I c-can''t--!" "Shush. Keep your ethics to yourself. I don''t care about those things," Rakna cut her off and put his card back in his pocket while Rita stepped back blinking as if she had just been struck. "Well, once again, see you tomorrow. Don''t die," he said airily and left the Arena''s building. The young girl was left behind, dumbly staring at her card. After a while, her stupor copsed and she chuckled wryly. "They really do exist, huh? Those kinds of people" She uttered and clenched the card tightly. ? * * * ? "[Reflect My Reality, Antanasia,]" Rakna intoned as the sound of ss shattering echoed and he disappeared from teau Zero''s root dimensions. In the blink of an eye, he found himself inside the mirror world. "All right, let''s get this over with," he muttered and unfurled his wings. He rushed back inside the mirror version of the Arena, flying past or through the hazy ghosts representing people outside of Enthymio. The first thing he did was check the VIP room he suspected Bora to be in. He went back inside the main core of the arena, where several participants were still fighting the Grafted, and simply used Sonata to cut through the walls; they barely had any resistance in Antanasia. When he broke into his destination, he recognized the fat figure of Bora Quaso but frowned when he noticed that the potential Scorpion wasn''t there. ''Well, this isn''t too bad. It''s Hans who will check his race, and honestly, I''m still a bit nervous that a person perceptive enough could sense me through the dimensions thest and first Scorpion I saw was hiding in them, after all,'' he thought and nced at a reflective surface big enough for him to materialize into the room. '''' "{are you thinking what I think you''re thinking right now?}" ''maybe?'' "{Don''t.}" ''yeah, for once, I suppose I''ll listen to you,'' Rakna snorted. ''It''s too risky to pop in here with all these bodyguards ready to jump me at the first sign of hostility,'' he thought matter-of-factly and headed for the private exit that Bora takes to leave the Arena. "{The fact you even entertained the idea is frankly scary,}" Fray sighed. Rakna smiled faintly and arrived at the elevator reserved for Bora''s exclusive use. He put his hand on the ss wall of the contraption and when he made sure no one was nearby, he shifted out of the dimensions back into the original one. He breathed out as his body was relieved from the pressure of the dimensional force. He looked around for a few seconds before crouching and extending his hand toward a corner. A few insects of the same type as the ones he had nted on the participants of the Arena emerged from under his sleeve and crawled up the walls where they blended in with the colors like chameleons. "This should be enough preparation for Bora," Rakna muttered and stood up. "Now, thest thing to do is check out the Terminal''s location," he added and swiftly vanished into Antanasia again. Chapter 328: Spawn of Pandora Chapter 328: Spawn of Pandora Inside a gloomy morgue located under a hospital of Zero, strangely hidden from sight and locked with several codes he had to peruse, Hans dragged open one of thepartments housing a dead body. His eyes narrowed as they inspected the creature grafted with various discordant body parts. "I cannot get a clear read," he muttered with some hint of surprise in his voice. "But it could not be unless some power inside these things has a firm rejection of time and fate?" "Did you find something?" A voice echoed behind him and the author almost broke character due to the suddenness of it. He sullenly looked over his shoulder to see Nyx emerge from the shadows of the murky room and nce at the Grafted''s body. "even Xiorra must have issues sensing you," Hans uttered and the only thing she did in response was smile faintly. He huffed and pointed at the cold corpse. "This here; a Grafted,beled that way by Kratos. This one specifically has its structureposed of exactly 16 different creatures. Like the others of its kind, the coreponent is a Host. A human one in this case, as well." "Estimated physical attributes; 50," he added whilst prodding the body with a scalpel lying nearby. "These chimeras have three evolution stages named ''nk'', ''Gray'', and ''ck''. Thetter signifies they have reformed their soul and mind after conversion. Interestingly enough, they retain their capability as Hosts. This specific one died as a Level 1, however." "In the Arena, right?" Nyx remarked and he nodded. "I was watching the broadcast earlier; these Grafted are being tested through the fights in thepetition, aren''t they?" "That would be the most rational theory. This is all I can ''read'' from this point." Nyx quietly nodded and walked to the other side of the morgue tray. She hovered her hand above the Grafted with her eyes closed, Hans scowling at her. He could feel her gather her divinity, then pour it out through her palm. It was an innovative scanning method, he admitted. After a short moment, her breath shortened and she pulled her hand back with widened eyes. "It''s not possible no, technically, it could be done" She muttered disbelievingly. Hans raised an eyebrow. "Something I should know?" "ever heard of the Spawn of Pandora?" The goddess said gravely. The author''s expression twitched and looked back at the Grafted. "Are you telling me that?" She nodded and sighed. "Rakna''s not going to like this" ? * * * ? "| what? |" Rakna uttered emotionlessly, even managing to send a shiver down Hans'' spine who was listening through themunicator after Nyx encouraged him to be the one to exin. ''That girl scammed me'' The author grumbled internally and sighed. "You heard it right, Xiorra. The thing that is powering those Grafted is Pandora''s Curse. A term made to refer to the alien-like energy harnessed by the Tra." "| |" Hans decided to continue after hearing nothing but silence, "I do not know if you are aware, but a Tras is born from an umtion of aura leaked by living beings. Mana and minde together to create these creatures of no set shape or race." "They are born with twisted bodies, based on all sorts of animals of which the image was extracted from the mental residues used in their creation. Only those of extreme power have a clear shape. I have heard of a Tras no different than a rabbit capable of killing Gods." "The one factor that enables such a creation to ur is called Pandora''s Curse," Hans repeated. "It is quite literally a curse cast on the world itself by Pandora so that these things can see the light of the day. In conclusion, someone somehow sublimated the Curse and injected it into bodies with various types of residual aura and mind; effectively engendering artificial Tra." "Interestingly enough, or perhaps terrifyingly, the Grafted can be considered Half-Human, Half-Tras once they reach a point of their evolution where their soul and spirit are revived. Souls are not something Tra possess, after all. Their power does not even rely on mana. Who knows what would happen if they were to be connected to Magic Circuits? In turn, I realize now that they must have needed Zero to properly engineer these things without the ''World'' interfering." "| |" "Xiorra?" Hans scowled and gave a side nce at Nyx who shook her head. "Are you still here?" "| I am, |" the reply came in snappily. It was still unceremoniously cold, but instead of a nk tone, what the author could hear was suppressed anger. "| Thank you for informing me I had a hunch and it unfortunately was right. Do you have a method to get rid of them? |" "As in a weakness? Well, their soul makes for one already," Hans nodded to himself. "Normal Tra do not possess one, so that is evidently an angle to consider, as you probably already know. Other than that? There are chances they cannot survive for long in an environment with Magic Circuits, so it would suggest that not only do they have a limited lifespan, but the process will also speed up if they use their Curse to fight." "| I see. Good job. Now that we know the stakes, I can''t waste any more time. The only people who could possibly do what you just told me should be other Tra. If that''s true, there are high chances something like an Abyss Tras is involved. |" Hans raised an eyebrow as he heard the spike of vitriol in thatst mention. He would have to ask the woman who trapped him in this call for an exnation afterward. "| Those things should be avoided. One might have seen you already. |" "Indeed," Hand could only agree. "That feeling might have possibly been a Tras. It would justify why I have not been able to detect it. My Cursive Insight cannot pierce through their fate for they do not have one." "| And therefore, all the more reason to end this as fast as possible. I''ll be moving tomorrow to kill Bora then directly head to the Terminal. I checked its location in Antanasia, and as I feared, the reflection didn''t appear, so make do with what you have. Nyx, I want you to stay with Hans for now in case you arepromised, but when I call you, please be ready to join me. I already have ns to set up a distraction, so your support might be needed. |" The goddess nodded as she heard the instruction through her own device. "| And Hans, only clear the defenses around the Terminal at my signal. I''ll be sending you another Eion Bot carrying the item Eva gave me to hijack the teau. Use it when you can. |" "that is a tall order," the author uttered and repositioned his sses. "But, understood. I will try my best." "| Good, if you struggle, Nyx and I wille to help you. Before that, try buying some credits, and use them to trade exit crystals. If we''re backed up into a corner, we''ll use those to flee. Otherwise, assuming they will cease to work once the teau is recovered, we''ll System-transfer out of here or use my wings if the situation gets out of control. |" ""Understood,"" Nyx and Hans replied at the same time and before they knew it, their leader had cut the call short. They looked at each other and breathed out. "That was nerve-wracking," the author groused. "Mind telling me why ourmon friend seems to have a bone to pick against the Tra?" The former goddess shook her head. "I only heard about it. But if you want the short version, you do remember the crystal mausoleum back at home, right?" Hans'' eyes widened in realization. He had restrained to ''read'' those graves. Even him has a bottom line and prying, out of curiosity, into the secrets of a cemetery personally erected by Rakna wasn''t something that sat right with him. "The cause of all their deaths was an Abyss Tras." ? * * * ? Some distance away in the streets of Zero, a deathly quiet Rakna walked through the crowd which rapidly made way for him. None of them wanted to mess with someone who was projecting the shape of an intimidating aura despite the restriction of the teau. "{Don''t go summoning Phobos'' aura on a moody swing,}" Fray chastised, even if he did sympathize with the cause of his anger. "{It won''t do you any good.}" ''I know,'' Rakna responded evenly. ''But this just so happens to have turned into a personal thing.'' "{this Tras is not the one you encountered. Verias is dead; remember it well. Vile their race may be, are you telling me that you will react this way every time you see one of them?}" ''Yes,'' the therian said without hesitation and the fabulist didn''t know what to say. ''I will do it until I''m satisfied. I''m not going to bother with objectivity on an enemy that doesn''t deserve it. They die and that''s it.'' Fray sighed. "{As you wish. It is not my ce to tell you how to deal with hated foes. And I know you are intelligent enough not to let it blind you. At least I hope so. These Tra are probably far less affected by ack of World than Hosts. Do you think you can beat a creature in the same ss as Verias while at their full power?}" ''I will avoid that urrence if anything. The n is to get things done fast and bail out.'' "{But something has spotted Hans, right? What if they intervene as soon as you act?}" Rakna fell silent for a moment and paused his steps. ''If that happens'' He started to answer when the image of Kaelith making him promise to be careful shed in his mind. He gritted his teeth and continued, ''We''ll just have to see how things go.'' Chapter 329: King Gulon Chapter 329: King Gulon The next day, sometime before the start of the Arena''s third round, Rakna quietly listened to what the bugs he had sneaked into the spectating room were perceiving. [| Where is Zasha? |] Bora''s voice asked. [| I don''t know, sir. He hasn''t contacted me about anything. |] [|Tch, what''s that bastard doing now |] ''Zasha, huh? Is that the guy I couldn''t find yesterday?'' Rakna thought. [| What about that Rita girl''s brother? Have you properly contacted the seller? |] The therian froze at the sudden mention. "{Uh oh}" Fray couldn''t help but utter. [| It was done. They received the order not to sell him at any cost. It took some convincing since the boy was a valuable subject with a Nirvana Skill. I had topensate them adequately. |] [| Good enough. I don''t know why that other woman decided to give her credits, but it will for sure be hrious once I tell her how useless her help was, hahaha! Bring her to me when she tries to get her brother back. Drag her to me if it''s needed. |] [| understood. |] ''Fray, I think I will enjoy getting rid of this one,'' Rakna stated indifferently and the author chuckled wryly in response. "{Well, I will certainly not stop you. So? They bit the ''bait''. How will you take advantage of it?}" ''I have an idea. But for now,'' he trailed and his eyes'' lenses slid open. ''Search for Rita''s brother and every other ve market in Zero. Hack them, identify them, andpile it,'' he ordered and let Eye of Symphony run the program in the background as he was called up by the announcer. The third round was nothing more than a series of duels. Honestly, he was quite curious about what the other four rounds would be, but he had no reason to stretch his stay for that long. He was already in a state of uncertainty, after all. Waiting was a bad idea. When Raknanded on the tform, which was essentially the same as the one on the first day, except for itsrger size, his opponent followed suit. "Ah, what a coincidence," hemented with a small sarcastic undertone as the shark-man from the first day faced him stoically. "Cura, was it? How much was it?" "half a million," the shark answered casually as he reached for the strange greatsword strapped to his back. "To break your mask." Rakna smiled internally. "How quaint. I guess some pig expects me toe begging to him on my knees," he spoke with a short-lived chuckle that his opponent almost mirrored. "Well then, Cura, how about this? If you unmask me, I will surrender. Since we don''t need to kill each other for this round you might get lucky." Cura tightened his grip on his weapon and narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?" He voiced slowly and let out a small grin afterward. "Fine by me. I''m rather curious myself of what you look like." "Well then, you''ll have to work for it, won''t you?" Rakna quipped and drew Sonata with the whistle of metal apanying it. "| Cura An Vs Ranka Valcroft. Ready? 3, 2, 1 |" Rakna''s foot dug into the ground right before the end of the countdown and his opponent did the same as he held his weapon with both hands. "| Fight! |" Bothbatants cracked the ground they stood on and disappeared only to fade back into view in the middle of the arena where their weapons shed. Then, from each of their hilts, a shapeless power erupted and fought for domination. The surge of Spiritual Intent produced a powerful shockwave that forced a dozen or so spectating participants to take off into the air. The audience too wasn''t spared, but the distance had turned the shockwave into no more than a strong gust of wind. Rakna winced as he felt the force of the blow shake his entire arm. He deflected the ded mass of steel Cura used as a greatsword and squinted his eyes when he saw that a full-power oscition of Sonata had barely made a scratch on the weapon. He had already activated Lifeblood Rage and boosted his statistics to the maximum, but it wasn''t enough to match his opponent''s physical prowess. ''Looks like using mana for this fight is inevitable,'' Rakna thought and promptly reinforced his body as well as poured mana into his de, activating the Mana Oscition. He then exchanged a couple of blows against Cura and created the same number of trenches in the arena''s ground. The shark man frowned as he sensed the mana flowing out, as well as the chip in his weapon. In a heartbeat, he didn''t hesitate to emte the masked woman''s actions. In less than a second, their movements had be at least two times faster and more powerful. Rakna deviated the strange sword for what felt like the hundredth time and scowled as he felt Sonata''s spark of ego somehowin to him about it. At the same time, he jumped back right before Cura mmed a fist where he stood and shook the whole hanging tform. ''There''s no way it''s going tost,'' Rakna thought as he looked up to see the metal cords linking the tform to the ceiling. ''I wonder if it''s like a small event to see this thing copse...'' ''Well, that aside,'' he focused on Sonata as it rattled in his grip. ''Every time we sh weapons, it''s as if that greatsword eats my Intent and mana even the Eion and Blood Units,'' he narrowed his eyes and used Crystal Sight on that weapon. ''King Gulon? A creature born to eat that thing''s alive,'' he extracted the information he needed and then caught a glimpse of one more thing right when Cura lifted his weapon from a distance. "[Devour, Gulon,]" he intoned and the des of the greatsword turned into tentacles, their color fading into pristine white. Sharp scales grew everywhere and a mouth opened at the tip. Arge ck tongue stuck out and licked its lips before starting to inhale strongly. Rakna widened his eyes as he was forced to plunge Sonata into the ground to resist the attractioning from the living weapon. ''That thing it''s eating air and literal space,'' he thought in shock as he saw the surroundings around Cura bend as if the world was being stretched. "{A Gulon is a Legendary-ss Creature an extinct one, as far as I knew. This ''King'' probably is thest surviving member of its species,}" Fray said in awe. "{I never expected to see one here.}" After a moment, the Gulon closed its mouth and seemed to be chewing. "[Swallow,]" Cura uttered and an audible gulp echoed. Then, energy erupted around him, pouring from his weapon''s handle to his other hand, which he pointed at Rakna. "[Release,]" he said, and with a booming sound, a spiraling sphereposed of several different kinds of energy formed and shot out as a beam. ''Blood Energy, Mana, Ki, Spatial Energy, Eion, Wind, Intent, Metal, Spirit,'' Rakna listed the energies he could recognize from the attack in a split second. ''This feels like an iplete form of via''s Chaos Magic,'' he thought. He was impressed but he was certainly not going to let it hit him. It was too fast and space-bending to be dodged with any fast-movement skill, so he only had one choice. "[Rift Shuttle,]" he hurriedly coated himself in Dimensional Force and focused it all on Sonata. He then concentrated Crystal Sight on the iing threat and thrust his sword. But the target of his attack was not the wave of energy itself. The sound of ss breaking echoed, drowned by the Gulon''s attack, and Sonata''s de sunk into a fissure in dimensions. Visible cracks in the fabric of space spread rapidly as Rakna poured more and more Dimensional Energy into it. Then, the wave of chaotic energy struck against the veil of cracks. Some of it infiltrated the cracks and widened them, while the rest split into several stray rays of energy. It struck the ceiling, the ground, the walls, and the grid in front of the spectators who scrambled away screaming. The hanging tform started swinging and one of the cords on Rakna''s side snapped, followed by the second one. But, before the arena could tilt in his direction, the others broke simultaneously. In the span of barely a few seconds, numerous explosions had damaged Arena Zero and injured a least a dozen people in its wake, and the entire fighting tform copsed in a deluge of stone and steel. A surge of dust swallowed the area for a short moment and when it was cleared, both Rakna and Cura stood straight on top of the debris, nothing more than a bit dirtied by everything. The Gulon stuck out its tongue and licked some of the overheated rocks nearby and the remnants of dimensional energy. "This is the first time I see someone counter Gulon like that," the shark man admitted as he shouldered the voracious creature. "Shattering the bonds between dimensions to create a buffer incredible disy. However, that will not work anymore," he said as his weapon made something akin to a grin and produced ss-shattering sounds. Rakna remained silent; it was unsure if he even acknowledged the words of his opponent. Without a sound, he simply lowered his posture and gripped Sonata with a different stance. Using both his hands and angling the edge toward the path of an upward swing. Cura tightened his expression and sharpened his senses for what was toe. Then, everything happened too fast for him to follow. In one instant, the masked woman opposite of him made no obvious movements, but then, her legs blurred like a thousand ovepped illusions, and finally, she whispered something and vanished in the blink of an eye. If it wasn''t for his acute sense of danger and Gulon''s suddenly trying to pull him away, he would have been beheaded by the strident osciting de that scraped his neck. Acting on pure reflex, he urgently stepped back and swung his weapon with all his might at his aggressor. But to his shock, all it took to stop Gulon was a blurry palm strike. He felt a rippling force spread through the legendary creature''s body and then shake his hand. One thing was sure; he was vastly outmatched in martial prowess. Rakna followed up with one thrust toward his chest and he reacted by coating his free hand with mana and Intent and punching the sword''s tip. One more indiscriminate shockwave cleared out the ground and Cura grimaced as he felt the de dig into his knuckle. He gritted his teeth and invoked a fake aura; overcharging himself with mana and discharging it outward. With a scowl, Rakna rode the wave and opened his eyes wide when he saw Cura heft King Gulon and feed it copious amounts of Intent and mana. ''Sonata!'' He shouted in his mind and the sword began to glow azure. Onmand, three different types of energies erupted from the Soul Weapon''s handle to shroud the de. Sonata overpowered theck of World and forcefully manifested them. Holy, Demonic, and Star Energy coalesced from within Rakna''s soul and formed a tri-colored star, of ck, white, and blue. "[All-Devouring Pharos,]" Cura uttered and swung Gulon; a spiral of countless energies encased in a sh of mana and Sword Intent shot out. "[Crescent]" Rakna whispered and the light of Sonata shone stronger. "[Of A Falling Star,]" he intoned andunched his own attack. It first started as a small four-pointed multi-colored light before it expanded into a massive helix in the blink of an eye. The two attacks shed and a noise akin to thunder roared, followed by the literal deprivation of air in the atmosphere, and ultimately ended in a pir of unbending energy that shook the entire Arena. Fun fact, for designing Cura, I was at first like okay, lets go with a merfolk since I alluded to them but didnt really portray them in full. . Then, I was lets make him strong either a whale or a shark. And I went for the shark, cuz I had no idea how to make a humanoid whale. . And finally, I wanted to give him a strong weapon capable of resisting Sonata. I went through several ideas and then ended up thinking oh, what about a living weapon?!. . Several paragraphs down the line afterward, I made it able to eat energies and in the middle of the chap, I stopped and just stared at the screen wait, thats just Kisame. What the fuck? . Welp, I dont care enough to change it.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 330: "Sometimes, its too easy." Chapter 330: "Sometimes, it''s too easy." From within the maelstrom of detonating power, a silhouette was ejected at blinding speeds. The person in question groaned as they barreled through the air. Rakna felt his body fix the broken parts and rece the missing pieces of flesh. The one that hade out defeated out of Sonata and Gulon''s sh was him. At the end of the day, the Crescent of a Fallen Star was indeed one of his weapon''s strongest offensive perks, but King Gulon''s sheer raw power far outssed it. ''Tch, that thing really is a problem,'' the therian thought as he activated Andante. His gloves let out an azure glow and threads of Eion were strung out from the tips of his fingers. Theytched to the ground and even the flying debris around and forcefully braked his momentum. With a spin, Rakna disengaged the strings andnded on the ground with one hand on the ground before breathing out. Without wasting time, he extended his hand and Sonata flew out of the cloud of smoke into his grip. He immediately felt the passive perks exert their influence again, raising his stats. And above all, the walls of fading energy and dust hid him from view. Which meant no one could see Sonata. Rakna''s agility burst at nearly double its base value with thisbination of conditions, the blood of the Skulking Angel inside his sword granting him their kind''s speed. He rushed into the clouded epicenter and located Cura with Crystal Sight. Then, he triggered Enthymio Step once again. His foot stepped into another dimension and in the blink of an eye, he found himself a few feet behind his target. Hemanded Sonata to switch to a greatsword and then used its air maniption to boost the swing. If his opponent had been a mediocre one, Rakna would have won right then and there. However, his attack was stopped by a barehand. He smiled under his mask as the short blow had cleared the dust in their direct surroundings. The sight of an anthropomorphic shark head was presented to him. Cura''s stature had increased by at least four meters, his top straining under the bulging muscle mass, and his equallyrge hand was clutching Sonata. It''s not as if he was blocking the de with his skin. No; he waspletely shutting down Rakna''s strength by holding the t of the de with his fingers alone. As for his other hand, the shark was holding a simrly erged King Gulon, that was menacingly licking its lips. "looks like this is my limit," Rakna muttered, much to his opponent''s confusion. "What do you mean? Don''t lie to me. I can tell you can still go much further." "Perhaps," the therian uttered and deftly pulled Sonata before stepping back. "But it goes against my goals, sadly. Not to mention that I have no idea how far you can push me. So, how about it, Cura An? While no one can see us" He trailed and red his soul power, ready to ''sign'' a contract. "How about we make a deal?" Cura frowned and listened to what the masked woman had to say. ? * * * ? Rita was stunned in ce, huddling close to a corner of the arena, much like the other participants who preferred not to have to deal with stray attacks, which honestly made them wonder if Kratos put them in the vicinity of the fighters to see if some of them would die from it. That aside, Rita felt short of breath as she watched Ranka and Cura battle. She knew her new friend was strong, but the full scale of it never hit her as hard as it did when she saw the twobatants exchange blows faster than she could see and subsequently set off explosions of energy that had no right to exist in a ce like teau Zero. ''If these two can make this kind of effect here how strong would they be outside?'' She wondered silently in shock. Then, thetest collision of attacks overtook the arena and she had to shield her eyes because of it. Strangely, after that particr sh, everything quieted down; only the sound of stone crushed to dust, falling like sand from debris to debris. This silence stretched on for longer than normal and no one could tell what was happening due to the thick screens of fading energy and powder. As Rita was starting to get worried, the chime of steel rang loudly and everything was cleared up by a new shockwave. The moment she finally got to see the two fighters, being short of breath didn''t cut it anymore to describe her reaction; her lungs stopped working altogether. Ranka emerged for all to see and her mask fell to the ground in front of her. In that single instant, the echo of it traversed each and every man and woman in the room as if it was the loudest thing on the arena''s premises. They were captivated beyond words. Her unmasked beauty blindsided them all. Pale skin that highlighted the purple shade of her eyes and its elegantshes, a facial structure as if carved by a god, a cold demeanor of regal taste, and a healthy hint of pink due to the exertion of the fight. This was not an appearance that made one go mad, it was a stifling one. For they couldn''t possibly do anything, lest they regret even staining the image with themselves. "Well then" Ranka spoke up calmly, her enchanting voice even more clear without obstruction, and virtuallypelling the listener to stare at her lips. "As per my word, this is your victory," she dered and used her foot to flip her mask into her hand. "You fought well, Cura An," with those words, she slipped her mask back on and started walking away. "I surrender," she added, almost as an afterthought, as she neared the exit of the arena. Everyone she approached stepped away to make a path for her. "| Match Over. Victory goes to Cura An, |" the announcer broadcasted. The man in question had already slung King Gulon to his back, thetter reverting into its unwieldy state of a thick multi-ded greatsword. The shark man, simrly back to his human form rather than his anthropomorphic one, stared at his distancing opponent for a moment before hiking over the damages of their fight to simply lean against a wall. Without any further action or even sound on his part, thepetition would resume. "what just happened?" Rita muttered dumbfoundedly. She almost didn''t notice the small nce that the masked woman meaningfully threw at her before leaving. She snapped out of it and while everyone else was seemingly recovering from the shock, she nervously skipped after Ranka when she was able to confirm that she wouldn''t be fighting next. ? * * * ? Rakna retrieved the score card he had given one of Kratos'' staff behind the counter and he could see that they were gazing at him in both awe and confusion. The former was predictable but thetter was most likely because of the number currently disyed on his card. ''That went rather well,'' he thought nonchntly as he beheld his point count. He then raised his head to look at Rita making her way toward him. Before she even had the chance to say anything, he extended his open hand toward her. "Eh?" She blinked in surprise. "Your card," he urged her and sheplied without questions. Once again, he linked it to his own and gave it back to her. The young girl''s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets when she saw the new number. Just like that, her wealth had increased by two hundred thousand points, enough to reach her goal. "B-b-but, how?!" Rakna quieted her down with a wave of his hand. "I made a deal. As simple as that. Now be on your way. You got what you needed, right? Drop out of this inane death battle and do what you must." "I" Rita was speechless. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears and she bowed. "Thank you" She spoke with a trembling voice. "No matter what, I swear to repay you." In response, the disguised therian simply hummed reassuringly. "Don''t worry too much. I helped you on a whim," he said and silently apologized to her. In the back of his mind, he was focusing on the voice that he came to hate due to how grating it was. Bora Quaso was both in a maddened and excited state after ''his'' face was revealed. He was aroused beyond reason apparently, but on the other hand, he seemed extremely displeased to have not been able to take advantage of a moment of weakness to capture the target of his interest. [| Tch, she''s gone and I don''t have someone strong enough to tame her. Zasha had to be away now out of all times. And that damn fish, who told him he was allowed to make a deal? Bah, whatever, he did his job in a way. I''ll keep that woman forter, I''ll be sure to enjoy her thoroughly. |] Rakna bid goodbye to Rita as she ran off happily and narrowed his eyes as he continued to listen through his wiretaps. [| She has already given the points to that other girl, right? She''ll do fine to entertain me for a few days. As soon as she goes to buy her brother, bring her to me. I''m already bored of the Arena this week. |] ''How predictable of you'' Rakna thought viciously. ''Sometimes, it''s too easy,'' he snorted to himself and exited the Arena. In the next few hours, everything would be over. The result, however not even he could have predicted it. Chapter 331: "Fight." Chapter 331: "Fight." "You can''t make the transaction?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Rita banged her hand on the table with an enraged expression. The man on the other side of it merely scowled at her in return. "I advise you not to do anything stupid," he warned calmly. "And it''s as I said, this transaction is not valid anymore. Your brother has already been acquired by someone else." She clenched her fists, "Who is it? I''ll take him back from them." The man sighed. "Why don''t you ask the person in question yourself? They have left an escort in our establishment exclusively for you," he said and Rita widened her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. A sickening feeling rose in her stomach; something was wrong. Someone bought her brother, not for his Nirvana Skill, but her. She was the one being targeted. ''Why would no,'' she mped down on her thoughts. She had no choice, regardless. "Bring me to those people," she spat to the ve dealer before her and he smiled jeeringly. "They are right behind those doors, diligently waiting for you," he replied and she bit her lip. With onest re at the man, she turned around and exited the private meeting room. When she walked out, she was swiftly surrounded by a group of men in light armor. The man who stood at the forefront gave her an emotionless stare. "Follow," he uttered and turned his back to her. He began to head for the building''s exit and Rita could onlyply; escape was impossible. "Where are you taking me?" She tried to ask confidently, but the anxiety she felt inside couldn''t be hidden as much as she had hoped. The guide answered her question without even looking at her, "Zone 1." It took her a short moment to fully understand the implications of that revtion. teau Zero''s map was divided into numbered Zones, with each possessing specific departments. Such as Zone 3 and 6 which dealt with human trafficking and prostitution, or Zone 12 for gambling. Zone 1, however, was reserved for Kratos'' headquarters and the residence of one person alone. ''Bora Quaso'' Rita silently sputtered in shock-ridden dread, before it was quickly overtaken by pure fury. She tightened her fists until they whitened and considered making a run for it. She had heard plenty of times of what happened to the women who caught that frivolous pig''s attention. ''Should I run?'' The thought crossed her mind for a second, but she immediately chastised herself for it. Not only did she have no chance to defeat her ''escort'', but she would also be cementing her little brother''s fate in stone. Without a choice, she followed indignantly, desperately trying to clear her mind of what was going to happen to her. ? * * * ? At the same time, Hans strolled through the streets of Zone 6, idling about until Rakna gave them the signal to move. He was taking the same route for the third time when something blinking in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He stiffened and nced at the Eion pill bug blinking dangerously fast. Despite himself, the author couldn''t help but be apprehensive. If he understood correctly, the speed at which it was blinking could only mean one thing. With a stealthy frown, he raised his head and gazed forward, filtering out the irrelevant faces of the crowd until his eyes locked onto the target of his search. His eyebrow twitched when the tale of the individual opened up to him. Hans exhibited a terrible amount of self-control as he continued to walk unperturbed, going as far as passing right next to the man, with barely a meter separating them. The author narrowed his eyes a bit before approaching the shadows of an alley. "Be alert," he spoke up, to both the small automaton hidden under his clothes as well as the moving shadows on the ground. "That Zasha is an Eighth-Ascent Scorpion," he uttered and the darkness twisted as if startled. "He is heading back to Zone 1, Xiorra." ? * * * ? Rakna''s expression twitched as he heard Hans'' warning through Eye of Symphony. ''He really had toe out now A level 800 Nine-Tailed Scorpion, huh? That''s bad,'' he thought grimly. ''I couldn''t find him yesterday and he reappeared now? Is it a coincidence? Regardless, I can''t stop now.'' "{I''m not sure that is wise}" Fray remarked. "{At this rate, there is a high chance you will have to fight the Scorpion after killing Bora. Not to mention, the result of such an encounter aside, it will attract the attention of the entire teau. The whole of Kratos'' forces will hound you down. There probably aren''t many people here higher than level 700, but there are hundreds of Fifth Ascents and lower capable of overwhelming you.}" ''Why do you think I made that deal with Cura?'' Rakna retorted as he stepped on the edge of the roof he was standing on. He looked down and spotted Rita being led to Bora''s residence. He then eyed one of the Arena''s entrances where the shark-man was probably awaiting his cue. ''I lose my mask willingly in exchange for half the credits he got to do it. In addition, I agree to forfeit and fight him outside of Zero, and he helps me distract Kratos from both Hans and myself.'' "{I still don''t understand that part, honestly,}" Fray uttered. "{Why would he agree? There''s almost nothing in it for him, if anything at all.}" ''It''s simple. That guy was fighting for the sake of it,'' Rakna answered matter-of-factly. ''If I had to guess, his only goal is to get stronger. That''s it. And he most likely wishes to fight unique people like me so he can feed King Gulon with various types of ''food''. So, I promised him a fight. And he even gets the bonus reward of battling Kratos itself. To him, it must sound like a suitable challenge.'' "{should I praise or criticize you? You have a frightening ir for scouting entric people} The masked therian snorted at that and slowly began to draw Sonata. He focused on the group of guards surrounding Rita and squinted his eyes when he saw that they were turning into a pretty isted intersection, "It''s time to move. Eye, execute it." With that singlemand, Eye of Symphony began using the entirety of its processing power, the lenses ring like never before. [| Executing Protocol ckout. Booting Up Programs T-Minus 1278 Until Completion. |] Without wasting time, Rakna lifted Sonata and threw it. The sword whistled through the air and nted itself on the ground in front of Rita. "Wha--?!" One of the guards almost shouted when a suffocating wave of soul power erupted from the weapon. It condensed itself into a sphere within which Bora''s men had their minds shut down. In the span of a blink, their eyes emptied and their bodies eased up to an unnatural extent. It was as if they had suddenly lost consciousness and were made to stand by a puppeteer''s strings. Before Rita could even react properly, a shadow swiftlynded in front of her with a hand on top of the embedded sword''s hilt. The brown-haired girl opened her mouth wide as she recognized the figure as they straightened themselves. "Ranka?" The masked woman nced at her, the purple ellipses as daunting as ever, but she also couldn''t help but remember the enchanting face hidden under it. "Check your Holographic Lens," Ranka bluntly said, breaking the girl out of her daze. Rita unconsciously did as she was told, the other party''s voice containing that much authority in it she couldn''t even hope to refuse. Then, she turned on her HL, and a message was immediately projected into her eyes. It was a prompt to open a file. Without awaiting her input, however, it opened on its own and revealed a map with multiple spots marked by a circle from which bubbles of text were attached. Amidst those, one stuck out more than any other. "The bigger one is where your brother is kept," Rakna informed her and Rita trembled. "How do you?" "That''s not important," he retorted calmly. "You''re lucky they didn''t lock him up somewhere too close to Bora and just decided to dump him into an auction house''s ''storage''. You can easily go and save him this way." "W-wait!" Rita interrupted him. "There''s no way I can save him alone! A-and what if Bora threatens his life if I don''t go to him now?!" "Who said you were going alone?" Rakna replied with a tilt of his head, his tone sounding as if she had just said something stupid. "And who said you were not going to him?" "Eh?" Rita blinked in confusion. "Cura An is waiting for you near Elevator 05 of the Arena. He will be the one to help you. He will also be freeing other captives across Zero; the other locations marked on the map I just sent you are ve houses. In exactly twenty minutes, rescue your brother and do your best to help the rest as fast as possible. I don''t expect you to do anything else. Just free them, and they can leave at their own prerogative or run amok. It doesn''t matter." ''That''ll be plenty of distraction. I''m just hoping that Eva will not mess up whilst trying to take control of the teau once she can dispatch her Adjudicators,'' Rakna added silently. "But why are you doing this?" Rita muttered and took a hesitant step back. She lowered her head and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, "We can''t fight Kratos this is suicide, Ranka" Rakna raised an eyebrow at her. "So, you prefer to be a ything for that pig?" "If it means saving my brother!" "It won''t," he instantly denied it and she shook as if she had taken a blow. "I know those types. Did you not hear what I said? Your brother was dumped at an auction house. Bora doesn''t care about your pleas. Once he''s done with you, the boy will be sold and he''ll get his money back. Then, your brother''s life will be an equally miserable one. No, it will be even worse; he''ll live in a world where his beloved sister is no more." Rita paled more and more with each word; tears were already pooling in her eyes. "and what am I supposed to do?" She croaked out weakly. "Mom and dad died I was supposed to be the one to protect him and I failed him one too many times what can I do if not sacrifice my life for him? That''s all I have" "You fight," Rakna responded snappily, pulling out Sonata from the ground at the same time. Rita looked up at him with tears falling down her cheeks. "Even if you''ll die, you fight. Even if your life is tied to another, you fight. If you love your brother, and he loves you in return, thest person to ever wish for your sacrifice is him. So, don''t betray him!" The therian''s uncharacteristic shout coldly echoed and Rita shivered. "Some are lucky, some are not. But today, I embody your hope," Rakna added and took off his mask in front of her. "So, ept it," he dered and to Rita''s shock, the beautiful appearance of a taciturn woman gradually crumbled. Robotic nanites morbidly melted her flesh and reshaped it. Horrifyingly and astonishingly, she watched as Ranka''s body warped and copied her own features to thest detail. Even her clothes were reflected perfectly down to thest detail. "Don''t make me repeat myself," Rita''s inconceivable clonemanded with the exact same timbre of voice as her. "These bastards are starting to resist my Soul Scourge, so scram already." After saying his piece, Rakna used Sonata''s Whisperer and pushed Rita through the air out of the encirclement of the mind-controlled men. When the dazed girl felt the air carry her as if she was gliding, she didn''t even try to resist it. She watched with a knot in her throat as Ranka took the ce where she was standing, effectively recing her so wlessly that the guards wouldn''t notice anything once they recovered from the soul-driven mind control. Rita gritted her teeth as she saw the eyes of the escort start to clear up, and after breathing in, she steeled her expression and stared at the map she had been given. Her eyes lingered on Ranka for a moment more before she leaped over a building and rushed in the direction of Cura An. ''Stay safe,'' she prayed in her heart as she distanced herself from hertest friend and savior. I dont know if you guys have noticed but I have a very free-flow type of perspective writing. My narration is shaped by the perspective of thest character in focus who is then transformed into the direct narrative. . Im saying this now cuz switching from Rakna to Ranka, him to her, depending on if the perspective is focused on Rita or not made it so damn obvious. Im curious to know if that particr aspect of my writing bothers you, honestly. My writing style is about as mature as it gets at this point, but I do feel like I still have a lot to polish. . But anyway, now *cracks knuckles*, strap in, cuz shits going nuclear from this chapter onward.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 332: Blackout Chapter 332: ckout "Get in," the guide ordered coldly whilst holding a door open. Rakna was already itching to cut off the man''s head but he calmly followed the instruction. Keeping the act of being Rita, he still gave him a weak re beforehand and then stepped in, the door closing behind him instantly. Rakna looked around at the modestlyrge room. There wasn''t anything fancy about it, for it was nothing more than a crude and insolent ce; essentially a ceholder for a sole king-sized bed. "Tch, they left me here to wait?" He muttered in distaste and ignored the nightgown hanging next to him on the wall, obviously meant to be worn by the women that enter here. He sat down on the edge of the bed with a scowl. He rubbed his neck where one could see the mark of an injection and allowed his body to heal it. Before entering Bora Quaso''s residence, he had been injected with a toxin meant to weaken and paralyze the use of his physical strength and skills. There was also a violent dose of aphrodisiac mixed in. ''It''s a surprisinglyplexpound,'' Rakna thought as the nanobots that constantly ran through his veins began to destroy itpletely. After the injection, he had been forced to halt his body''s immune response to get rid of it instantly lest someone noticed it. He grunted once he could feel the alien elements were fully expunged. "Eye, how long?" He asked out loud afterward and Eye of Symphony promptly answered. [| T-Minus 465. |] "A bit less than eight minutes, huh? Let''s hope that pig doesn''t barge in too soon," Rakna muttered and crossed his arms patiently, feeling the familiar presence of Sonata inside his soul, ready to be drawn out at any moment. He calmly waited for several minutes, without moving an inch, and passed the time by watching the feed of the teau''s cameras and tracking Cura and Rita''s positions. After a moment, he looked for Hans instead and saw him sitting on the bench of a small park, reading a book. ''Of course,'' he snorted internally and spent another minute searching for Nyx, but as expected of her, there was not even a trace anywhere. "{Aah this is nerve-wracking,}" Fray suddenly remarked with a groan. Rakna didn''t reply right away and squinted at the bedroom door as if he was seeing something through it. "as things would have it, you spoke at the best moment possible." "{}" The fabulist fell silent as the door opened and Bora strutted in with a smirk whilst wearing a chamber robe. A servant closed the door behind him and the fat pig promptly turned toward his ''toy'' sitting on the bed. "What? You''re still dressed?" He frowned. "Who do you think you are?" "where is my brother?" Rakna decided to lead on with the act. At the same time, he faked being restless and mentally ordered his body to create fake blush to hide the fact that he had neutralized the aphrodisiac. ''Give me a freaking Oscar,'' he jested internally. "Ah? As if I would bother remembering that," Bora quirked his lips in mockery as he walked to a cab. He took out a ss and poured himself some wine. "You should just shut up and listen to my orders. Then, maybe I''ll let your brother live." Rakna narrowed his eyes at the back of the man and suppressed the twitch of his hand wanting to call Sonata and cut him down. ''Eye,'' he called. [| T-Minus 112. |] "Now, get prepared. Though I wouldn''t mind tearing your clothes off myself too. Hm, yes, that would make you a nice appetizer for the other woman," Bora cackled sadistically and Rakna stood up silently. "Oh no, I know! Why don''t you strip down for me? Hahaha, yes, that''s perf" The man stopped talking when he heard a strange sound, like a swarm of flies apanied by low-pitched buzzes. He turned around with a raised eyebrow and immediately gasped. He dropped his ss, letting it shatter on the carpet. He fearfully stumbled back as he now stood in front of the woman who had stolen the breath out of everyone in the Arena; someone who could end his life on a whim. "Y-yo-you! How?!" He shouted startled and the unbelievably beautiful woman did not even bother to grace him with a response. All he received was a re from those purple eyes. After more than ten seconds of her making no move, he gradually recovered his calm and shakily smiled. "O-oh? Are you here to ask me a favor maybe?" He uttered dementedly, associating herck of action with a need for his power and influence, instead of an assassination. Without realizing he was falling into a state of denial, he licked his lips and continued, "T-then, I''m sure we can reach an agree" He blinked when he saw the room flip upside down. "ment?" He finished his sentence in a daze. And then, with a thud, he hit the ground and thest sight his eyes beheld was his beheaded body, behind which floated an azure and red scythe. "Really how stupid," Rakna spat as he extended his hand and called Sonata to his hand. He spun the scythe in his hand and turned it back into a sword. "{how anticlimactic,}" Fray couldn''t help but say. "I know right," the therian deadpanned and calmly made his way toward the door. He pushed it wide open as if he owned the house and nced to his left, where a butler was standing with his eyes closed. "allowing your master to be killed, I see. Good to see this pigsty is not too dirty," Rakna huffed to no one in particr and walked down the corridor, the butler lowering his head even further and silently allowing the ''intruder'' to leave. [| T-Minus 4, 3, 2, 1 Protocol ckout Fully Loaded. Requesting Final Confirmation. |] "Do it," Rakna affirmed and Eye of Symphony rotated. [| Confirmation Received. Launching Protocol. |] ? * * * ? Zasha was leisurely approaching Zone 1 when a high-pitched noise suddenly resounded from a random electronic store nearby. He hummed questioningly and looked at the source, and before he could identify it, another one emerged from somewhere else. Then a third, a fourth, a fifth In the span of a few breaths, the whole street was filled with the sound of rms and lights started flickering. The Nine-Tailed Scorpion immediately felt that something was wrong and in the next instant, the noise reached its peak and a chain reaction of detonations began. Devices all across teau Zero suddenly were overcharged with electric supply and exploded. The people walking on the streets yelled and screamed at the sudden disturbances. Fire spread out to the buildings and Zero''s digitalwork shut down. "Is this hacking?" Zasha uttered dumbfoundedly. "An Item capable of affecting such a wide area in such a short time? That can only be a Gold one; a high tier to boot What a pain to have in a ce like this teau," he muttered to himself as the people around him tried to put out the fires. None of these explosions or damages could ever hope to be enough to kill Hosts living in Zero, no matter if they had ess to magic or not, but it would for sure induce disorder. "Who would do this and why?" The scorpion mused and soon enough, the crimson spots under his sunsses shed in realization. "Damn!" He cursed and kicked the ground. Like a lightning bolt incarnated, he crushed the ground he was standing on and zoomed through the air. Without ceremony, he grew out his nine scorpion tails while in the air and used them to punch a hole into the roof of Bora''s residence. The poison inside his appendages melted right through it and he fell right inside. With a scowl, he calmly looked down at the headless corpse of Bora. He clicked his tongue, "What a useless bastard. Hezed so much he forgot how to fight," he muttered and turned toward Oslort, the head butler, who was silently standing inside the room. This servant''s job normally included protecting his master''s life; someone charging in, like Zasha, was his duty to stop. "Got tired of the piglet?" The scorpion sneered at the butler; a man whose real identity was a Host no weaker than himself. "Did the Pale Ghoul get rusty? Or is this a betrayal?" "don''t get ahead of yourself, Zasha," Oslort indifferently said. "I''m not part of your little alliance of viins. I''m only here because Lord Temat was indebted to the Scorpions. The rest of the Abyss may listen to you and those things, but my Lord shall not. This ce is going to fall today. There is no point in preserving that worthless life anymore." The butler grunted as he loosened the tie of his suit and began to head for the exit, "Oh, and as a friendly warning, if you are going to chase after that girl, be careful." Zasha snorted. "What, do you think I will lose?" "It''s not ''think'', I know that you will lose if you''re not on guard," Oslort stated and stepped out of the room without any other word. The Nine-Tailed Scorpion slightly lowered his sses, revealing a pair of unicolor ck orbs, just two mere dots of red light shining through the middle. They watched the butler leave before eerily shifting toward the corpse again. "So, it''s that girl, after all. She moved a bit too fast but, it should be fine," he muttered to himself and started looking around for traces. His eyes turned from red to orange for a short moment and he headed out. "Hm, I wonder if something was urging her," he mused and eventually halted in the middle of the corridor where the spiritual trails disappearedpletely. Zasha hummed and nced at the decorative ss statue next to him. He stared at his reflection for a moment before grinning. "I see. Interesting. You thought you could escape like that?" He said with a chuckle and in a split second, he had already leaped through the roof. Hended on an adjacent building and propelled himself again, too fast for most people to see him move. The spreading fires on his path were being put out seconds after he passed over them. Then, eventually, Zasha extended his hand forward as if he was trying to reach for something that wasn''t there. He grinned and his hand pierced through something invisible, opening cracks in the air. "Got you," heughed and pulled whatever he was holding. The purple-eyed beauty he was chasing was dragged out of the mirror dimension by her shoulder and the scorpion saw her eyes widen before he promptly used one of his tails to strike at her. She reacted skillfully and blocked it with her sword, but that didn''t stop her from being sent flying toward the ground where she crashed into a building. "Well, well," Zasha snickered as he watched the rubble burying her figure tumble about. Hended on the roof of another structure and summoned arge toothed sword into his hand. "You seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to leave," he jested. "How about you apany me for a moment? Don''t worry I''ll make sure you''re not bored enough to run again." Have you ever felt like your brain was experiencing a drought? Because fucking hell, thats me right now. For the life of me, I couldnt finish my current chapter for the longest time and when I tried to start the next, I couldnt get past one paragraph in two literal days. . Tch, I envy those people who can write like machines. Ive said this before, but Im honestly not talented when ites to writing. Id say I have decent creativity, but thats about it. I use brain power to write, but really good writers use passion. I guess this is my handicap as an author; my brains refractory period is shit.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 333: “I was caught in the traffic.” Chapter 333: I was caught in the traffic. Rakna was not having a good time. He groaned out in frustration as he pushed away the rubble of the building he had smashed into and looked up at the Nine-Tailed Scorpion standing on a roof across the street with a frown. ''How did he pull me out of Antanasia?'' He asked himself as he called Sonata into his hand. ''How did he even track me?'' "Wondering how I did it?" Zasha''s voice echoed and he scowled at him. "It''s simple; us Scorpions live for the hunt. There''s nothing we can''t chase. Be it through space or dimensions. I''ve seen your little ability before; are you a Dusk Lion?" The scorpion tilted his head curiously. "Hm, but you don''t feel like one," he hummed. "Regardless, Antanasia has a particr effect on the real world to those that are ustomed to sense dimensions. It''s like gravity; that world is so light metaphysically that your sole presence is enough to bend it past the boundary. As such, it''s easy to break as long as a precise strike is aimed at your exact rtive position." Rakna''s eyebrow twitched at the nonchnt breakdown of one of his mostplex abilities. He jumped out of the copsed building and ced himself on the opposite side of the scorpion. At that point, he had already stopped caring about mana expenditure. His Grand Reinforcement was in full action inside his body, albeit weakened due to theck of Star Energy, but bolstering it with Sonata''s Lifeblood Ragepensated for it quite well. Zasha smiled in amusement. "How cute. Do you think it''s going to make a difference?" He quipped and slightly lowered his core. "Let''s find out," he uttered and once again, his raw speed was enough to create an afterimage, destroying the building from the impact at the same time. A sonic boom ruptured the air and instantaneously, Rakna felt the world crawl to a halt in his eyes as a very familiar sense of impending doom crept in. If he didn''t do anything he would die. Using Crystal Sight or Eye of Symphony wasn''t the main issue anymore. Even with them, it would not be enough to dodge what came. He didn''t even have the time to shift into a werewolf either. But thankfully, something else gave him the leeway to survive. Sonata itself reacted in his lieu and shone golden and red. Impossibly fast, a spherical shield formed around him right in time to block exactly nine scorpion tails dripping with poison. The shield immediately cracked and a shockwave spread out from it. "Oh?" Zasha let out a grin as he saw the agitated expression through the golden wall. "What a nice weapon you have there," he said and pushed a bit more, shattering the shield in its entirety. But that had been enough time for Rakna to prepare himself. "[Overload!]" He cried out and both his body and Allegro began to feed onto his mana and surge with Eion. Web-patterned cracks of glowing blue spread under his skin and his physical ability was forcefully raised. "[Artzpul,]" he followed up and propelled himself away from the range of those nine tails. Then, regardless of witnesses, he unfurled his two pairs of wings without hesitation. The Luqu''s Wings shone with the mana he poured into them and allowed him to dodge Zasha who hadn''t wasted time in chaining his attacks. If the scorpion was surprised by the wings, there was no sign of it as he continued his assault. In the sky of teau Zero, an azure blur soared like a coiling snake, closely followed by a hazy air disturbance releasing crushing air pressures. The two forces were too noticeable for the habitants of Zero not to notice; themotion caused by the sudden electric cataclysm was far from enough to make them ignore that kind of battle. Moreover, once the blurs slowed down enough for most people to see who it was, they had their attention stolen by the impossibly beautiful woman, hovering in the air with two pairs of wings in her back, as if a descended angel. Said woman was currently scrunching her face in disarray. Rakna internally clicked his tongue as several cuts in both his body and Allegro were being stitched back together. "You''re quick," Zashamented as he casually crouched in midair with his tails moving about behind him menacingly, an unknown power making him airborne without effort. "Those are some interesting wings you got there. They seem to use space itself to make you fly. But I can see you''re using a lot of mana to keep up with me. How long can youst?" Rakna stayed silent and before either of them did or said anything else, an explosion resounded and made them nce in its direction. "Oh?" The scorpion raised an eyebrow as he eyed arge building, which they had gotten closer to during the fight, copse in the distance. "The auction house? That makes sense," he nodded in understanding. "So, that other girl was why you suddenly hurried to take out Bora," he sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Honestly, couldn''t you have waited for a little more? We were almost about to let you do whatever you wanted, but you had to move before we could finish our preparations." "you talk a lot," Rakna retorted, not failing to note the ''we'' in his sentence. "What can I say? Curious things make me chatty," he joked. "Is that so?" Raising Sonata and continuously pouring mana into his wings, Rakna tensed his whole body, already steaming from the overuse of Eion. "Then, I hope this satisfies you," he uttered and reached for his face as if he was trying to touch a mask he was not wearing. Zasha scowled at that and then immediately shivered when a crimson light began to coalesce over his opponent''s face. He shot out from his position on reflex and charged at the purple-eyed woman before she could do what she was nning. But, inexplicably, exactly five spots on the left side of his body were suddenly hit by some invisible force. In his charge, he wasn''t expecting such an anomaly and found himself thrown out of the air by his own strength, hearing his opponent call out two names at the same time. "[Valkal,]" Rakna uttered as his Reverse Tails were manifested and then promptly waved his hand to fully summon the crimson wolf mask. "[Mask of Phobos,]" he whispered. The Mask of Phobos had one very specific effect; it manifested the wearer''s full power in the form of an intimidating aura. The keyword here was ''full power''. No matter if he was weakened by theck of System; even if some of his skills were sealed, Phobos'' Mask would invoke his power as if that wasn''t the case. However, the same couldn''t be said for others in teau Zero. For all intents and purposes, they were drastically weakened and it also meant that they were that much more susceptible to the full brunt of Rakna''sbined abilities; from magic and soul to his Nirvana and Sin Skills. And as things would have it, there were currently thousands of people on Zero looking at him due to the shy fight between him and Zasha. Therefore, they all caught a glimpse of the mask and inevitably fell right into its influence. Nearly all of them instantly fainted, their minds overloaded with subconscious terror. And those that didn''t, fell into a trance simr to waking nightmares. "Haha would you look at that?" Zasha chuckled as he stood back up, dusting himself. In his eyes, he could clearly see what others couldn''t. Currently, Ranka was feeding on the fear, despair, and terror of those that looked at her mask, and turning it into mana. "I guess that''s one way of doing it," he muttered and then saw the woman''s sword shine with a tri-colored hue. "That''s" The scorpion widened his eyes a bit and urgently summoned a weapon of his own. "[Crescent of a Falling Star.]" A torrent of shing energies shot out from Sonata''s de and Zasha countered back by swinging his own sword, a violet-colored force erupting out of it. It split into nine streams resembling the tails of a scorpion and shed with the tri-colored attack midway. Zasha frowned as the collision caused an explosion in the air and tracked something invisible with his eyes to his left side. "I said I can sense it!" He shouted and swung his sword at a rippling area where Ranka emerged from Enthymio. The scorpion saw the azure swording his way and was about to parry it when he felt shivers down his spine. Something told him that he shouldn''t do that, and deflected the blow instead. With a tilt of his head as well, he avoided a shapeless wave of sharpness that bisected an entire building behind him as if it was nothing. In fact, the cut was so clean, it didn''t even move out of ce. "[10 000 Nights]" Ranka began to whisper as her sword turned into a pair of daggers, and Zasha barely had the time to notice that the same sharp aura he had just dodged was also cloaking the daggers; both of them. "[of Severance.]" In the blink of an eye, numerous science-breaking strikes were dealt out and deflected or dodged by the Nine-Tailed Scorpion. For each of them, a limitlessly deep cut would appear on everything in its path. Zasha frowned when one dagger attack made a cut on his cheek and managed to dent his weapon which had until now resisted it. "That''s enough," he uttered and abruptly elerated, one of his tails moving for a stab, followed by a kick. Rakna stepped back from the former but had to use one arm to block thetter. And because his body was currently alreadypromising its structure, his arm was blown off on impact and he had to use his Valkals to push himself away before the same happened to his torso. "That''s a nasty de you have there. Soul Weapon?" Zasha asked curiously as he swiped the blood on his cheek with his thumb. "Though, I can''t help but feel like those shes shouldn''t be able to be fired so fast" He trailed and smiled as he watched his opponent''s arm regrow back in the time he had taken to speak. "The System is not here," Rakna retorted and let the power of 10 000 Nights of Severance shroud his daggers again along with his Intent. "Cooldowns are not a thing here. As long as I have enough mana, I can fire them at will," he stated through the Mask of Phobos, waves of negative emotions fueling his mana pool, albeit far less than the initial supply. "I see," Zasha nodded. "I suppose I yed enough," he cracked his neck. "The Pale Ghoul was right, you''re too dangerous not to take seriously. It was fun, but it ends he--!" He was interrupted by his own shadow, as it swelled up and grew tendrils to restrain his limbs. Immediately after, a soft female voice echoed from above, "[Lance of Bezaliel.]" A massive shadow emerged from behind a building and formed a creature in the form of a fallen angel. It raised a red and cknce and aimed it at Zasha. The scorpion''s eyes widened in shock right before he saw the angel throw the spear. In an instant, a deathly quiet upsurge of shadows swallowed the street and Rakna jumped away from it,nding somewhere safe. When hended, the angel that had thrown thence faded out of existence. "You''rete," the therian grumbled as he took off Phobos'' Mask, terminating the Eion overload at the same time, allowing his body to start healing the damages. A chuckle resounded and Nyx appeared next to him in a burst of shadows. "My apologies," she said with a joking tone. "I was caught in the traffic." "Hah," Rakna let out a hollowugh as he looked at her handiwork. "Looks like you can use some semnce of spell after all" "In case you forgot, I''m a Goddess," she huffed proudly. "That will never change. Even if this cecks the influence of the ''World'', my Domain makes up for it. I just have to channel my divinity through my Nirvana Skill and I can invoke a shadow-rted cast." "Bezaliel" Rakna muttered in understanding. "The ''Shadow of God'', I see." While they chatted, they never took their eyes away from the imminent threat currently hidden by the darkness of Nyx''s spell. Soon enough, a nine-tailed figure walked out of the small crater made by the shadownce. Zasha''s hat had been blown off, his coat was torn a bit, and one of his sses'' lenses had broken, showing his deep red pupil glowering at them. "Well, I''ll be damned" He shook his head. "Hubris is the enemy of all, isn''t it? Or are you just that lucky?" He snorted and grabbed his sses, tossing them away. His inhuman eyes locked onto the pair of women. "But now, we''re talking," he smirked and tore his coat off as well, revealing a streamlined alloy armor. "Let''s dance." I am Death, Death is I... . Okay, my brain''s just fried, sorry. Can''t fucking see time passing anymore... Aaah, I''m growing senile early. Anyway, I''m trying my best over here without having a breakdown. I''m sadly not a Chinese writing machine. Would be nice though, would do wonders to how my pacing is perceived. It''s really not that bad.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 334: “Simplicity is best.” Chapter 334: Simplicity is best. Inside one of teau Zero''srgest auction houses, Cura An walked down the back rooms with Rita nervously skipping after him. "Stop there!" Several guards intercepted them but the shark man didn''t even bother slowing his march. Holding King Gulon at hip level, he uttered calmly, "Eat." The sentient weapon promptly followed the order and swiftly expanded its size. Itsrge mouth opened threateningly and a long tongue shot, wrapping around the group of guards and dragging them into its stomach before they even had the time to scream. The Gulon audibly swallowed and then shrunk down as if the volume of what it had just eaten was nothing to mention about. Rita tautly pursed her lips at the sight. "They''re here," Cura suddenly said and kicked down arge mechanical gate; one strong enough to resist the power of cannonballs. Behind it, awork of jails extended for almost farther than what could be seen with the naked eye. Rita immediately rushed past the shark man. She frantically looked around as she ran, the lights of the obscenelyrge room turning on due to movement detection. The people in the jails were already standing up after sensing that something was wrong. "Sis!" A young voice resounded from a still obscured section and Rita gasped. She spun on her feet to face the direction it came from and ran toward it. Once the lights caught up with her, she could finally see who she was looking for. "Milo!" She yelled out and dropped to her knees in front of one of the cells, her hands wrapping around the bars, a young boy in his early teens standing on the other side. "Are you okay? They didn''t hurt you, right?!" She frantically asked whilst pressing his hands against hers. "I''m okay, Rita" He said with a small smile. Aside from some dusty and tattered clothes, as well as the electronic cor around his neckbeling him as a ve, he was indeed devoid of injuries. "Good, good" His older sister sighed in relief. "Move back a bit, I''ll be getting you out of here right away," she said with a steely tone and stood up, drawing one of her daggers. "Stop," but Cura stopped her before she could continue. He approached her with a calm gait and she frowned at him, forgetting her fear of him for the sake of her brother. "Don''t look at me like that, woman," the shark man huffed. "This facility is electronically managed." He pointed at Rita''s brother, "What if that cor kills him if it detects the jail being destroyed? You should not forget that those things are made to block the brain from using skills. They can easily kill the wearer," he said and she paled. She gazed at the electronic lock and bit her lip. "What do we do then?" "I''ve been told to wait after getting inside," Cura uttered and fished out a phone-like device from his pocket. "Apparently, it was too hard to hack this ce because it was off the grid whatever that means," he shrugged. "So, I bring this thing here with me, and then" He trailed and as if on cue, the phone''s screen lit up and began to blip. Then, like a domino effect, the beeping was mirrored by each jail door pad, one after the other, at a consistent cadence. Until finally, it spread to the cors of the ves, and in one fell swoop, both the doors and cors opened themselves and dropped to the ground. "Uh, nifty," Curamented as he checked the device over. Rita didn''t waste time to rush and hug her brother after he was freed, while everyone else slowly walked out of their confinements; some with joy, others skeptical, and a few terrified. All of them rubbed the back of their neck as the needle that impaired their ability had finally been removed. "Oi, all of you," the shark raised his voice callously and everyone looked at him. "I''m here to break you out. If you wanna run away, you can. If you wanna fight with your jailers, you can. But if you wanna help me free up some other ves, you''re wee." No one answered him, whether it was verbally or physically. He hummed. "Well, I don''t care either way," he uttered and slung King Gulon over his back. With his now empty hand, he pointed his palm at the wall that he knew led directly to the outside of the auction house. "You''re in the way," he warned nonchntly, and a transparent sphere of unknown properties formed in front of his hand. It waspletely see-through, almost glowing, and had a very faint undting surface. It didn''t give off anything remotely simr to familiar energies such as mana, so it was without saying that what he was currently charging was raw ''force''. Barely a second after the crowd of freed ves had hurried off to get out of the way, he shot it out and it traveled toward the wall without any sound or air pressure at all. Everyone was looking at it with confused eyes for the most part, but once it collided against the wall, they scrambled away. The sphere expanded in the blink of an eye. It was not even gradual. At one point, it was small, and in the next, it had swelled more than a hundred times its size. Then, it burst. The wall was obliterated as if a giant hammer had hit it and the debris flew into the air both outside and inside. Cura lowered his hand calmly and turned toward a startled Rita who openly gawked at what he had just done. "So? What are you going to do? That guy gave me a job and it included protecting you. But that''s only if you decide to stay around," he said and jolted her out of her daze. The young woman took on a difficult expression and nced at her brother. "I don''t think I can help you. I have to prioritize my brother--" "We will," her brother interrupted her and she looked at him in surprise. "Milo! What are you saying?!" "I can help, sis!" The boy didn''t relent even under her sister''s admonishment. "My Nirvana Skill is Teleportation and without the cor, I can finally use it. It should be able to help, right?" He asked with a determined expression and Cura quietly observed him. He nodded. "All right. Then let''s start right away," he dered, and simrly to Rakna and Nyx, he reached into a soul-power-made storage and pulled out a bag that rattled with its content. "Here," he muttered and dropped it on the ground. "Mass Return Crystals. Give the people here enough to leave and take the rest with you. I''ll leave it to you to carry it," he exined to both the siblings and everyone else listening. "W-wait," one person in the crowd raised a hand. "I will also help," he said, and spurred on, others followed his example. "Hm, looks like he was right in saying there''d be a few courageous people," Curamented to himself and eyed the ones that were taking the crystals and departing in groups of twenty. "And here I thought all of them would be like that" "Um can I ask you something?" Rita spoke up hesitantly. "Who is this ''guy'' you''ve been talking about?" "Hm?" Cura raised an eyebrow before realizing, "Oh it''s the one you know as Ranka." "Eh?" She blinked. "B-but, she''s a girl, you know?" The shark looked at her silently and it was the King Gulon who reacted to her question, its mouth opening while it was on its wielder''s back andughing out loud, like a demon right out of Hell. "As you can see, Gul disagrees," Cura deadpanned and turned around from the absolutely floored girl while her brother tilted his head in confusion. Whilst approaching the exit he had made, Cura nced at a few jail cells that had not been opened by Ranka''s hacking. ''Criminal ves, perhaps?'' He wondered and King Gulon licked the air as if it was trying to taste something. The shark man''s eyebrow twitched and he narrowed his eyes. "Girl, leave. Now," he raised his voice and briefly turned around. "Take this with you," he said and tossed her the hacking device given to him by Ranka. "You''ll have to do the rest without me. There is a troublesome guying. You understand what that means, boy?" Milo nodded seriously. "Good. Teleport in, move fast, and teleport out. Don''t stop and don''t try to fight something out of your league. Take care of yourself and avoid danger even at the cost of another," Cura instructed and faced the exit again. "Good luck," he said and jumped into the hole in the wall. When hended outside, a group of people alsonded in the area right before him. "Ah, crap," one of them ruffled his hair as he stepped forward, effectively taking the apparent role of the leader. He was a man in his twenties, with spiky ck hair, and eyes of an even darker shade, as if they were ck holes. He put his hands in the pockets of his pants and stared down at Cura with a hunched posture. "Cura An. Really? Come on, I let you enter Zero because it would be a pain to do otherwise. I thought you wouldn''t do anything fuck me," he grumbled. Cura remained quiet, though he didn''t appear to be worried even if the man in front of him was one of Kratos'' strongest assets; an Entry Warden on par with the likes of Undertaker. "You got the ves out?" The listless man inquired as he looked behind Cura. "Why? That doesn''t sound like something the Shark King would do. Aren''t you an infamously big battle junkie?" "You''re here, are you not, Karan Arkas?" The shark man retorted as he drew King Gulon. The Warden opened his mouth and then closed it. "fuck, that makes too much sense." "I''m curious, however," Cura hummed. "Kratos should have far more people running around right now. Gulon hasn''t sensed too many people other than you and some scrubs. And out of all things, you''re here to retrieve ves? What for?" Karan rolled his eyes. "You think I''m gonna tell you?" "I suppose not," Cura nodded calmly. He took a stance and King Gulon licked its lips. A secondter, the surrounding area was overtaken by a dome of transparent force, blowing away entire blocks and carving a crater in the ground. ? * * * ? Some distance away, where the dome could barely be seen sticking out from the line of rooftops in between, Nyx waved her hand in an upward motion and solidified the shadows around her into long rows of giant scimitars. She then proceeded to do the opposite motion and the constructs swung at Zasha. The scorpion grinned and tightened his grip on his weapon. With a violet burst of energy, the teeth of his greatsword began to rattle, until they eventually began to rotate like a chainsaw. The result of that was a twister of shredding power that enveloped Zasha. It rose into the air in a gradually expanding pir and turned the scimitars into small pieces in an instant. The scorpion followed up by swinging his weapon at both Nyx and Rakna. And as if an extension of the chainsaw, a toothed wheel of violet energy tore the ground in their direction. Rakna narrowed his eyes and grabbed Nyx''s shoulder before using Enthymio Step. He moved out of the way and reappeared a dozen meters away, just in time to see the wheel detonate and turn everything in its vicinity into clean shreds; far too clean. "One of my Nirvanas" Zasha spoke up calmly as he hefted his sword back up, the teeth grinding to a halt. "Is Shredding. Not the most versatile out there. And certainly not the most powerful. But you know what I think? Simplicity is best." "I have to agree," the therian acquiesced and the scorpion scowled. "If there''s a simple solution to a problem or an easy method to an end goal, why not take it? As such, to vanquish an enemy much stronger, skilled, and experienced than I the simplest way is to overpower them." "Ah?" Zasha scowled. "That doesn''t make much sense now, does it? How do you expect to do that?" Rakna didn''t answer and merely gave Nyx a meaningful nce. She responded in kind and nodded sharply. "If you are sure" She whispered and breathed in. She extended her arms outward and a cloak of shadows coiled around her body. They crawled across her body, from her legs to her neck, and then separated themselves to form a pair of draconic wings made out of darkness. "Oi, what are you" Zasha put on a cautious expression and was about to stop her from continuing when he felt something wrong. He quickly jumped off from where he was and something pierced the ground in the next instant. It was fast and small; almost like a bullet. He immediately traced it back to its source and saw Ranka pointing a finger at him. Furthermore, he had to make a double take when he saw that five lupine tails had grown on the woman''s back, channeling silverish energy to her finger. "You''re--!" Zasha opened his mouth wide but was interrupted by another bullet that whizzed past his cheek. "Shit! What is this? That feels like magic, but at the same time not," he grumbled as he destroyed a third one with his Nirvana Skill. "[Lunar Drop,]" Rakna intoned under his breath and used the remaining lunar energy that he had stored in his tails. Thankfully, his lunar control fell under his Sub-Path and Lunar Drop happened to be powerful enough to make a difference as long as he put enough LPs into it. "Are you ready?" Nyx asked beside him. "Keep in mind that it will be tethered to this teau. Mana will still be unrecoverable, but the ''World'' will return. You know that, right?" "Yes, do it." "Understood," she sighed and sped her hands. Promptly, her wings grew to cover the sky and everything fell into darkness. "[Crepuscule Night.]" Chapter 335: Crepuscule Night Chapter 335: Crepuscule Night The Crepuscule Night was a skill meant to make night fall in any location. Whether it was during the day, underground, underwater, or in a world without a sky; the night would fall. The truth was that it called upon the Realm of Twilight, the forgottennd of Tiamat, as well as what Nyx''s first Sub-Path skill relied on. But it did not fully invoke it. The real Twilight rejects life that lives with time, summoning it onto oneself is paramount to suicide. However, there is one specific kind of invocation that allows a workaround. "A Half-Dimension," Zasha remarked as he looked around. The cityscape of Zero was still there, but it had been altered beyond recognition. The lights had turned off, the people had disappeared, and the buildings were now covered with vegetation, moss, and vines. The sky had turned into a mass of writhing shadows, sometimes blinking like red stars, and then pooling into an inverted well of darkness, below which a full moon was hanging. A Half-Dimension was a spell that partially manifested a dimension into the real world. This meant that this scenery currently existed both in reality and its source dimension. As a matter of fact, it was due to this small detail that one could still hear noisesing from outside or even see fading silhouettes akin to wandering ghosts. "So? What is this supposed to--?!" The scorpion interrupted himself once he focused back on his opponent. He reflexively took a step back as bone-snapping noises echoed in the air. Obfuscated by the shadows of the Half-Dimension, a silhouette twisted and grew. Turquoise fur grew and tails sprouted out to join the other five already there. Then,pleting the set, the third pair of wings was unfurled. "Ah I should have realized. Those wings," Zasha said as he quietly clenched his fists to his side at the same time, feeling the influence of his magic returning. "Krow brought us information about it; of how the eminent Rakna Xiorra was a tailed werewolf with eagle wings. In the end, my hunch was right and Ranka was an anagram. A bit bold of you, no?" He chuckled but the werewolf didn''t reply. The transformed creature''s purple eyes shone with power, the light of the moon wrapping around it and forming a protective membrane. "The full moon, huh?" Zasha muttered under his breath as he nced at the sky. "A werewolf with nine tails as impossible as it sounds, what would happen if they were affected by it?" His question was carried by the breeze and when the echo of hisst wordpletely faded, the werewolf''s body blurred before disappearing, reemerging higher up in the air with his six wings emitting silver dust. Zasha shuddered and looked up to see a crystal disc manifesting at the tip of Sonata''s de, whose form had already been switched to a Guandao a second prior. "[Cataclysm of the Celeste. Spinning Untoward the Birth of Life.]" The chant of the werewolf reached the scorpion''s ears and he couldn''t believe it. "Oi, oi what the hell? How can you already use magic without System support?" He uttered and urgently pulled in his mana as well. He already had experience casting magic without the System, so it didn''t take him too long to form arge magic circle in front of his hand. He personally had awoken two elements, and one of them was a tremendously rare dual-aspect. "[Arcana Amp,]" he intoned and the magic circle expanded instantly. Amplification; this was the first aspect of his magic. "[Cast Tamp,]" he added and the mana inside the circle fast-forwarded and finished the preparation time. Compression; the second aspect that could even decrease the time it took for a spell to charge. "[In Silence, It Seethes, Thriving Entropy and Unleashing Destruction.]" The werewolf''s voice boomed again and Zasha clicked his tongue. He quickly invoked his second element and the magic circle lit up. Arge cylindrical construct emerged from within and aimed at its target in the sky. "[Load up,]" Zasha uttered and a sound eerily simr to a shell being loaded into a mortar sounded from the construct. "[Everfrost]" Rakna raised his Guandao and the spinning disc gushed with stardust. "[Nova.]" He swung and the spell was released with a strident tter. "[Ether Cannon,]" the scorpion responded in kind and the conception of his Cannon Magic fired at the iing attack. A pure white light filled the muzzle of the weapon and was then fired as an unrelenting pir of raw energy. Upon collision, the Nova exploded and the darkness of the dark dimension was caught up in the shockwave of reversed entropy. A temperature so cold it could freeze an undead to the bone was spread from the epicenter. The Ether Cannon''s energy spread out from the point of impact and enclosed the upsurge of frost with an inescapable prison. The spells fought for dominance, freezing and smashing surrounding buildings in the hundreds. Eventually, the cannon stopped firing and the nova lost its momentum, ending the bout in a rain of crystallized ether. "Tch, if my attributes were full, that spell would have disintegrated him," Zashained to himself and brought up his greatsword, manifesting his Nirvana Skill into it. He was done using kiddy gloves. He was fighting against a drugged-up Nine-Tailed Werewolf high on lunar energy. Who knew how far that could go? "[Quad Amp,]" he muttered and the violet energy around his toothed sword burst. With that much power, he could easily shred an entire Zone of teau Zero. As he was about to release it out into the sky where he could still sense the werewolf gathering moonlight, something stopped him. In the spur of the moment, he had forgotten one important thing. This was not a one-on-one fight. "[Eternal Night Art C Way of Destruction,]" he heard a feminine voice speak from behind him and his eyes widened; he hadn''t sensed a thing. "[Abyssus Hortus.]" Zasha was promptly swallowed by a sphere of ck and red lightning. However, the real danger of this spell wasn''t what it was made of, but what it created within its core. Abyssus Hortus was one of the God of Eternal Night''s weakest trademark spells, but it nheless represented power beyond mortals. It twisted space and time to kill those trapped inside of it. Nyx jumped back after having cast her Path Skill but didn''t rx. She knew it was powerful but it was not enough to keep Zasha down, especially after he had amplified his Nirvana right before. She mmed her hands on the ground and invoked her only Ultimate Excelled Skill, causing some strange liquid to pour from under her palms; it flowed like blood but had the color of shadows. "[Legion of the Dark Queen,]" she breathed out and figures began to w their way out of the shadowy blood. Goblins, Dreorins, Orcs, Ogres, Sand Worms, Yetis monsters that she had killed herself since she stepped into the System, raised into servants of the shadows for her to wield. ''How nice it would have been if I could summon those I''ve in before that,'' shemented internally with a small smile. It would have been a grand show of power to call upon the titans of strength she had killed during her life, which included dozens of dragons as the simplest example. "[Shred!]" Her thoughts were cut off by a shout that preceded a surge of violet energy. It tore open the sphere of Aeter and shredded the air itself. Zasha leaped out of it with a deep cut across his shoulder and back. He grimaced in discontent, not so much for the damage that had already started being healed by his regeneration, but at himself for allowing it to happen. "Ah, Nyx Nocta Regysnite, The Eternal Maiden," he sighed with a shake of his head "I really should pay more attention during the n''s meetings," he muttered to himself and immediately shed one of the shadow monsters into pieces as they began to swarm him. "[Mystic Natcattiram Cataract.]" The scorpion''s expression twitched as the werewolf chanted once again. He looked up and couldn''t help but let out a snort in exasperated amazement. While he had been distracted, his opponent had conjured a spell, that didn''t look to be any less than Tier 5, at least a dozen times and to top it off, he had infused it with Mystic Energy. ''This brat no, cooldowns, huh?'' Zasha snickered and cast Amplification Magic on himself. He let out onest wave of Shredding Force to decimate the shadow undead before kicking the ground and jumping toward the werewolf. If Rakna was surprised by such a move, he didn''t show it and simply waved his ive, firing the manifested catapults of Everfrost Energy. Zasha smirked at the iing danger, each probably powerful enough to level entire cities. "You are not the only ones with an Ult-Exceled," he uttered and extended his empty hand toward the first Cataract. Inconceivably, he grasped it as if it was made of some sort of foam and then shoved it to the side where it collided with another. The two spells merged and then imploded, taking down a few more with them. "Damn, it''s a bit chilly," the scorpion joked as he propelled himself away from the outburst, kicking aside another of the Cataracts as if it was a ying ball. He blew on the cold vapor around his hand and dashed toward the werewolf. "[Natcattiram--!]" Rakna came to a halt as he was about to cast another spell. His mystifying eyes widened in surprise, breaking the emotionless fa?ade, and then awork of circuits shone around his heart, shoulder, and arm; ring in pain and paralyzing half of his body. "Do you get it?" Zasha''s voice sounded as he shed into existence right in front of the werewolf by pressing'' the distance that separated them. He swiftly clutched the werewolf''s throat with his amplified strength and smirked, "You''re right, you know? Cooldowns don''t exist without the System. In the first ce, it is meant to be a regting feature, so once it''s down, you can ''abuse'' it a bit. But there''s a reason for its existence in the first ce." "" "Most Hosts don''t know about the inner workings of Magic Circuits and Circuit Pathways. A spell that is overused will overheat the path it takes to be cast; crippling that particr spell and in rare cases, sealing the use of an entire element until it recovers. Under the moon''s influence, you can use even more spells in rapid session indeed, widening the pathways from the influx of lunar energy, but even that has a limit. The more powerful the spell; the more pertinent that is." "Your weapon''s perks are a bit different as it''s tough enough to resist the brunt of it," he exined with a smile. "But now you''re in a state of half physical and soul paralysis. I wonder what should I do?" He jested. "You know about us scorpions'' deadliest trait, right? Let''s see if you can deal with that." As soon as Zasha dered his intention, all of his nine appendages pierced the werewolf''s stomach and injected their venom. The nine different substances met each other inside their victim''s body and fused into a terrifying ck-colored substance. The effect was instantaneous, Rakna''s whole stomach caved in on itself and was then melted right off by a half-gaseous liquid which then proceeded to spread outward, eating more bones and flesh to widen the hole it had already created. Without a word, Zasha followed up by raising his sword and cloaking it in violet energy. "[Amp In Loaded,]" he muttered and threw the werewolf aside with his grip. The shredding force of his skill transformed and took on the form of a cannon barrel. He pointed it at Rakna and aligned it with Nyx''s army below. "It wouldn''t do if you forgot that I''m also a Nine-Tailed," he spoke mirthfully, a new energy joining up with the rest and boosting his power. "[Unity Craft C Mystic Shred Shell,]" he intoned and the spell fired. The violet energy whirled around the toothed sword and shot out in a spiral with spikes. It shook the earth and swallowed the werewolf who barely could even move. It continued on its path and was about to hit when one of the shadow undead stepped up and faced it head-on. It was a giant turtle found in the 80th teau that had a highly resistant physiology toward magic. Zasha''s attack nheless speared right through, but a dozen more were summoned from within the darkness and sacrificed themselves to fully stop it. Nyx lowered her hand with a ragged breath afterward and at the same time, a mangled figure crackling with dimensional energy crashed right next to her. The repercussion blew her air to the side but her eyes remained determinedly set on the scorpion above her, who was slowly pping. "Incredible," Zashaplimented condescendingly. "Good job. But honestly, I expected a bit more from--!" His words got stuck in his throat when an entire array of runes manifested around him in a ring. Then, a crunching sound echoed, like a multitude of pills being chewed. Ensuing it, a surge of mana and lunar power pierced the sky from where the werewolf had crashed and even Nyx gulped at the well of power currently rising beside her. Despite night being her domain, she couldn''t hope to refine that much mana out of lunar energy. Truly, only a Nine-Tailed Werewolf could hope to do that. "[Mystic]" The weak but strong voice of Rakna resounded and Zasha barely had the time to react before the runes did their job; cast the spell of their creator right where they were positioned. This was amon practice of magic-circle-casting; Auxiliary Relocation. "[Natcattiram Carivu.]" Chapter 336: Foreboding Chapter 336: Foreboding The runes shattered and released the magic formation dwelling inside. A literal star of frost energy spawned over Zasha''s figure and then deformed itself, trembling and twisting until it closed in on itself to form a ck hole. Nyx grunted and nted her feet on the ground, summoning two living armors from her shadow but not letting them fully surface so that they could anchor her down. The broken bits of buildings and roads were lifted into the air and then mercilessly disintegrated by the dying star. The air was getting terribly thin, if not entirely inexistent at that point, and the gravity would have killed a normal person several times over already. The Half-Dimension was dangerously close to breaking down as well. ''I don''t think I can keep it up for too long'' Nyx thought as she resisted the pull the best she could. Surviving the ck hole was one thing, but continuously manifesting the dimension to stop it from being fully brought into the real world was another. Who knows how many people would die if it got out to Zero? The main reason why she and Rakna hadn''t already died from it was their inherently inhuman physique. "If you''re awake, it''s time you do something" She grumbled half-heartedly to the crater near her and not knowing what to expect, she was startled by a w suddenly pulverizing one of the chunks of metal floating upward. The werewolf rose, his fur now glowing crimson, from the ground and calmly walked through thendscape being slowly picked apart by the ck hole, with Rift Shuttle bouncing off the effects of gravity. He soon stood next to Nyx and her eyebrow twitched as she looked up at him. She hadn''t been this close to him thest time he had gone berserk. Not only did he have all his tails and wings, but his overall size had also increased. Though, at the moment, she had to admit she was a bit more scared by the fact that he looked like a walking corpse. His body was currently closer to a bundle of Eion than flesh. One of his arms was still in the process of weaving itself back together, the left half of his skull was still being covered by a newyer of blood vessels, and his torso was fighting against Zasha''s venom to a stalemate. "you''re in control, right?" She asked uneasily at his silence He nced down at her and snorted. "Pride is a useful thing," he said with a shrug. "Ireful Descent also saved my ass just now and the curse is ring up, but I don''t feel any strain. That guy damaged me so much from the venom alone that my defense was doubled by the skill and I barely managed to activate Wrath Demon to increase my magical defense." Nyx sighed and shook her head. "Right" "How long can youst?" The werewolf promptly asked, sighing as he reverted to Everfrost. "preferably, I would like it if you ended that spell as fast as possible." He nodded and pointed his hand at the ck hole. He grimaced as he tried to control the massively powerful Tier 2 spell. Thankfully, he hadn''t used his Manifestation likest time, since his current state had enough raw power to skip it, or it would have been much more uncontroble. On the other hand, while his Mystic Magic had made it stronger, it had also created a stronger link between him and the spell. Which was a convenient side-effect. Eventually, the ck hole began to shrink and lose power. Rakna would have normally continued to shut it down until it dispelled itself due to an eventual loss of core supply, but he stopped after a short moment. His outstretched arm trembled and he growled, "That bastard" Before Nyx could ask what he was muttering about, the ck hole was suddenly pierced by arge saw of violet energy. It began to spin loudly and then shed all around its circumference until it was cut into hundreds of pieces. The copsing star was shredded into nothingness; just like that. And within its fading remains, a giant purple scorpion with red ents emerged. The shiver-inducing Arachne shrieked and fell to the ground, hitting the ground with its ws in anger. "What kind of resilience is that" Nyx heard Rakna speak with a rare nervous tone. "The star both formed and copsed while he was inside of it. Even in my current state, I would have died without a doubt if it was me in his ce." "That form," the goddess narrowed her eyes at the titanic scorpion. "I assume that transformation is something every Nine-Tailed can do?" "Yeah, if it''s anything like mine, or my wolf form specifically, then at least one of his attributes was raised by 50% if not more across the rest. My attributes are being overcharged by the full moon as well but I think his are still higher now," Rakna clicked his tongue as the scorpion turned his eyes toward them. "If I had to guess" He continued. "I''m currently at about 600 and that''s with the dimension being at a constantly ''perfect'' full moon. And he is somehow hitting 700 without the System. I could try and demonize Pride should help, but if I end up passing out before we can defeat him, you''ll be left alone. Not to mention he still has the magic that seems to amplify anything he desires, even himself" "I think I''ll pass," Nyx huffed in response and he let out a wry chuckle. Both of them warily watched as Zasha ominously and slowly made his way in their direction, his eight legs piercing the ground with every step, leaving small puddles of liquid metal, corroded by the venom coursing through his body and dripping from his tails'' stingers. "A Tier 2 spell" The creature spoke with a distorted voice, its mouth ttering. "No, even before that, how did you draw those runes without me noticing?" Zasha asked as he stopped his advance while on top of a small mound of metal scraps, looking down at them with his titanic size. "Who knows," Rakna deadpanned. "I''m not going to put myself at a disadvantage against you," he said as most of his body was done regenerating. Grand Reinforcement had greatly elerated the process; turning his physicalposition into star energy had always been his most reliable method to recover after all, though it could be greatly disrupted by external factors. "Of course, of course," the scorpion nodded twice with its eerie appearance. Zasha had maintained his mannerisms even in his transformed state, which only made them even nastier. "I suppose it''s the same for my Oryad Poison? I really would like to know how you''re still alive" "Ah, this thing," Rakna looked down at his gaping gut, which had finally started closing once his body overcame the venom. "Unfortunately for you my body is far from normal and I even have a contracted Soul Beast with immunity to poison. While I don''t inherit that, it seems the link is still there to some extent. How nice of you to make me notice it," he said sarcastically. "And," the werewolf raised his hand, and soul power whirled around it, taking out a small object from his storage. He held it between his nails and showed it. "I have a gift from a lovely alchemist with me," he uttered and threw the pill in his mouth. Immediately, The Scavenger was triggered and a surge of power refilled his stamina, healed him, and expelled the Oryad Poison in full. Evelyn''s Cardiac Pill was essentially a condensed mixture of several hearts, and thus was acknowledged by Rakna''s Nirvana Skill, effectively bypassing theck of System and properly functioning as an Item; though just for him alone. The Oryad Poison was indeed a mighty substance that could even kill Gods, as per the legend from which the Nine-Tailed Scorpions originate, but The Harvester''s ''authority'' as a skill outssed it and imposed recovery upon its user, utterly squashing the poison. "I see," Zasha uttered quietly. "Also, thank you for the crash course on Circuit Pathways," Rakna jested. He was already aware of the implications of cooldowns, but he wanted to bait the scorpion into staying still. Although, admittedly, he had miscalcted how helpless it had made him and he fell victim to the Oryad Poison. On the other hand, he wasn''t scared to have his circuits crippled since Perfidious Edict was essentially a Nirvana Skill meant to reset his Pathways. "" The scorpion''s ck eyes adorned with a red light glowed stronger for a moment. "Well, you got me. I suppose I should finish you with everything I got then," he dered and his aura erupted with rued intensity. "I guess that''s the limit of the time I can buy," Rakna mumbled and called Sonata. The guandao rocketed out of the ground and whirled through the air until he caught it. He then wrapped Nyx with one of his wings before flying off into the sky at a speed surpassing the speed of sound by many times. Amongst other things, his Full Moon state''s three pairs of wings added one more multiplicator to his Mana Flight. The moment he took off the ground, Zasha''s aura,ced with shredding energy, turned everything below into bits, like the structure of a block-building game suddenly ejecting its pieces. While gently embraced by Rakna''s wing, Nyx felt most of her shadow army being diced into pieces alongside it. Although her Legion was not that expensive, and she was also capable of using the moonlight to refill her mana, it solidified her conviction that she needed stronger servants. ''Looks like I need to continue bounties once we return to the System,'' she concluded internally and couldn''t help but let her thoughts roam as she felt the increasing warmth of the werewolf. Some color crept to her cheeks and she groused, ''This man really needs to learn boundaries'' "[Re]" Zasha''s voice softly echoed and his aura twisted into something different; more ordinated. Nyx''s eyes widened at the very familiar feeling as well as the syble he uttered. She had heard it plenty and had used it herself more than a few times. "Rakna!" She shouted in panic and she could feel him tense. "Leave! He''s about to use his Manifestation!" Rakna shuddered and his six wings promptly started releasing a silver mist. He was already ready to use Wings of Spatial Copse to escape but then his instincts kicked in; it was toote. None of his skills would allow him to leave in time if he didn''t demonize. The giant scorpion''s features somehow imitated a grin and opened its mouth, "[surrect--?!]" But before Zasha could finish, he abruptly stopped. His rising power died down as if a mirage and he quietly looked to the side, where nothing could be seen, before reverting into human form. "It seems like you won''t die at my hands, Rakna Xiorra," he spoke up as he donned apletely immacte coat out of nowhere. A top hat then materialized in his hand, which he put on, followed by a pair of sunsses. "The n is calling me back. Looks like they found out what was happening out here," he calmly said. The scorpion pushed his sses up to the bridge of his nose and straightened his coat. "This wasn''t included in my pay, so I was ordered to leave the Abyss to their business. It''s not such a bad thing, actually. Killing you will probably create more trouble than it''s worth." "On that note" Zasha bowed grandly in mock respect. "Farewell. We will meet again, if you leave this ce alive, of course. There''s a greater foe than I waiting for you in this teau after all," he smiled. "But I''m sure you know that already," he chuckled and swiped his hand, tearing a hole into Nyx''s Half-Dimension and leaving before it closed behind him. After he was gone, the dimension fell silent and Rakna groaned,nding back on the ground and softly letting go of Nyx. "Take it down," he said evenly and she nodded. Promptly, the darkness of the Twilight Realm receded into the moon in the sky as if it was hiding behind it until there wasn''t enough of it to sustain the dimension anymore. The Crepuscule Night immediately fell apart with the disappearance of the full moon, and what had been destroyed was fixed, as if rewound in time. Before Rakna could be seen by anyone, he grasped the small interval between the disappearance of the moon and the return to the real world and ended his transformation. He grimaced at the difort of prematurely ending the ''berserk'' state and forcing his extra tails and wings to go back to ''sleep'' inside his genomes. Once again, he took on the appearance of Ranka so that no trace of his presence here bes known after Zero is back in Eva''s hands. He looked at his trembling hands; his body was hanging by a thread. The Oryad Poison had done far more damage to the Alkahestic Physique than he had admitted. He was genuinely afraid when he was injected with it. ''I managed to keep a few trump cards but will that be enough?'' He thought and looked at Nyx. "Do you think you can cast the Half-Dimension again?" She shook her head in the negative. "I forced it too much. I will need at least an hour to recover properly. Otherwise, it might just copse as fast as one minute or a second after being cast." Rakna slowly nodded and used Eye of Symphony to link up with his Eion bugs. "Hans, do you hear me?" He called and didn''t receive an answer even after ten seconds. But since the signal hadn''t been lost, it meant that Hans either lost the automaton or was unable to respond. "I don''t like that" "What''s the n?" Nyx questioned and he clicked his tongue. "Let''s go to that damn Terminal," he said and unfurled his wings. At this point, people had already seen this fake identity with them, so he didn''t mind. "Back or princess?" He quickly asked and Nyx blushed a bit before sighing. "let''s go with princess," she replied reluctantly and he snorted in amusement. With her blessing, he lifted her and flew off, not forgetting to check up on Rita, and Cura, who was currently engaged in a battle of which he could see the direct repercussions from his current location. ''Rita is doing the rescue, I see. They should be fine'' He thought and focused on the map up on his retina. He would arrive at the supposed Terminal''s coordinates in less than a minute. And for some reason he had a really bad feeling about it. Chapter 337: Baziq Vaberum Roias Chapter 337: Baziq Vaberum Roias A few moments earlier, inside the building over Zero''s Terminal, a group of Kratos members was fumbling about over new orders being sent out. "What the hell is going on?" One man asked as he helped carry a crate of weapons, materials, data disks, and Turs, the only currency from the System capable of being brought into Zero in a physical state. "Why do we have to empty our storage all of a sudden?" "Beats me," another replied with a shrug. He dropped what he was carrying on the floor of a room specifically meant for System transfers; ones that work solely for teau Zero''s istedwork and which can send anything to any set teau in the System from a backdoor. "Things are getting weird outside, so maybe there''s a bit of that. Apparently, one of the higher-ups decided that we should desert Zero because it''s not useful anymore. So, now, everything is being wiped out. I heard that the Grafted were all evacuated earlier this morning already." The man who asked the question first stayed silent as a third person joined the conversation. "I heard that asshole Bora got assassinated by one of the girls he had his eyes on. Heh, serves him right. That probably means someone''s onto us, right? That''s why we''re moving?" "Maybe. Bora might have been a useless scumbag but it''s true that he was the guy who originally became the link with Zero''s Terminal. Now there''s a gap in the System that Eva is probably dying to make use of. Heck, she might have sent some undercover Host into here, so keep your eyes open until we''re in the clear." "Aye, aye," everyone agreed nonchntly as they let the newly deposited materials get teleported out. Meanwhile, the man from the beginning gradually separated from the main group under the guise of going to fetch leftover equipment. He eventually arrived in empty corridors and looked around. He inched toward a certain wall and knocked on it a few times. "Here?" He muttered and slid his hand down until he heard a click and a hidden passage revealed itself to him. "Most pleasing to see," the man smiled and walked in. His appearance then slowly crumbled and he transformed into an azure-haired boy wearing formal attire fitting his age. Hans grunted as he fixed his bow tie and ambled down the passage that strikingly reminded him of the backrooms of a Pavilion. "How stuffy. I will never get used to rewriting my identity," he said to himself. "That particr note aside, Kratos is certainly retreating from Zero. And if we consider the Grafted to be this organization''s primary objective in this teau; it would imply they reachedpletion in their research and goal a cursed army, is it? But what for?" The author mused on his own and finally stepped into the room at the end of the tunnel. A circr area in which the Terminal was elevated on a central tform. Hans had no time to waste, so he rapidly made his way up. He walked over the nk monitor that constituted the floor and pressed his hand on the ess stake that protruded in the middle. Immediately, he felt the familiar presence of System envelop him, but not to the extent he regained his status. All around him, holographic screens began to appear with iprehensible data, forms, and inputs of all sorts. That even included therge disy he was standing on. The not-so-young boy''s eyes alternated a few times between all of them and he opened his mouth, "[Rewrite.]" He once again invoked his skill on himself, and this time, he added adeptness to pseudo-magical technology, programming, and extreme informationption. In the blink of an eye, he began to understand everything that was being shown to him except a few details. With a nod, he checked that this was the real Terminal and reached for the inside of his jacket. He fished out a small cube releasing a yellow glow. It was the item Rakna had received from Eva and which had been given to him by the former. Hans pushed the cube into the admin tower that he had his hand on and all screens shut down. In their ce, scrolling lines of text began to flood his vision along with at least a hundred different loading counters; from the simplest of charging bars, percentages, and countdowns, to full-blown magic circle decryptions. "If I understand this right it is going to take at least six minutes," he muttered after taking a step back. "Eva will establish a link afterward and within three more minutes, the System will reboot and re-establish its influence. Six, no, five minutes and forty-six seconds. This should be" The azure-haired boy lowered his voice until it waspletely silent. "But of course" He huffed jeeringly and calmly turned his back to the now frozen loading screen. Instead, he looked up at the abomination standing at the entrance of the room. "It was you, was it not? The one who has been stalking me." A wide insidious grin answered him. ? * * * ? Rakna and Nyx stealthily entered the building thanks to thetter''s shadows and simrly reached the same hidden passage as Hans. Most of the guards had already vacated the premises before they arrived for some reason, so they had an easy time. "A gimmick wall?" The therian muttered as he used Founding Intuition and Crystal Sight to find the way to open it. Before he couldplete the motion to trigger the mechanism, his connection to Egregore red up like never before and his instinct flooded him with wariness. "is it that bad?" Nyx asked after she saw him stiffen and resist the urge to step back. "" Silently, Rakna slid his hand down and the wall slid open. "We''re trapped," he uttered and he walked forward, closing his soul circuits. "And we have been for several days now." The goddess quietly stood still as she watched him go inside. She looked behind her onest time before following after him, the passage closing at the same time. They marched in muteness until they reached the Terminal room where they were greeted by a figure sitting on the stairs leading up to the elevated tform. Rakna immediately gritted his teeth after he saw it. It was a creature with skin and flesh akin to granite, with two pairs of yellow-gold eyes vertically aligned with each other. Its torso was bare whilst its lower half was dressed in loose white cloth that resembled a Gi, tied at the waist by a ck band. The unknown being was also barefooted and intimidatingly tall, reaching well over three meters in height while also being terribly lean, with muscles that bordered on skinny in nature. Several horn-like protrusions grew on its head and coiled down to its shoulders like hair, and somewhat concealed theck of visible ears. But the most unnerving thing was that grin. Wider than most living beings, somehow managing to divide its perceivable face into two parts by drawing a perfect line of pearly white teeth. Nyx''s expression fell once she recognized what this creature was and her eyes eventuallynded on something ced on the same step, innocuously posed there until one noticed it. Once she had the proper focus to see what it was, she couldn''t hold back a gasp that was heard by both the ''thing'' and Rakna. Thetter also nced at what she had seen and his face stiffened. A severed head. It was sitting there as if it was normal. A headless corpse could be seen copsed on the floor behind the creature as well. "Hans" Nyx whispered with widened eyes at the head of the boy. His facial features were just as taciturn as if he was alive; eyes full of condescension and hatred. But the thing that made it awfully disconcerting was how frozen it was. "This boy was your ally?" The creature suddenly spoke up and ced its hand on top of the head. Its voice was rough but somehow deeply soothing. "Not that I ever doubted it, of course. It''s just that it''s my first time encountering one such as him and I genuinely have to praise it," it said and grabbed Hans'' head, tossing it into the air and catching it again. "To die with that kind of expression on his face is nothing but impressive. And he even survived a short butmendable minute. He had the wit to preemptively develop a skill meant to resist the attacks of a Tras before I even revealed myself. How fascinating that was." Rakna''s eyes emptied once the thing''s identity was directly confirmed. "Oh, but where are my manners," the Tras abruptly eximed and ced the severed head down before standing up. The creature''s stature shadowed both its listeners before he once again gave a smile that split his face, "My name is Baziq Vaberum Roias. One of the three Rulers of The Abyss and the one who punished Verias for his treachery. I suppose I should thank you for finishing that particr responsibility in my stead Rakna Xiorra de." Chapter 338: "Earn it." Chapter 338: "Earn it." Without sparing any further attention toward anything else, Rakna immediately shapeshifted and triggered Obsidian Blood. His body expanded in the blink of an eye and a short burst of crimson mana enveloped his body and colored his fur; a color that remarkably spread to Sonata as well. Whilst fighting Zasha, he had refrained from using his Trait for the simple reason that he knew he needed his full speed in order to contend with the scorpion. However, Roias was not a creature that could be fought in the first ce. He could feel right down to his soul; speed would not matter if there was not enough force being dealt out. "A man of few" The Tras paused his sentence to lean back as a w swept over him. "words, I see," he finished calmly and then swiftly leaped away as a kick threatened to snap his neck. He calmlytched onto the room''s wall by stabbing his hand into it. The Terminal Room possessed the exact same configuration as other teaus, which included the infinitely high ceiling hidden in obscurity. "Hm, Zasha must have been distressed battling you. He''s a talented man but his idleness and chatty attitude are ws of his," Roias remarked with his unbreakable grin, rubbing his chin with his free hand at the same time. "Bastard, aren''t you awfully chatty as well?" Rakna spat as he looked up at the Tras, his alternate tone and attitude deteriorating viciously, even more so than usual. Nyx walked up behind him in the meantime and quietly inspected Hans'' body with a difficult expression, noticing the fact that there was no blood anywhere. "Perhaps, I am," Roias shrugged. "If you wanna waste time yakking about, why don''t you start by coughing out how you know my full name?" The werewolf inquired whilst silently talking to Ceres and connecting to the Terminal with Eye of Symphony. [Hans has inserted the data piece and the reboot program has been properlyunched. However, it seems something is halting its progression. Evidently, I would assume it''s the Tras'' doing.] ''And Eye of Symphony cannot crack through it It''s this guy''s presence that''s disrupting the signal somehow. It''s as if he''s encroaching on the System by just being there.'' [I can attempt to download myself into the Terminal through Eye of Symphony''s link and carry out the loading internally. Before the System is restored, I should be able to temporarily separate from you. But] ''It will take time, won''t it?'' Rakna huffed quietly. [Yes. At least several minutes, plus the actual loading time.] ''do it.'' [Understood. Please be careful, Rakna,] Ceres said and disconnected from him, her core program being transmitted into the Terminal. At the same time, Roias answered the werewolf''s question. "How do I know of your affiliation to the Kind Demon?" The Tras smirked even wider if that was possible. "Well, that is a very interesting query with a fittingly stirring answer. But you must earn it. Why don''t you give me a reason to answer you?" He uttered and pulled his hand out of the wall before putting his feet on it. Incongruously, he stood vertically and put his hands behind his back. "Show me what the Kind Demon''s Kin can do. I''ll give you the first move. But be quick, if you don''t entertain me enough I might just decide to kill you before you can react." "Mighty generous of you," Rakna retorted with a wolfish grin. He kept Sonata as a scarf around his neck and cocked his right hand back. Without holding back, he infused all the energies he had into it; lunar energy, internal energy, dimensional energy, spiritual intent, and mana. He circted them through the pathways of Sunken Ripple of Rupture and his arm began to blur heavily and a white and reddish aura burst around it at the same time. Rakna was sure that if he was still connected to the System, there would be a notification for the creation of a skill. Under the influence of Obsidian Blood, he had no inhibitors. Experiments in the middle of a fight werepletely fine. Life-risking abilities? No problem. Thoughts about strategy? There was no need for those. Hit first, thinkter. The werewolf unfurled his four wings and zoomed through the room, his figure blurred so much in that instance that it was as if he had doubled and fused back together in front of Roias. His arm was bulging and ready to punch. "[Fist of Rupture,]" Rakna uttered and his fist shed. Roias watched it approach in slow motion with his two pairs of eyes wide open, but nothing close to apprehension was present in them. Faster than it could be seen, he tilted his head and the punch brushed past his cheek. Rakna''s fist subsequently stopped right in its track as if it had hit an invisible wall and ripples on the surface of reality spread out from the point of impact. The werewolf was not surprised or sad that his attack had missed and the blurs of his martial art transferred to his opposite elbow. He thrust it forward aiming at the Tras'' jaw but it was once again dodged. New ripples were made and as if time itself needed to catch up, it was at that moment that the first punch''s effects were felt. A booming sound echoed and sted the wall of the Terminal room, followed by a shockwave that forced both Rakna and Roias to retreat further up. Closely after, the second impact erupted from its spot and a noise akin to a thunderp resounded noisily. Nyx winced and had to cover her ears because of it, but that was far from the end of it. She gulped as she saw the tworge figures sh once again above her. In her eyes, Rakna was moving almost in a barbaric manner, but she could discern the masterful deadliness of his martial mastery. Ripple of Rupture was a terrifying art that, up close, felt like it was bending space not only upon hitting but also footwork and rebncing. After attacking, Rakna would normally be in no position to strike again unless he wound his body back into the proper stance. But that was not the case here. His body would blur, again and again, and in the next instant, before you realized it, he was already swinging another fist as if he had skipped the entire process that preceded it. Nyx instinctively knew that this was nothing short of madness and that each one of those punches would end her life if itnded anywhere other than her limbs. However, she was even more scared by Roias'' performance. Like a fish in water, he weaved through the assault without a single sign of difficulty, and whenever he would step on the wall or jump as if gravity was inverted, or when he would sometimes subtly use a finger to split the punch''s shockwaves, Nyx concluded; this Tras was a master. Or to be exact, a grandmaster of internal energy andbat. ''This damn'' Rakna frowned as Roias kept smirking whilst casually avoiding his fists. After a short while of them continuously running around and up the walls, he had already run out of lunar energy and soon enough his mana would also be empty and his attacks would be a lot weaker. Not to mention his arms were close to giving out due to the strain of Rift Shuttle. Quickly, he mentallymanded Sonata to fly out and switch into a Dual Chain de. Roias raised a curious eyebrow and was already on his way to flick the chain that very clearly was attempting to bind him. But "[Valkal.]" He blinked in surprise when he felt a weak, but unseeable force, deviate his hand and make him miss entirely. That was more than enough for Sonata to temporarily wrap around him and restrain his movements. Rakna had already started preparing for this opening so his attack came instantaneously. Full of energy and Intent, his punch was about tond on the Tras'' head when it suddenly stopped. "what?" The werewolf uttered as he felt everything that he had put into the attack vanish. Both the mana and Intent were gone. Only the dimensional and internal energy remained, which led to a small but loud repercussion, but far from its expected scale. And what had caused it managed to even baffle the mind of Rakna''s Inferno Star state. Roias was pushing back his trembling fist with nothing more than his open palm, visibly devoid of struggle. "Wonderful technique and initiative," the Tras praised with a nod. "I have never seen such a well-polished and powerful Internal Art before. That was a beautiful Intent as well. However, you have much to learn yet," he stated and grabbed Sonata''s chain and broke it with his grip strength. The weapon slid off his body and he proceeded to use the same hand to reach for the werewolf''s stomach. He put tension into his finger and then flicked it, promptly rocketing Rakna into the wall behind with a sonic boom. Right after, Roias hummed as he caught sight of the shadows around him wriggling. A multitude of glowing eyes suddenly peered at him and dozens ofrge aerial beasts emerged. They screeched and attacked him from all sides. The Tras chuckled and stepped back just in time for one of them to plunge into the wall. He then pivoted his feet and backhanded another; disintegrating it on contact. Releasing the internal energy that pinned him vertically to the wall, he let himself fall andnded on the back of arge shadow pterodactyl. With folded arms, he casually tapped the beast''s back with the tip of his foot and a hole was blown clean through it. "Fascinating," Roias remarked as he pinched two more shadow undead out of existence. It was as if his touch alone was a threat. "A sub-rtive form of necromancy?" He muttered to himself and looked down whilst crushing a giant eagle''s skull. He spotted Nyx pointing her hand at him with five silver and red magic circles revolving around each other around her arm. "Oh?" He eximed and a beam of lunar energy and shadows buzzed out of her arm and coiled around the room as it ascended toward him. The Tras eyed the spell-like construct adorned with a pair of spectral wings. He pulled out a hand from his back and just like what he did to Rakna, his palm both stopped and erased the iing threat. "These sorts of things will not be able to reach me," he dered as he lowered his hand. "Oh, yeah? What about this?" Rakna snarked from behind and Roias had of course sensed him. He shook his head and unhurriedly looked over his shoulder. "As I said, you will!" His nonchnt expression finally morphed into something different. In front of his eyes, the werewolf was swinging a Guandao at him with a particr eight-branched cross hanging from his wrist, the well-known symbol of a certain God said to be the nemesis of Tra. "[Crescent of A Falling Star!]" Chapter 339: Our Creator, Our Father Chapter 339: Our Creator, Our Father A surge of impious, holy, and star energy swallowed a whole stratum of the Terminal Room and Nyx narrowed her eyes as she noticed the faint presence of Aeter inside of it. When it died down, she saw Rakna resurface first as he seemed to retreat, using his wings to glide his way into a better position. Roias'' figure eventually followed, standing in midair with sparks of internal energy at his feet supporting him. Other than some creases on his Gi, he didn''t seem to be any worse for wear. What had changed in his expression was simply that the smirk had turned more amused. The Tras dusted himself with a calm demeanor and looked at both his opponents. "The Kind Demon''s Cross," he said whilst gazing at the essory hanging around the werewolf''s wrist. "The religious symbol of the Basilica of Eternal Night. Certainly, it does grant its wearer the ability to foster damage against us Tra. I did hear it was given to you as a reward for subjugating Verias. That is quite ironic for you to use it on me in turn. But to think you brought it to Zero did you expect to encounter one of my kind? No that is a silly question. Of course, you would." Roias nodded to himself. "Indeed. On the other hand, I''m curious. In this ce thatcks Original Laws of Existence or worldly influence, did you know the Kind Demon''s power would still shine through?" "Why the fuck would it matter?" Rakna scoffed and gripped the cross that reacted to his touch like none of the worshippers of the Basilica could ever dream of. "The old man doesn''t need that crap and most importantly, why would you need the World as a medium when there is me right here?" Blinking at first, the Tras eventually devolved intoughter. "So, it is nothing but conviction? How amusing. Pride? Belief? Certainty? Arrogance? Or instinct mayhap? What gives you this permanent confidence of yours?" Rakna grinned viciously and transformed Sonata into a greatsword, which he hoisted with a single hand and pointed at Roias. "Luck," he uttered and blood energy coated his body, rousing the Eion inside at the same time, and invoking a shapeless aura. "[10 000 Nights of Severance.]" Sonata shed and Roias once again used a finger to swipe the flying attack and dispel it entirely before it even had the chance to hit. The werewolf immediately closed the distance afterward and swung the osciting greatsword teeming with Eion. This time, the Tras actually raised an eyebrow at the looming weapon and decided not to use his hand to block it. Rather, he conjured ck mist around his arm and used it to deflect the sword as if it was physical. "That odd cyan energy," he muttered as he crouched to dodge a swing. "I''ve never seen anything like it before. Both your body and weapon emanate the same signature. Strange indeed," he mused and casually jumped with considerable finesse,nding on the werewolf''s shoulder with one foot before using it as a stepstone. Rakna clicked his tongue and ultimately decided to stop. His current strategy wasn''t working and he had no problem believing Roias'' threat. If this continued, the Tras would get bored and end it in a heartbeat. "What''s wrong?" The cursed creature cocked his head. "Out of ideas? Didn''t you say you wanted to know how I knew of your identity? You still have some way to go before you earn it or perhaps you wish to banter with me, hoping the little Truth Field around your sword will work on me?" Silently, Rakna clenched Sonata, and the air began to vibrate imperceptibly. "{Nyx,}" he called out loud but the sound did note out of his mouth as if he was mute. However, the target of his call reacted from below with widened eyes. "{I''m going to try something. Switch with me,}" he stated and his Soul Weapon dutifully carried his voice''s vibrations through air control. The goddess'' expression sharpened and she nodded. Using her Ascended Shadow Control, a pair of wings sprouted on her back, followed by a robe and armor that manifested on top of the clothes she wore. She flew off at a respectable speed, even by Rakna''s standards, and crossed the werewolf who had started to retreat. They briefly nced at each other and she charged at the Tras. She raised her hand and summoned the Urumi sword forged for her. The de split almost instantly and she whipped it at Roias with lightning speed, her attack being bolstered by shadows, Eion, and most importantly, her divinity; the natural force of nature that was generated by her body at all times. Roias twisted his torso to dodge the whip and he could feel divine power scratch the surface of his skin without touching it. Divine power held the inherent capability of being holy, and this one was a much stronger one than Rakna had mustered through the perk of Sonata. "Entertaining, I will agree," he admitted and invoked the ck mist again. It swirled into the shape of a saber and he used it to deflect a second strike that was sent his way. "My next adversary is a Goddess. Sadly, far too weakened to be amendable threat." Nyx frowned at that and summoned arge smander''s head from within one of her wings. The reptilian opened its mouth and blew out a powerful breath of mes. "Hahaha, you know that an Abyss Tras is weak to fire on top of holy power," Roias chuckled and raised his saber. Again, without visible effort, he retaliated and the fire was inexplicably split and extinguished in a second. "Good for you to capitalize on it," he uttered as sparks fizzled out. "But you must have realized it by now, right?" Nyx wouldn''t stoop down as far as humoring her opponent vocally, but she had indeed understood the reality of the matter. Roias seemingly had innate skills he seemed to use ever since earlier. The ck mist was most likely Pandora''s Curse itself. The impossibly fast, but yet smooth and flowing movements were either a high-grade martial art or an Internal Art like Ripple of Rupture. But his every sessful attempt at extinguishing her pseudo-spells and Rakna''s Intent or Mana meant only one thing. ''He has either a physique or a Nirvana Skill that erases spiritual energies,'' she thought grimly. ''That would exin why he decisively avoids Eion and dimensional forces. Neither of those is spiritual in nature. But on the other hand, magic and most skills are naught but.'' ''I cannot hold my own in a physical fight with him,'' she concluded internally, helplessly retrieving her whip sword after it once again failed to even graze him. ''I''m locked to ranged methods. But he''s definitely vulnerable to my divinity as long as I pour enough of it in my attacks, it should mitigate his ability to some extent.'' "I see you''re the silent type," Roiasmented while she was in the middle of her thoughts. "It is funny, isn''t it?" He asked with a snicker. "Those in power tend to bber away, feelingfortable in their superiority. Personally, I genuinely appreciate conversing with my enemies. It shows me that they do not think of themselves as desperate, scared, or nervous. There is nothing that I love more than someone weaker than me willing to stick out their chest and holler proudly." Nyx clicked her tongue and while the Tras talked, she nced around the room to see if she could find Rakna, but to her dismay, there was no trace of him. Presumably, he had gone into another dimension to prepare whatever he was nning. Roias sneered, "Perhaps your pride is something you''ve lost along with your former dignity as the Night Goddess. Perpetua Votum must have been a harrowing experience indeed." Nyx froze and her eyes trembled, dumbfoundedly focusing back on the Tras. "How did?" "Ah, you finally spoke," he cackled. "Why? Is it that shocking that I know which spell Eternal Night used to seal you away?" "Answer me," the goddessmanded menacingly and he simply smiled wider. "Hah, it seems I''ve got your full attention now. Are you by any chance wary of my source? Or that it has any influence on how younded up in Systema?" "" Roias chuckled at her silence. "Admittedly, the knowledge is not my own. Our Dear Empress is the one who has revealed this to me. She is the perfect Tras and knows much about the Kind Demon and his life. After all, he is" He was interrupted by the sound of ss shattering and a massive pir of holy light descending upon him. ? * * * ? A few moments earlier, Rakna had nted Sonata into the floor of the Terminal room and entered the Mirror Dimension through the de''s reflection. The moment he made the shift, he instantly began to fall as there was no floor for him to stand on. The entire Terminal room was nonexistent, reced by an endless void. However, after catching himself with his wings, the werewolf could still see the reflection of his weapon or the silhouettes of Roias and Nyx. "Looks like the System''s infrastructures are dimensionally exclusive," Rakna muttered to himself whilst initiating his idea. He breathed in and out and sped his hands together. The idea was simple; cast a spell. Ever since he hade out of Nyx''s Half-Dimension, he had kept this constrained feeling deep down in his chest. It was as if his elements had begun to familiarize themselves with the environment and just needed a push to be brought out. ''But Ick the raw power to actually invoke them without the World,'' he thought and channeled his mana through his arms. He had escaped into the Mirror Dimension for one thing; to get away from Roias. Rakna obviously knew about thetter''s strange ability to erase spiritual forces; he had made sure to use Crystal Sight at full capacity after his full-powered punch had been brushed off so easily. He didn''t want the Tras'' presence to hinder the casting of his spell. As for the nature of the spell, if he wanted to force it out without worldly influence, he needed one that relied on something more than just the System or him; an outside influence that could breach through theck of World and even thrive upon its absence. "And what better fit than a Major Realm," Rakna uttered and activated Founding Intuition. Gray lines promptly spread out in symmetrical patterns across his crimson fur, releasing Soul Dust. He grabbed nearly all of the Cardiac Pills he had left and threw them into his mouth, breaking them apart with his fangs and ignoring the strain he felt from the dangerously high dose. He proceeded to circte his mana in order to cast his spell. While inside the Twilight, he had used nothing more than his instinct boosted by the full moon to conjure his magic. But this time, he keenly visualized and drew the magic formation. The runes and lines slowly etched themselves into the magic circle, but one didn''t need to be a genius to tell at first sight that it was very unstable, somewhat glitching out. "Come on don''t let me down," Rakna uttered and manually started drawing the remaining runes with the tip of his ws. Once he was done, the result faintly but surely began to spin. "[Heed My Call,]" he intoned and poured his soul power into it to stabilize it. "[Star Monarch C Virgo.]" After he chanted, the circle did not react, much to his annoyance. He growled and used more of his soul power while maintaining Founding Intuition. He redirected all of it to his back where his Chalice was etched on. The Chalice of the Crystal Wolf was his personal Magic Sigil. He had often neglected one of its basic uses until now since most of his magic casting while in the System never required anything more than his instincts. A Sigil was meant to bend the World. It was a catalyst for the caster to impose their will onto the already established but malleable reality known as the World. But without that root concept, there was nothing to alter, thus making the invocation of magic an incredibly difficult process. In that case, Rakna would skip it entirely. Why did he need to alter anything, when he already had his own World to impose his will onto others? "[Embers of Ardor Abide the Star''s Vehemence,]" he sang the first line of his Cl Lli and the image of the crystalline chalice shone through his fur, enveloping him with its light. Promptly, the magic circle transformed as if spurred on. It turned into a solid object made out of a precious stone simr to diamond and showered the surroundings with its light. Steadily, above it, small dots of Inferno Star Energy began to appear to form a constetion and Rakna grinned. "Now, we''re talking," heughed as a multitude of crimson embers sparked around him, on their way to manifest the Inferno Star, but not quite there yet. Meanwhile, the constetion coalesced and turned into a familiar winged cocoon that released far more divinity and power than usual. Wordlessly, Rakna nced at Sonata located outside of Antanasia. His link with the Soul Weapon was still present even across dimensions and he ordered it to move. The sword trembled before it flew off toward the figures of Roias and Nyx. At the same time, a beautiful woman burst out of the Star Energy cocoon and beamed in happiness as she felt a thrilling amount of power essible to her. "Lord Monarch!" She greeted cheerfully. "This is incredible! There is barely any interference from Egregore and no limitation from the World. My power is augmented by at least ten-fold," she said rapidly and Rakna snorted in amusement. Astraea then looked around for a moment. "Um but where are we?" She added with a tilt of her head. "Looks like Enthymio?" She guessed out loud. "No time to exin," Rakna finally cut her and pointed at the hazy figure of Roias. "Do you see that bastard? I''ll bring you out of Antanasia with me and I want you to hit him with all you''ve got." The incarnated goddess quickly sobered up and her eyes sharpened as she observed Roias with renewed seriousness. Now, she knew why her Monarch was currently using his opposite element and personality. "I understand." "Good. If you''re ready" Rakna''s wings crackled as he prepared to carry Astraea out of the Mirror World. His eyes shed with a deep shade of red and in a streak of light, the dimension copsed and a divine pir engulfed Roias from above. Nyx''s eyes widened in surprise and urgently took her distance from the well of power. She looked up and spotted an angelic figure at the source of the attack. "Astraea?" She muttered and turned to her right where Raknanded with a tired sigh. "Shit, that was actually close," the werewolf spoke with an unhinged tone that Nyx was strangely getting used to without difficulty. "For a moment, I thought I wouldn''t be able to" His small rant was cut off by the pir of holy light imploding. "And of course, it doesn''t matter," he grumbled. "Lord Monarch," Astraea called out as shended before the both of them. "Please step back. This creature is far more powerful than it is letting on," she said with a grimace. Roias emerged from the attack with once again barely a mark. However, his sand-colored skin was faintly darker and was releasing smoke, though it was quickly fading away regardless. "A Firmament Monarch," the Trasmented with his four eyes peering into the angel. "That is an interesting strategy you came up with. Certainly, a Realm can pierce this teau''s istion." "Stop being so damn patronizing," Rakna scoffed. "Haha, all right. I think you earned it," Roias dered with a chuckle. "Actually, that fallen goddess next to you and I were having a small chat about it before you so rudely interrupted us. As I was saying, our Empress is the epitome of the race known as the Tra. And she has a deep connection to the one known as Eternal Night." The werewolf''s eyebrow twitched. "And the reason is simple. For you see, the Mad God known as Karaskan is widely known to be the creator of the Tra. He did so by participating in both the crafting and opening of Pandora''s Box, which we were born from. But it is not a popr fact that he didn''t open it himself." Nyx widened her eyes in realization by that point. She knew what he was going to say, and she had in fact known about it for a while. The dots had connected in her mind and she threw a side nce at Rakna who was quietly listening. "He used someone else''s power to awaken it," Roias stated and grinned. "Karaskan is our Creator indeed, but Arimane Reigen de is nothing less than our Father." Chapter 340: A Sad Experiment Chapter 340: A Sad Experiment "what did you just say?" Rakna asked ominously with an increase in temperature that surprised both Astraea and Nyx. He was already starting to manifest his magic without the World and they knew better than most people about how hard that was. "The Kind Demon is the Tra''s Father," Roias repeated himself calmly. "I''m sure that''s not quite as ttering as the other titles he has, but it is the truth. We would be quite ungrateful children if we didn''t know a bit about our de-facto progenitor, don''t you think?" "" "Though, admittedly, we''re quite the estranged ones," he added. "The System has isted us from the main hive mind that connects our entire race. Which led to some unique evolutions among our kind. An increased rate in the development of individuality amongst our ranks, for instance." "Are you done?" Rakna snarled. "I get how you knew about me now. Thanks for the info, but I don''t care about your little trivia. I''m sure the old man never intended to create you, and I''ll make sure you''re fucking six feet under before I meet him again." Roias cackled. "Never intended, you say?" The werewolf growled with oozing anger. "What are you trying to say?" "You''re right, Eternal Night wasn''t willfully involved in our birth. However, youck one critical piece of information," he smirked. "You see; the Tra are everywhere. Pandora''s Curse spread to every corner of Existence, every Reality. This happened when the Tra''s hivemind decided to rally all its forces and invade the Mother Realities from which they propagated." Rakna frowned and faintly nced at Nyx, trying to convey the unspoken question of if she knew where the Tras was going with this. The Night Goddess could only shake her head stiffly; this was something she had never heard of. She had already been sealed by Perpetua Votum by that time; the Eternal Night Art which Roias mentioned himself and tranted into Evesting Wish. With a lightugh, the Trasmented on their silent exchange, "Yes, she is unaware. But if I am not wrong she should know," he uttered and nonchntly pointed at a nervous-looking Astraea. The poor girl seemed to be in a conflict with herself, anxiously looking between all of them, trying to decide if she should speak up or keep her mouth closed. When Rakna looked at her, she gulped and was about to speak, but the crimson werewolf surprisingly didn''t hound her for an answer. He recognized her plea and redirected his full attention and anger at Roias once again. "What a gentleman, even with the whole ''red'' thing you have going," the creature quipped. "Now, where was I?" He rubbed his chin. "Oh, yes, the invasion of the Mother Realities by the Tra. It was quite an operation. The spearhead was a Tras powerful enough to equal Mythical-ss Gods." "But I''m digressing" Roias trailed and started walking around the Terminal Room with his hands behind his back. "What must be understood here is that crossing Realities is an ability that cannot be harnessed by many people. It is something that requires talent, effort, great life force, and one incredible amount of Existentiality. Tra can''t possibly hope to aplish it on their own, much less when it concerns the five Mother Realities." "As such, we took an opportunity. One man, that you know very well, opened the gates to the other Mother Realities in his quest to defeat the Original Creators. Of course, we tried to follow and were met with resistance at the entrance," Roias stopped walking and nced at the werewolf. "Victory was close, but at the most critical time, the Kind Demon returned from his expedition. By that time, he had already ascended into a Primordial God. We had no chance." "What do you think happened afterward?" The Tras asked. "he let you go," Rakna said with a nk tone and both Nyx and Astraea froze. Even Roias himself was slightly surprised, though it was far from enough to knock his grin away. "Fascinating. You reached that conclusion instantly." "In front of that old man, there is no running away, no bargaining, no luck, no survival. If you find yourself on the other side of his gun, you die or live based on his inclination alone," Rakna dered with a steely voice. "And it doesn''t bother you? That your uncle doomed the world by setting us free? This is rhetorical of course, but did you know, he not only let the Tra go but usurped our hive mind as well? The Kind Demon is, in a sense, our leader. The Tra are his army, which he refuses to regte. Whether we kill or are killed, he doesn''t care. Whether we destroy worlds ormit genocides, he doesn''t intervene." "Whether a little elven girl dies by our hands or not" Roias leered as the temperature increased once again. "He does not care." The room fell silent and had there been people of lesser caliber present, they would have barely been able to keep standing under the natural presence of the werewolf. It was as if his subsided anger was worming its way into the watcher''s soul without incentive. "I don''t know what you''re trying to do" Rakna eventually spoke up. "But if this is about shaking my faith in him, you won''t seed." "Oh?" "Arima isn''t exactly what you would call a proper person," the werewolf used his uncle''s sole and rarely used nickname for the first time. "Hemands respect and friendliness, but he is far from a decent man. He''s a kind man but positively a demon. He''s someone who killed millions so that the world would fear him enough to obey him. His goal was to erase war, and he seeded." "But that was not the end of it. After he got rid of war, he ''experimented''," Rakna uttered and Nyx at his side scowled at the choice of word. "Conflict is something he couldn''t erase since it was part of human nature. So, he did some experiments. Whether it was using children as sleeper agents in undercover roles, whether it was founding infamous criminal organizations, whether it was killing innocent disrupting elements, or giving rise to a band of assassins, he tried it." Astraea''s expression devolved into a grimace with each and every example he gave, and Roias had a morbid curiosity stered on his face, clearly interested in the details he was unaware of. "He didn''t act out of a desire to save people or even a responsibility. For the most part, all he was could be surmised to kindness alone and revenge. Revenge against the world in a way," Rakna let out a snicker. "Just as much as he didn''t approve of mine, but took me under his wing, I also did not approve of his, but still followed him. I owe him everything. So, even if you came at me with a story about how he wished to ughter all living things, I wouldn''t have cared. I owe him too much to judge him." Roias tilted his head with an eyebrow raised in curiosity, "Interesting phrasing. You say you would not have judged him. But you would have done something other than that?" "Stopping him would have also been part of my debt," Rakna dered and adopted a stance, with his Guandao whistling in his hand. At his movements, Astraea and Nyx tensed in preparation while a message from Ceres arrived into the werewolf''s ears. [I am inside. Countdown resumed. Five minutes and thirty-six seconds, Rakna.] He silently acknowledged her words and spoke toward Roias one final time, "But you wanna know what I see right now?" He asked and the Tras furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Just one more sad experiment among many." Roias'' eyes widened a bit but it was soon followed by a terribly chilling chuckle, which eventually grew into full-blownughter. "Hahahahaha! Is that so? I am a mere experiment, you say?" He said gleefully and a torrent of ck mist erupted out of his body. It was far stronger than an aura, much darker, and equally dangerous. "Then, let''s see if you can scrap me!" As soon as he yelled, Astraea burst with energy, and Rakna grunted as he felt the drain of his mana fueling her. The angel took flight and waved her hand at Roias from the left. Following her gesture, the wall of the room cracked and a giant root grew out of nowhere and swatted at the Tras. Roias wordlessly used his palm to meet the attack and channeled his internal energy. Before the root even came in contact with his hand, it broke into two parts, one of them falling to the ground. He then looked up as the radiance of holy light started prickling his skin. He saw Astraea hoisting a spear made out of light, and she promptly threw it at him. Knowing he couldn''t take it head-on safely, he used the back of his hand to deflect it, just as smoothly as his every action until this point. The spear pierced the wall and exploded, sending pieces of unknown metallic material all over the ce. Fissures opened across the floor and walls, and the Terminal''s screens briefly flickered to white noise. Roias chuckled throatily and jumped away from the st, his feetnded on the wall as he began to run vertically. Following right after him, Astraea shed next to him and swung a wooden staff adorned with vines and flowers at him. The Tras used his forearm to block it and then stepped back to dodge a palm strike. The goddess stood vertically as he did and began to meet him blow for blow. "As expected of an Egregore Entity," Roiasmented as he ducked under an overhead swing of the staff. He cartwheeled out of the way with one hand and simultaneously tried to kick her, which she withstood with her staff, though that did not spare her from the rebound. She winced in pain and spread her wings open to mitigate the knockback. Her staff began to glow and she pointed it at the Tras. "[Law of Growth,]" she intoned and the very materialposing the room started twisting and growing like tree roots. They sharpened themselves and chased the creature to impale him. Roias cackled and the curse of Pandora gathered above his hand in a sphere. The dark energy then began to take on a more tangible form, gradually undting until it turned into a sphere of pristine water. Astraea widened her eyes as heunched a stream of water at her spell. It quite literally devoured it and seemingly disintegrated it, as if imitating the result of a century-long side-effect of sea waves eroding its surface. She rapidly caught herself back on the wall, whirling her staff in order to protect herself from the brume released by the stream. She could see that each and every microscopic molecule of water was leaving equally minuscule holes everywhere around it. Behind her, she could hear the rustling of both Nyx and Rakna relocating themselves because of it as well. ''He can use magic?'' Astraea thought briefly until instantly dismissing the idea. ''Of course not. The Tra have no soul, no mana. Calling it magic in the first ce is preposterous, but no other word can fit it,'' she gritted her teeth and Roias subsequently emerged from the thinning water stream. Like a fish leaping out, he dashed toward her and she, unfortunately, wasn''t fast enough to counter properly and his knee hit her stomach. She gasped and for a second, she felt her anchor to Rakna waver as if she was about to be forcefully repatriated to Egregore. ''Arch-Spiritual Vindicator,'' she instantly recognized the specific ability from the vast knowledge of the collective unconscious. ''My divinity is keeping me together but I can''t let him hit me further.'' She slid across the wall and used the momentum to spin. Her foot dragged and, in her wake, an arc of holy light was drawn at her feet. Immediately, it surged into a rain of darts from which Roias retreated until one of his eyes abruptly twitched in mild surprise when a red arrow struck a spot right below his sr plexus. His skin was prated shockingly easily and dimensional clefts opened on his flesh. He promptly crushed the projectile in his grip and faced a salvo of red energetic arrows. He swatted them all away with a burst of Pandora''s Curse and eyed the crimson werewolf above him, aiming what looked like a red long bow and nocking a new trinity of energy arrows on it. Roias nomittally noted how the weapon''s energy source had seemingly matched its wielder as well. Before he could consider a retaliation, the shadows twisted in a familiar sight and he was faced with a dozen of strikingly infamous Wilden. ''Skulking Angels,'' the Tras was genuinely trepid at the sight of these killers of nature. Those nk and terrifying statues, immobile until you turned your back. He had encountered higher evolution stages of this race of killing machines and he frankly had note out of it very thrilled. ''That girl''s specter necromancy is far more dangerous than I expected,'' he thought and for the first time, he dropped his smile a bit. His eyes reflexively drifted to locate the Night Goddess and when he turned back around, one of the Angels'' wide-open maws was an inch away from him. The stupidly stealthy and fast creatures circumvented him and reached out to stab his back with their bare hands. Chapter 341: Unison Magic Chapter 341: Unison Magic "enough," Roias uttered and his eyes lit up with power. A transparent aura simr to flowing water swathed his body and in a blink of an eye, his speed more than tripled. He stopped holding back and used his full martial prowess. Before anyone could react, a kick impossibly fast yet smooth as water had crushed the heads of all the Skulking Angels. He then locked on Nyx who jerked back in fear at the sudden flood of killing intenting her way. "Nyx!" Astraea yelled in warning. Pandora''s Curse cloaked Roias and like a river lithely parted by a range of rocks, he split apart into several dark-colored streams, in a constant gaseous yet liquid state anyhow. His speed drastically improved and Astraea urgently summoned a Treant-like creature from the adjacent walls. The living tree monster grew out of the material and opened itsrge hand, reaching for the shape-less waves to catch them. It closed its hand with a loud crackle and a small shockwave spread out from that alone. However, Roias'' ethereal form escaped through its fingers and continued on his way toward Nyx, intent on ending her life. The goddess in question narrowed her eyes and sped her hands in a sign of prayer. Shadows crept around her, forming a tornado and releasing a glow of holiness. "[Iron Maiden]" She whispered and the shadows began to take form. It started with a giant robe of metal with spikes on it. Then, a torso sprouted from the top, and two arms followed, with hooks in the ce of fingers. Then, a mane of ck hair erupted and a head grew, adorned with a helmet and red slits peering through the open visor. "[Mesperyian.]" The Iron Maiden given life sped her hands as well, mirroring her summoner, and at the same time, the advance of the Tras was halted. The flowing curse suddenly became constricted, exactly as if it was being pressed from both sides by the hands of the iron creature of torture. Roias returned to his physical form with a groan and his hands pushed outward, with invisible but very much real and sharp spikes pushing into his flesh. A few trails of orange-colored blood flowed before the Tras narrowed his eyes. "[Avnche,]" he muttered and the flowing aura spread out from his palms and sted the force of the Iron Maiden. The giant invocation''s sped hands separated because of it and Roias dashed forward once again. This time, the distance was far too small for Nyx to react to his speed. Automatically, she was about to try and force her magic out by overcharging her divinity, but something beat her to the punch. Roias'' form speared through the protective hands of the Iron Maiden and was about to reach the former goddess when arge w caught him right before he could. And in that instant, a wave of sinister malice filled the air. Even the Tras shuddered at the feeling. He slowly looked to his left and saw the winged werewolf who had caught his arm, eyes fiercely glowing red and two pairs of ck horns growing behind his lupine ears. Roias'' eyes widened a bit when he also spotted a third pair of wings; but far from the example set by the two others. It was not an eagle''s wings. It was a malevolent red and ck pair of featherless wings, the kind you would find over the shoulders of a demon. ''Sinful Demonization the worst kind,'' Roias concluded as he looked into the werewolf''s eyes. They were not filled with as much madness, anger, or mirth anymore. Instead, they were drowned out by two other forces; one thatnguidly appraised your existence and another that arrogantly put you below its feet. However, the Tras smirked nheless. He drew his attention away from Nyx and fully faced the demonized werewolf. "So, you still have cards up your sleeve. But how long can you resist the call of sin--!" He was interrupted by a fist crackling and rippling with force. "[Sunken Fist of Rupture,]" Rakna''s voice echoed with a prideful andzy, but at the same time heated tone, as his punchnded on the Tras. It was more than twice as fast as before and carried exponentially more momentum. Roias failed to erase its power with his ability and was flung upward by the impact. He crashed on the wall several times but bounced off from it every time, like a rock skipping on water. He eventually came around stopping his momentum bytching on with his internal energy, but at that point, the werewolf had already caught up and was swinging Sonata. Roias deftly swerved the weapon aside and then in a blink, Rakna was inexplicably driving his knee into his gut. ''He''s more than just faster'' The Tras thought as he once more increased his output of Pandora''s Curse to keep up. He raised his arm to block ariat and then stepped back from a sh. ''He now is using Sinister Mana to power his Internal Art. It''s a variety halfway to Infernity, thus nullifying my Arch-Vindication. Not to mention he seems to somehow produce Infernity instead of simply wielding it'' ''On top of that'' Roias paused his thoughts to look at a small cut on his arm. ''he''s being fueled by Pride. Acting upon his sin of refusing to be less skilled than his opponent, his proficiency with his Art is growing by the second.'' The Tras was gradually getting restless by what he was seeing. But it was not out of fear, nor was he panicking. On the contrary, he had never been happier. This was beyond his expectations. He wanted to see more of what this boy could do. He continued to weather the onught, forcing both of them to stray upward endlessly. The floor was already hundreds of meters away and yet, the ceiling of the Terminal Room was still nowhere to be seen. After a short moment that felt like hours, Rakna''s eyes shed and his movements became twice as erratic. Ripple of Rupture bent the air around him and then, he blurred and disappeared. Roias widened his eyes in surprise and barely had the time to conjure a shield of Curse in front of him before five elongated ws could stab into his eyes. ''He just ascended his Internal Art,'' he realized with augh and his flowing aura manifested over his form once again. Twirling his wrist, he thrust his palm at the iing de of Sonata, and the power of his internal energy shed against the Guandao. The short bout generated a st that separated the two fighters and the Tras found himself back on the wall, his feet rooted vertically. Rakna didn''t seem to share his methods however, he simply spun in the air andnded on something. He just stood there, as if there was a tform that no one other than him could see. Raising an eyebrow at the werewolf''s stillness, Roias tilted his head, "Hm? What is wrong? Should you not be capitalizing on your demonization? You were on good tracks just now I estimate that your attributes are orbiting 600 at the moment Hm, but not quite. Your Strength and Endurance are. You somehow sacrificed speed and dexterity for them, haven''t you?" "" Rakna didn''t reply, his demeanorbining both pride and displeasure. But if one listened closely, they would be able to hear the growlsing from his throat. It seemed that he was paying half a mind to keep a bnce with his Sins in order to stay conscious. "You won''tst long like that," Roias frowned. "What are you waiting" The Tras shut his mouth and internally chided himself for once again disregarding external factors. He kept one pair of eyes on Rakna and used the other pair to look down. There, he spotted Nyx and Astraea holding hands with closed eyes. Darkness and light were softly swathing them like doting parents and congregating in their conjoined hold. Roias'' expression twitched. With that alone, he knew what they were doing. There existed three different kinds of Elemental Fusion in Magic Theory. The fusion of two elements was called Union Magic. The mutual elevation between three or more elements was dubbed Unity Magic. As for the third one it was the fusion of elements wielded by separate people. The hardest and arguably strongest type; Unison Magic. And right now, a duo of True Goddesses in their own right, was charging a divine spell that might just be enough to momentarily force the manifestation of magic. Not to mention that shadows and light were opposite; a category of Unity widely recognized as the most powerful. "You should have distracted me longer," Roias uttered. "It would take me five seconds at most to get to them. What stops me from dusting you off and stopping them?" "Go ahead and try," the werewolf replied with a mocking sneer and the Tras raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Rakna was fast, there was no denying it. The Luqu''s wings were space-breaking in nature, but that was not enough to outpace Roias. A few tense seconds passed until thetter shed out of the way. Like a raging wave emerging at the surface of the ocean, he disappeared and the wind picked up. It ruffled the werewolf''s fur, who was looking down with his eyes glowing golden inplete tranquility. ''What''s his n?'' Roias asked himself as he was already halfway to Nyx and Astraea. He was ready to snatch their heads off their bodies, much like he had done with Hans, but the fact that his main opponent was doing nothing more than watching him admittedly unsettled him. To his better judgment, he slowed down and briefly turned around. Then, Rakna grinned viciously and a demonic avatar resembling a Yaksha appeared behind the werebeast. "[Wrath Demon,]" Rakna intoned the sub-skill of Ireful Descent and he felt his demonized mana respond to it, magnifying its power far beyond its normal level. The apparition bellowed and Roias moved reluctantly. He frowned at his own body as it refused to listen to him. He was being forced to keep his attention on Rakna, and if it wasn''t for his willpower, he would have already attacked. Though, perhaps that would have been the correct course of action. The werewolf lifted his Guandao, which swiftly turned into a ck and red scythe. He then held it over his shoulder, in preparation to swing it, and opened his mouth, "[Skulk Life Down.]" When those words were spoken, Sonata shed reality. Space and time were ignored. Roias'' eyes opened wide as his vision split into two. His bisected body began to stray to each side, the gap in between only increasing. Strands of Pandora''s Curse frantically flowed out of the open innards to stitch the damages, but then the pair of goddessespleted their cast. Nyx and Astraea pivoted on their feet and pointed their hands at the Tras whilst back-to-back. In a sh, light and darkness surged, and took the form of a dragon with angel wings. The invocation roared and the air vibrated. "[Over The Heavens of Mortality, Flies The Dragon Angel of Penance,]" they chanted together and the dragon''s eyes shed silver. "[Unison Magic uanca!]" The Dragon Angel flew as energy gathered inside its maw and dashed to Roias. Opening its mouth wide, it swallowed the Tras and its entire body began to glow with power, charging up audibly. Rakna took his distance from the giant dragon and couldn''t help but narrow his eyes as Crystal Sight analyzed the creature. ''It feels like the old man is it because of Nyx?'' He thought, and as if on cue, the dragon''s eyes suddenly gained life and nced at him. He reeled in surprise but before he could start understanding it, the spell finally exploded and the roar of a dragon apanied the discharge of Dark-Light. Chapter 342: Wrath Befell Chapter 342: Wrath Befell Rakna shielded his eyes from the light, divinity permeating the air and splintering the walls. The effects of the spell on Roias could not be seen but the werewolf growled when he felt Sonata rattle in his grip. His Soul Weapon had already marked Roias'' blood, and it was still responding heavily. While the bouquet of divine energy was still dying down, the werewolf heard something from the pedestal connected to the Terminal. He looked down and saw the screens turn on again. The lights even spread to the floor and walls, crawling upward like a circuit board ring to life. Together with this phenomenon, a message was sent to Eye of Symphony. [Entering critical phase. Ny seconds left,] Ceresta''s voice echoed in Rakna''s head and he clicked his tongue. This should normally have been good news, but the obvious signs would be noticed by Roias. ''That''s too fucking long'' He cursed as he did his best to control the Sins. At this rate, Sloth would either knock him out or Pride might just drive him to do something drastic in order to erase the affront he was facing. Who knew what that would do? Both to himself and the girls. "Hahaha" A disembodiedugh echoed in the room and a fog of Pandora''s Curse emerged from within the epicenter of the now dissipated Dark-Light spell. Astraea stepped forward to shield Nyx and Rakna switched from a scythe to a bow. In a sh, he shot a dozen arrows and they all exploded inside the fog. Amazingly, each of them seemed to have been carrying Inferno Star Energy. It burned the curse like it wasbusting gas but it eventually reformed into the shape of Roias. The Tras''ugh resounded louder, without a single scratch on his body to be seen. The pair of goddesses frowned when they saw that their spell had been ineffective. "That can''t be," Astraea scowled. "This spell should have at least weakened him. uanca is known as the Alter Ego of Eternal Night. He couldn''t have possiblye out of that unscathed." Rakna''s ears twitched curiously at her words, but he knew better than to focus on that now. Roias on the other hand, eyed the bright Terminal below as hisughter died down. "I see. You sent your AI to restart the decryption," he said and calmly caught the werewolf''s fist as it appeared before him in a blur. His flowing aura then manifested around his hand and faster than the eye could see, Rakna''s arm had suddenly been torn off its socket. However, the werewolf didn''t retreat. With his other hand, he swung Sonata transformed into its One-Handed Sword form, d in the power of both 10 000 Nights of Severance and Crescent of a Falling Star. At this point, Roias had stopped smiling and with his foot, he kicked away the de and his flowing internal art redirected the entirety of the perks'' energy above his head. Immediately after, he used his elbow to strike Rakna''s ribs, followed by another knife hand that got rid of his second arm. Finally, he finished by pointing his palm at his chest, without even touching him. "[Spiral]" Roias whispered. "[Tide.]" The water-like force whirled around his arm before bursting through Rakna''s torso. The werewolf flew right into the opposite wall with a stream of blood trailing him. The Tras dropped the torn arm he was still holding in his left hand and impassively cranked his neck to see an entire horde of necromanced fire elementals. They swarmed him from all sides and self-destructed one after the other. And with each of them, he waved his hands to erase the mes. When thest elemental detonated, he heard the sound of metal slicing the air and a whip sword whizzed past cheek. He leaned back and nced back at the source with a frown. Nyx yanked her weapon and the de returned and reformed. She then took a Iai stance and with her expression visibly struggling, ck and red lightning began to spark around her, before being fused with a dose of divinity and me-like shadows. Roias'' eyebrow twitched in surprise as the words that followed, "[Aeterna C Ardent Shadows.]" A flying sh of Aeter was shot, spewing dark-colored fire. The Tras narrowed his eyes, scoffing and pointing a finger at the attack as if he was a child brandishing an imaginary gun. "[Drown,]" he uttered and his flowing internal force swirled to the tip of his finger. He then ''shot'' it without dy. A muffled and deep sound boomed, like a roar at the bottom of the sea, and the sh scattered instantly, taking the form of a river. It then caved in on itself and hit Nyx with the full brunt of a tsunami, sending her to crash on the floor below. Roias lowered his hand and at the same time, vines grew from everywhere around him and locked him inside a thorny prison. Astraea zoomed past it and spun her staff, a holy light drawing divine runes in the air. She tossed away one of the hairpins that tied her hair and channeled the inscriptions into it. The essory expanded into a giant golden sunflower which immediately set its sights on the cage. "[Sunflower,]" the angel intoned and a pir of scalding radiation swallowed the vines. Her hand trembled as she felt that Rakna was starting to run low on mana reserves. She bit her lip, forcing her spell to remain as long as possible by expending her personal life force. However, even that was cut short when the sounds of waves reached her ears. She widened her eyes in shock and the next thing she knew; Roias was next to her. His arm made a beeline for her head and in her mind, she already thought she was dead. Nyx and Rakna were too far away to help in time. But, against all odds, the air rippled right when the hand was about to behead her. Then, she saw arge fist, with blue skin and webbed fingers, strike against Roias'' arm raised in defense. Shockingly, the Tras grimaced in what seemed to be pain before his arm was suddenly blown off by what appeared to be several simultaneous shockwaves. "[Gulon C Lone Pharos,]" a new voice echoed and Astraea saw a strange creature with countless sharp teeth stretch itself in her view, opening its maw wide at Roias. A concentration of more types of energies than she could count shot out immediately and carried the Tras away from her. She swung her head around just in time to see the beam of energy collide with the wall and explode. On cue, Rakna flew out of the hole he had been buried in, and extended his now regenerated arms outward, somehow dragging two objects into his grasp; the two limbs he had lost. "Cura, protect them," the werewolf bellowed neither loudly nor quietly and didn''t waste any time to crush his own lost arms with his grip and thenpress them with his remaining mana. A very worrying sound began to be emitted from his gradually sping fists, the mass of Alkahest matter and Eion being dangerously squashed. Rakna''s eyes shed with ire and with now one fist holding a glowing rock of blue Eion, he called Sonata to his other hand and threw the stone. He immediately followed up with a Falling Star and the attack struck the Eion object whilst inside the aftermath of the Gulon''s attack. Astraea only had the time to witness a blinding blue light before therge anthropomorphic shark, whom she now knew as Cura, grabbed her and carried her to the ground where she was dropped next to a kneeling Nyx. He then raised his living weapon and pointed it upward. Then, it rumbled. The Eion atom was split and the air in the Terminal Room suddenlybusted and was reced by bright cyan mes. A devastating shockwave came afterward andpelled even Cura to bend his knees as King Gulon siphoned the mes and repercussions into its mouth. Thissted for several minutes and the trio endured the heat and charred smell. When it was over, Cura lowered Gulon, who let out an audible burp and licked its lips before reverting into its more ded state. Closely after, a demonized werewolf fell to the ground next to them. A part of his fur was burnt off and both his feathered and demonic wings were half-ripped. "Rakna!" Nyx shouted in concern and he groaned in response. He flipped himself over and wed at the ground to prop himself up, gritting his teeth as his body regrew its missing parts. However, the Alkahestic Material ''stocked'' in his body was already depleted, so it was much slower. Not to mention that his devil horns and wings were shrinking, threatening to disappear at any moment. "Good to see you, Cura" The werewolf managed to utter through his grunts. The shark man shouldered Gulon and indifferently looked back at him, "Same for you, ''Ranka''. But it doesn''t look like you''re doing too well. You''re not about to die on me before you honor your part of the deal, right?" "Fuck off" Rakna retorted and Cura raised an eyebrow in curiosity at the different behavior, but his thoughts were interrupted by the noise of running water. Everyone raised their eyes to see a stream of Pandora''s Curse flow to the tform of the Terminal and rebuild itself into Roias. But this time, the Tras reappeared with visible injuries; glowing blue scars made by the Eion fire. "This alien source of energy you are using, it is aggravatingly effective against our Curse," Roias uttered as he squinted at his injuries. "I was not expecting a makeshift nuclear bomb made out of your torn limbs, I admit. Nor did I anticipate the involvement of the Shark King." "For that, I congratte you," he added and his smirk returned full force. He began pping at a slow and condescending pace and Rakna snarled as he pushed himself back to his feet. He pulled every Cardiac Pill he had and swallowed them without a second thought. He sensed the familiar warmth, recovering his energy until it turned into pain near his heart and he abruptly lost strength in his body, making him stagger. Cura frowned gloomily and Roias chuckled. "Well, even you have limits," the Tras said in amusement and ced his hands on the console of the Terminal behind him. "Incredible," he muttered. "A System AI with an unusual autonomy. No wonder it was able to do something asplex as override my disturbance," he said while some of Pandora''s Curse began to encroach his hand. Rakna''s eyes widened in realization and Ceres'' nervous voice sounded in his head, [Rakna what do I do? He''s] "It seems you''ve miscalcted this stalling game," Roias uttered and the ck curse spread to the screens. "Though, hiding this show of light would have beenplicated regardless. In that case, perhaps it is more sensible to say that you should have not let me touch this console." With that deration, every screen began to glitch and disy warning messages. "Cura! Stop him!" Rakna yelled urgently. "Toote," Roias uttered and the loading stopped once again. [No, no no] The distraught voice of Ceres was ryed and the Terminal shut down. The werewolf felt a chill down his spine, ''Ceres!'' He shouted internally and only a desperate chant of denial was repeated to him. "Ceresta!" He roared out loud. [No I can''t] She wasn''t answering him and her tone was getting quieter and more distressed by the second. [Rakna] She called unstably and it began to mix with static. [I don''t want to--] White noise overtook her voice and nothing could be heard. Rakna first froze on the spot. His body wasn''t releasing any sort of spiritual energy, and even his demonization had stopped receding as if it was waiting for something. "Ceresta," he called out again with a terribly empty tone. "Answer me, Ceresta," he tried again and once again, nothing but static was heard until even that waspletely gone. A deafening silence filled the room and the first to break it was King Gulon. The living weapon''s scales rattled as if it was shivering. Then, a geyser of crimson mes erupted,plemented by the crunching sound of a new pair of horns growing on the werewolf as well as a forked demonic tail joining the lupine appendages. Wrath befell. I am headache, headache is me... . Gosh, that sounds weird.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 343: Neverwinter Star Chapter 343: Neverwinter Star In an unknown ce, detached from dimensions or worlds, a cascade of shimmering golden dust flowed from the sky, pooling into a forest of bronze leaves and saturating it like fog. Amidst thendscape, arge obelisk stood stall, erected as if reaching for the auburn sky. And at its foot, leaning back against its form, a young azure-haired boy awoke with a gasp. His eyes opened wide and he breathed in like a man who had been disallowed air for a long and excruciating time. He looked around at the picturesque scenery and let out a grunt before resting the back of his head on the obelisk. "How many times does this make?" A regal and feminine voice echoed in the forest. The boy looked up and saw the dust congregate into the form of a majestic woman. Long blonde hair that reached past her feet, golden and green eyes coupled with long eyshes, ears like an elf''s, a captivating maturity, and nothing more than her locks to cover her naked body. Her skin was wless, but it asionally weed strange but oddly beautiful scales resembling flower petals, that covered her most intimate parts as well as the back of her hands, her shoulders, and her legs. Tall that she was, it would be an erroneous way to describe her stature, as she was far more than that. She was giant, but still ridiculously elegant. Yet, her most striking feature was the two pairs of translucent and rainbow-colored wings on her back, gleaming from the light of the golden sun shining above. "Are you genuinely asking, Titania?" The boy retorted sarcastically. "Or is this an attempt of yours to make small talk once again? As I told you many times, you need to think up better topics." She didn''t react to his words in any manner, calmly floating down toward him. Shended before him and he had to look up to see her face. Her mesmerizing eyes gazed at him until she eventually sat on her knees and extended her hands. She gently grabbed him between her palms and brought him to her eye level. "And as I have told you many times, Hans, you must treat yourself better. You did not need to die today." "That would create more problems than it would solve," the azure-haired child replied. "Better to die and let the wolf do the work." "What if that wolfwalker loses something precious to him when you could have prevented it?" The giant fairy whispered and his expression twitched. "You are not a monster, Hans. Not anymore." "" "Eight," she said whilst he kept his silence, and he scowled at her. "This is the eighth time. When will you stop using death as a convenient escape?" "In case you do not remember, you are the one who enabled it," he scoffed coldly. "Why have you yet to free me of this curse you call a blessing? Being your ''doll'' has run its entertaining value." "I never called it a blessing," Titania answered with a slightly sharper tone and he groaned, turning his head to the side. She sighed and her expression softened, "All I desired was for you to find the peace you needed. I wanted you to live and I will not let you perish until you achieve it." Hans grimaced as he saw her earnest face. "A fairy''s love is uselessly harsh," he grumbled. Titania blinked at him and she smiled a little, her cheeks gaining a lively shade of pink. "That it is, my lovely doll. Best you never forget it; I am their Queen. My love must be the harshest to bear." The boy snorted and closed his eyes, breathing out. He slowly stood up and fixed his sses. "How much will have passed once I wake up?" "About six minutes," the fairy answered softly and he scrunched his eyebrows. "Don''t worry," she added and he sent her a confused look. "The wolfwalker will not be bested. However, your help is required to save someone." Holding Hans with one hand, Titania tapped her lips with her finger and puffed a glimmering cloud of golden dust at him. It swathed his silhouette and she smiled, "Farewell, for now, My Doll." "until next time, My Queen," he replied and disappeared from what was yet to be known by all of Existence as the Fairy Realm. ? * * * ? Hans snapped his eyes open and before he knew it, he was standing where he had died. His head was no longer on the ground and he rubbed his neck to get rid of the numbness. On the other hand, he had to wince when he felt the heat assault his senses. He looked around and saw a crimson werewolf swallowed by crimson mes clutch Roias'' skull and shove it into the ground, smashing an entire half of the room. Rakna growled and chained with a punch that momentarily caused the room to quake and the screens to blink off. He then swiftly glided away and the Terminal Room was illuminated from above. A ce where there was no sky or ceiling to speak of, a magic circle bearing the whirling crest of the nine-tailed werewolf manifested a starry firmament filled with crystal stars. "[From Above Cometh, Natcattira Vi,]" the words of power were spoken and the deluge of star energy struck from above. Like a blossoming flower field, rosy crystals containing crimson mes of star energy erupted from the point of impact right on top of Roias. Hans also jumped out of the way andnded beside Nyx and Astraea who were struggling to decide between gawking at Rakna or him. Cura was raising an eyebrow at him and King Gulon''s tongue briefly flicked in his direction before a weirdugh came out of the weapon. "I apologize, admittedly, dying might have been presumptuous of me," the writer dered, but his tone twisted his supposed apology into something resembling sarcasm. "You" Astraea stared at him in shock. "What are" "Hans." She was interrupted by the chilling sound of the werewolf''s voice. He floated above them with his three pairs of wings wide open, the demonic appendages glowing stronger than ever. His voice was oddly restrained, but everyone unanimously agreed it was the scariest they had heard. The azure-haired boy who had been called stared back and Rakna nced at him with eyes that were startlingly alternating between red, blue, and purple. "You better save her," the shape-shifter uttered before he invoked two magic circles in each one of his hands. But these were special, for they were of the opposite hue. At the same time, Roias rose up from the spell''s aftermath and chuckled. "Truly, your potential is nothing short of bottomless," he said and Pandora''s Curse began to fill the air, which eventually converted into stagnant water. The magic used by Tra was not one powered by the soul and its mana, but by the curse itself and a bastardized spiritual energy, an affront to the mana that existed in nature. An antithesis. As such, whether the World was present or not, or whether Magic Circuits were inexistent, a Tras would never stop spreading its omen of ruin. "And you" Rakna eventually muttered with a cold tone, betraying no emotion, and lifted his arms shrouded in his two opposite elements. Curiously, his fur''s color was dimming slowly and his eyes were starting to find a bnce. "are a nuisance." The werewolf sped his hands and the magic circles immediately turned ck. Then, a storm of ck crystal kes and purple mes erupted. With a booming sound, it swallowed the entirety of the room''s upperyers, sting Roias upward in the same instance. The Tras narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Hemanded the water he had conjured to push out everything around him, but despite that, he let out a grunt in surprise when a few of the ck crystals pierced through his defenses and left cuts on his back. ''How sharp and resistant to my Arch-Nemesis,'' he thought and caught a red sh in the corner of his eyes. ''Well, damn'' "[Neverwinter Nova,]" he had only had the time to hear this before a spinning disc of star energy appeared in his view, shing through the storm and whistling in its wake. The Tras shuddered and crossed his arms, channeling his Internal Art right before it detonated. The dark storm contained the explosion within its center and from outside, Nyx''s group only saw the crimson light bounce off each and every ck shard, before a wave of heat passed by. "the culmination stage of a Volcanic Star; the Neverwinter Star," Hansmented as he scurried off in the direction of the damaged Terminal console. "Exin to me what happened," he ordered the others. Nyx gazed at him oddly butplied nheless, "Ceresta Rakna''s personal AI was performing the loading until Roias terminated it. Along with her" Hans clicked his tongue as he began to type on the keyboard. "He cursed the very concept of what a program is. He likely has erased her core, how am I supposed to save" He abruptly paused and let a small amount of amazement creep through his expression. "What''s wrong?" He tuned out Nyx and dumbfoundedly stared at what his Cursive Insight was telling him of the ''story'' that is ''Ceresta Alexa''. ''This is possible?'' He thought in disbelief and he was awoken from his trance by a new explosioning from inside the storm, but this time turquoise instead of red. As if it had reached its breaking point, the murky storm scattered because of it and Roias could be seen crashing into the wall with streams of water following after him. In the brief time that he had been trapped inside that spell, he had already taken more damage than the entirety of the battle. His orange blood was spilling freely from his wounds and being healed by Pandora''s Curse much slower. "Well, well" The Tras grabbed the wall and pushed himself out with a wary look. "What is happening to you?" He uttered, sounding more confused than riled up. Following his statement, Rakna emerged as well and hispanions below were presented with an alien sight. The formerly brilliant fur of the werewolf was now almost wholly darkened, along with his Luqu wings; now fully ck and silver. Even Sonata''s de had been obscured in the same manner. The werewolf exhaled quietly and his fur promptlypleted its transformation; darker than the night with shining dots of purple like a starry sky. His eyes glowed purple with both red and blue ents as he raised his Guandao and pointed it at the Tras. ck crystal spikes with purple mes raging inside started sprouting all around Roias, crackling oddly as they released both heat and frost, ominously approaching their target. Rakna''s eyes gleamed and he spoke up in response to the Tras. Two voices echoed together, one that belonged to the werewolf himself and another that gave off a feeling of deep wisdom. ? ""The Greatest Star of All."" Chapter 344: Obsidian Star Chapter 344: Obsidian Star "[Shards of rity Abide the Star''s Tyranny.]" ? The instant Roias heard this verse, he knew what he was dealing with. And in the next instant, he had to dodge a sh nearly as fast as himself. Swiftly, he propped himself up on the werewolf''s polearm with one hand, before pivoting and kicking him in the chin. But when his strikended, he was met with a much stronger resistance than he expected. Rakna had barely tilted his head to the side from the force. ''Did his attribute distribution change again?'' Right after his assumption, a rippling fist came his way and when he tried to deflect it, the rebound instantly snapped his wrist. He grunted in surprise and stepped back. ''First, he was fast. Then, he was resilient. And now, he''s stronger but slower. I see truly an absurd ability.'' "You can re-assign your attributes at will" He muttered out loud and Pandora''s Curse swallowed his surroundings and shoved the werewolf away. "The silver lining is that you must keep a certain bnce in order for one attribute not to overstrain another. But your strange body mitigates that weakness," he muttered and pointed his hand at Rakna. The Curse was converted into dark blue water and coalesced into the giant form of a bipedal lizard with spikes covering its spine. "[Cry Out, Dagon,]" the Tras intoned and several halos of water appeared around its ws like bracelets. The summoned monster''s red eyes glowered forward. Yet, Rakna''s expression was uncaring as he lowered Sonata. Instead, a purple aura whirled around his arm and was promptly encased in a translucent ck crystal in his palm. ? "[Ought The des of Fragility Rend Your Flesh.]" ? With the second verse of the Cl Lli sung, the air rippled with soul power, and Roias widened his eyes as the force manifested physically, ruffling his clothes. The Dagon roared out and opened its mouth, charging a blue-colored breath. The werewolf raised the ck crystal in response and it transformed into arge b de with a carved edge. Roias'' summon roared and fired a beam of flowing sma, swerving right and left like a snake in the direction of its target. "[Na?cattira Piripp?,]" Rakna whispered and swung the unwieldy weapon. Then, in the blink of an eye, at the end of the swing, the crystal shattered into a thousand pieces, and the purple mes trapped inside flickered away. Silence fell for a split second and was broken by the Dagon''s attack suddenly stopping and then splitting apart from the middle, each half drifting away like it had been shed. And beyond it, the giant monster at the source of it was simrly bisected. Roias nced to his left where his arm was slowly falling, and then behind at the wall which now weed a ridiculously thin but deep scar. ''What?'' Even the Tras was out of his depth at the sight. ? "[In a Dark Firmament, The Star Prowls the Light.]" "[In Eternal Redemption, The Wolf Sings and Confers.]" ? He heard the werewolf chant again and he warily looked back, calmly letting his arm float back up to his shoulder where it was stitched back up by Pandora''s Curse. ''So, this is the true face of what the Basilica has foretold the arrival,'' he thought as he watched the werewolf''s aura grow with each second as ck crystals continued to sprout everywhere, even on Rakna himself, like armor. ? "[In Between The End and Beginning]" ? Rakna trailed hisst word and then burst forward, his form blurring. And as if he had teleported, he swung Sonata at Roias'' head who managed to catch it with his palms. The Tras grunted as the de''s oscition traversed his arms and despite himself, shivered when the purple eyes of the werewolf, adorned by golden crosses, gazed at him from up close. ? "[Sits the Tamed Mayhem of the Philosopher.]" ? Rakna uttered and his soul power surged again, multiplying in intensity and twisting space itself as if something was trying to tear it apart. He then channeled more energy into his Guandao and wordlessly triggered Severance and Falling Star at the same time. ? "[Spilling Blood and Smothering Death.]" ? The perks exploded and Roias skid the wall with his arms crossed in defense. Narrowing his eyes, he muttered to himself, "[My Name Is Vindication,]" the Curse disappeared from around him and his Nirvana Skill advanced to the next stage. Erasing all spiritual energies; he applied it to himself. It did not destroy them but disallowed them to ever leave his body. Effectively turning him into a reactor with apressed output, the dream of every master of physicalbat. Endless stamina, unlimited strength, and imprable defense. Roias'' flowing movement sped up and he kicked away Sonata before striking the werewolf''s abdomen with his elbow. Rakna snarled quietly and simrly increased his speed, distorting to contend with the Tras. However, this time, it was Roias who did not take any damage no matter the attack. That was until a swarm of ck crystals was fired again and his Vindication gave under their sharpness, opening countless cuts on his body. ? "[Pitying Fairness and Collecting Hearts.]" ? Rakna sang the penultimate verse and jumped back, spreading his wings wide and letting their metallic shine spread as soul power in the form of purple mes began to swirl around him. Roiasnded on the wall and looked back just in time to see a sphere of mes fill his entire vision right as one sentence rang. ? "[The One, They Call Harvest.]" ? * * * ? Roias opened his eyes to gaze at a field of purple flowers with rivers of crystalline water traversing it. ck petals rained from the sky and a manor floated in the sky above the sea. The Tras scowled and looked up to see night had fallen; illuminated by twelve moons. Lunar power was saturating the air and gathering behind him. He widened his eyes at the implication and turned his back toward the shore of what he realized was a soul sea and spotted the werewolf, calmly standing in the distance. A fourth pair of wings had already grown on him and his total of nine lupine tails were stretching outward, carried by the breeze. Furthermore, beyond him, where hundreds of ck monuments of precious stone were erected, countless beasts were glowering in his direction. "a Soul Marble," Roias eventually remarked with a smile. "Lovely. I''m almost jealous. While I am interested in the fact that you''re a Nine-Tailed, or even that mountain off in the sea, I do wonder what are they?" He asked whilst pointing at the animals. "They feel odd," he uttered and his eyes twitched when a tiger lying down next to the river huffed at him as if he had just told a joke. "They don''t," Rakna spoke up with a tone so peaceful it sent Roias for a loop. Every beast instantly turned toward the werewolf, observing him with a judging stare. "I am the odd one. Some pitiful creatures that I identally took in for a ride; that''s what they are. They are my instinct, my rage, my imbnce, my hunger, and one of the ingredients." "the ingredients to what?" The Tras inquired and Rakna raised his hand at the sky. Roias looked up at the same time and frowned. "The moons?" He muttered as three out of the twelve were visibly shaking. "They''re not moons," Rakna rebutted and the celestial objects descended closer to the ground in a triangr formation, increasing in rtive size and showing more details. "They never were." Upon closer look, Roias could tell that something was wrong with those moons. First, they were not reflecting light but seemed to be producing it instead. Their glow was far brighter than normal, and they also seemed to possess no imperfection, as if polished globes. "Stars prowl when night falls," the werewolf uttered and two of the moons promptly began to peel off their surface,yers uponyers of white dust began to dissipate into the air until eventually, what was being peeled away changed to turquoise and crimson for each. Roias himself couldn''t help but open his mouth in awe as the two stars of legend were revealed to him in all their splendor. The Everfrost Star, spreading cold mist, jagged crystal undting over its surface, and turquoise cold mes raging inside and out. The Neverwinter Star, bending air with its heat, a spiky surface of crystal, volcanic rocks mixed in, and crimson mes storming about. Both emitted a light that could never be described, understood, or appreciated in any rational way or form. They were marvels of the universe and beyond. Then, the third fake moon rattled. However, it did not follow the example of the twin stars. Instead, a sh of light was spotted above the crystal mountain far off the soul sea. ? * * * ? The Sage walked out of his hut while twirling a diamond jewel hovering above his palm. He tapped it repeatedly with his fingers and nted his cane in the snow before gazing at the pair of stars in the distance. He smiled fondly at the sight and lifted the diamond. "Everfrost, Neverwinter, Sloth, Pride, Wrath, The Hungry Beast, and me. Your Divinity iscking, and so is your Infernity. You have yet to find a fourth Sin to stabilize the whole, but you will ovee it." The legendary wish granter blew on the diamond and it floated away from his hand. "You will now receive the container. Fill it properly," he dered and gently prodded the jewel with his cane. The object, beautiful as a diamond, transparent as crystal, flew off like a shooting star and collided with the third moon. Then, a nova of light erupted from it and swallowed the two stars nearby. The beasts of the soul scape began to roar and the waves of the soul sea expanded. The remaining nine moons shone together and then; the monuments guarded by the animals vibrated. Each one of them, in turn, shot a beam of ck and purple energy at the nova. In no time, there were hundreds of rays of the same nature cluttering the sky and the brightness was gradually dimming, the nova being slowly encroached until it finally burst. The rays disappeared, the field of flowers rippled from the shockwave, the ck petals formed a tornado, and the moons started blinking as they orbited around the newly born star. An imposing force of the unnatural, a ck star burning with crystal and zing purple. "You wanted to see what I was capable of?" Rakna spoke up and spread his arms, and all the beasts of his soul scape thundered. In the sky, Rexam cried out, and on the floating library, Fenriu''s eyes gleamed as they stared at Roias. "Here it is, my final destination," the werewolf uttered and the star descended. At the same time, his bodypletely transformed. Violet embers crawled over his fur and he became a creature of flesh and obsidian. ? "[Obsidian Star Manifestation.]" Here are the three versions of the Cl Lli back-to-back if youre curious to see the differences. ? --- ? Everfrost Star ? [Crystals of Frost Abide the Stars Wrath.] [Ought Rime Rip Bones and Flesh.] [In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker.] [In a Lifeless Perdition, the Wolf Growls and Howls.] [In Between The Heights and Depths.] [Lies the Slumbering Mayhem of the Devourer.] [Bathing in Blood and Rattling Death.] [Mocking Fairness and Gorging Hearts.] [The One, They Offer Harvest.] ? --- ? Neverwinter Star ? [Embers of Ardor Abide the Stars Vehemence.] [Shall The Fervor of Hell Taste Your Flesh.] [In a Burning Firmament, The Star Has Forgotten How to Blink.] [In an Eternal Damnation, The Wolf Devours and Howls.] [In Between The Lows and Highs.] [Lies the Incarnate Mayhem of the Devourer.] [Drowning in Blood and Laughing at Death.] [Scorning Fairness and Obsessing Over Hearts.] [The One, They Give Harvest.] ? --- ? Obsidian Star ? [Shards of rity Abide the Stars Tyranny.] [Ought The des of Fragility Rend Your Flesh.] [In a Dark Firmament, The Star Prowls the Light.] [In Eternal Redemption, The Wolf Sings and Confers.] [In Between The End and Beginning.] [Sits the Tamed Mayhem of the Philosopher.] [Spilling Blood and Smothering Death.] [Pitying Fairness and Collecting Hearts.] [The One, They Call Harvest.]AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 345: Wailful Nightmare Chapter 345: Wailful Nightmare Cura crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall of the Terminal Room, with an eye roaming over the sphere of purple mes above him that had just swallowed both the werewolf and Tras. ''What is that, Gul?'' He asked internally and his sentient weapon growled a bit. ''A Soul Marble? Then, those mes are the manifestation of his raw soul power?'' The Gulon grunted positively and then opened its mouth, flicking its tongue somewhere else, and the shark man followed it back to the child-like individual that he had seen being resurrected. "Who are you?" Astraea asked at the same time to that same boy, a serious look on her face. "What are you?" She reiterated with emphasis on the determiner. Hans paused typing on the console and eyed her with a scowl. "Is that important?" "Excuse us for being doubtful," it was Nyx who interjected this time. "But I also must ask. Your soul was not there. For all intents and purposes, you were dead beyond doubt. You cannot fool the eyes of a Goddess. There exist forbidden spells of resurrection wielded by Primordials, but not only is it nothing short of impossible for one to have been used on you, it rather appeared as if you came back to life on a ''decree''. One moment, you were dead, and in the next, you were standing." The azure-haired boy snorted and went back to typing. "Observant. Would you like a medal?" The Night Goddess narrowed her eyes. "From Rakna''s perspective as well, he never mentioned a thing about something of the sort on your status. Yet, he seemed unsurprised by your revival. So, I do not mind trusting you. But" She was interrupted by eerieughter. She blinked in surprise and turned around to see King Gulonughing out loud. It came out double-toned and like scraping metal; a voice worthy of some unworldly demon. Cura looked over his shoulderzily and turned to a confused audience. "Gul isughing at you for your stupidity," he uttered and Nyx raised an eyebrow. The Gulon then proceeded to stopughing and settled for a few growls before falling silent. "And he adds; why would you believe anything that silly screen says about a doll?" Hans let out a chuckle at that. "Truly, the King of Gulons is not to be underestimated. How old are you, Your Majesty? The size of your story is illegible." King Gulonughed again and Cura blinked in surprise before tranting, "Older than the Realms you are bound to, ? Wailful Nightmare." The boy stiffened at that title and grunted, "I did not expect your race to be that ancient. You might be older than Yahweh Himself," he remarked gruffly and girls in the room were busy processing the information. On one side, Astraea nearly cked out in shock when she heard ''Wailful Nightmare'' being spoken in this context. On the other hand, Nyx frowned at King Gulon''s ancient knowledge and the short mention of multiple Realms, but she also came to a realization of her own. She didn''t know what ''Wailful Nightmare'' referred to but it was not her current focus. She looked at Hans and impassively raised her voice. "Your Rewrite," she stated and he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "The Gulon mocked the idea of trusting what the System tells us of a ''doll''. Your current status your current identity, it''s a rewritten one, isn''t it? Who were you truly in the beginning?" The author unexpectedly cackled at her question. With a sneer, he replied as the soul mes above their heads hissed menacingly, "Have you not heard? It''s simple; I am but a bad dream." ? * * * ? Auburn blood sprayed as Roias was wounded by Sonata, a deep gash opening across his chest. He was shoved back and groaned in pain right as purple mes burst out from the injury. He was then targeted by a w without a moment of respite and he tried to block it with Pandora''s Curse, but like gleaming obsidian, the attack tore through it and pierced his stomach. Each of Rakna''s limbs was d by gauntlets and boots of dark crystal embedded into his flesh. His strike carved a linear crater in the flower field and a trail of purple fire zed through the middle of it, followed by a second one when he chained a kick that Roias failed to parry again. The attack somehow cut right through his arm and he rode the impact away to get away from the trench it created right after. The Trasnded with his remaining hand grasping at the soil. Simultaneously, he grunted as more purple mes red around his wound. "How devious" He muttered with a snicker. "Every strike of yours has an impossible sharpness to it, your body got nonsensically heavier and sturdier, those moons have massively increased your output, and you produce these mes at all times. It burns on contact but emanates frost otherwise. That is" He squinted his eyes and looked up at the ck star upying the sky. "ghastly." Rakna swiped Sonata to his side, and without even him willing to do so, the ground split in a clean and silent manner. The obsidian that married his fur sparkled with violet embers and he pointed his hand at the star above. His current Manifestation didn''t require him to choose between Internal or External. In his Soul Marble, both were essible to him at will; for it was his World tomand. "[Stardust Temple,]" Rakna intoned and cast the spell he acquired from Everfrost''s ascension for the first time. The Obsidian Star responded to his will and distended for a brief moment, before shooting out several carved pirs. Each of them struck the ground behind him, nting the foundations for a swarm of fragments to coalesce out of thin air and build a structure around them. It was like an intricate veil made out of thousands of interconnected, yet never-converging floating jewels. Rakna breathed out and whirled his Guandao before taking a stance. Promptly, from the entrance of the ''temple'', a swarm of ebony dust glimmering purple gushed out. It followed the werewolf''s movements and gathered over his head. Roias, for once, fell into a solemn silence. He straightened himself and sighed. He cracked his neck and stretched his freshly regrown arm. He opened his mouth and murmured, "[My Name is Vindication.]" These repeating words settled down the blood spilling from his injuries and they began to heal faster. Then, he continued. "[I Am the Thief of My Own Freedom. Absolving My Crime, I Lay Down My Wings C Nemesis.]" The Tras'' eyes furtively shone but his body didn''t show any outward change after that chant. But in the next moment, when Rakna instantly appeared before him, he reacted faster than ever. The polearm that was about to behead him was instantly reflected toward the ground with a swipe of his hand. However, it did not stop the stardust, which mirrored the attack in the blink of an eye. It stretched forward from above the werewolf and shed in the exact same way as Sonata did. Roias tilted his body to the side and narrowly evaded the dust. Immediately, space itself was sliced apart and the field opened up a new trench of purple fire, joining thendscape together with the flowers, yet never burning them; only entuating their beauty. "Two minutes," the Tras uttered out of nowhere and his arm burst into water; as if he was made of that element. Rakna''s eyes minutely widened and he quickly guided the stardust to congregate as a shield before the liquid limb could hit him. The impact caused a parab of water to shower the soul realm and Roias phased through just in the nick of time to strike the werewolf''s abdomen with both his palms. Rakna snarled and the obsidian on his body ruptured, releasing purple sparks. He skidded back and aimed his hand at his opponent. More stardust emerged from the temple and gathered in front of him into a spiraling cone. "[Stardust Roar,]" he whispered, and swallowing silence itself, a torrent of shimmering ck and purple dust was fired. It carved and bounced off the ground and ignited itself mid-flight. Roias squinted his eyes and rooted his feet in the ground. He waved his arm in opposite directions of each other and runes were carved into his arms and torso by Pandora''s Curse. "[Union Magic C Abyss Valley,]" he chanted and the sound of waves echoed. The soul sea quieted down and, in its ce, a far uncannier noise manifested. It didn''t feel peaceful like the sea should, nor was it neutral. The very air darkened from it and the world fell into a waking horror. Space rippled like water sshed by a rock and the Stardust Roar was snuffed out with the sound of steam, followed by a helpless fall of the obsidian dust. Like drizzly grains of sand, they lost their grace and were devoured by the flowers. Soon after, the Stardust Temple was dispelled and the air recovered its brightness once the sound of waves was gone. At the same time, Rakna dropped to one knee with a trembling body. He frowned and struggled to lift his hand. The golden crosses inhabiting his eyes shone and he snarled. It felt as if he had just spent an eternity underwater within less than a second. "Aah" Roias breathed out as the runes vanished from his body. "Let me reiterate. You do not have two minutes left anymore, but about one," he stated and Rakna frowned at him. "A Soul Marble is nothing to scoff at. However, this is your first time at folding reality, isn''t it? Not only are you not used to it yet, but the amount of soul power you''re burning in the upkeep is something that even you cannot sustain for long." The werewolf didn''t bother to reply and slowly stood up, bolstering himself with more and more lunar energy, converting it into mana at a rapid pace. "You should have been able to do much more," Roias continued. "With enough control, you can bend the environment to your will. You could have even potentially stopped me from invoking magic by denying it out of your world. Even this Star of yours, or your strange Manifestation, you have nothing but inexperience in handling it." "Is that so?" Rakna scoffed and leaned forward. Like a wolf, he grasped the ground with one w and bent his legs as if he was about to pounce on his prey. Behind him, his tails fanned out before pointing forward at the same spot. He then opened his maw and the Obsidian Star blinked. The silver glow of lunar energy coursed through his body, traveling to the tip of his tails where it converged into a sphere of raw power. Then, internal force and mana intertwined with it, followed closely by Mystic Energy seeping out from between his jaws. Roias smiled widely at the orb congregating at the tip of the werewolf''s tails. "But of course. What kind of Nine-Tailed Wolf would you be if you didn''t have that?" He muttered. "No even better. A demonic tail is still a tail regardless; this is a Ten-Tailed Werewolf priming his Tailed Pearl." The Tras chuckled to himself as the Obsidian Star began to twist and bend, stretching downward like a rubber ball and being siphoned into the Nirvana Skill. The Tailed Pearl quickly grew into a ck crystal sphere with a purple and red radiance. "I can feel its uncontainable power from here," Roias remarked casually. "I wonder how far along is your moon-powered berserk state? Did it double your attributes? Triple them? Have you found your way past the four digits?" He wondered and thenughed lightly. "Silly me, you most likely redistributed them into a single aspect anyway. What a dreadful possibility..." Without saying a single word, Raknapleted the creation of the Tailed Pearl and he closed his mouth, a growling up his throat. Everything around the Pearl was barely resisting it; just by housing it, the Soul Marble was threatening to copse. "All right then, do it," Roias invitingly spread his arms. "But be warned," he added with a grin. "You have never seen the true face of an Abyss Tras. Verias was likely barely able to call upon Pandora as he was, much less wear his Abyss Skin. If you would like to find out thenunch it and perish." Rakna''s eyes narrowed at the creature taunting him and raised his voice, filled with the influence of sins, yet perfectly bnced by the Obsidian Star into a peaceful tone, "Try." With that lone word spoken, he howled. The Obsidian Pearl was unleashed and half of the Soul Marble shattered. Roias watched ite to him with a serious countenance, managing to even stir his survival instinct. He knew for a fact that this Pearl would have wiped outs anywhere other than this Soul Realm or the System itself. He smirked and his flesh began to melt. His facial features were absorbed by his own body and in no time, what was left was nothing more than a disturbing mass of a substance. And right before the Pearl was about to hit, the Abyss engulfed the world. I wonder if any of you has the memory to figure out what Wailful Nightmare could potentially refer to. Its not a reference to Life Hunter or anything. Its in this novel and Im pretty sure there are enough hints about Hans to draw a parallel. . Little guide for ya: Focus on Nightmare, Fairies, and Stories.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 346: Meuro Chapter 346: Meuro As Hans swiftly typed on the Terminal, Astraea gasped and her form fizzled out for a trice as if she was about to fade. She looked back at the torrent of purple soul mes above her and paled. "What''s wrong?" Nyx asked. "I" The angel stammered. "Lord Monarch''s power is fading Until just now, he was stronger than ever before, but he suddenly lost everything" "Maybe he just used an all-out trump card?" Cura suggested. "But that wouldn''t stop him from converting mana" Astraea whispered worriedly and before anything else could be said, the Soul Marble shattered and everyone in the room dropped to their knees; even Cura. An unearthly pressure pinned them down to the floor and Rakna''s soul mes then spread across the room, as if they had been blown off by an explosion, before waning. From the remnants of the Soul Marble, a distorted and unstable Obsidian Pearl flew out at speeds no one could fathom and collided with the wall. When it struck, to the spectators, it was as if colors suddenly were sucked out of the world. For a split second, everything was ck and white, and within this monochromatic world, a crown of purple light shone through and preceded a st that made the air vibrate. The Terminal Room nearly broke down in its entirety and a giant hole opened up on the wall, in which the Obsidian Pearl burrowed further; yet to be truly detonated. And barely a secondter, thend quaked. It was felt across teau Zero and even in teaus above for the most perceptive ones. Inside the Terminal Room, a geyser of ck stones and purple fire erupted from the hole and expanded it. Everyone had to cover their ears and focus on their breathing to not pass out from the rebound of the shockwave. It was like it was bouncing everywhere and striking them from all sides an infinite number of times. When it was finally over, a terrible cold invaded the ce. Nyx hesitantly raised her head and once her vision cleared up, her breath hitched. The hole in the wall had turned into something far worse than that. It now could only be called a tunnel; wider than the room itself. But what shocked the Night Goddess wasn''t that disy of destructive prowess, but whaty at the end of it. It was pure darkness. Not ack of light; but ack of corporeality. Most beings would go crazy just catching a glimpse of it. Their mind would not be able toprehend what they were looking at, much less escape its hunt as it encroached into anything it touched, slowly approaching and crawling like a primal monster extending its tentacles. "Don''t look at it!" Nyx yelled almost immediately and the others listened without dy, keeping their head low. "Don''t even peek at it! A regr mortal cannot stay sane if they observe it for even a millisecond!" "What is it?" Cura asked with experiencedposure as he stood up with his back facing it. Even Gulon was warning him, so he didn''t need to doubt the goddess'' instructions. "That''s Meuro," Nyx replied with a grimace. "We call it the False Realm. It is emptiness personified into an uncategorizable dimension. It is also called the In-Between as it separates Realities," she exined and bit her lip. "No wonder even Eternal Night cannot find the System. It is built inside of it. To create a pocket world inside Emptiness itself how did they do it?" "Wait, that''s the outside of the System?" Cura asked back. "Yes," Astraea was the one who confirmed it. "But don''t even think about going through it. You will die instantly. Perhaps King Gulon can preserve your life, but he does not have the ability to get you out of it." The sentient weapon responded to that with a gruff affirmation and after they exchanged these words, a breach in space suddenly ensued above them and a small burst of purple mes spat out a mangled silhouette. It crashed on the floor, followed by more mes that coalesced into numerous beasts; wild animals of all sorts, further led by the familiar figures of Fenriu and Rexam. All of them were protectively standing around what had just fallen. Astraea was close enough to see who it was through the wall of wolves, tigers, and bears, and she called out, "Lord Monarch!" Nyx widened her eyes and rushed forward at the same time as her. When both goddesses arrived at the encirclement, the beasts gave them a nce-over and dutifully opened the way for them. Beyond their protection, Rakna was lying down on the ground, unresponsive. He had reverted to his original appearance, except for his hair and tails that remained ck with faint purple dots adorning them. Allegro covered his body in its defaultbat mode and was struggling to fix the countless tears and holes it had. Additionally, the therian''s skin was covered in some ces by ck crystal; as if the Obsidian Star was making his body grow scales. But it was far too rough and uneven for it to look like anything other than a negative sign. "Rakna, can you hear me?" Nyx asked carefully as she kneeled next to him. She could sense his soul flickering between two extreme states and she pursed her lips. She tried to check if he had a pulse, but when she tried to touch him, she first shivered in cold and then hissed in pain once her finger brushed his neck. "He''s scalding" On the other hand, Astraea hovered both of her hands above him and closed her eyes, desperately trying to salvage some mana and energy to cast a restorative spell. "Those animals saved him, huh?" An ethereal voice echoed and chilled everyone to the bone. Even Hans had to grab his arm to stop it from trembling. He frowned at his own body refusing to listen to him and then searched for the source of the voice. His eyes eventuallynded on a cloud of Pandora''s Curse congregating back into the form of Roias. He looked as if nothing had happened. His clothes were brand new, his body unblemished, and his arms serenely crossed behind his back. Furthermore, his infuriating grin was back to normal. "To think that pseudo-ghosts could preserve him from death at thest moment," the Tras said whilst gazing at the group of beasts watching over Rakna''s unconscious body. He skimmed over the different species, and his attention lingered on Rex for a second before it focused on Fen. "So, this is the truth behind the death of that cub the scorpions failed to abduct, huh?" Roias shook his head in amusement and ignored the re Nyx was sending his way in favor of the tunnel the Obsidian Pearl had engendered. Without a hint of struggle, he gazed into Meuro and let out a chortle, "How unexpected. Though the System is not operational in Zero, to think you could blow a hole through its defenses sadly, it''s already repairing itself." True to his words, the end of the tunnel was shrinking at a visible pace. In fact, half of it had been sealed by the time he mentioned it. "But I have to give my thanks. It was invigorating toy eyes on the ''Abyss'' for the first time," Roias said with a joyous smile and Nyx froze. King Gulon let out a sound akin to a dubious grunt and Cura nced at his weapon before speaking out in its stead, "You bugs call Meuro the Abyss? Are you telling me Emptiness gave birth to your subspecies? Don''t make meugh." Roias smiled in amusement and gazed at the sentient sword. "Why? Is it that surprising? The Tra possess the most advanced mutation capability to ever exist. We adapt to our habitat, no matter if it''s a vacuum or a void; why would Meuro be an exception?" Gulon growled and Cura tranted, "Are you daft? Didn''t you just say this is the first time you see it? How could you have mutated ording to it if you''ve never interacted with it? Not to mention that Meuro is not something you can adapt to even if you tried. If I can''t eat it, then I don''t believe you bugs could ever gain anything from it." The Tras snickered. "That is rather conceited of you. But you''re right. If it had just been a matter of my qualifications, the Abyss would have never be my power. But a miracle graced the Tra of the System. Our Empress, the First Abyss Tras, granted us this privilege. She endured Meuro and tamed its power. You can ask the wolf when he wakes up; he saw my Abyss Skin and he will indubitably support my ims." Gulon fell silent at that and didn''t bother to respond, merely ready to be wielded at any moment to fight Roias as Cura''s hand wrapped around its handle. "And here it is," the Tras uttered as he watched the tunnel close fully, relinquishing an invisible pressure that no one knew was there. "Still, I''m a bit perplexed," he continued with a curious tone and turned toward Hans. "You, little immortal. Enough time should have passed for the System to be fully reinstated. Why did you not?" The author harrumphed. "Do not get ahead of yourself. I merely need to press one button and Eva will be able to summon an Adjudicator on you." "Hm?" Roias cocked his head to the side in confusion. "But, why did you not? Is there something that oh," he eximed in realization and thenughed. "It''s about that AI, is it not? The wolf told you to save her. And you''re scared there won''t be any chance to do so once the System does a reset of the framework. You can forgo such hope; I cursed her program. It''s over." "Hah, I would not be so sure about that if I were you," Hans fired back with a condescending smirk that managed to wipe off Roias'' smile. Silence reigned in the room for a short while as they red at each other and Roias ended it with a huff. "This is enough. Our Abyss has no ns to kill any of you. We had preparations to take care of but if the Shark King is here, it means Arkas has already retreated. The stalling is over." The Tras stopped floating andnded, with his Internal Art once again manifesting. He looked at the unconscious therian and with a cackle, disintegrated into a fluid cloud of curse energy, flying out of the room through the exit. "May we meet again at the summit," his disembodied voice echoed and faded. Chapter 347: Newborn Soul Chapter 347: Newborn Soul "How is he doing?" Cura asked as they all gathered around Rakna after Roias left. The therian was showing no signs of waking up or stabilizing despite Astraea''s efforts. The Goddess of Justice bit her lip and her wings began to dim in brightness. She was dangerously running out of reserves to even maintain herself. At this rate, her base temte back in Egregore would start to be affected. "He overused his soul power and his body is refusing to heal," she exined gloomily. "It ran out of material to rece the internals and there''s no mana to fuel it back anymore. To make it worse, he overdosed on his restorative pills before this." Nyx nodded in agreement, "The moment his demonization ended; it was thest straw. The Eion fused with his body seemingly saved his life from Roias at the end, together with the specters of causality inside his soul," she added whilst ncing at the beasts quietly sitting nearby. Fen was like an unmoving statue, his nine tails rested on the ground, and his eyes narrowed as he observed the group. He eventually growled and opened his mouth, "Move your ass." He addressed no one in particr, but his words were quickly answered by a small breeze. Like a mirage, a beautiful oriental man appeared with a sigh, repeatedly tapping his forehead with a folded fan. "What a predicament this is and I do not even understand half of it." "Fray," Nyx uttered with a raised eyebrow and the man responded with a smile. "Well, yes. That is me," he said with a modest bow and briefly nced at Hans. "I must say it is a shame that my Tale Magic is no longer essible to me in full. I would have loved to find out what you truly are," he suddenly said and the azure-haired boy snorted. "But if you truly are the Wailful One, I must pay my dues and thank you for being the inspiration for one of my stories. Who would have expected you to be my sessor" Hans didn''t deign to reply and Astraea groaned, "Cease this idle chat. Fray Brazwein, what is Lord Monarch''s current state? How is his Soul Realm faring?" The fabulist lowered his eyes and shook his head. "Not well, I am afraid. It''s splintered. There is a reason why we" He paused to wave at himself and the beasts. "Can manifest right now. His soul is starting to form an uneven bubble around him; his soul power is exhausted and the engine it is supposed to supply is about to scatter away." "I know that!" Astraea shouted frustratingly. "What I would like to understand is why his soul is unresponsive to any sort of mending or even basic self-preservation?!" "you should take a closer look at his body rather than his soul alone," Fray responded solemnly and the angel stiffened. Along with everyone else, she inspected Rakna''s appearance and clenched her fists when she noticed that the ck crystal piercing into his flesh was far from having stopped its growth. "His own power went out of control at the very end," Hans remarked from the side with an almost bored tone. "Simply said, he is breaking down from the inside out because it was too formidable for him to wield. He does not have much time to live if nothing is done." Nyx furrowed her eyebrows and nced at the author. "Can you peer out what can be done?" Hans shrugged. "I cannot. His current condition is aplexbination of factors. I do not have enough understanding to offer a solution. All I know is that his Sins are an important equalizer to all of it." Fray followed up, "I tried to meet the Crystal Sage within his Soul Realm after his battle but I was refused entry. Despite him indubitably being one of the factors, he seems to be ignoring this." "For now, our best course of action would be to reinstate the System," Hans stated as he went back to type on the console, albeit more slowly as if he was reviewing his work. "But as the pest said, there is a risk of losing Ceresta in the process. To save her, I would need a" His sentence died on his lips and he widened his eyes. He turned around and stared at Rakna with a contemting look. "I have an idea," he muttered. "What is it?" Astraea immediately asked and he simply faced the console again. "Bring him closer to the Terminal," he instructed offhandedly and swiped his hand across one of the holographic monitors before pulling on it like it was a physical object. Following his motion, a multi-faceted knob appeared and he twisted it. The console of the Terminal promptly split open and revealed several cables and ports for external connections. The others looked at each other and Cura took it upon himself to carry Rakna. Hans didn''t waste time before crouching and opening the therian''s left eyelid afterward. He swiped open a screen in midair again and the lenses of Eye of Symphony began to rotate, shedding their realistic look for apletely robotic one. "What are you doing?" Nyx scowled. "I am soft-hacking his augmented cortex," Hans answered sinctly. "I need it in order to transfer the core program of his AI into it," he exined whilst forcing a connection by sticking some kind of electrode cable to the therian''s temple. "what?" The Night Goddess eximed dumbly. "Why would you do that? No, before that; how is it that you have recovered Ceresta''s code if it was corrupted by Roias?" "I did not recover it," he quickly retorted. "Her program was indeed cursed beyond saving. But one unlikely miracle allowed her to endure." "Which is?" "She developed a soul," Hans dered and no one managed to voice a reaction. "Somehow, what was once just lines of code and alchemic hardware gained more than mere sentience. Her program is now her soul and vice versa. She requires aputerized vessel to inhabit for it to be sustained, but it is there. I have my theory on how it happened, but this is not the time for it." "Then" Astraea whispered. "If you transfer her into Lord Monarch?" "I am not only hoping she will be able to settle there but also hoping her ''instincts''" He squinted his eyes. "Will attempt to save the one she loves. At the moment, Xiorra''s soul is barely hanging by a thread. Her program will anchor itself in his cortex and hopefully, her spirit will manage to pull his soul back together." The angel''s eyes brightened. "They both can be saved that way?" Hans huffed cynically, "No. Both will still die. This is just a way of buying us time. If either of their souls were in their normal state, both would have not been able to coexist within the same vessel anyway. They will be able to leech off each other to survive, but it will not be a solution. Ceresta is the one who will be gone first; her meager soul power exhausted. Then, Xiorra will follow. This is but ast-ditch effort. You can only pray that he wakes up and then finds a solution himself." With that said, the author initiated the transfer without hesitation. The loadingsted barely a few seconds and on cue, every beast that had been standing guard faded into motes of purple light and was absorbed into Rakna''s body. Fen grunted and returned to the Soul Realm as well, followed by a chirping Rex. "It seems to be working," Fraymented as the obsidian was slowing down and the soul power permeating the area recovered a semnce of structure. "Rakna seems to have earned the respect of those animals inside him during his fight; they most likely will assist his case. I will try and help as well. Good luck," he dered and dissipated out of view. Barely a secondter, a weak but chaotic surge of soul power erupted and Rakna opened his eyes with a deep gasp. But the process was not that merciful to him afterward. Out of nowhere, half of his body buzzed like a million insects and blurred into the shape of a werewolf. He roared in pain and rolled around right as a spike of obsidian suddenly sprouted from his arm. "Lord Monarch!" Astraea was about to go help him but Cura held her back before she could even take a step forward. The reason for that showed itself when another agonizing howl echoed and a short burst of purple fire cut the ground apart. Hans grunted and staggered back as it cut the back of his hand. As always, he frowned and spoke up with a callous tone, "Snap out of it, Xiorra." A snarl responded to him, and the werewolf half reverted to normal. "Easier said!" Rakna spoke with a grunt and grabbed the spike in his arm. "than done!" He shouted and ripped the obsidian off. He copsed on all fours and gritted his teeth when countless ck-colored lines spread under his skin. "The Alkahest is!" He interrupted himself in favor of enduring the pain. What he was feeling was not regr physical pain, but the worst kind of agony. His body and soul were being overloaded with something he had no way to restrain. After a few more seconds, all that could be heard was a faint sputtering sound, like ss being put under pressure. Rakna panted and covered his neck with one hand where a chunk of ck crystal was dangerously advancing. He raised his head and one of his purple eyes shone through the messy bangs of his hair. The warm yet cold color, entuated by turquoise and crimson, focused on Hans. "What did you do?" His voice was freed of the tension brought about by his demonization; calm and serene. Yet, his tone had never sounded so sharp. "Saved your life," Hans retorted sarcastically. "Or so I would like to say. I did what you asked; your little virtual friend was salvaged, and she rescued you in return. Now, it is up to you to make sure it stays that way." Rakna scrunched his eyebrows and channeled the almost nonexistent feeling of his soul power into his hand and a silver flower briefly appeared before dissipating. "A Craiste" He whispered and growled before punching the ground with his fist. He pushed himself to his feet and staggered to stay upright until Astraea came to help him. With a thankful nod, he closed his eyes and a streak of gold shed when he opened them back. Crystal Sight glimmered and he stared at Hans. "Reinstate the System. I need the extra attributes and mana." "As you wish," Hansplied indifferently and tapped the console once. A pulse of light coursed through the Terminal into the floor and walls, until everything shut off momentarily. It didn''tst long and everything turned back on soon after. On cue, everyone on teau Zero was faced with a missive. ? ? ? ? ? Connection Established. teau Code A0 Has Been Re-Integrated. ? --- ? Identifying Residents Complete. Reinstating Status Complete. Distributing System Support Complete. Analyzing Topology Complete. ? --- ? Attention! ? teau Zero will now be put under lockdown. Transfers will be sealed until further notice. Hosts are demanded to wait for Adjudicators and Eva''s supervision before a teau Reset is carried out. ? ? ? ? ? Immediately, everyone in the room felt the System flow back into their bodies, which was quickly followed by the return of the World''s influence. It was like they had been put back on life support after being forcefully detached from it. Rakna groaned as he felt his Magic Circuits be supplied once again and resisted the urge to roll his eyes when another System window opened up for him only. ? ? ? ? ? Updating Status You have 54 Notifications Pending. Do you wish to unfold them now? ? --- ? You have 36 Levels Pending. Do you wish to gain them now? ? --- ? Warning! Warning! The Host is in a critical state! ? Error! Error! ? Unable to analyze the cause! Seek immediate attention! ? ? ? ? ? "Honestly, I didn''t miss this," Rakna muttered but epted the levels right away. He needed all he could get at the moment and he sighed in relief when the power surged through him like always. He then opened his status and manually poured the maximum amount of attribute points he could assign into Intelligence; effectively capping it at 200 and massively increasing his mana pool. "I''m all right now, thank you," he said to Astraea and walked out of her hold. "Are you sure?" She asked worriedly and he wordlessly smiled at her, to which she couldn''t help but blush. She quickly cleared her throat to recover and continued, "I-I''m happy to hear it." "So? Do you have an idea on how to proceed?" Hans asked while the room was being repaired by the System with them inside. The wreckage was returning to its initial ce as if everything was being rewound in time. Rakna turned to the author with an unreadable expression and nodded slowly. "I think I know how to save Ceres," he dered, and after a deep breath, transformed into a werewolf. His group reflexively stepped back as he proceeded to unfurl his wings. It was the first time they saw him so close with the new appearance of his fur and feathers, so they had a brief moment of unresponsiveness to his words. And it was Nyx who called him out on it. "And what about yourself?" She inquired sternly and he let out what could only be described as a wolf chuckling at an interesting joke. "Nyx, problems are meant to be tackled one by one in order of importance." The goddess'' expression fell and she was about to retort when she stopped herself. She sighed in defeat and looked to the side. "But of course" She mumbled and he snorted. His wings expanded in size and crackled with spatial energy. Since the System had turned off transfers, he had to force his way out. "Astraea, you will probably lose your anchoring after I leave. Thank you for your help; I''ll be sure to summon you again soon," he said quietly and Astraea smiled sadly. "You can always count on me, Lord Monarch. No matter what. So, please don''t die," she pleaded with a weak voice and her form fizzled out of view, returning to Egregore. She had long surpassed the time she was supposed to stay; she had remained manifested out of sheer willpower. Rakna smiled softly at where she had been standing and turned to Cura. "Same to you. I''ll be sure to pay you back as soon as I can." "It''s fine. Just don''t die on me and give me that fight; it''ll be more than enough," the shark man said and pointed at his back with his thumb where King Gulon licked its lips. "Gul can''t wait to taste your power as well," he uttered. The werewolf snickered. "I won''t disappoint," he replied and was about to wrap himself with his wings when Nyx entered his vicinity with her arms crossed. He blinked at her and she raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you waiting for? You can bring someone else with that skill, can''t you?" She asked with an aloof tone and Rakna stared at her for a moment before chuckling. Nyx squirmed on her feet at that; she wasn''t used to hearing him being so overtly amused. "Understood," he spared her further embarrassment and his wings covered both of them. From a third perspective, Cura and Hans watched in interest as the wings formed a perfect cocoon with no gap. Then, a silver aura gushed out from the feathers and that same cocoon started spinning; or at least that''s what it looked like to them. It gradually got faster until it eventually began to shrink, where halfway through its decline, blinked out of existence with silver light sparking about. "well, waiting time it is," Hansmented as he went to sit on the staircase being reconstructed by the System. He summoned a book into his hand and promptly started reading it. Cura shortly nced at him and stoically headed for the exit of the Terminal Room. Hans looked up from his read at the same time and managed to spot King Gulon smirking at him. The azure-haired boy shook his head in exasperation as they departed for good. "A shark learning to swim to the surface and an ancient being living for a testament as thest of his kind What an interesting duo to join the wolf," he whispered to himself. "Though, I certainly cannot be the one to mock such a thing," he added and looked back at his book of which the cover read the following words: ''The Wise & Wailful Boy of Faerie''. Chapter 348: The Ten Tenets Chapter 348: The Ten Ts The Crystal Sage stepped over the snow of his peak, calmly and steadily maintaining his pace. He walked around his home and stopped behind it, his cane stabbing into the ground. He looked down with solemn eyes and peered through a shell of flickering soul power. In between heartbeats, the hazy form of a woman as beautiful as a doll sat there, her arms hugging her knees and her eyes vacant. The Sage sighed and crouched on one knee before her. He gently ced his hand on her head like a loving parent, somehow bypassing her ethereal form with nothing but his touch. "Do not worry. Everything will be fine," he whispered and her eyes slowly closed. ? * * * ? When the wings were moved away from her line of sight, Nyx opened her eyes to what seemed to be aboratory. There was also a very eye-catching cylinder in the center filled with an unknown liquid, inside which bathed three floating rings of cyan energy. "Where are!" She put a halt to her question when she heard ss breaking behind her. She quickly turned around and saw Rakna leaning against a table, breathing hard. He had returned to his therian form and the obsidian was spreading even more. Nyx was about to rush to him but he held a hand up to stop her. "I''m fine," he rasped out and leaned against the table. "Mina," he called and a warning light blinked on the ceiling. "Good day, Sir," a synthetic female voice echoed. "I have deactivated the defense protocols upon sensing your arrival; wee." Rakna snickered. "Thank you for that. Where''s Gaelius?" "He is on his way. Sir Eldron and Miss Malcanthet were on the floor above monitoring theirtest iteration of the Eion Tri-Core when I notified them of your arrival." "Evelyn is here too?" The therian groaned. "Great what am I going to say now?" As soon as he said that, the door swung open and an elderly man in a white coat entered with a confused expression. He looked around and quickly spotted his guests. "Oh you''re here. I didn''t expect you to barge in like this,d," Gaelius remarked but concurrently raised his eyebrows at the therian. "But judging from how you look, this doesn''t seem to be a visit of courtesy..." "What gave it away?" Rakna retorted with a jesting smile and the elderly man blinked in surprise, but his reaction would have to wait as someone pushed him out of the way. "Rakna?" Evelyn came in wearing a simrboratory garb and when her eyesnded on the target of her search, they widened urgently and she instantly vanished only to reappear right in front of the therian. "What happened?!" She asked frantically, waving her hands anxiously, almost scared to touch him and worsen something. Even Rakna was taken aback by her outburst. He hadn''t expected her to use Blink to shorten the distance. It seemed that she had honed this ability to the point she did it on reflex. "Calm down," he quickly calmed her down and gently pushed her hands down, which were already about to cast a healing spell. "The hardest has passed and this is not something you can fix with a bit of Life Magic." "But--!" She wanted to argue but he stopped her again with a shake of his head. "I''m pressed for time, Evelyn," he said sharply and turned toward Gaelius. "The Eion Frame. Where is it?" The scientist furrowed his eyebrows. "I have no qualms showing you but you should know that it isn''t finished. The Frame itself is built, but based on what you intended to do with it, I have yet to shape the internal hardware" "I don''t care. I need it now," Rakna retorted and groaned as he felt something along his ribs move unnaturally. He held it tightly and continued, "I''ll take care of the rest." "If you are sure," Gaelius nodded and approached a digital pad on the wall. He typed in amand and apartment at the back of the room opened, followed by a human-sized pod emerging out of it horizontally. Rakna grunted and pushed himself off the table to head toward it. Gaelius arrived first and pressed a button, prompting the interior to depressurize with a sharp noise before the lid popped out and automatically slid open. Nyx and Evelyn patiently watched the white cloud that filled it dissipate and widened their eyes in awe when the content was revealed. "This" The Night Goddess whispered as she admired the figure inside the pod. Whaty in front of her was a perfect and beyond reconstruction of Ceresta. Her eyes were closed as if in deep sleep and her silver hair spread around like a piece of art. Her hands were folded over her chest, which was bare just as the rest of her body. Yet, her state of undress was not enough to distract anyone from her innate beauty. "When did you?" Nyx began confusedly. "I gave Gaelius a schematic made with Eye of Symphony thest time I passed by," Rakna answered and with a stuttered step, he leaned over the pod and ced his hand on the forehead of the inert body before taking a deep breath. His soul power, now taking the form of purple mes, began to re around his arm. But it wasn''t alone; a silver hue peacefully mixed within. At the same time, Rakna''s left eye copsed its lenses and a small but noticeable pattern of blue lines ran from his hands to Ceresta''s skin. "Wait, Rakna," Nyx raised her voice and tried to touch his arm, only for the soul mes to form an actual barrier between him and her. It didn''t hurt or push her away, but that didn''t stop her from being startled at how far Rakna''s soul mastery had gone after a single fight. He looked at her over his shoulder and she clenched her hand, retrieving it. She stared right back at him and spoke, "I trust your ability but even you cannot bind her program and infant soul into a flesh puppet. That requires far more than just soul control and a powerfulputing device." Unexpectedly, Rakna smiled at that. "You''re right. It''s beyond me," he admitted and the soul mes increased in intensity and their light made Ceresta''s hair shine. "Thankfully that''s not my role to fulfill," he said and pulled his hand away. The mes disappeared and all that was left was a silver aura around the Frame as well as a faint pulse of Eion running under her skin. Immediately afterward, Rakna let out a repressed cry and keeled over. Spikes of ck crystal then burst out from his ribcage and he barely held onto the pod to avoid falling. Nyx winced and tried to look away whilst biting her lip and Gaelius'' eyes widened in rm, while Evelyn paled in horror at the sight. "Damn it can''t this thing give me a minute?" Rakna grumbled to himself and broke the obsidian with his elbow. He forced himself up and got closer to Ceresta. He held the sides of her head and ced his forehead against hers before closing his eyes. "Ceres, I know you can hear me," he muttered and while everyone in the room remained silent out of sheer unease, they noticed something on the therian''s back. A small light shone through Allegro in a peculiar shape. "I only need you to do one thing for me," he added and the shape consolidated into a glimmering chalice. "Wish it. The price doesn''t matter. Wish to live, and I will grant it," he dered and Ceresta''s eyelid twitched, after which the Crystal Chalice''s light burst and filled the entireb. Rakna felt its brightness prickle his skin and after what felt like an eternity, everything stopped in an instant. He opened his eyes in a hurry and looked around. The forms of Nyx, Evelyn, and Gaelius were immobile as if the room had been frozen in time. Then, footsteps echoed behind him. It was apanied by a blunt sound he intuitively attributed to a cane hitting the floor. With a scowl, he turned around and faced the Sage himself, standing a whole head taller than him. The two silently gazed at each other for a while until the Sage broke the stalemate. "This is but the second time you grant a wish," he remarked and walked around him to stand on the opposite side of the pod. "In fact, I would argue it is the first. The erstwhile was an amnesty, which you expended to give birth to a Phoenix." The beautiful man looked down at Ceresta with his diamond eyes, almost woefully. "Yet, you are already attempting to defy the rules," he stated. "You cannot grant a wish without price. And you know well that she is not in possession of the required dues. Nor would she be willing to substitute them with things such as her newfound feelings and memories." "Do I look like I care about your rules?" Rakna retorted with a cold tone. He was neither wondering about the presence of this man nor his surroundings. The Sage chuckled despite himself. "Point taken. But these rules are not to be infringed. They were paramount at the beginning of my journey and still are, for I have yet to reach the end." "My journey is not yours," the therian dryly replied and he smiled. "Clearly not," he said with a shake of his head and stepped away from the pod. He grabbed his cane with both hands and closed his eyes. ? "First T, You Shall Grant Your Foremost Wish Without Cost." "Second T, You Shall Demand an Adequate Price for The Wish Pled." "Third T, You May Offer Benevolence but Never Break the Second T." "Fourth T, You Shall Not Partake in Wishes That Are Not Genuine of Heart." "Fifth T, You Shall Not Betray the Hope of Misery." "Sixth T, You Shall Not Grant Wishes for Yourself." "Seventh T, You Shall Not Give Up." "Eighth T, You Shall Not Partake in Pettiness." "Ninth T, You Shall Be a Testament of Fairness." "Tenth T, You Shall Follow These Laws Until Your Duty Is Over." ? After stating those ten rulings, the Sage opened his eyes again with a distant look of reminiscence on his face. "Remember them," he said quietly. "why should I?" Rakna narrowed his eyes. "Why should your limitations be passed down to me?" "Because they were passed down to me," the Sage responded with a peculiar smile as if his words only held meaning to him. "However you do not need them today, I confer," he said with a small nod. "You have yet to start your journey, and I am reaching the end of mine. These rules apply to no one in this moment." "" "Nheless, you do not have my power yet. You merely possess its most basic function. You can convert ideas into miracles, and miracles into reality. You require a price. If she does not have one for herself you shall." Rakna lowered his head and stared at his hands. He took off his left glove and inspected the scales of ck crystal growing on the back. He snorted and then covered it back. "Something I have, you say" He hummed and thought of one skill. "A Blessing should do the trick then." The Sage smiled. "Good choice. You will not regret losing that ability?" "It''s powerful, but I dislike holding onto things that aren''t mine in full." "So be it," the Sage said and extended his hand toward him. An orb of divine energy emerged from the therian''s chest and flew to the diamond-haired man. "Your Wish" He whispered and gently prodded the sphere toward Ceresta. "Shall Be Granted." When it reached her body, it took on the color of silver and enveloped her body. At the same time, Rakna felt time return to normal and the Sage about to fade away. Rather than speaking out, his eyes glowed gold and he triggered Crystal Sight to observe the legendary man onest time. Then, immediately, his lips parted and his eyes widened. But more than shock, there was arger sense of realization in his expression. The Sage gazed back at him in the eyes, and as if to respond, his diamond-like eyes also weed a shimmering cross; albeit more refined and that much more beautiful than the therian''s. Rakna was stunned for a short moment before he eventually broke into a shortugh. "Hah how stupid is that?" He muttered to himself and scoffed. "I know who you are," he uttered and the Sageughed lightly in return. "I am sure you do... We shall meet again at the starting line. For now, concentrate. You have yet to save yourself and no wish will do it for you." With those words, the Sage disappeared for good and time resumed. Without dy, every person in the room jumped in surprise when they saw Rakna standing in apletely different manner than he was an instant before. Furthermore, a System window popped up in front of him afterward. ? ? ? ? ? Error! Error! Err ? --- ? Error Overridden by External Force. Updating Database ? --- ? Ascension of The Titan has been removed from your status. ? ? ? ? ? ''Uh, so it wasn''t an illusion. He really stopped time'' The therian thought and silently put two of his fingers on Ceresta''s neck. Without saying anything, he smiled in relief and as if taking advantage of that, sharp pains urred on almost every part of his body. He growled and contracted his arms as more spikes tried to burst out. After letting go of Ceresta''s soul, the state of his own was catching back up to him at an elerated pace. "At this rate, I''ll turn into a porcupine statue," he joked to himself and unfurled his wings. He tried to turn into a werewolf as well, but the process didn''t even want to start for some reason. With a click of his tongue, he turned to warn Gaelius. "Take care of her until she wakes up," he said to the scientist who was getting whish from the series of events. "What do you mean take care?" He uttered in confusion but then noticed that the Eion Frame he had built was now showing signs of life on the pod''s monitor. "Wha?" He blinked in disbelief and pulled up a tablet to check the data. Meanwhile, Rakna staggered off and mumbled one skill, "[Perfidious Edict.]" A surge of infernal power was invoked for a short second, and within that small time frame, he experienced an even greater strength than when he used his demonization; resetting his every cooldown. "What now?" Nyx asked whilst standing next to him. She narrowed her eyes, a palpable irritation in her tone for his reckless behavior. "You better have a way to save yourself or I''ll bring you back to life just so I can kill you again." Rakna dryly chuckled, as if he was too tired to evenugh. "Honestly, I''m not sure. No matter how hard I think about it, I have no surefire idea," he admitted and Evelyn approached with a worried face. He smiled at her and continued, "But there is someone who owes me a favor and might just be my best bet." Chapter 349: A Bygone Fate Chapter 349: A Bygone Fate With his cooldowns reset, Rakna activated his Wings of Spatial Copse for a second time. Silver sparks flew where he stood inside Gaelius''b and he flickered away after enveloping himself and Nyx with his wings. Once again, he teleported to apletely different ce; a vast meadow with giant trees in the distance. Rakna immediately copsed on his knees upon arrival without being able to even utter a single cry or word. "Shit," he cursed and put his hand on his neck where a bit of pale pink blood was flowing through the gaps of his fingers. Interestingly, it also had purple spots mixed in that pulsed with light. "Are you okay?" Nyx asked softly as she crouched in front of him, holding his shoulder. "Could be better and that''s not going to happen any soon at this rate," the therian uttered with an annoyed grunt when he looked up and saw nothing more than a in. "We''re still in the First teau," the Night Goddess said matter-of-factly. "Why here? Who is it that owes you a favor?" He grunted and let go of his neck which was essentially covered in its entirety by obsidian. "This exact ce is where the Mental Trial was located before the Reset. I was hoping it wouldn''t change locations since it''s a unique kind of Trial, but it seems I''m unlucky." "The Mental Trial" Nyx muttered with a scowl. "That old woman? Flegra?" "Yes. Call it a gut feeling, but my chances are probably the highest with her at the moment. She is not only a being supposedly as old as Systema itself, but she is part of it. I had no way of properly understanding what she did to me the first time we met, but now? I know that she''s far from simple and I would bet that she knows her way around the soul even better than someone like Tira." "so, we need to find her new location," Nyx concluded and opened her System''s map. "Sadly, we aren''t able to see the location of the Trials after leaving the teau I don''t have a spell capable of giving us a lead either. At least, not inside the System." "I have one," Rakna groaned. "But I can''t use it. Forget my magic, I think I can''t use any skills at all in this state. This teleportation was thest straw; I can''t even transform. To make it worse, soon, the Perfidious Edict will reset all my cooldowns to their maximum duration." "So, we are stuck? Really?" Nyx tried to be sarcastic, but it came off as more of a reprimand. Rakna helplessly chuckled. "Well, look at the bright side of things, how many can im they will be able to die on such a peaceful sunny meadow with a beautiful woman at their side?" The goddess deadpanned, "Don''t think for even a second that your little change of attitude will get to distract me and allow you out of this." "that sucks. I think it would have worked with pretty much everyone. Maybe not Kaelith yeah, definitely not her," he whispered to himself. "Damn, she''s going to kill me." "I''m first in the line," Nyx huffed in amusement. "Your girlfriend will have to wait." "Sure, you are" Rakna smiled to himself and straightened his back. "All right, I''m going to try out onest idea. It might seed, knock me out, or finish me off. I''ll need you to take care of me in either case, unfortunately. If it ends on the second, I''m sorry. If it ends on the third, sorry too." "" Nyx fell silent and she bit her lip with a torn expression. "I''ll take that silence as an agreement," the therian said and smiled internally, keeping to himself that his vision had already been taken away from him. Even Eye of Symphony had somehow been turned off by the encroaching obsidian. Promptly, he gathered the dregs of soul power he had left and purple lines began to appear across his skin and fur. They glowed weakly and released a smoke of the same color. "[Origin Flux]" He struggled to chant. "[Second Stage irvoyance]" He croaked out and his mind was temporarily thrown out of his body. And in a blurry series of images thatsted less than a second, he saw the small cabin where Flegra lived recur somewhere else in the teau. When he returned to his body, he lost all strength in his body. ''Ah'' In nk realization, he noticed that he didn''t even have the necessary energy to speak up. In ast-ditch effort, he tried to call on his Legendary Guard skill to summon Higure or Pronos, but all he heard in return was the System ring all sorts of warning notices. ? ? ? ? ? The Host''s soul has been corrupted beyond recognition! The Host''s spiritual energy is unstable! ? --- ? Impossible to establish Peer Connections. Warning! System Support Failing! ? ? ? ? ? His consciousness began to slip right after and he silentlyughed in irony. His soul was scattered he couldn''t even contact his own soul beast. ''I should have done it earlier'' He berated himself as he tried to take out a certain object from his soul storage, only to fail miserably. That only made him even more disheartened. ''Well, damn Sorry, Kae I might actually die because of my idiocy'' With thosest remorseful thoughts, he cked out. ? * * * ? Nyx sat on her knees and expressionlessly held Rakna as his body leaned over her. She gritted her teeth at the sickening and twisting feeling growing in her stomach. Despite herself, a tear formed in the corner of her eye and she muttered, "You damn fool" She wondered to herself if she would watch him die right here, just like that. Without being able to do a thing. She knew there wasn''t much time left. Even if she called someone for help, it would not save him in time. Rakna had bet on being able to find Flegra with hisst teleportation, disregarding help because he knew he didn''t have enough time, nor would he have been able to transfer to the Mental Trial''s new location if they had learned of it from others. She bit her lip until blood came out and her shadows grew taller. She wanted to stand up and scry the entire teau, aware that it would not result in anything. But she would try to the end, and if she alone wasn''t enough, she would summon an army to search. If this had been happening in another bygone, yet inexistent time, she would have scoured all that she could and ultimately fail as the body in her arms crumbled. Despite that she would save him regardless. A gap suddenly opened up in space right as Nyx was about to summon her army and a young man walked out of it, sheathing his sword at the same time as the closing of the spatial tear. He looked at the goddess with a sympathetic eye and smiled awkwardly. "I should not be toote, right?" The regressor asked. ? * * * ? "I see. Flegra" Kim Shin-Woo muttered to himself. At the same time, he quietly watched Nyx sit with Rakna in her arms and couldn''t help but understand why her future version had sounded so deeply heartbroken when she sent him off. ''If this had gone like it was intended he would have died right here in front of her eyes,'' he thought with a grim expression before shaking his head. "I should be able to find her location with a spell of mine. Hold on," he quickly said and opened the sachet he carried at his belt. "You are that strange man Astraea saw talk with Rakna in private" Nyx uttered, her tone now far calmer. She seemed to be simultaneously hopeful and relieved. "How did you know toe here?" Shin-Woo nced at her for a short moment and then pulled out a sealed scroll. He tossed it in the air in front of him and watched it roll open on its own. "I predicted the general time when Xiorra would be down in Zero and waited for his location to be once again avable on the friend''s list. I first saw you appear inside ck Steel so I came to the First. And then, you suddenly vanished and popped up back here. Basically? I followed you. I''m happy to have been on time." "did Rakna ask you to be on the lookout?" She asked sharply. "Or is it something else?" "I''m afraid it''s a secret between us two," the regressor replied sinctly and brusquely grabbed the floating scroll before tearing it into two pieces. Theybusted right afterward and a stream of beige light flowed into his eyes. "I have it," he stated and drew his sword. Under the sleeve of his tunic, white tattoos began to shine across his entire arm, up to, and beyond his shoulder, and transferred their light to the de he held. With that, he shed the air and a tear in the fabric of time and space was opened. "How are you doing that so easily?" Nyx furrowed her eyebrows. "Those tattoos and that light, it felt like Fae Magic? You are a Faerie?" Shin-Woo chuckled nervously. "Not really. I''m half; I just have some Fae Blood in me. But it isn''t important right now, is it?" He retorted and sheathed his weapon. "Can you carry him?" Nyx looked back at Rakna and nodded. She carefully moved and lifted him, doing her best to ignore how some of the ck crystal peeled off into dust. She was afraid that it might transform his whole body at any time and scatter him along the wind. Shin-Woo stepped into the portal first and she followed after him. My brain''s way too overloaded nowadays... . I wanna mix-max my focus so I think I''ll upload in batches every Friday. No specific time or number. At least 2, and hopefully up to 6 or 7 when I get my shit back together.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 350: The Archetype Recipe Chapter 350: The Archetype Recipe Nyx stepped out of the closing spatial tear and stood at the doorstep of a small wooden house, one that she remembered visiting when she overcame the Mental Trial herself. The surroundings werepletely different than before, however. Instead of a meadow, it was in the middle of a forest. Shin-Woo, who was next to her, didn''t waste even a second to open the door after swiftly knocking to announce their presence. The interior was the same as before; all windows were blocked off by curtains and the only light source was a firece near which was a rocking chair. An elderly woman with a tall but thin frame was sitting on it, half of her body shadowed, and her hands serenely working on knitting a small deer-shaped bundle of wool threads. When she heard the door open, she curiously looked at the entrance. "Oh?" She blinked in surprise at Shin-Woo who came in first. "The mysterious boy for what have youe back here?" She inquired with a gentle grandmotherly tone and when the regressor she was talking to looked to the side, she naturally did so as well. Then, her eyes widened at Nyx, before trembling when they fell on Rakna. She dropped what she had in her hands and stood up in a small panic. "Bring him in," she ordered instantly and waved all the curtains opened up with a wave of her hand. "Quickly!" She raised her voice and walked to a single bed on the other side of the wooden hut. Nyx shuddered at the strangely intimidating voice, even to her, and urgingly went to ce Rakna down on the bed. Meanwhile, Flegra opened a ss cupboard fixed to the wall and pulled out an old-looking box. She carried it to a small table next to the bed and opened it, revealing a ck velvet ceholder with three intricate ss containers resting on it. One of them was empty, and the other two were filled with a crystalline liquid that looked like melted gems. She grabbed one of them and brought it to Rakna, with Nyx quietly stepping aside while the older woman carefully ced her hand on the therian''s jaw and opened his mouth to let him drink the content of the potion. "How long has he been in this state?" Flegra asked as she watched the beautiful liquid being drunk without resistance. It immediately showed results and the obsidian''s advance halted. Rakna even trembled and his fingers twitched for a brief moment. "I think counting from the moment he was left ''on his own'' about three or four minutes?" Nyx answered with a reserved tone; as if she was ufortable talking to this woman. "Then count yourself lucky, Olden Goddess," Flegra narrowed her eyes. "Had youe to me even a minuteter he would have died," she stated firmly and pulled the potion back once everything had been drunk. Nyx''s expression tightened and she fought against her mortification with relief. However, she also sent a dubious look at the old woman. "Then what is that potion you fed him?" Flegra nced at her as she closed the box after putting back the empty container inside. "It was an Elixir of Life," she calmly stated and proceeded to diagnose Rakna more closely. "What.?" Nyx opened her mouth wide. "You can''t possibly mean--!" "Yes, it is indeed the Elixir you are thinking about," the elderly woman answered before she had even finished. "As for how I got my hands on it let''s say that three thousand years of time is more than sufficient to gather some trinkets." The Night Goddess blinked dumbfoundedly and Shin-Woo watched on confused. Not only was he perplexed by the faint hostility that seemed to exist between the two women, but the subject also eluded him in more ways than one. "Is Elixir such an impressive thing?" He asked tentatively and Nyx swung her head toward him as if she was offended that he had said such a thing. "I-I mean, I''ve heard plenty of Items with that kind of name" He added with his hands raised in defense. Nyx frowned and eyed the box. "The True Elixir of Life is not as simple. Take it this way in the whole of history, from the beginning of time until today, there is only one recorded case of it being created. To top it off, it was a natural urrence, supported by thousands of powerhouses. And it took no less than 345 million years to achieve." Shin-Woo almost choked when he heard that. "345 million?! All that for one medicine?" "Not any mere medicine. It grants the benefits of immortality for a limited period of time. The kind of immortality that cannot even be contested by the likes of the Original Creators," Nyx dered and looked at Flegra warily. "How did you even acquire three doses of it?" "You ask a lot of questions about me when your friend is dying right here," Flegra countered with a small smile and Nyx pursed her lips. "Are you still angered by the Mental Trial? I merely showed your demon. And solitude isn''t an umon one, my dear." "" Flegra stepped back from the bed to fetch a small pair of pincers from the cupboard. "Be as it may, you do not need to be wary of me. At my age, schemes are a thing of the past. These doses of Elixir are from the original conception you mentioned. Despite its one-off happenstance, the amount of this liquid that was made at once was the size of an entire." Nyx raised an eyebrow at that. This was new information to her; she had only heard about how it had been made, not what happened to it. All she had ever heard from other Gods was how it was nearly impossible to make or find. "If you intend to ask what happened to it I do not know either," Flegra said and used the pincers to break off a shard of obsidian from Rakna''s arm. "I was just lucky to be gifted some by a very old and now deceased Host who was present during the Elixir''s creation and sucked in by Systema at its inception. Who knows, maybe someone drank it all and became an immortal transcendent." The goddess remained silent at that and Shin-Woo decided to speak up once he realized that she was not about to say anything else. "So, was that enough to save him?" He steered the conversation back to the main topic and Flegra made a difficult expression as she inspected the shard of ck crystal. "No, sadly," she admitted. "It bought us time, at the very least. Even the Elixir has its limits. While it is a panacea with nothing it cannot heal if what is to be healed is itself not there" She trailed into silence and didn''t finish her sentence. She then put down the obsidian shard on a table and leaned against it. "In short, your friend is all over the ce. The state of his soul is something I know and recognized on sight; it''s called Stele Inversion. His Soul Stele is starting to manifest outside of him. Obviously, it''s deadly. The Stele is a soul''s core. Without it, it''s nothing more than a bunch of soul power haphazardly glued together." "Usually, you would fix it by externally pressuring it since an Inversion urs when the Stele is pushed away by a power going berserk" Flegra said tiredly and sat down. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Ah I''m getting too old," she whispered to herself and turned toward her guests. "The problem with the young wolf is that his Stele Inversion is not urring alone. Which requires a question of my own; what is that ck crystal and what is his body made of? I cannot recognize it." Shin-Woo blinked and turned toward Nyx, with Flegra also focusing on her. Nyx grimaced slightly. "I''m not sure," she admitted helplessly. "For a while now, Rakna''s body has been an enigma for not only me but everyone in our Guild. I think it was in origin apound created by his uncle out of the Stones of Eternity and then converted into something new" Flegra''s eyes widened as if she had recalled something. "What is the name?" She asked with a new glint in her gaze. "Did he ever tell you the name of that physique?" "Yes I believe it was Prima Alkahest Materia." "The universal solvent" The old woman murmured to herself and rose from her seat with a quiet grunt. She headed to a bookshelf in the corner of the house and at the same time, asked a second question, "What about the crystal?" "That''s a star," Nyx said hesitantly as if she was not sure herself. "Rakna is a special case with a dual element that only appears when his soul goes through a peculiar alteration based on what emotions he experiences. They were, as of recently, the Everfrost and the Neverwinter Star. If I''m not wrong, they fused into this Obsidian Star." "I see; a Unique Magic" Flegra mumbled as she flipped through the pages of a book. "But that is not enough," she instantly added with a tone full of certainty. "That ck crystal is definitely not just a union of elements. Tell me where the ''crystal'' aesthetices from." Nyx frowned, starting to feel confused by where she was going with this. "His Kzanaria we were told that its true identity was the Sage of the Crystal Mountain." Flegra''s hands froze for a second at the revtion. "The Sage" She repeated subtly. "That is a surprise," she muttered and turned around. "I understand it better now. I will now ask you a series of assumptions; tell me if they are true or not." The Night Goddess nodded slowly. "He has consumed some amount of divinity one way or another." "Yes." "His soul is marred by death causality and soul remnants." "Yes" Nyx felt something was wrong. That should not be something she can sense. "He has the ability to assimte other living beings'' physical traits." "" "I''ll take that silence as an affirmation," Flegra continued. "His Sub-Path is most likely Nephilim." "" "He is in possession of at least three different types of natural energy. Going by the fact that he is a tailed werewolf; one of them is probably Lunar Energy. Perhaps even Mystic Energy. Which of course adds up with Magical Energy; Mana." "" "He has awakened at least two Sins of Infernity," she concluded with her sixth guess and Nyx was visibly stunned. "It appears I''m right, after all." "How?" "Eons ago, alchemists sought to attain a dream," Flegra followed up and showed her the book she was holding. The page it was opened at depicted hooded figures circling a floating sphere of light cradled by both an angel and a devil. She turned the page and the sphere of light could be seen disintegrating the bodies of the hooded men to assimte them, before consuming their very souls. "They eventually created a theory. First, they needed a container. Something majestic, something that could hold all forces of nature and life within it. Then, they needed to fuse it with a universal solvent; Prima Materia. The only substance capable of absorbing all things that exist." "Then, they needed the ingredients. First, Mother Nature herself; as many natural energies as they could find and direct. Second, the source code of life itself; the souls of countless creatures. Third, they needed the container to be able to both filter and reign in these souls." "As such, they required the understanding of life. They theorized that either Sins or Virtues could lead to the understanding of sentient life. For that, they would need to find the soul of a Nephilim and infuse it. Fourth, the container should be able to rule over the World''s fundamentals Laws of Spiritual Energy; Death Causality or Life Causality shall be produced, and Divinity or Infernity shall be added to parallel it." "Finally, they required the container to break down the essence of life and assimte its properties in the physical realm so that it could eventually control matter and find a power source to devour for itself," Flegra ended her recounting and turned to the next page where a pristine carved stone was hovering above a pair of palms. "That is the archetype recipe of the Philosopher''s Stone." My bad, I postedte due to a mix of oversleeping, forgetting, andziness. . Mostly forgetting.Listen, my memorys shit, ok?! Well, more like, my perception of time is crap. . Anyway, I''ll keep this arrangement for the schedule in case you''re uncertain. . Also, thetest chapter I wrote is 5k words so, damn my brain.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 351: The Archetype Recipe II Chapter 351: The Archetype Recipe II "The Philosopher''s Stone?" Nyx echoed with a confounded voice. "Indeed. You won''t tell me that you don''t know about it, right?" Flegra raised an eyebrow as she flipped her book back to herself. "No, I know but" The goddess paused and pursed her lips. "It is a concept; not a real thing. Even if there are constructs in this world made by Gods thate close to it, a Philosopher''s Stone was said to be impossible to make in the truest of senses." "And you would be correct. At first, alchemists didn''t even know what to make of it. They defined it before even actually making it. At first, it was said to grant immortality. Ironically, it was called the Elixir of Life at some point, before the actual one was made," the old woman stated and pointed at the book in her hands. "Then, we have this. A transcription of thetest Magnum Opus of the olden alchemists. It renewed the view on the Philosopher''s Stone. It is not mere immortality; it is near omnipotence. That is the version you have most likely heard of." Nyx nodded at that. "A good friend of mine told me about it once. She is a witch, one of the best there is, and an equally talented alchemist. She ascertained it was impossible to make." "And she would be right," Flegra looked down at the pages. "As impressive as this is, it is riddled with ws. How to gather Sins or Virtues? Where to find the soul of a Nephilim? How to create the Prima Materia? How to bnce Causality with Divinity or Infernity? And most importantly, what made it unfeasible was" "The container" Shin-Woo muttered under his breath toplete her sentence and both women turned toward him. Realizing he had spoken out loud, he went on, "In my opinion, what they use to mix up all of those ''ingredients'' is the most crucial part." Flegra smiled faintly and put the book down. "Exactly. This form never even began to discover a solution to that problem. Not to mention that it was not guaranteed that those ingredients were enough or even the right ones." "Wait," Nyx raised her hand with a frown. "Before we go any further, am I allowed to assume that this is all on the basis that Rakna is somehow turning into a Philosopher''s Stone?" "Yes," Flegra answered positively without an ounce of hesitation. She walked to the bed and stared at the unconscious therian. "The moment you said his body was made of Prima Materia; I knew." "How so? And why did you instantly make the connection with that specific recipe?" "The Stele Inversion," the old woman replied simply. "The process is transmuting his soul power into a ck crystal, which is then absorbed by his body and converted as well. Forck of a better term his soul is eating his body. But that''s not all. Did you take a look at the crystal itself?" Flegra asked whilst picking up the shard she had extracted earlier. She held it between the tip of her fingers and raised it to eye level. "There are two things about this I noticed. First; I can sense an obvious mix of Divinity and Infernity inside of it. And secondly catch," she told and tossed the shard. Nyx caught it with one hand and opened her palm to see it. She narrowed her eyes at it, trying to find something askew from its appearance until she focused on other senses. Then, she shuddered and quickly pressed it against her ear. "What is it? Do you hear something?" Shin-Woo asked curiously. "it''s the opposite," Nyx uttered. "I can''t. It''s absorbing sound waves in its direct vicinity. Not only that, the longer I touch it, the more I can feel it take some body heat. Even worse; the air is being sucked in as well." "That''s strange?" The regressor scowled. "It''s not hurting you?" "No" "Then, do you think it''s also absorbing all spectrums of light? Could you even properly see it if that was the case?" Shin-Woo wondered aloud. "Again, that is precisely it," Flegra nodded and both of them turned to her. "Candidly speaking, that shard is not a real material. It''s a magical element, filled with all sorts of ingredients, mainly souls and causality. However, it is fused with Prima Materia and has started to absorb all it touches to supply its corporeality. Grossly said, it''s sustaining itself by purely existing." Flegra approached Nyx and extended her hand in order to receive the shard back. "Look," she said and tapped the crystal with her fingernail, making a chime-like sound. "It is absorbing sound, yet producing it. But the truth is; I didn''t make that sound; the shard did in response. Instead of cause and effect, there''s only cause." The old woman concluded with a sigh and went to the bed once again. "And that is the theorized behavior of the Philosopher''s Stone. It absorbs the fabric of reality to redefine it." "And that is what Xiorra''s body is transforming into," Shin-Woo furrowed his eyebrows. "I would guess he''s not a ''real'' Philosopher''s Stone quite yet, right?" Flegra nodded. "And that''s the cause of his ail. There''s an imbnce. First of all, as I said, the most elusive part of the Stone''s creation was the container. Well miraculously, it seems that this boy''s body and soul became it. Abination of so many incongruous circumstances; a negative karma and causality, yet alive; an oundish body of Prima Materia; devoured traits; and a Kzanaria of the Crystal Sage, the wish-granter, and a being legendary for bending reality to his will." "In a sense, the Sage''s power is like a Philosopher''s Stone But he was so much closer to an urban legend than anything else that no one ever knew," Flegra mused. "Perhaps it is him that is steering your friend into this path. After all, he is probably the one who gave way to this Obsidian Star to be born. He is also the one who most certainly arranged the ingredients in a homogenous manner." "It''s as if the Sage is the alchemist and Rakna is the stone" Nyx muttered with a frown. Suddenly, she had apletely different opinion of the mythical man. Flegra nodded slowly. "An urate assessment. Point in case, the young wolf has turned into the container. It is both a simple and absurd alternative. Instead of some object, the recipe involves a living being. Such an idea is ridiculous since the concoction would undoubtedly lead to death but fate has somehow found a way for this boy. Yet, that''s about it. If you go further into the idea, the instability will forfeit the life of the container." "Which is what''s happening right now," Shin-Woo uttered and she acquiesced. Nyx cut straight to the relevant question, "So, how do we save him?" Flegra grimaced. "If I had to be honest, I can''t say for sure. But I have one idea. We have to restore the bnce he had before the Inversion happened. I would posit he ascended his magic or perhaps his soul recently, right?" She asked the goddess. "Can you tell me what caused the imbnce?" "Both of those," Nyx replied thoughtfully. "The ''fierier'' side of his magic ascended and equated the other. The union of both was the Obsidian Star. However, at the same time, he crossed a milestone for his soul that even Gods rarely attain; a Soul Marble." The old woman''s eyes widened in surprise. "That''s impressive... A massive increase in soul power reserves, followed by a rapid depletion might have indeed caused a shock strong enough to trigger the Inversion but there is something else, isn''t it?" "A Sin," Nyx stated. "If I''m not mistaken, he awakened his third sin at the same time." "I see" Flegra''s eyes shed in understanding. "Let me guess; his symptoms began to appear only after he came out of some form of demonization?" "Yes." "the Inversion was caused by rejection," the old woman concluded. "Let''s say that the Stele is an independent factor inside his soul. Despite everything going around it, and even the alterations it suffered, it managed to stay in ce because it remained the center of bnce. But when both the Star and Sins went out of control, they pushed it away because it didn''t fit anymore." "Then, what do we have to do specifically?" "The Star Energy is currently the most overbearing part of the pot. We have to increase the force that counter-bnces it. Ergo, we must empower the Sins; just as his demonization allowed him to retain a semnce of stability." "That sounds difficult," Shin-Woo remarked with a frown. "I''m a bit lost about Xiorra''s abilities, but I know that the Sins are incredibly rare Ultimate-Excelled Skills. To aplish what you are proposing, we would need to give him one more Sin, right? How do we do that?" Nyx nodded grimly. "He''s right. In the first ce, Sins are a facet of emotions. He would need to be conscious at least to even consider awakening a new one." "I am aware," Flegra retorted. "Just tell me which ones he possesses now." "Sloth, Pride, and Wrath." "Which leave us with Greed, Lust, Envy, and Gluttony" The old woman muttered and gave a side nce to the Night Goddess as an idea shed in her mind. She was about to speak when a sphere of blue light shed over Rakna''s body. Flegra stepped back from the bed startled and watched dumbfounded as the unexpected shape of a small Hydra appeared over the therian''s chest. The creature''s attention immediately zeroed onto thetter and it froze on the spot. "Pronos" Nyx whispered in shock. Normally, it wouldn''t have been a surprise for a Soul Beast to teleport to their partner in the System. But at the moment, Rakna''s soul was barely functional. One could even say that he had absolutely no resemnce to a living being. Yet, Pronos had found a way. Nyx had no doubt he had sensed something was wrong from the very moment Rakna awakened the Obsidian Star. He had most likely attempted to reach him over and over again to no avail. And after seeding despite the odds, the first thing he sees is almost a lifeless sight of his friend. The Hydra''s eyes watered and a green aura red over his scales. "Pro--!" Sensing something imminent, Nyx was about to call him, but she was cut off by a surge of golden and green aura. It coursed throughout the small wooden house and rattled the furniture. On the other hand, arge shadow ominously expanded and the earth began to quake, both inside and outside; as if a natural catastrophe was striking the First teau. d in aura, ninerge pairs of eyes menacingly shone and looked down at Flegra, barely low enough as to not hit the ceiling. The old woman opened her mouth in shock and awe. She gazed into these eyes; a golden infinity symbol etched onto each of the irises. They cried tears of rage and a throaty growl made the room vibrate as the Hydra weighed if she was a life to end or torment. Shin-Woo shuddered at the creature''s overwhelming presence, standing in front of his master as if to protect him. "God this is what that snake has be?" He couldn''t believe the difference there was between now and the first time he saw Pronos. "Ouroboros" Flegra mouthed quietly and the quaking got stronger. The Nine-Headed Hydra was ready to unleash Infinity on the world and it responded to him. Wee,dies & gentlemen. I am Ahra, your awesome teacher for today. . *Furiously drags the chalk across the ckboard* . Thank you foring to my Teaching you stuff that aint real ss again. Be sure to pay attention, there will be a test at the end.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 352: The Solution Chapter 352: The Solution "Pronos! Calm down!" Nyx shouted to get the Hydra''s attention and rushed to stand between him and Flegra. Almost instantly, his focus was entirely redirected toward her. His gaze carried with it an overbearing force that sought to petrify everything for eternity. She resisted with a harmless stance and approached with a soothing pace. She ced her hand on the neck of one of his heads and whispered, "It''s okay. She is not the one who did this to him; she is helping us. She saved him, but he''s not out of trouble yet. Do you understand?" The Nine-Headed Serpent slowly pulled back his heads and with a growl, the shaking stopped and the marks of infinity faded away from his eyes. Immediately after, he popped back to his smaller form and climbed over Rakna again with an audible whimper. Shin-Woo sighed in relief and Flegra eyed the Hydra for a moment, "This is his Soul Beast?" Nyx nced at her. "Yes. Why?" "I assume he is contracted," the old woman followed up. "Otherwise, the state of his master''s soul would have killed him already by this point. That, or by some chance, may have cut them off." "Do you think a Resonance between them might help Rakna?" Nyx suggested after she thought of the option, but Flegra shook her head. "It would worsen the situation if anything. The obsidian might even spread to his Soul Beast and then we will have double the trouble." "Um sorry to interrupt you but" Shin-Woo raised his voice and pointed at Pronos. "What is he doing?" He asked and the two women looked at the Hydra to see him forming a link of soul power with the unconscious therian. Flegra quickly approached to see what was going on, and through her own Soul Sight, she verified what the Nine-Headed Serpent was doing. "He''s retrieving something?" She muttered. "There is something gravitating at the top of the young wolf''s soul storage. Since it can still be essed, he most likely tried to bring it out before he passed out, but failed." Right after she finished saying that, a stone tablet with various engravings coalesced above Pronos out of purple mes. Nyx didn''t recognize it, but Shin-Woo and Flegra immediately knew what it was. "It''s a Call que," the regressor remarked. "When broken, it summons the person that it is bound to. It''s a Red Item and a sort of emergency measure used by high-level Hosts." Nyx''s eyes widened. "Then, that one is probably bound to" In the middle of her sentence, Pronos bit the gue and shattered it from the top. Immediately, a strong wind blew inside the house and a storm of azure mes formed a miniature tornado. It gradually shrunk into a human figure with nine tails and fox ears. "Wolfy, I did say you could use it whenever, but in the middle of a Raid is a bit" A yful voice echoed from within and the mes scattered to reveal Kaelith, her hair tied in a ponytail and d in slightly less casual clothing than usual. The vixen scowled when the first thing she saw was Nyx looking at her with a mix of apprehension and sadness. She then nced at Shin-Woo and noticed Flegra. "You old hag" She muttered in surprise and looked around. "What is this ce? Where is wolfy?!" Kaelith''s expression fell terribly. All traces ofposure were gone in an instant when she took in the sight of Rakna, motionless with Pronos whimpering miserably in her direction. "No no, no, no" She rushed to his bedside and tripped to her knees. "Please you can''t Don''t do this to me" Her voice came out unsteady and already out of breath. She clenched her chest as if it was hurting her, tears already forming in her eyes. She supported herself against the mattress and her tails started releasing ck smoke that didn''t look anything like the beautiful mes she normally used. "You promised" Her broken voice echoed, but before she could devolve into further emotional turmoil, Nyx swiftly crouched next to her and hugged her gently. "Shh, it''s all right. You are a Kumiho; you can''t lose control. If you convince yourself of it, you will be gone before Rakna can recover," she whispered in her ears softly. It seemed to work as Kaelith''s breathing gradually returned to normal, the ominous smoke dying down. Flegra watched it happen with a mncholic eye, "This boy only keeps bringing surprises even the little fox, huh?" "What is happening to her?" Shin-Woo asked sensibly whilst looking at Kaelith shivering. "She is a Kumiho. Like all Nine-Tailed Foxes are," the old woman said with closed eyes. "It is said that when they find their true love, thetter''s death can destroy them. The loss kills them. And it seems that the bond between her and the young wolf may have already reached the state of soul mates. Perhaps one more effect of his peculiar condition" "Flegra," Nyx raised her voice and slowly stood up. She held up Kaelith at the same time who could not take her eyes away from Rakna. "You didn''t finish earlier; how do we help him?" The old woman squinted in thought. "Actually this is perfect," she muttered. "The little fox should make things more guaranteed if she is his lover," she said and Kaelith trembled. The vixen bit the inside of her lip and turned around. "Just tell me what to do; I don''t need an exnation. Please, if it''s something I can do I beg you to let me do it." Flegra smiled at her. "You have grown much since your Mental Trial," she stated kindly and turned back to Nyx. "First, we have to wake him up. That will be up to you." "How?" "Share your divinity with him." Nyx briefly furrowed her eyebrows. "Will that do anything? If anything, the obsidian will probably reject or absorb it. Astraea couldn''t do anything with hers" "Let me reiterate," Flegra interjected. "I want you to share your Divine Essence with him. It needs to be something that directly interacts with his Stele, not the soul." "Wha--?!" The Night Goddess opened her mouth wide and her cheeks reddened. "Do you have any idea of what it means for me to do that?!" She shouted and Kaelith briefly narrowed her eyes as if she knew what it meant already. "I am well aware. But does that make you unwilling?" Flegra fired back with a knowing smile and Nyx closed and opened her mouth several times. "I don''t know exactly what category of Celestial you belong to, but you don''t appear simple to me. There is no doubt to me that your Divine Essence is powerful enough to wake him up without hurting you, as well aspatible enough." "I" She stuttered and looked away in mortification. "This isn''t something I should do arbitrarily without his permission and he already has Kae--!" She tried to argue but Kaelith put a hand on her shoulder. "I know what it implies, and I''mpletely fine with it," the fox heiress said with a small smile. "I couldn''t be any happier with someone like you by his side. You just proved it to me byforting my frenzy thank you." "You" Nyx blushed even harder and groaned weakly. She covered her face for a moment before facing the bed. "All of you are outrageous. Why am I the only normal person around him?" She grumbled to herself and shakily raised her hands as they began to generate divinity, colored silver and dark blue. But it was not the regr kind. Divine Essence was the source of divinity itself. In a sense, it was a God''s Domain. It was what they represent and a literal part of themselves. Sharing it was an act closer to a ceremony. "You stupid dumb idiot" Nyx sputtered in an unusual show of embarrassment. Kaelith smiled lightly and stepped back while the goddess put her hands on the therian''s face. "You better take responsibility for this," she whispered inaudibly and leaned down. Her eyes flickered and burst with the colors of her divinity,pletely obfuscating her pupils and irises. As she got closer to Rakna, she closed them and their lips joined. On cue, divine energy filled the room from their conjoined embrace and spread in the air, forming all kinds of shapes. For a brief instant, Nyx gained an ethereal pair of lupine ears and nine tails. They were formed by her divinity as if to mirror Rakna. They quickly faded away and the energy that manifested them scattered back to where they came from. The Divine Essence rewound its path and was inhaled by both Nyx and Rakna with a delicate noise apanying it. Nyx opened her eyes afterward and directly met the gaze of the therian, who had awakened. In that moment, they gazed at each other for what felt like hours before Nyx ultimately pulled back and separated them. Her face was flushed, but despite that, she tried to keep aposed face. "Why" Rakna blinked in a daze and tried to bury the little voice in his head that wished the kiss he had woken up tosted longer. He sat up with a grunt while the Night Goddess half-looked away as if she didn''t know how to hold herself. Normally, the therian would have found the scene amusing and quite endearing from her, if it was not for the sheer confusion he felt. He put his hand on his neck and felt the crystal recede into his body little by little. But it was still pushing back to some extent. Additionally, there was a strange warmth pulling his soul power back together, one that strikingly reminded him of Nyx. Not to mention he also had this odd sensation that unconsciously made him aware at every second of how far she was from him. "What did you?" Before his question was even voiced out, he was tackled by Pronos who happily hugged his head with all nine of his. "...right," Rakna tried to pry him off, but the snake didn''t want to let go. "Come on, little guy. It''s a tad creepy the way you''retched onto me right now" "Oh, believe me, wolfy, that''s the least of your worries right now," Kaelith''s sharp tone made the therian shudder and he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Rather than find an exnation as to why she was here, or even Shin-Woo, nervousness set in immediately. At this point, if he still didn''t fear it when she looked at him with such a cold smile, even a neutron star wouldn''t be enough to describe how dense he was. "should I be worried about the shiny stuff stabbing into me or you?" He asked wryly whilst trying to tug at the small Hydra''s tail to get him off his face. The vixen only tilted her head and her smile widened silently. "I''m sorry," Rakna tactically apologized. "A-anyway," Nyx spoke up and turned toward Flegra. "It''s done. Now what?" "What is don" "Shut up, wolfy," Kaelith interrupted the therian and he pursed his lips. She also turned to the old woman and raised an eyebrow, "Old hag, tell us." "It is quite simple," Flegra smiled lightly. "I will step out of the house for a while and give you some privacy. In the meanwhile, you merely need to let yourself go. Go wild, as the youth would say." The reactions were mixed. Kaelith blinked in confusion, Nyx''s face became even redder, Shin-Woo looked perplexed, and Rakna nched. "Am I missing something?" The vixen wondered aloud and looked at the goddess next to her. She knew her well enough to know she rarely broke her calm. And if this was something embarrassing enough for her to react like this The fox heiress smiled impishly as a guess came to her mind. She checked Rakna''s expression and grinned at the oh-so-sweet mortification on his face, seemingly aware of what Flegra had implied. "Now, this is something I can get behind," she licked her lips and the therian quivered. "See? I told you that you would need to unlock it sooner orter, wolfy," she professed triumphantly and easily seized Pronos before flinging him over her shoulder The Hydra cried out in surprise at the sudden treatment andnded squarely in Flegra''s arms with his heads spinning. The elderly woman smiled in amusement at the small creature and waved her hands to close the curtains once again. "Very well, enjoy yourselves plenty," she said in a perfectly innocuous tone and opened the front door. She also gently pushed Shin-Woo out with her as he blinked in confusion. "I shall not disturb you until you are done." "What the" The regressor was still lost. He was unconsciously denying the assumption he had at the top of his mind due to how ridiculous it felt. "W-wait, I d-don''t have to" Nyx stammered and tried to follow her, only for a fiery vulpine tail to wrap around her waist and stop her. Her throat went dry and she mechanically looked behind her to see Kaelith smiling innocently at her. "Now, now, don''t be shy," the vixen whispered mirthfully. "What you''ve just done is practically the same as turning yourself into his fiance. You can''t run away now." Nyx wanted to retort but her current mental state was such a mess that not a word came out. On the other hand, she hupped once she heard the door of the house close. The light dimmed in the room and the soft glow of the firece somehow made her even more anxious. "My what?" Rakna repeated owlishly at the same time and Kaelith didn''t waste any time pushing him down. She straddled him afterward and he held his breath. "Foxy, this isn''t" He showed a conflicted expression but Kaelith silenced him with her finger. "Rakna, look at me," she whispered and he gazed at her. Her smile had disappeared; the teasing glint in her eyes no more. She was not making a joke, and she certainly was not making fun of him. Non-verbally, she was screaming at him; her actions are not part of some sort of unavoidable circumstance. If anything, Rakna saw something he was very familiar with in her gaze hunger. To the side, Nyx stood unsure. She simrly watched the vixen''s countenance fill up with resolve and desire, and for a moment she felt defeated. She nced back at Rakna and the alien feeling only got stronger. "So, wolfy" Kaelith narrowed her eyes and untied her hair. "Shut up," she uttered and leaned in. The answer to your question is down here A bit more down. yes, it is a threesome.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 353: Beast Emperor Chapter 353: Beast Emperor Flegra sat on arge tree root outside her home, her arms folded over herp while Pronos stared at the wooden cabin cut off from the world by a coating of blue mes, muting out all sounds and repelling disturbances. "The little fox is determined to not be interrupted," the old woman chuckled to herself. "I would not be able to break through her Pure mes even if I wanted to." "I am brutally out of my depth here" Shin-Woo muttered as he leaned on a tree nearby and Flegra eyed him curiously. "What''s wrong, mysterious boy?" "I''m stillputing what''s going on. Unlocking powers through sex I feel like I''ve been dumped into an erotic novel," he said with a shake of his head. ''Though... I guess me being a regressor is even worse,'' he thought wryly. "Anything imaginable is conceivable, young man," Flegra replied with a chuckle. "I have witnessed far more bizarre roads to power or survival. Lust is amon one; all emotions are powerful in their own right and more than capable of fueling strength one way or another." Shin-Woo lowered his eyes. "I suppose" He whispered before falling silent. The old woman nced back at the mes afterward and looked down at her left hand, where an intricate scar could be faintly observed on its back. "still, the Sage of The Crystal Mountain, huh?" She mouthed inaudibly. "What an unexpected time to hear about him once again." She gazed at her scar for a short while and for a brief moment, her vision grayed and her hand was suddenly bleeding profusely. She looked up and saw an absurdly elegant man smiling at her amid snow and diamond. "What is your wish, Dear Guest?" Flegra was jolted out of her reminiscence when a sudden burst of malevolent energy managed to pierce through Kaelith''s Pure mes. She turned to her house and saw an amalgamated pir of four distinct kinds of sinister mana. She subtly shielded her face with her hand as a small gust of wind fluttered the grass and leaves of the forest. The demonic energy turned dark and purple as it ascended, before abruptly breaking apart and scattering thousands of tiny obsidian shards into the sky. They were so weightless that they fell like snow whilst glittering from the dappled sunlight. "Well this is a rare sight," Flegra remarked as she opened her hand to catch some of the crystals in her palm. She observed them as they seemed to have discarded their self-sustaining proprieties and turned to dust. "It isn''t every day that you see demonic force be so beautiful." Shin-Woo imitated her and inspected the obsidian in muted interest. Soon after, Pronos abruptly perked up and a resounding howl echoed in the forest. It was followed by several more from all directions. The cries of wolves spread throughout the teau for miles and despite being the first, they were not the only ones. The Dreorins inhabiting the First teau soon joined in, roaring and shaking the earth. Birds sang in chorus and the cries of small creatures merged into one. Flegra widened her eyes at themotion around her and stared at her house. "They are crying out for him? Unprompted? It''s as if" ? Ding! ? ? ? ? ? || This is a System Missive! We repeat. This is a System Missive! || || The Host, Rakna Xiorra, has awakened as the Legendary Beast Emperor. || ? || We repeat. || ? || The Host, Rakna Xiorra, has awakened as the Legendary Beast Emperor. For having aplished the feat of awakening as a Duple Emperor and acquiring the unprecedented title tomand all Beasts, he will be given special privileges. All affiliated organizations are required to pay their respects. || ? || Survive well, Hosts. || ? ? ? ? ? Shin-Woo was the first to react by choking on nothing but air. "There''s no way!" "goodness me" Flegra gaped at the System window and Pronos did something akin to a happy dance for some reason. At the same time, the Pure mes of Kaelith erged and a great amount of divinity was mixed in with it. "What is going in there?" At this point, the elderly woman was unable to decide what to put her attention on. "One thing is for sure they are noting out of there any time soon" She couldn''t help but mutter once the realization set in that her house would be off-limits for a while. ? * * * ? Came the evening, the sun was setting down on the First teau and there was now a much bigger group of people waiting in front of Flegra''s house. "I don''t wanna be that guy but" An groaned as hezilyy down in the grass. "I''m pretty sure they just fucking went to sleep at this point, all cuddly and shit. We know Rak''s fine, so why don''t we just go back to our ownfy beds?" Hisining was acknowledged by no one, not even Akronis. His Soul Beast normally would have taken any chance to mock him, but the damn bat merely chortled at him. He sighed miserably and Marie knocked on his head admonishingly. "Well, take it this way; we are curious," a cybeic voice sounded from behind him and he sat up to nce at the colorfully clothed clown who was waiting along with them. Gray had made the time toe after the System Missive had engendered genuine media chaos across all teaus. Lilia had also tagged along. The quiet and reserved woman was standing to the side, typically ever so silent since her arrival. "Curious about what?" An asked back to the cyborg. The robotic face of the clown disyed a round smile. "Many things. Beast Emperor? Now that is something that must be inquired about. But if what she" He nced at Flegra. "Has exined to us is true, then Rakna is not just a curiosity; he is a potential almighty being. I don''t know about you, but I believe that to be enough of a reason to be concerned," he said sarcastically. "Right that," An nked. "To be honest, you all lost me around the middle of that conversation about that Philosopher stuff. I couldn''t care less about what kind of ridiculous things Rak gets up to," the blond admitted and turned back to the wooden cabin. "But" He grinned. "I actually don''t mind waiting if I get to make fun of him for having had a threesome for a whole afternoon." "Tch, I still can''t believe Nyx beat me to it," Higure grumbled, her chin resting on her hands as she sat on arge rock. She pouted in annoyance, "Kaelith; I can understand. But Nyx? Really?" "Oh? Jealous much, cat?" Kara smirked whilst sipping a cup of wine. "As I said, your barbaric self does not hold a candle to my little Kae. And clearly, to the lovely goddess as well. At least, she has an endearing charm, unlike you." The lioness'' eye twitched. "Shut up, you damn fox. It''s just a matter of luck, okay?" She huffed. "She was just in the right ce at the right time" Kara chuckled and Higure rolled her eyes. She then turned toward via. "What about you, v? You''re not mad?" The Chaos Witch snickered as if she had just been told a joke. "Unlike you, Higure, chasing for his chastity was never my main goal," she replied jokily and the lioness deadpanned at her. "But I am indeed the one who knew him the longest admittedly, I am a bit offended," she shrugged with a smile. "Sadly, time alone isn''t enough. I never had the chance. But if they did, I''m happy for them. It''s as simple as that." "You and your senselessly good-natured personality" Higure mumbled and via shed her a smile that managed to chill her spine. "I''m not sure good-natured is the right word for me," the Chaos Witch dered without her voice or tone changing even a single bit. Meanwhile, Cuniya, trapped inside her soul, almostughed at the hrity of such a statement. "Focus on the bright side," the sluggish voice of Natsu resounded. The Celestial ze was hanging from Evelyn''s shoulder when everyone turned toward him. He yawned and tilted his head, "Think about it. If My Lord does it once, the chances of him doing it again are exponentially higher. From now on, it''s a matter of opportunity." Silence reigned for a moment as they seemed to process his words, and he was the one who broke it afterward as well. "At least, that''s what my mistress over here is hoping," he added with a in delivery and it took a moment for Evelyn to catch up with what he had said. The subus'' face flushed red in the blink of an eye, especially when Higure sent her an insidious smirk. She grabbed her newly contracted Soul Beast and shook him. "W-what are you saying?! I-I didn''t, okay?! O-our link is just not stable yet, all right?! That''s it! It was just--!" "Sto--! Ow! Fine!" Natsu croaked out in between swings. "I understand! So-- Ow! Stop!" Meanwhile, spectating from the sidelines, Shin-Woo couldn''t help but sigh at the shenanigans of these people. "This is a straight-up harem" He deadpanned. Simrly, Gray hummed to himself as he watched the group. He twirled his cane and smiled. "I will say this little performance alone is worth the trip. Our new member is quite the popr man, isn''t he?" He joked quietly and Lilia tilted her head in response. She nced at the bickering lioness and vixen, the embarrassed subus, and the serene witch, and couldn''t help but nod in agreement. "Cute," she said simply and the clown cackled. "I knew you would see it my way," he jested and followed up. "Makes sense." Gray was about to agree on reflex but noticed something wrong with the wording. He blinked and turned toward her. "Wait you mean cute, as in all of this is a cute shitshow, or you mean that our little Emperor is cute and that it makes sense?" "Yes," she replied and he sweatdropped. "Excuse me, but you''re not really helping me there," he uttered and she expressionlessly looked at him before focusing on the wooden house again. "I''ll never understand you" Gray sighed and on cue, he heard the Pure mes that surrounded the house being extinguished. He turned around and everyone else stopped talking to stare at it. The mes had been weak for a while now, but never quite gone. An grunted and stood up. "About damn time," he huffed and stretched his back. "But I swear to god if they are actually asleep" He grumbled and instantly straightened in attention when they heard the sound of the door opening. With bubbling curiosity, they all watched as someone exited. And as they hoped, it was Rakna who stepped out. They took a moment to take in the new mana dyeing that affected his hair and fur. It was a somewhat peaceful ck color, neither too dark nor bright, and was spotted by countless glimmering dots of purple that shone like stars. Aside from that, his demeanor was the same as ever, and despite his expression being sharper than usual, they also felt like it was warmer. "the clown''s here," the therian spoke up first as he noticed Gray in the back, who waved back in mock happiness, like an excited fan in front of their idol. "What a way to ruin my mood so early in the morning" The cyborg rolled his eyes. "It is the evening, my friend. How captivated were you inside there for you not to realize that?" Rakna blinked and looked up through the trees'' foliage. Eye of Symphony slowly spun in his eye socket, as if it was also having a hard time waking up. "Uh never mind." "So um, how do you feel?" An asked awkwardly. "I honestly wish I had a proper answer to that," the therian snorted as he fixed his messy hair. "In fact, I''m more scared of the backlog of System messages I have than my physical health." "Oh, yes, it reminds me," Gray raised his voice and bowed exaggeratedly. "I offer my greetings to the Legendary Beast Emperor; all hail His name." The therian looked at him weirdly before the implication hit him. "Fuck," he cursed immediately and the clown startedughing. Meanwhile, Higure rubbed her chin in thought and approached Rakna. She looked him over from top to bottom and squinted, "I''m sad now I was hoping you''d be a bit embarrasseding out of there with all of us waiting. At least, I''d get that. But of course, you don''t care You''re squeaky clean, as well. Nothing to tease you about," she said with a disappointed sigh. "The perks of my body, I guess," Rakna shrugged. "And Allegro never creases," he added proudly. "That''s just cheating" The lioness groused but quickly grinned. "By the way, I''m next, right? It''s not fair you took Nyx first, but I''m willing to forgive you if I''m next. Soon, preferably." The therian surprisingly smiled at her but she didn''t breakposure in the slightest. "You would forgive me, huh?" He snickered. "How is it not fair anyway?" "I was the first to ask to mate. I should have priority!" She crossed her arms defiantly. "What wless logic; you impress me, Higure." "Oi, don''t think you can escape this with sarcasm," the lioness red at him. But before she could say anything else, she was pushed out of the way by Kara. "Right, right, who cares about the cat," the vixen shooshed her and beamed. "So, Rara, I really want to ask the juicy questions, but I''ll hold back. For now, how are Kae and Nyx faring?" She asked with an impish smile and it grew even happier when she saw him look away. It wasn''t quite a blush, but it was very close to it from her perspective. "They''re inside sleeping" "Ah! I knew it!" An''s interjection rang but Rakna continued uninterrupted. "on the bed..." He paused momentarily and cleared his throat. "Hugging each other," the therian finished and Kara''s face lit up like a Christmas tree. She literally had stars in her eyes. She pulled a camera out of nowhere and cackled like a mad woman. "I''ll be right back. Please don''t wait for me to continue your chat," she dered and ran inside Flegra''s home. Soon after, everyone outside heard a muffled squeal of delight, as if some young girl had juste across the most adorable gossip topic she had ever seen in her life. "All right, while she does that," Rakna resumed as if nothing was wrong. "Any questions?" "I have one," Gray raised his hand like a student at school. The therian groaned and closed his eyes, already regretting having asked. "Clown go ahead." "So, while you had sex, did you shapeshi" "Shut up, or I strangle you with your bow tie." Man, its annoying to write these settling scenes. Like, it needs to be impactful, but not turn the characters into a gallery for the author to fuck around with. Having them freak out too much or react like mindless drones is a no-no. It doesnt need to be awesome, sad, or bittersweet. Humor works perfectly fine for impact as well. . My small tip for writers; when you want to write dialogue, always y around with the personalities of the characters involved. Steer the scene where you want it to be by taking advantage of the most likely character to be able to switch the tone into what you want it to be. For instance, in this case, I relied primarily on An and Gray to manipte the mood. . PS: For those wondering if there''s a smut chap somewhere, sadly there isn''t. It''s not something I''ve ever written before. I wouldn''t be against it either but my insecure ass wouldn''t dare to post that kind of shit without practice. Eh, maybe one day I''ll write smut and put it behind a paywall for extra money or something, lol. . PPS: Ah, and I didnt forget to post this time. Im justpletely off my sleeping schedule. Heh, its not exactly the same but this reminds me of the old days when I first started writing and would post somewhere between 10 PM and midnight aftering back from school.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 354: Beast Emperor II Chapter 354: Beast Emperor II "So, you saved me in the end, huh?" Raknamented whilst sitting in a clearing of the forest, his wolf tails sluggishly moving around as if to convey their owner''s peace of mind. Shin-Woo, whom he had addressed, smiled wryly. "I suppose You were not wrong, anyhow. Just like you said, my presence alone changed your fate. Though, it was a bit more deliberate than you expected, huh?" "Pretty much," the therian conceded and looked at his hand, where a purple me emerged and danced around his fingers. "If it weren''t for you, this thing would have killed me right under her eyes," he added with a sad whisper. "I thank you for that." The regressor nodded sympathetically, perfectly understanding the weight of his gratitude. "I am happy to have been able to prevent it," he replied. "Excuse me, but" via interjected into their conversation and menacingly raised an eyebrow at Rakna next to her, who promptly avoided her eyes. "Rakna you knew that your life was at risk today and didn''t even try to prevent it?" She asked with a slightly angered tone. The therian sighed. "I''m sorry," he apologized instantly; he knew he was in the wrong. Kaelith and Nyx especially hadn''t deserved the pain he had made them go through worrying for him. "I didn''t tell you anything, but I''m sure you can understand why yourself." via silently narrowed her eyes, "And is there anything else you''re hiding while we''re at it?" Rakna smiled in amusement at that. "I can''t fool you," he snorted and continued, "A while ago, my death was predicted by Fray''s magic." At his confession, everybody listening stiffened. "At least, it was my most likely idea. My story ended with a riddle, and it didn''t take much thinking to deduce what it referred to exactly." "Which is?" The Chaos Witch followed up sharply and this time, he gave her a smile that managed to disarm her anger. "Spoilers," he joked and she blinked in disbelief. "you didn''t just say that," she uttered and he shrugged. "Although, now, I have doubts about what it actually implies," he admitted and raised his hand for everyone to see a carved ck crystal floating above his palm with purple mes contained inside of it. "I''ve just learned something very interesting about myself and I''m unsure of it all." "Hm, interesting," Gray tapped his cane as he observed the obsidian. "Does it have anything to do with you being a living prototype of the Philosopher''s Stone?" Rakna nced at him and dispelled his star energy. "Potentially," he said and turned back toward via with a kind look. "That''s why I can''t tell you. No I don''t want to," he stated. "You know me better than most; I don''t keep secrets because they are dangerous." "You keep them because you want to control them," via finished for him without hesitation and he smiled faintly. With a sigh, she relented. "I understand. As long as you know what you''re doing, there''s nothing I can say to change your mind. But you better not forget to ask for help whenever those little secrets of yours turn deadly again." The therian huffed. "I don''t have any of that kind anymore, but I''ll try not to for the next," he said with a mischievous tone and she shook her head. "All that aside," he addressed everyone. "Has Eva announced anything yet?" "For the reinstitution of teau Zero, you mean?" Shin-Woo inquired and received a nod. "During my run, I believe it took a few days for her to speak of it. But now? Can''t say for sure." "And you say that based on ''your'' future, is it?" Graymented curiously. "I''m still a bit surprised by your identity but if our little Emperor trusts you, it''s probably true. By the way, can I ask what Eva did with Zero? She wouldn''t have announced anything if she had simply deleted it." "I concur," Flegra added. "The System would never announce anything if it didn''t involve at least arge portion of its poption." "And you''re correct," the regressor nodded. "She repurposed it. And to be honest with you, I''m not sure for what." "What do you mean?" "In her own words, she described the new Zero as ''The Forefront''. She turned it into a private sort of teau, even more so than the Celestial and Eonian. She invited important figures from all over; which included Hosts, Locals, and Wilden. Essentially I heard she was issuing arge-scale Quest to those people. I wasn''t involved in the whole thing, so I couldn''t tell you more than that." Rakna scowled. "That''s suspicious," he muttered. "I''ll ask her myself. That brat and I have things to discuss either way," he stated threateningly and for a moment, the group shuddered as a sharp sensation grazed their skin. Higure especially, more than the others, felt a strange shiver. It was as if the therian was affecting her body and mind with just his presence. "Rakna" She started and he turned toward her. "What is that ''Beast Emperor'' thing all about?" He blinked in surprise at the new topic but eventually snickered. "Well, I haven''t checked what it is yet, but even without reading the title description, I already can tell." "Oh?" Gray eximed in interest. "And it''s as simple as this," Rakna uttered and pointed at Tyran, who was sitting next to via like a good boy. The Asura tilted his head when everyone focused on him and pointed at himself with one of his wings, letting out a confused roar. "Yes, you," the therian nodded. Tyran cried out confusingly and nced at Pronos as if seeking rification. "No, you didn''t do anything," Rakna suddenly said and the small creature froze. Higure''s eyes went wide in realization, but everyone else failed to notice what she had. All except Akronis. The white bat leaped off An andnded in front of the therian. He looked up with a squint and spoke up, "So, that''s what it is... But, how far does the definition of ''Beast'' extend?" "Bring it back down a notch," Rakna said with a smile. "All can be considered wild animals." Akronisughed in response. "Well, isn''t that a great empire, ? Beast Emperor?" "Uuh I''m confused," An raised his opinion; one that everybody shared. "Hah, don''t worry, child. No one here will be disappointed by your inaptness," the bat chuckled as he found his way back atop the blond''s head, who barely resisted the urge to chuck him away. "Well, you''ll understand soon enough," Rakna remarked and looked over his shoulder at the front door of Flegra''s house. He smiled softly, "Nyx woke up." "Eh? How can you tell?" Higure asked in confusion. "I would also like to know" The therian muttered, briefly eyeing Flegra. Quickly afterward, they heard the door open and the Night Goddess hesitantly peeked outside. Kara smirked at the sight and Rakna waved yfully. Nyx froze on the spot, blinking away her dizziness as she counted the number of people right there in front of her; definitely aware of the situation. With a muted cry, she blushed and mmed the door closed. "" "That''s a normal reaction right there," Higuremented in amusement. Flegra exhaled tiredly. "I really won''t have my house back any time soon..." "I think she won''t even want to say a word to me for a while," Rakna snorted. "Oh my, what did you do to the poor girl?" Kara teased him and he stood up with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, the rest of this conversation will have to wait until I sort out what happened to me," he said and gave Evelyn a meaningful look. "Is she fine?" The subus understood what he meant and nodded seriously. "She hasn''t woken up yet, but up until when I left toe here, there had been no anomalies. Sir Eldron is currently watching over her condition." "I''ll pay a visit," Rakna replied and turned to his fellow Throne of Glory members. "And thank you for passing by you two. I didn''t kick the bucket this time, so I won''t be leaving the Guild," he joked and the clownughed. "Yes, thankfully. That would have been a depressing loss for us," he said and Liliaplemented his words with a reserved nod. "I''m sure it would''ve," the therian chuckled. "And while you''re here, can I ask you to keep an eye out for the Abyss and the Scorpions? I''ll also ask Kaelith to investigateter." The cyborg hummed. "I assume you mean more than just their typical shenanigans?" "Yes. They have been doing something inside of Zero. The Scorpions were working with the Abyss to create an artificial race of Tra," Rakna said and going by how Lilia''s and Gray''s posture changed upon hearing that, he wasn''t the only one troubled by the idea. "I don''t know how many they made, but I wouldn''t underestimate the number. And if they unlock their status" "I see" Gray muttered. "That''s some concerning news. I''ll be sure to ry this to both the Basilica and the Church. They''ll be better equipped to monitor or deal with them. I will also pass the info on to the rest of our members. Sazieyl has a knack for intel." Rakna nodded. "Thanks," he said and looked at his friends. "You guys can go back home, I''lle to youter to continue our chat." "Are you going to see her now?" Evelyn asked softly. "Not exactly," he retorted and pulled out his spatial ring from his soul storage. He brought out the Badge of Honor and initiated a System transfer on his own since he didn''t have an AI anymore. At the same time, he nced at Flegra''s house and immediately, Sonata flew out of the chimney and flew to him, wrapping around his neck. "I have a cheeky brat to interrogate first," he uttered and teleported away. Chapter 355: Alive Chapter 355: Alive Rakna entered the Pavilion of ck Steel with an ominous aura following him and everyone there instantly split to give him a path. He walked past the reception without even looking at the woman manning it. "Terminal," he announced his attention as nothing more than an afterthought and opened the door to the back section; nobody tried to stop him. He already knew where to go and before long, he was already standing inside the room, prompting amunication with Eva. The surroundings twisted into the colorful chamber of Eva, and Rakna immediately extended his arm. When his movement was finished, Sonata had already flown into his grasp with the Guandao pointed at the little girl currently looking down in shame. "Give me one good reason," the therian uttered, his eyes glowing all three of his Star''s colors at the same time. His Soul Weapon crackled with purple mes and its de, wholly ck with a purple edge, perfectly matched his Obsidian Star. Eva''s expression was not one of surprise, fear, or haughtiness. It was of shame. But also, far from it was she discounting his threat. The man that stood in front of her right now already was not the same that went inside teau Zero a few days ago. This was someone who could manifest his Soul Marble and control a Star capable of imitating the functions of a Philosopher''s Stone. Much like the current Ceresta, she was a sentient AI, and if he so desired, he could very well hurt her without trouble. And she had let him meet her directly despite knowing that. "I don''t care if you y around with my life," Rakna stated with narrowed eyes. "I dly epted your little mission for my own benefit. But" He tightened his grip. "In part due to my stupidity, someone other than me suffered the consequences why did you exclude information about the Abyss running the whole thing?" "" Eva pursed her lips and it looked as if she was about to cry. "There''s no way for you not to have known," the therian added. "You told me to target Bora; one glorified puppet. He supposedly was the one who hijacked the teau from you I don''t believe that pig could even dream of aplishing that. My guess is that Roias, or perhaps that Empress of his did it, and then transferred administrative rights to Bora to turn him into a front." The Overseer AI of the System looked away. Rakna clicked his tongue, "You should realize that even for me, sending me there was suicide with someone like Roias or even Zasha prowling around Answer me, Ev" "I had no choice, okay?!" She screamed to interrupt him and her tears flowed. "He told me that this needed to happen! That you had to go through this! Otherwise, everything would be doomed!" The therian''s expression twitched and his mind raced through all the possibilities. A snarl echoed from inside his throat and he lowered Sonata away from the teary girl. "It''s that guy, isn''t it?" He muttered more to himself than her. "When did you meet him?" He asked and she sniffed, wiping her tears. "It was a long time ago" She replied. "While I was nothing more than a mindless program. I had barely gained a spark of sentience after a thousand years... Then, as time went on, that small bit of consciousness fell into despair. It was isted and alone, aware that it would never be free" "" "But one day, I saw snow. I had no body, no identity, no voice, and no name. But he didn''t need any of those," she recounted with a shaky voice. "He just asked me; what is my wish? So I wished to be something someone free." Rakna watched her hold in her emotions with an unreadable face. "what was the price?" Eva looked down. "All this I would have to push you into this path. I had to call you in after you destroyed that Dungeon; I had to make you swear on your life to do my request; I had to obfuscate the higher authorities of the System about you; I had to manipte your Trials a bit, and I had to send you in Zero, outmatched and with no idea of what was going on." She confessed and took a deep breath. "He told me it was a prophecy but even I at the time could tell it was a transparent lie. He also said that thistest condition was the most important. In his own words; Zero would allow you to take the most important step forward." The therian furrowed his eyebrows and a voice echoed in his mind, signaling him that the entities in his soul had finally stabilized. "{It seems your guardian angel is a bit more than that,}" Fray said with a cynical undertone. ''No shit,'' Rakna responded with a scoff. ''If he is whom I suspect, then, of course, he wouldn''t give a shit about risking my life and definitely would never regret it.'' The fabulist could be felt frowning through the connection. "{you recognize him?}" ''Yes,'' the therian snorted. ''And his existence alone is a fucking joke,'' he thought and mentally willed Sonata to switch forms and wrap back around his neck. Eva saw the deliberate decrease in hostility, but she didn''t seem relieved. "I''m so sorry" She said in a quiet voice. "I can''t refuse it and even if I could, I would still do it. The Sage didn''t try to hide it at all; for both your and my sake, you must be" "That''s enough," Rakna interrupted her and she stiffened. "I know," he added and she looked up in surprise. "Hard not to when I met the man himself just earlier. I suppose you''re admitting to it all because he said it was fine to reveal it to me now, right?" Eva nodded meekly. "Is this the end of your instructions?" She hesitated before eventually shaking her head. "I see. I heard of your ns with Zero we''ll talk about that another time," Rakna said dryly and turned around, walking to the spatial boundaries set by the Terminal Room. Eva stared at his back and couldn''t bring herself to call out to him despite her desire to do so. However, the therian paused his advance first. "For what it''s worth" He trailed softly. "Since no one else other than me can fill the role you did a great job. Thank you, little sister," he said with a kind tone and disappeared from the room, leaving her alone. Eva broke down crying again when she was on her own. She copsed on the bed behind her and a happy smile formed on her face. "You''re wee" ? * * * ? "{I wonder what it is that you''re hiding}" Fray mused while Rakna went up the floors of Gaelius'' building with the elevator. "An irrelevant thing," the therian retorted. "More importantly, how''s my Soul Realm doing?" "{Oh, it''s splendid. Your animal friends are roaming about freely, no longer stalking the shadows of the horizon. They seem to have learned to rx. And the crystal obelisks that they used to circle have shattered into ck shards floating in the air in random patterns. It''s quite pretty, in fact.}" "That''s all?" "{Well the raining petals are back to being fully ck. The flowers are still as purple as ever, but when you walk near them, they change to ck instead of red. And of course the star trinity in the sky. The Neverwinter and Everfrost are orbiting around the Obsidian. Oddly poetic.}" Rakna sighed. "I have a new element to learn how to wield on top of everything else it''s going to get tiring very quickly," he muttered and pushed himself off the wall once the doors opened. With a quick scan of his surroundings through soul power, he walked down the corridor to his right. He reached a locked door and waved his hand over the lock pad next to it. It instantly lit up from the motion and Mina opened the door for him automatically. He entered the room beyond it, which was decorated inly, with a potted nt in the corner. It was a peaceful amodation. "I see you recovered well," Gaelius greeted him, standing next to a bed where Ceresta was sleeping in, dressed in a pristine white dress. There was a tablet in his hand, and the headboard of the bed had an integrated monitor which also disyed various data sets. "You look healthy for someone who seemed about to die at any second this morning." "I don''t think my body will ever be able to stay down too long at this point," Rakna huffed, closing in toward the bed. He grabbed a chair on the side and sat at its side. "Evelyn told me nothing was wrong earlier. It hasn''t changed, I hope?" "No," the scientist replied. "She''s perfectly fine. The body''s working as intended. The brain has an activity and her program has perfectly been merged with all the circuits in the Frame. She just has to wake up though, she might need a little push for that." "Why?" "Because waking up isn''t something she has ever done before," Gaeliusughed lightly. "People do not normally need to learn how; but she does, in a sense." "all right," Rakna whispered and his eyes glowed. "Can you leave us?" He asked and Gaelius eyed him briefly before nodding. "Understood," he said and tapped his tablet, turning off the monitor. "Take your time," he said and walked out of the room without furtherments. The therian sighed and hovered his hand above Ceresta''s forehead. A harmless purple ember fell from his palm and brushed past her skin. It swiftly disappeared afterward and Rakna pulled back his hand as her eyelids began to flutter. They opened bit by bit. It took some time as if that simple task was a great hurdle to ovee until eventually, those golden orbs shone unconcealed. There was a predominant sense of turmoil and fear in those eyes. It was a look of distress and a small panic could be perceived as they awkwardly searched the surroundings. Then theynded on Rakna and they widened, like a deer caught in headlights. The therian smiled. "Wee to the world of the living, Ceres." Her lips trembled and she reflexively raised her arm without knowing. Once again, she froze as if her own limb represented imminent danger. She rotated her wrist and gazed at her own hand for a long moment. "I" She stuttered and her eyes zed. "I am" "Yes" Rakna answered with a reassuring smile before she even needed to finish. "You are." Those words broke a dam and she started sobbing uncontrobly, unable to control or stop it. The therian grabbed her hand and she tightly held his back, trying to move but failing. He sighed softly and stood up. He helped her sit up and held her back with his other hand while her head rested on his shoulder. "I am alive" She whispered, like both a prayer and an affirmation. Rakna hugged her stronger to answer her, and for the next few minutes, the room was filled with her cries. Welp, lots of crying in this one.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 356: “Not-so-perfect plan.” Chapter 356: Not-so-perfect n. ? ? ? ? Name: Ceresta Alexa ID: AI-00000056-LTS ssification: Personal AI Error. Wilden Error. Item Error. Host Error. Pending ssification ? --- ? Archivable Living Form Detected. ? Scanning Physical Parameters Completed. Scanning Statistical Parameters Completed. Scanning Karma Completed. Scanning Skills Completed. ? Status Trantion Completed. ? --- ? Age: Cannot Be Computed. Level: Cannot Be Computed. Race: Alkahestic Eion Homunculus. Path: Cannot Be Computed. ? Attributes: STR: 10 | END: 10 SPD: 10 | DEX: 10 INT: 256 [???] | LCK: 3 ? Statistics: STA: 50 | MP: 2 560 [???] SWI: 532 [???] | AGI: 30 SEN: 286 [???] | ATC: 299 ATT: 65 | DEF: 40 MA: 768 [???] | MR: 51.2 ? Proficiencies: Cannot Be Computed. Magic Skills: Unawakened. Cognitive Skills: Cannot Be Computed. Spontaneous Skills: Cannot Be Computed. ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? - Alkahestic Eion Frame: An artificial body made out of a special material, crafted out of an Alkahestic Compound and Stones of Eternity. It hasn''t quite reached the level of Prima Materia but possesses its invulnerability to poison, toxins, and parasites. Wounds will be repaired within seconds and surplus material will be continuously generated by the body. Body shape can be altered at will and cellr decay will never ur. The stamina of the Frame will recover at paces far above regr organic creatures. ? - Hybrid Digital Soul: --Pending Analysis--- ? Note: A former S-ss Artificial Intelligence affiliated with the System. Due to prolonged exposure to Negative Causality and the power of the Crystal Sage from its Host''s soul, it gained sentience and a hybrid soul halfposed of digital data. It has now foundplete harmony with an artificial receptacle dubbed an Eion Frame. ? --- ? System Notice ? Ceresta Alexa''s status shall be forwarded for manual review for proper integration into the System. Until then, all functions will be disabled and neither skills, proficiencies, nor magic elements will be updated. ? ? ? ? ? This was the window Rakna was faced with when he appraised Ceresta. It seemed that it was such an unexpected situation for the System that it decided to fall back on basic protocols. "There''s nothing wrong?" Ceresta nervously asked from next to him, tightly hugging herself with arge coat he had conjured for her with his magic. Gaelius had given her the green light to leave hisb but she was still extremely sensitive to every external stimulus that affected her senses; a projection inside a dream world was nothing like the real thing. It had even taken her a few minutes to figure out basic motor reflexes like walking. They were now inside the Pavilion''s Portal Room after having exited the First teau. Rakna smiled at her. "You don''t have to keep worrying about that. You''re perfectly fine. I checked more than once already. Both Crystal Sight and the System itself show no issues. You''re stable and whatever Roias did to you has been purged by the Crystal Sage when you made your wish." The doll shuddered as she recalled the experience of feeling her core program being cursed into a state of pseudo-death. "There was nothing" She mouthed and the therian nced at her. "I don''t think I can properly describe it. It''s as if, for a moment, I was neither artificial, living, or dead," she said weakly. "But I made a wish to live I answered a voice. Was it you?" The therian quietly observed her for a moment before huffing gently. He patted her head, to which she unconsciously closed her eyes, "I just called. You did all the work." Ceresta relished in his touch and for a short moment, she felt a sense of dj vu. The hazy image of a snowy ground and a gentle presence arose in her mind. She felt a bit confused for a moment, but her thoughts were interrupted by Rakna nudging her forward. "Come on, let''s go see the others," he told her whilst heading to the exit of the Portal Room. "As for your status, there''s nothing to worry about. I believe the System will eventually give you a proper ssification. But your Intelligence Attribute is indeed concerning" She meekly followed after him. "How so?" "Well, not necessarily in a bad way," he reassured her. "There seem to be two values and there''s only one being disyed; that is already quite high. My guess is that your Hybrid Soul has a unique aspect that the System doesn''t understand yet and your spiritual attribute is involved," he said as they walked into the Pavilion''s entrance hall. "Then, do you think I can be of use to you?" She asked hopefully and he paused. He looked back at her with a tilt of his head. "If I had to be honest, there are high chances you can be a very powerful ally to us. Your Intelligence alone tells lots of your talent, not to mention the incredibly high Mana Regeneration you have. But" He raised an eyebrow wryly. "You don''t have to stress yourself out. You don''t need to be useful; you''re one of us whatever you are." The dollish beauty pursed her lips and her cheeks reddened a bit. She nodded shyly and he snorted in amusement before looking back at one of the doors leading to the back section of the Pavilion. Elora, stationed at his Pavilion''s territory like always, walked out with a small yawn, dressed in a pink pajama. She looked around sluggishly. "I thought everyone had arrived" She muttered and then spotted Rakna eyeing her. The poor girl froze on the spot, like an employee who had been caught ying around during the job. "B-B-Bossuh, no, I mean Your Majesty, you are back," she bowed awkwardly. "You will never change, will you?" Rakna said exasperatingly. "Stop being so nervous, I won''t eat you or anything. I wouldn''t get much out of it anyway." ''Thatst line is exactly why it''s so hard not to be nervous around you!'' Elora yelled internally and straightened herself with a deep breath. "Yes, I''m sorry about that," she uttered, then looked at the third person in the room curiously, fascinated by their beauty. "And this is?" "Ceresta Alexa," Rakna replied in her stead and Ceresta nodded quietly. "She will be living here as well from now on. Treat her with the same amount of care as everyone else." "Of course. I won''t disappoint you," the young woman stated confidently. "Thank you. You can go back to sleep now if you want." Elora blinked and then silently cried in shame as she recalled her current attire. She quickly bowed with a flushed face. "I''msosorrythankyougoodnight!" A string of words came out of her mouth at super speed and she dashed back inside the Pavilion''s staff quarters. "She is quite an intriguing person as usual" Cerestamented. Rakna snorted. "Not exactly. It''s actually the opposite. She''s a very normal person," he said with a small smile. "A young girl with a bright personality, meless morals, and genuine goodness. Hans was kind to her in their first meeting; if that isn''t indicative, nothing is." Ceresta stared at him for a moment as she noticed some small amount of sadness in his tone. "Do you want to be like that?" She asked and his eyes briefly widened in surprise. He eventually chuckled. "You''re cutting deep there," he joked and hummed to himself. "I guess, it is a bit true. I''m jealous. Elora lives in apletely different world from mine. One that is painfully peaceful to my eyes. I wish I could be part of it and maybe one day I will be able to. I have people whom I can trust to give me that peace now. But the day I can rest hasn''t arrived yet," he said and looked at the back of his hand, which for a split second,pletely transformed into ck crystal. It was so fast and illusionary that Ceresta nearly questioned the capabilities of her body. Then, he gave her one more of those gentle expressions he had recently started to disy and quietly faced the Pavilion''s front door, heading toward it. She watched him go for a short second before she went after him, her mind processing ideas and thoughts she had never had while she was an AI. Now, she didn''t want to just be with Rakna. There was a desire growing in her to understand him. ? * * * ? The moment Ceresta stepped out of the Pavilion and experienced firsthand the small underground paradise that Rakna and Astraea had crafted, she couldn''t help but admire it. There was a whole new world of feedback she could feel through her own eyes and soul, no longer imprisoned by a server. She had no idea how beautiful it truly was until now. When she caught a glimpse of the crystal mausoleum, she simrly reacted. A clear emotion ran through her mind and affected her physically. But the bitter sensation simultaneously gave her an unexpected sense of relief and happiness, because she could now honor it properly. Rakna remained silent and watched her explore all of it on her own. Without stopping, he simply walked forward toward the house and an Earth-Elemental Wolf emerged from the ground next to him whilst wagging its tail. The therian smiled. "Ah, Oz. I hope you''re defending this ce as well as usual, right?" He said and the familiar barked confidently. "Is that so? Good to hear. It''s been a long time since I summoned you, so I will update your power soon. Keep up." Oz nodded enthusiastically and sunk into the ground to leave. Rakna then turned around and saw that Ceresta''s focus was now on the ground where the wolf stood. He chuckled and led her to the entrance of the house. "Now here''s our attack n," Rakna began with aically serious expression as they stood at the doorstep and the doll looked at him perplexed. "You go in first and steal their attention. You let them jump on you a little bit and gradually take control of the mood." "?" "Then, I can go in afterward. They will be so captivated by you; they willpletely forget about clocking me for my recklessness and I can blend in without a fuss. It''s the perfect n," he nodded to himself and she blinked. "I understand?" She replied hesitantly. "Good. Time to go in," he said and let her open the door. Exactly twenty-two secondster, the not-so-perfect n failed miserably. Chapter 357: "Our estranged cousin." Chapter 357: "Our estranged cousin." Ceresta felt like she was living a dream. When she opened the door to the house, a wave of warmth washed over her. But it wasn''t about temperature orfort, nor the contrast with the night setting outside. It was the boundless amity she felt when she got toy eyes on these people whom she had seen through nothing more than a digital stream until now. The warm wees of via and Evelyn, the friendly banter of Higure and Kara, the polite and gentle greetings of Marie, the boisterous cheers of An, the adorable eptances of Pronos and Tyran, Akronis'' pridefulughs, and Natsu''s mature and serene reception. And despite Kaelith jumping Rakna the moment he came into view, much to his chagrin, the vixen acted as if that action was a bonus and fully focused on her with a wide smile. Nyx stood at the back a little, her face still retaining some amount of color, which the poor girl was desperately trying to get rid of. In embarrassment, she didn''t dare to get close to Rakna, but that didn''t mean she failed to express her own surprise and joy at Ceresta''s presence. The dollish girl stood in the middle of it all and didn''t realize that at some point, she had started crying once again. Silently, this time, but much more meaningful to her blossoming soul. ? * * * ? Meanwhile, somewhere in the 700th teau, dubbed the Outer Land for its irrational terrain that never stopped changing elevations. As if a botched-up generation, the System had created a world demarcated by countless cliffs. In one area, you could be standing on a meadow and be surrounded by walls of earth. They could be as tall as kilometers or as low as a few meters and there would always bepletely different weathers or vegetation past each boundary. These cliffs could go up and down at the same time from the same area. These areas were called the Lost Enves and in one of them, where rain poured endlessly and fogged the view, a strange castle was built out of white stone that incongruously never got wet despite the deluge. Inside thatrge fortress, Roias walked through a corridor, asionally stepping aside to give way to unworldly creatures; soulless and hushed. As small as a mouse, as big as an elephant; it didn''t matter. They roamed the castle, noiselessly and unresponsive to the presence of creatures other than themselves. The Abyss Ruler was obviously ustomed to it, hence his thoughtless avoidances. Eventually, he reached a wide hall, surprisingly warm and well-decorated for the den of the Abyss Tra. At least, it was if one didn''t mind the monsters hanging from the ceiling like bats, or hiding under furniture and inside vases. "Creepily homey, as always," someone who was already in the hall before Roias spoke up; one very familiar Nine-Tailed Scorpion. Zasha grunted and rolled his shoulders as he brushed off one of the mindless Tra that had bumped into him. "I''ll take that contradiction as praise," Roias smirked. "You do that," the scorpion huffed and tossed out a small object that the Tras swiftly caught with one hand. "Everything about the wolf kid is in that talisman. His status and every step he took from the moment he entered the System. Oh, and he survived, by the way." Roias chuckled as he checked the weighty piece of paper in his hand. It was a sort of amulet used by exorcists, filled with an energy simr to mental force, but more driven. "Of course, he would survive," the Tras added. "I would be quite disappointed if he died from an attempt at matching me. It wouldn''t have been my fault; he would have killed himself with his own power. Quite a pathetic prospect." "Uh uh," Zasha raised an eyebrow. "Well, you will be happy to know he''s stable. Whatever power he was losing control over, he got control of it. He got some help from that old woman in the First teau" He paused. "forgot her name." "Flegra," Roias provided. "Right, that. You wouldn''t believe what he did to do it though." "What is it?" "He got frisky with the goddess he had with him and the foxes'' princess at the same time." Roias genuinely blinked in bewilderment at that before he eventually burst outughing. "Hahaha, now this is something! Perhaps he should thank me for it," he cackled. "However, I wonder, were you not found out spying on him? The Nine-Heavenly me cannot be fooled easily." "No way," the scorpion waved his hand with a scoff. "Afnil personally undertook your request. He''s our best at that kind of job. I doubt even the Top 10 could sense him when he doesn''t want to." "Ah, yes, that famous elite of yours," Roias nodded in understanding. "I now understand the reason for this talisman then," he said whilst ncing at the strip of paper. "Anyway," Zasha crossed his arms. "What''s the n? Because you didn''t kill the kid, the scorpions are in the crosshairs of the n and maybe even the Church and Basilica. At this rate, they''re going to turn on us." "Well, can you reallyin?" The Tras retorted amused. "You did get your own Grafted. Isn''t that why you cooperated with us? You got what you wanted and our deal is over, why should we need to bother with your problems now?" The scorpion clicked his tongue. "Really? That''s your angle? Just give us a push here; with all this attention on us, we won''t be able to take over the n with just the Grafted as we had nned. If the wolves get wind of us abducting their cub directly from the mouth of the fox heir, they might dere war on us first." Zasha sighed, "If we''re going to fall, then we might as well join you on whatever n you have. At least, that''s what our Head decided." "Hm," Roias mused. "Interesting. We could use extra firepower and talents But are you sure? We will not be fighting just your little n; but the System itself." The scorpion raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you willing to join a tougher fight in exchange for immediate survival?" "I''ll bring those words back to our Head," Zasha replied sinctly and turned around, heading for the exit. Roias watched him leave through arge door and hummed to himself. "So, he lived, huh?" He muttered and ripped the talisman. It promptlybusted and the resulting smoke swirled around his body for a short moment. He squinted his eyes as information flooded his mind. "How unique is this his status after our fight? Beast Emperor and Obsidian Star," he whispered and smiled. "What interesting abilities" Right as he mumbled those words, a small vibration coursed through the entirety of the room and he immediately stood at attention. The Tra in the room stopped moving and immediately went to their knees, or the best alternatives some of them could perform. ? "You battled our estranged cousin?" ? A soft and feminine, yet haunting voice, echoed from everywhere and Roias smiled faintly. "Yes, Empress. I am pleased to see that you have awoken without hindrance." ? "I have, indeed. The actions of the Broken Depths outside of Systemakva have roused me from my sleep." ? Roias frowned minutely. "Have the Phantasms attempted to harm you?" ? "They wish they could. No, it is something else. Tormento, the Tenth Espectro, has been dissenting somewhat. He has alerted Father of the Broken Depths'' existence and ambition." ? The Abyss Ruler could only cock his head in confusion. He knew, of course, that the only being his Empress referred to as fondly and filially as ''Father'' was Eternal Night himself. "That does not sound right" He held his chin. "Well-hidden this ce may be, if the Kind Demon finds it before the Phantasms aplish their goal, they won''t be able to survive his assault. What was Tormento thinking?" ? "Perhaps you are looking at this the wrong way." ? The Empress'' voice rumbled delicately. ? "Systemakva is dying." ? "What?" Roias'' eyes widened. "The System is about to die? What does that mean?" ? "It is reaching the end of its lifespan. It is starting to produce more than what it can handle and thus approaching the limits of its conception. The Broken Depths should know this but perhaps they have convinced themselves or concluded that everything would go as envisioned regardless." ? She paused talking for a moment and the lighting of the hall behaved unnaturally as if the sources of light were being moved yet their physical manifestation remained still. Roias knew well that this was merely an effect of his Empress'' contemtion, like a regr facial expression. ? "Tormento is the youngest of their Ten Espectros and I have learned he was deeply involved with one of their Royalty and the sacrifice they made for their goal of Realm Synchronization. I would be inclined to believe he seeks Father''s measured assistance; holding a different degree of passion for their endeavor." ? "Then we mighte to fight against three factions at once," Roias said dourly. "Do we still hold a chance against Eternal Night, The Broken Depths, and the residents of Systema?" ? "Do not concern yourself over Father. If he finds a way to intrude into Systemakva, I shall be the one to confront him. We will take Eden for ourselves and I shall not ept failure, not even to him. The fruit is ripe and soon we will pluck it." ? Roias smiled as he felt her words make the entire castle tremble. "I vow not to disappoint you, My Dear Empress. However, whatever shall we do with our newly reconnected kin? He might be quite a threat against us in the future from what I have seen. Should I go ahead and finish the deed?" ? "Hmm Our estranged cousin Perhaps it is best not to pursue the ire of Father" ? The Abyss Empress whirred in an audible hint of wonder. A clear emotion was present in her tone when mentioning kindred beings. It appeared she held more for Arimane than a sardonic share of respect; it was closer to genuine recognition as if a true daughter to her parent. ? "But, tell me, Roias, what is he like? I wish to learn more about our estranged kin." ? The Abyss Ruler smiled softly at his Empress'' honest curiosity. "As you wish," he nodded and went on to recount his interactions with Rakna. Chapter 358: “…confusion.” Chapter 358: confusion. After an evening full of straight-faced redirection of every topic thrown at him, Rakna eventually ended up in one of the empty rooms of his house, gently cing Ceresta down on a bed. She had fallen asleep after expending her energy on nothing less than sheer happiness. "She is still adjusting," Nyxmented from beside him, having finally calmed down herself. "Her current state is closer to hibernation than actual rest. She will eventually fully adapt." The therian hummed positively and turned toward her with a solemn look. Since they were alone in the room, he decided to ask the question that was bothering him, "Can you tell me now? What is it exactly that Flegra told you to do?" The goddess let out a diforted huff and blushed slightly. "I shared a part of my Divine Essence with you For a divinity, that is equivalent to exposing your every secret and beyond. You can feel it, can''t you? You know where I am at all times; you can read my emotions; and" She paused in embarrassment. "We feel closer as well" "" "For us, divinities that are born into godhood, sharing Divine Essence is a ceremony that involves far more than respect or friendship. It''s essentially marriage," she admitted bashfully. "There is a reason why it needs to be done through a kiss." Rakna honestly wanted to mitigate her embarrassment for her sake, but he couldn''t help butugh at the sight of her being so timid. "W-what? What are youughing at?" She retorted clumsily. "It''s nothing," he shook his head. "You were just too adorable." Nyx froze on the spot and fought herself not to devolve into a flushed bumbling mess. "You can''t you!" She tried to speak several times but eventually gave up, covering her face. "I can''t believe this. It had to be you, after all these years, that I gave myself up to." The therian chuckled uneasily. "Hey,e on you make it sound as if I''m a terrible partner," he uttered and she gave him a nk stare. Without her even saying anything, he cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly. "Right" He briefly nced back at Ceresta and couldn''t help but once again chortle at the situation, and all that happened today. He looked back at Nyx with a small smile. "Well, whatever it is, I don''t intend to ever betray you... if it''s ''responsibilities'' you want me to take, there''s no need for those." Nyx raised an eyebrow and he grinned yfully, "I can tell you; who I am right now is not someone who wishes to be liable, but someone who loves you," he confessed and her eyes widened. The full brunt of his statement was carried through their link and she knew more than anyone the truth behind his words. No, it was even beyond that. She didn''t hear those words, she felt them. For a short moment of silence, she didn''t reply and surprisingly, her expression didn''t fluctuate as much as before. On the other hand, Rakna didn''t break his smile and Nyx eventually took a short breath and swiftly turned her back to him. "That was underhanded" She grumbled and started walking away. Rakna snorted in amusement. "I don''t get a response for my brave confession?" He joked. She almost stumbled from that and groaned. "I don''t have skin as thick as yours. You had no need to say it, I already knew. And you already know my answer as well" "But it is something you wanted to hear, wasn''t it?" He retorted softly and she went quiet. "good night," she uttered and opened the door. Her face was out of view but Rakna could imagine exactly what kind of expression she was making. Before shepletely walked out, she mumbled under her breath something that even he almost failed to catch, "me too" With those two words hanging in the air, she paced away and Rakna nearlyughed a second time when thest thing he saw from her was a glimpse of her blush. "{How cute. She acts even shier than Evelyn when put on the spot,}" Fray remarked with the same amount of amusement as the therian had. "You can say that again," Rakna snickered and eyed Ceresta onest time before leaving the room as well. He then took the corridor straight to his room. Of course, he knew without a doubt that there would be at least one person waiting for him, if just for the chance to tease him. So, he opened the door, confident and prepared. Three people were there; Kara, Kaelith, and Higure. Up until that point, nothing about it was really concerning. However, a problem arose; the room itself. "what is this?" He deadpanned and watched as the three girls were tidying up the sheets of a bed that could only possibly be meant for giants. The thing was at least four meters wide and both the vixens and the lioness were happily setting it up. The corners of his mouth also twitched as he processed the fact that his room was also far bigger than he remembered before he left for teau Zero. At this point, he had no problem identifying the reason with his senses; some exceedingly advanced spatial array was put in ce. ''When? Why?'' These questions popped up in his head despite himself. "Ah, wolfy, you''re here," Kaelith smiled happily and put her hands on her hips proudly, her tails wagging energetically. "What do you think about your new room?" "confusion." "I know, right? It''s so nice," she nodded, ignoring his actual reply. "I asked an acquaintance of mine to pass by and expand the space of this room. That brat owes me a few things, so I made her do it for free." "whoever that is, apologize to her, please." "Where''s Nyx? I thought she would join us," she ignored him again and tilted her head to look over his shoulder. "At this point, she should just sleep with us." "she''s a normal person, unlike you. Let her rx on her own for now." "Hm, oh well, I guess I''ll ask her tomorrow. Now, get in bed, wolfy!" Kaelith finished her one-sided conversation by tapping the giant bed next to her. "" Rakna silently turned toward Higure and promptly skipped her when he saw her roll around on the bed like a hyper-excited child. Nothing of value could be acquired from her. Therefore, he redirected his hope toward Kara and the older vixen gave him a smirk. "Here''s the thing, Rara. This is what we call nning for the future," she calmly exined. "Soon enough, there will be more people than we can count on that bed, so it''s natural that" "All right, not you either," Rakna nkly interrupted her and Higure perked up. She sat up on the bed with her legs crossed and grinned at him. "Yes, don''t listen to her, devourer of mine. There are more urgent matters," she dered. "which involves mating, I assume?" The therian asked in the driest tone he could muster. "Exactly!" "No." "Aw" The lioness immediately deted. "Whatever antics you want to y on me, at least wait until I don''t have a thousand things on my mind," he uttered and just decided to flop down in the middle of the bed. "For now, I think I''ll just shut down my brain until morning." The girls looked at him in amusement and Kara tapped a finger on her mouth. "Oh yes! Rara, you do know that we are ready tounch Harvest at any time, right? People are already waiting for us to open business and we need you at the inauguration. Also, that noble family you made me keep an eye on will participate in a public event soon; one which you were invited to, I believe. I didn''t do anything to them yet, because I figured using peer pressure to have them capitte during that event would make things more impactful for our reputation. It''s after tomorrow, by the way." "" Rakna twisted his neck to nkly stare at her. "why are you sopetent when ites to making things harder for me?" "Oh my, ttery will get you nowhere," she smirked back at him with a hand on her cheek. The therian didn''t reply and silently buried his face in the sheets. After a long while ofplete stillness and silence, Higure raised an eyebrow and crawled next to him. She tried to shake him a bit, but he was unresponsive. "he''s actually asleep," she uttered in disbelief. Kara chuckled. "Well, maybe we should let him have the respite for today," she said and sat down on the edge of the bed. Swiping her hand to grab a wine bottle out of nowhere, she grinned at her daughter and extended an empty ss. "So, for now, sweetheart, why don''t you bless us with some of the spicy details?" Kaelith faintly blushed at her question but nheless epted the cup with a huff. Higure also made it a quick decision to get closer and fully focus on her, excited to hear the answer. "But first," Kara briefly stopped them from speaking and gave a second ss to Higure, before she got one for herself and promptly filled all three of them. "Cheers,dies," she said with a lightugh and they smiled in return, raising their cups for a toast. Chapter 359: Global Quest Chapter 359: Global Quest In the morning of the next day, a chime rang in every Host and Local''s mind. ? ? ? ? Attention! This is a Global Missive! ? ? ? ? * * * ? Back in teau Zero, Hans looked away from the army of Adjudicators escorting groups of people through the streets and looked at the message. He took a moment to read everything and let out a sneer. "This could not be less veiled," he remarked in amusement. ? * * * ? Inside the restaurant of a hotel in ck Steel, Shin-Woo sat at a table eating his breakfast with hispanions and when the missive popped up, his eyes widened in shock. "What?" He uttered dumbfoundedly. "This ispletely different" ? * * * ? Roias hummed as he inspected the Missive. "I have to be honest I wasn''t expecting such a direct threat," he chuckled to himself. "It seems Eva is not happy or perhaps the Phantasms are feeling pressured by our recent activities." "It is of no consequence." The Abyss Empress dered. "We shall win." ? * * * ? In the 500th teau, Old Eden, Gray cackled as he saw the notification while inside the Guild House and turned toward one certain person among the people currently present with him. "What do you think, Leader?" He addressed a robust elderly man wearing a kimono, a white overcoat hanging off his shoulders, with nothing close to armor anywhere on him. This man was the Host ranked second across the entire System and the leader of Throne of Glory; Ensis Credo Gen. He beheld Systema''s message and narrowed his eyes. "It is war," his gruff voice stated. ? * * * ? ? ? ? ? Hosts, Locals, Wilden; Attention. ? Through the help of Rakna Xiorra, your Legendary Emperor, we hereby announce the retrieval of the teaubeled Zero. It will be fully reinstated into the System and personally remodeled by Eva into what shall now be known as the Forefront teau. ? --- This is a Warning. --- ? Kratos, the criminal organization associated with 52.8% of the underground dealings across the 994 teaus, has officially been trounced. It shall be worthy of note to all System residents to beware of its now independent branches. Evidence has ced an entity known as the Abyss Empress, Ruler of the Abyss Tra, as the secretive founder of this organization and has revealed to us ns that challenge the authority of the System. We shan''t let these crimes go unpunished. ? --- ? We are The Broken Depths. ? We dere the Abyss Tra, and all their aplices, insurgents. This includes all vampires currently under the rule of the Arch-Vampire Queen Nesslyria and all Nine-Tailed Scorpions of the Nine-Tailed n. Further offenders will be disclosed as evidence is confirmed. All creatures of our hold shall receive the first Global Quest ever conceived in the System''s History. You will be rewarded for your victories and will be granted power from the defeat of your enemies. ? --- ? Eliminate the Insurgents. Survive And Kill Well, Hosts. ? ? ? ? ? "Or so they say," a voice rumbled through the air of the 500th teau. It came from a tall and muscr Nine-Tailed Fox who stood at the entrance of arge estate built with stone and dark marble. He had the rueful charm of a hardened warrior, wearing a straight-seamed garment of which the sleeves were taking fire, mirroring the terseness currently burning in his deep red eyes, yet not burning the fabric. This man was named Karyu Yahkshasa, Head of the Nine-Tailed Foxes, and Father of Kaelith. And at his side, stood five more Branch Heads; Wolf, Tiger, Monkey, Horse, Roon. And behind them, several groups of their respective n Branches were on guard and ready to strike. The reason for that was the seventh branch of their n facing them on the opposite side of the stand-off. The Scorpions'' estate was currently surrounded and its Patriarch was staring right into the eyes of Karyu. The Head of the Scorpions posed an even more intimidating presence than the rest of the leaders of the n. He was by far the tallest, and yet incredibly lean. He wore a ck and red robe and his tails shared its color scheme; appearing far more threatening than his brethren. He had long and spiky ck hair that reached his waist. His eyes, much like Zasha, were inhuman and were nothing more than crimson orbs. No pupil, sclera, or iris. Just a red orb squinting based on its owner''s expressions, shimmering menacingly. Despite that, there was a disturbing undeniability to his attractive looks. Luzhe Noiprocs, Scorpion King; the only Head to possess the full-fledged title of King as well as one of the three strongest Heads along with the Fox and Wolf Heads. "So, it seems," Luzhe responded coldly to the vulpine ring at him. He was actually standing all alone in front of the entire n, with none of his Branch Members anywhere in sight. Yet, nothing about his poise gave out anything close to fear. "What are you going to do about it, Karyu? As far as I remember, I don''t need your permission to coborate with third parties," the scorpion''s eyes narrowed and glowed. "You cannot possibly be considering subduing me on the System''s orders, right? Are you going to bend the knee and fight your own n over a bounty with vague promations?" "Shut your trap, Luzhe!" One of the other Heads stepped forward with a shout. It was a beautiful woman with long hair, of which the strands were half silver, half-ck. She wore modern clothespared to Karyu and a ck leather and fur coat. And of course, most importantly, she sported a pair of gray lupine ears and nine wolf tails. "Don''t try to hide it! It''s you bastards who captured one of our young!" The Scorpion King''s eyes glimmered as if switching focus and he hummed. "And pray tell where is your proof?" The Wolf Matriarch, Lucrecia Alf Lupus, growled at him. "Yesterday evening, the loudmouth of the foxes reported to the n," she stated and nced at Karyu. "A drunkard she may be, but she does not lie. Her words were confirmed by the heiress; information straight from the mouth of the Wolf Emperor saluted by this very same System Missive. The foxes aside" She paused and continued with a bloodthirsty snarl, "If those usations came from the mouth of one of my kind, much less an Emperor, I don''t give a shit about evidence; that alone is enough for me to tear you apart. And I''ll be damn sure to enjoy it." Luzhe sighed and his arms moved imperceptibly, his body taking a more guarded stance for what he knew was a hopeless situation. "That boy should have been killed" He uttered slowly. "That statement alone seals your fate," Karyu raised his voice. "Not only are you implying harming a member of the Myth Council, but you are also endangering my daughter''s lover," he said calmly and every n Head blinked in surprise. "And I''m not one to neglect family," he added sharply. "Hah," Luzhe let out a hollow chuckle and before anything else could be said, a figure dashed into view next to one of the n Heads. It was a woman garbed in dark clothes meant for stealth. She sported nine tails, much like everyone present, but hers were a bitrger and furrier than most. They were striped with gray, with two different shades. And the animal ears atop her head were rounded and small; she was part of the Roon Branch. As for her Branch Head, Fin Castor, he was a rather short man as well as quite young. His clothes were simple and unassuming and he had a soft appearance that made him look amiable. His tails and ears were practically the same as the woman that had appeared next to him. "We have finished scouting the entire property," the woman reported to her leader. "There is no one here except the Scorpion King. They seem to have fled during the night." "I see," Fin nodded. "Good work, Tenesia," he said and looked at his fellow nine-tailed rulers. "You heard her, friends. They were already nning to leave." "What''s your damn angle, Luzhe?" A new voice interjected right after. It came from a tall man with ck hair tied into a long-braided ponytail. His upper body was mostly bare, wearing only a short jacket, which revealed a body unmarked by wounds but unquestionably forged through countless battles. His skin was slightly tanned and his eyes glowed gold and green, in almost azy manner. He also wore earrings that tinkled with every movement and he stood with his arms hanging from a long B staff pressed against the back of his neck. Unlike the rest of the nine-tailed, his ears were ced in the same spot as humanoid creatures, but they wererger; inly reminiscent of a monkey. His tails were colored brown and slightly longer than regr races, and interestingly, each of them had a golden ring attached to them around the middle. With little room for doubt, he was the head of the Nine-Tailed Monkeys; Su''Ho Tunra. "Aah," Luzhe sighed in exasperation and massaged his neck. "My angle? It''s pretty clear to me. The n was to kill you all after getting our ''products'' from Zero. The cub we abducted was supposed to be leverage against the wolves since they''re stupidly loyal to their kin." Lucrecia growled quietly and he huffed. "But both those things were trashed" He paused and grinned ominously. "By the same person to boot," he added and raised a few eyebrows. "What do you mean?" The fifth Head of the n spoke up; a robust and muscr man with short auburn hair and menacing orange eyes. A pair of rounded feline ears of the same color stuck out from his head along with nine matching tails. Wearing a luxurious set of white and golden clothes, with various essories, the Patriarch of the tigers, Ghura Matuc, stood imposing and authoritative. Luzhe sneered. "Are you asking about why I wanted to overthrow the n or about the one who ultimately sealed the wolf child''s fate?" Ghura scrunched his eyebrows with a huff, "Both." The scorpion snickered. "Well, why else would I want your downfall? Really, think about it. In this world, is there really always an anticipated goal to the pursuit of power?" He scoffed. "Don''t lie to me and say you haven''t once sought power from the demise of another, enemy or not." "Spare us your megalomania," Lucrecia spat. "You''re just a backstabber. No amount of philosophy will change that." "Exactly," Luzhe smiled, unoffended. "I''m a backstabber. Because what kind of idiot would not take the chance when it is open? Sadly, today, I missed it quite miserably," he shrugged. "As for your other question if you wish to know; the cub''s been long dead in case you hoped otherwise." The Wolf Matriarch''s eyes narrowed in anger and ripples of aura vibrated the air. The ones closest to her stepped away with a sidelong nce at the sky where the golden clouds of Old Eden were swirling right above her head. "However," unperturbed, the scorpion continued. "It was not by our hands. We found him dead on the very same day we took him from you. Our n was to hide our traces by temporarily trapping him inside one of the Initiation dimensions." Lucrecia''s eyes twitched as the wind gathered around her. "Are you going to tell me that a fledgling was capable of killing a Nine-Tailed Wolf?" "Not any fledgling," Luzhe smirked. "Didn''t I tell you; the same person." Those words put a halt to the lupine and as her eyes widened in realization, her aura died down within a heartbeat. "Just recently, I''vee to learn of very interesting things concerning Rakna Xiorra," the scorpion said and turned toward Karyu who was scowling at him. "Some incredible abilities have you ever wondered how a fledgling repatriated from a human came out of the Initiation with therian blood and features?" "" "Well, I''m sure you haven''t. None of you care much about those lower than you," Luzhe snorted. "That is why the n is destined to fall one day. High in your ivory tower, you do not see the bottom and neglect the foundation. It''s always the weak that maintain it. The longer you disregard it, the more people forget someone lives up there, and eventually it crumbles." As he said those words, another surge of aura washed over the ce, but this time, it didn''te from any of the Branch Heads. In fact, all of them instantly looked grim when they noticed a figure appear next to Luzhe like a mirage. The neer was cloaked by a strange enchantment that somehow made them unable to sense his presence or even perceive his appearance. It''s as if their eyes were being forced to see nothing more than a silhouette. What they saw for sure though, was nine scorpion tails as white as marble with crimson darts, and a pair of equally white orbs peering through the enchantment. "Afnil Albus" Fin Castor whispered the name that every other Head already had thought of. Luzhe nced at his associate and nodded. "It seems this is as far as our conversation will go," he dered and the white figure pulled out a talisman. "I wish you good luck in what''s toe pray for your victory, brothers and sisters." Right as the scorpion uttered those words, one of the Heads fizzled out of view at speeds that even the fastest individuals present had a hard time tracking. The distance between the actor and Luzhe was nothing in the face of this speed, yet, with the world in slow motion, the white scorpion moved as if time did not matter. Before thest unnamed Nine-Tailed Head could reach them, the talisman was activated and the two scorpions became incorporeal. On cue, a mature woman with long brown hair and tails came into view above them with her leg harmlessly phasing through Luzhe''s head. Her dark brown eyes tightened and her kick ultimately caught up with her speed. First, the ce she had been standing prior was shattered by the force of her charge, and next, her attack whipped the air strong enough to blow down the entirety of the massive estate''s fa?ade. The six leaders behind her didn''t even bat an eye as the wind blew their clothes and hair, but the subordinates of the n had to raise their arms to shield themselves. Even the clouds in the sky were scattered by the shockwave and debris were crushed by the pressure before they even could fall to the ground or get flung away. The brown-haired woman clicked her tongue and her elegantly long legs, d in skin-tight wear,nded on the ground to the left of Luzhe. Her nine tails, thicker than most inparison, drooped as if to show her disappointment, and her thin but long ears atop her head folded in annoyance. She was the Head of the Horses Branch, Epona Valra, known to be one of the fastest Hosts across the entire System. Yet, she had to admit as she heeled the ground, that she hadn''t been fast enough this time around. Even as tons of magically reinforced materials tumbled to the ground from merely the momentum of her attack, Luzhe smiled unworriedly and Afnil''s white orbs shone as both of their transparent bodies began to fade away. "Good try, mare," the Scorpion King uttered those words arrogantly and without further ado, he disappeared from their view without them being able to do anything. Epona gritted her teeth and turned to her fellow Heads. "I''m sorry, I was too slow." Su''Houghed lightly as he lowered his B staff. "Don''t joke. You were plenty fast. That guy is just a different beast altogether. You can''t me yourself for not being able to take the White Scorpion of all people by surprise. Even if it''s just 9th, he''s still one of the Top 10 Hosts." "We should have subdued him as fast as we could instead of confronting him" Epona groaned. As she said that, everyone heard a high-pitched noise and when they looked at the source, Lucrecia had already left through a System transfer, leaving her subordinates behind. "that cannot be good," Finmented while Ghura silently turned around and began leading his members away as if he had lost interest in the situation now that Luzhe was gone. Karyu nced at him and sighed, facing the three remaining leaders. "We will reconvene at ater date after we have more understanding of Eva''s initiative. Fin, I leave the cleaning of the Scorpion''s property to you." The roon nodded calmly while Su''Ho and Epona raised an eyebrow. "What about Lucrecia? She will never let the death of one of her own go unanswered," the horse girl remarked. "I know," Karyu grunted. "In fact, she is most likely already on her way. Since she has Kara on her friend list, there''s no doubt she''s tracking her." Su''Ho tilted her head curiously. "Your Matriarch is with that Emperor kid?" The fox chuckled in amusement. "That, she is. I don''t know how, but he definitely caught both her attention and my daughter''s," he said and opened a system window. "Regardless, I''ll warn her in advance. That''s all I can do." "That''s all? What if she kills him?" Fin asked in a soft, but worried tone. "What are you going to do if that happens? Your daughter and your former wife they''ll turn against the wolves and there''s a high chance you will stand behind them, isn''t there? Not to mention Throne of Glory We can''t have that kind of mayhem, or our n will fall apart without the scorpions even doing anything." With squinted eyes, Karyu remained silent and started walking away. "it''s fine. Lucrecia should have enough lucidity to understand that as well," he muttered. "And you seem to forget who she is about to face. He may have been in the System for barely a few months, but he''s still one of the few Emperor-Title bearers. And as things would have it he''s a wolf, and so is Lucrecia." Chapter 360: Yep Chapter 360: Yep "Why?!" A rarely heard shout from Rakna resounded in his territory. He stood in front of the TV of his house, his eyes twitching as he watched the news report about leaks from teau Zero. One such leak was the footage of ''Ranka Valcroft'' unfurling her silver-ck wings and ascending in the air with great majesty while she fought a Nine-Tailed Scorpion. Theories were already being thrown around about how she was either Rakna''s sister or perhaps even lover due to the fact that she obviously seemed to have been involved in the retrieval of the teau, yet the System had told everyone that it was Rakna whose help they received. "That doesn''t even make sense," the therian grumbled as he gripped the edges of the screen while his friends watched him wryly. Only Ceresta, having woken up perfectly healthy in the morning, was a bit absent-minded as she marveled at a tablet she was holding, navigating the from a user perspective for the first time in her life. "Um, wolfy?" Kaelith called out hesitantly as she tilted her head next to him. Rakna sighed and stepped away from the TV with a deadpan expression, "I hate the media." "Oh!" As if on cue, Ceresta eximed cutely. "Rakna, look," she said with a small cheerful smile and everyone looked at her as she turned the tablet toward them. "People are praising you." The tablet showed a social media thread that started with a close-up picture of ''Ranka'' and then unrolled into a bunch ofments with very enthusiastic wording. Everybody in the room sweatdropped. "That''s not praising that''s thirsting," An remarked with a twitching smile and Ceres blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?" She asked innocently. The blond coughed nervously and looked away. "Oh, it''s nothing" He mumbled. "I suppose ng isn''t something an AI would know" He added under his breath. Meanwhile, Ceresta did her own research. Though she was not connected to the System servers anymore, her current physiology did includeputing properties. Now, she had to rely on basic wirelessworks but it was plenty for her to do quick searches. As such, she swiftly got her answer. "Oh" She blinked. "Ooh" She repeated with a small blush creeping up to her cheeks. "I see that is an interesting sentiment..." Rakna couldn''t even be mad after seeing her like that. There was something so disarming about someone who seemed to be truly enjoying freedom. "Still, devourer, aren''t you more concerned about the announcement itself?" Higure chimed in as she pointed at thin air, hinting at the Global Missive. "And correct me if I''m wrong but isn''t this the first time the System has revealed The Broken Depths'' existence?" "That''s true," Kaelith nodded with narrowed eyes. "Only the more involved Hosts know about the fact that Phantasms are at the origin of the System" She muttered. "But far fewer know the name of their organization. Even I only learned it from the Wisdom of Ariv together with all of you." Rakna sighed and sat back down on the couch. "It''s probably meant to give even more weight to their threat against the Abyss Empress they don''t seem to care about Hosts knowing who made the System in the first ce," he said and turned toward via. "Speaking of that stupid hat, isn''t it about time he''s done recharging?" The Chaos Witch nodded with a pensive expression. "He should. He said he would be away for a few weeksst time because we asked him too many questions, but I can confirm through our soul contract that he''s ready again. But I have no way to know when exactly he''ll pop up," she said with a wry smile. "It''s honestly embarrassing to imagine him appearing on my head in public" "Nah, it''s fine," Anughed. "You rock the witch hat like a pro." via rolled her eyes a bit. "Of course, I do Though, in the same vein, I suppose I can try to predict his emergence with my Sub-Path. Divination belongs to the domain of sorcery, after all. I''ll go outter to buy some materials from Trafford and the Pavilion." "Hopefully, it''ll be around the time of the Council Meeting," Rakna muttered. "Or that event I told you about," Kara chimed in whilst swirling her wine. "what are you doing drinking in the early morning?" "Please, Rara," the vixen droned. "You should know by now." "Sure" Rakna snorted. "Also, what do you mean? Wasn''t that event just some party thrown by a few nobles in my honor, supposedly?" "''Supposedly'' is the important word here," she retorted with a chuckle. "The aristocrats of Antis aren''t the brightest or finest of bunches. It''s a low-level city, after all. Old Eden is better from that aspect because of its much higher standards of strength. If you were in the 500th teau instead of the 100th, then a personal celebration like that would have been usible." "But in Antis, nobles would never throw a party in the honor of a single individual purely out of conceit," Kara shrugged. "Especially when said individual has no guarantee of participating." "But, what''s that event then? If I want the truth about the Jill family to get heard and judged, I need to have support from important figures like the Council members," Rakna remarked and Evelyn quietly clenched her fists to the side. "And that''s what you''ll get," Kara nodded. "The event you''re invited to is essentially a get-together for a bigger one; the Arena Games." The therian scowled. "You mean the big one docked to the city spire, right?" He mused. "Sorry, but if it''s anything like Arena Zero, I don''t feel like going at all," he half-joked. Kara smiled wryly. "Well, I do hope it is not as crude as a killing game, yes. Shortly said, every six months, a smallpetition is carried out by Antis. Hosts that have reached the 100th teau for less than half a year are eligible to participate. They are put through different kinds of arduous trials in the Arena until there are only two left, who subsequently duel to win the prize." "I see, the bar of entry is to give a stage for newer Hosts to shine," Mariemented with a curious tone. "Precisely," Kara acquiesced. "In fact, it''s used sometimes by Guilds to poprize their new talents or by powerful families to simrly direct the spotlight to their children. Incidentally, I believe one of Throne of Glory''s members did that on their own ord once," she added and Rakna hummed in interest. "So, what?" He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "I go and just watch the games while socializing?" "Pretty much," the vixen huffed. "But I rmend you go even further," she smirked. Kaelith sighed when she heard that. She knew where this was going. "Of course, you can''t participate in the contest itself anymore; the reservations are long gone. But what you can do is participate in the exhibition trial at the end," Kara grinned. "I''ll personally talk to the Arena''s owners, and have them make you the showcase for this time. It won''t take me more than today to spread the word and then you can be sure; everybody will flock to see you. It might even attract more influence than the Council meeting itself. You''re wildly popr, after all." Rakna stared at her, struggling to decide if he should be annoyed, dumbfounded, impressed or downright depressed. "fine" He croaked out. "Do whatever." Everyone chuckled at the dryness of his tone while Kara happily pped. "All right! It''s settled! I will have every media talk about you by tomorrow." "thrilling," the therian nkly said. And as Kara was happily thinking about her ns for the day, she received a System notification and she blinked at it for a while. She opened it in confusion and quickly let out a small sound with her lips parted, "Ah" Kaelith raised an eyebrow. "Mom? Something wrong?" "Um well," the older vixen scratched her cheek nervously. "Your father messaged me" "Dad?" Her daughter tilted her head in response. "What is it about? If it''s about meeting Rakna in person, I already told him he coulde whenever as long as he didn''t do something stupid like testing him with a surprise attack." The therian almost choked when he heard that casual statement. On the other hand, Kara pursed her lips. "It''s not about that," she retorted and looked at Rakna. "We have a guest on their way" She said and when he returned her a confused look, she added, "Quite an unhappy one." As soon as she said that, everyone in the room froze as they sensed a powerful auraing from above the underground territory. Rakna stood up instantly and his eyes became branded with two shining golden crosses. "it''s one of the wolves, isn''t it?" He uttered coldly, and hispanions shuddered. It seemed that he could seamlessly switch from casual to serious with this new state of mind he possessed. It felt far less disturbing than how Obsidian Blood used to feel. Now, it was just daunting. Anyone could tell he had perfect control over himself and in a sense, it was scarier than ever. "Lucrecia Alt Lupus," Kara also stood up, and everyone followed. "She''s the Wolf Matriarch." "Hah," Rakna huffed. "I can tell from here," he uttered calmly. With his senses, he could estimate the intensity of the aura that was approaching. ''Stronger than Zasha. But weaker than Roias.'' "What is she thinking?" Kaelith scoffed. "Did they find out about Fen?" Kara nodded. "That''s what your father sent me," she said and lowered her head apologetically at Rakna. "I''m sorry, she''s tracking me through the friend list. I didn''t expect this." "It''s fine," the therian shook his head. "I''ll go and" "Oh, no you don''t!" Kaelith immediately interrupted him and stepped forward. "I will go. You can''t fight her. I''m the strongest in the n after my father; I can deal with her." "You can," Rakna acquiesced. "But you won''t." "Uh? What are you on about? You can''t win against a high ranker!" "Who said I had to win?" He retorted and she blinked. "It''s a matter between wolves," he uttered and before anyone could react, he unfurled his wings and flew up. When he reached the artificial sky of the cave, he used Enthymio Step and teleported through. Kaelith was left gawking on the ground and her expression twitched. "he has some gall. That idiot almost died yesterday and he''s already on his way again," she uttered, but at the same time, there was something that caught her attention. ''The speed at which he flew up counting his wings; that was close to a 500 Speed attribute. Even with mana flight, he shouldn''t be anywhere that. That only means his base attribute is at least around 300 to 400 but that''s not possible.'' "Hm, how high are his attributes?" Kara asked out loud what her daughter had been thinking. "It should be around 150, no?" An answered first. "Last time I asked him, he said all his attributes were around 120, but that he had a decent number of points left to assign. And he hasn''t reached his Second Ascent yet, right?" "Correct," Ceresta''s soft voice echoed and they looked at her. She was looking up at the fake sky with a serene face, her hands idly folded over her stomach. "Before I was disconnected from his status, his base attributes were 134;121;144;118; 120." "He capped his Intelligence to increase his mana pool afterward," Nyx provided. "He also leveled up a few times beforehand." "Eh" Higure mused with an unusually stoic smile. "That doesn''t add up, does it?" "Um, excuse me," via raised her hand with a wry expression. "Shouldn''t we go help him instead of specting his abilities, so that we can ask him ourselves?" "good point," Kaelith nodded with a blush. "But well," she sighed in exasperation. "I don''t think he''s going to be in much danger. Lucrecia should know when to stop, and wolfy he''s a cockroach at this point. Who cares," she deadpanned and the others chuckled. "I trust him," Ceresta suddenly dered and redirected a few eyes toward herself. "I think he''s learned that he has things to lose," she stated and nced at both Kaelith and Nyx, who widened their eyes at her words. "I trust him to never leave us." Natsu silently watched them disy their faith in his Lord, and he couldn''t help but think, ''Am I the only one who thinks he just did that to look cool?'' ? * * * ? "in retrospect," Rakna cleared his throat. "That was dumb," he said as he watched a silver aura in the distance approaching at terrifying speeds, simultaneously causing dozens of tornadoes to form by just existing. He knew that any of them could fatally injure him. "{Do not tell that to your lovebirds, they might just murder you,}" Fray remarked equally dryly. Then, one of the tornadoes abruptly drilled the ground and created a circr hollow mountain of nowhere. "yep." Chapter 361: Incarnation of Phobos Chapter 361: Incarnation of Phobos Hovering over the grim and gray swamps of the Fifth teau, Rakna sighed and narrowed his eyes right about the time a silver sh of light arrived right in front of him, and stopped, dispersing the discarded momentum in every direction, carving the muddy waters below. The regal appearance of Lucrecia emerged upright from it, her silver and ck hair briefly rising before flowing down her shoulders and back, with her gray eyes highlighted by what felt like gusts of wind contained inside her irises. Rakna calmly faced her and she simrly remained still, visibly hostile but not aggressive. He was the one to speak first, "While I would love to wee you, Miss trespassing in my territory with your aura rampaging isn''t exactly befitting of hospitality." Lucrecia frowned darkly and her eyes nced down where she saw a sphere of blue mes erupt at a safe distance, dropping off a group of people, in which she could spot Kaelith and Kara. Thetter even gave her a small wave but they didn''t seem to be willing to intervene. Though, the fox heiress'' forbidding re was plenty obvious. "I suppose there is no doubt as to who you are since they''re here," she uttered and Rakna snorted as he also sensed them. "I will only ask this once; did you kill our young?" ''As expected, that''s what she''s here for,'' he thought. ''Did she hear it from the Scorpions? But if that''s the case, for them toe to that conclusion would mean they know I fought Fen'' He paused. ''And assimted his genome I see. They simply made the connection.'' "Where''s your answer?!" The Wolf Head yelled and thunder roared, a thin rain pouring down. Rakna''s eye twitched and he looked up at the swirling clouds. A single look with Crystal Sight told him that this was the product of a magical element; Storm Magic. "{Apound affinity, elemental but not quite. It''s abination of several,}" Fray remarked. "{It is worthy to be a Nine-Tailed Leader''s magic.}" "and what would you do if I said yes?" Rakna asked as he looked back at Lucrecia. Her expression stiffened and the storm began to grow stronger, the wind picking up harshly. However, she didn''t answer his question and continued building up her aura while seemingly holding down the urge to lunge at him. ''Honestly, I can sympathize with her,'' he pitied her. ''She can''t kill me, and she knows it There''s no way she would allow herself to let me go unpunished, but what''s the point of just beating me up? She has no other leverage besides that, and that''s more than enough to drive her mad.'' "{why do I feel like you are not going to be sympathetic anyway?}" Fray nkly expressed. ''Well, I do have to shake her up,'' Rakna responded and slowly raised his hand to his face. Under the wary eyes of Lucrecia, he began to feel a hard surface materialize in his palm. "As one of my friends once said, aimless anger is like seeking warmth from a dead man," he stated and pulled his hand downward. A fully crimson wolf mask, made out of something resembling ruby, shone as it perfectly matched his facial structure. The sockets obscured his eyes before surging with purple mes to rece them. "[Mask of Phobos.]" Rakna intended to use this skill to clear her head. After all, he didn''t hold the title of Legendary Wolf Emperor for no reason. Coercion-type skills were massively enhanced against any creatures rted to wolves, and Mask of Phobos happened to be the strongest coercion skill he possessed. However, he didn''t expect the effect it produced. Less than a second after he donned the mask, an invisible pressure suffocated the area and despite being the one who cast it, he couldn''t help the shiver that coursed through even his spine. On the other hand, Lucrecia''s aura instantly shut down and the brewing storm was dispersed as if it had never existed. At first, confusion and shock were the predominant emotions on her face until she realized that her body had simply reacted faster than her mind. When the full brunt of coercion hit her, all color left her countenance and for a brief moment, she lost control of whatever skill she was using to remain airborne. Meanwhile, on the teau, wildlife copsed on the ground, fish floated to the surface, and birds tumbled down. Lucrecia gritted her teeth and lowered her head on instinct. She couldn''t believe it. Her body was trying to bow down to the intimidation. "How dare you--!" All thoughts were once again interrupted as she tried to raise her head, only for her to freeze as her eyes locked onto something behind Rakna. Simrly, the therian felt something and as he gradually looked over his shoulder, he saw arge w, and the more he went, the more unsettled he was. Hanging behind him, was a giant specter of himself. A werewolf with eight wings, including a demonic one, purple mes zing in its eyes, nine tails plus a demonic extra, four pairs of horns, and midnight fur. The apparition was see-through like a ghost and the crimson hue surrounding it was connected to Phobos'' Mask. Rakna widened his eyes. He knew exactly what this was; a projection of his full power if all of his skills were triggered, even his Soul Marble. At first, he thought that relinquishing Ascension of the Titan to the Crystal Sage would greatly reduce the Mask''s effectiveness, but he couldn''t have been more wrong. ''I remember sometimes the mask would summon the faint illusion of a wolf'' Rakna thought. ''I had no idea it was building up to this'' As he stared at it through the mask, he could feel a connection and it was during that moment of awareness that the System made itself known in his ears. ? ? ? ? ? Legendary Wolf Emperor and Legendary Beast Emperor are synergizing You have inflicted extreme levels of coercion on a target. You have acquired a new title; The One They Cry About. ? --- ? Mask of Phobos is reacting to The One They Cry About Your Sub-Path, Nephilim, is reacting ? --- ? Fusing Mask of Phobos and The One They Cry About Congrattions, you have acquired a Nirvana Skill; Incarnation of Phobos. ? --- ? Incarnation of Phobos ? Upon activation of this skill, don a mask made out of your spiritual forces. As long as it remains on, anyone in the vicinity will feel the full brunt of the user''s maximum strength as spiritual pressure. Those that will look at you will see the pressure double. The user will also be granted boosted Mana and Stamina Regeneration proportionally to the amount of fear induced by the skill. Those affected will suffer hallucinations, shivers, madness, unconsciousness, or the loss of life. Moreover, depending on the gap between the victims and the force of the coercion, a varying percentage of their statistics will be suppressed. At the same time, the Mask will summon an Incarnation of Fear to the user''s likeness at full strength. The Incarnation will feed on the fear and negativity produced by the Mask. It can be controlled by the user to battle and the more it collects, the stronger it bes. Furthermore, if a victim looks at the Incarnation in the eyes, the force of the coercion will be tripled. This skill can be used without cost and the Mask can be taken on and off at will. However, when the mask is destroyed, a cooldown of twenty-four hours will be imposed, the Incarnation will fade away, and the user will suffer a mental rebound. ? Note: If the Incarnation is destroyed before the Mask is dismissed, an auxiliary cooldown of 12 hours will be imposed on it. Taking the Mask on and off will not erase this penalty. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna almost wanted tough at the new addition to his Nirvana Skill list. That single line about reducing statistics alone made this skill ten times better. As for the most eye-catching changes he looked back at Lucrecia and confirmed that she was indeed trapped staring into the eyes of Phobos'' Incarnation. The coercion she was feeling was so bad that her face waspletely vacant of emotions, and only her fingers asionally twitched as if that was the only control she had. Normally, anyone at her level would be able to resist this amount of coercion. Albeit impressive, it should not be enough to subdue her. However, there was a huge difference between facing the coercion of a skill with no focus and a skill with specific targets. Beast Emperor was probably already a dangerous title for Lucrecia, but still manageable. But add the title of Wolf Emperor to the mix, and it''s as if her soul was demanding to yield to its rightful ruler. Unbeknownst to her, tears had begun to spill from her dazed eyes while the Incarnation continued to imprison her with their eye contact. ''I kind of feel bad,'' Rakna winced. "{Oh, really? You''re like a king threatening amoner of execution; I don''t see what you would feel bad about here,}" Fray snarked and the therian groaned. He looked at Lucrecia and hesitatingly opened his mouth. The coercion inflicted on her was like a contract of subordination at this point; maybe a spoken order would go through. "[Stand down,]" he uttered and he was startled when his Incarnation spoke at the same time as him, doubling his tone. The effect was immediate and Lucrecia stopped exuding any sort of energy as her eyelids slowly closed. The skill sustaining her flight was turned off and she began to freefall toward the ground. But before she could fall too far, as if sensing Rakna''s intention to catch her, the Incarnation caught her with its palm and silently handed her to him. "" Rakna stared at the out cold woman in disbelief. He didn''t know how to react. Not only had he knocked her out without meaning to, but it had also been unbelievably easy. Then, the terrifying specter of his own power, which even himself felt a bit intimidated by, handed her over to him like some sort of lost pet. "Wow, you bullied a poor girl until she cried and then ordered her to ck out," Kaelith came to his side whilst criticizing him in a painfully sarcastic manner. "I just told her to stand down, okay?" Rakna grumbled as he slid Phobos'' Mask a bit to the side. "Right, right, same thing," she snickered and inspected the Incarnation. "Wait, don''t look at" Rakna didn''t get to finish his warning before she looked straight into the spectral werewolf''s eyes. But nothing happened to her, not even a small weight on her spirit. "Uh, that''s an interesting skill," Kaelithmented. "We didn''t feel anything back there, but it was easy to see how strong it was. Usually, it''s possible to divide coercion to some extent, but it''s the first time I see a kill that faultlessly spares the allies of the user. Well, you did knock out the wildlife around here but since even the weakest animals don''t seem to be dead, they didn''t receive the full burden." "I guess that''s good to know" Rakna sighed and nced at Lucrecia. He invoked his Valkals and made them lift her out of the Incarnation''s open palm. "So, what do we do about her?" "Just bring her in," Kaelith shrugged. "As long as she''s calmed down when she wakes up, we can talk it out. You can also put a seal on her with a forced Soul Contract if you want. She''s asleep after all; there''s no resistance and your soul power''s top tier. It should be easy for you." "that''d just make me even more detestable after what I''ve done to her," Rakna deadpanned. "Hahaha!" The vixenughed brightly. "You should have seen your face when your big boy version over here grabbed her for you! It was hrious!" "" "Still, I''m surprised," she added with a thoughtful tone. "I know it''s you, but to think you were able to intimidate one of our n Heads into fainting Emperor titles are no joke. There''s probably no race of wolf in the System capable of disobeying you." Rakna inhaled and rubbed his face. "I just hope it won''t give me more problems," he said and gently used his Valkals to lower Lucrecia. "Hey, An!" He raised his voice toward the rest of the group waiting below and the blond looked up. "Yeah?" "Catch," the therian simply said and withdrew his Reverse Tails, causing the Wolf Matriarch to fall toward the ground. "Woah, woah, woah!" An panicked a little but carefully caught her in a princess carry. He sighed in relief and then blushed a bit once he realized he was holding a beautiful woman quite intimately. "Enjoying yourself?" Marie raised an eyebrow at him. "I-it''s not my fault, okay?!" He sputtered back and looked up. "Rak! What the hell?! You could have just carried her back with those invisible things!" "Just take care of her," Rakna said and nced at Phobos'' Incarnation. "There''s something I want to test before I go back." An immediately swallowed anyint when he heard the words ''something I want to test''e out of his friend''s mouth. With a masterful poker face, he turned toward everyone. "Alright, folk, let''s run the hell out of here. Lives are at stake," he announced straight-faced, earning a few chuckles from the girls. "What do you take me for?" Rakna muttered and slid back the Mask of Phobos into ce, the eye sockets once again aze with soul mes. Kaelith drifted aside and crossed her arms, already having guessed what he was going to attempt. First, Rakna tried to replicate what he had done earlier to give an order. And he had a perfect line to test it with. "[Shards of rity Abide the Star''s Tyranny,]" he intoned the first line of his soul luby, and the Incarnation replicated it to perfection. ''Interesting it didn''t add anything to my Cl Lli, but it feels like whatever I say in conjunction with it will turn into some sort of Lexis for those affected by the coercion,'' he thought. ''In other words, it''s like hypnosis. The difference is that it''s incredibly forceful and not pedantic at all. It might be superior to my Soul Scourge if it can even disrupt targets stronger than me.'' With that figured out, he activated Crystal Sight and scrutinized the energy inside of Incarnation to the veryst detail. If he had to put a number on it it felt like about 4 000 MP in raw power. It was a hefty amount gathered from nearby creatures, but mainly Lucrecia. But as for how it tranted into actual prowess was unknown. ''Hm,'' Rakna mused and mentally ordered the Incarnation to try and cast a spell. Surprisingly, it listened to him and he saw some of the stored energy stir toward its hand. A small surge of energy was ejected from its palm but then instantly fizzled out. ''Fail, huh? I suppose it''s too much to expect it to be able to use my skills and magic,'' Rakna shrugged at the results and simply proceeded to the main test. He looked around with a hum and made his mind on a hill in the distance. "Hit that at full speed and power," he casuallymanded, and the ming eyes of the Incarnation burst. Without dy, it pped its four wings, and Rakna, who was not expecting much out of it, held his breath as a purple and ck sh zoomed past him at speeds he could barely follow. No more than a secondter, he heard a massive explosion and the earth shook. The therian''s expression twitched as he feared turning his head to see the damage. In the end, he had to check for himself and what he saw was arge crater recing the hill supposed to be there, with his Incarnation standing stall in the middle of it, even as swamp water began to fill in. Rakna noticed with a nce that it had taken his order to the letter; this singr attack had used up the entirety of the energy it previously contained. Wordlessly, he calmly took off Phobos'' Mask and tossed it away, its ruby-like material shattering in a sparkling shower, and the Incarnation in the distance vanished without a trace. "Wolfy~" He held back a shiver after hearing the sweet voice and apprehensively turned to look at his lover leaning to his right; there was a not-so-much friendly smile on her face. "Please don''t tell me that was another Nirvana Skill~? Hm~?" "no" She scowled at him with half-lidded eyes, "you''re lying." "yes." Chapter 362: Painful Backlog Chapter 362: Painful Backlog Rakna was lounging in the living room, his now ck scarf, with azure ents, folded on his chest for Pronos to sleep on. The little Hydra curled on himselffortably while his master stared at the deluge of System windows that he had released upon himself. Currently, via and Evelyn were out in ck Steel, Kara had left to do what she had advertised to him, An and Marie were out hunting, Nyx and Ceresta were quietly bonding together over books on another couch, and Kaelith had gone to Old Eden to help with the situation of her n. Though, the vixen had ultimately used her powers to temporarily suppress Lucrecia''s power, who was sleeping in one of the vacant rooms, before leaving. Higure, on the other hand, was outside, doing something unusually tame; meditating. In her own words, she still hadn''t fully adapted her soul and abilities to her half-undead body. ording to her, it would eventually be possible to be fully alive with a high enough level, but until then, she would have to bnce her death energy. Therefore, the therian had plenty of time to go through every change to his status; and that started with every single update to his proficiencies. Since he didn''t have Ceres to filter it anymore, he had used his Terminal to relegate what was once her duty to Eye of Symphony. He apparently could also request another AI to be assigned to him, but he had no desire to do so. ? ? ? ? ? Rune Smith has leveled up! Soul Sense has Ascended into Wisdom of The Soul! Wisdom of The Soul has leveled up! x3 Mana Sense has Ascended into Call of Mana! Call of Mana has leveled up! x2 Mana Control has Ascended into Mana Rule! Mana Rule has leveled up! x4 Magic Craft has leveled up! x2 Magic Craft has Excelled! Flight has leveled up! x3 Flight has Excelled! Arms Master has leveled up! x4 Arms Master has Excelled! Sunken Ripple of Rupture has leveled up! x5 Pride is rousing the Host Sunken Ripple of Rupture has Excelled! Arms Master is being incorporated into Sunken Ripple of Rupture Sunken Ripple of Rupture has Evolved into the Complete Internal Art; Rippling Ghost of Rupture. A new section will be added to the Host''s status. Congrattions! You have gained a new title; Martial Grandmaster! Lunar Control has Ascended into Lunar Dominion! Lunar Dominion has leveled up! x6 Due to Lunar Dominion, Lunae Cosmos'' Lunar Points will be increased by 500 per tail. Spiritual Intent Control has Ascended into Spiritual Intent Mastery! Spiritual Intent Mastery has leveled up! x2 ? --- ? Wisdom of The Soul ?? The Demi-God Stage of soul awareness. At this level, the holder is capable of sensing the nature of souls, the bnce of evil and good, and the color of their elements. ? --- ? Call of Mana ?? ? The Demi-God stage of mana awareness. The holder can perfectly analyze the flow of mana inside a living organism, and most importantly, hear the ''Voice of Mana''. A long time ago, it was theorized that mana had a will of its own, and had rebellious behavior; which mages naturally had to learn to control. The ''Voice of Mana'' refers to the unheard whispers of the energy, informing those who are able to hear it of the nature of the mana being sensed. The louder it is, the stronger and closer. It is also a much superior manner to sense mana at a long range. ? --- ? Mana Rule ?? ? The Demi-God stage of mana maniption. With Mana Rule, the holder can extract mana from nature and even salvage remnants in the air caused by spells. This greatly increases efficiency in casting as well as improves mana recovery as long as the holder gives appropriate attention and focus to collect ambient energy. ? --- ? Lunar Dominion ? ? The Ascended stage of lunar energy maniption. The art of lunar control is widely dependent on the potency of the receptacle and the speed at which it is siphoned from the surroundings. At the basic stage, lunar energy is used as fuel or raw power. At the Ascended stage, it bes possible to borrow the power of the moon itself. The Moon is a Sigil Celestial Body. It is ssified as an environmental spell-caster and Lunar Dominion is the first step toward harnessing it. ? --- ? Spiritual Intent Mastery ? ? The Ascension to a new path. This is the beginning of the road to mastery of Intent; having graduated from the rank of an initiate. Reaching this level allows greater control and perception of Intent as well as the implementation of unique characteristics into it from the user''s skill set. ? ? ? ? ? Well that was a start. Frankly, Rakna had not even realized he could do half of what he had just read. Most of it, if not all, had broken through Excelled during his fight with Roias. ''Especially this one'' He thought as he focused on the new entry to his status. ? ? ? ? ? Internal Arts are referred to as a form of Martial Transcendence. It is considered as such because it implies a total remodeling of the user''s Ki Pathways. Most attempts to do so end in failure; as dead or crippled. However, even if seeded, it is not enough. Toplete and master an Internal Art, it must be one with the user''s body. It is an Art that must be used as easily as breathing as well as possessing close to no ws. It is neither considered a skill nor a proficiency by the System. An Internal Art, once finalized andpleted, can never be dissociated from its owner. Other techniques employing the force of the physical body in any way will be rejected by the Art. Internal Arts are considered the peak of Martial Prowess, and the achievers be capable of amplifying their Attributes with nothing but technique. ? --- ? Internal Art: ? - Rippling Ghost of Rupture [SSS-Rank] ? An Internal Art of the highest tier, forged through Pride and Wrath. It is built over extensive expertise inbat, an unbreakable body, a dimension-breaking trait, and astonishing physical qualifications as well as sensory abilities. The Art focuses on the uracy of movements to the point reality bends to the user''s will. Like a ghost, the user''s body blurs and attacks undetected and unpredicted. Stances flow and freeze in motion and the cirction of the Internal Force is such that momentum can be killed at any given time, moment, or position. The footwork is akin to a spirit, erasing friction and resistance as one step can feel like a leaf swaying in between the fingers of any who tries to catch it. Every movement carries precision, speed, intensity, and an unforgiving force that pierces through targets and ripples on impact, shattering the surface of all things. Time cannot stop it, space cannot stop it, and magic cannot stop it. Skulls break apart with a flick, des shatter at the touch of a finger, dimensions fall under a fist, bones are ruptured by the ripples, and spells be arrows to be snapped. Wielded weapons shall also be granted its power. When converging the Internal Art outward, the user can channel the ripples through a weapon or tame it into an independent and raw force of rupture. ? Techniques: ? - Ripple of Rupture: The staple ability of the Art. It is a blow that ejects Internal Force into the target and then retracts it instantly, creating an undting force over the surface of whatever was hit, spreading and expanding the damage. This technique is capable of contending with magic itself and inflicts severe internal damage. ? - Fist of Rupture: The ultimate technique of Rippling Ghost of Rupture. The user gathers all manipble energies they possess and pours them into the Pathways. The Internal Force will reign in and guide these energies into releasing a reality-breaking fist. ? - Ghost of Rupture: It is the passive state of the Internal Art. It can be activated at a moment''s notice without dy and will trigger the user''s entire body to circte the internal force inside its Ki Pathways as naturally as breathing. All attacks performed with Ghost of Rupture active will result in a Ripple of Rupture. While Ghost of Rupture is active, the following effects also apply: - All Physical Attributes Increase by 10%. - Defense of Targets is Partially Ignored. - All Defenses & Resistances of the User Increase by 50%. ? Note: Ghost of Rupture has no cooldown or duration. It cannot be interrupted unless consciousness is lost and will only stop at the initiative of the user or once all Stamina is depleted. ? ? ? ? ? ''that''s OP,'' Rakna nklymented. "{How self-aware,}" Fray snickered. ''So, this is what I developed during that fight, huh?'' The therian mused. At the time, he didn''t have the freedom to consider his abilities. Though, it seems his Sin Skills had worked well. Their effect of increasing the efficacy of all relevant motivations was no joke. ''I definitely need to practice wielding Sonata with it,'' he thought. ''There''s probably a lot of techniques that I can still learn from it. Something like an external manifestation of the rupture would be a good start,'' he nodded to himself. ''Next let''s go with Cognitive Skills.'' ? ? ? ? ? Mana Coils has leveled up! x2 Mana Coils has Ascended into Mana Helix! Mana Helix has leveled up! x3 --- Damage Resistance has leveled up! Damage Resistance has Ascended into Battle Continuation! Battle Continuation has leveled up! x2 --- Fear Resistance has leveled up! x3 --- Frost Soul Aura has leveled up! x4 Frost Soul Aura has Ascended into Triad Star Aura! Triad Star Aura has leveled up! x5 --- Primal Soul Core has Evolved into the Max Excelled Skill; Philosopher''s Ardent Soul. --- Soul''s Decree has Exceled! Soul''s Decree has Ascended into the Divine-Rank Skill, The Harvester''s Soul! You have gained 10 000 Exp for this achievement! The Harvester''s Soul has leveled up! x1 Your Divinity has increased! --- Rage is overwhelming you Ireful Descent has evolved into a Tier 1 Curse! Ego of Lucifer is nullifying the curse Ireful Descent is being consumed You have gained a new Ultimate Excelled Skill; Ire of Satan! All Virtues Shall Yield has been updated to All Virtues Shall Fall! Your Sub-Path, Nephilim, is growing stronger! --- You have unlocked your Soul Marble! Your Soul Power is increasing --- Your soul is copsing You are afflicted with Stele Inversion! Your spiritual energies are scattering. Spiritual Remnants are temporarily sustaining your survival --- You have ingested a dose of True Elixir! You have temporarily gained the Trait; First-Degree Immortality! Your soul fragments are being contained --- The Fallen Goddess of the Night, Nyx Nocta Regysnite, has initiated the ceremony of Essence Bonding with you. Divinity is filling your soul The Stele Inversion is receding --- You have gained a new Trait; Wed of Essence! Your Divinity has greatly increased! You have gained a new Trait; Minor Divinity! --- You have gained a new Ultimate Excelled Skill; Caress of Asmodeus! All Virtues Shall Fall has been updated to All Virtues Shall Kneel! Your Sub-Path, Nephilim, is growing stronger! --- Your Infernity has greatly increased! You have gained a new Trait; Minor Infernity! --- Minor Infernity and Minor Divinity are reacting Philosopher''s Ardent Soul has swallowed Minor Infernity and Minor Divinity! The soul mes are stabilizing the Obsidian Star --- Stele Inversion has beenpletely reverted! --- ? Mana Helix ? ? The Mana Helix is the natural evolution of Mana Coils, a concept created on the basis of Magic Circuits. Instead of coils around the heart and stomach, the Helix connects both and spins around each in two opposite prities. The Heart Rotation pumps ambient mana in; transmits it to the Stomach Rotation to be processed by the body as if food; and the mana is then imbued into the rest of the body until it is finally ready to enter the Mana Pool at peak purity. ? Effects: Current Increase in Mana and Stamina Capacity: 2 400 & 240 Current Increase in MP Regeneration: 3.4/Min Current Decrease in MP and STA Consumption: 4% & 8% ? Note: These values will increase as the skill level increases. ? --- ? Battle Continuation ?? ? A rare skill acquired from relentless willpower and dedication. Those who hold this ability be greatly resistant to all forms of damage as well as capable of countering detrimental burdens from wounds or spells. ? Effects: - 28% Reduction to All Sources of Damage. - 50% Resistance to All Negative Status Affecting Statistics. - 8% Increase to All Statistics When in Fatal Condition. ? --- ? Triad Star Aura ?? ? A mighty aura, unique to Rakna Xiorra, that burns akin to three mythical stars. When releasing your aura, you can call upon either of the stars dwelling in your soul; Everfrost, Neverwinter, and Obsidian. Regardless of the choice, for as long as the aura is out, magic power directly trying to interfere with your body will be mostly nullified if weaker than yourself. In Everfrost mode, all ice, water, and cold-rted magic will be absorbed and the temperature around will drop considerably. Touching targets while channeling the aura will cause them to freeze. In Neverwinter mode, all fire and heat-rted magic will be absorbed and the temperature around you will rise considerably. Touching a target while channeling the aura will result in violent burns. In Obsidian mode, every magic will be absorbed as long as it does not surpass the maximum capacity of the aura. The excess absorbed can then subsequently be shot back as a shing force exponential to the total energy umted. Additionally, the Obsidian Aura will passively cut into whatever ites in contact with. Finally, the Triad Star Aura can bebined with Philosopher''s Ardent Soul at will in order to create protection against spiritual attacks, or produce mes that freeze with radiation, burn on contact, and cut with its embers. ? Note: There is no calction for this skill. The Aura will repel offending energies as best as it can for the user''s body but it will be ineffective when an attack carries more power at once than the user''s stamina and manabined. Keep in mind that aura also gets weaker as you get tired during a fight. ? --- ? Philosopher''s Ardent Soul [EX] ??? ? A spiritual organ, unique to Rakna Xiorra, that has lost its form and fused with the user''s soul power and taken the form of ethereal mes zing inside the heart of the Obsidian Star. The Philosophers'' Ardent mes are the hearth of the archetype Philosopher''s Stone and are the only theorized energy capable of stirring the Universal Solvent into being structurally bonded with the container. Rakna Xiorra''s soul power has be an Ardent Fire that will guide his every action and establish a bridge between the physical world and his Soul Realm. It is possible to create physical manifestations of soul power with the fire, such as projectiles or shields. The Ardent mes are capable of burning and consuming all that is spiritual. Everything that it eventually burns will be converted into mana or stamina for the user. ? Effects: - 100% Increase to Senses. - 50% Decrease in Mana and Stamina Consumption. - Steals ~50 MP when an attack hits a target. ? --- ? The Harvester''s Soul ??? ? The teachings of Soul Practitioners state; "Those Who Seek Harmony With The World, Will Not Achieve Harmony With Themselves." ? The Harvester''s Soul is a Divine-Stage Introspection of the Soul. It reflectsplete understanding and eptance of oneself. With this skill, the user is officially entering the domain of divine achievements. Full harmony with one''s soul is the most crucial aspect for a Celestial to be able to attain the rank of Heavenly God. Where Mortals attain Soul Manifestations through power, Gods must create a Domain first. As such, the Introspection of the Soul is one of the most highly valued breakthroughs. This Divine Skill grants its holder a near-instant grasp of all tasks and techniques imaginable. It also greatly enhances the improvement rate by proxy. At this level, instinct bes something closer to privilege than inherent talent. Only those with transcendental aptitudes can hope to go beyond it. The Harvester''s Soul possesses that potential; the instincts of a thousand beasts. Furthermore, the path of Soul Spells is opened. Pertinent examples are Astral Projection, the lowest tier of Soul Spells, and Soul Marble, the highest tier of Soul Spells. The Harvester''s Soul is shaped by Rakna Xiorra''s identity, world, and power. The Host''s Soul Realm shall be an inherent facet of his Soul Spells and the spells avable to him for learning will depend on his personal enlightenment. ? Soul Techniques Avable: - Astral Projection: Eject your soul out of your body as an Astral Body. - Vow of ord: Establish an unbreakable soul contract. - Spirit Invocation: Summon souls under your control as Ardent Spirits. - Soul Gate: Summon a gate in the physical world that leads to your Soul Realm. - Soul Marble: Overwrite the physical world with your Soul Realm. ? Effect: 300% increase in Senses. ? --- ? Ire of Satan [UEX] ??? ? Ire of Satan is one of the Ultimate Skills of the Sin Series, assuming the epithet of Wrath. The bearer of this skill can walk to hell and back to defeat an enemy. The longer a herald of Wrath fights, the stronger they be, and the fiercer their rage grows. The Sin of Wrath cannot be stopped, and its victims shall know vengeance. ? Effects: ? - Increases damage proportionally to the intensity of the user''s anger. - Killing a target of anger will reward the user with experience. - Increases Damage & Defense by 1% for every attacknded or received, to a maximum stack of 100% for each. This effectsts until the user is out ofbat. Once the stacks reach 100%, subsequent actions will heal the user instead. - Acquire the skill; All Virtues Shall Fall (Wrath + Pride + Sloth) - If not awakened, unlock the Extra Magic, Wrath. - Acquire the spell; Mark of Vindication. - Acquire the consumed spell; Wrath Demon. ? Special Effect: - Any act made for the sake of Wrath will have its efficacy raised. ? --- ? Wed of Essence ? A ceremonious bondmonly formed by Heaven-Born Celestials as a marital promise. It is an unbreakable wed that anchors itself in the thirdyer of the soul, the Soul Chasm. An independent manifestation of Divine Essence ties itself to the life force of each party and unites their feelings and thoughts. It is said that two people wedded by Divine Essence will love each other beyond death itself. ? --- ? Caress of Asmodeus [UEX] ??? ? Caress of Asmodeus is one of the Ultimate Skills of the Sin Series, assuming the epithet of Lust. The bearer of this skill can make the world crawl at their feet in exchange for recognition. They possess weapons that prey on the mind and body. The Sin of Lust is a devious force, seeking to bend your will. ? Effects: ? - Increases the positive impressions the user has on people proportionally to their beauty. - Sessfully charming a target will reward the user with experience. - Mental or Soul Attacks made by the user will carry an arousing force as well as apelling suggestion for the target to be more obedient. - Individuals beguiled by the user''s appearance will see their Senses and Swiftness decrease proportionally to how heavily they are affected. - Acquire the skill; All Virtues Shall Kneel (Lust + Wrath + Pride + Sloth) - If not awakened, unlock the Extra Magic, Lust. - Acquire the spell; Charm. ? Special Effect: - Any act made for the sake of Lust will have its efficacy raised. ? --- ? All Virtues Shall Kneel [UEX] ??? ? Upon activation, be the herald of Submission. ? Effects: - Demonize and double All Attributes (Luck Included). - All beings thaty eyes on you will begin to feel the urge to prostrate and obey. - Your Mana will be fully converted into Sinister Mana. - Damage from and against Holy & Divine increases by 100%. - You detect and control the Sins contained in another''s soul. ? Cost: 10 000 MP. (Correction: 1 600 MP) Cooldown: 666 Hours. (Correction: 559.4 Hours) ? Duration: For as long as the user can resist the call of sin. Multiple sins will require a bnce to be kept by the user. If broken, the demonization will automatically fall out of control. ? Note: Breaking the limits of human understanding was once an aptitude possessed by only one kind of being; those known as the World''s End Empaths. To imitate them, creatures of both evil and good began to awaken these Sins and Virtues as a facet of their souls, seeking to be rulers of humanity. Currently Awakened Sins: 4/7 You have entered the path of the Nefis. You either finish the path or forever be iplete. Once all sins are gathered, you will ??? for the ??? Crown. He ??? and grant you ??? of humanity. ? ? ? ? ? ''This is a mess'' Rakna groaned as he tried to mentally organize the information with the help of Eye of Symphony. First of all, Battle Continuation and Mana Helix were pleasant bonuses among the plethora of irrational skills he owned; they were simple and useful. Secondly, he saw the first clear signs of the Obsidian Star affecting his status. The Triad Star Aura was an adjusted skill meant to adapt to a total of three elements. ''Indiscriminate magic absorption, huh? Also I had already understood, but the Obsidian Star seems to be unbelievably sharp,'' Rakna thought with narrowed eyes. ''It matches what the volcanic ss it epitomizes can do'' The spell he had used against Roias was called Na?cattira Piripp?; Star Splitter. The sharpness it had exuded by bisecting the Tras'' summoned creature, then cutting his arm, and scarring the walls of the Terminal Room, was enormous. ''I''ll have to check the description afterward,'' he mused and then raised his hand. With a thought, a purple me danced around his palm. ''And this is the Philosopher''s Ardent Soul, huh? I can make spells of Soul Power with this, is it? And Spirit Invocation maybe I can summon them.'' The therian quietly extinguished the soul me by clenching his fist. He skimmed Wed of Essence with a hum, already aware of what it did. Though, he couldn''t help but smile when he saw thest line. He nced to his right where Nyx was gently chatting with Ceres. Through their bond, the goddess immediately noticed his gaze and looked back at him with a curious tilt of her head. Rakna smiled impishly and sent something simr to a kiss in nature through the bond. Nyx''s face immediately stiffened and reddened in embarrassment. She huffed in annoyance at him before turning away. ''Haha,'' Raknaughed quietly. ''This bond has lots of teasing potential,'' hemented internally. "{Poor girl,}" Fray sighed. "{You''re taking advantage of her bashfulness.}" ''I have to enjoy it while itsts. She might get used to it one day. And don''t talk as if you wouldn''t do the same thing if you were in my ce.'' "{well, it would admittedly be amusing.}" The therian snorted and turned his attention to the remaining System windows. Wrath and Lust were predictable for the most part. Though, he had been a bit surprised to know that the former had been created through the assimtion of Ireful Descent. Would he have awakened Wrath without it? He didn''t know. However, what he knew for sure is that Ire of Satan was a superior version of his former Nirvana Skill. Caress of Asmodeus was not so bad either, mostly for its debuff effects, but it wasn''t something he''d be using much ''Then, there''s the demonization'' Rakna squinted. Until now, that skill hadn''t changed much. It had essentially been the exact same whether it was for Sloth or Pride. But now, a new effect had been added and the Note had been filled up generously. Though some interrogation marks remained. ''World''s End Empaths'' "{It''s a rtively niche yarn,}" Fray chimed in. "{The Empaths of The World''s End are rare humans born with the ability to feel the pain and emotions of others coursing through their souls. As such, they learn to detach themselves from humanity and find unparalleled understanding in its study.}" ''Any reason why they''re mentioned in this skill?'' "{Well, there is a small tale associated with World''s End Empaths It is said that when they die, it is not rest they find, but the Devil himself. Not because they must be punished but because their services are sought in Hell. They are the advisers to the torture of sinners.}" ''Is that so?'' Rakna hummed as he read the Note. Clearly, achieving the status of ''Nefis'' involved one step more than gathering all of the Sins. ''There was that story about how those who assembled all seven could sit on ''Hell''s Throne'' as well but that''s most likely inurate.'' While thinking that, he nced at the mana cost correction of the skill and almostughed. At this moment, his total consumption reduction was 84%. Even to him, that was a ridiculous number. Of course, most spells had a limit to how much their cost could be reduced, otherwise, how would the spell even have the minimum power to manifest? Koschei''s'' Needles, for example, was a spell that could never go below the cost of 1% of the mana pool for each needle created. However, skills, on the other hand, had a much lower ceiling. Their cost could be peeled that much more because they relied on the System more than magic did. ''I certainly have mana to spare now,'' he snorted and then closed everything, only for a new batch of notifications to rece it. ''Now Spontaneous Skills, it is.'' SEE?! This is why I was scared of doing this crap! . AAAAAHHHHH!! Fuck!AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 363: Painful Backlog II Chapter 363: Painful Backlog II ? ? ? ? Enthymio Step has leveled up! x2 --- Stealth has leveled up! x3 --- Star sh has Ascended into Star re! Star re has leveled up! x4 --- Artzpul has leveled up! --- Grand Reinforcement has leveled up! x4 --- ws has Ascended into Radiant Talons! Radiant Talons has leveled up! x2 --- Gigantism has Ascended into Size Modtion! Size Modtion has leveled up! x2 --- Soul Drain & Soul Scourge have been swallowed by Philosopher''s Ardent Soul --- Legendary Imperial Guard has Ascended through Legendary Beast Emperor! The Guard''s size has increased by 5! The Attribute Increase has increased to 10.5%! --- You have gained a new Title skill; Call of Beasts! Call of Beasts is reacting with Call of Hounds Call of Beasts is fusing with Call of Hounds Congrattions, you have gained a new skill; Wolfen Lord of Beasts! --- ? Star re ?? ? The Demi-God stage of a high-tier Fast Movement Skill born from thebination of Night Step, sh Step, and Walking Star. Upon activation, the user''s body will crumble into star energy and erupt in a certain direction toward a specific destination. The period between the activation of the skill and itspletion is called the ''re''. During that moment in time, the star energy bes temporarily dissociated from space-time and reduces iing damage by 50%. It is considerably hard to detect and despite its ethereality, anything in the path of the re will be assailed by the user''s current Star Element. Additionally, for one second after the activation of the skill, the user''s attack will be boosted with Star Energy equivalent to 25% of their base attack statistic. This skill can also be triggered alternatively if the user concentrates the star energy around their body. For five seconds afterward, the user will have their agility increase by 250% at the cost of 100 MP per second. Cooldown: 5 Min. Finally, the user can internalize the re and shoot it out from any limb as a projectile, as if a true eruption of sma at the surface of a star. Cost: 500 MP. ? Singr Step Cost: 5 MP per meter. Maximum Distance per Step: 500 meters. Casting Time: 0.15s Air Step Cost: None. ? --- ? Radiant Talons ? ? Extend and retract your ws at will, radiating the power of your elements. Effects: +100% Attack, +50% Elemental Damage. ? --- ? Size Modtion ? ? One of the mutation paths of Gigantism spurred by the user''s unique physiology. Unlike the previous version, Size Modtion not only allows a more flexible change of physical stature, but it also allows the user to apply that effect on isted body parts as well as external matter by injecting an appropriate amount of mana and Prima Materia into it and casting the skill. ? --- ? Wolfen Lord of Beasts ?? ? When the user activates this skill, their howl will call every suitable beast in the vicinity toe to battle. Whether it be wolves, dinosaurs, chimeras, or even dragons, those weaker will bend their knee to serve the Lord. When there isn''t any suitable target, the user can instead summon Elemental Beasts from their surroundings with a level matching double the quantity of mana spent for each. The beasts'' level cannot be higher than the user''s but when used to summon wolves specifically, the attribute distribution will be boosted by 10% notwithstanding. Shadow, light, water, fire, wood, earth; each summon will have different specialties and abilities based on where or what it was summoned from. The wolves can remain active as long as they are provided mana as well as being close to their source element. However, the Wolfen Lord of Beasts provides one unique ability to Rakna Xiorra. Instead of using surrounding elements, the user''s Star Energy can be used as a substitute for the same process, but with triple the mana cost. ? Note: Your intimidation power against all lupine and beastly creatures has increased further. ? ? ? ? ? ''I can what?'' Rakna blinked in shock, but for neither Star re nor Wolfen Lord. And Radiant ws, while interesting, was as barebone in the description as ws was. What truly stood out was Size Modtion. With a dubious gaze, the therian sat up, catching the girls'' attention and causing Pronos to yelp as he slid off Sonata. Quietly, he grabbed one of the pillows on the couch then carefully poured some of his Alkahestic material into it through his fingers and activated his skill with a pulse of mana. In the blink of an eye, the pillow ballooned like some sort of item in a video game and became as big as himself, almost smothering him. "" With silence pervading the room, he extended his arms to hold the pillow away. His expression was unreadable as he casually ced it down on the coffee table before lying back wordlessly. Nyx and Ceresta blinked dumbfoundedly and warily poked the pillow while Pronos peeked his heads above the table to inspect it. "{I see your priorities are as straight as ever,}" Fraymented drolly. "{I almost feared you had changed after all that misadventure.}" ''Shut it. Don''t lie and say you weren''t curious too.'' "{Maybe a little bit. It is an interesting skill to have if anything. Though, there are probably many limitations to it.}" ''Right'' Rakna huffed and waved away the System windows. Overall, Wolfen Lord was indeed a good skill, especially if it might allow him to summon things like dragons, but at the end of the day, it was an improved version of Call of Hounds. Nothing too surprising. As a matter of fact, Star re was, in his opinion, a much more useful ability. ''And this'' He trailed and his nails sharpened into ws, which then promptly released an icy blue me; the Everfrost Star''s kernel fused with the Ardent Soul mes. ''As expected, it''s basically a passive elemental reinforcement,'' he thought and retracted it. Without wasting any time, he proceeded to open the notifications for his magic. ? ? ? ? ? Everfrost Star Magic has leveled up! x2 --- Inferno Star Magic has Exceled! Inferno Star Magic has Ascended into Neverwinter Star Magic! Neverwinter Star Magic has leveled up! x3 --- Mystic Star Magic has Ascended! Mystic Star Magic has leveled up! x2 --- You have gained the new Magic Element; Wrath! You have gained a new spell; Mark of Vindication! --- You have gained the Origin Magic; Obsidian Star! You have gained a new spell; Obsidian Star Manifestation (T.0)! You have learned a new spell; Obsidian Storm (T.0)! You have learned a new spell; Na?cattira Piripp? (T.0)! --- You have gained the new Magic Element; Lust! You have gained a new spell; Charm! You have learned a new spell; Lust Crest! Lust Magic has leveled up! x6 --- Neverwinter Star Magic has been established as a permanent element! Everfrost Star Magic has been established as a permanent element! --- ? Mystic Star Magic ? ? Mystic Magic is the Noble Hereditary Skill of the Nine-Tailed n. At the Ascended Stage, you can triple the damage of a spell by quadrupling the mana consumption. Note: Beware, Mystic Magic exerts far more strain on the Circuits than any other magic. ? --- ? - Mark of Vindication (T.5): Casting this spell will brand the target with a mark. If it is not dispelled, the caster will deal double damage on the marked target as well as always being able to tell where they are at all times. ? Cost: 2 500 MP Cooldown: 30 Minutes. ? --- ? Origin Magic ? There exist five types of Magic Elements. Innate, Compound, Unique, True, and Original. Innate Elements are themon type to be awakened. It is but mere affinity that dictates their emergence and one can awaken several at a time. Compound Elements are the ultimate iterations of Union and Unity Magics. Union and Unity are defined as two or more elementsbining into one. Compound Elements are a bit moreplicated; they operate on cooperation rather than fusion orbination. Unique Elements are considered a form of destiny. They represent their awakener on a personal level and can only be acquired by them. However, it does not mean the concept of their element is unique to them; only the variation of their manifestation. True Elements, or True Magic, are the dominant elements of the world. They represent concepts that have gone beyond thews of nature. One such example is the Rule of Silver. Called Silver Emperors, those who awaken the Silver Rule are those who have mastered the Eight Root Elements and broken them down into a singr essence. Finally, Original Elements, or Origin Magic, are the outliers. What it implies is the creation of a new concept powerful enough to be a magic element by its sole existence. Only three Origin Magics have been recorded with clear proven knowledge. ? The World Devourer''s Magic, Bite of The Original One. The Primeval God Yahweh''s Magic, First Candle. And The Kind Demon''s Magic, Nox Aeterna. Rakna Xiorra de''s Magic, Obsidian Star, shall now be added to the records. ? --- ? Obsidian Star ? A star most fit to be called a miracle, born from aplex arrangement ofponents andid out in a physical vessel; Rakna Xiorra. A sharp and indestructible outer shell of ck crystal formed by the fusion of two mythical stars of opposite natures and the immense power of the Crystal Sage; a coating of Prima Materia absorbing all energies of the world; a hearth of purple fire sweltering countless souls and fueled by divinity and infernity; a core transcending World Laws with Sins and Death Causality; a tie formed with its rightful container; and an Alkahestic harvester of power. The Obsidian Star is capable of conjuring incredibly sharp constructs and spells; enough so to slice space and time apart. It has shown absorbing properties toward every energy as well as an extraordinary propensity to defense. The Ardent Soul mes burning inside and around it are capable of both burning the spiritual and the physical. These mes have also encroached into the constituting stars and have been assimted into both Everfrost and Neverwinter elements of the Host. In either case, the mes have adopted both hot and cold energetic characteristics. ? Known Spells: Obsidian Star Manifestation, Obsidian Storm, Na?cattira Piripp?. ? Note: Obsidian Star surpasses the encoding level of the System. The information disyed is based on what has been analyzed and on what the Host is aware of. Important Note: The Obsidian Star is not yet stable! Caution to the Host! Reckless use of the magic may engender unforeseen and grave consequences! ? --- ? - Obsidian Storm (T.0): Summon a storm of ardent soul fire and obsidian shards, obstructing all senses, burning and cutting apart whatever stands within its range. ? Cost: Iputable. Initiating Cost Estimation from 10 to 1000000000000. Error! Error! Calction Aborted! Attack: Iputable. Estimation Aborted. Duration: Iputable. Estimation Aborted. Cooldown: Iputable. Estimation Aborted. ? Note: The System''s Archives show one recorded use of this spell. Cooldown, Duration, and Cost remain unavable. However, Attack has shown to be gravitating at about 30 000 Attack Units. By deducting the increases of Full Moon, All Virtues Shall Yield, and Rhapsodic Sonata, the spell''s attack is estimated to be at a standard of 3 times the Magic Attack of the user. ? --- ? - Na?cattira Piripp? (T.0): Conjure arge, edged construct of obsidian ss and swing it once, cutting everything in the way of the sh. ? Maximum Range: Iputable. Estimation Aborted. Cost: Iputable. Estimation Aborted Attack: Iputable. Estimation Aborted Cooldown: Iputable. Estimation Aborted. ? Note: The System''s Archives show one recorded use of this spell. Cooldown and Cost remain unavable. Range, at the time of first use, has shown to be exactly 100 meters and everything it touched was disintegrated. Attack has shown to be able to cut through the arm of Baziq Vaberum Roias as well as the non-powered Terminal Room with ease. This would require a minimum of 50 000 Attack Units. Thus, putting the attack at a minimum of 5 times the MA. ? --- ? - Charm (T.9): Charm is one of the hidden attributes of the System, much like wisdom. This spell allows it to be manifested as a force of nature through the Sin of Lust. Upon conjuration, your appearance will cause others to fall under a bewitchment. This effect is further enhanced by eye contact as well as direct interaction. Cost: 5 MP per second. Cooldown: 5 Minutes. ? --- ? - Lust Crest (T.7): Draw out the energy of Lust from within your soul and use it to engrave a crest on a consenting sexual partner. Both parties involved will experience stronger sensations; will recover mana and stamina through intercourse; will only be aroused by another crest bearer or the caster; and feel a telepathic bond of passion when together. When in the vicinity of Crest Holders, the caster will receive a boost in statistics that scales up to how many there are present. ? Cost: 500 MP Effects: All Stats + (Number of Crests * (5*Lust Magic Level)) Range: 100 Meter Radius. ? Currently Operating Crests: 2. ? ? ? ? ? "{}" '''' "{perhaps it is a good time to say it now, but I kept to myself inside the Soul Realm and did not peep}," Fray remarked. "{However should I ask why you learned such a spell and why your Lust Magic is already Level 7?}" ''No,'' Rakna replied dryly. "{That''s understandable.}" '''' "{so, you''ve acquired the Power of Lo--}" ''Finish that sentence and you''re dead,'' Rakna interrupted him coldly. "{Yes, Sir.}" ? * * * ? ''Anyway,'' the therian sighed and scrolled back up to the description of Origin Magic. There was no surprise seeing the title of his old man in these anymore. But it was certainly gratifying to know that something he possessed was ced on the same level as these creatures of boundless power. ''Though, wouldn''t the Crystal Sage be one of these Origin Magic users?'' "{The System only records facts with a certainty of its veracity,}" Fray said. "{That is what ''proven knowledge'' implies. The Crystal Sage is a mystery. Who knows how he performed his wonders? It may not even have been magic at all.}" ''Makes sense,'' Rakna hummed and skimmed over Obsidian Star and its spells. As stated in the Note, all of it was information he already knew or could peruse. Seeing a Tier Zero ssification for all of the spells was also quite funny. ''As expected, it''s a magic that cannot be controlled by the System. Chances are, it''s having troubleputing the spells'' details because the Obsidian Star''s ''Attack'' value is one that inherently refuses to be calcted together with the ''Defense'' value. There''s simply no stopping it.'' "{It''s a reasonable theory,}" the fabulist agreed. "{The System has its own set ofws. Magic outside of it behaves differently; much less streamlined, in a sense. Since yours is exceeding the encoding levels, it might break down the ''Status'' of a target. It''s as if you are exploiting a glitch to nullify the strength of an opponent when the spell hits them.}" ''That would exin the second-hand estimation in postscript,'' Rakna mused. ''Though, it''s probably closer to a half-baked survey in order to try and contend with it. If the System acts like true operating software, it will try to build a contingency around the Obsidian Star.'' "{And that doesn''t worry you?}" ''Well, I trust the System to be fair at least. I don''t really care at this point,'' he shrugged and opened thest notifications he had to read. ''Besides, even I have to be careful of the Obsidian Star.'' "{True. We wouldn''t want to have another Stele Inversion,}" Fray nodded. "{You seem to be able to tap into its power for now, but who knows how far you can go before it backfires on you again.}" ? ? ? ? ? Title C Martial Grandmaster ? A medal of aplishment for individuals who have attained a grasp of martial arts that surpasses the potential of mere mortals. The holder of this title is capable of analyzing martial arts and fighting styles inferior to themselves with but a single nce. They are also able to understand and predict their opponent''s movements as if foresight. ? Effects: - Gain +10% Senses during unarmedbat. - Open the Elite Statistic; True Damage (TD). - Gain 5 True Damage. ? --- ? True Damage ? A rare statistic that few manage to meet the requirements. Uponnding a sessful hit through physical means, a portion of the damage will hit regardless of defense skills or magic. One point of TD implies a 1% portion of the Host''s Attack Statistic. ? --- ? Title - Legendary Beast Emperor ? The System has recognized you as a key figure of power and for your unprecedented achievement of being a Dual Emperor, along with those provided by the Legendary Wolf Emperor title, you are presented with the following rights and privileges: ? 1 C Your Terminal clearance has been raised; 2 C Your votes shall carry double the weight during a Myth Council Meeting; 3 C You gain authority over all Locals lower than highest-rank nobles; 4 C You gain Level 3 amnesty in all cities of the System; 5 C You earn 100% more experience from all sources; 6 C All members of your guild will receive 25% more experience; 7 C All members of your guild will now share the privileges of the Top 10 members; 8 C Full ess to packet transfers; you will always be notified of your status being scanned and your encryption level shall be raised; 9 C You gain ess to the Pavilion Shop and its items from anywhere in the System other than Dungeons, Trials, and Ordeals. ? Title Perks: - Acquire the Skill; Call of Beasts. - Acquire the Passive Special Skill; Beast Tongue. - Acquire the Special Skill; Imperial Order. ? Note: Perks and privileges that had already been obtained through Legendary Wolf Emperor have beenpensated with reced or enhanced versions with respect to the Host''s achievements. ? --- The Trait, Wrathful Obsidian Blood, has evolved into Obsidian Blood of the Sage Beast! --- ? Obsidian Blood of the Sage Beast ? Previously Obsidian Blood, this trait has evolved into a category of ability never seen before in the System. Obsidian Blood of the Sage Beast is now nothing short of the root of the existence known as Rakna Xiorra. Beyond the recreation of the Philosopher''s Stone, beyond the Obsidian Star, beyond the Soul of a Harvester; having emerged dominant over the countless beasts of the Pool of Blood, it is the Sage Beast that cries out in hunger at the world. It desires power, it desires love, it desires life. And there shall be no doubt of its hunger in those who encounter it. Quietly zing in between Everfrost and Neverwinter, the blood of the Sage Beast boils and calls for others to join it. From thebined instincts of a thousand beasts, understanding all creatures, Rakna Xiorra has reached a state of convergence in all three majoryers of his existence; mind, body, and soul have united and gone under his full control. When this trait is triggered, all attributes except luck can be redistributed at will. There is no cooldown and no downtime. However, the attributes cannot be permanently modified and will revert to their original distribution after a certain period of time spent without input. Warning: It is highly rmended to keep the distribution of attributes bnced in order for the body not to copse on itself. For instance, a 300-Point Strength cannot be sustained by a 50-Point Endurance, and high Speed can destroy one''s body without a minimum equilibrium between those two also. There are exceptions such as Intelligence and Endurance that can be raised extremely high individually without much drawback. ? Note: Additional effects have been detected but the System is unable to pry into their specifics. ? ? ? ? ? ''True Damage that''s new,'' Rakna said. ''Since the System doesn''t use concepts like Health Points, it''s hard to say what kind of effect it would concretely have. But it does sound powerful,'' he said and switched to Legendary Beast Emperor. With each privilege read, he couldn''t help but chuckle wryly at the mounting rewards. "{As expected, two Emperor Titles is not an aplishment to be stingy about,}" Fraymented with a simr sentiment. "{I don''t think I have ever seen or heard of someone with the privilege to earn double the experience until now and thatst one is quite interesting. To be able to buy and receive an item from anywhere in the System is a considerably valuable benefit.}" Rakna nodded. ''I have an idea of what Beast Tongue is but what is this one?'' ? ? ? ? ? Imperial Order ? Once per day, the user is allowed to call upon the System through this skill and design a target other than themselves. The recipient will be invulnerable to damage and skills for exactly one second. Any ailments affecting the target''s status will also be cleansed. ? Note: Physical or spiritual injuries are not healed by Imperial Order. ? ? ? ? ? ''Wow,'' the therian whistled. ''A one-second invulnerability every day, huh?'' "{It appears so}" Fray muttered in surprise. ''Even if I can''t use it on myself, the potential is clear as day,'' Rakna added. ''It doesn''t even seem to have a range too. As long as I designate someone, they will receive the Order no matter where they are in the System,'' he mused. "{Hah, truly an imperial decree, isn''t it? The authority tomand one''s life.}" Rakna snorted. ''I guess,'' he huffed and eyed the final window. ''And there you have it so it was you the culprit,'' he said with a smile. ''Kara was onto something, after all.'' "{Free Attribute distribution}" Fray whispered in awe. "{So, that was what you were doing. That is an even greater ability than anything else you possess.}" ''Agreed,'' the therian confirmed. ''While I was fighting Roias, I instinctively relied on this thing for the whole fight. I squeezed out whatever worth it had. That''s what I used to survive at the very end when he unveiled his Abyss Skin. I put everything in Endurance.'' Fray caught on to a slight change of tone in his soul host. "{What happened in there? Youunched a Tailed Pearl inside your Soul Realm yet Roias came out of it unharmed, and you fell powerlessly to the ground.}" ''did you see the notification about my Fear Resistance leveling up?'' "{}" ''That''s where it came from,'' Rakna uttered indifferently and closed the description of his trait. And as if on cue, a short-lived burst of aura flowed across the house. Nyx promptly stood up and Ceresta widened her eyes a bit, still not used to feeling spiritual forces with her soul. Rakna sighed and sat up as well, right before Higure opened the front door. "Looks like our guest woke up, eh?" The lioness grinned and the therian snorted. "Well, let''s see if we can talk this time" ? --- ? PS: Below is Rakna''s full status without descriptions. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra de Age: 18 | Level: 162 Race: Alkahestic Nine-Tailed Werewolf Path: Nine-Tailed Werewolf Sub-Path: Nephilim [162/250] ? Affiliation: Throne of Glory (Member), Obsidian Throne (Leader) ? Titles: Legendary yer C Legendary Wolf Emperor C Divinity yer C Treasure Hunter C Nemesis of the Abyss C Dungeon Bane C Cmity Hunter C Dimension Breaker C The Kind Demon''s Kin C True Imperial Designation C Chalice of Wishes C Limitless Traveler C Sovereign Monarch of Firmament C Emperor of a Solitary Land C Anti-Divinity C Elysian Pariah C Femme Fatale C Martial Grandmaster C Legendary Beast Emperor ? Potential: S+ | Host Rank: X | Ascent: I ? Normal Attributes: STR: 132.4 | END: 121.4 SPD: 132.4 + 12.5 | DEX: 118.4 INT: 200* | LCK: 9 ? Werewolf Attributes: STR: 214.5 | END: 196.7 SPD: 234.7 | DEX: 191.8 INT: 324 | LCK: 9 ? Avable Vtile Points: 0 Avable Attribute Points: 95.6 (Ascent Correction: 47.8) Avable Skill Points: 3 ? Normal Statistics: STA: 1150.2 | MP: 10460 SWI: 911.7 | AGI: 742 SEN: 4592.9 | ATC: 726 ATT: 1308.3 + 20% Star | DEF: 1179.9 MA: 737 | MR: 134.12/min LP: 7500 | TD [5]: 65.4 ? Werewolf Statistics: STA: 1625.2 | MP: 12940 SWI: 1425 | AGI: 1026 SEN: 7130.5 | ATC: 1170 ATT: 1943.4 | DEF: 1549.4 MA: 1146.2 | MR: 163.9/min LP: 7500 | TD [5]: 97.17 ? Proficiencies: - Mana Rule (Lv. 25 ??) - Wisdom of The Soul (Lv. 24 ??) - Call of Mana (Lv. 23 ??) - Rune Smith (Lv. 22 ??) - Magic Craft (Lv. Ex ?) - Flight (Lv. Ex ?) - Lunar Dominion (Lv. 17 ?) - Spiritual Intent Mastery (Lv. 13 ?) - Weaver of The Material (Lv.12 ?) - Tracking (Lv. Ex) ? Internal Art: - Rippling Ghost of Rupture [SSS-Rank] ? Magic Skills: ? - Everfrost Star Magic (Lv. 25 ??) => [Everfrost Star Manifestation (T.0); Natcattiram Carivu (T.2); Everfrost Nova (T.3); Stardust Temple (T.3); Natcattira Vi (T.4), Natcattiram Cataract (T.5), Everfrost Blizzard (T.6), Natcattira Kir?am (T.6), Natcattiram Vi?untatu (T.6), Star Puppetry (T.10 C T.1); Forger of The Stars (T.10 C T.1); Star Monarch (T.10 C T.1); Everfrost Mist (T.10)] ? - Neverwinter Star Magic (Lv. 24 ??) => [Uniform; Altar of mes (T.5)] - Mystic Star Magic (Lv. 13 ?) => [Uniform] ? - Sloth Magic (Lv. Ex) => [Morfas Efiltis (T.8), Path of Absolution (T.9)] - Pride Magic (Lv.2) => [Wheel of Ego (T.7)] - Wrath Magic (Lv.1) => [Mark of Vindication (T.5); Wrath Demon (T.7)] - Lust Magic (Lv.7) => [Lust Crest (T.7); Charm (T.9)] ? - Union Magic (Sloth + Everfrost) C Frosted Sloth => [Niflhel Niflheim (T.7); Tkkamum (T.8)] ? - Origin Magic C Obsidian Star (???): [Obsidian Star Manifestation (T.0), Na?cattira Piripp? (T.0); Obsidian Storm (T.0)] ? Cognitive Skills: - Absolution of Belphegor (Lv. UEX ???) - Ego of Lucifer (Lv. UEX ???) - Caress of Asmodeus (Lv. UEX ???) - Ire of Satan (Lv. UEX ???) - Philosopher''s Ardent Soul (EX ???) - Pain Immunity (Lv--) - Mind Immunity (Lv--) - Fatigue Immunity (Lv--) - Beast Tongue (Lv--) - The Harvester''s Soul (Lv. 32 ???) - Triad Star Aura (Lv. 26 ??) - Fear Resistance (Lv. 25 ??) - Battle Continuation (Lv. 23 ??) - Mana Helix (Lv.14 ?) (+2400 MP, +240 STA, +3.4 MR) - Death Perception (Lv. Max) ? Spontaneous Skills: - Awakening of Divinity (--) - Empirical Tribtion (--) - All Virtues Shall Kneel (UEX ???) - Kaleidoscope Crystal Sight (UEX ???) - Rift Shuttle (EX ???) - Tail Clone (EX ???) - Quintuple Burst (Lv--) - Celestial Gate (Lv--) - Eonian Gate (Lv--) - Imperial Order (Lv--) - Grand Reinforcement (Lv.25 ??) - Star re (Lv. 25 ??) - Wolfen Lord of Beasts (Lv.21 ??) - Stealth (Lv. 18 ?) - Dead Men Tell (Lv. 17 ?) - Artzpul (Lv. 16 ?) - Size Modtion (Lv. 13 ?) - Legendary Imperial Guard (Lv. 11 ?) - Radiant Talons (Lv. 11 ?) - Enthymio Step (Lv. 7) - Raise Undead (Lv. Ex) - Gradation Hex Buffer (Lv. Ex) - Fortune Search (Lv.4) ? Path Skills: - Moon Shine of the Nine Moons - Lunae Cosmos - Valkal of The Reverse Side ? Nirvana Skills: ? - The Harvester 1St Factor (Core Genome): Nine-Tailed Wolf 2nd Factor: Royal Luqu. 3rd Factor: Dusk Lion King. ? - The Scavenger - Wings of Spatial Copse - ny Ka?aiciykac Cirikkum C The Wolf Shall Have The Last Laugh - Perfidious Edict - Incarnation of Phobos ? Unique or Racial Traits: - Obsidian Blood of the Sage Beast - Shape Shift - True Smell of the Wolf God - Luqu''s Wings - Void Breathing - Eye of Symphony ? - Prima Alkahest Materia Physique C [Integrated Traits: Shuttle Specter Physique, Standard Regeneration, Internalized Magic Circuits] ? - Chalice of the Crystal Wolf - Soul Beast Contract C Established - Wed of Essence ? ? ? ? Chapter 364: Forgiveness Chapter 364: Forgiveness Lucrecia woke up in a cold sweat, her eyes snapping open and her body springing up from the bed she was lying on. Reflexively, she tried to deploy her aura as the image of a crimson being peering into her eyes overwhelmed her mind. However, it barelysted a second before ethereal chains suddenly sprouted from around her and constrained her power until it was forced to return inside of her. Her breath stopped for a moment and she clutched her chest with a frown. The chains then faded away in white sparks. "Chains? The Cager''s legacy? It''s that girl''s doing" She growled as her head cleared up thanks to the pain. She was able to take in her surroundings and was confounded to see a simple but quite inviting room. When looking out the window, she saw a picturesque garden that she couldn''t help but find beautiful, evenpared to some sceneries in Old Eden and other touristic teaus. She furrowed her eyebrows and got out of bed whilst clenching her hands. She wasn''t sure of her current location, but if she had to guess, this was Rakna Xiorra''s territory. She clenched her teeth as she remembered the humiliation of having had to bow down to a child decades younger than herself. ''Of course, I knew he held the emperor title titles, even. But realistically, it''s natural to expect a host so young not to possess enough power to make use of them,'' she thought grimly and warily walked toward the door, her eyes wandering to the furniture. None of it looked special or expensive but she could sense divinity inside each item; most likely the effect of reinforcement. ''What kind of monster aplishes this much so fast?'' She couldn''t help but shiver. Slowly, she opened the door and peeked outside. Instantly, she was confronted with a summoned creature quietly sitting on the side of the corridor; an elemental wolf. Lucrecia blinked in surprise and the summon nced at her before pointing in one direction with its paw. Her eye faintly twitched. ''He ordered a familiar to watch over me? Am I that unimportant?'' Without a sound, the wolf then proceeded to stand up and walk away at a measured pace, as if it was expecting her to follow. Grudgingly, she trailed behind and ultimately ended up in the living room of the mansion, where she found a small group of people awaiting her. Rakna casually waved his hand at her with a smile while sitting on the couch. "Good morning, have you properly cooled off?" He inquired with a sharp gaze. Lucrecia winced and eyed the other women staring at her with each their different attitude; one was calm like the sea and had a scent of divinity, another felt like an innocent flower, and thest one was grinning wildly and ready to pounce on her at any sign of hostility. The Matriarch also scowled at the Nine-Headed Hydra calmly sitting next to its owner, releasing what she undoubtedly recognized as Mystic Energy. ''forget the child, all these are a problem. If the girl''s chains were not on me, my speed would have been enough to dispatch them before they could even react,'' she thought and then silently groaned to herself. ''No that boy might be able to react to my full speed. I can feel it; his senses are absolute. It''s as if anywhere he stands in is his domain. And that girl'' A bead of sweat ran down Lucrecia''s temple as she squinted her eyes at the doll-like woman gently observing her, like a curious child. ''What in tarnation is this magic power?'' She steeled herself as her eyes glowed and peered into a well of magical energy of magnitudes she had never seen in her entire life. It was bottomless, iprehensible, and inanely oppressive all at once. "looks like you noticed something interesting," an amused voice jolted her and she red back at the primary source of her mortification. Rakna gave a small smile at Ceresta who adorned a confused expression. "You must have a skill to see the mana pool or the raw power of one''s magic, don''t you?" He asked. "Believe me I was as surprised as you were when I saw it the first time," he added as his eyes briefly shed gold. "Um are you talking about me?" The former AI tilted her head with her hushed tone. The therian chuckled. "And she has yet to realize." "what do you intend to do with me?" Lucrecia coldly cut through his joviality. "It will take me at worst an hour to get rid of the fox princess'' chains," she uttered while wrapping her hand around an invisible shackle, causing white mes to sear through the gaps of her fingers in reprisal. "Even without that you could have already killed me. So, why haven''t you?" "You say some funny things," Rakna replied with a raised eyebrow. "I gain nothing." "I tried to kill you." "Not exactly," he retorted. "You wanted to, but you didn''t strike." "What difference does it make? The moment these restraints are gone, I will do it again." "you''ll do it no matter what I say to you about why I killed your cub?" "Yes," she replied without so much as a thought. With a sigh, Rakna''s purple eyes shone and Sonata rattled as it began to float up. The tension rose for everyone in the room, but before anything could happen, the therian paused and his bubbling aura died down. "{Let me,}" a growly voice echoed in his mind. It took him a moment to realize who it belonged to. After all, he had never heard him speak in his presence. "I see" He uttered and Sonata wasid at rest under the dubious eyes of Lucrecia. "Youe out then," he stated and stirred his soul power, before exhaling a stream of purple mes. The Ardent mes flew out of his mouth within a single breath and congregated into the form of a nine-tailed wolf, sitting in azy but prideful manner. The mes eventually steadied themselves and the tangible figure of Fenriu appeared, indistinguishable from a physical being. "You are?!" Lucrecia''s eyes widened in shock. There was no mistaking who the wolf was or even its authenticity. She would never fail to recognize the soul of one of her own. "What did--!" "Irrelevant," the juvenile wolf interrupted her tly and narrowed his eyes. "The pesky fool does not need your pardon, nor do I need your useless consideration," Fen spoke slowly, his voice echoing gutturally and aloofly. "It was my loss; his victory. Your anger has no ce here." The Matriarch stepped back as if she had taken a blow, her previous expression of determination shattered to uncover pain "I" She bit her lip and swallowed her words. She had no right to defend her actions if the reason itself was condemning her. "Most importantly, n Head" He grunted. "It''s a bitte, no?" It was exactly as he said. She didn''t need to know why or how the young wolf''s soul was intact and even seemed to be in a stronger state than whenever he was abducted; the only emotion that was left at the forefront of her mind was shame. She unclenched her fists and closed her eyes. Then, to the surprise of the onlookers, she knelt in front of Fen and lowered her head as if seeking judgment. Looking at the floor, her wolf ears and tails drooped. "I''m sorry," she said with a firm voice. "" Fen''s eyes only squinted further in response. "Not because of my actions, nor my anger you didn''t share," she spoke sincerely. Here she was, a ruler to all Nine-Tailed Wolves, prostrating to a young cub. "I apologize for my failure. I''ve sworn to protect my kin. Yet, I was careless enough to allow you to be taken away. Under my nose, you were wronged and led to your death." Rakna, Nyx, and Higure looked at each other, lost as to what they should do. Only Ceresta kept her eyes on Lucrecia, her face unreadable. Eventually, she was the first to act and stood up from her seat, catching the attention of Fen. Ceres approached Lucrecia and crouched next to her, tapping her dress as it folded over her knees, and the Matriarch looked up in bemusement, almost enchanted by the doll''s delicate features. "I have yet a lot to learn," Ceresta whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. "I''m not certain I can understand your feelings, but it bothers me. I believe I''ve been in a simr ce before," she said with soft eyes. "While I apanied Rakna as his AI, there were plenty of times I experienced indescribable pains. I couldn''t stand seeing him hurt, and often, I believed that as the one closest to him at all times, I should have done more to protect him from hardship." "AI?" Lucrecia''s pupils shook and flicked to Rakna who was smiling wryly. Ceresta made a small smile. "I simply learned that not everything I desire can be decided by me or affected by my wishes. How can I try my best to do something if the intention arrives after the misfortune strikes?" The wolf Matriarch couldn''t utter a word in response and Fen chortled. "Listen to the doll," he huffed. "It''s not your fault, thus not your responsibility. So, leave it to rest," he dered and turned around toward Rakna, his body starting the process to disperse into purple mes. "Please wait" Lucrecia stopped him calmly, her head lifted. The wolf looked over at her and she gazed right back. "At least is there something you would like to tell your parents? I will ry it personally." Fen''s expression creased for a moment and he looked away. "No need. I will see them again one day. I trust the fool to grant me a new lease on life when the timees," he stated without a pause and scattered into soul mes, which Rakna absorbed back through his hands with a shake of his head. "The first time I hear you speak and you just call me a fool," he uttered in amusement and looked at Lucrecia with a tilt of his head. "Well, he was more verbose than I expected... Does your kind get that smart so young?" "No" The Matriarch sighed and stood up. "Normally we stay in a stage of infancy until we are five years old, where we acquire our shape-shifting. I don''t know what happened or what you did to integrate his soul into you but, it seems it elerated his growth. Perhaps even reced what we Nine-Tailed usually unlock with something else." Rakna snorted. "I see. If he had been like that when we met, we might have never fought. I would also have nevere as far as I did on the other hand," he added. Lucrecia let out a long breath and this time just bowed her head. "I apologize for what I did," she said and Ceresta smiled as she stood back a bit. "It was rash and impulsive of me." "It''s fine. I don''t me you for anything. And I''m sure you''ve gotten enough punishment from my avatar already," Rakna replied and she responded with a trembling smile. "Yes, I sure did" She said bitterly and straightened herself. "But can I ask you something? How did you be a wolf? We were told that you entered the Initiation human, but came out of it as one of our own is it rted to you absorbing his soul? Or was it your master who intervened?" ''Right, she doesn''t know who ''Obsidian'' really is,'' Rakna narrowed his eyes. ''They still think I have a nine-tailed master. Well, I could easily say he saved me by using Fen as the medium. But before that'' The therian answered with another question, "Who told you about this? I''m sure you didn''t rush to my ce just because you had a sudden hunch, right?" "That''s" She blinked. "Earlier this morning, we n Heads were mobilized to encircle the branch of the Scorpions after the announcement. However, they had evacuated the premises long before that time. Only Luzhe remained, their leader. He was the one who hinted at your involvement and even insinuated your change of race was due to our cub''s death." "As expected then" Rakna hummed. "It''s admittedly weird that I came out of the Initiation as a therian, but most people would think that it''s thanks to Obsidian at this point. How could he be so sure? Unless he saw" "Your status," Lucrecia finished for him and he frowned at her. "You might not know about this, but one of the Nine-Tailed Scorpions is one of the Top 10 Rankers. His name is Afnil Albus, known as the White Scorpion. He''s infamous for having the strongest stealth." "He''s the main reason why the Scorpions are feared for their intel; he''s capable of inspecting the status of targets as high as level 900 without being caught," the Matriarch squinted. "Chances are he did it to you as well. Very recently too from what Luzhe said." Rakna''s expression twitched. Considering the timing, and that no stranger could enter a territory without the System warning the owner, there was only one time he could have been scanned aftering out Zero. "{While you were getting steamy with thedies,}" Fray helpfullymented, mirth dripping from his tone. Rakna groaned and tried to remember if he had sensed anything odd, but nothing came to mind. In the first ce, if it was something he could sense, Kaelith would have reacted first. ''So, there''s a guy capable of piercing through the Sin of Sloth''s protection'' He thought. ''I suppose it was inevitable. The more fame I gain, the more chances there are of stronger Hosts checking on me. But it had to be the scorpions of all people It means the Abyss also has all the information they need on me as well.'' Lucrecia watched him ponder. "I assume it is a power of yours then," she voiced. "It would make the most sense as even an elusive being like your master would not find much sess searching for disciples in Initiation dimensions. He must have set his sights on you afterward." Rakna chuckled wryly at her interpretation. "Well, I guess so" It was then that their conversation was interrupted by someone opening the door. A child-looking boy with azure hair entered the house while reading a book and when the entrance closed behind him, he looked up to see everyone staring at him. Hans scowled at them. "what?" "You''re back already?" Rakna was the one to wee him first. He didn''t seem to be surprised by his arrival. "Did Eva open up Zero?" The boy huffed. "Not exactly. She instituted a Pavilion and allowed those that she did not intend to punish leave. Cura and I were such individuals. Speaking of which, he requested me to inform you that he would like to have his spar soon." The therian snickered. "And he''ll have it. We made a soul contract for our deal; I can''t refuse to do it for too long." "Right," Hans ended the topic dispassionately and turned toward Lucrecia. Immediately, thetter shuddered as their eyes crossed. It felt like her existence was being dissected by his gaze. She once again asked herself where Rakna kept finding these terrifying people. "How dreadfully loyal," the author suddenlymented, almost kindly. "I have never encountered somebody with more loyalty than you. Be proud of it or reflect upon it," he uttered and nced at Ceresta. "And I see that you have bloomed safely; good for you." With those words, he headed toward the stairs and left for the second floor. Ceresta was left with a pensive expression and Lucrecia was rooted on the spot, staring at where he left. "Yeah, he does that to people," Rakna said in amusement. Sorry, I had a rough two weeks not necessarily because I hadnt much time or because I couldnt write, but because I felt like shit. Like, if there was an illness of which the symptoms were having your brain half-fucking-dead 24/7, Im pretty sure Id have it. . I did fuck up my sleeping schedule a bit but holy shit I never experienced so much bacsh from it before. It was literally as if my mind was cursed by that mood you get when you wake up in the morning and then it never went away. . I still intend to keep the schedule as is btw. I swear to fucking god I''ll bring these updates back to where I want them to be.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 365: Understand The Téra Chapter 365: Understand The Tra Back in Old Eden, at the residence of the Nine-Tailed Foxes that epassed thousands of square miles ofnd, Kaelith sat down in her father''s office, facing thetter behind his desk. She stared at him with her arms and legs crossed and an arched eyebrow. "is there something you want to say?" Karyu eventually gave in under the pressure and lifted his head from his work. "You could have tried a little harder to stop Lucrecia," his daughter chided and he sighed. "What was I supposed to do? Imprison her?" He shook his head. "Your boyfriend is a Dual Emperor with absolute authority over wolves, and on top of that, you and your mother were present. If he had been vulnerable, of course, I would have stopped her. But he was not." "Right, so you left it for us to deal with despite the risks of confrontation," Kaelith deadpanned. Karyu looked away a bit and cleared his throat. "Anyway he made her faint, huh? He''s stronger than I expected. I suppose his titles are not empty crowns. He''s an impressive boy." The vixen snorted. "You have no idea how big of a crown some of his other titles are," she stated and he sent her a puzzled look, which she shrugged off. "At least I''m happy you epted him as my lover without a fuss instead of saying some stupid shit like he''s too young or weak. Saves me the trouble of beating you up ck and blue and taking over your n Head position," she said in apletely honest and innocent voice. The older man managed to keep a straight face, but if you looked closely, there was a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. ''Yes which is precisely why I didn''t bother'' He retorted silently and exhaled tiredly. There was no doubt in his mind she was capable of actuating that threat. He may trump her when it came to level and Host Rank, but when it came to pure battle strength, Kaelith outssed anyone else in the n. In the first ce, as things were going the boyfriend himself might outss him very soon as well. "What kind of things do you say to your father?" He nhelessmented out loud. "Oh, it''s fine. Cheer up, dad. I knew you weren''t stuck up like that. Honestly, I was just scared you would agree with the old farts of the council after spending so much time with them." "Right currently, they''re more annoyed about the fact that your mother is taking funds from the treasury without asking anyone," Karyu leaned back and smiled. "You wouldn''t happen to know what it is for, would you?" Kaelith grinned. "You''ll see soon. It''s rted to wolfy too and the foreseen results far outweigh the investment, believe me. Though, frankly, I think having mom stop being azy drunkard is the best part of it all." "You don''t say" Karyu huffed in amusement and looked back at his desk, spreading apart a few documents with a wave of his hand. "Well, jokes aside, what are we going to do about the bugs?" Kaelith inquired. "There isn''t much to say," he grunted. "We''ll have to first settle their assets. They took everything of physical value with them, obviously. But they still own certain businesses and properties under the name of the n. We''ll sever our tie with their name and personally participate in the Global Quest to hunt them down. It would be a disgrace for us not to capture our own dissidents." "Don''t you worry that the n will be under pressure now?" The vixen frowned. "The Scorpions were rotten, but they gave results. Without them, we lost a massive amount of leverage against Guilds or ns vying for our influence. In fact, some of them might try to swallow our assets." "I''m well aware, and that will be the main topic to discuss with the other Heads. We need to set up defenses until we finish restructuring and building a new intelligence branch. But before that," he paused and flipped one of the papers he was reading. Tapping on the document with his fingers, Karyu sat back as a harmless flow of mana came out of the paper and projected several images, texts, videos, and data all around the office. Kaelith raised an eyebrow and recognized the views of certain teaus; those infamous for being dens of Tra, vampires, and other fiends. "The Abyss?" She voiced out and her father nodded. "It has already started," he said as he grasped one of the videos with a hand motion and brought it in between them. "I received all this barely half an hour ago," he added as the images yed several groups of Hosts going against hundreds of mindless Tra. The environment was ringly noticeable, consisting of square areas ofpletely different environments and elevations. "that''s the Outer Land," Kaelith recognized the teau immediately. "Why?" "Hm?" "What are those Hosts doing? If they can ess the 700th teau, you would think they''d be much more cautious about this whole thing," the vixen couldn''t help but scowl in confusion. "It''s barely been a few hours since the Global Quest was issued. It''s frantic." "Ah," Karyu realized the cause of her perplexity. "Try to remember. The Quest said you would be rewarded for your victories and granted power from the defeat of your enemies." "Well yes?" "And have you noticed that this Quest also has no direct reward stiptions?" Kaelith blinked and then widened her eyes. "You mean this is a contribution type?" "Yes," he nodded. "Not only that; there are reports of Hosts gaining a very small percentage of the defeated targets'' attributes. They also give more experience and the Quest provides a leaderboard with clear separation of the top scorers to spur even morepetition." "I see no wonder everyone is leading hunts already." "And it''s dangerous," Karyu sighed. "For now, it''s limited to the weaker Tra. Those are weak and mostly incapable of thought. Millions are roaming the System and proliferating almost just as fast as they''re being culled. However, when people start to turn toward the smarter ones or most importantly, the vampires" "It''s going to devolve very fast," Kaelith finished grimly. "Nesslyria is cruel as a Queen. There''s no surprise there that she allied with the Abyss Empress. And worst of all, she''s powerful and holds over half of the vampire poption under her. If they are attacked, they''ll strike back." "And then a System-wide war will break out," her father dered. "The Scorpions can and will try to assassinate threats. God knows what the White Scorpion will do now as an enemy." "and the Abyss Empress? Do we have an idea of who or where she is?" Karyu shook his head. "Unknown. Everything about her. Before the announcement ever came, her whole existence was already nothing but hearsay." Kaelith lowered her eyes in thought. "Nyx and wolfy told me a few things they heard from one of the Abyss Rulers The Empress is supposedly a Tras tempered by Meuro, the true name of what they''ve been calling the Abyss In Nyx''s own words, the Abyss Empress would be a creature that wields nothingness as a weapon." The Fox Patriarch furrowed his eyebrows. "at this point in time, there''s one thing we need that''s more important than ever." "Which is?" "To" ? * * * ? "understand the Tra," Rakna said as he snacked on a cookie, the rest of the group enjoying their own pastries and drinks. Ceresta was particrly entranced in tasting everything. "Understand them?" Lucrecia raised her voice questioningly as she closed the various messages she was receiving from her n about the situation with the Global Quest. "In other words, we need information. What they''re capable of," Nyx exined in his stead. "Just knowing of their Empress'' mutation will do nothing. While it is obvious she must be powerful, to a point she might even be dissociated from the System, it would be better to know the full extent of her abilities as well as her motive." "For now, all they have done is work behind the scenes of Kratos and teau Zero," Rakna added with a hum. "They created the Grafted an army of Half-Tra. The question is what for." "Who knows, world domination?" Higure threw a guess casually, leaning forward with her hands on the couch''s headboard and her tail waggingzily behind her. The therian snorted. "How could I have not thought of that?" He mirrored her smirk for a moment and she blinked in surprise before her tail elerated in excitement. "Mhm, I like this new version of you," she nodded happily, which made him shake his head. Nyx rolled her eyes. "It is not the time to be flirting, you two." "Nope, it''s always time," the lioness rebutted mirthfully. "You should try it a bit more too. You have crossed all the bases already. You have to reinforce your basics now," she said meaningfully and the goddess blushed. "Please do not turn this house into a den of debauchery," Hans'' voice resounded as he came back from above, having seemingly changed attires to a casual style. Once again, he nced at Lucrecia, who also stared back. For some reason, both silently maintained a deadlock until the azure-haired boy scoffed and looked away, prompting the she-wolf to smile victoriously. Rakna raised an eyebrow in amusement and Hans ignored it in favor of something else, "If the next step is to learn more about Pandora''s Spawn, there are two specific individuals to consider as ideal sources," he stated. "The first is obviously Eternal Night, their alleged ''Father''. However, logically, the second choice bears more chances of sess. And it happens to be essible to us." Nyx widened her eyes in recognition. "Him" "Yes, the abhorred Architect of Eternal Night; the Mad God, Karaskan." ? * * * ? In a teau hidden from all where divinity fills the air and Celestials roam free, one figure d in a thick fog of darkness sat on a familiar eight-branched cross adorned by a skull. Cackling, the God of Madness looked up at the sky, his eyes darker than a ck hole. The shadows that swathed him obscured his appearance, but they were not separate from him. The darkness was part of him; born to be veiled from light. "One, two, three" He uttered in a sing-song voice. "Is that how many times I will have died? We''re on our way to meet again, Arimane. A seed watered by your legend Truly, destiny has an uncanny way to spit on all our faces." Despite his mncholic voice, Karaskan grinned hopelessly; brokenly. The Mad God did not care about sentiments. He was one of the oldest Gods to live, he was mad before madness existed. And lost in his wallows of misery, he made himself a Nemesis, crafted the Kind Demon, and cursed the world with Pandora. The weakest, fakest, yet most thriving viin. Chapter 366: Celestial Plateau Chapter 366: Celestial teau "Um, just to be sure, I only have to activate the skill and wait, right?" Rakna asked Ceresta as they all stood outside the mansion of his territory. "Yes," the AI nodded softly. "It is not exactly an ability, after all. It is a privilege. The System grants it to you once you call upon it." "Well, here goes nothing," the therian and opened his hand. "[Celestial Gate,]" he intoned and an abnormal type of runic formation appeared above his palm. It wasn''t quite a magical formation and had plenty of numerical symbols and geometrical shapes. On cue, the air of the underground territory began to converge toward his location as a distortion of light was forming in front of him. Within a few seconds, the wind settled down and arge gate materialized where the blur was. It was made of gold and marble, releasing sickening amounts of divinity. Rakna shuddered despite himself, almost in disgust. "I can feel my mes rattling," he uttered and waved his arm as if trying to shake off an ufortable numbness. His Ardent Soul red at the tip of his fingers for a split second and he huffed. "I''ve felt this before but pure divinity gives me the chills for some reason." Nyx smiled faintly at his side. "It''s because it is not pure," she retorted and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Think; do you have the same opinion about mine?" "now that you say it, no." "Pure divinity is what I have, refined to perfection. But most lower Gods possess a mix of divinity and mortality. In a way..." She squinted her eyes at him. "That unpleasantness you suffer is because you have something purer than even them. Now even more so since your soul burns both divinity and infernity to fuel its mes. Strictly speaking, it''s a natural reaction to be wary of pollution." Rakna mused as he looked at the Celestial Gate. For a moment, he had an idea but decided against testing it on something he was going to use. "Anyway, all of you areing?" He asked everyone around him, Lucrecia included, who was quietly standing with her arms crossed. "Consider my presence as official cooperation between you and the n," she said. "Whatever the Mad God has to say, I will ry it back. Fin would have been more suited, but since you''re going, I better tag along. With the Eternal Maiden, Karaskan might be interested enough to speak more." Hans scoffed. "It is not her among us who will catch his interest," he rebuked and Lucrecia scowled at him. "What do you mean?" She questioned and he shrugged, not deigning to answer. "You''ll see," Higure told her. "But just keep quiet about it unless he decides to reveal it." Lucrecia eyed her suspiciously and naturally switched attention to Rakna. He was the only other person here that she could be referring to. ''Does he have something to do with Karaskan?'' "All right then, let''s go," the therian announced and touched the doors of the gate. Promptly, they trembled loudly and slowly opened up to them, a stream of light pouring out as if water. One after another, they entered and the gate closed behind them. ? * * * ? ? ? ? ? You have stepped into the Celestial teau! ? The metaphysical stability of your surroundings has been set to its highest value. Beware of the environment as it may harm you if you are not careful. ? --- ? The residents of the Celestial teau are prohibited from harming guests unless they wish to incur severe punishment. However, any act of hostility made toward them will result in permission to retaliate. The upper limit of such self-defense will be equivalent to the intention of the attacker. Shall the guest strike with murderous intent, the Celestial shall be allowed to kill them in return. ? ? ? ? ? "This" Rakna pressed his temple in difort as his sight began to show him colors that didn''t match the view. Itsted a moment before Eye of Symphony spun and cleared up his vision. There was also a strange heaviness in his body, but it didn''t feel like a difference in gravity. He turned around toward his group and noticed that a few of them were having a simr reaction to it. But they seemed to be better off than him somehow. Higure, Nyx, and Lucrecia were visibly acting fine, while Ceresta briefly had a frown until she manually calibrated her senses. Even Hans was unperturbed, merely grunting. All in all, only Pronos seemed to be as diforted as him. The lioness noticed his gaze and smiled. "The jump in metaphysical stability can be hard to adapt to if it''s too steep. You feel heavier, but it''s essentially just you requiring more power to navigate in this ce. I once lived in the upper teaus, so it''s easy for me. As I''m sure it is for Lucrecia as well," she added, to which the she-wolf nodded. Nyx followed up, "It''s simr to aura, only that it is produced by thend itself instead of a living being. It raises all aspects of durability by many folds. I''m ustomed to it, and to even stronger ones than this. It''s not a problem." "In my case, I simply have a unique power," Hans dered dryly. "Likewise I think," Ceresta tilted her head. "for once, I''m the underdog," Rakna muttered to himself and they snickered. He then finally took a better look at the scenery and hummed. "Still, this is quite normal well, except that," he said as his eyes inevitablynded on a giant tree located at the center of the meadow they were in. That singr tree felt taller than most mountains the therian had ever seen. Aside from that, the rest of the in was as normal as it gets. Though focusing just a bit, Rakna quickly spotted various changes in terrain far in the distance. Some looked ame, frozen, flooded, or stormy. "This ce is divided into private regions for each God," Ceresta exined. "A territory is shaped by its owner, and its size increases based on how powerful they are. I don''t know where we are currently, but this meadow seems to belong to at least a Quasi-Ancient God." "This is odd," Lucreciamented. "From experience, entering the Celestial teau ces you in a neutral zone." "That''s true in most cases," Ceresta nodded. "However, if the Gate caster has a prior connection to one of the Gods, and thetter agrees to their presence, then they will appear here." "A prior connection? In this context, who would that even?" Before Rakna could finish, a gust of wind blew past them and a shadow covered the sun for a short second. They looked up and saw a giant eagle fly above them andnd nearby. "We meet again, young wolf," the creature spoke with an audible smirk. "Was my heart tasteful?" Rakna first blinked in surprise before letting out a huff in amusement. "I had better, honestly. But it wasn''t all that bad," he joked and the eagle chuckled. "I see that much has changed in you as well. Good, growth is praiseworthy." "You''re the Divine Avatar from the Tutorial, right?" Nyx asked hesitantly. "Aqu?" "Indeed," the divine being nodded. "Whom you stand before at the moment is my true self. So, it is a pleasure to meet you, finally," he bowed his head as a gesture of goodwill. "However, rather than me, there is someone else more eager to meet you." Rakna didn''t even need to ask, already sensing a terribly powerful presence approaching. He bent his neck to look up and an eagle evenrger than Aqu with gilded wingsnded in front of them in a spiral of wind. He could smell the divinity wafting off in waves, yet his aura felt inexistent. It was as if this creature belonged to a world he couldn''t reach; incapable of being sensed, for his power was far too great for mortals to consciously grasp. "Hahaha, so it is you, the wolfwalker whoughed," the God greeted cheerily and leaned his head forward, stretching his neck to look at the group closer with his golden eyes. "Hm what a ragtag gathering of unique individuals," he said in a teasing tone and nced at Lucrecia. "Oh? You have we met before?" The Wolf Matriarch respectfully lowered her head. "I believe so, yes, Lord Garuda. It was several years ago; our n visited this teau for our young to earn a chance to be blessed." "Aah, I remember," he nodded. "A few of us went to see you out of curiosity. But as I remember, it was only one of you that received a blessing, no?" Lucrecia smiled wryly. "Yes, sir. It was me." "Hahaha," Garudaughed. "No wonder then. Was it Rajudra? Ah, no, it was Aeolus, wasn''t it? You carry the color of the storms with you." "It is as you say." "Mhm," the Eagle God nodded twice and then turned toward Rakna. "And there you are. You have intrigued me quite a bit ever since I heard of you. Not to mention, I ought to thank you for giving me such a goodugh," he cackled. "How funny it was for Aqu over here toe to me and say that one of the seedlings had consumed one of his clones and stolen a part of his divinity." Aqu sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, Lord Garuda it was incredibly funny, you''ve made it clear." "Well, as long as you''re not out to kill me for it," Rakna jested. "Haha, of course not. I respect your achievement," Garuda smiled. "It was nothing serious. Aqu regenerated the divinity he lost to you in about a day anyway." "Good to hear," Rakna hummed. "Though, you mentioned ''the wolfwalker whoughed'' is there something I''m missing here?" The Eagle God chuckled. "Don''t worry, I was referring to a wave of power we felt not long ago. It felt quite chaotic and malicious no, a more urate description would be ''wicked''," he narrowed his eyes at the therian. "Like a man taking the world down to the grave with him whileughing." The corners of Rakna''s mouth twitched upward. ''The Origin Explosion He perfectly grasped the nature of ''The Last Laugh'' from all the way here'' He snorted. "I see. I didn''t expect it to reach even this teau." "Hm, I understand your surprise," Garuda nodded. "But the truth of the matter is that the System is nothing more than a dimensional hive. Everything inside of it is connected to some extent." "A hive, huh?" The therian mused. "Then, would it technically be possible to strike targets that are located on apletely different teau as long as the attack pierces through the hive''syers?" Garuda and Aqu actually blinked at the suggestion. The former used his wing to rub his beak in thought. "I perhaps?" He tilted his head. "With enough raw power and the appropriate method, the idea might go somewhere. But chances are, the attack would die out during the ''travel''. Even I do not possess such raw power. If you wish to make it viable, it would be easier to ce beacons in each of the teaus involved. I, for sure, could do it if a believer of mine called upon my name with faith as the beacon." The Eagle God considered the thought seriously while Rakna''spanions looked at thetter in utter disbelief. "What kind of horribly unfair ability are you trying to invent here?" Higure asked in a nk tone and he shrugged. On the other hand, Garudaughed heartily. "That''s how you should do it! Break the mold; let your wings be free," he expressed. "Always go beyond what you can see, and always try to see beyond where you can go." Rakna smiled. "Thanks for thepliment, I guess." "Hahaha, you''re wee," the Eagle God grinned. "But now, if I may ask what is the purpose of your visit to this teau?" Chapter 367: Heights of Divinity Chapter 367: Heights of Divinity "Karaskan" Garuda mumbled with a frown. "I see. I did hear about the convoluted conflict that just broke out with the Tra it''s quite interesting, honestly." "What is?" Lucrecia was the one to raise the question. "I came to the System after the birth of Pandora''s Spawn," the Eagle God replied. "Though I''m one of the more powerful Celestials here, as far as my stay goes, I''m new. So, I can say for certain after having witnessed the birth of the Tra; they did not have that kind of ego." "Oh, but don''t misunderstand," he added hastily. "They were intelligent, without a doubt. They had a hivemind that connected them all, some could lead the rest, and a few could talk. But this acute sense of self that the Abyss Tra seem to possess is unlike their original design." "Do you know anything about Meuro?" Rakna asked back after a bit of thought. "Well, of course." "The Abyss Empress is supposedly a Tras who survived within it, adapted, and wielded its power which she passed down to others of her kind," the therian recounted. Garuda fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. Aqu sent his Patron God a puzzled look; it was rare for him to be this contemtive about something. "I''m afraid my knowledge is not enough," the Eagle God eventually admitted. "Despite my Quasi-Ancient nomenture, I''m not strong enough to survive in Meuro for long, much less understand its intricacies. You would need to refer to a full-fledged Ancient or Mythical God at least. All I know is that the Tra are species with the concept of mutation recing any sort of evolution process." "No worries, I didn''t expect to get all the answers right away anyway," Rakna reassured him and looked around. "Though, do you know where Karaskan''s territory would be?" "Again, I''m sorry to say that I don''t. However, if you wish so, I can fly you on my back to search for him. I can ask my neighbors; they might know where he is." "That would be" Rakna paused. "Wait, actually, give me a moment," he lifted his hand and closed his eyes. At the same time, purple mes crept under his skin and trickled down in a symmetrical pattern over his body. ck smoke began to be released at the same time; indicating the activation of Founding Instinct. Everyone stepped away from him in surprise, sensing a wave of soul power that felt both cold and warm on a physical level. Only Garuda opened his eyes wide in fascination, "Oh, oh a Monarch." Meanwhile, Rakna strained his senses to the limit, and following his instincts, he turned toward a certain direction and activated Crystal Sight as he began to hear voices. Like fireflies, flickers of light appeared all around him and they all spoke to him, from near and afar. They giggled, sang, chanted, cried,ughed, and talked. ? "Hehehe, the wind dances!" "Ll~" "Ah! Look, look! He can hear us!" "Smoldered like molten steel!" "He can hear us; he can hear us~" "Hahaha, Ruin!" "The revtion of clouds shines from above." "Ah, the ice woes the lightning" "Plunge the world into eternal madness!" ? Rakna snapped his eyes open and locked onto thatst voice. Without him even thinking about it, his Ardent mes erupted from his feet and formed a straight line in a certain direction. His Crystal Sight simrly expanded his vision to untold distances until he found himself looking at a dark figure''s back. He blinked his eyes back to normal and opened his mouth. "There," he said calmly whilst waving at the trail of mes and Garuda grinned. "All right then, young ones. Hop on," he dered and unfurled his wings, lowering his body ever so slightly for them to jump on his back. "It''s going to get shaky, so hold on tight," he dered after they climbed and readied himself to take off. "Aqu, wait for us here." His Avatar nodded respectfully. "Understood." "Is it fine to cross the territories of other Gods?" Higure asked curiously as the group felt a bubble of wind gather around the Eagle God, most likely meant to protect them from the force they were about to confront while flying. "Fret not, this teau has a pact of non-aggression," Garuda exined and struck the ground with one of his ws. Promptly, as if lifted by an invisible force, he ascended at a rather slow pace and with his wings deployed high. "Ready?" He chuckled and before they could answer, he pped his wings. From an outside perspective, it was as if he had teleported away without a sound. However, the truth of the matter was highlighted by a perfect tunnel of swiveling air left behind him. He had been so fast that the sound barrier didn''t even have the time to be broken. Instead, all there was left on the God''s path was a vacuum that was naturally filled up by the atmosphere. Rakna could barely look at the passing scenery without feeling light-headed. In fact, it could barely be defined as such since he couldn''t make out what the scenery was in the first ce. Even if he tried to elerate his thoughts with Eye of Symphony, the only thing he could envision happening was him frying his brain. And again, the girls were rtively fine inparison. A Dusk Lion, a former Goddess, a Matriarch of the Nine-Tailed n, and an AI in a half-homunculus body who probably had better processing speed than all of thembined. Only Pronos seemed to be in the same boat as him this time. "{We are flying over one of the neutral zones if you are curious,}" Garuda spoke in everyone''s mind through telepathy. "{They are extremely vast, so if it wasn''t for me you would probably require about a day of continuous voyage topletely cross one from start to finish. These ces can be used by visiting Hosts to await an audience with any of us Gods, and we can also use these grounds to hunt for our meals if we feel like it.}" "{It''s in these zones as well that we asionally spar. This normally leads to the destruction of the entire zone until the next Reset,}" the eagle added with augh. Rakna huffed. "{Talk about coteral damage}" "{Hahaha, it''s inevitable. There''s a proverb that goes like this among us Celestials; a Heavenly God will obliterate continents in a battle, an Ancient God will shatters, a Mythical God will erase a gxy in its wake, and a Primordial God will end the world.}" Nyx giggled softly at his words. "{I haven''t heard that in a while,}" shemented and nced at the others staring at her. "{Also, for rification, even a mere Heavenly God can easily bring downs. It''s only the scale of their power''s full brunt that is lower. That applies to all the above.}" "{Exactly!}" ''How damn overpowered would a Primordial God be then?'' Rakna couldn''t help but think. "{By the way, Nyx,}" Higure interjected. "{I don''t think we ever asked you; what stage of divinity were you before losing your powers?}" "{I''m also intrigued,}" Garuda added. "{Aqu told me about you long ago already. And now that I meet you in person, I can tell you were stronger than me. Your divinity is that pure.}" The Night Goddess smiled bitterly. "{I was stuck at Quasi-Mythical. As you might know, outside of here, Ancient Gods, and beings at that level of power, aremonlybeled Transcendentals. It is named so because it requires transcending an aspect of yourself, elements, or the world, to reach it. But then, the next step bes vague and elusive.}" Nyx lowered her head and squinted softly as if reminiscing. "{After perfecting my transcendence and reaching a bottleneck in my spiritual energies, I never managed to rise up to the ranks of the Mythical Ones. The woman whom I served under at the time was one such being.}" "{The one you said is my old man''s sister?}" Rakna inquired curiously and she nodded. On the side, Garuda almost messed up his flight at the implications of that question and Lucrecia gaped at the therian, which he casually ignored. "{Yes, Lady Ahura offered me advice during those times. Word for word, she told me this; ''Some do not even notice the barrier between those two stages. They break through unbothered. There is no particr reason. Neither talent, effort, time, nor luck. Ascending to the ranks of Mythical Gods is indicative of one thing; to sever yourself from fate. It''s about bing a living myth that even mortals that see you with their own eyes will never believe it. But''}" Nyx gazed at Rakna, who tilted his head, and smiled. "{''Some people simply refuse fate''s hand from birth'',}" she finished and the therian blinked in realization. "{Sadly, I was tethered. No matter how much I tried, I had reached my limit. Honestly I''m thankful to have lost my powers. Lately, I havee to realize that I have a second chance to seed where I previously failed. And I know I can do it this time,}" she dered to herself, but her eyes were locked onto Rakna''s. He gazed back at her andughed lightly. His connection with her was stronger than ever, so there was no way he wouldn''t grasp the feelings she was directing at him. Herst sentence was spoken as if she was thankful for his help. ''You''re wee,'' he answered silently, not through telepathy but through their bond. "{I''m enjoying this day more and more,}" Garuda stated happily. "{It''s not every day that I get to meet such a fascinating group of people. And as a mere Quasi-Ancient myself, I have to give my respects to you, Miss.}" Nyx shook her head. "{No need for such thing.}" "{Hahaha, I imagine you don''t need it, indeed.}" "{Hey, I have a quick question,}" Rakna suddenly raised his voice. "{If you had to convert the power of Gods into the levels of the System, what would they be?}" "{Hm interesting question,}" Garuda mused for a short moment. "{The lines between Divinities and Demi-Gods are a bit blurred; they sometimes can blend in, so I will skip them. So, first, Earthen Gods; I would say about Level 800 to 1000. I will give you averages. Keep in mind that they can be lower or much higher. And I will also follow the logic of exponentially steeper growth.}" Rakna nodded in understanding. "{For Heavenly Gods, 2000 seems appropriate, and Ancient Gods; 4000 sounds like a good entry value. Personally, I am beyond the peak of Heavenly but not quite Ancient. I am somewhere around 3500 most likely. Aqu is a Divinity tied to me and his full strength is at about 700.}" "{Then we have Mythical Gods. That is a hard one to answer. In the first ce, there is only one person in the Celestial teau at that stage, and he''s the only one I''ve met. Normally, beings of his power should even be able to leave the System on their own, but he''s a strange one, staying silent and isted. Regardless, from what I''ve seen, a decent level to assign him would be 10 000.}" Rakna''s eye twitched. "{That''s quite the jump}" "{Naturally. Keep in mind though, by association, Ancient Gods are located on arge spectrum of power. And finally, Primordials are immeasurable,}" Garuda shook his head. "{The numbers I''m giving you are theoretical, to begin with. The System,st I heard, is barely capable of raising the power of Hosts that are above Level 1000. It would never grasp the power of Primordials. But as a conservative estimate 50 000.}" The therian snorted. "{Conservative?}" "{Haha, what can I say?}" the Eagle God smiled. "{Ah, but don''t sell yourselves short. This is purely an estimate based on life force; the direct parallel to the Levels you are talking about. Hosts of the System have more potential than you may realize. For example, your fellow wolf here}" "{Um me?}" Lucrecia spoke up hesitantly. "{Yes, I can feel it. I would say you''re around Level 800, but you''re definitely capable of defeating even Heavenly Gods. That is due to your ''skills''. A marvelous endorsement of sorts by the makers of this System. You can reach heights far beyond what you exude.}" "{This is something I personally witnessed some years ago,}" Garuda added. "{Your Top Host, what was his name again? Cain Unsworth, I believe?}" He wondered out loud. "{He came to this ce and got into a fight with Kamiria, one of the few Ancient Gods in here. Her level would be near the figure of 7 000 following my pattern. What do you think happened?}" Rakna raised an eyebrow. "{Well, if you''re mentioning this did he win?}" "{Hahaha! Aye, that, he did,}" the Eagle God seemed to find it extremely amusing. "{It couldn''t be considered an easy fight at all, but he still won by a certain margin. But that''s not the best thing he did,}" he grinned as he recalled the memory. "{I''ll let you guess. Kamiria does not reside on this teau anymore. What do you think happened to her?}" Furrowing his eyebrows, Rakna pondered. "{Well assuming she wasn''t killed, did he somehow destroy her divinity or had her kicked out of the System?}" "{Even better! He forced her to Descend; willingly discarding her Divinity and bing mortal so that the System would let her leave this teau. At the same time, he made her pledge a contract of servitude with him like some lowly familiar. Hahaha! And what''s even better, I heard she''s been sighted to act jealous around her master nowadays!}" Garuda''sugh echoed in everyone''s mind as he told the story. He could barely resist the urge to give in to the hrity of his words. On the other hand, his listeners sweatdropped. No matter how you look at it, that woman''s path to godhood had suffered an awfully tragic end. ''no, more importantly, she developed Stockholm Syndrome? That''s just sad...'' Chapter 368: The Tale of A Miracle Chapter 368: The Tale of A Miracle "{We''ve arrived,}" Garuda announced as he slowed down drastically. Rakna stood up on his back now that there was no need to bnce himself and briefly looked around, before focusing on the region thaty right in front of them. The Eagle God glided around its border and he narrowed his eyes at it. At first sight, it was terribly dreary and mundane. It was far smaller than Garuda''s territory and there was nothing more than uncovered dirt without vegetation all over the area. But there were also some traces on the ground as if a battle had urred there. In fact, it reminded Rakna of a strikingly simr scene. That was proven to be even more urate when he saw what was situated at the center; one of Arimane''s crosses with a dark figure sitting on top of it. ''this looks like the battlefield where the old man''s avatar spoke to me,'' the therian thought. "That''s Karaskan?" Higure asked doubtfully as she stared at the man veiled in darkness. "Well, he does look the part if anything," she scoffed while the others stayed silent. On the other hand, Nyx had an eyebrow raised in mild confusion and Hans appeared intrigued. "Garuda, can yound?" Rakna eventually requested and the eagle nodded. "Right up," he replied and gently turned inward of the Mad God''s territory. He plunged and pped his wings right before hitting the ground, pushing away the dust. When he firmly nted his talons in the soil, Rakna was the first to jump off. At the same time, the shadowy figure stirred and turned toward them. A grin seemed to split the darkness to greet them and as if sensing it, the chains inside the cross'' skull rattled loudly. "Hm, it looks happy to see you," the Mad God spoke up, his voice effortlessly reaching every corner of hisnd. "Or perhaps wary of me meeting you? Who knows, I don''t quite understand this cross in all honesty," he started the conversation in a casual manner, not an ounce of malice in his tone. Even to Rakna, his nose couldn''t smell anything even close to evil or malevolence. But that was far from a surprise to him. ''To be considered the old man''s nemesis evil alone doesn''t cut it.'' With that thought, he halted his advance a dozen meters away from the base of the cross. Everyone else stood behind him at a certain distance, and Garuda was ready to intervene if something went out of control. However, both the Eagle God and Lucrecia were already having a strange premonition as they saw the Mad God engage with Rakna as if they knew each other. Both of them also recognized the cross and whom it represented, apprehensive as to why the enemy of the Kind Demon would be resting on thetter''s symbol. "Are you not going to say anything?" Karaskan tilted his head, the coat of shadows following his movements. "I don''t mind answering any query you might have." Rakna snorted. "How generous of you," he said and the Mad God chuckled. "How about this then; why does this ce look like this? It''s not in your image, is it?" "So, you''ve been here before, hm?" The God hummed quietly. "You''re correct. It''s not mine. This is simply where I died." Rakna scowled at that and the others weren''t much different. Karaskan chuckled. "Perhaps an exnation is in order. I am not the real Karaskan. He died at the hands of Eternal Night long ago. This replica of a battlefield you see here" He waved at the barrennd. "is the mental scape of the Kind Demon as a mortal. And this cross I sit on, was the mark he used for ''my'' grave." "" "Shortly said, I was once something called a Seed of Chaos. One of the many created by the original version of me. We had a duty to spread ''chaos'', as per our name. And I happened to be trapped in this System by coincidence. At first, I was admitted as a Host and I even reached the 240th teau." Garuda reacted to that with a squint. "you went through Divine Tribtion, didn''t you?" Karaskan smiled. "Indeed. It happened the day Eternal Night''s Crossnded in the System. I, who had been disconnected from my real self, was suddenly struck by a wave of existentiality defining simultaneously my creator as dead and me as hisst remnant, effectively transforming me into a new ''Karaskan''." The Mad God looked down at the cross. "I received Tribtion; divinity denying my survival as a mortal and reshaping me into a God. The System banished me here and this Cross quite literally fell from the sky, overwriting this territory of mine and shackling me to it," he said while raising his left hand to show his wrist bound to a chain. "Thus" He lowered his arm and grinned. "I inherited the name of Karaskan and all his memories, even down to the moment he met Death itself. Does that satisfy your curiosity?" "A grave, eh?" Rakna snickered. "Yes, I suppose it does. Now, I''m relieved I don''t have to honor my promise to the old man to kill you if he has already done it. And if he made a grave for you that''s all you will ever be able to amount to." Karaskan cackled. "How unkind; I know very well how miserable and wretched I am. Though, were you to wish for my death, you''re wee to do so. I''m pretty certain the Cross will assist you in this endeavor." "I''ll pass," the therian deadpanned and snapped his fingers. Purple soul mes burst around him and spread out to depict the forms of two beings; illusionary clones of Roias and Verias releasing presences eerily simr to their real selves, albeit evidently weaker. ? ? ? ? You have learned a new Soul Spell; Mirage Decoys! ? ? ? ? Rakna didn''t pay mind to the notification and calmly waited as Karaskan inspected the appearance of the two Abyss Rulers. The Mad God held his chin with a smirk as he beheld the vicious visages. "I assume you came here to demand my knowledge?" He asked and Rakna responded with silence that almost seemed to threaten him. "Haha, all right then. I''m sure I don''t have to exin what the origin of the Tra is at this point. In that case, tell me, what do you know of Meuro?" "the False Realm, The Abyss, the Realities'' In-Between, and Embodied Emptiness," Rakna replied what he had directly learned from Nyx and Roias. Karaskan''s smirk widened. "That''s mostly correct. But before I say anything else, let me ask you something else. Let''s say there was a being who was born as the living incarnation of Meuro. What would Emptiness personified wish for? What would their life goal be?" Rakna entertained the idea for a moment and tentatively formted a theory, "To be filled?" With a pleased nod, the Mad God acquiesced. "Exactly. Emptiness always wishes to be full. And on the asion that it gains that opportunity, it will take it. Meuro is often seen as a void in Existence itself, but it is not quite right. Meuro is its counterpart and happens to possess something bigger worlds and realities tend to develop; a Will." Karaskanughed. "The Will of Meuro is synonymous with the Will of Emptiness. It desires to take in everything that exists within itself. In the same way, I''m sure you understand, that if a creature were to adopt the Will of Meuro as their own, they would wish for the same thing." "you mean the Abyss Empress?" Rakna uttered questioningly. "Absolutely. Ah, truly, my Tra havee a long way," the Mad God sighed mncholically. "I am immensely proud to have fashioned a species of monsters capable of harnessing the power of the greatest force of anti-life. Though, of course, that they reached such heights is only thanks to your uncle whose might he shared. What else would you expect from the Kind Demon''s ''children''?" A surprised hup echoed to the side and Lucrecia quickly covered her mouth, a small blush rising to her face. Hans chortled mockingly and she red at him while Garuda widened his eyes in shock at the revtion he had just heard. "Point in case," Karaskan continued indifferently. "The Abyss Empress has but one goal; to open the way to Meuro. This is what she is convinced of; it''s the very meaning of her existence and she will stop at nothing to aplish it. Not even her ''Father''." Karaskan pointed at the sky. "And the key to her goal is up there. The core of Systema; a source of raw energy supplying a ''machine'' capable of reaching all corners of Existence. She will take it for herself and clog the emptiness of Meuro. But what she may or may not understand is that Meuro cannot be filled. It is impossible. No amount of power or matter can change that fact." "Meuro is not an empty bowl. There is no container at all. Once the Abyss Empress gets her hands on Eden" The Mad God grinned. "Existence as we know it will end, lost in Emptiness never to be resurfaced, for it is no more. Only the strong will survive; the Primordials will remain and the Tra that have adapted will survive. And they shall wait. Until the Major Realms and the Spiritual Tree eventually rebuild a world from scratch. And then, if left alone, the Empress will repeat the same process; again, and again, and again" A heavy silence settled down and Rakna growled, clenching his hand and shattering the illusions he had made. He stared at Karaskan who was noticeably enjoying the topic. "No wonder you could make my old man desperate to kill you," he muttered and the Mad God tilted his head. "No matter what you say, your emotions don''t change," the therian dered. "From the moment I arrived here, your scent was the same. Only thrill and excitement. When you said you were proud, there wasn''t anything of the sort. But the truth is, even those initial emotions were fake." Karaskan responded with narrowed eyes. "I can only imagine how he must have felt," Rakna huffed. "Knowing that the one he hated was no more than a pretender hiding under the banner of evil." "you''re twisting the knife pretty deep there, aren''t you?" The Mad God retorted calmly. "Well, it is neither wrong nor right. Believe whatever truth you prefer," he said cidly. "On that note, now that you know what their goal is, perhaps I should tell you their weakness?" He asked yfully. He, of course, didn''t receive an answer nor a reaction from the therian, and he couldn''t help but burst outughing. "Of course, you would. Oh, perhaps you don''t even understand the full extent of the Empress'' power?" He asked in amusement. "Ah, what should I do? I could always keep my mouth closed" He tapped the wood of the cross with his finger and then chortled as if his words were a joke only he caught. "Though what good would that do me?" He mumbled with a chuckle, his ramble confusing his guests. "Before I speak of weaknesses let me tell you something about the Tra," he said. "You see, this is unknown to most, but the way they evolve is always aimed at their Father." Rakna''s expression twitched. "The stronger they be, and the more they evolve, the closer they get to Eternal Night. It is in their essence to strive for power simr to his; to be equal. Of course, it''s not like they will obtain his power. That is impossible. What it implies is simple the limit of a Tras'' strength is the limit of the Kind Demon." Karaskan smirked. "The Abyss Empress is the most evolved Tras to date and unlike any other of her brethren, not only has she harnessed Meuro, but she most likely has fulfilled her inherent desire for power. Her growth has ended. Do you want to know how strong she is?" He snickered at the idea. "It''s simple addition." "In other words" His smile disappeared. "You have no chance of victory," he dered coldly and it was without surprise that not even a sound was uttered to defy his words. Lucrecia and Garuda were aware of what such a level of power entailed, and it was all too clear on their faces. But their view could neverpare to Nyx, who paled horribly. In her mind, she could not even imagine a limit to Eternal Night''s power, much less visualize a way to defeat it. The Mad God silently watched them and seemed to have discarded his fake countenance for good this time. He looked back at Rakna and the silent spectators. "Tra have no weaknesses either," he spoke up emotionlessly, further pressuring them. "It is true that they possess a mild vulnerability to holy energy and elements that conceptually counter their mutation. The Abyss fears fire, but only because its light embodies life and revtion, not because it is capable of harming it. None of these things are enough to kill them." Another brief moment of silence settled as Karaskan paused for a third time. His whirling eyes of darkness peered into them. "did you know?" He abruptly raised his voice, his tone reverting to something a bit lighter. "The System calls those who either consume the flesh or blood of other creatures as Abyss Creatures." The switch in topics brought confusion to more than one. "It is not by coincidence or because the System believed it to be more convenient to ssify." "The truth is the Abyss Empress wasn''t Meuro''s first conception," he dered. "There is a long-forgotten and most likely not recorded tale that dates back to times Existence was in its infancy. It is about a human child meandering far too deep into a forest behind his vige." "The child got lost in the evening. Scraped by branches all over, he cried at the setting sun. On that day, tragedy struck. He had the worst of luck; finding himself somewhere he should never have. It only happened once across the entirety of Existence, yet the boy had the misfortune to be present." ? * * * ? "A hole in the fabric of reality that should have never been there," the Sage of the Crystal Mountain whispered as he sat inside his chalet. His hands held his cane''s grip as he observed the hearth of his firece flicker. "The boy tumbled right into it." "Caught by the maws of emptiness, he was the first to suffer its unforgiving revel. His senses were erased, his body was robbed, his mind was vited, and his soul ached. In pain, it sought salvation and his desperation carried him to the door of miracles." The Sage smiled bitterly as he nced at the entrance of his home. "All the boy wished was for it to stop" ? * * * ? "and it did," Karaskan said and gazed over the unnerved expressions before him. "The child was the first being to die and yet survive Meuro. He was returned to the real world. But by then, it was already toote. All that was left was a husk of a corpse." "Yet, it appeared so delicious," the Mad God uttered with an audible timbre of irony. "The beasts of the forest approached it, step by step. Then" He raised his unshackled arm. "They carved into his flesh," he clenched his hand into a fist. "They drank his blood and swallowed his bones." "The monkeys, wolves, vultures, and maggots who ate his flesh became Ghouls. The worms, deer, birds, and bats who drank his blood became Vampires. The bears, apes, and hyenas who chewed his bones became Wendigos. They were the originals and progenitors Ambrogio? Drac? Even those were not the First Vampires, much less the rest." Karaskan stopped talking for a short moment and the darkness surrounding him grew in opacity and size. "The boy was the only existing proof of survival to Meuro. Its only conqueror" He said while the only thing that could be seen of him under the shadows was his silhouette. "You already hold one of the weapons against the Abyss," he added as he pointed at Rakna. "You wield the Stones of Eternity. But if you truly desire a victory worthy of that boy''s desperation, go and scrape off his miracle." Karaskan huffed and the darkness burst, making him disappear. "You have all that you need. Now go and do what the righteous aspire to; grit your teeth, fight, and save this miserable world." With those words hanging in the air, the Mad God vanished. Chapter 369: Miracle Plan Chapter 369: Miracle n "Are you sure you don''t want to visit other Celestials?" Garuda asked Rakna, back in his territory after their talk with Karaskan ended. Lucrecia had been really quiet since, ncing at the therian as if he was a dangerous bomb about to detonate. "There are plenty of Gods stronger than I who would be willing to bend the knee for you and offer whatever blessing you demand," the Eagle God suggested and Rakna snorted. "I''m fine. Borrowed power isn''t my thing," he rejected it. "Maybe if I''m in dire need of it, but right now, it doesn''t appeal to me." "Hah, well, not like any of us could offer something that matches up to Eternal Night," Garuda said with a heartyugh. "At least, take this with you," he added and extended one of his wings toward Aqu who immediately understood why. The Divine Avatar calmly stood as one of his feathers was infused with divinity by his Patron God and detached itself from his body. It shone brightly and shrunk to the size of a human hand before flying into Rakna''s grasp. ? ? ? Designation: Feather/Tribute Name: Feather of Aqu Rarity: N/A Description: A feather of the Eagle God''s Avatar blessed to allow a one-time summoning of the Divinity to the user''s location, no matter where in the System. Aqu''s power will not be penalized by the summon, but will only be able to remain out of the Celestial teau for ten minutes. ? ? ? The therian smiled faintly. "Thank you, I appreciate it," he replied gratefully and stored the feather inside his soul storage. At this point, he didn''t even need Spatial Rings anymore. Using the soul as a pseudo-dimensional pocket was far more efficient thanks to his mastery. Though, he also could store those same rings inside of it. If anything, it gave him convenient sub-storages. "Well, I''ll be counting on you when the timees," Rakna said and Aqu chuckled. "The pleasure''s all mine." "Frankly, I wish I could leave this ce and apany you right away," Garuda said gravely. "The kind of threat Karaskan spoke of is not something I can nonchntly put aside. Of course, I realize my contribution wouldn''t matter much against something like the Abyss Empress but" "I don''t think you''re alone on that one," Higure said sarcastically. "Even my devourer here would not be optimistic enough to deal with something of the same caliber as his uncle. The best we can do is hope Eternal Night finds a way here on time or we somehow create that ''miracle'' whatever that is supposed to mean." "What about the Sage?" Ceresta suggested softly. Rakna smiled wryly. "That is a whole other can of worms Not only is that guy impossible to reach from my side of things, but I also don''t quite understand the powers I get from him. If you ask me or ''wish'' me for a solution I don''t think I could even make out a ''price'' with instincts alone. There is an open-ended nature to that wish that is too hard for me to grant." "No need to oveplicate," Hans suddenly retorted and everyone turned toward him. "The Mad One gave all that you needed. The answer is simple. Find the original Abyss Races and extract the miracle from them." Lucrecia frowned, opening her mouth for the first time since they left Karaskan''s region. "How is that even viable? That kind of thing doesn''t happen on its own. This ''miracle'' you have been talking about is undeniably long gone. How could you extract anything from a watered-down ancestry or even salvage something powerful enough for our goals?" The azure-haired boy nced at her sharply before gazing right into Rakna''s eyes. "Whether they possess no such ''miracle'' anymore or not, is not an issue. It is but a matter of tearing out the root of their life and collecting it. The effects may be gone, but the source remains." "and do you have a method in mind?" Rakna asked calmly. "Who do you take me for?" Hans scoffed. "I would not speak if the solution was not drawn in my mind already. All I need are the most powerful Vampire, Ghoul, and Wendigo you can find. Hand them to me and I will hunt their ''history'' down to its roots. I will take it away from them and manifest this so-called miracle." "You forget one important detail," Garuda remarked. "I will trust your assertion in your own ability and consider what you said as possible. However, how do you intend to collect it? Do you think it is just as simple as grabbing a puzzle piece and mesh it together with the rest?" The author sneered at the Eagle God. "The collecting process is not up to me. What we require is someone or something capable of absorbing that ''miracle'', or more likely, that ''life energy'' the boy possessed. And as luck would have it, we know someone capable of eating and wielding anything they eat." Rakna blinked. "Hey, if you mean me, I don''t think I can do that my Harvester doesn''t work like that. Even if I somehow was able to treat each piece you extract as a ''heart'', that would still be an unreasonable task since I have no idea how I couldbine those energies in the end." Hans gave him a deadpan look. "Not you, idiot," he uttered and the therian rolled his eyes. "There is one creature other than you apt for the role. One ageless being who lives to eat." "Ah him," Rakna nodded subtly. "I suppose he wouldn''t be too hard to convince into helping. And he does fit the bill quite well." "Hm, I do not know whom it is you''re referencing but let''s say you have the method then," Garuda uttered. "What about the targets themselves? You specifically said the ''most powerful''. I cannot help but think that is quite an obstacle." "An extraneous argument," Hans retorted dryly. "You, of all people here, ought to be aware of the theory of bloodline purity. This is a simr case. We must aim for the most powerful ones; for their life force being greater implies a greater connection to their ancestry. In the case of the Vampires, Queen Nesslyria would be a prime target. For the Ghouls; King Temat. The Wendigos; Stocslke." Lucrecia furrowed her eyebrows. "Is it necessary to only target those three? All of them belong to the higher ranks. Nesslyria and Temat are in the Top 20 of Hosts. And Stocslke is a Wilden ofrge influence who has remained undefeated since he first appeared more than a millennia ago." "Weaker subjects but in greater numbers may yield results regardless," Hans admitted calmly. "But settling for less wille to bite us back when it matters. Should we do the utmost we can, or back away for convenience? Are you going to justify this regardless when the Abyss Empress triumphs over us by a needle-thin margin that you very well know could have been bridged?" "" Lucrecia pursed her lips and grimaced, unable to say anything back. Rakna shook his head wryly. "Hans, stop bullying the poor girl," he said and the azure-haired boy raised an eyebrow at him as if asking where such a thing was happening. "More importantly, does the extraction kill the target?" "technically, it should not," Hans answered. "However, they will be weakened. I could not predict how exactly, if you ask me. Would it be crippling? Unlikely. Harmful? Possibly." "At least, that''s that" The therian sighed. "We could always try to talk it out with the Ghoul King and negotiate a cooperation. Stocslke is a Wilden so that might beplicated by nature. And as for Nesslyria, we''re already in ''war'' against her along with the Tra anyway." Rakna turned toward the Wolf Matriarch. "If pays fail, it shouldn''t be hard to gather forces from across the System to fight, should it? Both the Church and the Basilica wouldn''t be hard to convince and I am also a member of Throne of Glory. Guilds like the Wan Guild which Nyx, via, Evelyn, and Marie are part of shouldn''t be hard to get assistance from either. Finally, I''m a member of the Myth Council and I''m sure I can count the Nine-Tailed n''s influence, right?" Lucrecia squinted her eyes and slowly nodded. "If you put it that way I suppose so. Considering the situation, we can amass enormous support. No matter how selfish, cautious, or doubtful Hosts can be, it wouldn''t mean much in front of impending doom. Even if our cry for arms is refused by most, the portion that does answer should be more than enough..." "There are Wilden who would answer the call too," Higure chimed in. "Locals too. They too have a stake in this, obviously," she said and looked at Rakna. "At the end of the day, it depends on what the Myth Council decides to do. They have the authority to move the majority of people." "Well, I''ll be sure to put in the word. But since Kaelith''s father is a member as well, it shouldn''t be a problem," Rakna shrugged. "For now, spreading word of what is happening is the most pressing issue. The rest wille together naturally." Lucrecia exhaled tiredly. "Once I return to the n, I will ry this to Fin. The Roon Branch has the means to spread this all over the System in no time. As for those three ''objectives'' it will have to wait for further consideration," she stated. "Though, I will try to contact King Temat. He''s the most essible of the three and is known to be a level headed person." The therian nodded and turned toward the Eagle God. "All right. Thank you for the help. We''ll be going back now. I have a few things I''d like to do and I shouldn''t put them off for too long." Garuda smiled. "The pleasure was all mine. It gets a bit boring around these parts after a while. It is not so bad to receive visitors as unique as you," he chuckled. "Also, I will try tomunicate the situation with the other Gods. Perhaps if we band together for once, we can try something." Rakna snorted. "I look forward to it," he said and once again summoned the Celestial Gate. He left the teau soon after and Garuda turned around. "Well then I suppose it''s time to put my social skills to good use," he chuckled. Aqu nced at his patron deity nkly. "you don''t have any, Lord Garuda. Need I remind you all of our neighbors refer to you as the ''annoying bird''?" The Eagle God creaked to a halt and his eye twitched. "it''s no problem. I''m sure my charisma will spin their opinion around once I try properly." "" "stop looking at me like that." Chapter 370: Arithmetic Soul Chapter 370: Arithmetic Soul "I shall take my leave then," Lucrecia stated as the doors of the Celestia Gate closed behind them, back under the artificial sky of Rakna''s territory. "Should I keep to myself about you know," she uttered hesitantly and the therian snickered. "Do what you want," he replied uncaringly. "At this point, who cares? Both of my express enemies already know about my rtionship with the old man. It wouldn''t hurt to have some people aware of it as well to increase my credibility. I at least intend to reveal it to the Myth Council anyway." The Matriarch slowly nodded, as if still processing his identity in her mind. She then looked at the rest of the group and acknowledged them with a short nod before initiating a transfer to the 500th teau. "Farewell," she said right before vanishing in a burst of light. "Well, that girl was definitely a storm," Higure huffed smilingly. "Came in like one, went away with a peaceful wind." "But is it truly okay to let them know you are the Kind Demon''s kin?" Ceresta asked in conjunction and Rakna snorted. "As I said, I''ve kept it hidden long enough as it is. It has run its course," he shrugged. "Whether it''s revealed or not doesn''t matter much," he said and looked at her. "More importantly, Ceres there are more relevant things for you to think about." She tilted her head. "Me?" Rakna smiled. "Your status; it has been updated, hasn''t it?" He asked and the dollish girl blinked as if unaware of such a thing. She then tried to bring up her own System windows, a first for her, and she was instantly bombarded with lines of words. ? ? ? ? ? Manual Review Completed. Confirmed by Eva. ? Due to the subject''s inherent abnormality, some of the System''s features cannot be opened no matter what. Levels will not be updated with experience but by the individual''s effort and time, and a Path cannot be selected. Ascents shall happen naturally through the umtion of life force in a way that fits the artificial nature of the subject''s body. ? --- ? Name: Ceresta Alexa Age: N/A | Estimated Level: 176 Race: Alkahestic Eion Homunculus Affiliation: Rakna Xiorra Titles: Miraculous Marvel, Flower of Hope, Blessed by Crystal ? Attributes: STR: 10 | END: 10 SPD: 10 | DEX: 10 INT: 256 [509] | LCK: 3 ? Statistics: STA: 50 | MP: 7 680 [28642] SWI: 1 596 [4233] | AGI: 30 SEN: 858 [2130] | ATC: 299 [552] ATT: 65 | DEF: 40 MA: 2304 [5324] | MR: 153.6 [526.2] ? Proficiencies: - Digital Science Expertise (Lv. 21 ??) - Integrated Technology Expertise (Lv. 21 ??) - Magic Craft (Lv. 15 ?) - Rune Craft (Lv.6) ? Magic Skills: Unawakened. ? Cognitive Skills: - Arithmetic Soul (Lv. UEX ???) - Pain Immunity (Lv--) - Mind Immunity (Lv--) - Fatigue Immunity (Lv--) ? Spontaneous Skills: - Lucid Meditation (Lv.9) - Eion Burst (Lv.1) ? Nirvana Skills: ? - Seven Blossom Ring: A miraculous shield embodying the sentiment of hope. Invoking this skill summons the spectral apparition of seven silver flower petals that act as a defense against all damage and attacks. Whether they be physical, magical, spiritual, ethereal, or simply malicious, the Ring of Petals will stop it. The limit of this Nirvana Skills scales to the user''s Magic Power, which consists of all aspects of conjuring magic; Magic Attack, Mana Pool, Consumption Efficiency, Intelligence, and so on. It has no cost to be summoned and barely imposes any downtime afterward. However, to sustain an assault, it will demand a minimum price not to break under the pressure. Depending on the intensity of the threat, it can vary from a measly one point of mana to the entire mana pool of the caster. If the user runs out of mana to use, stamina will supersede it at a faster pace, and once that is also exhausted, the body will begin to pay the toll; until the attack is over or once the user perishes. ? Cooldown: 1 Minute. Maximum Size: 10-Meter Diameter. ? Unique or Racial Traits: ? - Alkahestic Eion Frame: An artificial body made out of a special material, crafted out of an Alkahestic Compound and Stones of Eternity. It hasn''t quite reached the level of Prima Materia but possesses its invulnerability to poison, toxins, and parasites. Wounds will be repaired within seconds and surplus material will be continuously generated by the body. Body shape can be altered at will and cellr decay will never ur. The stamina of the Frame will recover at paces far above regr organic creatures. ? - Hybrid Digital Soul: An incongruous phenomenon originating from the birth of a soul within a digital code. Due to this oundishbination, mathematicalws have been incorporated into the holder''s very soul power. It possesses a systematic control and growth potential that bears the menace of being capable of even tearing down matter through calctions. This causes the holder''s magic power to be subjected to a perverse form of enhancement, greatly increasing its potency and going as far as distorting the very corrtion between the power source and output. This also applies to mental faculties and extends to the maniption of allputed systems reachable by the holder''s soul power. If the holder decides so, it is possible to separate the pure soul power from the arithmetic variant, allowing arger range of control. The true value will be shown in brackets and has no set or fixed calction method. ? Note: A former S-ss Artificial Intelligence affiliated with the System. Due to prolonged exposure to Negative Causality and the power of the Crystal Sage from its Host''s soul, it gained sentience and a hybrid soul halfposed of digital data. It has now foundplete harmony with an artificial receptacle dubbed an Eion Frame. ? --- ? Arithmetic Soul ??? ? An incredibly overpowering skill that deserves a ssification that even Nirvana Skills cannot fully epass. It is only by its inherency, uniqueness, and alienness that it has been assigned the ssification of Ultimate Exceled Skill. Itbines arge array of abilities such as Mana Sense, Mana Control, Soul Control, Soul Sense, Soul Heart, Consumption Reduction, Fear Resistance, Curse Immunity, etcetera. The user of this skill can process information at a level that surpasses even technology, entering the realm of magus science. The user can also manipte their spiritual energies as they please, altering their properties or evenpletely removing their presence. ? Effects: - 90% Mana & Stamina Consumption Reduction - Increases Magic Attack by 200% - Increases Mana by 200% - Increases Senses by 200% - Increases Swiftness by 200% - Increases Magical Defense by 200% - Soul Spells ess Opened. ? Note: These effects influence base stats and do not ount for the Trait; Hybrid Digital Soul. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna snickered as Ceresta gawked at her status. "Look at you; a Nirvana Skill from the get-go and the System is calling one of your skills overpowered. Even I don''t have that privilege," he said and she blushed faintly. "{are we not going to mention the absurd Magic Power?}" Fray muttered dumbfoundedly. Even he had never seen such ridiculous raw potential back when he was still alive. "Certainly, putting a meaning in the definition of ''ss cannon''," Hansmented as he also read her status. "But even that weakness is somewhat covered Impressive." "Hm," Rakna mused for a short moment and then raised his palm. Wordlessly, he channeled a ball of raw mana, devoid of even his Star Magic, and showed it to her former AI as it warped the light around it ever so slightly. "Ceres, try this for me. I used 1.6 MP; the equivalent of 10 MP with my reduction. In your case, just use 1 MP. This should be easy. It''s pure mana control." Ceresta nodded in understanding and was quick to imitate it. There wasn''t even a trace of thought or hesitation as she wlessly aplished something she tried for the first time in her life. Rakna smiled inwardly at that and noticed that she had even finished faster than him. Of course, doing this kind of thing does not even take a second. But if he wanted to quibble; he had done it in about 0.1 seconds while it barely took half of that for her. "All right," he ended his brooding. "Now just do this," he said and swung his hand. The bundle of raw mana shot out from his palm and hit the ground, causing a small patch of dirt to rise in the air as a hole the size of a fist formed in the soil. The white-haired girl tilted her head in confusion butplied nheless. Just like that, she shot the mana at the same speed as him and when it struck the ground, it did more than just dig a hole and shake the dirt. A detonation resounded and as if a small explosion, the ground blew up and opened a meter-wide pit, releasing smoke and dust. Ceresta looked startled as she stepped back from what she had done and then whipped her head around toward Rakna when she heard himugh quietly. He sent her a small grin and with pursed lips, she stared back at her handiwork. Shepared the results of the experiment with those of the therian and it was so clearly unequal that she almost felt guilty about it. "that''s kinda scary," Higure remarked wryly. "You don''t say" Nyx agreed quietly. "This is exactly what Lucrecia sensed when she saw you," Raknamented to the shell-shocked girl before him as he snapped his fingers and called a few of his Earth Wolves. They emerged from the ground and began to repair the terrain. "Now then, let''s get you awakened, shall we?" ? * * * ? Ceresta stood in front of the orb of the Awakening Room in the Pavilion. She looked behind her to see Rakna giving her a reassuring nod as he stood next to the door. With a deep breath, she tentatively reached for the magic device in front of her and poured a sliver of her mana into it. Immediately, a powerful light bathed the room in its power, and silver flowers of mana began to bloom in the air. Rakna watched it happen with wide eyes until it was suddenly overtaken by a new wave of magic that blew everything away. It was colorless and shapeless, with nothing for him to specte. But the moment it touched his body, he almost shivered. It was as if something was deconstructing the very root of his existence to identify what kind of life form he was. His daze was however promptly cut short when he noticed the Awakening Orb crack under Ceres'' hand. He narrowed his eyes and Sonata responded to his will faster than any of his skills. The scarf vibrated around his neck and a bubble of air formed around Ceresta right before the device broke apart and shot countless fragments throughout the room, piercing the walls, ceiling, and floor. The air around the dollish beauty deviated them and Rakna barely gave it any thought as purple mes flickered in front of him, burning the shards past their melting point. Itsted for barely a second as a wave of raw mana shook the room afterward. Rakna rushed to Ceresta''s side as Sonata ended the air maniption. "Are you okay?" He asked in a slightly worried tone and she slowly nodded, her expression stuck between surprise and wonder as she stared at something in front of her. The therian didn''t need to ask what it was, since he also received the same notifications. Perhaps it was because her status defined him as her ''Affiliation'', but it seemed he shared a certain deal of viewing authority. And from the get-go, without even having to look at the descriptions of her magic, he could tell she had struck gold ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions! You have awakened the Unique Magic, Flower Magic! Congrattions! You have awakened the True Magic, Formtion Magic! ? ? ? ? Chapter 371: "Thats cheating!" Chapter 371: "That''s cheating!" ? ? ? ? Flower Magic ? The conceptual power of flowers is one that spans all civilizations and worlds. Wilting beauty is its authority and legendary is its idolization. While it may sound harmless, this magic has the potential to dominate the world in order to grace it of its presence. Flowers incarnate beauty, peace, emotions, nature, and the cycle of life. Their interpretations and stories have been branded into history for eons. ? Known Spells: None. ? --- ? Formtion Magic ? One of the known but unapproachable True Magics. Even those that awaken it often fail to harness its power and fall prey to their own limitations. Formtion Magic allows oneplete ess to the forms thatpose all things. It is said that mathematics is thenguage of the beginning; as long as the caster is capable of both understanding and solving the forms behind the existence of all things, they can banish it from reality; untie existential forces like a knot. Simrly, the caster can also write forms of their own and bring forth creation and destruction at whim. This is a power worthy of Gods, but which even the greatest of them fail to interact with, much less learn. The forms of the World are calctions that elude most beings. Even the greatestputed and artificial minds crafted in the of Mystral, the Nation of the Mystic, and home to some of the best magicians that have ever lived, are incapable of understating most of the basic World Forms. It is said that World Forms rival the Original World Laws dictating the rules of Existence. ? Known Spells: Understanding (T.1), Formting (T.1). ? --- ? Understanding ? The staple of Formtion Magic; it allows the caster to define a target and attempt to read its forms. This is a spell of which the results can never be predicted. The sess of its casting depends purely on the caster''s ability to grasp theplexity of the forms. Whether it will need one, or thousands of uses on a single target to even start being able to solve its forms, is up to the user alone. Naturally, difficulties vary between different targets and one shall learn to recognize them. ? Cost: 1 000 MP Per Second + Corresponding Psychic Power. Range: Within Sight. Cooldown: None. ? --- ? Formting ? This is the third step of Formtion Magic. Once fully analyzed and memorized by Understanding, the caster will be able to start solving the forms of the relevant target. The solving process is thus the second step and is generally dreaded to be the cruelest to achieve; some even fall into madness attempting it. Thenes Formting. Once the user possesses both the forms and their answers, it is possible to reverse engineer that knowledge tomand the world. It can be applied to either modify, erase, or create something. All three demand a massive amount of spiritual endurance, but they are not equal. In descending order, the cost of the options goes from modification to creation and ultimately erasure. ? Cost: Variable Mana & Psychic Power. Range: Within Sight. Cooldown: None. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna whistled quietly. "Two Tier 1 spells on awakening. I don''t even have any yet." "{Manifestation,}" Fray deadpanned as if reminding him. "Well, that''s kind of an exception," the therian snorted. "That aside" He hummed while Ceresta seemed focused on properly assimting the information of her magic as well as getting familiar with the new energies awakened in her soul. "How is it?" He asked and she pursed her lips in thought. "I''m not sure yet," she replied hesitantly and flipped her wrist, a silver-greenish branch coiling around her hand and eventually blooming into white flower petals the same shade as her hair and pistils golden like her eyes. Rakna immediately recognized the flower as a Craiste and she let out a small smile while looking at it. "But I like it," she answered his question and he mirrored her smile. "That''s good to hear." "Are you okay, Your Majesty?!" A voice shouted as the doors of the room opened and Elora barged in worriedly. "The readingsing from the Awakening Room have over loaded?" She blinked to a halt as she saw the missing and broken Awakening Orb. "eh?" Rakna snickered at the always-so-refreshing behavior of his Pavilion''s handler. "It''s all fine. I think the Orb simply couldn''t cope with Ceres'' magic." Elora shot him a look that screamed ''That''s possible?!''. "Can this be repaired?" "Um well, uh, yes," she replied disorderly. "I''ve never done it myself but it''s in protocols though thest time it was relevant, I don''t think even my granny was born" She added wryly. The therian huffed in amusement. "I''ll take your word for it." "Oh, right, Your Majesty, I have heard you will be participating in a showcase at the Arena?" Elora remarked curiously and he blinked in surprise. "That''s true. But where did you hear it?" "Oh, it''s all over the news," she replied with an innocent smile and his eyebrow twitched. ''I mean at least this time, it''s intended,'' Rakna thought bitterly. ''But how the hell did Kara spread it so fast? Is thatzy woman secretly a hard-working genius?'' "{It would seem so,}" Fray chuckled. Rakna shook his head and sighed. "Anyway, we''ll be going back now," he said and patted Ceresta on her shoulder to jolt her out of her quiet rumination about her magic. He walked to the exit with her and waved at his Pavilion''s Master. "Good luck, Elora." "Ah, yes! Thank you, Sir! I will also be sure to attend your showcase tomorrow!" "Haha, you can look forward to it then." ? * * * ? "First impressions?" Back in the house with the others, Rakna asked as he curiously eyed Ceresta fervently staring at a pebble she had picked up on the ground outside. The therian could sense the stupidly high amounts of mana she had been using while doing so. "I need to run preliminary calctions," she eventually answered and mindlessly began to head toward the stairs. "I will be retreating to my room," she stated and disappeared upstairs. Rakna chuckled at her distancing back. It was nice to see her being so engrossed in something. He could see that she was genuinely doing it out of personal interest. Once she was gone, he turned to Hans who was sitting on the living room''s main couch, in front of the television currently disying the interface of a fighting game. Naturally, only a heavy frown adorned his expression as Higure grinned next to him, forcing him to y. "I have better things to do, woman," his lips twitched in annoyance as she started another match. "Sure, sure, now let''s see if you can win this time," the lioness waved him off and noticed Rakna raising an eyebrow at them. "Oh, devourer! Want to join us?" "when did you even install a game on that thing?" He retorted quietly. "Maybeter," he said and focused on the azure-haired boy who was visibly repressing his infuriation as he nheless gave his all to win the game. "Hans, you added Cura as a friend, right? Have you contacted him yet?" "Yes," the author simply said. "He will be at the Arena tomorrow. We can meet him there and see if he and King Gulon are willing to help on your little miracle hunt." Rakna snorted. "Hope so. We can''t do much without Gulon as things are." "You could always eat that creature''s heart," Hans retorted impassively and the therian gave him a deadpan look. "What? It is but a rational resort considering your options. You owe him a battle anyway." "That''s what you call intrusive thoughts. You don''t say them," Higure snickered on the side. "What is the point of having thoughts if you do not contemte them?" Hans retorted with a scowl and the lioness closed her mouth with a blink, realizing she had no answer to that. "" She pursed her lips and turned toward Rakna for help. The therian let out a small smirk she would usually rejoice seeing, but this one just made her have an ominous feeling. "He''s right, you know. All thoughts count in life," he uttered and she grumbled to herself, turning her head right in time to also see her character in the game losing. Hans smiled mirthfully and she hung her head low in rare defeat. "bullies," she pouted. Rakna chuckled at her and nced at the house''s front door on cue for it to open and allow via and Evelyn to step in. Tyran and Natsu also jumped down from their respective masters and the former ran up to Pronos to y around. The Celestial ze on the other hand simply went to curl up on a sofa. The Chaos Witch stretched once the door was closed and sighed. "Hah shopping can be so tiring sometimes," shemented and then jokingly squinted her eyes at Rakna. "Though I guess it can always be worse by not having you along," she giggled. Rolling his eyes, the therian leaned against the back of the couch. "So? Got your materials?" "Yep," she nodded. "Give me an hour or so and I can get a divination going. It''s my first time doing one but Cuniya said she would guide me," she stated. "I see. What about you, Evelyn?" The subus smiled. "Everything is in order for Harvest. Thetest iterations of Cardiac Pills are ready to be mass-produced. And of course, Mister Gaelius has finished designing an assortment of devices capable of harnessing the Eion Tri-Core''s energy. Oh, and I bought myself a few materials for my transmutations as well," she added. "With the skill you gave me a while ago, I believe I can create powerful Chimeras from Eion for both our Guild and sales." "Well, thatpany''s going to be a monumental sess alright," Higure snorted. "Hm I need to talk with Gaelius and Kara about a new kind of product too," Rakna mused aloud and everyone looked at him. He shrugged back. "To be specific; weapons. Eion-powered ones," he rified. "I don''t care if it''s swords, bombs, acid, gas, or even guns," he said with a slightly more serious tone. "Chimeras are quite a nice idea too. Good job." Evelyn blushed at the praise and he continued, "Thanks to Roias, we now know for a fact that the ''Stones of Eternity'' can hurt Abyss Tra. Chances are it could even hurt Abyss Creatures as a whole or maybe offset their regeneration. It wouldn''t hurt to have weapons ready to be shipped off since the conflict is already mounting." "Hm, that is a decent n," Hansmented offhandedly. "If anything, the cost-efficient nature of that energy is enough to be of interest in battle, strengths or weaknesses notwithstanding." "Explosive reagents wouldn''t be hard to concoct," Evelyn remarked pensively. "And we could also use some kind of liquid to preserve an Eion Fission Stone inside a capsule. That way, just throwing it would release the highest possible amount of damage at the lowest cost possible." The room fell silent as they heard the Cambion''s idea. Just imagining portable items capable of causing atomic explosions at a whim was enough to make half of them shiver. Rakna cleared his throat. "W-well let''s tone that one down a bit, for safety purposes," he spoke carefully and Evelyn tilted her head. "Hm, it is true that forming stable Fission Stones would require arge amount of mana, as well as a matching degree of control. With your lead, it would be easy but for industrial lines" She let her thoughts wander. "No, that''s not" Rakna sighed. "Ah, whatever. I''ll be in the basement for a while," he announced and waved at Pronos for him to follow. "I probably have a worrywart of an angel to console and a Resonance to work on," he stated and walked to his training room''s elevator. "Call me when Karaes back bragging about even worms under their nest know about my showcase tomorrow." Higureughed. "Aye! We''ll be sure to do so. By the way, Nyx is down there too," she said and the therian waved in response as the doors automatically closed. At the same time, Hans expressionlessly tried to sneak away, only for his cor to be grabbed and pulled right back to his seat. The lioness smirked at him. "Oh, you''re not leaving like that, brat. You don''t get to run after stealing a win like that." "then you should have paid attention to the game, woman," the author grumbled. "I am now." The boy''s eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Damned cat" "Hahaha, adorable kittens like me shall always be forgiven," she cackled. "You are nothing close to a kitten." "Come on, you know you love cats," she joked. "Don''t lie to yourself." "I did," he responded with a dead voice. "I am now officially switching camps. Dogs are better." "Agreed!" Natsu suddenly pumped his paw in the air. "My my, you wound me," Higure feigned a pained expression right as she dealt out thestbo that spelled her opponent''s defeat. "Hehe, I win again. Wanna take your revenge?" "" Hans believed himself to be a very patient individual. That is why he made his decision in a heartbeat. He confirmed the prompt for a rematch and uttered one word, "[Rewrite.]" "Wha--! Hey! No! That''s cheating!" Theints of a certain horny cat resounded unheeded for the next two hours. Chapter 372: Anchor Chapter 372: Anchor Coiling steel shed through the air and ripped the ground of the training room. Nyx jumped back and pulled her arm, the Urumi sword following her movement and retracting itself. Sparks of ck lightning wrapped her weapon as shended on the floor. Her eyes were closed, as if her current training was part of a meditation of sorts, when the sound of a chime interrupted it. She looked over her shoulder and opened her eyes, blinking a few times as she swiftly got ustomed again to the lighting from the tiles in the ceiling. The elevator opened and Rakna walked out with Pronos hanging around his neck. The therian had a small pause in his steps once he got a look at the state of the training room. Nyx, despite herself, blushed and looked away. Everything around her had suffered some sort of damage, either by her sword or magic. A few of the overhead tiles were splintered and turned off with a few holes in the walls and floor releasing shadow and lightning energy. "well, good to know the shock and noise-dampening enchantments I put up here work fine if we didn''t hear that upstairs," Raknamented with an amused smile. "At least, you spared my forge from your rampage," he kidded as he approached his workshop. "It''s not a rampage" The goddess huffed quietly and stored her sword. "Are you letting out some steam? Something bothering you, Nyx?" Rakna asked as he grabbed two Eion Stones and twirled a carving tool around his fingers. She sighed and calmly watched the damage she had inflicted gradually repairing itself. She walked to her lover, a thought that had her clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment, and quietly sat on the edge of the unlit rounded furnace. "I''m not exactly bothered by anything," she admitted, leaning in on her hand. "I am not frustrated by our battle with Roias if that is your worry. It was inevitable, in the end. He was stronger much stronger than any of us. And while it frustrates me to not be able to grow faster, my belief in being able to surpass my past limits is not a lie." Rakna quietly listened to her as he worked on an unknown item. "However, knowing of the possibility does not mean I have my hands on it," she smiled wryly. "In the first ce, my current powers annoy me more than anything. Both Eternal Night and Tiamat; they''re not me. Their power is not mine." "So, you are bothered by something," the therian smiled teasingly and she rolled her eyes. "I suppose," she grumbled with a faint blush. He chuckled and put down his tools. "Well, even I am not above using others'' power although it can''t be really used as aparison since I ''steal'' most of it more than anything else. And the Sage is" He snorted with an odd smile that Nyx couldn''t quite understand. "A bit of an exception." "Comparing myself to you as a whole is aughable idea," the goddess deadpanned. With an amused huff, he turned toward her. "You want my advice? If you have powers that are not your own make them yours," he smirked. "It''s as simple as that," he said and moved a few steps closer to the training area afterward. Nyx, on the other hand, had a thoughtful look for a second before she snickered. "Simple, yes," she repeated sarcastically and watched as Rakna started drawing a constetion in the air. Obviously, she already knew who he was going to summon. It didn''t take long for the constetion to manifest itself into the angelic form of Astraea. Her dress fluttered as shended on the floor, her long braid almost touching the ground. Unlike her past summons, she didn''t jump up in excitement nor did she greet Rakna with the grace of the Goddess of Justice. She smiled and glided forward with a nudge of her wings, wrapping her arms around the therian and hugging him. "I''m ss to see you safe, Lord Monarch," she said with a cheerful tone and stepped back with her usual smile. "For a moment, I almost thought you were talented enough to even deny fate in order to die," she shook her head. "what kind of talent is that?" Rakna couldn''t help but retort. "Well, what is recorded of you inside Egregore is already mind-boggling enough. If you somehow found a way to die and erase yourself from the Collective Unconscious, then I suppose it wouldn''t have been too surprising," she answered in a tone that sounded almost too serious to his liking. "Right" The therian droned and looked at Nyx with a teasing smile. "You heard her. As you can see, I''m clearly not powerful enough to beat my plot armor," he nodded sagely. "You don''t have to worry about me dying ever again. You can ry that to the others." "Tell that to Kaelith and she will kill you, ''plot armor'' be damned," Nyx replied nkly. Astraea giggled. "But with that said, congrattions, Lord Monarch." Rakna tilted his head. "For not dying?" He asked automatically and she sweatdropped. "A-ah, um, not exactly. I simply noticed you found internal bnce," she exined sheepishly. She pointed a finger at him and swiftly drew a circle with her divinity. As if acting as a lens, she looked through it and smiled softly. "You appear much grander today than ever before." "I hope so," the therian shrugged. "I almost died for it," he uttered and tossed the small Eion Item he had been engraving with runes just a minute ago. Astraea blinked in surprise and caught it with both hands. At a closer look, she could see it was made into a ne. "This is?" "Wear it," Rakna simply instructed and sheplied in wonder. Once it was wrapped around her neck, the Eion Stone hanging from the silvery chain glowed and passively began to cast a spell. Immediately, Astraea felt a membrane of energy restrain her own power, but not in a worrisome manner. It was as if part of herself was being sealed away back into Egregore while her body remained in the physical world. She blinked at her hands and clenched them into fists a few times. She raised her head in confusion and Rakna raised an eyebrow as if questioning how she hadn''t realized it yet. "I just anchored you," he replied matter-of-factly. "The duration of your summoning won''t end as long as you wear that ne. It partially seals you back into Egregore through me and weakens you as a side effect. However, you can still use that power. But once you do, the ne will break and Egregore will probably try to repatriate you within a few minutes. Nothing harmful though." Astraea was positively shell-shocked at the sudden information. "L-Lord Monarch" "Yes?" "I''m truly grateful for this but did you just improvise such an Item on the spot?" "Hm? Well, I guess," he raised an eyebrow. "It''s not just some random piece of Eion I used. It''s one of my body''s Shards. It deserves to be S-Rank Material, you know? The things it can do with proper enchantments are countless. It can easily take the energy away from you, repatriate it to Egregore through a magic formation, and then convert its own supply of Eion for you to be anchored." Nyx sighed. "Rakna I don''t think that''s what she meant," she said with a wry smile. "Simply said, this isn''t something you should be able to do on a whim." "Ah," the therian eximed in understanding and merely tapped his temple. Eye of Symphony let its lenses out in response. "Don''t forget I have this," he smiled. "With my ''Rune Smith'' being at the Demi-God stage and my Magic Craft close to it, it just has to run calctions. While other people would need hours or days of testing after designing an idea, I can skip the process altogether." The angel blinked dumbfoundedly and as ifing to a conclusion, her cheeks reddened slightly and she averted her eyes. "Um, Lord Monarch, do you have a purpose in doing this to me?" Rakna''s nose twitched and he scowled at her. "you''re misunderstanding something, aren''t you?" "Uh? But" Astraea pursed her lips and nced at Nyx. "I mean the lust crest; if you wish" She trailed awkwardly with an ever-increasing blush while the Night Goddess'' expression fell terribly as if her darkest and deepest secrets had just been revealed. Nyx covered her face and went as far as crouching to hide herself. "Why?" She whined to herself as she remembered what she had willingly epted unto herself in the heat of the moment; quite literally so. "" Rakna didn''t even have anything to say in his defense. He maintained a nk expression the best he could and cleared his throat. "No it''s not for that," he deadpanned to the angel. "Besides, thest thing I''d wish is to extend the ''waiting line''" He muttered thest part to himself. The star entity lightlyughed in response. "Then, perhaps I shall wait a bit more," she said with a teasing tone and he sighed. "Sure, you do that," he uttered dryly. "Anyway, point in case, you have helped and saved me more than once at this point. I felt like weing you into the fray wasn''t an unwarranted thing to do since you seem to enjoy roaming the living world." Astraea widened her eyes in surprise. "I thank you," she eventually said with a soft smile. "All right then. Now you can help me again," Rakna shamelessly pped his hands. "eh?" The angel eximed. "I want toplete my Resonance with Pronos, but my body and soul are in the way," the therian said calmly as he walked further inside the training grounds. The small Hydra also jumped down from his shoulder and expanded to a sizerge enough to almost hit the high ceiling of the room. "Though, now that I awakened my Obsidian Star, I think it''s stable enough to figure something out with a bit of trial and error plus my Founding Instinct," he stated and turned to the dumbfounded goddess. "Help me out, will you? Resonance should be a topic broad enough for Egregore, right?" "" Astraea was speechless. One moment, he heartfully valued her, and in the next, he asked for her to work right away. She sulked, "Like I said ve-driver" Have you ever felt like your brain was experiencing a drought? Because fucking hell, thats me right now. For the life of me, I couldnt finish this chapter for the longest time and when I tried to start the next, I couldnt get past one paragraph in two literal days. . Tch, I envy those people who can write like machines. Ive said this before, but Im honestly not talented when ites to writing. Id say I have decent creativity, but thats about it. I use brain power to write, but really good writers use passion. . I guess this is my handicap as an author; my brains refractory period is shit.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 373: A Demons Nature Chapter 373: A Demon''s Nature Early in the morning, in the heart of Antis, crowds gathered and streamed the streets of New Athens. Several aquatic bridges had been newly created to connect the spiral city and the Arena for the day. Amid the swarm of people, An suddenly sneezed as one of the cold morning breezes of Antis blew by. "Aah you would think stuff like this wouldn''t happen anymore after all those increases in attributes," he muttered to himself. "Hey, why do we have toe so early? Rak will only appear for thest event, no?" "The invitation basically implied a full-on party for the entire day," Rakna replied, walking ahead of the blond with a modified appearance to not garner any unwanted attention. "Well, fuck them," An grumbled. "Stop being azy ruffian," Akronis huffed while perched on his shoulder. "Oh, shut up. Dealing with you requires at least two more hours of sleep." "Hah! Of course, you''d require more energy to possibly cope with my superior intellect." "Stupid bat" "You are one as well, you know?" "Can you please stop embarrassing us?" Marie rubbed the bridge of her nose next to them. As the pair of master and soul beast bickered, via walked behind everyone else with a mortified expression, as if she had just learned her puppy had died. Astraea and Nyx were trying to console her with wry smiles. "Why today?" The Chaos Witch groaned. Her divination had told her when Wis would reawaken and to her chagrin, it was today. "I don''t want to be in public when that silly thing appears on top of my head" "ept your fate, woman," Hans chortled to the side. "How bad can it be for a witch of your talent and ilk to sport a hat?" "Hahaha, I agree with the pipsqueak," Higure smirked. "Come on, you rock the witch style. I think we should even get you some proper equipment to match it Hm, yes. A ck dress, a choker, and maybe a broom staff? That would look nice on you." "Please, spare me" via whined. "" Separated from the others, Evelyn gazed forward in silence, an unreadable expression on her face. Rakna nced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Is something wrong?" "Uh?" The subus shook as if she had just been jolted awake. Agitatedly, she turned full toward the therian and waved her hands. "N-no, I''m fine! I was just thinking." "Really now?" He uttered unconvinced and she looked down awkwardly. "Are you nervous to take the first step in your revenge?" He inquired without ceremony and the cambion pursed her lips. "I don''t know" She clenched her fists and the ck aura she asionally let out appeared around her body for a moment. However, this time, she clearly was looking at it herself; as if she had finally decided to look at something she desperately tried to ignore. "I''m starting to feel scared that my feelings are never going to be satisfied with whatever revenge I get." Rakna''s eyes widened slightly at her confession. "I see as expected of you," he said and she raised her head with a confused expression. "There''s a fine line between rage and madness," he exined with a smile. "And you stand on neither. You are quite literally careening over the boundary. You understand the source of your anger, but you don''t agree with it." Evelyn gawked at him speechless. "That you''ve been seeing that in me all this time?" "Of course. If anything, I''m quite perceptive," the therian snorted and as if making a point, his hand grabbed Ceresta''s cor from a blind spot and stopped her from wandering off. He held her in like an overgrown cat as she seemed engrossed with the sightings of the city. "She doesn''t even react to me holding her back" He uttered in amusement. The subus also shed a small smile before quickly reverting to a sad one. "You should know then" She muttered and raised her hand, a ck aura spontaneously appearing around it. "This is not my unawakened Nirvana Skill or anything you''ve seen it before." "ckening," Rakna answered sinctly. The same affliction that had struck her brother. "Demons aren''t like Devils," Evelyn said wryly. "Thetter are perfection of sorts the dark energy they employ is just that; negativity and grim causality. But that''s not what their power is; it''s what they''re made of. That is the very idea behind ''Infernity''." "" "Demons are lesser. They take negativity and dumb it down to a single concept. Because what they are in the end is mortal vessels living off dark forces. Thus, their power bes their nature itself. And it''s oh so easy to use evil as the primary fuel," she narrowed her eyes. "The same way you be slothful, prideful, or wrathful when using your Sins, demons get affected as well." "But unlike you, they don''t have Infernity to reign them in. It just doesn''t stop at ''using it''. Without proper control and self-restraint, they lose themselves into wickedness reflecting their grudges and vices" She gritted her teeth and the ck aura seemed to get stronger as if refusing to fade. At that point, the rest of the group hadpletely halted their own distractions, paying attention to her every word with Hans particrly giving her a sidelong nce of understanding. "I don''t want revenge," she said with a stiff expression as if she was suppressing a grimace. "I only want retribution for what was done to my family; to my brother. Yet" She covered her face with her hand cloaked in aura but failed to hide a half-formed grin crooking her lips. "Every time I think about it the only desire thates to mind is to kill all of them until nothing remains." Everyone fell silent and she dragged her hand back down as the ck energy died down, her face donning a strained and deste smile. "ckening distorts demonic energy into vice, not sin. I am scared that I''ve already fallen into it since long ago and that my current actions are not mine to control." Rakna silently watched as her conflicting emotions came and went. Turning his head forward, he breathed out from his nose and spoke up, "Really, between you, via, Hans, or me, this is one hell of a deviant group." via let out a smile at that, conveying both amusement and the ghost of something she seldom allowed to manifest; one that made anyone look at it shiver unknowingly. Hans, on the other hand, sneered mockingly. "Nyx is a literal goddess and she still feels like the most normal person here," Rakna uttered. "Oi," An chimed in with a twitch of his lips. "Excuse me? The normal one here is me." The therian silently deadpanned at him in return and a vein popped on his forehead. "Why are you looking at me like that?! It''s true!" "Well, it''s true you are quite ''human'' when ites to behavior," Marie chuckled. "But somehow, you are a bit ''too much'' as well. I''ve never seen a mind as hardened as steel like yours. For better or worse, you possess inhuman willpower and an unbending spirit." "is that apliment?" He asked with a blink. Themia snickered. "Who knows?" "She called you inhumanly stubborn, you dolt," Hans summarized calmy. An grunted at the azure-haired boy. "at least with you, it''s not hard to tell if it''s an insult," he nkly said then realized something. "No, wait! Rak! You agree with them?!" Ignoring the blond, Rakna patted Evelyn''s head and she yelped as he ruffled her hair a bit. "I have no valid or responsible advice for you, I''m afraid," he said softly and pulled away, letting her brush her hair back with a pout. "ept it, repress it, surrender to it, merge with it, consume it just do what you want. Whatever that desire of yours turns you into, I at least won''t give up on you." Evelyn''s breath hitched and she averted her eyes with burning cheeks. "T-t-thank you" "And there he goes wooing the poor girls again," Higure shook her head. "He may not have advice, but I do," Hansmented and they all looked at him. The author pushed his sses and squinted at the subus. "Do not underestimate yourself," he stated and let those words hang in the air for a moment before looking back at the book he had been reading without rification or boration. "That''s it?!" Higure retorted but he didn''t even heed her voice. Raknaughed lightly and his friends nkly stared at him. For some reason, only the therian ever seemed to be having fun whenever Hans'' poisonous tongue reared its ugly head. "{You noticed as well,}" Fray remarked lightly inside his mind at the same time. Rakna huffed and stole a glimpse of Evelyn''s perplexity as she blinked at the blue-haired boy. "{She is not wrong to believe that ck aura is ckening. I have encountered it myself in the past,}" the fabulist said. "{However,}" he paused. "{such corruption is not merciful enough to allow her to retain sanity while showing clear signs of infection. She does not seem to realize that.}" ''She will eventually see it for herself'' Rakna responded solemnly and shifted his focus to a building at the end of the street. It was easily twice as big and luxurious as everything else around and most importantly, a private water bridge connected its upper floors with the Arena. "It''s over there, isn''t it?" The therian said aloud, catching everyone''s attention. Simultaneously, he opened the map of New Athens with his Eye to confirm the answer to said question. "It is indeed," Ceresta spoke up first, her digital records providing the answer faster than anyone else could. "It belongs to the Barastiel aristocratic family. One of the most influential of the teau as well as the one that invited you." While listening to her exnation, the group got closer and An abruptly froze. His hand moved to cover his mouth and nose as his expression was contorted by a grimace. "Are you okay?" Marie immediately slowed down in worry and the others turned around. The blond shook his head and lowered his hand, revealing his fangs that had grown sharper but were gradually returning to their regr state. "I just lost control of my senses a bit there," he said with a wince. Akronis huffed and raised his voice, "Simply said, there''s quite the gathering of powerful blood in that building." The white bat''s eyes glowed. "Nothing quite divine but it is of such concentration and power that it''s able to rouse even a dormant Ichubyr''s instinct." "You''re not going to go on a killing spree, are you?" Rakna asked jokingly. "Of course not," he groaned. "I was just surprised. I''m still getting used to smelling blood since we managed a Resonance," he said whilst ncing at his soul beast. "This prick never told me it would bleed onto me. I already had some, obviously, but he enhanced it beyond my control." "Heh! Don''t me it on me, child," Akronis scoffed. "At the end of the day, our races make us more thanpatible. It''s natural some of our traits get shared. Just like how the young witch here gains slight magical resistance or how the Hydra provides poison resistance; we simply do it on a more pronounced scale." "Well, I can''t me you for freaking out," the therian said. In truth, he had sensed those presences long before the building even came into view. That much was pretty much passive and automatic for him. Whether it be the Voices of Mana or the fluctuations of Soul Power, that building was drowned by their interference. And that wasn''t even the worst of it. "Be careful of the Arena when we get there as well," Rakna added. "why?" An inquired, dreading the answer. The therian smirked and only gave one sentence in exnation, "Kara did a good job." Chapter 374: Old u0026 New Faces Chapter 374: Old u0026 New Faces "You''rete," Kaelith uttered with crossed arms, dressed in a beautiful red dress and her hair tied into a braid from her shoulders downward. "It''s An''s fault," Rakna instantly replied, pointing at his friend. After dropping his disguise and showing his invitation to enter the building, the vixen had been the first one to wee them. "Oh,e on, it was only fifteen minutes," the blond grumbled. "Being on time is important etiquette in the aristocratic world," Kara''s voice sounded from a small distance as she came walking out of one of the elevators. She reached the group with a smile and ced her hand on her hip, showing off her dress the same color as her daughter,plemented by a ck fur overcoat. "Mom, you''re thest person to talk about etiquette," Kaelith retorted with a sigh. The older vixenughed roguishly. "You got me there!" "Um were we supposed to dress up for this?" An asked with a raised eyebrow as he saw both of the Nine-Tailed women wearing high-end clothing. "Well, preferably," Kara snorted. "But who cares, right? The political world is shit anyway. If there is someone that is bothered by what you wear, they don''t deserve your attention," she huffed and looked at Rakna. "Look, our dear Rara can change into anything at a moment''s notice but he didn''t bother, did he?" "" The therian silently kept to himself that he hadn''t even thought about how to present himself. "It doesn''t matter, I have to agree," Kaelith agreed with a wry smile. "Most of you are good-looking enough that it''s enough in and of itself," she joked and turned around. "Anyway, let''s go up. There''s quite a group of people waiting up there. The Barastiel didn''t quite expect the kind of people that invited themselves to their little party to meet you. They''re so anxious that they won''t even care about your clothes, much less yourte arrival." "I did a good job, right?" Kara asked with a grin as she leaned in very close to Rakna. The way her fox ears twitched seemed to indicate that she wanted a pat more than anything else. "Mom," Kaelith''s eye twitched in annoyance. Not so much for what she was doing, but that she was doing it right in front of anyone else in the hall around them. "I swear to god if I hear rumors about wolfy being some sort of lecher that goes even for the Matriarch" "Eh~? It''s fine, no?" Kara pouted. "Fine, what? Me being a lecher?" Rakna couldn''t help but retort as they stepped into the elevator that was big enough to easily fit more than twenty people. "It''s about our image," Kaelith sighed. "Keep it private." The older vixen snickered but actually listened and stood upright, showing an unusual amount of grace in her posture. "I say let them," she added with a smile. An blinked at the interaction and whispered to Rakna, "I''m not sure if I should be jealous or pity you, Rak." "You don''t say" The therian and soon enough they arrived at the top floor of the building. The very second the doors opened, An once again stilled as he smelled better than even Rakna the sheer power of those present. Nyx stiffened immediately as well and Higure smirked, almost feeling at home in the presence of people as strong as her in her prime. The top floor seemed to be nothing more than one giant hall with no rooms. Plenty of decorations and recreations to pass the time, including a bar, and several divans and tables. Additionally, the walls were fully transparent like ss and there was one opening letting in fresh air carrying with it the scent of the sea, which also gave way to the aquatic bridge leading to the Arena. As soon as the group stepped out, a nobleman came to wee them. There was no hurry in his steps, but his slightly weary expression told much of how this day was taking its toll on him. "It is an honor to meet you," the handsome and rather thin but tall man bowed respectfully. Rakna sniffed quietly, and as far as first impressions went, he rather liked this individual. Nothing about him radiated unfounded pride or entitlement. His bodynguage and tone of voice all pointed to nothing more and nothing less than a nobleman. "My name is Michael D. Barastiel," he introduced himself politely. "Current Head of the Barastiel family and Overseer of the Antis Council." Kara smiled and spoke to Rakna as she waved at him, "Michael here is apetent businessman that our n particrly appreciates. He additionally holds major ownership over the Arena and is the one that endorsed your showcase for today. You can speak freely to him." Michael responded with a faint smile on his sharp facial features. "You overpraise me, Lady Kara." "Rakna Xiorra," the therian neutrally said and the nobleman''s smile became wider as if he already expected such an attitude and even weed it. "I suppose if I had to ask what kind of showcase I will have to do, it would be to you?" "Well, to some extent," Michael said with a small nod. "But we usually prefer to keep the surprise to both the participants and the public. The nature of the showcase is ever-changing so it helps to garner further excitement for spectators. But if you insist on knowing, I can tell you." "I see. It''s fine, I''ll y along," Rakna shrugged and focused on someone approaching. It was one of the few people present he recognized and had met before. Though in different circumstances. "This is the first we meet or is it?" The President of the Pavilion, Kryas Io Fascio, greeted with azy but genuine smile. Wearing a ck and white suit, with his long hair as untamed as ever, his deep onyx eyes pierced through the therian. "maybe it isn''t," Rakna replied calmly and shook hands with the man. Last time, the two of them had met through their respective clones, involving the fake persona of Obsidian. ''Now that I stand in front of the real thing I''m almost scared,'' he thought. "{Kryas Io Fascio}" Fray hummed. "{Ranking 3rd in the Host Leaderboard and owner of the most influential organization in the whole System he''s a daunting figure.}" ''I suppose it was a bit too optimistic for him not to notice Obsidian and I are the same person,'' Rakna told himself as his eyes wandered upward at the ceiling for a moment. He smiled faintly and pulled his hand back from the handshake. "You have some interesting bodyguards. Crawling up there like spiders." If Kryas was surprised, he didn''t show it. Heughed lightly. "My subordinates know well I do not need protection, but they''re still adamant about it," he sighed and shook his head. "Ah, so that is the stale and cold blood I was smelling up there," Akronismented out loud and the Pavilion President snorted. "Please don''t ruin their pride, the poor things," he joked at their expense. "How many of you were able to notice them? They''re quite good at their job normally if I do say so myself." Rakna mused and looked back at his group for a moment. "Marie and Evelyn are most likely the only ones who don''t have the skillset necessary to sense them." This time, Kryas'' eyebrow twitched. "Well now quite a group of friends you have," hemented and before anything else could be said, a green-haired elven woman abruptly appeared and slung an arm over Rakna''s shoulders whileughing. "Hahaha, if it''s not my golden goose!" Veraughed heartily and the therian sweatdropped. On the other hand, the girls of the group, namely Nyx, via, Evelyn, and Marie all but face-palmed at the behavior of the woman who had introduced them to the Wan Guild. "I''m not golden and I certainly don''ty eggs," Rakna retorted. "Please, did you look at that?" The elf pointed at the four girls with her thumb. "Giving that to our guild is like offering nuclear weapons as an act of goodwill," she jested and then smiled devilishly while looking at Ceresta. "By the way this lovelydy here has a terrific magic power" Rakna sighed before she could even finish. "Knock yourself out. If Ceres says yes, she can join your guild. She wouldn''t mind the help to improve her magic theory at least." Vera outright squealed as she rushed to the dollish beauty and grasped her hands with hers. "What do you say? Would you like to join the Wan Guild?" The Chaos Witch asked with sparkling eyes. The former AI could only blink dumbfoundedly. "Lay it off, Vera. I get it; you have better recruits," another woman''s voice chimed in, followed by the approach of another elf. However, unlike Vera, she had tanned skin and short silver hair paired with auburn eyes. ''a dark elf,'' Rakna thought soberly. The neer turned toward them and smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Karin Li Elk, executive of the Wan Guild like the petnt child over there," she said while pointing at Vera with a huff. Said witch turned away from Ceresta and crossed her arms. "Petnt child? That''s funnying from a grouchy bottom feeder like you. Last I heard this petnt child passed a Trial you did not," the elf sneered with a re. Karin''s eyes twitched. "Precisely. A petnt child, gifted with the power of Chaos. There could not have been a better fit for you considering how structurallycking your spells are. You ought to be stronger than me when you use magic that barely requires thought." "Hah! At least I have talent in something. Unlike a certain someone," Vera fired back. "what is this passive-aggressive, self-deprecating, prideful quarreling?" Rakna deadpanned. via pouted and spoke inaudibly to anyone other than herpanions, "I feel a tad insulted..." "Um, shouldn''t you like avoid doing that in front of the super important guy over here?" An asked uneasily to the elves as Kryas still stood there with a smile. Michael had already silently stepped away as well. "Oh, it''s fine," the Pavilion President replied. "I don''t really--" "No one really cares if he''s there or not," an amused voice interrupted him, and a handsome man with long rosy hair stepped into view. His elegant white gothic suit adorned with cherry blossoms was immediately recognized by Rakna, but it was Kryas who spoke first. "Caer wen," the President greeted with a nonmittal nod. "See?" The member of Throne of Glory followed up with a chuckle. "In the upper spheres, there''s essentially no one that cares about his opinion. Do you know what he is? Lazy and patient. In other words, he''s too saintly to be offended and too slothful to be mad." Kryas shrugged as if there was nothing to say about it. "I think I had that figured out already," Rakna snorted. "So, you also came today, Caer?" "But of course," the rosy-haired man replied smilingly, his thinly squinted eyes making a curve. "I simply had to, considering you''re about to make an entrance. Additionally, it has been a long time since Ist spectated the Arena Games. How nostalgic," he chuckled. "I see. And this is?" The therian sent an inquisitive look over Caer''s shoulder at a tall woman who was currently observing his group with an appraising gaze. If he had to describe her, he would call her a cold but youthful beauty. But most importantly; sharp. Her clothes didn''t look very formal and instead reminded him of padded clothing that you would wear under full body armor, but still hugged her body. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes that radiated power and assurance. When the topic of her identity came up, she promptly tore her eyes away from Ceres, who seemed to be getting quite a lot of attention from everyone in the hall, and looked directly at the therian. "Merlina wen," she answered with an even tone of voice. "Oh," Rakna blinked. "Then, it is safe to assume you are Lilia''s mother, right? White Spring?" "Indeed," the knightly woman nodded. "I heard quite a lot about you from her." The therian snickered. "Allow me to doubt that," he joked and the woman''s lips twitched upward for a short moment. "Yes. Perhaps it would be more urate to say she used more than two words at a time whenever she referred to you," Merlina conceded humorously. "Which reminds me" Caer opened an eye and sped Rakna''s shoulders with a scary smile. "You better not hurt my dear girl; you hear me?" He threatened. However, despite it, the therian could only look back at him confused. "Don''t y dumb with me! Look at all thosedies around you! You won''t tell me that you hold no desires for them, will you?!" The man shut his eyes closed and sniffed. "Why did my daughter''s first interest in boys have to be a womanizer?" He sobbed to himself. "" Rakna didn''t even know what to say. On the other hand, Higure startedughing in the back and Kaelith gave her mother a ''What did I tell you?'' kind of look. "Ow!" In the end, Caer''s dramatic breakdown was stopped by Merlina hitting his head. Chapter 375: "…fantastic." Chapter 375: "fantastic." "Ah! There you are, boy!" Gaelius greeted as Rakna made his way further inside the hall. At his call, the therian turned toward him, approaching while hispanions interacted with the people that had weed them. Vera, Karin, Merlina, and even Kryas seemed to share amon curiosity for Ceresta. The crowd around her only seemed to be growing too. ''well, she''s already more popr than me,'' Rakna said in his mind. He might as well let her get the attention. It would be a social experience for her. He did feel a bit guilty leaving her to the wolves, but he supposed Kaelith would shield her from anyone too pushy or threatening. Based on the re she was giving any noble that dared to get in sight range of her, she would do a good job. "Good morning, Gaelius. You as well, Master," Rakna greeted with a small smile as he noticed Old Wang sitting next to the scientist. The dwarf snorted as everyone in their current vicinity looked at him in interest. "Who told you to call me that?" He huffed. "I''m just a regr old man running a food stall." "Who would believe that, Faezi?" Gaelius deadpanned. "Plenty of people." Rakna snickered quietly and then turned to the other people nearby; they seemed to have been chatting with his two acquaintances. He recognized one of them; Hybran cksteel. Said individual nodded back with a smile. "Good to see you again. I suppose Obsidian is noting along today?" The mayor of cksteel asked. The therian smiled wryly. "No let''s say he''s preupied." "Hm, I see. Well, if you''ll allow me, let me introduce you here to a friend of mine," Hybran waved at a man to his right, older than himself by at least a few decades, ostensibly in his sixties. Despite that, the stranger was tall in stature and quite robust-looking from his posture alone. His whitened hair wasbed backward, with strands of ck streaking through it. He had deep blue eyes and his facial hair was trimmed meticulously. He wore a dignified attire consisting of a red and ck suit with a cape-like coat. An unused cane sat beside him and his expression was set into a firm but genuine smile. ''Another of the greatest powers in this room,'' Rakna thought internally. Along with Kryas, Caer, and Merlina, this man''s presence strummed his every instinct. "My name is Azheim Nringer Lophtzen," the man said with a smile and stood up with his cane to address him properly. "It''s a pleasure to meet you," he added while extending his hand. Rakna reciprocated the handshake and nodded respectfully. "Rakna Xiorra; likewise." "Haha, always leaving out the most important," a new voice, one belonging to an elderly woman, sounded and the therian nced at its source. Unassumingly, there sat an old woman with a warm smile in a wheelchair. She was dressed in the garbs of the Church and behind her stood a man of nearly the same age wearing a ck and white uniform adorned with a skull cross. He shared simr facial features to the woman before him, including her light green eyes, and his whitened hair was long enough to reach the middle of his back but hung over his shoulders rather than down his back. "Since you always seem to forget, let me fill in the nks for you," the old woman chuckled and waved at the Azheim. "This is Azheim Nringer Lophtzen, Administrator of Old Eden, Mediator of the Myth Council, Strongest Local, and one of the few bearing the Honor Rank of Ebene Diare." "there was definitely a lot missing," Rakna admitted with a twitch of his mouth. Azheimughed lightly in a cating manner. "Now, now, no need to intimidate the poor boy with all those titles. Though, he is not one to becking in that aspect either," he added merrily. The elderly woman shook her head and sighed. "Aah, how disheartening it is to know you are older than me," shemented and Rakna mentally noted the implication of that. "Anyway, I suppose it is our turn?" She continued and ced her palm over her chest in a saluting manner. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Rakna Xiorra. I am Gwenef De Croix, High Cardinal of the Church." "And I am Granolf De Croix," the man behindplemented with a small grin. "This old stubborn woman''s brother; as well as a Cardinal of the Basilica." "Stubborn? Speak for yourself," Gwenef scoffed and he cackled. "As you can see, despite being siblings, we quite diverged in our paths," Granolf stated by pointing at both his cross and the one his sister wore around her neck. Rakna curiously regarded them, sensing their repressed power to be very high as well. He notably sent a puzzled look toward Granolf. "You''re a Cardinal as well but you''re much more powerful than thest one I met," he said in a slightly confused tone. "Hm?" The man tilted his head for a moment. "Oh, yes. You met O''Gram, haven''t you? I don''t me you for your confusion. In the Basilica, the rank of Cardinal is held in parallel with the Archbishops unlike the Church," he said whilst waving at his sister. "Us Cardinals can be powerful, such as I," he nodded. "But we mostly deal with internal affairs. If you seek fighters in our midst, the Archbishops take the crown. Lacros Hortensia would be one of them and arguably the greatest. I''ve heard he''s on good terms with the Eternal Maiden; you might be aware of him." Rakna nodded, having indeed heard of the name from Nyx, and then thought of something. "Then do you have a Pope like the Church?" Gwenef harrumphed at the question. "They don''t; as it should be. Their structure alone is already a mockery of our own. Regardless of my subjective respect for the Eternal Night God, if they dare to name a ''Pope'' for themselves, I will personally raid their main quarters for the insult." Granolf hung his head in defeat. "Gwene on," he sighed and she huffed as if challenging him to dispute her. "Aah, anyway, it''s as she says. We don''t have a Pope, nor do we have an equivalent. Our Basilica does not believe in a leading figure. The Kind Demon and our fighting prowess are all we need." "Which causes you to be severelycking in terms of wealth and rtions," Rakna said with a nod while remembering the particr details of the organization. Granolf flinched backward as if he had just suffered a critical blow. "You got us there" "Now that introductions are out of the way" Azheim spoke up as he sat back down. "Tell me, how has your life been faring in the System?" He asked with an impish smile. Rakna huffed in exasperation. "Eventful. Not necessarily bad; especially for my mental health. But I could have done without the life-or-death struggles," he admitted truthfully. "How paradoxical," Azheim snorted in amusement. "That said, ''eventful'' does not cut it even if we just refer to your endeavors in Zero," he said in a slightly more serious tone. "The Nine-Tailed have already shared the word, by the way." The therian raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That fast, huh? Everyone here knows?" He asked while addressing the small group, as well as ncing at the people inside the hall. Gwenef closed her eyes and answered, "Not all. Most of the guests here today do not have ess to information of such confidentiality. That is unless they possess relevant connections. One such person would be Michael. The young man is well-liked." "I see" Rakna nodded and turned toward Azheim. "Since you are the Council Mediator, I suppose it will be your job to introduce the topic at the next meeting?" The older man hummed affirmatively. "Quite so. I was named Mediator by the System so that any topic discussed at the Myth Council remains relevant and under control. However, that does not mean a member isn''t capable of speaking out about an issue at their own prerogative." "But it makes things easier if it''s you who does it?" Azheim nodded. "Going by your inquisitiveness, is there something you''d like to forward to me on top of your discoveries about this recent war?" Instead of answering, Rakna stepped aside to give the man a direct view of his group. "Do you see the girl with emerald hair?" He asked calmly and Azheim raised an eyebrow. "The one releasing the presence of a Cambion?" "Yes." "What of her?" "Her name is Evelyn Jill Malcanthet," Rakna stated and Azheim''s expression soured for a split second. "As you seem to know, the Malcanthet are a family of alchemists that ''disappeared'' a bit over 170 years ago from what I''ve gleaned." "I am aware. I myself was a patron of theirs," the admin of Old Eden said. "I''m a human through and through after all. I have no way to obtain a longevity trait or skill as a Local. Thus, the potions of the Malcanthet were what stopped me from growing too senile," he snickered to himself. "Their rejuvenating concoctions were the best in the market and with no side effects." "Hm," Rakna narrowed his eyes. "Then, it''ll make things easier. Evelyn is thest living member of that family. Her parents were assassinated by the Jill and her brother fell to ckening, whom she had to seal along with herself until I found them around the time the seals were breaking." "" "She wants revenge," Rakna dered simply. "I have no right to deny it from her. Nor do I want to in the slightest... The Chaos Witch in my Guild is the owner of the Wisdom of Ariv," he added and a small hint of surprise appeared on everyone''s faces. "He''s going to be waking up today. So, if you are willing to be a witness for the answer he gives, I would appreciate it." Azheim silently mused before breathing out. "Understood. I will personally hear the proof of the crimemitted against her and bring it up to the Council. As Mediator, I allow you to bring her to the Tower on the day of the meeting. On my side, I will call for the Jill''s presence as well. Both parties will be ordered to participate and be trialed." "Trialed, huh?" Rakna snorted. "It''s the proper way of doing it," the older man shrugged. "And I am on your side," he added with one eye closed as he gazed at Evelyn. "As far as her parents go, I don''t believe I have met them. But if I''m not incorrect about her ancestry, it''s another story for her grandfather. He was a rather good friend of mine." "Then, I''m counting on you," the therian grunted and stretched his neck. "That''s one less thing to worry about, at least," he hummed and since the topic was over, he switched focus to the center of the hall where Michael was currently about to step up to address everyone. "Hm, he''s probably going to announce your presence to everyone," Gaeliusmented. "This was supposed to be a party celebrating your arrival if you decided toe after all." "Indeed," Azheim agreed with a renewed smile. "Afterward, we will head to the Arena. You will be under even more scrutiny there," he said toward Rakna. "As far as I know, due to insistence from other nobles, Michael had to move his party''s location to thergest public VIP room so that more than just his entourage could interact with you." "Lovely," Rakna huffed sarcastically. "I knew there weren''t enough people ring a hole into the back of my head in here." Gwenef chuckled softly. "Cheer up, boy. The hall we are relocating to is like a restaurant. Just like here, no one is going to risk walking up to you in front of so many people to avoid being seen as an opportunist. Only people like Kryas, who don''t care, and those elves you seem to be acquainted with, will be daring enough." "Additionally, a majority of the most powerful figures will use a private booth," Granolf followed up. "If anything, the truly important ones won''t try to get close to you. They will only watch your showcase to profile you. That''s the whole reason for their presence in the Arena today." "fantastic," replying with one word again, the small group smiled at the therian. Firstly, I spiritually died, like... three times in thest couple weeks, so... that''s that. I can''t be bothered to tell my life story right now. . Secondly, I''ll be busy during weekdays soon so I''ll be moving the update day to Saturday, or perhaps just the weekend as a whole, since it''s more convenient for me.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 376: The Hunting Queen Chapter 376: The Hunting Queen Michael performed a short speech to everyone, thanking all of them for attending his party, before putting the spotlight on Rakna, who inwardly groaned at the definitive switch of attention to him. Thankfully, Michael once again showed his sensible mind and prevented any nuisances by swiftly ending the speech with pping and a toast. The aristocrat had immediately jumped to first ce in Rakna''s list of approval. The man lived up to his name; a true angel. Sometimeter, everyone eventually found themselves boarding a rather stylized boat meant to cross the aquatic bridge. And it was during that time that a certain individual greeted Rakna. "So, you''re the kid Baires was talking about?" A voice sounded behind him and his body froze out of pure survival instinct. Something which he quickly overpowered to look over his shoulder and take a look at the stranger. There stood a woman much taller than himself. He wasn''t one to be intimidated by height, but he had to admit, she was almost a bit too overwhelming. She easily stood over two meters and while her silhouette was plenty feminine, and perhaps sensual considering her chest was being strained by nothing other than bandages to act as some sort of makeshift clothing, she was also extremely fit, going by her exposed abdomen littered with marks of battle and the definition in her limbs and upper torso. She had spiky ck hair just long enough to reach below her shoulders, dark red eyes, tanned skin only slightly lighter than Higure''s, and a pale three-w scar running over her left eye. She wore a white trench coat over her arguably covered chest and otherwise just sported ck pants. Most importantly though, the woman had a wide grin on her face as she looked at him. ''now that is a worrying expression to see,'' the therian grumbled silently. ''Reminds me of Higure but unlike the horny cat, this one actually feels like a lion about to swallow me up.'' "Did you just think of something rude, devourer of mine?" Said horny cat suddenly interjected out of nowhere and he wisely ignored it in order to focus on the neer. "When you say Baires" Rakna started with a scowl and the woman cackled. "Good-looking guy, a bit meek, board executive of mypany," she answered and extended her hand toward him. "That is to say, myckey. Name''s Zialtra Lanfor. Boss of Trafford." The therian narrowed his eyes in recognition and slowly returned the handshake, from which he almost winced due to the strength she put in. She smirked. "Second Ascent Strength doesn''t faze you. Nice going. How about Third?" "preferably, I would like to avoid losing my hand over a handshake," Rakna retorted and pulled back, which she allowed with augh. "Fair enough. You''ll need it for the showcase anyway. I''ll see what you''re made of then." "so, you would have crippled my hand if I didn''t need it soon?" He deadpanned. "Come on, ''cripple'' is such a bad word to describe it," she waved it off. "And well, the fox girl behind you doesn''t seem to appreciate the idea," she snorted at a scowling Kaelith. "What are you here for, Zialtra?" The vixen huffed. "Aren''t you busy hunting for some big game, as you always say?" "Bah, chill out girl," the tall woman rolled her eyes. "I''m just bored. Until yesterday, I was debating between going hunting some Wild Bosses or raiding the vampires or something. But then I heard about the ''news''," she stated with emphasis and looked at Rakna. "Got curious is all. I knew about you, kid, ever since you came to the System. Baires reported to me how you brought back corpses to my shop far above your level on your first day. Even a Hidden Boss." "I see." "You know, Baires was pretty sad that you didn''t visit the shop much afterward," she added with a snicker. "He was expecting to see you bring big catches to us. Instead, you only came to buy some hearts much of which was done through a third party." Rakna frowned lightly. "I don''t need the money and most of my ''biggest catches'' were madmen or creatures that I was forced to obliterate. Can''t really sell either." "Haha, true!" "I''m going to fight a dragon for my Guild''s evaluation of me soon," the therian said. "I guess I could bring that one. Depends on if I have to use a spell that will destroy its body entirely. Nevertheless, since I''m the one supposed to kill it, the Leader should let me have whatever is left of it." Zialtra blinked at that, and everyone else in earshot reacted pretty much the same way. "You say the wildest of things like it''s nothing," the imposing woman chuckled. "But I like that, kid." "I see you''ve met Lanfor," Kryas'' voice sounded as he approached from a distance, leaving a group of nobles he was conversing with. At that point, the boat had already begun to exit Athens and was gradually expanding the view of the city and Antis'' vast ocean. "Ugh herees thezy ass," Zialtra grimaced. "An extreme has no right to criticize another," the Pavilion President retorted dryly. "I''m surprised you''re even here considering how over-spirited you are. Are you sure you can survive sitting down for just thirty minutes?" He asked with genuine curiosity. "You''re not going to kill some poor soul if you get too bored, right?" "Oi, oi, what the hell kinda monster you think I am?" A few steps away from them, via leaned back and whispered to Kaelith. "Who is she?" She asked quietly. The vixen huffed with her arms crossed. "Zialtra Lanfor. Also known as the Martial Saint. She also goes by The Executioner or the Hunting Queen in some circles. She''s the 6th Ranked Host." "Sixth" An sweatdropped. "After the 3rd Top Host, we get another in the Top 10 am I the only one who thinks this should be a bit more, I don''t know, significant?" Kara chuckled. "Oh my, did you not know?" She raised her voice mischievously and the blond gave her a confused look. The fox matriarch waved her hand in the direction of Merlina and Caer a few meters away; the couple enjoying the view together. "Merlina wen. The Knight of Spring. She is ranked 7th and the third strongest member of Throne of Glory." "what kind of damn Guild did Rakna get into?" An couldn''t help but remark. "I have heard of an amusing fact about Zialtra Lanfor now that I think about it," Hans abruptly said as he looked up from his book, leaning against the railing of the boat. Everyone looked at him when he brought the topic back to the powerful woman. "Allegedly, she never intended to create Trafford," the author hummed. "The reason she is known as the Hunting Queen is her obsession with fighting. She never stops seeking prey. Rumors state she has lived for more than three hundred years now purely because she bathed in the lifeforce of so many powerful creatures." "But, point in case, a long time ago, she supposedly had killed so many beasts and monsters that the carcasses eventually managed to fill up a hundred Tier 1 Spatial Rings. She initially collected the bodies as trophies but got tired of it and just started leaving the corpses behind her." "An admirer of hers had the idea to set up a small firm in her name and collect her spoils. He would sell them and give her the majority of the revenues. She recognized the man''s efforts and just gave him her rings, letting him do whatever he wanted with them a yearter, the value of those rings was enough to skyrocket Trafford into a massivepany, crushing allpetitors." Hans paused and calmly lowered his sses briefly to clean them. "The estimate is that there was more than a hundred billion Talys worth of material in those rings," he uttered indifferently. "To this day, she is still single handedly responsible for providing most of the high-value subjects sold at Trafford." His listeners fell silent as he finished recounting the tale and An whined inaudibly. "Okay, now I''m just scared," he mumbled under his breath. In fact, Zialtra herself was now looking at Hans with an amused eye. "I haven''t heard someone tell that anecdote in a long while," she chortled. "Are you a fan of mine?" At her question, everyone collectively agreed that if Hans could have made a duller expression, he would have transcended in some way. "It was a funny story," the spiteful author said indifferently and returned to his reading. "A rabid dog worshiped by rabbits'' sort of humor," he added. "Well, color me surprised," the Queen of Hunting grinned. "Looks like I found something to get rid of my boredom for today after all," she stated and Hans'' expression twitched, fearing what kind of annoyance this woman would subject him to. "Eeeh?! You have Formtion Magic!?" An equally excited and shocked voice abruptly cut through the crowd, redirecting everyone''s interest toward a teenage-looking boy with pale skin and white unkempt hair. He wore round sses and a white coat simr to a doctor''s. However, his most striking features were his half-translucent legs as he floated around Ceresta as if she was a fascinating artifact of untoldplexity and history. The dollish girl merely tilted her head nkly and nodded at his question. "This is the first time I''ve met one!" The boy replied heartily. "Ever since I heard of this magic, I''ve always wanted to see it! It''s just sad that thest wielder died before I was born" As everyone watched the floating teen spin around Ceresta and even somehow flip over her head with sparkles in his eyes, Kaelith was the one who reacted first by sighing. "You brought this overactive kid here?" She asked pointedly at Kryas who shrugged. "He was curious about him too," the Pavilion President pointed at Rakna. "Why would I refuse? He has made enough contribution with his work to earn this much leisure." "And he is?" Evelyn inquired, sensing the boy''s body to be simr to her state as a Phantom. "Owner of the Nirvana Skill, Cypher Dominion," Kaelith crossed her arms. "Ciel Verd. He may look and act like that, but he''s been working for the Pavilion for hundreds of years now. He''s in charge of infrastructure maintenance at the Pavilion as well as the coding of its various services. I''m sure you all noticed, but he''s a Spirit; a Ghost to be precise. Nothing more, nothing less." "Hm, I''m surprised, Ghosts are rare," Astraeamented. Rakna tilted his head at her. "How so? I would have believed it to bemon." "Well, yes and no. The truth of the matter is that spiritual beings have many ssifications. Shades, Poltergeists, Specters, Apparitions, Wraiths, Phantoms, and Phantasms. Each of these is different to a varying degree. Only the uninformed use ''ghost'' as a general appetion. Ghosts are the purest form of spiritual life forms. They cannot be touched normally, cannot possess, cannot be exorcized traditionally, cannot age mentally, cannot experience an imbnce of death energy" Astraea paused and observed Ciel for a short second. "Additionally, one bes a Ghost by having extremely high acumen and an abundance of spiritual energy before death. It has nothing to do with resentments or regrets. No, in the first ce, if you have any of those, you can''t be one at all. In a way, Ghosts are the most clear-minded beings in Existence. The Church would not even bat an eye at one despite it being an ''undead''. They would treat them like Saints." "She''s right," Kryas nodded sagely. "His innocence is so great I''ve been using him for centuries to negotiate contracts. Either guilt trips or baits with overwhelming naivety. He''s a great kid. Saves me a lot of trouble." "" No one deigned toment on that. "Hey, can I see a World Form?!" Ciel finally asked and Ceresta blinked. "if you''d like," she replied calmly, bringing out her hand and manifesting an orb of silver mana above her palm. Within that orb, countless lines of equations and magic formations alike crossed one another and intertwined almost iprehensibly. Furthermore, everything seemed bent andpressed, with values sometimes interchanging as if the equations were never meant to be static. It was like mathematics, geometry, and magic had married and given birth to an abomination. With just a glimpse, everyone in the vicinity grimaced as a small headache overcame them. Rakna was not spared even with Eye of Symphony. Truthfully, he was pretty sure his Eye would fry itself trying to decipher that orb. It was as if both machine and livingcked something fundamental to even be worthy of reading a World Form. It was like staring at an infinite wall of text too far from you to even make out any letter. Yet the sheer size would manage to imnt into your consciousness the fatigue of reading it in its entirety without actually doing it. Ciel, on the other hand, went through several kinds of expressions. "W-wha-what is this?" "The Form of a pebble I found on the ground," Ceresta replied matter-of-factly. The Ghost questioned the literal meaning of his existence right then and there. Chapter 377: Athens Arena Games Chapter 377: Athens'' Arena Games "| Wee to All! |" A kind and charismatic voice resounded everywhere inside the Arena. Rakna''s ears perked up as he, along with everyone riding the same boat as him,nded on the top floor of the grand building. The very top of the Arena was a garden filled with verdure and streams of water going in and out of the ground. The center was hollowed out and gave a direct view of the ''stage'' for the games. It was surrounded by rows of spectators spread across several floors. However, it wasn''t as simple as that. If you looked inside the hole from the top floor, your brain would be overwhelmed due to the sheer spatial refraction going on inside. Antis'' Arena was one of the most spatially expanded buildings in the entire System. It was a known fact that the Arena Games were supported by the System itself. Eva had approved the Arena as a ce beneficial to the Hosts and Locals, on par with Trials and Ordeals. As such, the kinds of matches that could ur within it were varied and notoriously hard to reproduce. "How many participants?" Rakna asked as he looked down at the well of spatial distortions while leaning on the railings. His extreme senses and Eye of Symphony allowed him to observe it with barely any difort. Sometimes, theyers of space would intersect and he would see more than a dozen different stages being prepared, all of them diverse in nature. "This year, we have about three hundred," Michael answered respectfully. "Oh? More than usual," Zialtramented with a grin. "Last I heard, the number was always about two hundred or one hundred. I know you guys pick based on potential; are there that many good ones this time?" "Indeed. Theirbined potential is high," the nobleman nodded. "Our examinators were all quite positive about these participants'' prospects. Undertaker contributed to the auditionsst month as well and few can escape his eye when ites totent power." Rakna''s eyebrow twitched at the name but otherwise refrained frommenting on it. However, he did nce in a certain direction on the other side of the roof. The Arena was sorge that one with an ordinary vision would have barely been able to see people moving. But to the therian, the distance was inconsequential. There stood a tall and well-built man, with grayish curly hair and a burn scar on his face. His red eyes glowed and a smirk spread on his face as he returned Rakna''s look with a yful wave. "Undertaker?" Nyx was the one instead to raise the question with a wary look. "Treiber Sterben. Leader of Friedhof, a notorious mercenary Guild," Kryas answered,zily eyeing the same ce that Rakna was focused on. "Arguably the biggest Guild in terms of headcount as well as the undisputed pinnacle of hired hands. Resourceful, loyal, powerful, connected a reliable bunch." "Albeitcking any sort of moralpass," Zialtra snickered. "And loyalty goes out the window if your enemy hires them after you. Well, as long as your contract with them is not active. Then, yes, they''re quite loyal. They never betray their employers for a bigger reward." "Hm" Rakna hummed casually and looked away. "Good to know, I suppose." "Well, let''s go inside, shall we?" Azheim proposed as he began to walk toward an open staircase in the ground, his cane tapping the grass. "I do not know about you, gentlemen, but I haven''t eaten my breakfast today, so I''m quite hungry." "Honestly, I could go for a snack too" An grumbled as he started to follow. "Anything to get rid of the smell of blood. Pain in the ass, this ability." "Control your senses, boy," Akronis shook his head in disappointment. "Your werewolf friend does notin about his sensory abilities, does he? He has a firm handle on them." "You can''tpare me to Rak! He''s basically half-machine at this point! He can filter shit out with a thought And who cares about a cheater''s aplishments anyway?" The blond huffed. "touch," the white bat easily admitted to that. "I can hear you," the therian deadpanned, beckoning Ceresta toe with everyone else, ending her brief debate with Ciel about the metal and stone spires built over the Arena acting as linchpins for the spatial dtion whatever that meant. "| It is soon time for the First Game to begin! |" The cheerful voice once echoed as the group made their way down the stairs, guided by Michael. "| Please head to your arranged seats. The Game will begin in fifteen minutes. In the meantime, you can consult today''s nning with the info cards. |" "Such a jolly mood," viamented smilingly as they arrived at an open wall leading to arge hall fused with a restaurant. Other people wereing in from other entrances but most of them seemed to be already seated. The hall itself had two floors, but they were not fully separated, with one of them giving a view of the one below. As far as decoration went, several chandeliers hung from the ceiling, paintings were strewn over the walls, nted vases sat in corners and pots in the middle of tables, and finally, the outermost wall shared by both floors was entirely made of ss to watch the Arena''s stage. "that ss wall''s giving me a headache. It feels blurry and clear at the same time," An groaned as they strode into the second floor. "Space is being reflected onto it," Kaelith said casually as Michael led them to their table under the scrutiny of every other guest. "Focus a bit and then you''ll see the outlook of the arena flicker." Rakna tried himself and as she said, at one moment, it was a simple square fighting stage, but then it would change into a stage filled with water and stone pirs; a sphere of floating water hovering above a blue granite floor; a white space with no gravity; a stage of fire and ice; and even several natural sceneries that seemed far vaster than should be possible with the size of the Arena viewed from outside. "Each is meant for its own ''Game''. Survival, Puzzle, Battle Royale, Duel, Point Hunt, Objective Hunt and Capture, Sport, etcetera," Kaelith listed with one eye open. "They are currently oveid with Space Magic, of course. Some are bigger, some are smaller." "For now, none of them are active," Kara added. "So, it''s a bit hard to see but when a Game starts, it will consolidate and all you need to do is concentrate, and then your eyes will calibrate to what you want to watch. Afterward, you can switch again by unfocusing; it''s like the lens of a camera." Rakna hummed in agreement while Eye of Symphony had already finished dividing the lenses of his eyes for as manyyers as there were. In his vision, at any moment, he could already watch all of the stages at the same time as if he was checking security cameras. "I feel a disturbance," Higure leaned beside the therian with a teasing smirk. "Have you cheated in some way again, devourer of mine?" "Who knows? I don''t know what you''re talking about," he shrugged at her and his eyes subtly hid their mechanical parts, awaiting further intervention. "What a sight for sore eyes," Azheim eximed as he beheld the light buffet on the table. "You do not mind if we sit with you, right?" He asked Rakna since technically, in this VIP space, the table in front of them and its area around it was essentially reserved for the therian and his entourage. "Sure, knock yourself out," Rakna casually waved his hand as the others picked a seat. "Well then, I will be taking my leave now," Michael bowed slightly. "Should there be anything you wish my help with, don''t hesitate to seek me out. And Sir?" He turned toward the therian who gave him a questioning nce in return. "The Nefertrion are also present today. I believe it prudent to inform you." Rakna first blinked before realizing, "Ah, the family of the idiot I summoned the Adjudicator on." "Really?" Kaelith''s lips twitched with an arm over the back of her chair to look at him. "You forgot the mess you made already? Seriously, who calls an Adjudicator to punish some juvenile noble?" "Well, I wanted to kill him, to be honest. But I felt like it was a bit reckless," the therian uttered and everyone sweatdropped. Only Astraea puffed her cheeks in dissent. "Hmph, that man''s life is forfeit if he dares to show himself in front of me again," the angel scoffed, still reeling from the affront she had suffered. Rakna snorted in amusement and idly walked to his seat between Kaelith and via. In the corner of his eyes, he saw the humorous sight of an annoyed Hans fighting Zialtra for the same food due to her attempts at riling him up. With a hum, he grabbed a muffin from one of the tes and was about to sit when he sensed one familiar presence approaching. He took a bite from the pastry and curiously turned around to see a certain shark merfolk making his way toward them. "Ah, so you''re here too," Rakna remarked. "Not in the stands then. I suppose as a King, you do have the authority to get in here." Cura grunted in acknowledgment and stopped a few steps away. Without saying anything, his eyes wandered toward the strongest people nearby. He squinted at Merlina, Kryas, and Zialtra but only one of them reacted to it. "Haha, look here, if it''s not the Shark King," the Hunting Queenughed when she noticed him. "It''s a surprise to see you in this ce. Looking for a fight again? I can kick your ass if you want. Maybe you''llst longer this time." "no need, I have a better confrontation in mind," the shark replied sinctly and silently stared at Rakna as if expecting him to add to that. The therian smiled wryly. "Yes I swore it, so I will fight you. It can''t be today, but if you wish, we can do it well, maybe tomorrow? Or in two days. It''s a bit tough for me since there''s the Myth Council meeting as well as my Guild''s testing up, but I didn''t forget. Don''t worry." Cura narrowed his eyes and ultimately nodded. Zialtra smiled insidiously. "My, are you saying the boy can provide a better fight than me?" At her words, Gulon abruptly made itself known and let out an unearthlyugh. Even she couldn''t help but stiffen in response. Her smile dropped a bit as she watched the mouth of the creature grin at her over the merfolk''s shoulder. There was no doubt that she was stronger than Cura but King Gulon was an existence she knew would forever be greater than herself. "Roughly" Cura paused for a second. "What Gul is saying is, ''You''re damn right. The wolfwalker is an all-eat buffet while you''re just a savage woman. Obviously, he''s a better fight''. His words; not mine." Hans audibly repressed a snicker at that and the Hunting Queen merely elbowed him without even looking, causing a small tremor that surprised everyone at the table. She grinned at the Ancient Creature whilst the azure-haired boy held his sides annoyed rather than pained. "Is that so?" Zialtra leaned back in her seat. "Well, I''m quite eager to see this showcase now," she said and eyed Rakna like a predator. He returned the gaze with a nk one. "no fight for you," he deadpanned. "Hahaha!" She burst outughing. "Refusing before I even ask? How rude," she snorted. The short exchange was interrupted by Gulon growling questioningly, and Rakna promptly looked back at him with a huff. "Right, sorry, I''ll tell you why we called you here," the therian said, making more than a few people raise their eyebrows, alternating between him and King Gulon. Even Cura seemed startled but Rakna continued unabated, "I''ll make it short. We need you to be the carrier of a certain ''miracle''" Chapter 378: Prowlers Chapter 378: Prowlers "| Our first Game will be Survival! Each participant will be tasked to survive for as long as possible against an overwhelming foe created by our Arena in a one-on-one setting. All matches will ur at the same in a Spatial Layer! |" The presenter announced giddily. Sitting at the table, Rakna rested his cheek on his fist whilst watching the spatialyers scramble their structure and duplicate. In an instant, Eye of Symphony locked onto 312 Layers; one for each participant. Everyone in his group also watched in interest as the stage for this Game transformed into a vast expanse of glittering sand, dunes, and rocks; an endless desert illuminated by a crescent moon. "| As per usual, our participants will be projected into the stage as half-spirits. If they perish, they will be eliminated from thepetition and return to their physical bodies. |" "Hey, I made that!" Ciel eximed happily and half of the group looked at him in confusion. Kryas snorted. "Our little ghost here was the one who designed the Spirit Projection. The kids who participate in the Arena Games are ced in pods and both their mind and soul get projected into a pseudo-virtual world that is intrinsically tied to the spatialyers to take part in the Games." "It is impressive, as always," Gaeliusmented. "Once again, I have to praise you for your genius, Ciel," the old scientist said amicably and the young ghost smiled sheepishly. "Thank you!" Meanwhile, Rakna paid half a mind to the conversation and ordered his Eye to zoom in on one of theyers where he could see an acquaintance participating. ''Shin-Woo is in there, huh?'' "Still, that desert, it''s the Silver Sea, isn''t it?" Zialtra remarked curiously. Merlina nodded and spoke for the first time since her greetings, "It is." Cura, who happened to be sitting nearby, seemingly agreed with the observation. "The Silver Sea?" via asked out loud and Azheim answered her. "It''s the name of the 600th teau, youngdy," he exined. "As you can see, it is almost a mirror of the Tenth teau, known as the Golden Sea. The differences are simple; it is always night time and the sand glows silver due to the moonlight. Additionally, there are a lot more rock formations that are apt for hiding." Higure chuckled. "It''s as he says. The Tenth''s danger was the monsters dwelling underground, but in the 600th the true danger hides on the surface, in the darkness of those rocks." "I think I know what they will pit against the participants for survival," Zialtra said with a grin. She sent a look toward the lioness as if acknowledging a kindred being. "What do you think?" "Oh, I''m sure you''re right," Higure cackled. The ones listening to them shivered unconsciously and Rakna groaned silently. ''One Higure is more than enough. I don''t need two of them,'' he grumbled right as the specifics of the Game Round were announced. "| To pass this round, you must survive ten minutes! Your enemy will hunt you, |" the presenter said ominously. "| Good luck, |" he stated and faded to silence as a faint timer appeared in the sky above the stages. "Hm, so it begins," Azheim mused and nced at Rakna. "You seem rather focused, boy. Is there someone that has caught your attention? An associate?" The therian eyed him back for a moment before looking back at the stage. "Thirty-firstyer from the top. It''s a friend of mine," he replied simply and the most experienced people at the table were quick to pick out the correct spatialyer. "bro, thirty-firstyer doesn''t mean shit to me," An once againined. "How are you guys even enumerating them already?!" He nearly yelled it out as he saw half of his friends along with their additionalpany acting per Rakna''s words within a second. "I''m surrounded by freaks" The Ichubyr groaned. Hans sighed on the other side of the table. "Use more than your eyes, fool," the author uttered and for once, An only raised an eyebrow instead of a retort, meaning he was listening. "Spatial force is something you can sense as long as you pay mind. But if that does not work for you close your eyes, switch your perception toward the stage, and seek the auras of the participants." The blond furrowed his eyebrows beforeplying. "They will feel as if they are stacking on each other," the azure-haired boy continued, helping Marie and Evelyn in the process as well. "That is what Xiorra implied by ''from the top''. From there, count to thirty-one, open your eyes, and try to match the aura you feel with what you see." After a few seconds, An opened his eyes again and his pupils dted before eventually settling down. He blinked a bit and then turned toward Rakna. "Ah, it''s that guy who saved you, right?" Rakna nodded impassively, ignoring the questioning looks he got from it. Though Zialtra did seem to be very much interested, albeit for a different reason. "Oh? That guy must be quite something then," she smirked. ? * * * ? "The Silver Sea" Shin-Woo exhaled, his breath crystallizing from the frigid air of the nightly desert. Slowly, he drew the sword at his waist and began walking around the rock formations in a way that left the least number of dead angles. Unlike all other participants, he knew which monster was going to appear. Maybe at some other time, he would have felt guilty for using his past knowledge aspetitive advantage, but he had gotten over it pretty quickly. He had aplished his duty; save Rakna Xiorra. Now, all that was left was for him to focus on his own power and grow strong enough to deal with what was toe. If winning the Arena Games allowed him to get closer to that goal, he would dly cheat a little. "!" Abruptly, his body stiffened and his instinct rang as he stared at one particr rocky area. He narrowed his eyes, his irises glowing and promptly twisting into dozens of parallel silver lines. At the same time, with a practiced motion, he flicked a scroll out of his pouch with his thumb and it soared into the air. He extended his palm toward it. "[Scroll Edge,]" he intoned and the scroll opened itself in front of his eyes, lines of runes glowing one after another. Silently, Shin-Woo thrust his sword at the scroll, the tip failing to pierce the paper. However, like ashes, it subsequently scattered and fused with the de. The swordsman breathed in and slowly widened his stance, raising his sword above his shoulders and aiming his de at the rock formation as if he was about to throw ance or a javelin. "[Edge of Distortion,]" he chanted and for a split second, a sh of light emerged at the tip of the slender sword before it was thrust. Soundlessly, a single cut appeared on the rocks. At first, nothing else happened but then a second cut appeared, this time much longer and deeper than the first. From there on, it quickly snowballed and in the blink of an eye, distortions in the air made it proof of the existence of millions of invisible shes. The rocks were cut into miniature pieces and the sand of the desert mixed with the minced dust of the now destroyed natural formation. Shin-Woo flicked his weapon to the side as if cleaning off an inexistentyer of blood, but instead of rxing, he raised his guard and his enchanted eyes attentively scanned his surroundings and the cloud of dust. Then, through his Synesthesia skill, he spotted a white and beige color emerging to his left; an aura of great power. He looked at the source and narrowed his eyes at the creature that stood there, in silence. "So, you finally show up" He whispered, his left hand open and in the process of coalescing mana into a pile of old-looking papyrus paper. The monster that stood in front of him was around three meters tall and humanoid. Its limbs were slender and long, matching its torso that gave the impression of nothing but agility. Its body was covered in a sort of silver and beige shell with scales on it, blending in with the sand. It was as if its skin was some sort of intricatelyyered armor. It also had a long, almost t, tail growing from its back with the same type of armoring and ending into a sharp tip. Then, there was its head. Its face had no mouth and instead had white markings mimicking the teeth of a skull. It had bright red eyes with rectangr pupils that were beset by a pair of threatening forward-facing horns. ? * * * ? "The Silent One; it''s a Prowler," Zialtra chuckled as she crossed her arms and leaned back. "That''s a bit mean to have these kids face off against one. Then again, it makes for a swift culling." "A Prowler, you say?" via raised her voice out of curiosity. "Are they dangerous?" "Well, it definitely looks scary, if anything," An snorted. "Prowlers, also called the Silent Ones are Wilden of the same category as Skulking Angels," Ceresta stated and those not in the know looked at her. "That is to say; ultimate killing machines." Higure cackled at her side. "Pretty urate," she said whilst watching the quiet and immobile form of the Prowler on the stage. "Skulking Angels can be considered apex predators for three reasons; ultimate defense, ultimate camouge, and extreme speed. Prowlers, on the other hand, aren''t just predators; they''re true weapons of ughter." The lioness pointed at the stage with her chin. "First, look, the thing took the attack of your friend and came out of it unscathed. Not to mention, it appeared right next to him in an instant. It already highlights two things; defense and speed. Additionally, the shell of Prowlers adapts to its habitat and as long as they hide, their presence is nonexistent. They don''t breathe, have no mouth, and no body heat. As such; adds strong camouge to the lot." "They actually exist in a lot of teaus, but the 600th is the first you''ll see them in. And something you can''t observe yet; they also possess a regenerative ability that would put a troll to shame." Then, she grinned as everyone watched the Prowler suddenly break from its immobile stance and lean its upper body forward. A red orb of raw power began to spin into existence in between its horns soon after. The orb was fired in less than a second and in the span of a breath, a beam of energy hit the ce where Shin-Woo was standing, sting thendscape for hundreds of meters around its point of impact. "But most importantly; ultimate attack power." Chapter 379: Scroll Edge Chapter 379: Scroll Edge On second thought, maybe Shin-Woo''s confidence was a tad misced. ''They barely weakened this thing for this Game,'' he thought as he teleported a short distance with the power of his Fae Tattoos, the ink glowing through his skin and clothes. ''Prowlers are born with a level of at least 500. This one is fully mature; its power should originally be near the 700s.'' ''Maybe it was a mistake to make the first move'' He grimaced as he once again heard the dull but sharp noise of something slicing the air; something that apanied the Prowler every time it disappeared and reappeared in a burst of speed. Simrly, Shin-Woo sh-stepped away and skidded on the sand, plunging a hand into the ground at the same time as a volley of crimson javelins were hurled at him. "[Elemental Dominion,]" he muttered and the sand around fell under his control, swelling into a giant hand that grasped the iing projectiles before exploding along with them. ''I thought the Arena would have weakened the Prowlers more than this,'' he clicked his tongue when he peered through the dispersing grains of sand to see the Prowler vanish under his eyes. Without a thought, he instantly turned around and swung his sword to parry the w of the silent creature swathed in a red aura. However, there was no contest following his parry; he was swiftly sent flying from the blow. "Ugh!" Shin-Woo gasped and spun,nding on thin air with sh Step. Immediately, one of the papers he had created detached itself from the pile floating over his shoulder and slipped into his grip. "[Scroll Birth,]" he intoned and lines upon lines of rune were etched into the paper without dy. Then, he hastily ripped it in half with both hands. "[Sanctuary.]" The two halves of the scroll immted themselves in blue fire and on cue, twin magic circles were formed in the sky and on the ground, opposite to each other; in between which stood Shin-Woo. A golden cylindrical barrier connected both circles right in time to block an overwhelming wave of raw energy, splitting into two paths that opened trenches in the sand thousands of meters long and dozens deep. "No wonder they call you an Anti-Army," Shin-Woo huffed sarcastically as he briefly evaluated the damage. "Enough power to raze entire cities with barely any effort. How you disburse that much raw energy on a whim is just ridiculous." The Prowler obviously didn''t respond. Instead, it stopped moving again, only its tail making onest swing before stilling as well. The creature stared at the golden barrier and almost faster than perceivable, its arm moved up and left an afterimage. A crescent-shaped attack collided with the Sanctuary right after, fast enough that it was almost as if both the swing and the effect had urred simultaneously. ''just scary,'' Shin-Woo huffed sullenly. ''Should I try sealing him? I have eight minutes to go killing him will be hard and I don''t want to use the Silver Rule for this. Running is just hazardous.'' Apparently, the Prowler wasn''t about to let him formte a n as it calmly raised a single finger and pointed it at the Sanctuary. Lightning-like bolts of energy sparked and a marble-sized orb of power began to form at the tip of his index. ''What a stupidly powerful and polyvalent ability,'' the spell swordsman clicked his tongue. ''Irith, it''s time,'' he called and his tattoos glowed for a short second. "{Understood,}" a soft female voice responded as a white lynx with two tails stepped into existence from behind him as if it had always been there. "[Resonance,]" Shin-Woo uttered and Irith''s body broke down into motes of light and joined his as one. His pupils shrunk and his irises turned a bright green, soon followed by the popping noises of his body adapting to a slightly greater height. His hair grew at least a few inches and its color became lighter. Faint whisker marks emerged on his face, preceded by two long lynx ears with ck tufts at the tips andplemented by the pair of tails appearing on his back. With renewed tranquility brought about by his Soul Beast''s personality, Shin-Woo calmly lowered his core and put one hand on the ground as if preparing to sprint. ''One, two'' He counted with narrowed eyes as the Prowler''s attack shed. ''Three!'' As if spurred by his own countdown, the creature shot a concentrated beam of energy. Shin-Woo jumped out of his barrier, at a speed far surpassing his prior one, and perfectly timed to see the finger-thinser punch a hole through the Sanctuary without even a millisecond''s worth of resistance. It struck the ground inside the barrier but didn''t explode and instead continued onward, making a strident noise as it traced a line toward the horizon. A breathter, from the fissure, a wall of red mes rose to the sky and turned the sand into ckened ss. The Prowler lowered its arm almost eerily sluggishly. Then, with a half-opened hand, it conjured a chunk of energy into the rough shape of a sword without a cross guard. The creature swung to his right, above his head, and shed against Shin-Woo''s sword. The very instant the two weapons struck; the energetic de generated a st from its edge and shoved the offender away. ''Tch, reactive counter?'' Clicking his tongue, the Half-Fae retreated into the air, the Prowler jumping after him. Every time their des touched, an explosion would rattle his arm, and on the asions that he would find an opening in the crude but effective sword techniques of the Wilden, his de would bounce off a reactive armor of the same ilk. ''As expected, even with Irith, I can''t keep up,'' he thought and dodged a swing meant to cut his skull in half by a hair''s breadth, his green feline eyes glowing at the same time. He watched as his vision was ovepped by a secondary image and sh stepped even more up the sky when the Prowler decided to self-destruct his de in a converged cone. ''No matter, I have you where I need you,'' Shin-Woo narrowed his eyes and ejected a pre-prepared scroll from his pouch. "[Scroll Edge,]" he muttered and shed the scroll. Immediately, a string of water suddenly coiled around his weapon and the sky became clouded. The Prowler looked up, its eyes shifting for the first time. It straightened itself and began to charge the biggest orb of power it had yet to form between its horns, spiraling all the way. "[Noach Genesis,]" the spell swordsman spoke up as if rendering a judgment and rain began to fall from the clouds; yet it did not reach the ground. Every single drop of water was dragged to the tip of his de, each at a faster pace than the previous. It didn''t take more than a few seconds for the entire downpour to be absorbed by the sword and cause it to shine like a gem. Without dy, Shin-Woo swung the weapon downward and with the booming sound of a tsunami, a giant arc of water was fired. The Wilden released its attack at the same time, however, despite its potency, it never got a chance to demonstrate it. Almost gently, the water wrapped around it and swallowed the energy before persisting forward unimpeded. The Prowler''s eyes only widened slightly before the desert was struck. Arge bouquet of water erupted in the blink of an eye and for a moment, the stage resembled an ocean until it spread and was absorbed by the natural dryness of the sand. Once it had passed, the Prowler emerged, nothing more than wet and disoriented, its talons stuck in a thinyer of quicksand. And leaving no room for it to catch its bearings, its body was suddenly bound by ropes of light. Three burning scrolls floated around him, forming a perimeter, and if the Wilden could speak, only one word would have left its mouth, ''When?''. Something that was answered quickly by the sound of giggling; miniature elemental beings carrying the scrolls; spirits. "[Scroll Birth,]" Shin-Woo''s voice rang, and all the scrolls he had previously summoned fused into one, expanding in size by dozens of meters. With a wave of his hand, the object unrolled itself and descended to the ground, going through the Prowler and attaching itself to the sand. The caster thennded at a safe distance and sped his hands. "[Union Magic C Seitaad C Cage of The Beholden,]" he chanted and from the giant scroll''s center, the sand began to twist and turn like a whirlpool. Unable to move, the Prowler was taken along with it and disappeared underground. But that was not the end of the spell. Once the whirlpool was fully formed, it began to reverse and instead rise out of the ground. Gradually, as a sphere of quicksand ascended, the pair of titanic hands made out of sand lifting it was revealed. Soon after, an unknown being''s head with bright yellow eyes came out, followed by arge torso, and a twister of sand recing the legs. This summoned being was named Seitaad; Spirit King of the Earth Element. Shin-Woo sighed and unsped his hands as he watched the sphere being held in an iron grip by his spirit. Even as des and beams of crimson energy tried to pierce through the quicksand, the Prowler trapped inside wouldn''t be freed unless he ran out of mana. "My win," the swordsman huffed. ? * * * ? "Eeh interesting," Zialtra remarked as they finished watching the Prowler being sealed. By that point, already more than fifty participants had been eliminated. "Even if it was weakened by more than half, it was quite a good disy." "That was less than half of that thing''s power?" An eximed in surprise. "Of course, and I''m speaking in terms of level," she huffed. "I''d say that was about level 300. Not too shabby but if it was a true Prowler, everyone in this tournament would have been dead within a few seconds. I would know since I almost died myself to a few of them in the past." Kaelith snickered. "Do you know what''s scarier than one Prowler?" She asked without intending to get an answer and An tilted his head. "Two of them," she smirked. "Or three, four, etcetera. These things have no trouble banding together and are stupidly good at cooperating. It''s as if they can speak to each other in a way we don''t understand." "if we ever meet some, I''m just gonna hide behind Rak," the werebat deadpanned. "So, your friend is a Scroll Edge? I haven''t seen that in a while," Azheim rewound the topic and the therian nodded. "Yes, as far as I know, that''s his Path. Though I personally have no knowledge of its abilities." "It''s rather self-exnatory honestly. But notcking in depth either. The core aptitude of a Scroll Edge is to condense a scroll''s spell into a sword by cutting it. Let''s say you created a scroll capable of summoning a storm. In itself, it wouldn''t be dangerous. But a Scroll Edge can contain everything about it inside their sword and release it in one single swing of devastating power." "Like that water spell, huh?" Rakna mused. "Exactly. Quite an ingenious choice as well. The water element is exceedingly good at dampening energy. Out of the primary elements, it''s the strongest buffer. Even the Prowler''s Sltta Raja was snuffed out. Additionally, it increased his next spell''s potency by wetting the sand. Talented, that friend of yours." The therian snorted in amusement. "I agree, though the man himself might not," he said. "He was given a chance to get stronger and he simply took it. From what I''ve gleaned of his personality, he would probably just chalk it up to gratuitous luck." Zialtra raised an eyebrow. "Humble much?" "Not quite either," Rakna retorted and left it at that, ending the conversation. They continued to watch the matches, some catching their attention, and it eventually ended with about a hundred people left. Only a third of the initial participants survived till the end. "Hm? Oh, looks like we have ''visitors''ing over here," Kara suddenlymented as she gazed at a small group of nobles approaching their table. Rakna nced at them and rolled his eyes. "Let me guess; Nefertrion?" "Yep," the older vixen grinned and stood up. "All right. I know you don''t like dealing with this, so I will do it myself. Remember how you wanted to im their assets as payment for the scuffle?" Her grin became insidious. "This is the time. In front of everyone here I''ll take everything away from them in all validity. By tomorrow, Harvest will own 90% of Nefertrion''s properties." With those frankly terrifying words, Kara left to meet the group. "" Rakna didn''t know what to say. "{Peer pressure tactics,}" Fraymented amusingly. Kaelith sighed as she sipped on a cup of wine, observing as the aristocrats paled when they heard her mother''s greeting. "If only she could be this invested for her own n you know, wolfy, that is probably the hardest she''s ever worked in her life and it''s just for you. Be happy," she joked. "ttering?" The therian said hesitantly and she giggled. A few minutester, the Nefertrion''s representatives were all seen teary and on their knees. Chapter 380: Monster in Sheep’s Clothing Chapter 380: Monster in Sheeps Clothing Three hours had passed since the preliminary Game and the contestants had gone through four others since; a puzzle room, a dungeon tower, a race, and a sports game on its way to conclude the morning. It was a rather unusual sport called JetBlitz involving ball y inside a sphere of water. "This is boring" Zialtra yawned as she flopped her arms on the table. "I didn''te here for thisme crap." "What are you, a child?" Hans frowned at her. "Shut up, you''re not enough to entertain me anymore." "How heart-wrenching and oh so cruel that is," the boy deadpanned. "I will miss it." The Hunting Queen gave him a sulking eye. "Little bastard you''re not sad enough." "A much distressing and shocking observation, I am sure. You will ovee it one day." "''Ovee'', my ass!" Azheim blinked at the sight of the duo''s bantering and leaned a bit closer to Rakna. "Your friend is really something I''ve never seen Zialtra so easily led on before." "If I have learned something, it''s not to challenge Hans in a battle of wits," the therian uttered. "Yeah, it''s a lost cause," Higure agreed with a huff. Rakna was about to add something when a familiar presence entered his perception range. A small and soft smile appeared on his face, something that Kaelith and Nyx quickly noticed. He stood up and looked at them. "I''m going to wee someone," he said and flickered away in a re of ck and purple star energy. Zialtra''s attention was immediately roused and she blinked at the empty spot before grinning. She whistled, "That''s gotta be one the best fast movement skills I''ve ever seen." Kaelith snorted as she refilled her drink. "Everything wolfy uses is of the highest tier. I would be more surprised if he used anything other than a rare skill or an inexistent one altogether." "Hmm Is that so?" "Though, if you''re interested in unique," Nyx interposed and eyed Hans, who raised an eyebrow at her in response. "He does not fall far behind, evenpared to Rakna." The Hunting Queen actually narrowed her eyes a bit at that and a few people at the table turned to look at Hans as if they had suddenly been allowed to acknowledge his presence. Both Kryas and Merlina were particrly severe in the way they looked at him. More subtly, King Gulon seemed to be rattling on its wielder''s back. The azure-haired boy sighed and snapped the book he was reading shut. He looked up with azy mien and returned their stares, eventually ring at Nyx. "Was that necessary?" The Night Goddess crossed her arms and leaned back. "You still haven''t exined it," she replied with a simple tone. "I gave you a pass because I trusted Rakna but you didn''t think I was going to disregard it forever, did you?" Astraea nodded to the side, agreeing with her words. "Um, what is going on?" An raised his voice in confusion, voicing the thoughts of the rest of the people who were either not in the know or incapable of sensing the anomaly that was Hans. "You know, I''ve always wondered since the first time I saw you," Kaelith spoke up. "Every time my senses try to pick up on your presence, I feel nothing. But then, as if in a panic, a fake aura suddenly appears as if tricking me into believing nothing was wrong and that it was there from the start." The author quietly gazed at her. "It''s like your existence itself is trying to deceive the world into being real." "Back in Zero," Astraea continued and everyone looked at her. "When you died to Roias and came back to life the truth is that neither is true. You never died; because you were never ''real''." "Whenever you Rewrite yourself, you don''t modify yourself," Nyx stated afterward. "You alter the doll you inhabit instead. The Hans we know is just that; a doll. But now to whom is it a vessel?" Hans clicked his tongue and took off his sses, casually folding them. "Of course, a deity of your caliber would reach the correct answer," he huffed derisively. "No perhaps you reached such an answer due to him," he uttered and waved at Cura, and most urately, King Gulon. Said creature opened its mouth and let out a chuckling growl. The Shark King narrowed his eyes and tranted for his weapon, "You amuse me, Wailful One. Why not tell them?" Hans rolled his eyes. "Truly, all of you are fools to willingly seek a bad dream," he spat and rubbed his eyes as if to banish his weariness. "You already know who I am," he told Nyx with a scowl. "You heard it well the first time." "Wailful Nightmare" The Night Goddess muttered. "What does it mean?" The ''doll'' sneered and tilted his head at Astraea. "Why do you not ask her? She ought to know." The Star Entity widened her eyes and fidgeted at being put under the spot. "Well it''s a myth of sorts," she stammered with a troubled countenance. "A myth?" Caer''s confused tone sounded. "Coming from you that is hard to apprehend." He, more than most people, knew what the knowledge of an incarnation of Egregore carried. There should not exist even a single ''myth'' in the collective unconscious. "It''s a story that has never been written anywhere," Astraea looked down. "No one knows if it ever urred, nor when it was ever first told. There exists no physical trace of it. Only voices and songs scattered from an era of which no vestiges remain," she sighed. "The myth of the Wailful Nightmare recounts the story of a boy meeting Fairies, and losing himself to their magic, mutating into an incarnation of humanity''s hopes and dreams achieved, but cruelly corrupted by those same humans'' despairs and nightmares. In his suffering, tears of blood dyed the earth as he brought humanity to its end, spurred into action by men''s desires for self-ruin. The Queen of Fairies ended his rampage with words that echoed far and wide." The angel cleared her throat and inhaled, "''? Young Trig, Thy Dreams Wallow. Afeard Hast Thou Be of Dwale. Thou Hast Cast Blood in Thy Tears, Adrift of Fairies. Doth Thou Know the Price of Rectitude? Shackled By Dreams, Nightmares Fraught, I Brand You, Wailful Lurid.''" Everyone fell silent after Astraea finished her narration. Those words meant scarcely anything to most of them, but they somehow couldn''t shake off this strange weight it put on their mind. Hans grunted. "How unpleasant to hear that verdict again," he shook his head. "As you can see, it is but a bad dream turned reality. You have your truth, so let me flounder in peace. If you wish to get details out of me, get the idea out of your head. This myth shall remain a fantasy for as long as I have a say in it. I made mistakes and learned my foolishness, that is all there is to it." No one at the table said anything for a while until Zialtra broke the silence. "Where is that nightmare now?" She asked with no mirth in her tone and he nced at her. "Nowhere. It has never left. My true form was sealed away deep inside this doll," he said candidly and turned toward Nyx. "You got one thing wrong about me. My Rewrite does not stem from the nature of my body, but the authority of my true form dwelling within." "then why can you not die?" "Because this doll''s life is tied to its creator''s whims, not myself," he stated. "Will that be all?" He inquired and when no one came forward, he put his sses back on. "Well then, you now can turn those nosy faces of yours to the ''friend'' Xiorra is currently guiding here." "Eh?" Nyx was caught off guard by the change of topics and looked over her shoulder to see Rakna approaching together with someone she recognized but hadn''t seen in a while. "Lanata? You also came?" As she said, walking next to Rakna was a beautiful young girl with long pink wavy hair and a bright shade of green in her eyes. The undeniably adorable sheep girl was carrying her long sword in her arms, hugging it as tightly as always. Contrasted to thest time Nyx had seen her, Lana was wearing a gray wooly sweater and a white long skirt with embroidered ents of wool. "Yes!" The sheep girl answered the goddess. "I heard Rakna was here so here I am," she admitted and then smiled awkwardly. "I did want toe this morning, but I, um, overslept," she blushed. "I was a bit surprised when I sensed you," the therian nodded. "But it''s a good thing. It''s been quite some time after all. You''ve been doing well since your Trial at the Pavilion?" "Mhm," she hummed positively and then finally faced everyone, feeling a bit nervous due to being stared at. She could see that some of the people here were very strong and a select few had wary and stunned expressions, which she returned with an innocent smile. "H-hello, everyone!" She greeted them excitedly, if a bit shyly, as she skipped a few steps in front of Rakna. "My name is Lanata Ovis Venera, nice to meet you!" She said with a bow. Unexpectedly, there were varied reactions to her introduction. Those that hade to the System at the same time as Rakna only saw the facts; a lovely girl with a cute demeanor. However, all the others except Higure and Ceresta paled as they fully registered her name. Ciel even went as far as squealing in fear and phasing through his chair. "You" Kaelith breathed shakily. "Is this the girl you said was your banker for a short time?" She asked Rakna who tilted his head at her. "Yes, why?" The vixen opened her mouth wide and even Kara conveyed a conflicted impression. "Hm," Rakna mused calmly, evaluating everyone''s reaction, even the one of Zialtra whose wide and bloodthirsty grin at the moment could only mean a few things. "I suppose the stares sent our way earlier were not just because of me then... Lana, do you have a reputation of some kind?" He asked curiously. "Hehe well, I think?" The sheep girl sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Ah, but please don''t be scared, okay?! It''s not like I wanted to be famous like that I couldn''t make any friends because of it," sheined with a small pout. Azheim''s lips twitched. "I don''t think ''famous'' cuts it, youngdy" "Try ''infamous''," Kaelith uttered with a small sigh. "Can''t you have normal friends, wolfy? For once in your life, please?" She almost begged. "We were barely just done with this ridiculous brat," she pointed at Hans. "And then you bring us that?" She deadpanned at Lana, who lowered her head with an apologetic whine. "I''m sorry" The poor girl apologized on instinct. Nyx frowned at the vixen. "Is there something wrong with Lanata? I''ve met her before and there was nothing to be distrusted about. I hope this is not some sort of disparaging rumor." "I agree here," An said with a small scowl. "What are you big guys so scared of? It feels like you''re bullying her more than anything." "Lanata Ovis Venera," Kryas repeated with a dull tone, but sharp eyes. Said girl fidgeted at having her name called like that. "She joined the System six years ago. During her Tutorial, all participants of the same batch died by her sword," he recounted and everyone shuddered. Rakna''s eyes widened slightly, but other than that, he simply watched Lana look away with a sad look. That applied also to Nyx and via whose expressions barely changed, as if such a tale was random trivia. Only Astraea, An, and Evelyn seemed a bit disturbed while Higure had a curious expression on her face and Marie failed to understand why it was a big deal. Kryas noted those reactions to himself and chuckled. "This group is quite something," he muttered as an afterthought and then focused back on the sheep girl. "Regardless, it does not stop here. She was not invited into any Guild for obvious reasons and thus advanced in solo." "However, a monthter, alone, she decimated an entire Guild with members surpassing her by at least two hundred levels," the Pavilion President uttered dryly. "By that point, she had already gained quite a lot of infamy. Some called her a demon, cursing her inoffensive and clumsy attitude, even when found covered in blood, as a malicious disguise. Two more monthster, she wiped out so many Wilden in the 30th teau that Hosts began to only find corpses despite the System''s infinitends." "Five months forward, she earned the genuine Title of Sheep Empress," he said and nced at the only other person here who had the title of Emperor. "Additionally, that promotion hade from killing two former Kings; both Sixth Ascent Hosts" "Simr urrences happened over and over again everywhere she went," he followed up. "But one of the most recent and striking ones was nine months ago. A Guild named Topaz went to war against her. In the fields of Old Eden, she fought hundreds of their members concurrently as well as their leader; Zenra Calna the Top 89th Host at the time, with a level of 912." Kryas paused and allowed a mirthful smile to appear on his face. "Guess what happened." No one seemed about to deign him with an answer until Hans did so nonchntly, "They all died without contest. The ''Monster in Sheep''s Clothing'' left behind a sea of blood and, discovered after a subsequent investigation, every single member had died from one attack; bisected one way or another. The leader, however, was decapitated and his skull split in two as well with perfect symmetry." Lana lowered her head even more at that, but Rakna knew it wasn''t out of guilt. The emotion she was currently exuding wasn''t remorse but merely simple shame. She was embarrassed; nothing more, nothing less. "Well, uh" An tentatively raised his voice, not knowing what to think. "That''s impressive?" Then, much to the shock of half the people present, Rakna softly patted Lana. "It''s fine. I don''t care about any of that. You''re still my friend," he said with a gentle smile that roused a decent amount of jealousy from a few of the girls at the table. Lanata looked up at him with wide eyes before breaking out into a cheerful grin. "Thank you!" She eximed happily and hugged him with one arm, still making sure not to drop her sword. Rakna let out an amused huff at her reaction. "did the cuteness get to his head? Is he okay?" An whispered to via. "He''s acting like some kid who can''t see anything bad about his crush," he mumbled but didn''t get an answer even after a few seconds. "Um viiii!" He yelped in fear when the fork in the Chaos Witch''s hand broke into two pieces. "You were saying?" She questioned with a dark smile and he raised his arms in defense. "N-nothing" He blurted out and scooted closer to Marie. "Save me!" He cried out mutedly to his girlfriend who rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Don''t provoke a maiden''s love, idiot," themia retorted. "Oi, oi, little Majesty," Zialtra yfully looked at Rakna. "Did you hear what Kryas said? The girl at your side is a bloodthirsty killer hiding under a sheep''s clothing Though, I suppose there is some irony to be found in you being a wolf, eh?" She joked. "Do you keep count of the number of people you have killed?" Rakna suddenly asked and she froze on the spot, unsure of what she was being asked. "This is not a trap question," he added. She raised an eyebrow. "I''ve never counted anything. Pretty sure I would have given up quite fast anyway." "Same here," the therian said with a smile, and the Hunting Queen''s lips twitched upward. "I''m not much of an optimist, honestly. I don''t believe in the idea of finding good in people. There is or there is not; it doesn''t go much deeper than that." "" "Point in case, Zialtra Lanfor, both of us are much worse bloodthirsty killers than she will ever be." "Hah Hahahaha!" The Boss of Trafford chortled at first before she burst into maddenedughter that earned her many ufortable stares. And as she continuedughing, Rakna had an idea and turned toward Lana. "By the way, that does mean you''re not in a guild, right?" "Eh? Um yes, you''re right," she nodded timidly. "Then how about joining mine?" He asked and then heard someone from a neighboring table drop their cup on the floor. Hispanions were not much different while Zialtra justughed louder. "be normal please just once" Kaelith buried her face in her hands. "Let it be," it was Hans who amazingly came to the sheep girl''s defense. "None of you at this table have skills stronger than either Xiorra or myself when ites to appraising others. Celebrate to have gained such apetent ally rather than waste your energy reasoning untenable opinions." The vixen stared at the azure-haired boy with murderous eyes before extending her empty cup to her mother. "Mom, another shot," she said nkly and Kara giggled, raising the bottle in her hand andplying with the request. "And STOPughing, you muscle-brained woman!" Despite theint, Zialtra''s hrity persisted for several more minutes. Chapter 381: Inner Echo Chapter 381: Inner Echo The evening was approaching and the finals for the Arena Games had been set, with Kim-Shin Woo being qualified to participate in them. However, they would happen the next day, while this one would be concluded with Rakna''s showcase. On another note, Lanata hung out with everyone after epting to join Obsidian Throne and they all had warmed up to the sheep girl. Ignoring her reputation, all of them quickly realized that her attitude toward them was truly genuine. There was no disguise to speak of; merely a shy and very clumsy girl eager to make friends. As for her darker infamy ''It''s that thing, isn''t it?'' Rakna mused to himself, his eyes glued onto Lana''s sword. ''I knew it was a weird weapon the second I saw it for the first time not its size or appearance.'' It was as if the sword was a concept given form existing on the line between physical and spiritual. "{It was born from her, wasn''t it? Or rather}" Fray muttered. The therian nodded. ''de of Heavenly Zenith'' He smiled faintly. This name was the first thing he saw on her status; ssified as her sole Nirvana Skill. Jarringly, she had no other skills. Whether it be active or passive; nothing showed up. The categories didn''t even appear anywhere and that also applied to her proficiencies. There was no doubt in Rakna''s mind that this was not a failure on his part. Crystal Sight was not failing him in the slightest but the System itself was. That''s why, when he tried to push past the boundaries of her status, he had nearly been overwhelmed by a deep sense of danger, as if he was about to be cut apart, and was quickly forced to retreat. ''I don''t know what that Nirvana is about but frankly'' He smiled wryly. ''It''s terrifying.'' "{Hah, who would have thought this cute littledy would be so fearsome?}" Fray chuckled. "Your Majesty?" A voice cut into Rakna''s ruminations and he looked over at Michael respectfully standing behind his seat. "It is time." "Mhm, alright," the therian cracked his neck and stood up. "Enjoy the show, I suppose," he uttered and then narrowed his eyes at Zialtra. "And there better not be anyone bothering Lana while I''m not here. Especially you." "Heh, whatever, kid," the Hunting Queen grinned. "Just go out there and show us what you can do." "I-I''ll be okay too, don''t worry" Lanata added with a blush. "Is your showcase even gonna involve fighting though?" An abruptly asked a very valid question and Rakna blinked, before eyeing Michael. The noble nodded. "Yes, Sir. In a way, it will be a very straightforward battle." "In a way, huh?" The therian snorted and Michael smiled before heading toward the exit. "Go kick some ass, devourer!" Higure sent Rakna off with these eloquent words. ? * * * ? As Rakna and Michael walked down an empty corridor, the former spoke up, "Can you quickly tell me what the Game will be? I''d actually like to know how much power I should reveal." The aristocrat smiled somewhat wryly. "Well it''s not always the case, but the ''trial'' nned for your exhibition round should normally require you to go all out. In fact, I would say that everybody who experiences this particr test inevitably loses." The therian raised an eyebrow. "That''s bold of you. Are you saying to me that this showcase is one set up for me to lose from the start?" Michael chuckled nervously. "No, Your Majesty. It is simply highly likely that you do Rather, even if you lose this battle, your reputation will not be tarnished in the slightest." "All right, you got my curiosity. What is it?" Rakna asked as they arrived at a locked gate. "This challenge is often called ''Inner Echo''. The principle is simple. As you enter the stage, a small assessment will be conducted by the System, and then the being that you consider the strongest to have ever met in your life will be summoned as your adversary." "" Getting no response, Michael began typing on a small console near the gate to set up a connection to the correct spatialyer and continued, "As for the limit, we aren''t quite sure. The strongest we have seen in the past was a foe near the 800s level-wise. There is a great amount of ambient mana in Antis so technically, the System would have no problem fueling a creation of great power." "To this day, every instance of this challenge has been spectacr. I am sure yours will not be any different, if not grander," the nobleman said. "Who do you deem shall appear? Lord Obsidian?" He asked after setting up the spatial bridge but when he turned around, he still didn''t get a response and instead froze on the spot when he saw the grin that split Rakna''s face. Michael nearly shivered at the rare sight but it was gone in the blink of an eye. The therian nkly stared forward and let out a sound akin to a suppressedugh. "Pronos, get out of there," he spoke up and a head peeked out of Sonata. The little guy looked at his master questioningly. "I know you''re eager to test our Resonance, but I''ll do this one alone," Rakna said and with a quiet hiss, Pronos nodded and jumped out. He climbed over Michael''s shoulder instead, totally ignoring the poor man''s rm at seeing a Hydra. "You can go back now," the therian uttered and slowly pulled on his scarf. The Eion fabric of ck and purple smoldered at his touch and gradually turned into a Guandao. Due to thepletion of the Obsidian Star, it had taken a new form. The ck de was segmented into two parts, each enhanced with purple streaks and edges, and had overall grown in sizepared to before. The shaft was also a bit longer and wrapped in ck bandages that faded to a pale azure at the base of the de and iled in the air freely as just one single ribbon. "Go back and tell them," Rakna spoke with an unseen smile in his tone and impatiently whirled his polearm. "Some senile old man is about to crash the party" He uttered and braked Sonata''s spin. "And you better be prepared for his entricities." ? * * * ? "| It is time, everyone! It''s the moment you have all been waiting for! Today, our Exhibition Game to inaugurate the finals will star our Dual Legendary Emperor, Rakna Xiorra! |" "Hah, finally," Vera smirked from inside one of the private cabins of the Arena. She had separated from Rakna''s group and went to join the rest of her Guild along with Karin. All around her in this velvety room, members of the Wan Guild watched through a pane of ss as all the spatialyers dimmed until only one remained. "The guy who brought in Vivi, Lyn, Ixy, and Rie, huh?" One girl with short blonde hair and red eyes curiously spoke up with a finger on her lips. She was Polia Vaster, the Witch of Colors. "You should really stop doing that didn''t Nyx tell you she hated your nicknames?" Another young woman with white and blue hair rolled her eyes; Bianka Barselianna, Witch of Winter. "Oh,e on, you know Nixy is just being shy!" "don''t change it in the middle of a conversation either." As the two witches chatted, a woman that sat at the very forefront of everyone tapped her cheek with her finger as she leaned on her hand, her elbow propped up by the armrest of her sofa. She had long ck hair tied into a braid going down her back and tantalizing pink eyes with pupils in the shape of a lozenge. Her facial features were undoubtedly pretty and had a tear-drop-shaped mark under her right eye. She wore a stylized outfit faintly reminiscent of a wedding gown but mainly ck in color, with white undeyers, and light pink finishes around the neck, sleeves, and waist. She made a soft smile as she saw the gate inside the stage starting to open. Enya Fendyrlen, Guild Leader of the Wan Guild, whispered calmly, "Let''s see what secrets you hold" ? * * * ? In the private chamber of the Silver Sacrament, the Spell de Guild, Shin-Woo entered and was greeted by his guildmates. He went to sit at the front as he was congratted for his performance and was ultimately addressed by one man. "You handled the Prowler well, albeit far too improvisational to my liking," a kind but sharp voice sounded from a handsome man sitting next to the reincarnator; Guild Leader, and titled Sacrament Knight, Haschwalt Sakritt. He looked no older than thirty and would pass off as younger due to his pale and almost feminine skin. He had brown hair tied into a ponytail hanging over his shoulder, and amber eyes covered by a pair of square frameless sses. He also sported formal attire,bining a ck and golden suit with an ornamented and clearly symbolic white cape. There was a silver cross embroidered on his shoulder that mirrored a pair of metallic bracelets around his wrists from which hung two crosses of the same design. "Thank you, Sir," Shin-Woo replied to the man''s praise with a smile. "You''ve met the new Emperor, yes?" Haschwalt followed up without dy and the Half-Fae could only smile at the cut-cold switch of topics his Leader tended to do. "I have. Is there something you would like to know about him?" "I don''t suppose you have knowledge of his abilities?" "Well I can''t say I do," he conceded. "I have met him only twice; in one instance, he was passive in his actions, and in the other, he was incapacitated. Though, during our first encounter, I heard the Blossom Wind, Caer wen, refer to him as a Firmament Monarch." It seemed Haschwalt had familiarity with the term as his eyebrow curled up. "Is that so? If that is the case,bined with everything else, he is the kind of genius that only appears once in entire eras'' worth of time..." ? * * * ? "So, Boss, that''s supposed to be the chick we let in Zerost time?" A silver-haired man with several scars on his face and a mechanical mask covering his mouth asked out loud. He had light blue eyes and wore light-type armor that seemed half-machine in nature. He was one of the top mercenaries of Friedhof, Lionel Frakt. Codename: Locke. "Yep. Disheartening, isn''t it?" Undertaker chuckled as he shuffled his Tarot cards. "Man ''she'' was a knockout too, for sure Now, I''m just sad," the middle-aged mercenary almost pouted. "Oi, Treiber, why are you talking as if there aren''t any pretty girls here, hm?" A woman behind him raised her voice menacingly as she clutched his skull in an iron grip. She had spiky green hair that despite its wildness was still long enough to reach her shoulders. Her eyes glowed a menacing red with slit pupils and she wore a gold and red outfit that exposed her abdomen. She went by only one name, Gretta. Codename: Drachen. Undertaker sweatdropped nervously. "I-I mean I didn''t really mean that. At least, you can agree with me when I say his ''reverse'' appearance was nice to look at, no?" She huffed and let him go, to which he sighed in relief. "Hmph, I guess I do." "why would a dragon like you even care about its human form?" Lionel mumbled to himself. "You said something, Locke?" Gretta glowered at him. "nope." He bravely looked away. ? * * * ? Everywhere in the Arena and outside, simr interactions urred. Whether it be regr families watching their TV at dinner time, or leaders of major organizations, they all paid attention. This included a certain fearsome creature and his Empress, as well as an elusive group of spiritual beings, monitoring the Arena vigntly ready to intervene shall it threaten the System. How would such a thing happen, you would ask? Rakna Xiorra wasn''t strong enough yet to pose danger to them but it was another story for Him. ? * * * ? "''Some senile old man is about to crash the party''?" Kaelith reiterated confusedly as she watched Pronos once againy im to via''s cleavage like a bird to its nest. The Chaos Witch didn''t even try to dissuade him, even encouraging it somewhat. "Yes," Michael confirmed. "Uh" An furrowed his eyebrows. "But the only person he calls that is" The blond was about to say something when the Arena''s announcer interrupted him, "| The stage is ready and the gate has opened, folks! Let''s wee, Rakna Xiorra! |" Everyone immediately focused on the ss wall offering a view of the stage grounds. The one that was to be used for this showcase was quite peculiar. It was a vast canyon terrain with two specific cliff tops highlighted by the viewing angle. They were separated by a deep ravine and situated hundreds of meters in the air. On one side, a figure walked out of nowhere as if it hade out of an invisible doorway. Their clothes and hair visibly swayed due to the strong winds. Rakna quietly stepped forward, Allegro altering itself on his body as the futuristic armor it always had been meant to be. He dragged his Guandao on the ground, the de cutting into the stone of the canyon like butter and leaving a trail behind until he stopped at the very edge of the cliff. "That''s strange," via spoke up worriedly. "What is?" Azheim asked. "Rak looks a bit too serious," An answered him, straightening in his seat at the same time. "It''s never a good thing when that happens Well, that, or he''s super excited about something." As they said that, a small tornado formed on the cliff across Rakna. Streams of mana visible to the naked eye flowed into it from all directions and magic formations popped into existence for a split second before being swallowed by the tornado, mounting a storm in the already gray sky. "| The System has appraised our challenger! |" The announcer stated. "| I''m honored to announce to you the ninthing of the ''Inner Echo'' Trial in the Arena''s history! |" Kaelith twitched anxiously and finally understood what was going on. Kara wasn''t far behind and that extended to Ceresta and Hans. "Oh no" The vixen whispered and was overheard by most. "What''s wrong?" Nyx asked with a frown. "What is this ''Inner Echo''?" "An introspective trial," Azheim exined, eyeing the reaction of the two vixens. "Long story short, it extracts the strongest person you''ve ever met from your mind and summons it And now I see that you also don''t seem very thrilled about it," he added when Nyx began to pale. "No, no, no" The goddess clenched her fists and turned toward Michael. "You have to stop this exhibit! Now! You can''t let Him be summoned!" The nobleman blinked in shock and stepped back. "I-I''m sorry, but it cannot be stopped. The body has already begun to form. Soon, the System will awaken it. Be assured that even if the recreation happens to be a deadly enemy, it shall be incapable of fatally harming His Majesty. It is bound by rules and--" "That''s not the issue! That man cannot be contained! If you try to create a vessel through someone like Rakna of all people, he will--!" Nyx was violently shut down by a surge of dread. It hit everyone in the VIP room like a truck and nearly knocked them out. Just from its existence alone, it felt as if the air had be heavier and colors had been drained of life. But this was not power in the truest of senses. It was neither aura nor coercion. It was closer to killing intent, but not quite there either. It was a threat. Not a sense of danger. An overwhelming threat that does not care about anything it menaces. Humans, Gods, Monsters, or Devils; a warning of death to all creatures, no matter their strength or superiority. It loomed over you like the Reaper itself, cing a bony hand on your shoulder, aligning the curved de of its scythe along your neck, and pressing until blood came out. You would feel a desperate instinct and need to turn around. But if you were to act upon it... your throat would be slit. "ughter Intent" Nyx cursed under her breath and stared at the stage; the tornado dying down in front of Rakna, who remained impassive even while enduring this terrifying presence that was powerful enough to pierce through space itself to reach the spectators. "What the hell is this?" Zialtra had her eyes wide open, reflexively rubbing her throat to make sure it wasn''t bleeding. There was not an ounce of fighting spirit in her at the moment. Hans, at her side, was unaffected. He merely repressed a pulseing from deep within; his true form responding to the call of death. On the other hand, the reaction of via, among Rakna''s closepanions, caught his attention. Unlike the rest who disyed varying amounts of nervousness and fear, she was uncannily nk and cold. For a moment, even he was frightened by the emptiness in her eyes until she abruptly snapped out of it and squinted in apprehension. ''I see her true Aspect of Chaos'' Hans realized. Meanwhile, a few more people had tense reactions. Merlina''s emotionless mien cracked, her eyes drifting to her arm, itching to draw her sword and cut this inexistent foe apart. "This feeling it''s on apletely other levelpared to that other specter," Higure grunted. Kaelith clutched her own arm to stop it from trembling and Kara had a shaky smile in ce. "What a scary uncle, huh? Kae?" She jested to her daughter who replied with a huff. "''Senile old man'', my ass" Then, there was Lanata, who merely blinked in surprise at first before eximing cutely, "Ah! No, don''te out! Bad!" She chastised her sword with a hushed voice as it began to vibrate. She was acting as if the presence filling the air was a normal thing. ? * * * ? Vera Bael hugged herself, her eyes dted in fear as shivers coursed throughout her body. Enya Fendyrlen gripped her armrest tightly with sweat dripping down her face. Kim Shin-Woo tried his best to shield his mind from harm. Haschwalt Sakritt sped his fingers tightly. Treiber ''Undertaker'' Sterben sat stunned as the tarot cards he had justid out turned to ashes. And Gretta ''Drachen'' stepped back in a daze, her mouth wide open. "D-dra drago--!" The storm scattered. ? * * * ? Rakna calmly watched as the dust settled down and a pair of silver eyes peered through it with a macabre glow. "Would you look at that?" An elderly voice chuckled gruffly. "Well then, kid ready to kill me?" This is the peak of fan service.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 382: "Like old times." Chapter 382: "Like old times." "My, this is a mess, eh?" An elderly man, with a robust frame despite his age, popped his neck with a groan as he stood amid the dispersing remnants of mana that had formed him. His gray hair and beard gave him a special kind of roguish image as he grinned widely through them. He wore a long ck coat that fluttered from the wind of the canyon peaks. It almost seemed like a casual piece of attire but appeared to be made of something stronger than regr cloth, devoid of crinkles or timeworn signs. Aside from that, the old man had a sheathed katana attached to his belt, as well as the holster of a certain revolver, which Rakna knew the existence of, hidden under the coat. "Oh, wait, this is killing intent, right?" The man suddenly uttered to himself and the ''threat'' he had been exuding abruptly vanished as if it had never been there, releasing everyone from its hold. "This is kind of weird. I''m a vessel?" He mumbled to himself and snickered. "You''ll have to give me a moment, kid. I was summoned as the person you knew, not the one you know of today. My soul is catching up." Rakna raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be a boast, old man?" He huffed. "If you''re catching up, what the hell is that, huh?" The therian said while pointing at the sky that was slowly getting invaded by dark clouds, barely restraining the ck and red lightning within them. Arimane smirked. "I catch up fast. I already remember the firstment I made when I tried magic for the first time," he said and slowly put his hand around his sword''s hilt. "It''s easy," he uttered and thunder roared, a bolt of Aeter striking arge cliff in the distance and demolishing it. "" "All right, Karma, time to y," the Kind Demon dered and slowly drew his weapon. The shrill sound of metal echoed loudly as if the sword was fighting the world itself toe out. When the silver de made of sapphire left its scabbard, it immediately transformed into something strong enough to send Rakna''s Crystal Sight into overdrive. The de gained a crimson edge and ck wave patterns as it lengthened slightly. Arimane gave it an amused nce. "Well, that''s embarrassing. My sword''s catching up faster than I am," he said with a lightugh. Silently, Rakna lifted Sonata and took a proper stance. Without even uttering a sound, he promptly activated Ghost of Rupture, and his Internal Art thrummed to life inside his Ki Pathways, not even a millisecond of dy in between. Arimane smiled. "Is that my Azure Sonata? No Rhapsodic Sonata, is it? Nice name," he said as his eyes manifested a hexagram for a split second. "System windows; nifty stuff." Rakna shook his head and sighed. "And people say I''m overpowered," he jested as the sky rumbled above his head. Quietly, a ck-colored aura surged around him, purple strings of light emerging along with it. "No more chit-chat? Looks like you really want this fight," the old man said calmly. With one spark of lightning, his aura descended as well, turning rocks into dust from the sheer pressure. "Bring it on, kid." Nothing more was needed as Rakna''s figure burst into a re of star energy. He appeared directly in front of Arimane, seemingly forgoing the very notion of blind spots with this opponent. Sonata was swung in a wide but swift arc, the weapon leaving a blurry trail not dissimr to the one that marred his limbs due to Ghost of Rupture. It was an attack that didn''t bother to build up momentum as if born with it. Yet, the Demon, in all but flesh, raised his sword and deflected the Guandao as if he had known about its trajectory in advance. The polearm''s momentum persisted to the right but then disappeared altogether. Instead, a ripple in the air briefly emerged from the edge of Sonata and the weapon was immediately swinging back in the opposite direction at equal speed and strength. Despite himself, Arimane let out a small exmation of surprise as he tilted his head backward in once againplete serenity, dodging the de. Unlike Rakna''s movements, which were quitepelling to the eye, and slowed down only a split second in between every attack, the Kind Demon''s movements were slow. Everything he did, from raising his sword to moving his feet, was painfully slow. Despite that, he was untouchable. As if his solution to speed was its opposite, Arimane wielded an incongruity; he was being faster through slowness. "Nice technique," he remarked and shed against Sonata again. Instead of deflecting, he parried it this time and felt a ''ripple'' imposing itself and putting more pressure on his wrist. "I knew you''d like it," Rakna replied with a sarcastic undertone, and a Ripple of Rupture spread out from under his pivoting foot, shattering the ground they stood on. At the same time, it created apletely new level of Ki Flow that the therian released all at once through his de. "[de of Rupture,]" he whispered and with the noise of the wind crying through the cavities of the canyons, a distortion in the air shed at Arimane and nearly split the mountaintop. The old man was heard cackling as he leaped in the air through the cloud of dust, watching as the ground they stood on just before crumbled into pieces. Rakna ''red'' after him without wasting a second and swung again, at least five times in session, somehow breaking rules of physics to make them simultaneous. All of it was either deflected or parried by Karma, and the exact same number of trenches opened up loudly on thend below them; nothing more than coteral damage from simple swings. There was no doubt that during his fight with Roias, Rakna''s Sin of Pride had enhanced his Internal Art mastery to untold heights. "Hm, why does this feel like you''re using me as a training dummy?" Arimane muttered amusingly as he caught a punch with his palm, ck lightning exploding from it in order to fight back against the Fist of Rupture that confronted the very dimensions it impacted. "In need of practice? I guess I could y teacher like old times," he chuckled. "[Scintin Feram,]" the old demon intoned and he transformed into a wild bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above his nephew and threw a kick that once again appeared slow but infuriatingly unavoidable. Something that Rakna became the inopportune proof of as even with Star re invoked, he was hit right through it, the star energy being pushed away by nothing more than a kick. The therian nheless had the necessary speed to raise Sonata''s shaft in defense but was hurled by the force behind it, nearly breaking the sound barrier because of it and crashing at the bottom of a ravine. "First lesson," Arimane spoke, shouldering his sword. "You use your martial art quite well when ites to attacking. But now you need to repurpose it for defense. You don''t use it enough to dodge or repel iing damage although it has a high potential for it. Work on that." ? * * * ? "This is slightly vexing," Zialtramented with a serious expression. Burying her doubts as to who this elderly man was, she focused on something else. "People call me a Martial Saint but from what I''ve seen, the little majesty''s Internal Art is much superior to mine. Despite his inexperience with it, based on pure martial prowess, he could sweep the floor with me." A few people at the table nced at her. "And worst of all" She frowned. "That old guy he''s fighting on an even higher level. I can''t see through his technique in the slightest and it doesn''t make sense," she groaned and stared at the group she knew could answer her question, "Who is that? And who is Rakna Xiorra?" Nyx briefly met her eyes and huffed. "That man is beyond myprehension, much less yours." The Hunting Queen''s eye twitched in annoyance but Hans cated her, "Do not bother. You will never stand equal to him." The boy threw a pointed look at Arimane. "Most of us will not. There is nothing shameful or confusing in not being able to see through his abilities." "As for who he is" Hans snickered. "Take a better look at the lightning he wields. Furthermore, I am sure you will understand if I tell you that" He paused and nced at the Night Goddess who was restless. "She is not tense due to fear of the man harming Xiorra she is apprehensive of him fully ascending." "Ascending? What is that?" An raised his voice skeptically and looked at Nyx. "Is that why you were so scared earlier? The old master wouldn''t harm us or kill Rak" Nyx sighed and rubbed her temples. "You don''t understand... This is not about what he does, but his simple presence. When I said the System can''t contain him, I meant it cannot handle his power. The longer he stays manifested through that vessel, the closer he will get to his true self. Soon, he will turn into a specter and after that, his existence will ''Ascend'' as an automatic self-preservation measure to try and find a connection back to the original." "Candidly put, this teau will be obliterated without a trace and us along with it," Astraea stated straightforwardly and everyone shivered at her sudden assertion. She had said it so inly that it blindsided them for a second. "P-Please excuse me, I must head to the Operative Room of the Arena at once," Michael quickly said and practically ran off with a hurried gait. Shaking her head, Nyx sighed as he left. "It''s toote to stop it" "What kind of monster has our newbie unleashed upon us?" Caer joked and smiled a bit too calmly as he watched Rakna release a fiery and domineering aura from within the depths of the crevasse he had been kicked into. ''That lightning it''s Nox Aeterna, isn''t it?'' He thought solemnly and nced at his wife with whom he shared a significant look. ''The others will have a field day when they learn about this...'' "Rakna is invoking his magic," Ceresta made the casual observation and redirected the attention of the group back to the matter at hand. ? * * * ? "[Altar of mes C Cosmos,]" the therian''s voice echoed and the Neverwinter mes and crystals epassed the canyon, glinting like a starry sky, inverted from ck to pure crimson. "Hmm? A Domain Spell, right?" Arimanemented as Rakna literally stood on the sea of zing star energy. Dark red spires of crystal slowly grew from within the spell and towered up, arranged in a specific and deliberate pattern, with a miniature-sized Neverwinter Star at the top of each. Rakna stood in the center like the plinth of an altar; hence the name. It was a spell he had yet to use, but as the old man had said, the Altar of mes was a Domain Spell that imposed the caster''s element in a defined area. Their uses differed but this one allowed for one thing; spell boost. Currently, he had redistributed most of his attribute points to Intelligence. As of right now, he had over 600 Points assigned to it. And that was without using his werewolf form. Despite the fact that his Shape Shift was considered by the System as a ''First-Priority Skill'', which meant that whatever increase in attributes it gave woulde first before any other multiplicator was applied, the Sage Beast Trait was interestingly enough non-consequential. Increasing all his Attributes by 62% and then redistributing them was mathematically the same as pouring every point into one Attribute and then raising that by 62%. Regardless, the only reason he was focusing this much on his Intelligence was to cast a spell he''d never had enough control or raw power to cast without his Manifestation. And of course, since he knew Arimane would be far too curious to stop the lengthy process, it allowed him to try in the first ce. The therian pointed his palm at the sky and the spires of the Altar began to siphon the mes from below and feed it to the miniature stars. "[Altar of mes C Chaos,]" Rakna chanted again and exactly nine stars shot up from the altar after having absorbed the entirety of the star energy. They joined up in the sky to form only one. "[Embers of Ardor Abide the Star''s Vehemence,]" Rakna sang the first verse of a Cl Lli that only belonged to the Neverwinter, and the star he had summoned began to copse inward, audible sounds of crystal shattering, and lines converging toward the core. Arimane''s eyes widened when he saw the star''s color turn brighter; almost white. ? * * * ? "Is this child crazy?!" Enya Fendyrlen yelled as she stood up from her seat. "What kind of madness do you need to be afflicted with to cast such a spell?!" She couldn''t believe her eyes. "Is he trying to kill himself?! He entered the spatialyer with his real body, the fool!" "Master?" Vera spoke up cautiously, addressing her Guild Leader in the way that every one of her fellow witches did. Enya was a magic master to all of them; their teacher. She, who was known as the Monarch of Sorcery, and even the Sorceress Queen, was currently baffled. "It''s Star Magic," her delicate features twisted into a frown. "What do you think a star turning white implies, Vera?" She sighed aggravatedly. "No, in the first ce, he did not have this much magical power just a few minutes ago First, he manifests THE ''Demon'' parading as an elderly man, and now this?" "Demon? Wait, that''s?!" Bianka realized who had just been ''recreated'' by the Arena Game. "Yes," Enya nodded grimly. "There is no doubt; that is the original Nox Aeterna." "And that white star" Polia muttered with a somewhat nervous expression while her guildmates were more busy processing the idea they were looking at one of the strongest beings currently known to all Existence. "Is it what I think it is?" She asked uneasily. "Again, yes. Hopefully, the Arena will hold..." The Sorceress Queen groused and was about to sit down when she saw Eternal Night do something absolutely ludicrous. Her jaw dropped, and for the first time in centuries, she feltpletely outssed as a mage. ? * * * ? "Kid there are limits to recklessness," Arimane snorted. "You were the one who taught me there is no such thing," Rakna retorted,pletely unaffected by the fact his star was turning into a wholly white sphere of shrilling crystal and energy; gravity going out of control in its direct surroundings and getting hot beyond measure. "Haha, I guess I did," the old man chuckled and his eyes glowed. The lightning suppressed in the clouds finally began to move. "Well, let me repay that favor," he dered and snapped his fingers, a pit promptly appearing in the ck clouds right above him. He extended his hand upward and a bolt of Aeter shot out from his palm, disappearing inside the dark gulf in the sky. "[Disscindam Mundum Seorsum] (I Shall Tear the World Apart)." "[Sub Frigora Atque Inmortali Nocte] (Under the Cold and Immortal Night)." "[Fulmina Aeterna Leges Naturae Ferit] (The Eternal Lightning Strikes the Laws of Nature.)" Thunder roared and something started descending from within the clouds. Surrounded by halos of red energy; it was a giant and perfectly cubic mass of ck lightning quivering with power. The surfaces of the cube looked impossibly polished and it floated to Arimane who held one finger up to one of its corners. The cube began to spin sluggishly as it hovered diagonally; just a few centimeters of spacing with the finger lifting it. The size of the construct was equal to the star that had visibly reached its final stage of density and shone increasingly brighter. It was a direct opposition of colors, shapes, and sizes. "old man, did you just create an antithesis spell of my star on the spot?" Even Rakna deadpanned at the ridiculousness of such a thing. What Arimane had just done went further than just making a cube with lightning and calling it a day. He had crafted a magic theory purposefully for the sake of countering ''stars'' with ''night'' and the idea of ''nature'' with ''geometry''. "What can I say?" The old man smirked as flicked his finger forward. The cube began to elerate its rotation as it followed his motion and soon enough, it was moving so fast that it looped back to being a sphere. "I''m just that awesome," he uttered as his spell began to approach the star. "" Rakna didn''t say anything and they both silently stared at their respective crafts heading for a collision. When they were but a few seconds from touching, the therian unfurled his wings and wrapped them around himself. ''[Grand Reinforcement, Rift Shuttle, Triad Obsidian,]'' he triggered his skills internally. He converted his entire body into star energy, coated himself in dimensions, and summoned the power of the Obsidian Star into his aura. The copsing star and the lightning cube had collectively bent space and time beyond what could be braved with teleportation or dimensional hopping. Rakna could only face the explosion head-on. His own spell would partially ignore him and as long as he maintained enough mana to feed his Grand Reinforcement, he would be able to reform his body from most states. Arimaneughed and a bolt of Aeter struck him from the sky, enveloping him in the silhouette of an ebony dragon. "[Votum Mortalitatis] (Vow of Mortality)," he whispered and every sound and color were suddenly stripped from the world. "[Neverwinter Supernova,]" Rakna''s voice sounded soon after and everything was swallowed by a wave of pure extinction, closer to a light of judgment than an explosion. Chapter 383: Transmutation Chapter 383: Transmutation "| Attention, everyone! Emergency quarantine inbound! |" When the supernova and lightning met courses, every single refracting ss of the Arena shut down and showed no more than a nket of obscurity. Sensing danger, the spatialyer had been temporarily disjointed from the building and buried deep beneath several strata of security. The spectators outside the Arena were facing a ck screen on their devices but the ones inside held their breath as their seats shook like an earthquake was going on. Then, much to their terror, splinters cracked open in the ss, with a very worrying noise apanying it. Elora, who was among the regr spectators, sank in her seat as she tightly hugged a surprisingly cute plushie of Rakna; something that some businesses had started selling, as well as portrayals of the ''Exalted Nine-Tailed Wolf, Obsidian''. "Your Majesty" The elven girl, turned Pavilion Master, muttered worriedly. In the VIP rooms, Rakna''s group was mostly the same, but none of them were truly in a panic. They knew he wouldn''t do something as stupid as throwing his life away in this battle. Especially to one of his own attacks. However, when the image returned to the ss wall with a temporary visual static, they couldn''t help but gasp in shock nevertheless. ? * * * ? The spatialyer had been devastated beyond words. There was no denying it. Yet, it did not exactly fit the description of ''destroyed'' either. The sky, now freed of clouds, neither held a sun, stars, or even a moon. It was a whirlpool of darkness caught in spatial anomalies. As for the canyon itself not even a single speck of dirt, stone, or grass remained. But it wasn''t as if they were gone. No, they had been turned into somethingpletely different. For miles, farther than the eye could see, every single bump of thendscape, every single de of grass, and particle of soil had transformed into an immortalized piece of scarlet crystal. It was like a valley of rubies, stunningly beautiful, yet dark and ominous from ack of light source. Only the remnants of some energy that had seeped into the crystals seemed to provide some sort of lighting instead of the now erased firmament and thus gave the atmosphere a reddish hue. It was silent for a long while until a patch of crystal cracked and exploded upward. From inside, a hand emerged and pulled the rest of its body up. With a groan, Rakna stepped out of the hole, his clothes haggard, though already on their way to repair themselves. The crystals he had broken in his wake disintegrated slowly, crimson embers briefly flickering before dissipating. "" With a quiet gaze, he took in his surroundings. His wings had already retracted inside his body to heal since they had taken a substantial amount of damage. Thankfully, it was nothing grave and he was essentially left with no injury, not even counting his regeneration. "my eardrums were busted though," the therian grumbled. The spectators who heard him nearly face-faulted at the underwhelming remark. With a huff, he stood back up and lifted Sonata, which he hadn''t let go of for even a second. It hade out unscathed too. Following him, a rumble of thunder echoed and lightning burst out from underground a kilometer or so away. It blew away a chunk of crystal and a figure rose from within. "looking good, old man," Rakna uttered nkly and a chuckle was heard. It didn''t sound old though. Not at all. The one who came out of the crystal was a tall man with ck hairbed ever so slightly backward but with a few strands wild enough to fall forward. He had pale skin and sharp silver eyes with slitted pupils. He had handsome features and sported a grin that was as equally charismatic as it was punch-worthy. On his back, a majestic pair of ck and silver wings were deployed. At first nce, they appeared to be draconic in nature with their skeletal structure. Yet, they had feathersyering thes, as if an angel fallen from grace. Simrly, shimmering dark scales could be seen creeping up the man''s cor as well as covering his arms and turning his hands into ws, almost like flexible gauntlets. "Alright," the man cracked his neck and twirled his wrist a bit. "I''m closer to my prime now," he said with a pleased huff and crossed his arms. "Now kid, second lesson," he dered and Rakna rolled his eyes. "That spell was nice. Honestly, it''s good to the point I don''t understand some of it myself. I have no idea how you turned the terrain into this," the Demon waved at the view. "It''s as if yes; as if you first destroyed everything, but then absorbed the remnants and converted them into a new matter which you used to rece what was lost..." Arimane paused and squinted his eyes. "Actually, scratch that. You didn''t absorb shit. You skipped straight to the ''conversion'' part, didn''t you? Let me guess transmutation?" He theorized. "I guess that works crystallized destruction. As a figure of speech; you killed this canyon and the crystal that''s left is its carcass. No wonder some of my wounds felt clogged up; you transmuted my flesh after damaging it, stopping it from healing. Well, you can get rid of it easily by shattering it yourself and letting it heal. Rewinding my body''s age crushed it in that manner." Rakna groaned frustratingly. "{He got it in one}" Fray spoke up in amusement. "Well, whatever," the God rolled his shoulders, getting rid of some additional diforts brought about by his rejuvenation. "Point in case, that was dumb. You didn''t need to get hit by it as well. If this is the first time you use this spell, however, I can give you some ck. Next time, make sure to tweak your magic formation so that the gravitational field that copses the star redirects the output in a shape or direction that doesn''t include you in it." The therian''s eyebrow twitched. "Anyway, lesson over. What''s next, kid?" Arimane smirked. With an exasperated sigh, Rakna raised Sonata. "Transmutation is the right word," he said and his uncle blinked in confusion. "Even if my Neverwinter Star is meant for pure destruction, my ''true'' star bleeds into it and adds an extra step to the destruction. Same thing for my Everfrost." As if to show an example, the therian produced a wave of turquoise star energy that tore into the scarlet crystal ground. The temperature plummeted and shards flew into the air, encapsted into ice-like gems. "It adds an extra step to the process of freezing. But instead of perpetuating a state of destruction, it encapstes its targets in perpetual suspension." "Uh, so you also have the opposite star" Arimane hummed. "Quite nasty as well. Both stars would be substantially effective against immortals and highly regenerative creatures." "Frankly, I''ve barely learned this yesterday," Rakna shrugged and dismissed the frost. "I had a big awakening not long ago and it altered my magic a bit. But my newest star is a bit unruly. So, how about it, old man? Willing to apply some of your ''expertise'' to help me with it?" Arimane snickered. "Sure. Let your third lesson begin. Bring it." ? * * * ? "Oi, Gretta" Undertaker narrowed his eyes. "What kind of dragon is that guy?" "" She didn''t answer and bit the inside of her lips. "a Dragon God. Some form or another. I don''t know I heard the Eternal Night God had draconic heritage but had no idea it was this much. This is not just some random bloodline. It''s intertwined with his divinity along with something else a much darker presence. It''s like right, a Dragon of Evil. There''s something demonic mixed in that goes past just his title of ''Kind Demon''. Or else he wouldn''t have those feathers." "Wasn''t there something about that in the Cross of Old Eden?" Lionel interjected. "We never got to see the whole information in it, but you did, right, Boss?" "Yeah I directly touched the thing. Creepy as hell," Treiber grunted. "Angra Mainyu. Forget demon or devil, this guy is basically the reincarnation of the one known as the Original Evil." "right, then, quick question," the silver-haired man pursed his lips. "What happens if we let this guy continue to grow in power in the middle of the System?" "Hah!" Undertaker let out a smallugh despite himself. "One of two things. Maybe the System gets a fist shoved up its ass and we get freed, or we all die today," he said and pulled out a new deck of Tarot cards and ced one down. When he turned it over, he cackled. "I''m betting on thetter." "Fucking wonderful" Lionel groaned. "Can we do something?" "In our dreams," Gretta scoffed. "Did you see that thing just now? Forget the Demon, that kid over there just blew up a damn supernova! Out of crystal somehow?! Destruction crystallized?! What does that even mean?! I''m not even sure anymore I can fight him, much less Eternal Night!" Treiber huffed and leaned back on his seat. "How sad. We''ve been here for decades and more, and here we have a kid already on his way to surpass us in less than a year." "So, what? We pray for the best?" Lionel asked incredulously. "Yep," the mercenary leader replied cheerily. "Cross your fingers and enjoy the show." "fuck, I hate this shit." ? * * * ? Rakna whirled his weapon in an off-handed manner and, out of nowhere, purple mes flickered where he stood and he disappeared. A beatter, a massive gorge was carved into the ground in the same alignment that Sonata''s edge was spinning. Arimane''s eyes widened a bit and brought up Karma to parry another frontal attack. Yet, this time, despite blocking the strike, arge gash immediately opened up across his chest. He coughed out a handful of silverish blood in surprise but from experience, didn''t step back. "As expected, old man," Rakna nonchntly said through the deadlock of their weapons. "I wanted to cut you in two with this but it looks like you''re tougher than earlier already." The draconic man''s mouth twitched. "First of all, there''s no old man here. I''m dashing, all right?" "{I know who you got your sense of priorities from now,}" Fray deadpanned. "And two," Arimane narrowed his eyes at the ck and purple aura coating both Sonata and Rakna with a protective film resembling glimmering obsidian. "You got much faster but that onlysted an instant before you got much stronger. So, you''re redistributing ''resources'' so to speak. I see." The Kind Demon moved one foot back and using his elbow, he struck the t side of Sonata to get it off Karma. He then lowered his center of bnce and at an even greater speed, rammed his knee into the therian''s stomach. Rakna grunted and red back to a safe distance. "Thirdly," Arimane dusted his coat boringly and in the blink of an eye, both the wound and clothes were repaired as if nothing had ever happened. "That sh it didn''t cut me. It felt closer to being afflicted with the ''status of being cut'' Is that your third star''s power?" "transmutation," Rakna nkly said and obsidian began to materialize in his free hand until it abruptly expanded into arge b with a sculpted edge and purple mes raging inside. "You got closer to my power''s true nature than you probably realized with just that word alone." "" "The Obsidian Star is the actualization of my soul into magic," Rakna uttered. This was something he had realized not long ago. This was most likely why his Manifestation had always been avable to him. Because his magic does note from his soul; it''s his soul itself. "As such, my star embodies a part of the concept my existence has been heading toward," he added and raised the obsidian cleaver. "One specific aspect of alchemy; transmutation. There is no doubt that my magic is sharp. I could conjure a small knife and it would probably cut through metal like it''s nothing. But this cutting ability is more of a trigger than an oue." "A trigger?" Without saying anything, Rakna swung therge b and muttered, "[Natcattira Piripp?.]" Ovee by a sense of danger, Arimane disappeared in a burst of speed and where he stood, the very air was split. A disturbingly thin line was carved into the crystalline ground and continued on for thousands of meters. Immediately after, a brittle noise echoed and the b in Rakna''s hand shattered into bits, releasing the mes inside which quickly faded away as if it had exhausted itself. "I get it," Arimane smiled. "The cut acts as the trigger for the transmutation. When you swing that thing, or even Sonata coated with your aura, it will metamorphose whatever it cuts into. The damage it inflicts is less of a consequence, and more of a transmutation to turn something into nothing. But the energy it would require though mana can''t do that on its own" He was interrupted when Rakna snapped his fingers and cast Forger of The Stars. The sound of a hammer hitting an anvil resounded and hundreds of weapons fell from the abyssal sky. Burying themselves in the crystal, the metalposing them perceptibly vibrating. "Old man, do you know how long those swords will stay there?" Rakna asked. "Well that depends. Are theyplete spells or constructs?" "Constructs." "Then, a few days, give or take," Arimane replied and Rakna showed a rare smug smile. "Wrong. They''ll exist forever. Even if broken, the pieces will exist forever. Even if they''re in ces my mana cannot reach or my link to them is broken, they will never dispel." The literal God showed a strange expression. "Kid, that''s just matter creation. Nothing about the star you showed me can do--!" He interrupted himself as he came to a realization. "Looks like you got it," Rakna huffed and nted Sonata on the ground, before reaching for one of the many weapons he had just created. The one he picked was a longsword with a ck de and a purple hilt. "The transmutation doesn''t just apply to the edge. It''s a two-way street. Any t section of the obsidian transmutes the forces ites in contact with and hoards it as a supply. Whether it be sound, light, wind, any vtile atom, or even ambient mana; it swallows it. That energy is then depleted through the edge to fuel the ''cutting transmutation''." "" "If I use up the entirety of the energy in one swing, the construct breaks. However, if I make objects that have a normal edge but retain their absorbing properties" Rakna paused and smiled. "The construct bes self-sustaining solely for the fact that it exists." Arimane silently listened and looked around with a hum. "Then the more ''energy'' you stock in your star, the more dangerous your ''shes'' be. The supernova you transmuted the force behind it through your aura, didn''t you? Then fed it to Sonata''s edge and your spell just now." Rakna smiled wordlessly, a system notice ringing in his ears. ? ? ? ? ? Calcting New Statistic Obsidian Points Currently Stored OP: 4 657/???? ? --- ? Analyzing Analysis Complete. ? Every second, 10 OP are lost and passively converted into 10 MP. If the mana pool is full, the Obsidian Points will gradually scatter in the air due to the Host''s body and soul rejecting the surplus of unmanageable resources. Otherwise, the points can be expended in battle and absorbed through the Host''s aura. Reversely, Obsidian Points can be generated with mana but at a steep cost. ? Note: Spell Constructs have their own reserves and are not connected to the Host''s. But they can be bestowed a certain amount of OP during the moment of their casting. ? ? ? ? ? The Obsidian Star had turned him into a transmutation engine. Whenever he used his aura, some portion of any iing force would be absorbed, stored, and passively turned into mana. The sad thing was that absorbing anything other than actual spells or great energies did nothing for him. His body couldn''t manifest the ''Obsidian Star'' to literally conduct millions of nuclear fissions with the surrounding atoms for example. His aura was just an extension of the real star contained deep inside his soul and had obvious limitations. His spells were a bit less limited, but still restricted. However, he was pretty certain that his Obsidian Manifestation, specifically the Internal Release, could change that. And he also knew that one day, he would climb over this hurdle. The ingredients were almost all there. Soon enough, the ideal Philosopher''s Stone would be born. And that day, he would be able to do far more than just cutting things; creation as a whole would be his yground. Rakna was wholly aware that the Crystal Sage had made sure he would. "Hm" Arimane tilted his head curiously. "Then, you got hit by your supernova on purpose?" "Nope," Rakna replied shamelessly. "It''s terribly ineffective. I would have been better off tanking a few of your lightning bolts than whatever that gave me. So, thanks for the lesson, old man." The not-so-old man snorted and ran a hand through his hair. "Hm that''s going to be a hard lesson for me. Well, I guess I can give you advice on how to use it. Don''t hesitate to try and cut me to pieces if you want," he grinned wickedly. "I''ll do the same." Chapter 384: "So, kid, any girlfriend?" Chapter 384: "So, kid, any girlfriend?" "What do you mean you can''t stop it?!" Michael shouted at one of the Arena''s employees. They were inside the control room built under the spatialyers. Crowds of workers were running around, calibrating hundreds of parameters onputers filling the room, as well as monitoring the battle and the stage''s stability throughrge screens mounted on the walls. "W-we can''t, sir!" The chief of the monitoring team raised his arms in defense. "The moment that the ''Echo'' was summoned, the System lost control of it. And when we tried to take away its power source, it didn''t do anything. T-that man the Kind Demon" He gulped. "He incarnated a body made of flesh and blood! He''s as living as one can be and only getting stronger!" Michael clenched his fists. This wasn''t even a matter of pride or honor. At this point, it was a matter of survival and nothing more. "This can only be stopped if the ''Echo'' is killed," the employee added nervously. "But I don''t think even Rakna Xiorra can do that. The scans just confirmed the Kind Demon''s vessel has First-Degree Immortality" The nobleman gritted his teeth and calmed himself down with a deep breath. "redirect all liquid mana reservoirs to reinforce the spatialyer. Make it as strong as possible. I don''t care about the cost; just use everything we have." "Y-yes!" "And if Eternal Night reaches the point of ''Ascension'', lock away the stage and banish it away, as far as possible. Trap it into a dimensional storm; I don''t care. Get rid of it." "B-but we won''t be able to retrieve the Beast Emperor" "Quiet. Your job right now is to prevent a disaster," Michael sighed and looked at the screens. "It is obvious at this point that Rakna Xiorra is indulging in this situation. If pushes to shove, I can ask hispanions to pull him out but for now, I''m not even sure they will listen to me over his wishes Who is the Kind Demon to this boy?" ? * * * ? Rakna''s silhouette blurred out of view for a split second and his Guandao was swung twice. A burst of blood erupted from one of Arimane''s shoulders as he gleefully deflected the second sh. In the blink of an eye though, the wound disappeared and he countered with Karma. "[Fulgur,]" the dragon uttered and a bolt of ck lightning descended along with his attack. Rakna silently turned Sonata into a greatsword and shielded himself with it. He was blown back by a few meters even when using Eye of Symphony to optimally reassign his attributes nearly every second. Arimane furthered his attack and dashed forward, swinging his katana from above. Rakna parried it by switching to his twin daggers and the ground under them shattered loudly. The Kind Demon cackled and threw a kick at the therian''s exposed ribs. Rakna''s figure once again blurred, but this time, his movements repelled Karma with just a nudge and he lightly stepped back to dodge the blow. "Oh?" Arimane smiled and, almost impossibly fast, reached under his coat to draw something. He aimed at Rakna what appeared to be a double-barreled revolver. Red and ck lightning began to gather in each barrel while the therian''s eyes widened. "[Roar, Superore.]" On cue, an opaque wave of red and ck sma boomed out of the gun and tore into the ground mercilessly, melting the crystal in its wake until eventually fizzling out miles away. Sparks surrounded Arimane''s hand after the shot and he lowered Superore. He looked up and saw his nephew appearing with a re of star energy, his body showing signs of Ghost of Rupture and covered in purple mes and a ck aura to protect him. Despite that, his left arm was singed and steaming. "Karma, you can hold back a bit less," Arimane uttered and his sword responded by releasing an aura of its own. Then, with nothing more than a swing, the air distorted in Rakna''s direction. The therian widened his eyes and activated Sonata''s Shield of Piety. The spherical barrier formed around him but was instantly broken by the attack, carving into his chest much the same way he had done on his uncle a few moments prior. "You''re learning, kid," Arimane said with a grin and lowered Karma. "You already applied the first lesson. You''re starting to use your Internal Art to dodge and repel external forces. Good as always." Rakna scoffed and flexed his injured arm, healing it in an instant. Allegro followed the example and regrew its missing sleeve. At the same time, the therian called to his hand one of the two daggers he had dropped when he was shot and silently reverted Sonata to a Guandao. "Now, I already have some ideas for your third lesson," the Demon mused. "But well, I will only give you one directive to settle it. Overall, you''re doing fine. But you''re only trying to ''cut'' me and the air in between. Think a bit more outside the box. Also, you''re hesitating to use actual Obsidian Star spells. Is there a reason for that?" ''he even noticed that, huh?'' Rakna thought with a click of his tongue. ''I don''t know how far I can push the Obsidian Star until I start losing control over it again'' He squinted. ''And to cut something that is not him'' "I see," the therian uttered and swung Sonata, pouring his aura into it. But when the motion ended, nothing happened. But, for a short moment, the Chalice etched on his back glowed. Then, Rakna fed mana into his wings, pulling them out, and triggered Star re to close the distance. Arimane scowled and blocked the attack. Since his torso was aligned with the edge of Sonata, he expected to be cut through his guard, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, Rakna summoned a chunk of cold soul mes and shot it as a simple concentrated st. "[Prkkta S?r?as?,]" the therian whispered and his uncle, who had retreated a few steps due to the impact, suddenly stuttered forward as if something had hit him from the back. Then, he once again was forced backward when a wound ripped his stomach out of nowhere. "What?" The dragon was genuinely bewildered until he was forced to block another attack from Rakna while his body healed the damages that seemingly had no concrete causes. Again, the sh from Sonata didn''t ''cut through'' as he expected and this time, suspicion grew in his mind. They shed weapons two more times until Arimane abruptly leaned to the side, avoiding a clear sh that bent the air; yet, Rakna''s weapon was nowhere near aimed at that ce. To be exact, he had shed there two exchanges ago "I see," Arimane uttered and swung Karma, lightning following his movement. Rakna managed to block it but quickly relented on upholding his ground and jumped back when the Demon fired his gun at point nk. When the two fighters had separated, Arimane ducked his head and a sh carved into the ground behind him. Then, he batted one more away with his sword but Rakna didn''t move once. "''Prkkta S?r?as?'', you said?" The dragon mused. "''Unseen Stardust'', huh? Not bad. It''s halfway to being a spell, but not quite either. It''s closer to you imposing your magic into the world as aw of sorts like an Origin Magic," he grinned. "You cut how long it took for your attack to reach me. In other words, you put your shes in stasis by transmuting time itself. Time is closer to a force of nature than it is a concept, that is why you were able to cut it. But it eventually wears out and catches back up. Thus, firing after a dy. I am impressed, kid. Truly." Rakna huffed. "You were the one who taught me space-time theories in your ramblings." "Perhaps," Arimane chuckled. "But I didn''t expect that. When I told you not to cut me, my bets were on something more along the lines of this," he uttered and flicked his finger up and down. Thunder roared and a bolt of ck lightning descended. Without even looking, the therian used a hand de to cut upward. "[Nirkarippi? S?r?as?,]" he intoned calmly, and right before the lightning bolt hit, it was sliced in two, right down the middle, and proceeded to fade out of existence; neither exploding nor straying, silently vanishing. "Exactly that," Arimane smirked. "And ''Stardust of Rejection'', is it? I like your naming sense, kid. It might even be better than mine," he admitted with an exaggerated nod. "" Rakna deadpanned. "what''s that look for?" The God retorted dryly. "Anyway, that''s about what I wanted to see from your star. You transmuted the mana inside my magic formation into nothing. With that, you could potentially scatter people''s auras and spells. Though the former would be more temporary than anything and thetter wouldn''t happen every time, especially if the offending spell is of high tier, with a good caster andplex structure, and if you don''t use enough energy in the sh." "All in all, you exceeded my expectations," Arimane added. "I give you full marks," he stated with a smile that appeared a tad softer than usual, and perhaps even a little proud. "All right. To end this lesson, let''s give you a practical test. Come and use everything you can." Rakna quietly transformed Sonata into twin katanas and his wings began to release silver dust as more and more mana was poured into them. Ghost of Rupture shrouded his silhouette and a rippling shockwave spread from under his feet as he disappeared. ? * * * ? "What am I even watching?" Kaelith grumbled tiredly, keeping an eye on the battle in front of her with a mix of annoyance, awe, anxiety, and pure disbelief. "Wolfy is not even shape-shifting but his every action carries the weight of a Sixth Ascent Host" Kryas overheard her mutterings and momentarily froze at what she implied. "Wait!" Zialtra was far less subtle. "Are you saying this brat has an ''attribute skill'' he''s not using?!" "He technically possesses four," Ceresta suddenly said and everyone looked at her. She blinked and then covered her mouth. "I apologize Should I have said that?" She deted with a sad look. "Will Rakna be upset?" She muttered pitifully and her friends felt like they had been stabbed. Nyx red at Zialtra, and any other person too curious, with the clear threat of ''Make her cry and you will die a painful death'' being reflected in her eyes. "It''s okay, Ceresta," Evelyn soothed the dollish girl. "Rakna wouldn''t me you for something like that. You know him. In fact, at this rate, he might just reveal everything himself," the subus said with a wry smile. "It looks like he''s enjoying this fight more than anything else I''ve seen him do." Ceresta nodded meekly and allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "You''re right" Zialtra flinched at Ceresta''s innocence and groaned. She looked back at the stage where she saw Rakna shoot some sort of ded arrow with a bow, sessfully making the equivalent of a small-town worth of terrain blow up and freeze over under turquoise crystal. "This is ridiculous" She shook her head. Even she felt defeated at the disy. And she could easily tell that the Kind Demon was not even trying. Nox Aeterna was a magic heralded to consume the world in lightning and swallow it like a shadow. This was far from its true power. Yet, Zialtra could not help herself. Much like Cura, who was intensely clenching his fists, there was no denying her mounting excitement, whether it was for Arimane Reigen de or Rakna Xiorra, her thirst for battle could barely be contained. "Rakna is so strong!" Lanata eximed with sparkling eyes. via smiled at the sheep girl. "That, he is. This is the first time I see his magic in action To think it can disturb time itself to attack. Even I, with the explicit elements of Space and Time, can barely do something simr. But to him, it looks like a pleasant byproduct." "Youngdy," Kara chuckled. "That you have those elements and can use them is nothing short of amazing as well. Time and Space Magic are some of the mostplex elements, especially the former. You''ve only had them for a few months but can dte time? Don''t sell yourself short." "Thank you," the Chaos Witch smiled. "But I cannot help but think that if Rakna had them instead of me, he would have already achieved much more." "Don''tpare yourself to the cheat," An snickered. "If I may ask," Azheim raised his voice curiously. "The boy''s wings are they the same I saw on that video of teau Zero''s liberation? Is he, in fact, rted to that mysterious woman?" At that question, Rakna''spanions sputtered and looked away. Ceresta had a subtle realization of what he was asking and let out a smile that melted everybody''s hearts. But she didn''t answer otherwise. "| So, kid, any girlfriend? |" They suddenly heard Arimane''s voice through the recording spells used by the Arena and practically every girl vying for Rakna''s affection snapped toward the source. Kryas internallyughed. ''Our new Emperor is quite the lucky man'' ? * * * ? "Huh?" Rakna uttered in surprise as he flew backward, casting Cataract with Neverwinter at the same time. The bombarding spell wasunched like a shooting star but Arimane sliced the spell into pieces with a single swing of Karma. "Come on, you must have one by now, right?" The Kind Demon teased even as a dyed ''Stardust'' grazed his leg. He snapped his fingers and a hundred lightning bolts assaulted his nephew from all directions. The therian grunted and he mumbled one word, "[Valkal.]" His Reverse Tails blocked a bolt each at the cost of their destruction but he instantly recreated them as many times as needed. Meanwhile, the sound of hammering echoed and a ck and purple barbed spear appeared in his hand. "[Gungnir,]" he uttered and threw the weapon at his uncle. It flew through the air in zig-zag patterns, chasing after the dragon until eventually exploding into a beam of obsidian star energy that absorbed whatever it hit and expelled it as raw pressure at the front. "I don''t see how it''s any of your business, old man," Rakna uttered afterward, turning Sonata into a bow as Arimane soared away from the range of Gungnir, his hybrid draconic wings alight with red lightning. "Please, I raised your sorry ass," the Demon huffed indignantly, sheathing his sword and lowering his center of gravity with his hand gripping Karma''s hilt tightly. "You''re too mentally peaceful right now not to have lost your virginity or something." Rakna''s eyebrow twitched, nonchntly conjuring a Varunastra arrow with the Everfrost Star as if the current battle was an afterthought to their discussion. "What kind of bullshit are you saying to your nephew? Also, if I was not mentally sane before, doesn''t that mean you''re at fault for being such a failure at parenting?" Unbeknownst to them, those words caused arge portion of the viewers to squawk in shock. "Hell no, you were a lost cause. Don''t me me," Arimaneined and Aeter quickly shrouded the scabbard of his weapon. "[Iai C Aeterna,]" he chanted and simultaneously drew and swung his katana. A crescent-moon-shaped attack flew at the speed of lightning, rumbling like thunder. Rakna let go of the taut string of Sonata''s bow. "[Varunastra,]" he intoned and the arrow of storm met the Eternal Night God''s signature attack. Varunastra shattered on collision and released the sound of sea waves. Crystal emerged from the spell, filled with turquoise water that soon broke out as well, overtaking the sky. Shards of crystal rained and the water swallowed Aeterna before spontaneously freezing into ssy ice. Yet, thunder still rumbled and a pir of lightning smashed it all before dissipating as well. Arimane swiped Karma as if cleaning it. "Just tell me, already," he grinned mirthfully. "" Rakna didn''t say anything. "What? You''re embarrassed or something?" The Demon tilted his head. "Let''s see you don''t seem to be going through a breakup. You don''t seem shy about it either. But you''re still too awkward to say anything," he recited to himself and then blinked. "A threesome?" The therian did his best to maintain his expression and transformed Sonata into a greatsword. He held it high above him and obsidian sprouted on it until it became an evenrger b of volcanic ss. "That reaction Hahaha!" Arimane burst outughing. "I got it right! Well damn! That''s fine. If you got twodies to share, then good for you," he chortled but quickly stopped when he saw another strange expression cross his nephew''s face. "Wait don''t tell me there''s more than two?" "[Na?cattira Ma?ai,]" Rakna uttered nkly and swung Sonata. The obsidian, however, shattered in the middle of the swing and separated into thousands of fragments. But instantly after, purple mes appeared behind each fragment and propelled them like rockets. All of them fell like rain at tremendous speeds, littering every corner of the sky and leaving trails of purple embers. Laughing, Arimane crossed his arms with a grin and stood his ground as shards tried to dig into his scales and skin. All around him, finger-sized holes of unknown depths appeared one after the other at a rate very much simr to actual rain; terrifyingly fast and numerous. Had it been anyone other than Arimane, this spell would have shredded them into unrecognizable gory messes. When it was over after two or three seconds, the Kind Demon lowered his arms, the traces of silver blood drawn by the fragments all over his body slowly evaporating like water. "Damn, kid, a harem? Nice job. How many do you n to add?" Arimane asked yfully. ? * * * ? "Gosh why is it word for word the same...?" Kaelith covered her face with her hands. Her face was flushed in a rare moment of intense embarrassment. Nyx was going through the same struggle on the side, though desperately trying not to show it outwardly and failing, miserably. "Let me guess, the threesome was with you two?" Azheim inquired mischievously. "And let me guess something too," An added with augh. "You probably asked Rak what the old master would say to him about his rtionships and he answered exactly that?" Kaelith dug herself into her seat with a whine, "Shut up" "| Incidentally tell me, kid, the girl with my ''Blessing'' over there. |" Arimane''s voice sounded again, but this time, it confused the listeners quite a lot. Then, the Demon tilted his head and eyed the source of the bird view being broadcasted by the Arena. In contrast with everyone else, Nyx froze. Those eyes felt like they were ignoring all targets but her and her only. She paled but couldn''t tear her gaze away out of sheer pressure. "| Is she called Nyx, by any chance? |" The Eternal Night God asked, his tone almost cold. Rakna stiffened and furrowed his eyebrows. "| You sealed her away, |" he said with an usatory stare. "| You took her powers away, ingrained fear into her soul, and to this day, haunted her with the magic she is forced to bear You better be careful about what you say, old man. |" Nyx felt her entire body grow warmer at the care the therian exhibited for her. "| Heh, is she one of those two? |" Arimane snorted half-heartedly, as if he didn''t want to joke about it, and sighed. "| What is she to you, kid? Just answer me that. |" "| |" Rakna fell silent and Nyx found herself holding her breath. "| She saved my life. Helped and fought at my side with honor. I admire her for surmounting you, of all people, and still offering me her trust with all her heart. I love her, there''s not much more to it. |" The Night Goddess was pretty sure she couldn''t have been blushing harder than she was now. The others around her were either smiling or feeling envious, but nheless happy for her. Kaelith pouted. "She gets a public confession. What about me?" She griped and Kara giggled. ? * * * ? Arimane listened to the therian''s unwavering conviction and smiled forlornly. "So, it is as ''He'' said it would be, after all; she is crucial to you," he uttered and Rakna raised an eyebrow. "I''ll be honest with you, kid, it wasn''t my idea to do this to her. Originally, I intended to let her go free and unharmed. However, a certain ''universal meddler'' whispered in my head and Iplied." "that doesn''t sound like you," Rakna retorted. "You don''t obey anyone." "Hahaha, true," the Kind Demonughed. "But at the time, that same meddler, Krynox, made the very convincing argument that my actions would affect the ''future'' of someone tied to me." The therian expression minutely twitched, recognizing the name. It was mentioned by Wis twice and he called it the ''Will of Existence'', iming to be its ''cousin'' and therefore capable of knowing the answer to all questions. "The truth is, it wasn''t exactly his idea" Arimane continued. "He poured the information into my brain; it had been suggested by someone. When I learned who it was, it only made my choice feel even more justified. If there is one person in all Existence you should listen to, even if ''He'' does things you cannot understand or ept, it''s definitely ''Him''. That''s how trustworthy the bastard is and I haven''t even met ''Him'' personally." "And who is that?" Arimane smiled. "Heh, who knows," he jested. "You''ll meet ''Him'' one day when it''s time. After all, I did not know about this System when I sealed Nyx away. At best, what I did that day was wrap her up in my spell and throw it into a dimensional chasm. I never sent her to you, and an overfed sentient entity like Krynox certainly did not." Rakna''s eyes widened, realizing what that meant. "But enough talking," the Demon rolled his shoulders. "Do you have anything else to demonstrate before I move to the next level?" He grinned. "" The therian gazed at his sole family for a short while and twirled his bow, switching it to a one-handed sword during the spin. "Old man you wanted a proper spell instead of just some random cutting, right?" Without boration, Rakna extended his left arm and pointed two fingers at Arimane as if he was designating him in some way. Flickering, soul mes crawled over his body and rapidly flowed to the tip of his fingers and formed an uneven sphere. Then, crepitation noises like someone stepping over ss shards echoed, and the fireball began to darken; innumerable tiny pieces of obsidian mixing in with it. They formed a shell around the mes and purple light slightly shone through the millions of small gaps. "I only saw it a few times, but it gave me an idea," Rakna said and Arimane raised an eyebrow. "This is another experiment, old man. Hope you like it," the therian jested and the granted orb began to swirl, a dark purple color taking dominance until the obsidian and mes became homogeneous and stable. "[Sltta Natcattira Raja.]" ? ? ? ? ? You have learned a new spell; Sltta Natcattira Raja! ? --- ? - Sltta Natcattira Raja (T.10 C T.0): Meaning ''Star King of ughter'', this spell is a reproduction of the innate Nirvana Skill belonging to the race of predators known as Prowlers; Sltta Raja, King of ughter. It is an alternative using Star Energy and the Philosopher mes of the Obsidian Star wielded by Rakna Xiorra de. This spell can be used across all three stars at varying outputs but no matter which, the crystal shell corresponding to the used star will fuse with the Soul mes and Star Energy. The effects will thus differ depending on the nature of the star. The original Sltta Raja functions like an ultimate alternator. The Prowler''s entire body is an organic magic formation meant to amplify mana, elevate it, bolster it, and expand the final result into ruthless and raw energy. Sltta Natcattira Raja uses the Soul mes as the control center for the mana to bounce in and out of the Obsidian Crystals to multiply in purity and intensity through transmutation. Raw Star Energy is then poured into the mix to homogenize it into a controble energy, which can then be used like the original skill to both attack and defend. ? ? ? ? ? With a buzzing and crepitating sound, a dark purple wave of unrelenting power shot out from the small orb and expanded in size the farther it traveled. The crystal shards inside it were glimmering like the stars of a gxy and the air around it was literally reduced into a vacuum. It was fast; much faster than any regr spell. Arimane''s smile twitched and he opened his mouth. "[Third Blue Art,]" the words felt ethereal and echoed as if time was being elerated just to chant them. A cracked volcanic stone of which the fissures bled fire appeared at the tip of Karma''s de. He pointed it at the iing spell and once again, moved slowly to the naked eye, yet appeared faster than the Sltta Raja. "[Fragor Magnus,]" he whispered and the stone rocketed toward the iing wave. Then, barely a meter before they collided, the stone rattled and shone brightly before exploding. The st was loud enough to damage the crystal ground of the spatialyer and a sphere of crimson and bluish mes became the result of that detonation. Arimane couldn''t see what became of Rakna''s spell through the sh and therefore, was taken off guard when the Sltta Raja punched through Fragor Magnus and continued its way toward him, albeit slower and weaker. ''Every spell'' He came to a realization. ''Every spell cast with the Obsidian Star is inherently blessed with Star Energy capable of inward transmutation. That means they''re all resistant to other magics'' interference. Not to mention that even if I tear past it, the millions of shards it carries will shred me apart even more viciously than the rain from just before'' The Demon cackled, time almost crawling to a halt around him as if under his control. The scales under his clothes began to spread, crawling over his neck. A second pair of wings sprouted from his back and a reptilian tail followed. His bones snapped as they expanded and his teeth elongated into fangs. ''Then, Rakna, let me show you the true might of Eternal Night Magic.'' The Sltta Raja struck thendscape stridently. Shards of Obsidian screeched against the crystal ground and the umted force stolen from Fragor Magnus impacted the ground with crushing blunt force. The scarlet crystal caved inward as if a meteorite had fallen and then a dark purple raging storm of energy swallowed everything around, breaking down the matter and cutting it apart at the same time. Then, from the epicenter, the roar of a dragon thundered and a nket of shadows was cast over the horizon. Crimson-outlined lightning crept from within as a giant form rose from the snuffed-out spell of the Obsidian Star. The Eternal Night Dragon emerged from the darkness. Chapter 385: Ignula Chapter 385: Ign Inside one of the private cabins of the Arena reserved for them only, the La Croix siblings watched silently as the stage was once again being consumed by dark clouds though clouds only in name as it resembled more a sea of darkness, flowing like water with eels of red lightning jumping over its surface. "Granolf, is this what I think it is?" Gwenef asked her brother, her tone solemn. Barely a second prior, she had been watching the Beast Emperor''s spell beingunched, but then, everything was utterly smothered in ebony and crimson lightning, shaking the spatialyer once again. Her brother had been silent for a while now, ever since the moment he viewed the lightning at the beginning of the fight. He was far from being a fanatic believer; the Basilica''s faith was selfish in a way. But there wasn''t a way for him to exin how he felt when the source of said faith appeared before him. "Gwen" He breathed in. "What I''m about to tell you is something that is only kept to the members of the Basilica," he stated and lifted one finger, ck lightning highlighted by a blue hue appearing at its tip. "We are all initiated in some way when joining it We are shown the way to the Cross in Old Eden and made to touch it." Gwenef nced at him worriedly. "We get the usual stuff; stories and names imprinted in our minds. But if we stay a bit longer we are ''blessed'' with visions," he snorted as if the idea of blessing was a joke. "Sometimes, it''s only a glimpse of a dragon or a warm and weingndscape, but at others we are shown why a night that is eternal must be feared." Granolf closed his eyes. "We see a vision of the world and ourselves. There is no sound or light. It is quite serene. Then, darkness surrounds everything, red light shes, lightning bolts cken our sight, and the next thing we know, the world is destroyed and our body is impaled." "" "And then, we wake up," the Cardinal smiled. "And we learn our first lesson" ? * * * ? "Nothing escapes Nox Aeterna." ? Rakna''s vision swam in the dark and his ears whistled. He didn''t know where those words came from or how they reached them; they just rang in his head. The second that his Sltta Raja had hit and he heard the dragon roar, for a moment, he had cked out. He opened his eyes and tried to blink away the obscurity until he realized that his eyes simply had stopped working. He heard Eye of Symphony report to him the healing progress and then, he finally recovered his sight and the rest of his senses at the same time. "Aah that makes too much sense," the therian uttered with a derisive smile. Somehow, from the moment he had fallen unconscious to now, he had been hurled away and made to crash inside one of the elevations crystallized by his supernova. As hey inside the ruins of said geographical mark, he stared right back through the hole he made and what he could see across. An otherworldly disaster; there was no other word for it. A storm of lightning, taking the form of a crowned pir of energy. Rakna grunted and pushed himself out of the crumbling crystal. Cyan vapor escaped through his skin as the Eion snapped back his bones in ce and rebuilt his muscle fibers. Three of his wings that had been bent out of shape were forcefully stretched back to normal, while the burn scars on his face mended; caused by a direct lightning strike that had fried his eyes earlier and sent him all the way here. [| Restoration At 96% Completion 97, 98, 99 100% Completed. Eion Resources Have Fallen To 12%. Regenerating Resources Time Required; 276 Minutes. Mana Usage Rmended. |] Listening to his Eye''s analysis, Rakna realized how badly he had just been injured. He looked down at Allegro and saw tears, burns, and holes stitching themselves up with Eion strings. "don''t you think you''re being a bit mean to your adorable nephew, old man?" The therian nkly said while looking up at the sky overtaken by the depiction of a night eternally dwelled by storms. "Point me where that adorable nephew is supposed to be and I''ll get back to you," an equally deadpan voice responded, though its loudness and deep growly echo would have conveyed terror to its listeners more than anything else. Hovering in the air, a creature of legend peered down at the therian. It towered over forty meters in height, with two pairs of ck feathered wings, lined in silver and red, spanning an even greater length. It had ck scales interconnected by a pattern of red lines converging toward a mark over its heart and a mane of silver fur growing from its head to the end of its tail. A pair of horns sprouted from the sides of its head and crackled with lightning. Its arms and ws were covered in a thickeryer of scales and were currently crossed as if condescendingly viewing lifeforms below it. Its crimson eyes, of which the irises'' outlines were defined by green pigment, and silver slit pupils focused on Rakna while a grin formed on the dragon''s face, showcasing a full row of fangs. "This is my penultimate state," Arimane spoke, his voice making the world shake. "It''s probably the most you will be able to see today. Evolving onest time implies matching my original self and fully embodying the true power behind the name of ''Ahriman''. If that happens you can make your prayers," he said in a joking tone. "" "What is it? Lost for words?" "Are youpensating for something with your size?" Rakna dryly retorted, extending his hand to receive Sonata flying to him at hismand. His hand wrapped around the handle of the one-handed sword and Arimane rolled his eyes. "Right" The dragon dragged his speech for a moment. "Just saying, kid, every time I take these forms, I always limit my size for practicality. Frankly, I never even tried my true size. If I did, I might even be bigger than Asgorath now that I think about it," he muttered to himself. Rakna raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that probably means nothing to you," Arimane snorted. "Take it this way then. With my true form, I could swallow a whole in just one bite." "I don''t see how that invalidates my point." "" "" ? * * * ? "it just keeps getting worse," Kaelith sighed. "I don''t even dare to imagine how these two lived in the past. Did they just jab each other every morning or something?" "Heh, I can see it," An snickered. "your friend is barely standing though," Zialtramented inly. She was right. From what everyone could see, Rakna waspletely fine outwardly. He may have sustained heavy damage a moment ago but his regenerative capability had to be outstanding for it to heal damages inflicted by a bolt of Aeterna. Or simply just unique. However, now, the therian was faced with a much different challenge. He may stand unharmed for the most part, but his strength was barely allowing him to do so. Currently, the entire spatialyer was filled with one presence; the Kind Demon. It had long surpassed the scope of a mere Host. Arimane had reached a level of power you would only see outside the System. Standing in front of him, even if he didn''t actively press his aura down on you, would feel like you are slowly dying. ''if he wants tost longer, he''ll have to reveal all his secrets,'' Nyx thought with a scowl. ''He needs to raise himself as a ''False God'' in a sense. He needs his own ''Domain'' to rule over to fight back against the Eternal Night Is there even a reason to hold back now?'' The Night Goddess looked around. ''His allies are some of the strongest while his enemies already know of his true capability. There''s not much time left; Reigen will soon ''Ascend''. Considering all of this, Rakna''s decision is obvious'' "You''re thinking too much, Nyx," Higure suddenly said out loud with a hand on her cheek. They all looked at her confusedly. "My devourer will go all out. Not because he wants to stand equal to his uncle, or because he wants to stop him. He wants to show everything he has against the one whom he owes a debt of life" She smiled fondly. "He wants the man who raised him to be proud." "the cat said something sensitive. The world is ending today," Hans uttered nkly. "Shut up, you little shit!" "| Well then, what are you waiting for? |" Before any furtherment could be made, Arimane''s voice resounded. The dragon grinned and spread his arms as if awaiting a strike. Just with those small movements, the lightning writhing in the shadows around him thundered even louder. "| If you dawdle for too long, it''ll get risky. I''m doing my best to slow the process down over here, you know? |" The dragon said with an exaggerated sigh. "| I''m so strong that I''m having a hard time stopping myself from bing stronger. |" "Good to see the Eternal Night God is a humble man," Azheim snorted. Rakna, on the other, showed an almost disgusted expression. "| That is the most moronic sentence I have ever heard you say, old man. |" "| Suck it up, kid. It''s the humble truth. |" "My image of the Kind Demon ispletely ruined" Kaelith shook her head. "Really? I always thought it was obvious from within Egregore," Astraea hummed. "I mean, doesn''t it sound normal for someone who has a title designing him as both ''kind'' and ''demonic'' to be an oddball? My peers in Egregore would all agree that Eternal Night is a bluntly bizarre person." "Stop making sense, you''re hurting my head" The vixen whined cutely. "| Aah, whatever. Just do it, Rakna, |" Arimane''s tone abruptly changed. "| Show me everything you''ve got. Show THEM! |" The dragon smirked. "| If you truly bear the name of ''de'', in my mother''s honor, I can''t have you be anything else than the strongest! |" Every spectator of the Arena held their breath in silence. "| So, what are you waiting for?! The weaklings watching us right now can''t do anything else but reel in their ipetence! We''re woven of the same cloth, Rakna! Now, it''s time for you to wear it in full! Make me proud and show me that you''ve risen above my legacy! |" In that instant, everyone saw it. A small grin appeared on the therian''s face. ? * * * ? "Honestly" Rakna huffed lightly and Allegro began to sizzle. Circuits of Eion sparked alight on his gloves and his very flesh began to fuse with his equipment. His clothes were ready to be one with the Alkahest material; awaiting the body to transform. "Speeches like that don''t suit you, old man." "Heh, was it too pretentious, after all?" The dragon cackled. "But well, I suppose that I have no other choice if it''s for the honor of my adoptive grandmother." "oi, what about my honor? You never even met my mom!" "And I respect her a thousand times more," Rakna nodded sagely. "Ungrateful brat" "Regardless, you were the one who goaded me, old man," the therian followed up, his body making crackling noises much the same way Arimane did when shifting into a dragon. "Take responsibility for it; you better save my ass if I get a Stele Inversion again." "Stele Inversion?" The Demon raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell do you think I am? I can heal that in a second. If I wanted, based on this ce''s terminology, I could instantly raise your level by a few thousand. To get rid of a measly Stele Inversion, I could rewind time or brute force your soul into obeying my control." Rakna froze for a second. Even he had to take a moment to understand what he had just heard. But in the end, he raised his head with an innocent smile, "My dear uncle that I love very much, could you repeat that about the lev" "No," Arimane deadpanned. "tch," the therian clicked his tongue. "Fine," he muttered and closed his eyes. As if on cue, a wave of shapeless power spread out from his body like a shockwave. It momentarily disturbed even the clouds of Nox Aeterna. The dragon grinned widely. ''He''s already tapping into Existentiality. To impose changes on the World with just willpower it''s the key to bing a Primordial God and he already has it despite not even being close to that level of strength,'' he thought in amusement. A beat of silence passed by in the spatialyer and a purple ember drifted by right as Rakna opened his eyes. In the next instant, a pir of soul mespletely shrouded him and surged until the sky where it bashed into the shadows. Immediately, Nox Aeterna thundered, but not in a typical way. There was a different timbre to the sound as if it was a cry of pain rather than an aggressive snarl. Arimane looked up at the flowing pir of mes and watched as they slowly encroached into his clouds as if devouring them. "I knew your soul power wasn''t shy just for the sake of it," he uttered with a smile. Then, he heard a loud howling from within the expanding geyser of soul mes. It ironically mirrored his own roar from earlier. Arimaneughed and looked back at the base of the pir where the mes were starting to scatter but remained aze in the air as if there was an invisiblebustible under each of them. A shadow walked out from inside of it, the mes dragging behind as if they had just been attached to it like shed skin. At first sight, the silhouette looked at least five meters tall, and when two pairs of wings were deployed in full behind it, the soul power made way for their master. ? ? ? ? ? Your Title, Divinity yer, has reacted! The opponent has been recognized to be partially Divine; +10% ATT, MA, & DEF. ? --- ? Your Title, Elysian Pariah, is reacting! You are resisting Arimane Reigen de''s aura more effectively. ? --- ? Philosopher''s Ardent Soul isbusting Nox Aeterna Your Title, The Kind Demon''s Kin, is reacting strongly! Your Title, Anti-Divinity, is reacting! ? ? ? ? ? "How does it taste, kid?" Arimane huffed. A werewolf with five tails and whirling purple eyes adorned by golden crosses stood in the center of the cyclone of Ardent mes as they ate more and more darkness and lightning. A longsword was held in his right hand, big enough to paint a threatening picture on its own along with a guard and a hilt carved out of obsidian. ? ? ? ? ? Combusted energy is highlypatible. The Divinity contained within the core of the Obsidian Star has greatly increased! ? --- ? Your level has increased! Your soul power has increased! ? ? ? ? ? "my divinity." Rakna didn''t answer, his daunting eyes as unreadable as ever. He exhaled quietly and purple smoke came out of his mouth before he spoke, growling. ? "[Shards of rity Abide the Star''s Tyranny.]" ? Arimane''s lips quivered for a brief moment. "Aah that. Yes, I''ve seen it before." "[Ought The des of Fragility Rend Your Flesh,]" the werewolf chanted and stepped forward, his soul mes coalescing around him, imitating a third pair of wings on his back as well as four more tails. At the same time, the rough image of a flower field appeared at Rakna''s feet. ? "[In a Dark Firmament, The Star Prowls the Light.]" ? While singing his Cl Lli, Rakna pped his wings and appeared up in the air. He pointed a finger at the dragon and a granted orb even smaller than before began to form. Wordlessly, it was fired into a narrow beam of dark purple energy. Its width was lesser than the previous one but in speed and overall piercing capability, it trumped it by far. However, Arimane impassively raised his arm to face the Sltta Raja. The obsidian shards bounced off his scales and a lightning bolt struck from above to swallow the spell whole; piercing through its natural transmuting properties as if they didn''t matter. ? "[In Eternal Redemption, The Wolf Sings and Confers.]" ? The dragon lowered his fuming arm and barely had the time to blink before he saw Sonata expand to the size of a building and fall on him from above. ''Hm, so he did turn it into his Soul Weapon,'' Arimane thought as he summoned Karma back. Due to his draconic form, it had obviously changed to fit him. The katana had maintained its general shape and curve but was erged to a state simr to a saber, with ridges along its t side, and a chain coiled in between the hilt and de, acting like a makeshift guard. Arimane met Sonata with a single arm parry, the repercussions forming a bubble of turbulent wind around them. Right afterward, the Eion weapon red with power and Crescent of a Falling Star and 10 000 Nights of Severance were activated at the same time. ? "[In Between The End and Beginning.]" "[Sits the Tamed Mayhem of the Philosopher.]" ? The explosion of the perks assailed the dragon, slightly pushing him backward, even if it was just by a few meters. ''he''s testing the waters while finishing the luby,'' Arimane concluded, releasing air through his nostrils to scatter the remnants of smoke and energy. "[Star Puppetry.]" Arimane twitched as he heard a chant that wasn''t a ''verse'' and looked around him to see hundreds of clones each pulling out a sword from the many that had been strewn on the ground earlier. The des were filled up with purple mes the second that the puppets put a hand on them. ? "[Spilling Blood and Smothering Death.]" ? The dragon smirked internally. ''Of course, he wouldn''t have conjured so many constructs just to give me an example,'' he thought and warily eyed the star puppets as they started casting a spell. ''That''s a very advanced form of cloning'' He mused and turned to the original Rakna who was preparing to swing Sonata as a greatsword. ''This is quite dangerous that star''s sharpness can easily breach my scales,'' he snorted. ''If I don''t do anything about it, that is.'' ""[Natcattira Piripp?,]"" the puppets intoned as one and swung their respective weapons. "[el,]" Arimane uttered and instantly, the world began to slow down as his body gathered time into itself. The dragon observed the almost frozen surroundings and huffed. "You know, despite being my Domain, I never used Nox Aeterna to its utmost," he spoke up as if someone was listening. At the lowest, he was about a thousand times faster than the regr flow of time at the moment. Most people would fail to catch his appearance, much less his voice. But as he stared at the stilled figure of the werewolf, it was as if he expected him to hear it anyhow. "I was more of a mage capable of using everything. Though, well, spirits never liked me for some reason Little shits refuse to even get close to me," he grumbled. "Regardless, I created my Eternal Arts during those times. Most of them don''t deal with my Origin Magic at all but every ''First Art'' spell is a trump card of mine," the dragon grinned and sped his hands. "So, I had the brilliant idea why don''t I just make Arts for Aeterna only?" For a moment, at those words, one could have sworn to see the soul mes escape the flow of time just to flicker in incredulity. "Hahaha! So, admire it, kid!" Arimaneughed and slowly unsped his hands, slowly unveiling a small, quiet, and singr sparkle of ck and red lightning. It was moving around in small circles like a fish swimming in a bowl. ? "[Tu Primus] (You Are the First)." "[Voco Te] (I Call You)." "[Creo Te] (I Create You)." "[Nomino Te] (I Name You)." "[Aeterno Te] (I Immortalize You)." "[Te Concedo] (I Grant You)." ? "[Third Art of The Undying Night, Originem Fulmine, Ign.]" ? The name was spoken and the peaceful spark thundered to life. In the blink of an eye, time reverted to its normal flow and the shes that should have cut the dragon apart never came. Instead, every single Star Puppet abruptly copsed, their head missing and cruelly reced with a charred and fuming stump. Then, Rakna himself had one knee on the ground, his eyes wide open in shock as he looked at the missing half of his torso, charred as if lightning had torn it off him. The problem was that he had not sensed such a thing ever happening. The only thing he had felt was his instincts screaming danger. His body had moved ording to it but afterward, all he knew was that a part of his body was missing. There was no impact nor trace of magic. Not to mention there was no blood or burn; all of it was scar tissue. It was as if this injury had always been there in the first ce. "Ign," Arimane raised his voice and the serpentine lightning bolt flew around the dragon''s head like a happy pet. "It''s the name I gave it. It''s the first lightning bolt to ever grace Existence. It split the darkness at the dawn of time and was granted eternity through me. When I call its name, it strikes as it did billions of years ago. Whenever Ign attacks, you cannot sense it. But not because it is too fast or too stealthy." The dragon cackled. "Ign smites the beginning of creation and life. In other words by the power of this cute little thing," he smiled at the small bolt springing on his w. "You might as well have been born with half of your torso missing. Your puppets were ''born dead''; they never cast that spell. You were born ''injured''; you never swung your sword." "" Rakna frowned and with no emotion on his face, ordered Sonata to float up and cut off the scar tissue, before pouring his Mana and Eion Nanites into regrowing the missing flesh and organs. "I know what you''re thinking," Arimane grinned. "Would you have been erased from history had Ign killed you? The answer is no. This is not time maniption, after all. It''s not even a matter of causality. My spell strikes who you are now, by targeting who you were before." "However, it does negate influence on the World. Such as how your puppets'' spells vanished because they never were alive to cast them. Though, as you can see, the swords they used to do it were not repaired. That Ign killed them at their creation doesn''t cancel what they have already done; just what they were doing." Arimaneughed as if what he had just exined was a light-hearted repartee. "Still, kid, I kind of expected you to survive by using your own Origin Magic. But to think you managed to dodge something that happened at the moment of your creation with only instincts even to my standards, that''s a bit scary. People much stronger than you would have died to this spell without even realizing." The werewolf''s eyes warily nced at the meek bolt of lightning swirling around in the air. The dragon snickered. "You can rest easy, Ign can only strike once per target. There''s only a single ''beginning'' in one''s Existence; it cannot be altered twice. Though it doesn''t mean it''s not dangerous on its own. Nor is it limited to living beings." With a detached expression, Rakna looked at his regenerated arm and clenched his hand. His soul power zed even more intensely as he indifferently opened his mouth, ? "[Pitying Fairness and Collecting Hearts.]" ? The Ardent mes red up and seeped into the ground, a wave of soul power filling the air on a physical level. The spatialyer quaked and three circles hollowed the dark sky; turquoise, scarlet, and dark purple light seeping through each of them. Arimane smirked and Ign let out an electric hum as if curious, flying about innocently. ? "[The One, They Call Harvest.]" Ign-chan OP.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 386: Armor of the Sage Wolf Chapter 386: Armor of the Sage Wolf Every window overlooking the stage from the Arena was momentarily blinded by a wall of purple mes. They even seeped through the gaps of the cracks previously caused by the supernova and scared more than a few spectators. Enya pursed her lips as she watched her cabin start to be invaded by these mes, and then could only watch as purple flowers began to grow on the very floor in front of her. But despite that, she continued to sit immobile, not bothering to take her distances even just to be safe. She was the Leader of the Wan Guild and the Fifth Ranked Host. She knew that she was without a doubt, the strongest mage in all the System. Yet, here she was, feeling utterly inadequate. Whether it was the werewolf having five tails, devouring divinity with his soul power, and singing his Cl Lli to manifest a Soul Marble; or whether it was the Eternal Dragon so easily elerating time within himself and casting a spell capable of ending creation at its weakest state She gritted her teeth. ''What even kind of spell is that? The Original Bolt of Lightning? Ign? Are you telling me the Kind Demon created a spell capable of being considered a whole new Origin Magic on its own just like that? Could I even survive it?'' The question was meaningless. Of course, she wouldn''t survive it. If the small tendril of electricity were to even hum in her direction, chances are, she would die without knowing. If she truly had to try and survive such an attack, she would need days of preparation at the very least. ''And that boy did it with instincts?'' She couldn''t even believe her own thoughts. ''He dodged what is paramount to an alteration of reality?'' The Sorceress Queen couldn''t help herself; sheughed. Much to her guild members'' nervousness and confusion. With a crooked grin, she gripped her armrest and stared at the ss wall, watching as the mes died down. She already could sense both Lunar Energy and Mystic Energy wafting in the air. She would need to be daft not to understand the implications of both. ''Obsidian no, did it ever exist? There was no such thing as an exiled or secluded Nine-Tailed Wolf,'' she chuckled. ? * * * ? "That''s" Merlina stood up from her seat with a stunned expression. Even their VIP room had not been spared by the flowers and now, the mes were halfway down, revealing a picturesque sight. A triad of stars, orbited by nine moons. A soul sea of immense beauty, with a diamond mountain erected in its waters. An endless field of purple flowers, trees made of crystal, leaves of gems, rivers of mana, a rain of ck petals, shards of obsidian spiraling in the air, a manor on a floating ind, and countless beasts roaming thendscape. Caer remained seated next to his wife in a strangely neutral posture. His squinted eyes parted ever so slightly as he observed the scenery. In the middle of it, a torrent of lunar energy was converging into the silhouette of a nine-tailed and six-winged werewolf, standing in front of the Kind Demon''s imposing figure. Even in this new space, the Eternal Night had not disappeared. The shadows and lightning crawled over the ground and crept into the sky. Yet, they shied away from the light of the stars and moons and didn''t dare to approach Rakna. It was as if the soul scape had been separated in two. On one side stood the werewolf, with his soul sea behind him, and on the other, the dragon tried to drown it in his night. "" Kaelith was unusually expressionless at the sight. With a soft breath, she looked up at the stars and moons, smiling. "So, this is a Soul Marble, huh? First time I see one As expected, wolfy has a beautiful soul." Kara nced at her daughter and giggled, closing her eyes. "Indeed" "I see" Kryas snorted in amusement. "As I thought, he was Obsidian all along. And he also was the one who appeared in Zero, wasn''t he? That body of his seems to function like a mass of nanites. He could easily swap appearances and gender." "EH?! Really?!" Ciel eximed in shock, probably the only one right now who vocalized the shock that normal people should be going through. "Craiste" Ceresta whispered, a small smile gracing her face. Among the many flowers of Rakna''s soul, she could see a few patches of grayish stems; the flowers he had named her after. "Well, well, the crazy boy came a long way," a new voice suddenly startled everyone. They all turned to the source and spotted arge old hat perched atop via''s head, whose face was flushed red. The hat had folds in its fabric mirroring a mouth and eyes. "Wisdom of Ariv," Azheim greeted. He had been so engrossed by the battle that he had almost forgotten about Rakna''s request. "I assume you know" "Yes, yes," Wis brushed him off. "It''s the Jin family; their current head. He''s not the only perpetrator, but he''s the mastermind behind the downfall of the girl''s family," he said while Evelyn gritted her teeth, holding her ckening back down with measured breaths. Azheim''s lips twitched. "I see Thank you for the confirmation. I will make good use of it." "You do that." via grumbled, "You''re done. You can leave now, right?" "girl, you didn''t even ask me an actual question yet. I already answered this one before. Also, you really need to stop treating me like some old sock." "Shut up! You''re embarrassing!" "That hurts my feelings," the hat deadpanned. "Regardless, I would like to watch this. It''s not every day you get to have such a clear view of another''s Soul Marble without being inside of it." A growl was heard from Cura''s back and Wis turned toward it. "Oh, if it''s not His Majesty," he greeted politely. "You found yourself a wielder; how long has it been since thest time I''ve seen you in action?" King Gulon let out a sound akin to a harrumph before falling silent. "How grouchy," Wis snickered. "Say, what''s a Soul Marble?" Lanata asked curiously, tilting her head. "Uh, are you asking me?" The hat blinked at her and she nodded. "do you even know who I am?" "No? Why?" Wis sniffed. "What is wrong nowadays? A little girl just wishes I didn''t exist because she feels embarrassed wearing a hat, a crazy boy treats me like a useful nuisance, no one cares about all the knowledge I can give them, and this crazy sheep is asking me a mundane question" "Crazy? Me?" Lana pointed at herself and the hat nkly stared at her. "you''re crazier than the crazy girl here," Wis while pointing at via with his tip, whose eyebrows twitched in anger. "And that is a feat in and of itself. Well though, I suppose it''s a healthy sort of craziness?" He sniveled. "What am I even saying?" While Wis went through his midlife crisis, Nyx answered the sheep girl''s question. "A Soul Marble is the highest achievement a Soul Practitioner can attain. It''s considered a form of transcendence all on its own and is regarded as the ultimate Soul Technique. It involves rewriting the World and ovey one''s Soul Realm onto it; swap out Soul and Reality." "Oh! It''s like my Rammy!" Lanata struck her palm with a fist while holding her sword up by folding her arm. "But Rakna is doing it without Rammy; he''s amazing," she smiled. "Rammy?" An repeated dumbfoundedly. "Ournios Kris," Wis huffed jadedly. "The Heavenly Ram; it''s the name of her sword. Since none of you can even be bothered to ask me a worthwhile question, there you go," he grumbled. "Are you sulking?" Marie asked and the hat harrumphed. "How can we see this though?" Lanata tilted her head as if she didn''t care at all that her sword had been identified by someone else. "Are we inside Rakna''s soul right now?" Wis sighed. "As I said, this is a rare asion. This is abination of several factors. One; Rakna Xiorra has a soul potent enough to overwrite the entire spatialyer. Two; the stability has been reinforced along with its viewing ports reflected on the ss. Three; Ahriman''s Existentiality has disturbed the spatial bonds enough to allow Rakna Xiorra''s soul power to creep through them to reach us. Thus, maintaining an anchor for the Arena''swork." The sheep girl blinked and defaulted to abruptly saluting. "Yes, sir!" "you did not understand a thing of what I just said, did you?" ? * * * ? ? ? ? ? You are reacting to the Full Moon! ? --- ? All Attributes except Luck will be tripled. Your tails will continuously gather lunar energy and supply your skills and magic. Your rate is currently set to 4500 LPs per second due to the nine moons. ? --- ? Your Magic Circuits are being widened by the influx of Lunar Energy. All cooldowns ssified under Tier 1 will be reduced by 50%. All cooldowns ssified under Tier 3 will be reduced by 90%. All cooldowns ssified under Tier 5 will be reduced by 100%. ? --- ? The influence of the Full Moon will instill an uncontroble thirst for destruction within you. Ego of Lucifer has rejected the mind corruption! ? --- ? Moon Shine of the Nine Moons is reacting! All statistics will be doubled! Mana & Stamina will be tripled! Regeneration will be tripled! ? --- You will temporarily unlock the Nirvana Skill; Tailed Pearl. --- ? You will temporarily unlock the True Royal Luqu Wings. Your flight speed shall not be limited by anything other than the energy you put into it. Space, and to a lesser extent, time, will be distorted by your wings. ? ? ? ? ? Thinking back, this was probably the first time Rakna had a proper look at the effects the Full Moon had on him. Everythingbined, without even considering his statistics, he could squeeze out attribute values near 3900 after having digested a high-level heart the day before. Of course, such a number couldn''t solely be used on either Speed, Strength, or even Dexterity. But it nheless gave him incredibly high burst potential. However, in a sustained battle, constantly redistributing attributes would eventually present openings. It wasn''t a wless arrangement. And beings like Roias, who easily surpassed a thousand, if not two thousand, for each attribute in basic form, with no skill activated, was someone who could kill him in an instant even if had 3900 points attributed to his Endurance all at once. However, it was still a devastating ability. And with it, Rakna already had the means to face beings far greater than himself, perhaps even earning him a ce near the top in terms of power though a fair distance away from the standard of the Top 100. Yet Rakna instinctively knew, he stood no chance against the dragon before him. Arimane whistled in appreciation, admiring the Soul Realm while Ign kept giving the werewolf panic attacks as it just went around touching flowers and diving into the rivers of all things. ''I hate that thing. I''m going to be scared of having my chest blown off every second it''s here,'' Rakna grumbled internally. "{You can rx. Didn''t your uncle say so? It cannot target you twice. And while it seems to be able to destroy the creation of more than just you, it doesn''t apply to your Soul Marble whose creation is also yours by extension.}" ''I know but you have to agree that this spell is too terrifying to just have around like that.'' "{}" "Oh?" Arimane abruptly raised his voice. Rakna concentrated on him and saw where he was looking at; the Crystal Sage''s mountain. The werewolf narrowed his eyes at the feeling of recognition he could sense from his uncle. "I wonder how you got the shiny guy to be part of your soul," Arimane snorted. "you knew him?" Rakna scowled. "I''ve met him, sort of. It was indirectly," the dragon huffed. "How about this" He grinned and turned to his Eternal Art. "Ign, how about you try ying with the creation of the one living over there?" The bolt of origin hummed in excitement and vanished as if it was never there. Rakna clicked his tongue, ncing at the mountain, but otherwise didn''t react. "You''re rather calm," Arimanemented. "If Ign kills the Crystal Sage at his creation, the lynchpin he maintains for you will copse your Obsidian Star will overwhelm you." For a moment, the werewolf didn''t respond but when he saw Ign reappear without the Sage''s mountain suffering any change, he showed a rare smug smile. "I''m not so sure about that, old man." "Hm well, I did expect the shiny guy to resist my spell." Rakna''s smile widened. "''Resist''? Are you sure that''s the right word?" The dragon stilled and then skeptically looked at Ign. "Were you repelled?" He asked and the small bolt of lightning hummed as if to answer and Arimane''s eye twitched. "What? What do you mean it failed? You couldn''t find a creation point? Even the Sage shouldn''t have juste out of nowhere that''s not possible." Ign replied with another electronic hum and Arimane opened his mouth wide. "Hah Haha Hahahahaha!" The dragon burst outughing, his voice agitating the waves of the soul sea and causing the many beasts living in the realm to stare at him in attention from afar. Rakna rolled his eyes and waited until he was done. "Haha, damn, I haven''tughed that hard in a while," the Kind Demon shook his head. "So, you already knew about this?" He asked with an amused tone. "I did. Hard not to when I''ve met the guy in person." "I see. Oh well, that''s one mystery I''ve solved today I guess," Arimane snickered. "All right, kid, we have about fifteen minutes before I go nuclear Try your best until then." "Hmph, right back at you, old man," Rakna retorted and stomped the ground with one leg. Arge rune was instantly carved into the field of flowers. In the blink of an eye, dozens more appeared in a circle around the Eternal Dragon and formed a giant array. "[Great Rune Arch C Barzakh.]" On cue, several gate-like constructs made out of marble emerged from within the runes, each with its own unique variations and designs. They surrounded Arimane, creating a barrier of light that promptly began to fight back against the shadow of Nox Aeterna. "Oh?" The dragon smiled. "I didn''t know you were a Rune Master." Rakna huffed and pointed his palm at the sky. Within a split second, a magic formation had both been formed and cast. "[From Above Cometh, Mystic Natcattira Vi.]" Dark starlight shed in the sky, the clouds of lightning banished by the runes and leaving a ce for a pir of obsidian to descend upon thend. Barzakh held the explosion within its confines,pressing the destruction and forcing the sharp fragments of the spell to shred everything within. Then, with a snap from Rakna''s fingers, the gates'' doors opened while Star Fall was still striking the earth. However, even when opened, the barrier still held. On the other hand, there was now a direct path to the inside of the array. "[Star Puppetry,]" once again, the werewolf cloned himself and each reproduction of himself had a palm pointed at one of the gates. Granted orbs began to form in front of them, crackling with power. This time, Rakna wasn''t using his fingers to concentrate the st; the resulting orb was at least three times bigger and directly being fed mana from the palm. ""[Mystic Sltta Natcattira Raja,]"" they all chanted as one and the rays were fired. They entered the gates, which then closed behind, and the star energy that still lingered inside due to Vi was reignited with dark purple mes and energy. Per the Obsidian Star''s behavior, the spells started cannibalizing each other through transmutation. Before long, a whole new pandemonium of magic was created and Barzakh shattered, making the entire soul scape quake from the shock. All that was left behind was a disintegrated chunk ofnd with only a perfectly semi-spherical crater to be seen. And within its center, a pair of red eyes shone through the smoke. "Ign," the name was called and in a sh of lightning, every star puppet once again copsed and dispersed into particles. Arimane emerged from the crater unscathed and grinning. "Nicebo. Anyone else and they would have kicked the bucket right then and there." Rakna did not even bat an eye. "You can''t target magic formations with your spell," he stated. "But you can target conjured spells. A spell''s ''creation'' starts at the magical formation but the puppet itself is birthed at the moment the spell is fully cast." The dragon silently smirked. "Your Ign can harm whatever''s already manifested into the ''World'' but cannot affect something that is yet ethereal or at least, it cannot do so for its ''creation hunting''. Your Ign inflicts damage proportionate to the power it holds in its true form, doesn''t it? Enough to obliterate holes into the heads of my Obsidian Puppets. And it''s probably fast as well. But ultimately physical." "correct," Arimane said and in the blink of an eye, Ign disappeared and Rakna tilted his head to dodge a seemingly invisible projectile. In the next instant, the sound of thunder resounded and arge area exploded behind the werewolf. Immediately after, Ign returned to its owner with an oddly-pleased hum. "Honestly, it seems your senses as a whole are far too much for poor Ign," Arimane jested and nced at his animated spell. "But don''t underestimate it too much." Following those words, Ign shot off at an even faster speed and where the dragon expected his nephew to react even more urgently than before, he widened his eyes when the werewolf decided to stand still and allow the bolt to punch a hole through its chest. "Like I said" Rakna uttered, the remaining sparks from Ign fading to reveal that even though the Third Art had managed to pierce him it had been stopped a few centimeters in, where instead of flesh, a concavedyer of volcanic ss prevented its advance. "It''s fast. But that''s it. What more is there to say? If you can''t dodge something then don''t." A ck aura burst from the werewolf and Ign retreated immediately. Arimane watched with a curious gaze as Rakna''s body began to turn into solid obsidian. The concepts of Union, Unison, and Unity Magic were known. However, there is a simr practice that is often much preferred by Hosts, low or high level. It involvesbining magic and skills into a spell. Sometimes even Traits and Nirvana Skills. "[Unity Craft C ny Mu?ivari? Kavacam.]" Obsidian Star, Prima Alkahest Materia, and Grand Reinforcement joined as one. Rakna''s fur crystallized and then ttened into a smooth surface with bluish tints. His tails were encased in ayer of obsidian, almost ssy in nature. His chest weed a purple wave pattern simr to his soul mes and his limbs simrly were covered in a new shell of obsidian. His ws turned into edges and his wings became static and geometrically sculpted, feathers unfettered by movement or wind, and with additions uncannily simr to the des of a turbine. His head was momentarily confined within a mass of obsidian before it adjusted to his ears and muzzle like a helmet of which the eyes lit up with a sh of purple. Light purple, almost pink lines, simr to a circuit pattern, surged from within the mark on his chest and spread to every inch of his body, from the tip of his tails and wings to the corners of his eyes. The werewolf now turned into a creature more akin to a mechanical and armored golem, raised his arm, and allowed Sonata to transform in his hand, quickly bing a ck and purple scythe bigger than himself. Rakna opened his mouth, eerie scraping noises echoing, and exhaled a purple smoke. ? ? ? ? ? ny Mu?ivari? Kavacam (T.0) ? This is a Craft born from thebination of Grand Reinforcement, capable of converting the Host into raw Star Energy, the Prima Alkahest Materia Physique, immortalized in alchemical history as the apex of all solvents, and the Obsidian Star Magic, possessing characteristics that transcend the body and soul of its user. The ''Armor of the Sage Wolf''pletely alters the user''s body into a solid form of Star Energy known as Obsidian. It then shapes itself into an advanced armor featuring mechanical augmentations provided by the Prima Materia and the Symphony Items. It also has pure strengthening effects thanks to the Eion and Ardent mes powering it. This armor possesses unparalleled defense capabilities and is deemed to be the Host''s body itself, thus not discriminated by resistance skills. Due to its transmutative trait, it is capable of absorbing energies and, less sessfully, physical impacts. The rules of transmutation apply to the edged ws of the armor. ? Note: The System is unable to calcte statistical numbers for this Craft. It is also unknown if magic power influences its effectiveness. However, estimations predict ny Mu?ivari? Kavacam to provide the equivalent of a 700% increase in Defensive Potential. ? ? ? ? Chapter 387: Philosopher Craft Chapter 387: Philosopher Craft "There''s no way people haven''t called you scary before," Arimane joked as he eyed the obsidian werewolf,pletely transformed into some sort of organic machine. To make it worse, Rakna had opted to wield a scythe against him. Something he could praise as the peculiar reach of the weapon was suited to catch bigger prey like dragons, especially appendages like tails and wings moving about. "You look like the Grim Reaper about to go hunting," the dragon jested and instead of a verbal answer, what he got in return was the sound of air whistling and the turbine des integrated into the werewolf''s wings spinning at nearly unperceivable speeds. Silver brumes began to gush out like exhaust fumes and the Luqu Wings glowed with energy. Arimane gradually lost his grin, noticing something very wrong. Then, in the next instant, he raised an arm in defense and widened his eyes when he saw arge wound splitting his scales. He nced at where his nephew stood a split second ago and saw a fading afterimage. Without missing a beat, he swung Karma to his right and was once again shocked when something parried his de. It would have been fine if it was Sonata, but this wasn''t the case. Much like he had just done, Rakna had used his forearm to stop his weapon and Karma barely even scratched the obsidian armor. Then, the mechanical werewolf''s eyes shed and the turbines were angled elsewhere. In the blink of an eye, the nine-tailed beast disappeared once again and Arimane felt his senses go haywire for the second time. He controlled his tail and struck the presence behind him with an added impact of ck lightning. Rakna was knocked away for a few dozen meters but otherwise remained unharmed. Instead, he pped his wings and vanished again. "[el,]" the Demon whispered and the world slowed down. He wanted to properly track Rakna''s movements but before he could even try, the wound on his arm, halfway healed, red up. He felt a burning heat and the ''time'' gathered bacshed, driving blood out of his mouth. ''This!'' "[Prkkta S?r?as?.]" Before he knew it, Arimane''s time spell had been dispelled and a scythe approached from his right, dangerously close to reaping his neck off. Before that could happen, the dragon called upon a magic formation he had branded into his very soul. Meant to bend all forms of space and dimensions to the user''s will, it was worthy of being ssified as True Magic. Emerald-colored energy cloaked the Kind Demon, almost behaving like smoke, and teleported him away. Yet, Rakna promptly followed after him and Arimane clicked his tongue, using his own wings, now bolstered by the green energy, to fly up and tear holes in space. These two monsters of nature flew across the sky illuminated by the three stars, shing more than ten times every second, and often blinking out of existence for a few seconds only to reappear with their weapons intertwined. The auras of ck, silver, and green asionally fused and exploded together in the air. After his transformation under the moons, Rakna had grown by at least five more meters in height but still failed topare to the dragon''s size. Yet, as they chased each other, it was as if their body didn''t matter; their power and spirits manifested into the world as something far greater. "[Terra Aeterna,]" Arimane intoned mid flight and swung Karma, unleashing a crescent-shaped attack of enormous proportions, curving inward as if seeking to swallow the world. On the other hand, Rakna didn''t even bother countering and plunged right into it, his armor not only withstanding but destabilizing the spell altogether. The armored werewolf''s wings released more mist and he teleported, leaving behind the explosion of Aeterna. Rakna appeared above the dragon and pointed three fingers at him. "[Sltta Natcattira Raja,]" his voice resounded as if synthesized from a program, but considerably faster than possible for human speech. The spell wasunched in a wave of unrelenting dark purple energy and Arimane snarled, his fangs gnashed together as smoke escaped the gaps. Then, with a roar, mes conjoined with lightning thundered out of his throat and engulfed the entirety of the Sltta Raja. There was no contest and the rapid Dragon Breath easily broke through. Arimane huffed a cloud of smoke and focused his senses on Rakna''s presence. When he felt it disappear he had already raised his tail to grapple the werewolf''s arm behind him. "I knew I had seen those wings somewhere" Arimane narrowed his eyes and began charging an attack simr to the werewolf''s at the tip of his finger. "[Nu,]" he intoned and thunder roared as a concentrated deluge of needle-sized Aeterna constructs assailed Rakna. The dragon felt his tail lose grip on what it held and he lowered his arm, but to his shock, the head of the armored werewolf suddenly was in front of his eyes. Its armor had countless needles stuck to it, but all of them failed to prate more than a few centimeters and fell off. "[Fist of Rupture,]" Rakna''s synthetic tone spoke ominously and a fistnded right on the dragon''s chest, right above his heart. Arimane winced, his scales splintering as his focal point was struck. The Fist of Rupture reverberated in the dimensions a secondter, creating a booming sound, and the dragon grunted. "Ign," he uttered and the lightning bolt answered. It intervened instantly and repeatedly struck the armored werewolf, thousands of times a second, precipitating a tempest of lightning. Arimane''s eyes shed green and he disappeared, re-emerging hundreds of meters away. Once he had taken his distances, Ign returned to him and the veil of electricity it had left behind was dispersed by the blowing of those wings'' turbines, revealing its victim to be undamaged. The Kind Demon looked down at his wounds, one of the two hearts he possessed after uniquely ascending to a Primordial God healing itself after ceasing to beat. "I''m genuinely awed, kid," he said with a grin. "As usual, polearms are your thing. You certainly can wield that scythe and your Stardust cut ''my time''," he chuckled. "I got a premature recoil of time distortion because of that. Messed up my organs a bit." Rakna hovered silently, watching theughing dragon. "Your armor''s no, your entire body is the real shit too. It makes me curious how serious I should be to break it for good," Arimane smirked. "But, most importantly, those wings of yours; you got something quite nice. A Royal Luqu is said to be able to bend time and space to fly. You teleported earlier with them, and your every movement seems to deny interference to some extent." "" "However, there''s one more thing," the Demon tilted his head. "Every time you use your wings to teleport to me you reappear before disappearing. Isn''t that interesting?" He snorted. ? * * * ? In the cabin of the Silver Sacrament Guild, the spell desposing it were quiet, dumbfounded by the battle they were witnessing. The second that Rakna Xiorra had donned that armor, the flow hadpletely been thrown on its head. Shin-Woo was quiet, thoroughly learning the kind of power the man he had been meant to save in this new life of his was. "Leader" He spoke and nced at his Guild Leader. "Do you perhaps know what Eternal Night is implying about his wings?" Haschwalt Sakritt was, all things considered, rather calm while watching everything. His eyes were tranquil as the sea, observing every detail with scrutiny. "It is a simple thing," he eventually answered. "Whenever Rakna Xiorra uses his wings, whether it be to fly or teleport, an inherent force inside of them will bend space and time to move. The Kind Demon already told you the answer; do not neglect the second part of it." "Time" The reincarnator realized. "Exactly. Whenever he ps his wings, and more tantly when he teleports, his starting point is a step slower than the end result. It might just be a few milliseconds, but as of right now, the Beast Emperor is, without doubt, conducting time jumps into the past at a micro-scale." Shin-Woo widened his eyes. He, more than anyone else, understood what traveling through time in an environment like the System, where the timeline was singr, involved. The difference here was that Rakna was not doing anything deserving of a paradox or a timeline reset. He was scraping the surface of time travel, allowing the World to fix such small disturbances with no ramifications. ? * * * ? "No wonder it felt so destabilizing," Arimane huffed. "I would sense your wings creating a warp tunnel, but then right before it was done, you were already next to me while your past self took a few milliseconds to truly go away. Same thing when just flying about. You would start rushing at me right before your wings were done preparing the motion" Rakna''s glowing eyes beneath theyers of obsidian narrowed slightly. Then, all his six wings were fully deployed, reaching their maximum span. The turbines slowed down visibly, but instead, the silver mist began to coil around the wings themselves while some of the feathers began rattling. Arimane huffed and waved one arm, generating a field of lightning that suddenly blocked a swarm of ck and silver feathers. The ground around him was pelted violently and each impact created a small repercussion that blew away a section of the petal rain. "I see," the dragon snorted. "I''m not the only one learning about those wings. You are slowly discovering their full potential as well, aren''t you?" He smiled and the dark lightning thundered around him. "[Imperial Designation,]" Rakna spoke up ominously, and on cue, several roars and howls filled the soul realm. The animals born in the Pool of Blood so long ago trotted forward, approaching their carrier and his opponent. At the same time, the waters of the Soul Sea rippled and shadows began to surface; whales, sharks, dolphins, and other fish rose from underwater. Originally, the Imperial Designation was a title that allowed an Emperor, or a King possessing a lesser version of it, to summon subjects with great efficiency and power. But most importantly, it allowed one to fuse with them to enhance attributes for as much as the user could resist the toll. However, in this Soul Marble, none of these beasts had a level or a status. None of them could be considered summons. They were more akin to independent lumps of soul power, yet they were all subjects by definition. And most importantly, they had acknowledged Rakna Xiorra as their ruler. At hismand, all of them stepped in and transformed into wisps of purple fire. They filled the air like fireflies and flew toward the werewolf, merging with his body one by one. And farther away, up on the floating ind of Fray, two familiar creatures stood at the edge. Fenriu gazed at Arimane and closed his eyes, turning into another kindle of soul fire. Rexam chirped next to him in innocent excitement and imitated the Nine-Tailed Wolf. The spiritual beings rained down on Rakna and flooded his surroundings with soul power. ? ? ? ? ? True Imperial Designation activated! --- You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Nine-Tailed Wolf. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Royal Luqu. --- You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Lion. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Elephant. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Tiger. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Carnotaurus. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Bear. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Alligator. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Bat. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Lizard. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Cat. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Snake. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Fox. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Eagle. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Dove. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Deer. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Sheep. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Shark. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Whale. You have absorbed a Soul Remnant; Type Jellyfish. --- You have gained a temporary Trait; Echo Location You have gained a temporary Trait; Electroreception You have gained a temporary Trait; Extreme Shock Resistance You have gained a temporary Trait; Internal Hibernation You have gained a temporary Trait; Biological Immortality You have gained a temporary Trait; Poisonous Blood You have gained a temporary Trait; Beastly Strength You have gained a temporary Unranked Skill; Leap You have gained a temporary Unranked Skill; Sprint You have gained a temporary Unranked Skill; Jet Propulsion You have gained a temporary Unranked Skill; Extreme Venom Secretion You have gained a temporary Unranked Skill; Electricity Generation ? --- ? STR Increased by 489! END Increased by 467! SPD Increased by 546! DEX Increased by 121! INT Increased by 144! ? Note: Attribute changes are being applied as Last Priority. ? --- ? The Harvester''s Soul has leveled up! Your soul power has grown stronger! Your Soul Marble has gained further independence from the World! ? --- ? ''True Imperial Designation'' has evolved into ''Imperial Crown of The Harvester''! ? ? ? ? ? The entirendscape began to quake as Rakna became more and more attuned to an inherent facet of his soul, his body growing even bigger and his ability to control his realm improving rapidly. Arimane reacted with an unexpectedly sympathetic expression. "I see" He whispered and quietly invoked two red hexagrams from within his pupils. They manifested into the world and channeled the lightning into themselves. "[Fourth Art of The Undying Night,]" the dragon whispered. "[Patibulum Tonitrui Aeterni.]" The shadows of Nox Aeterna abruptly gained more power, gaining more space despite Rakna''s will continuously ''rejecting'' it from the Soul Realm''s World. Thunder once again rumbled, but this time, it sounded muffled, as if drowned. However, it hauntingly reverberated everywhere. Rakna, who was done assimting the Soul Remnants, silently lifted Sonata and began to channel mana into it. But, as he was about to act, something froze him in his tracks. "[Illisus,]" Arimane uttered, and in the blink of an eye, whether it be from the ground, sky, or even the horizon, solid suspended bolts of lightning filled the scenery like countless strings intertwined into cobwebs. All of them shared one destination, however. Silently and instantly, Rakna found himself skewered from all sides. He hung in the air like a beast chained by the heavens. Yet, he had not moved a single muscle, nor did he try to get free. The eerie helm of the werewolf tilted downward, purple lights peering through at the source of all this lightning; the darkness. Every single shadow, on top of the already dark clouds, had these odd ropes of lightning attached to them. It didn''t matter which shadow. The ones cast by the environment, the ones cast by the body, or the ones cast by spells. It didn''t matter how small or big they were; even the shadows cast by an arm onto one''s torso were enough. That''s what the ''Fourth Art of The Undying Night'' proimed, all darkness cast under the sun and moon belonged to Eternal Night; the ''Gallows of Eternal Thunder''. "So, that level of power isn''t enough, huh?" Arimane remarked. "I cranked it up by a lot too..." As he said, the thousands of lightning strings had not managed to make significant damage. While they had all managed to pierce the armored werewolf, barely a hundred had made it past a dozen centimeters or so. At best, only five or ten hadpletely run through Rakna''s body. But in his current state, the werewolf couldn''t even be bothered to care about such damage. With a simple tug, he broke free of the ropes, sting them away in a shower of sparks. Without even a second of dy, all kinds of energies coalesced around him and were sucked into his ws. ? "[Drown In Fleetness and Cascades of Light.]" ? Rakna''s artificial-like voice echoed and his armor began to shine brightly. However, its color was nothing like the usual scheme of his mana and magic. It was a pure whitish gold, swathed in a faint sky blue. Arimane gawked. "Kid don''t tell me" ? "[I Purify. I Forgive. I Banish.]" "[I Erode. I Baptize. I Cleanse.]" ? A strange liquid began to trickle from the edges of Sonata and the werewolf''s ws. It looked like water with a slight tint of cyan but reflected a pale golden light on its surface, only parted by lines of white, shimmering, and sprinkling gilded dust. ? ? ? ? ? You have learned a new spell Error! Error! The System is unable to demarcate what the Host is doing! ? --- Analyzing --- ? Obsidian Star is reacting Philosopher''s Ardent Soul is reacting Kaleidoscope Crystal Sight is reacting Chalice of the Crystal Wolf is reacting Error! Unable to ? ? ? ? ? As if to interrupt the System messages, Rakna spoke up, his eyes glowing purple and golden as two familiar X-shaped crosses expanded inside them, "[Philosopher Craft C Kaiyvi? Ka??r.]" One drop of water trickled down the de of the scythe and trickled from the tip. Like a small gem, it sparkled in its descent until it hit the petal of a flower. The drop sshed with a sound akin to a bell and light inundated the realm. From belowground, water of a golden and white hue began to emerge past roots and soil, slowly submerging the Soul Marble. More of it flowed from Rakna''s ws and weapon and enveloped him in a spiral. An unfathomable radiance illuminated the world and Nox Aeterna recoiled. This time, it didn''t stop at just being weakened; all of it was forced back inside Arimane who stood there with his mouth wide open. The Soul Realm regained its tranquility, the ground flooded to the point where only the pistils were above the water, as if floating at the surface. This sacred water reflected what was above them like a perfect mirror, all while sending out light that promised warmth and salvation. And at the moment, it reflected the twitching expression of the Eternal Night God. "Were you that annoyed at my antithesis from earlier? It wasn''t even that bad" ? * * * ? A vein popped on Enya''s forehead as she understood what that water was. "These bastards" She suddenly cursed under her breath and startled many of her Guild members. It wasn''t often, if ever, that you would see the Sorceress Queen use suchnguage. "Both of them" The strongest witch in the System glowered. "Do they exist to torment me? Is that it? I''m sure they revel in crushing my pride into pieces, don''t they?" "Um Master?" Bianca nervously called but was ignored. "Creating anti-thesis spells left and right using Origin Magic like it''s nothing breaking the rules of basic magic formation ignoring the damn World Laws" Enya thered to herself until she finally snapped and yelled at the ss screen, "That brat! How in the nine hells did he cast Union Magic out of a transmutation?! And with elements he does not possess!?" ? * * * ? "Light and Water" Caer muttered with a hand on his chin. "Indeed, it represents a quasiplete counter to Nox Aeterna. Thetter was originally a union of lightning and darkness. Pure water is an insnt and light prevails over darkness. If I''m not wrong, the name for that Union Magic" "Tears of Gaia," Kryas provided assuredly. "One of the Church''s bishops has that affinity." "Back up a little," An raised his hand wryly. "Last I heard, Rak doesn''t have any of those" "I also don''t quite understand," via added with a nod and looked up resentfully. "Since you keepining that we haven''t asked you a worthy question, make yourself useful." "This isn''t one either" Wis sighed sadly. "Listen up, girl. The way my restrictions work is that the answers I give you can only amount to one if you cannot learn it on your own. Something like this; you can ask the crazy boyter, it''s thus not valid. But fine, I will tell you." The hat grunted and nced at the spatialyer. "Transmutation; it''s the answer once again. Have you really forgotten the essence of his magic? The way he used it to ''cut'' was merely effective. But that does not mean it''s the only thing he can do with it. Transmutation is a process defined by the transformation of ''source'' to ''result''. To turn stones into gold, water into wine; that kind of thing." "Your friend takes it a step higher. He uses the energy produced by the core of his Obsidian Star to fuel the transmutation," Wis huffed. "Which he can use to ''disassemble'', but also create something else with it. Take it this way; magic can be boiled down to mana being transmuted into an element or phenomenon. Of course, that''s merely a metaphor, but that is what the boy is doing." "He is not casting magic" Ciel whispered in shock and realization. "He is creating it," Azheim finished in his subordinate''s stead. "Instead of imposing a phenomenon into the World with magic formations or spells, he is simply bringing it out of himself, with mana and life force as the building blocks." "Wouldn''t that mean if he grows this power, he could be omnipotent?" Zialtra uttered with a strange expression. "Is that possible?" "But how?" Gaelius muttered while Old Wang was mostly silent, watching the battle. "In the first ce, since earlier, we''ve all been saying ''transmutation'', but that is a process involving formations and calctions just as much as magic. For a material being to transmute something through only his soul and body, they would need to be a living" "Philosopher Stone," Wis said with a yawn. "You people are slow. Didn''t ''Philosopher Craft'' tip you off a little bit?" He snorted. "Though, if you wish to ask me any details about it, give up. There are things even I don''t know about this is one of those." "How surprising," Kara smiled. "For the ''Wisdom of Ariv'' to admit his ignorance in something." The hat groaned. "I know ''who'' Rakna Xiorra de is. I can answer everything you would like to know about him, in fact. But there are beings my knowledge cannot grasp. More relevantly the one you know as the Sage of the Crystal Mountain." "Him again, huh?" An quietly hummed. "That girl may know, on the other hand," Wis added whilst indicating at Astraea. "As great as I am, the extent of my knowledge is notparable to Egregore. My ''understanding'' of the world only applies to the present and past and it fails in regard to what can hide from it. But the collective unconscious has no such weakness. It is a Realm intimately connected to the Spiritual Tree." The angel of justice sighed as Wis put everyone''s attention on her. "Then you also know that it is forbidden, or rather impossible for an Egregore Entity to speak of the future," she ultimately said with a huff. "But I do know who the Crystal Sage is. As for his goals I''m not exactly sure," she said uneasily. Hans stealthily raised an eyebrow, noticing something quite odd about her tone. "Something will happen to the System in the near future," Astraea stated more firmly. "It will affect the whole of Existence atrge. Egregore has no record of its cause as if it had been erased. But all of us know for a fact; that something was made and a wish was granted." "" Everyone fell silent in either confusion or contemtion at her words. "A wish, is it?" Wis mused aloud with an amused voice. "How refreshing. Curiosity is a luxury I have not experienced in a long while," he chuckled. "That aside" He hopped atop via''s head, much to her annoyance, and looked at the ss screen. "There isn''t much time left." "What do you mean?" "Arimane Reigen de is reaching a boiling point Soon, ''they'' will intervene." ? * * * ? "Hahahaha!" Arimaneughed as he flew back, his lightning firing in every direction. Tears of Gaia surged from the ground and the now-saturated rivers of the Soul Marble, destroying them on every asion. Rakna chased after him, his wings releasing a trail of silver as he teleported forward, defying the rules of time to swing his scythe at the dragon''s neck. Karma came up to parry it but Sonata began to release dark purple energy, miniature shards of obsidian crepitating along the edge. "[Sltta Natcattira Raja C Pi?? P?i,]" the werewolf emotionlessly uttered and a sickle-shaped wave of dark purple star energy split thend, ultimately sshing into the water below. "[Fifth Art of The Undying Night,]" Arimane chanted as he emerged from the attack with a grin on his face. "[Alta Nocte Oblivionis.]" Waves of crimson-lined shadows promptly poured out from the dragon''s body, pouring down and gradually pooling over the water, obfuscating its light. The Fifth Art was a force of corruption like none other. To prove it, Rakna had already lost control over the parts of his Soul Marble that had been covered by it. "[Crescent of a Falling Star,]" the perk of Sonata wasunched at the dragon, but before it could get close, an amalgam of electrified shadows roughly resembling a hand burst from the corrupted darkness. It grabbed the attack in a second and smothered it to nothingness, before scattering like sand and dropping back to the sea of shadows. Narrowing his eyes, Rakna decided to dash back to a safe distance,nding and sting a chunk of water into the air. "Alta Nocte is essentially my ying field," Arimane said with a cackle. "Furthermore" Out of nowhere, ropes of lightning shot out from within the sea of darkness, swarming the armored werewolf whose wings shone as he weaved around all of them in a blur. Both his body and senses had been heightened to unbelievable levels after absorbing the Soul Remnants. None of this would be able to hit him unless he allowed it to. "All of my Undying Night Arts are Eternal-Cast," the dragon stated candidly. "Whether it be the Third, Fourth, or Fifth, they won''t stop unless I wish so." Rakna remained unresponsive as he shed the ''Gallows of Thunder'' with Sonata. His tails fanned out and each of them began to charge a granted orb at their tip. Within less than a second, nine different Sltta Raja were fired, neutralizing the Fourth Art and exploding in the middle Fifth, only dispersing a small chunk of it before it was clogged within a second. With a quiet growl, Raknanded back in the water and extended his free hand outward. Obsidian energy coalesced into the shape of a trident and the ''Tears of Gaia'' at his feet fused with it. The sound of a hammer echoed and a ck-gold tridentnded in his palm, "[Gaia''s Neptunia.] "Little bastard" Arimane muttered, but despite his words, his grin widened. "You can intercede your Origin Magic through transmutation." The werewolf hoisted the weapon and hurled it at the sky. The trident shattered midair and called upon it pure white clouds entuated by cyan highlights. Silently and peacefully, rain began to fall and stter all over the Soul Marble. Every time a drop of waternded in the darkness, thetter would recede briefly. At this rate, the rain would eventually gain the upper hand andpletely deny Nox Aeterna once again. Arimane chuckled and flicked his finger upward. The Fifth Art responded to his will and the dark sea began to undte, small spots protruding at the surface. Then, a wisp of shadow collided with one of the raindrops. A second one followed, a third, a fourth; and after some time, an inverted rain of shadowy tendrils was perfectly mirroring the crystalline rain of Neptunia. If it bothered Rakna, he didn''t show it. Instead, the werewolf took it in stride and instead whirled his scythe, purple mesing out of it. In the blink of an eye, the fiery soul power began to form a specific shape with 14 dots as the central points; a constetion. Rakna stopped spinning his weapon and elevated the scythe with both hands as if the Reaper was about to pass judgment. "[Star Monarch C Beast of Gaia C Cetus,]" he intoned and hacked the formed constetion with Sonata. He didn''t stop the momentum until his de was nted in the ground muddied by the water. For a brief second, nothing happened, but a quaking soon disrupted the ongoing battle between the Tears of Gaia and Nox Aeterna. The water rippled outward from where the scythe was and the darkness flowing from the Kind Demon slowed. A low and booming cry that could only originate from a titanic creature resounded and the ground began to quake even more. A vortex then suddenly formed in front of Rakna, indicating that a hole had appeared below and through which the water was escaping. Another cry reverberated loudly and a giant figure brusquely burst from underground, sshing water everywhere at the same time. Straightaway, it was easily confirmed to be even bigger than Arimane, with a body that reached a length double the dragon''s height. It had sky blue and azure skin with patches of scales, a serpent-like physique, fins across its spine and tail that were translucent like water, red fur over its eyes and under its chin like facial hair, a white belly marked by parallel lines and reminiscent of a whale, and a singr pair of limbs with padded ws at the front of its body. Its head was almost draconic at first sight, but with a slightly tter skull and longer fangs, and it also seemed to be flying in the air with no observable method. White and golden water streams floated around it like halos and the rain falling from the sky halted above it as if frozen in time. The creature opened its mouth and spoke up morously, "I am Cetus, Son of Ceto, Sessor of Gaia''s Sea, Constetion of The Dragon Whale. ? God of The Eternal Night, I shall sink your storm today." The voice filled with divinity and power made the world shudder and Arimaneughed, "This is quite the presence for a mythical beast with no proper history," he snorted. "But that''s not really correct, is it? You are a sessor of the Sea Domain, immortalized by a constetion named after your mother. You are a true ''Beast of Gaia'' given life by Egregore." Cetus scoffed and the rain began to fall harder, pushing back its warped reflection. The aquatic god nced at Rakna with its vibrant green eyes. "Lord Monarch, I am infinitely grateful that you granted me a chance to invoke my true form in the Living Realm. I shall not disappoint." The werewolf nodded silently and spread his wings, the turbines hummed and in the next instant, he had teleported atop therge whale dragon''s head. He crouched and ced his hand down, his eyes glowing. Without dy, purple mes wrapped around Cetus'' body and swiftly solidified into clear shapes until they were encased in a shell of obsidian. Just like that, a partial armor had appeared on the Star Entity, protecting its vital areas and making it look that much more menacing. "Let''s go," Rakna spoke synthetically and the summoned constetion blinked in surprise before grinning enthusiastically. "My pleasure," Cetus replied and incited by his power, dozens of cyclones began to form around them, increasing the humidity in the air even more and spurring the rain to double in density. Arimane squinted his eyes and released an even stronger aura than before. Speedily, his Fifth Art grew in power and Nox Aeterna began pushing back against Cetus'' Domain in full. Lightning crept from within the shadows and crawled over the dragon as he smirked. "Well I ought to match expectations," the Demon stretched his wings and arms, twirling Karma in his grip. "Ign, if you will," he uttered and the small bolt of lightning hummed, answering the call and obediently plunging right into the sea of darkness. Although Ign was able to target physically manifested spells, Cetus was something different altogether. As a creature born from Egregore and called upon by Rakna, its creation point was not something so easily targetable. Egregore Entities are not created by the collective unconscious itself. They are created by all the thoughts and perceptions that feed their existence within it. In other words, for Ign to defeat a being like that, the spell would need to destroy every source of such thoughts. Every single sentient lifeform that has provided Egregore with the knowledge of ''Cetus'', across all nes and Realities, would need to be eradicated. Not only would that require infinite amounts of time and power, but it would inevitably lead to a genocide of inconceivable scale. However, it didn''t mean the Original Bolt was hopeless in such a situation. Ign was not simply the first; it was the precursor and originator. Its existence itself was divine, and when exposed to its ''descendants'', it became their core; the Sovereign of Lightning. A literal typhoon of red and ck lightning thundered into existence, forcing Cetus to raise arge screen of water to shield himself. Dark clouds reappeared in the sky and swiveled, while lightning began to be endlessly siphoned into the shadows where Ign had disappeared. After what felt like an eternity, something peeked out from the Fifth Art. The deluge of lightning promptly scattered like leaves in the wind and a draconic head made out of solid lightning surfaced from the darkness. A long body of ck scales and red skin slowly came out and floated upward, coiling around itself and letting out a roar that stimted dying sparks to life. This new creature, with white fur along its back, was a wless recreation of an eastern dragon, perfectly mirroring Cetus'' half-liquid body with a half-electric one. ? "[Scito Initium] (Know of The Beginning)." "[Disce Creaturae] (Learn of The Creation)." "[Oblivisci Finis] (Forget of The End)." ? "[Ign Auctor,]" Arimane whispered with a smile, and the reborn Ign roared. "an Artificial Deity," Cetus remarked somberly. "As expected of you, Kind Demon. Your spells themselves are capable of bing ''Gods'' separate from you." "You tter me," the dragon joked and pped his wings, rising to match the stature of Ign, just a few steps behind. "So, what do you say? Do you think you canpete?" The Star Entity harrumphed and the Tears of Gaia began to shimmer around him like millions of precious stones. "Lord Monarch is providing me with all the energy I could ever need. I would die of shame if I failed to aplish my duty." Arimane onlyughed in response and Cetus'' entire body was subsequently shrouded in pristine water, therge mass of liquid forming a rough extension of the draconic whale. Ign seemed to refuse being outyed and a storm of lighting simr to a swarm of thorns swallowed it. The two creatures born of magic faced off silently for a moment and Cetus was the first to break it off. With a muted thrum of power that traversed the waters, a shockwave shook the Soul Marble as he rushed forward with a heavy momentum, both too fast and fierce for most mortals to bear. In the blink of an eye, the Star Entity collided with Ign, causing arge discharge of Aeter that was quickly drowned by Gaia''s Sea. The lightning dragon''s serpentine body looped as if to shield itself and its head stuck out, concentrating arge amount of energy inside its open mouth. Alongside a p of thunder, Ign roared and a torrent of ck and red lightning shot out from its maws, striking Cetus at point-nk distance. The impact alone caused cracks to appear in the air, denoting that Rakna''s Soul Marble was having a hard time withstanding the strain. "Pitiful," Cetus'' voice scoffed as his w ripped through the lighting breath and grasped Ign''s neck, shutting down the attack. "Without your true ability, you are not my match," the dragon whale uttered and still cloaked in water, mmed the Third Art''s incarnation into the ground. The ground quaked violently, soil flying into the air and revealing broken patches of ck crystal in the Soul Realm''s underground. Ign roared and in a sh of crimson light, disappeared out of the crater created by its own body. It reappeared up in the air, at the level where the raindrops of Neptunia fought back against the inverted mirror of the Fifth Art. With the lightninging from below, Ign conjured hundreds of static waves of Aeter in the shape of crescent moons. Cetus looked up impassively, his emerald eyes narrowing, and nced at Arimane who was merely watching with crossed arms, a grin on his face. "If you are not going to do anything" The Star Entity hummed and controlled the water around him, altering itsposition and formingrge bubbles. At the same time, Ignunched half of the waves of lightning and Cetus huffed. The bubbles methodically shifted ces and, apanied by soft flopping sounds, each crescent of Aeter was gobbled, put into a sort of stasis inside of the bubbles. Cetus harrumphed and with a mentalmand, his constructs were thrown back at the lightning dragon. Ign let out a startled hum right before the bubbles reached it and swallowed the remaining half of the Aeterna spells. When the spells bumped into each other, all of them detonated at once. In the wake of the explosions, Ign was knocked away and Cetus flew up, a geyser rising around him at the same time. The behemothic creature struck the lightning dragon and imprisoned it in a translucent orb. "I will show you what a true Dragon Breath is like," Cetus dered and aligned himself so that both Ign and Arimane were in his direct line of sight. Slowly, he opened his mouth and began to breathe in. The air twisted as ifpelled to converge toward the Egregore Entity. The rain, the ck petals, the water, and even the lightning were swept in. Each one disintegrated into particles of pure mana that amassed at the back of Cetus'' throat. The concentration of energy alone further destabilized the Soul Marble and fissures opened along the ground, swallowing almost the entirety of the water previously umted. As for the breath of Cetus, the mana had already been fully converted into a ball of golden and sky-blue fire. ''This is a Primal Dragon Breath,'' Arimane thought as he watched it all. ''The ''Dragon Whale'' was not an embellishment,'' he grinned lightly but then narrowed his eyes. ''But most importantly'' He stared at the Star Entity and spotted no sign of Rakna''s presence. The Demon looked around and searched cautiously, his eyes alight with a red hexagram. ''Where is the kid? It shouldn''t be this easy to hide from my senses. Stealth? Another dimension? Or both? No, that shouldn''t be enough even with Sloth. He''s not a Nephilim yet,'' he pondered. "Regardless I suppose I should respond in kind," Arimane grinned and lightning crackled over his scales whilst moving to his mouth. The sea of shadows followed and a few elements of the Soul Marble were forcefully extracted as well. The Breath of a Pure-Blooded Dragon was an ability packed with Existentiality. Dragons in general are a race that benefits from inherent authority over the World. They possess unparalleled control over mana, and each of their actions generates immense vigor. When a dragon charges their Breath, they do so by dominating all forms of energy. A Dragon Breath is an authority of fire; a Rule of the World. It sucks in both internal and external forces and aggressivelybusts them. On one side, Cetus produced gold and blue mes that flowed like water, and on the other, Arimane wielded dark mes, sharp and thunderous, bathed in crimson light. Of the two, the Star Entity was the first to finish. He first closed his mouth and snarled as if holding back something before roaring with all his strength. A raging torrent of power that could only be described as a tsunami set aze consumed the sky. It advanced voraciously and swallowed Ign in the process, dangerously descending toward thend. Arimane tightened his jaws and mped down on the mes as well. His lips arched into a grin and a sh of light crossed his eyes before he roared at the sky, the ck mes meeting the golden ones at the halfway point. If one would expect an explosion or a shockwave; there wasn''t anything of the sort. When the two colors collided, the mes sshed outward and in the blink of an eye, the Soul Marble was split apart. At the exact height of the collision, a perfectly orbitual fissure in the realm''s fabric was torn, erasing the horizon to reveal the previously crystallized canyon of the spatialyer. The clouds of Neptunia were snapped out of existence and the star triad flickered along with the nine moons. The ground where the field of the flowery was impacted by an invisible and unperceivable force and the Fifth Undying Art was ttened as if a giant object had fallen upon it. The darkness thinned down and ultimately scattered after reaching its breaking point. And from its remains, unnoticed, a singr cloud of shadows arose and melded into the shape of a familiar armored werewolf. Rakna exited Enkata, the Third Layer of Enthymio relinquishing his real body from the Dark Dimension. Silently, he extended both arms forward and pointed his palms at Arimane. His tails stretched from his back and pointed in the same direction; charging a granted orb of energy. Arimane widened his eyes in amazement as he spotted him from the corner of his eyes. ''There''s no way kid, did you seriously hide inside the shadows of my own spell?'' The idea alone was enough to make him burst outughing had it not been for him currently holding back Cetus'' Breath. But to see it actualized? That was another level of hrity. ''Well, damn, he got me,'' Arimane thought and alternated between his nephew and the mes above him. ''I don''t know what the kid is doing, but that orb feelspletely different from the others. I don''t think I can deal with it whilst keeping Cetus at bay at the same time. Not to mention, thebined might of our Breaths dispelled both my Fifth and Third Arts'' The dragon stifled another chuckle while Rakna began to feed several types of energy to his spell on top of star energy. The way his tails were converging power into the orb drastically resembled the activation of the Tailed Pearl, but the werewolf did not wish to use that particr skill here. He wasn''t sure about other Nine-Tailed Beasts but his Tailed Pearl was one that ate everything he had left in order to be cast. His mana, his stamina, his lunar energy, his soul power in terms of ultimate resort, it was only a step behind ''The Wolf Shall Have the Last Laugh''. Using it would bring unrelenting destruction, but he knew for a fact it wouldn''t be enough to defeat his uncle despite its power. So, exhausting himself was out of the question. In that case, it only left him with onest solution. With the Soul Remnants bolstering his ''vessel'', he used Founding Intuition and Fenriu''s inborn understanding to repurpose it. "[Unity Craft]" Rakna intoned chillingly. "[Sl??ar Muttu] (Pearl of ughter)." The Pearl was shot with a resounding boom and sensing the danger, Arimane could onlyugh out loud as he stopped powering his Dragon Breath and opted to swing Karma. Aeter thundered on the silver de as it shed the remodeled Nirvana Skill. Then, like the frames of a video, the next instant weed the sight of Cetus'' mes striking the ground where Arimane stood and afterward, the Pearl of ughter imploded, manifesting a dome of sheer destruction that shattered the Soul Marble''s terrain with its discharge alone, only leaving the sky behind as it continued to crumble like pieces of ss. ? * * * ? "Holy!" An cussed as he focused on maintaining his bnce, holding Marie in his arms as the entirety of the Arena shook. The viewing panels were full of cracks and glitching out endlessly as they disyed the sh happening within the stage. "This is getting slightly out of hand," Kryasmented calmly. He stood up and swiped his hand, grabbing an object out of thin air. It was a small white cube with silver inscriptions on it. He tossed the item at the splintered ss and watched as it caused waves on its surface. Almost instantly, the tremors declined and the cracks stopped growing, indicating that the spatialyer had been reinforced even more, safely secluded from the Arena. "Couldn''t you have done that earlier?" Zialtrained. "I didn''t expect this battle to reach this level of severity," the Pavilion President replied tly. Meanwhile, Nyx, among others, had their eyes glued to what could still be seen of the now fading aftermath of both Cetus'' and Rakna''sst attacks. The Night Goddess breathed in, "It''s over..." "Do you mean the Kind Demon was defeated?" Azheim asked with a raised eyebrow. "No" She sighed and everyone saw the figure of a dragon reappear. "He''s about to Ascend." As the words left her mouth, they barely got a glimpse of Arimane before the screen suddenly shut down out of the blue, but not before they noticed three unknown silhouettes zooming by. ? * * * ? "Hah" Rakna exhaled tiredly, his armor receding and reverting his body back to normal. However, despite his tiredness, he stubbornly maintained thest bits of his Soul Marble in the sky, which only had five full moons still in sight aside from his stars. He still needed his berserk state. Because he knew for a fact that this was not over "Hahahaha! I didn''t expect to get injured so badly in this fight," Arimane''s voice boisterously sounded from a giant crater full of water, his form soaring from the center. At the same time, Cetus dropped from the sky andnded heavily next to its summoner. "I have bad news, Lord Monarch. Eternal Night''s Existentiality is at its peak. At this rate--" "Keep it," Rakna interrupted the Star Entity and straightened himself. "The old man knows better than us and he''s not one to y around with lives meaninglessly. In other words, he''s expecting something or someone to stop him without fail. And that is obviously not me." "Heh," Arimane snickered as he heard him. "O ye of too much faith," he joked. "Really, kid, even if I am admittedly perfect, you shouldn''t trust me that mu!" A grotesque noise stopped him from continuing his sentence; a noise produced by a second pair of horns abruptly sprouting from his head. His irises doubled in number in each of his eyes and a malicious aura that made both Cetus and Rakna hunch in cold sweatshed out of him. Strange and ominous sounds began to echo from inside the dragon''s body but before it could turn into something worse, a spatial interference urred nearby and three figures stepped in. Faster than Rakna could see, a gray bandage that appeared infinitely long shot out of nowhere and wrapped around Arimane, binding his body and discontinuing whatever transformation was going to happen dead on its tracks. The dragon grunted before chuckling gutturally. "Finally" He muttered as three individuals stood around him in a triangle, callously scrutinizing him like jailers. "Took your sweet time, you damn spirits" Arimane smirked. "Nice to meet you, Espectros." Took a while to re-proofread this one. It''s normal that it took me half an hour to post, lol.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 388: The First Division Chapter 388: The First Division The three neers seemed to be restraining Arimane''s power; the gray bandages extending all the way back to the only woman amongst the trio. Rakna growled, his eyes wandering upward to see another one of the moons vanish. At this rate, the vestiges of his Soul Marble would fully copse and he would be left without more than half of his full power. The Soul Remnants currently assimted with him would also fade. ''The old man called them Espectros'' He thought and looked back at the strangers. In fact, he didn''t have to think much to know who they were. Not only had Crystal Sight seen their names already, but one of them was someone the werewolf recognized. It was a lean andnky man in his twenties wearing a worn-out outfit, tribal red tattoos scattered all over his visible ash-colored skin. His ck hair seemed to split into two halves; onebed and the other left to be wild and longer. This was the Phantasm that had warned Gaelius not to dig too deep into the ''off-encode'' skills back when they were nning the products of Harvest. ''As I remember it; the Second Espectro, Locura,'' Rakna furrowed his eyebrows. It''s not like he could get a lot more out of Crystal Sight since none of these people had a status window. Obviously, this ability given to him by the Crystal Sage could do more than just pry into the System, but not only was Rakna not used to that function, but he also felt like something was suppressing him. The two other Phantasms were new to him. The one who was currently binding Arimane''s power was a tall attractive woman with a cold and somewhat guarded expression. She had silver eyes and hair, sickly pale skin, and sported a in ck dress with no highlight whatsoever along with a ck choker around her neck. Interestingly, the other end of the bandages she was using on the dragon was not actually held in her hand but was directlying out from inside her sleeve. ''Third Espectro, Soledad,'' Rakna read the hazy words floating in his vision with a scowl and turned to the third individual. This one was a bit odd, wholly covered by a ck cloak and a hood hiding their facial features behind a dark void. However, their stature was apletely different story. By the overall features, the cloaked being seemed to be male and was twice the height of its cohorts. Not to mention, even if concealed, there was no doubt that his limbs were extremely muscr and his frame as a whole was very bulky. ''Fourth Espectro, Miedo,'' once again, Rakna read his name. "{''Insanity'', ''Solitude'', and ''Fear'',}" Fraymented telepathically. "{Those are certainly not names that inspire confidence.}" "Are you the rumored elites of the First n?" Arimane suddenly asked with a grin and Locura frowned heavily, his stance hardening. "Bastard how do you know that?" "What? Is it not true?" The dragon cackled. "The Third n, or Third Division as you seem to prefer, deals with external affairs and missions. The Second Division scouts for threats and is otherwise responsible for military intelligence. And the First Division manages internal affairs. Am I wrong?" Locura narrowed his eyes darkly and exchanged brief nces with his brethren. "you''ve heard that from Tormento, haven''t you?" Soledad spoke up frostily. "Hahaha! Who knows," Arimane casuallyughed. "Your goal, methods, power; even if I didn''t know all those, what would it change? Lest I spare you" His tone lowered. "You''re as good as dead." "" The three Phantasms kept their mouths closed. Was it in indignance or capittion? It couldn''t be ascertained. "Still, you took quite a while," the Kind Demon hummed. "You took the risk of intervening only when I was about to Ascend why is that?" He inquired curiously and grinned maliciously at the Espectro of Solitude. "Are you expecting some sort of benevolence from me? Little girl, you can''t possibly believe that your ability alone can hold me back, do you?" Soledad visibly shuddered, her cold fa?ade shaking momentarily. "do not bluff," she gritted out through her teeth. "The System has isted you from the World. My bindings will eventually wear down the half-formed vessel you created." Arimane''s smirk turned even more vicious if that was possible. "Oh, you poor child," he mocked her and followed up by chanting one line, "[Narratio Incipit Quando Mundus Titubat] (The Story Begins When the World Falters)." That single line of Lexis brought forth a suffocating sense of unease. For a moment, it was as if thendscape had been inverted. Rakna had to hold his head and his Soul Marble risked being erased from the sheer intent contained in that incantation. Yet, it was not a spell; just a forewarning. Locura grimaced and Soledad''s arm trembled, her bandages losing tension against her will. "You should know well about my Arts if you did your homework," Arimane scoffed. "Even if you were to somehow kill me, I could have Comoediae Mundi eat up this whole System in no time. Straightway, my true self would find this ce ande." "" "Which makes me wonder," the dragon continued. "Why would you allow this incarnation of mine? You are evidently scared of me, after all," he snorted in amusement. "If so, there must have been a benefit in me fighting the kid for this long oh!" He eximed in realization. "I see! You were collecting my life force, weren''t you?" Arimane burst outughing. "How greedy of you. Your Eden is already at its limit, yet you wish to feed it even more? Are you in a hurry perhaps?" The Demon tilted his head at the sour faces of the Espectros. "Well, my ''children'' are putting pressure on you, I guess. And your ''Royals'' are leading you all blind; seeking a result even they themselves are not assured of." "" "mind including me in the conversation, old man?" Rakna deadpanned once he saw that none of the Phantasms seemed eager to say anything more. "Hah, not so sure about that, kid," Arimane snickered. "Your future''s pre-determined. Fate is kind of a bullshit concept, of course, but in your case, it''s closer to a fixed point in time," he smirked and looked at the dragon whale silently floating in the air. "Isn''t that right, Cetus?" The Star Entity merely closed his eyes in response while Rakna clicked his tongue. "Right. You told me to read thest page, after all. I guess that meant something," he sighed and his uncle showed a confused expression. "Thest page? No idea what you''re talking about," Arimane retorted. The werewolf raised an eyebrow. "Hey, don''t look at me like that. I''m an incarnation, remember? An avatar. If another has told you something, it doesn''t mean I also know about it. Most likely, the one who told you that had ess to information I do not." Rakna closed one eye in thought. The incarnation that had told him about the st page'' was in the dream he had shown Nyx, through Sloth and Enthymio. In which case if himself was not enough for this specific version of Arimane to know, then Nyx was the missing piece. ''Tiamat? Or the ''previous timeline''? Maybe both,'' he concluded and sighed. It didn''t matter. Things would happen as they will. For now, he had more pressing concerns; such as the trio of Phantasms currently making sure Eternal Night didn''t Ascend. "Kind Demon," Locura raised his voice with an edged tone. "Are you going to oppose us?" Arimane nced at him. "We have never directly provoked you and your kin was not brought in here at our incentive. He wasn''t maliciously targeted by any of us," the Espectro narrowed his eyes. "If you understand even a bit how Systema was made, you''d know we have minimal control over it. Nothing else could have been done on our part." The dragon silently listened and a short moment afterward, he burst intoughter, much to the Phantasms'' confusion. "Hahaha! Sorry, it was too funny to hear You guys have no idea how important the kid is to your goals, do you?" Locura furrowed his eyebrows at that. "Also, ''never provoked me''? What about your wayward Espectro?" "You mean Tormento" Locura grunted. "If you got your information from him, you should already be aware that his mission to kill the ''Daughter'' was nothing more than a hollow task. The council of the Third Division never expected sess none of us predicted that he would confess everything to you, however." With a huff, Arimane seemingly ignored the bindings and crossed his arms, startling Soledad whose arms strained. Quickly, a nervous expression settled on her face when she was made deeply aware of the fact that she was not restraining Eternal Night; he was allowing her to. "Do I oppose you, huh?" The dragon reiterated. "Shortly said, I don''t," he said. "That does not mean I don''t have any reservations about it. Your overarching goal is something I would also like to seee true. But the mixed motives of your organization I can''t help but feel they culminate into a potential spell for disaster." Locura gazed back at the dragon in the eyes. "But would that concern you?" He fired back. "Are you going to pretend you care, Kind Demon? Nothing we do will harm your entourage. If sacrifices or whatnot were to be necessary, would you even care? You, who once terminated an entire ne of Reality for your ambitions?" "" Arimane suddenly fell silent at that. At that moment, Locura knew he made a mistake when a wave of ughter Intent brushed past the skin of his neck. This threat pierced through the flesh and prickled the soul; something even a spiritual creature who lived by possessing physical bodies like a Phantasm couldn''t ignore. To the side, Cetus winced and Rakna stiffened. The werewolf had long realized something about this Inner Echo Trial; the incarnation of the old man he had indirectly helped create was based on his memories of him. Arimane Reigen de was not an overly frivolous man. Rakna had met him in his old age, a time when his bottled resentment had ultimately burrowed itself after a prolonged and fruitless rampage; leaving ce to triviality. But beyond all that, there was still a justified cause as to why Arimane came to be called a Demon; and feared for it. "Don''t overstep your bounds, you parasite," the dragon growled out, his eyes sharper than ever before. "The lives I cherish and those I do not; you have no qualification to tell me what I feel for either. Had this been my real self, I would have thrown you into Kymestuos." Locura''s expression sank. "I will not intervene in the Broken Depths'' scheme," Arimane dered. "No involvement from me will produce a satisfying solution for this situation. Stopping you might prove to be more harmful than otherwise. Therefore, I will leave it in others'' hands," he added and nced at Rakna. "People that are more fit to shape a positive ending." "But let''s make it clear," the dragon snarled and Soledad began to sweat as her restraints began to tear slightly. "You better be careful until the end" He warned. "If you give me one chance, one reason to intervene, for the greater good or not, I will eliminate you all." His words trailed in the air and not a sound was made. But as the silence reached its peak, as if on cue, everyone in the spatialyer flinched and collectively turned in the same direction. Right on time, a giant elliptical breach in space opened up as if shed by the sword of a giant. Even Arimane widened his eyes in surprise, and even more so when the first person to jump out of it was a young girl with pink hair and a fluffy impression. "It worked!" Lanata cheered happily as the sword in her arms clicked, suggesting it had just been sheathed. Behind her, Kaelith appeared second, and instead of focusing on Rakna as she intended, the vixen had the wise priority to check where the sheep girl was andnd a safe distance away from her. Then, like a domino, Kara, Rakna''s Guild, Cura, and the people they had been chatting with earlier like Azheim, Kryas, Zialtra, Merlina, and Caer, arrived one after another. All of them, without exception,nded a few steps away from Lanata, their eyes looking at her with varying emotions, ranging from confused, scared, impressed, and genuinely disturbed. "Eh?" The adorable sheep tilted her head as everyone stared at her, including the individuals who had already been inside the spatialyer and thus the Espectros. "Did I do something wrong?" Chapter 389: "Eat it." Chapter 389: "Eat it." The tense atmosphere from a moment ago was instantly lifted when Arimane burst outughing at the arrival of the new group. "Now, this is what I call a fun surprise!" "Soledad," Locura frowned at hisrade. "You did not iste thisyer?" "I did," she snapped with an offended tone. "Do you think I would fail at such a simple thing?" "the anomaly," Miedo spoke up from under his hood for the first time, his voice low and strangely echoey. His words brought attention to Lanata who was smiling cheerily. "Rakna, are they enemies?" The sheep girl skipped over to the werewolf''s side, her voice innocent as ever. She looked at the Espectros and a soft chime sounded as a bit of the Heavenly Ram''s de was revealed, sparkling pink and silver. "Should I kill them?" She asked innocuously and Rakna shivered unconsciously. Arimane raised an eyebrow in fascination while the Espectros grimaced. Lanata glowered at them with wide-open eyes; hauntingly round as if they had been stered on her face. Her warm green eyes lost their shine and her pupils sharpened into horizontal lines, widening by the second. "it''s okay. You don''t need to fight them," Rakna eventually blurted out and the pressure everyone didn''t know was there instantly disappeared. Therge sword sheathed again as a happy grin returned to the sheep girl''s expression. "Okay!" "See? Crazy" Kaelith shook her head from a few steps away. "Devourer of mine!" Higure then immediately tackled Rakna, jumping to his shoulder and hanging there with a grin. "You''re very handsome in this form; I approve," the lioness nodded several times as she proceeded to make herselffortable by directly sitting atop his shoulder. The werewolf nkly looked at her from the corner of his eyes, "I''m thrilled to hear that" Higure chuckled and Arimane watched it all in amusement. Someone noticed that and swiftly went forward, bowing at the dragon. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Eternal Night," Kara smilingly greeted with a suspicious amount of courtesy. "I stand before you as one of your nephew''s wome" "Shut up, you shameless mother!" Kaelith smacked the back of her head. "Ow, Kae!" The older vixen pouted, holding her head as if in pain. "I was simply paying my respects to my future family" "That''s exactly the problem! From which position were you saying it?! Also, I''m the first! I should be the one doing that!" Kaelithined. Everyone around listened on with empty faces and the Phantasms were utterly nonplussed. Arimane focused back on Rakna and the werewolf speedily looked away, avoiding eye contact and tantly refusing to borate on anything. "As entertaining as this is" Azheim stepped forward with a small smile. "I believe there are more pressing matters requiring our attention," he quietly struck the ground with his cane and squinted at the Phantasms. "I have to say, this is quite ackluster encounter. I have always been curious to meet those behind the System but how mundane this all seems," he huffed. Locura nced at him but otherwise didn''t speak nor move. His only responsibility at the moment was to intervene in case the Kind Demon went through Ascension. Once the dragon was weakened enough, they will be required to kill him and most likely will be grudgingly ''allowed'' to do so. "Don''t bother," Arimane addressed Azheim. "Not only do they not care, but their involvement in the practical creation of this ce is close to zero. They''re pitiful ones," he gazed at the trio below him. "Pouring everything they have into one thing in hopes of a miracle." "" "Look; they''re not even trying to refute me," the dragon snickered and grunted when one of his horns began to release dark energy. "Tch, can''t chat," he clicked his tongue. "This vessel needs to be killed," he added and scoffed at the Phantasms. "That''s the n, right?" "yes," Locura replied tly. "No matter how much power you have, in the end, it would be in your favor to go quietly for the safety of your nephew, no?" Arimane harrumphed and simply stared at Rakna. "Oi, kid. Do it," he uttered and the werewolf rolled his eyes. "Don''t give me that face. Do you think I''m going to let these bastards kill me like some livestock? I''d prefer blowing all of you up than disgrace myself like that." "How noble of you, old man" Rakna replied sarcastically and rolled his shoulders. "Horny cat, get down. And all of you, shield yourself just in case," he instructed and Higure dropped off him with a giggle. She returned to everyone and Merlina wordlessly decided to stand at the front. Rakna looked at his hands and clenched them a few times. He then checked the sky and confirmed that only four moons remained while the Neverwinter Star was starting to get out of view. "This will be myst attack, so make sure to die from it," the werewolf deadpanned and his uncle onlyughed in response. Rakna closed his eyes and purple mes were rekindled all around him. Lunar energy and star energy descended from the sky and were enveloped by soul power as they took the form of a faceless silhouette wielding a hammer. "[Obsidian Star Manifestation,]" Rakna whispered and the high-leveled Hosts and Locals behind him widened their eyes in shock. "[External Release.]" Following his chant, the Obsidian Star in the sky twisted in shape, crackling menacingly, and began to shrink until it became nothing more than a sharp mass zing with purple fire. The werewolf flicked one finger down and thepacted star flew to him in the blink of an eye. It was intercepted midflight by the empty hand of the faceless cksmith. "[Forger of The Stars,]" Rakna intoned and the apparition above his head brought down the mass of obsidian onto a newly created anvil before striking it with the hammer. A strident sound echoed in the spatialyer and a shockwave ruffled the clothes and hair of everyone present. "[Holy Is Your Name. Destiny Is Your Wielder. The Grail Is Your Trophy.]" A few hammer strikes followed and the material was forged into a new shape. It was still made of obsidian and mes, without color or definition, but its appearance was clear. It was a titance adorned with wings and a crucifix that linked the shaft to a de that resembled a hundred thorns twisted around each other. "Cetus," Rakna spoke up and the dragon whale beside him nodded. "As you wish, Lord Monarch," the Star Entity epted the unspokenmand and conjured a wave of Tears of Gaia. The golden and white water flowed into the unfinished weapon right before the hammer struck down onest time toplete the forging process. "[Let The Stars Shape Your de. Let The Essence of Life Flow into You.]" Thence released a burst of holy and impious aura, scattering the cksmith into the air and then finally taking upon its proper appearance. A halo of white crucifixes shone into existence around it and began to spin around the shaft in a circle. The spearhead was fully crimson with a golden tint at the tip of each thorn. The body of the weapon was mostly ebony, pulsing with purple lines, and luxuriously engraved with runes and decorations of both white and blue colors. Arimane smirked. "I see. So, you''re targeting both my Divinity and Domain." "[You Tasted the Blood of Christ,]" Rakna whispered and thence floated toward him, hovering to his right. The werewolf then extended his hand, not to touch his spell, but to catch the scythe that barreled through the air to his left. With shimmering eyes, he wielded Sonata with both arms and swung it with all his strength. "[Longinus,]" he softly called the name of thence right as the scythe''s de plunged into it with barely any resistance. "Eat it, Sonata," he muttered and his Soul Weapon shone strongly, tendrils of Eion forming out of it as if it was cloth being undone. They avidly devoured Longinus by piercing it hundreds of times, deconstructing its foundation, and absorbing it. ? ? ? ? ? Rhapsodic Sonata has consumed ''Longinus'' and evolved! ? --- ? Rarity Has Been Upgraded To ''Exotic''. Attack & Magic Power Has Been Augmented. New Form Unlocked; Sacrament Lance. ? --- ? - New Perk Added; Thorns of Longinus (All Forms/Conditional) Damage to Celestials will passively increase by 100% in all forms and when using the Sacrament Lance form, this perk exhibits an active effect. When activated and thrown by the wielder, it will fly and seek out a target harboring Divinity. The Anti-God properties of the Lance will fully concentrate at the tip of the thorns and destroy all manner of Divinity that ites in contact with, infecting the victim and continuously eroding their power as much as possible. ? Cost: 10 000 MP. Cooldown: 3 Days. Note: This is a perk that can normally only be used by someone who wields two opposite types of Good and Evil energies. But Rhapsodic Sonata itself possesses the characteristics necessary to activate it with nothing more than the provided mana cost. ? --- ? - New Perk Added; Road of The Martyr (All Forms) When triggered, a halo of both Dark & Light Crucifixes will form around Sonata and spin in an ordinated manner. From then on, wherever the weapon is pointed at, a merciless wave of Holy and Impious energy will erupt from the Crucifix Halo like a cannon. This ability rejects all that is divine, good, and evil at the same time. The power will be scaled to the user''s Magic Attack but will also contain the exceptional characteristic of disintegrating both physical matter and spiritual energies. Road of The Martyr is a Perk intended to pave the path to a target, whoever or whatever it may be, and present them at the mercy of the wielder. ? Cost: 5 000 MP. Cooldown: 24 Hours. ? --- ? - New Perk Added; Core Transmutation. Sonata is now capable of switching core elements. Elemental Modes Unlocked: Obsidian, Everfrost, Neverwinter, and Tears of Gaia. The default has been set to be Obsidian. Each mode will embody the disposition of the chosen element and bring about different strengths and weaknesses. ? --- ? The Perk, Tainted Holiness, has been strengthened into Wicked Sanctity. Damage to Evil-Aligned and Good-Aligned Creatures will increase by 200%. Furthermore, every injury dealt to either type will induce a decrease in statistics. ? --- ? The Perk, Lifeblood Rage, has been strengthened. The maximum amount of stockpiled Blood Units has increased from 30 000 to 40 000. ? --- ? The Perk, Symphony of Magic, has been strengthened. Effects have slightly been enhanced. ? ? ? ? ? The newly reformednce in Rakna''s hand had a much more streamlined design and the thorns of the de were coiled tighter, while the crown of crucifixes was nowhere to be seen, and instead, a ck ribbon was tied around the shaft. "if it wasn''t a Soul Weapon, I would sell the whole Pavilion to get that thing," Kryas suddenlymented after he cast an analysis skill on Sonata. "I understandpletely," Kaelith agreed easily. Azheim sweatdropped. "Please don''t ever entertain the idea of selling the Pavilion the mess it''d make across the entire System would give me a headache" "[Core C Tears of Gaia,]" their talk was interrupted by Rakna who switched the current ck and purple color scheme of Sonata into the one they had seen being assimted just a moment ago. It had an azure aura around it that resembled flowing water. ? ? ? ? ? Rhapsodic Sonata has switched cores to Tears of Gaia! ? You will receive 25% less damage from lightning, fire, or darkness-based attacks! When confronted with Nox Aeterna, this will further increase by another 25%. Your Soul Weapon will now carry light and water elemental damage and will provide purifying and exorcising powers. Additionally, if required, the user can have any spell cast through Sonata converted into a Tears of Gaia spell. ? ? ? ? ? Arimane grinned when the werewolf began to raise his weapon in a throwing motion. "So, you''re using Sonata on me, huh? To be killed by my own creation how exciting," he joked lightly and the Phantasms distanced themselves, skeptical of what that weapon could do. "I''m sure it is," Rakna quipped sardonically and his arm contracted. "[Thorns of]" He whispered and both Astraea and Nyx immediately feltpelled to run as far away as possible. But Merlina''s presence seemed to protect them from Sonata''s aura. "[Longinus!]" The werewolf opened his eyes wide and snarled. His feet dug into the crystal ground and thence was hurled, charted by a shockwave. And while fast, the weapon didn''t seem to enter the territory of imperceptible. Which was enough time for Rakna to utter one more key phrase. "[Skulk Life Down.]" There was no fanfare and loud noise. Once the perk was activated, Sonata disappeared entirely. In the split of a second that couldn''t be exined, thence struck. A hole opened up in the dragon''s chest and the weapon quietly nted itself in the ground behind as if it had always been there. Arimane spat out a handful of blood and looked down at his torso, where the attack had radically erased one of his dual hearts. Some of his silverish blood flowed from the wound while lightning sparks tried to counteract purple and golden energy spreading from it, but failed. "That''s kind of overpowered," the Kind Demon blurted out with a contrary grin; lines of anti-god energy spreading over and under his scales like a brand-newwork of veins. "What kind of bullshit are you saying?" Rakna grunted and nonchntly opened his hand, thence ejecting itself from the ground and flying over everyone''s head into his grip. "You could have killed me ages ago, and you call this overpowered when you turned off your defenses and regeneration?" "Hey, don''t say it like that," Arimane huffed as if he was offended. "This thing is actually fighting my regeneration quite a bit. You see, my blood is a homebrew of sorts," he grinned. "One of the two hearts you just blew off my chest was a transnted one. I ''stole'' it from a guy that belonged to a blessed race. World Sages; you might have heard of them." Rakna scowled and nodded at the question. "Well, I used it to make my own version of True Elixir," the dragon proudly revealed. "Just one drop of my blood could make a half-dead man return to full health." "how overpowered," the werewolf threw back. At the same time, he eyed the sky right and his Soul Marble finally shattered, promptly ending his berserk state and reverting him to a five-tailed state. The Remnants Souls fused to him faded along with it and since he was used to it by now, he quietly went through the process of reverse growth while maintaining his werewolf form. "Hahahaha! I guess I can''t deny that," Arimane continued with augh, unbothered. "But point in case; you actually managed to overpower it by a decent margin. Even if this Elixir isn''t as powerful as the real one, it''s still an achievement, you know?" "I suppose" Rakna honestly didn''t really care much about it but the System didn''t appear to share his opinion. ? ? ? ? ? You have partially countered the healing effects of a mythical medicine! You have gained a new title; Immortality Breaker! Wounds dealt by the user will resist all forms of elerated healing depending on the difference in levels. ? ? ? ? ? "but thanks," the werewolf deadpanned, somewhat addressing both his uncle and the System. Arimane cackled loudly. "You''re wee," he uttered and nced downward when the ''infection'' started encroaching his neck. "Well, before I go, I should at least give you some treats," he said, and ignoring his puzzled nephew, he turned his attention to the group in the distance. He skimmed over Merlina, praising her inwardly for the invisible materialization of her aura that was currently protecting everyone there. ''Certainly, worthy of being called a knight,'' hemented as the hexagrams in his eyes peered through her status. Obviously, the System windows were child''s y for him to crack through. He quickly switched his attention back to Rakna''s closepanions and his lips curled up. ''An and via are doing quite well an Ichubyr? That''s rare. And a Chaos Witch, with a soul interwoven with her scary,'' he chuckled. His next focus was Nyx and he hummed thoughtfully. ''Interesting she awoke Aeter in the purest form possible. I didn''t really imnt my power in her though, so she must have naturally assimted the affinity while being exposed to my First White Art for so long. She''s doing well with it'' ''And'' Arimane narrowed his eyes as the illusionary image of a pair of draconic eyes stared at him from some unseen ce. Some kind of sound was also being transmitted to him. ''Aah, yes, yes. I know, Queen Tiamat. But for now, I can''t help you,'' he replied silently and the sound paused. ''Even if it was my real self, I would have needed help. So, continue helping the kids, and I''ll fulfill your request the best I can.'' There was only silence in response, but Nyx abruptly shivered and surveyed her surroundings in confusion. The dragon snorted. ''I''ll take that as acknowledgment.'' ''Let''s see'' He looked at some of the others. ''Kaelith nothing much to say; she''s a talented girl. And Kara, is it? No wonder she likes the kid. She has quite a gentle and sensitive heart despite her attitude. Evelyn; a Phantom, huh? That is an interesting case of ckening. Higure undead cycling back to the living? That''s also rare. And themia is called Marie Hm, she has potential.'' Evaluating each person, he eventually got to Ceresta and furrowed his eyebrows. ''Now that''s a truly miraculous case. Formtion Magic too. She can go far; very far. And then there''s him'' The dragon''s eyes turned a bit sullen when theynded on Hans. ''Honestly'' He shook his head. ''What the hell is one of the Enders of The Lost Era doing all the way here?'' He huffed and looked at Cura, and the sword on his back. ''That one too. The shark is a peculiar guy all on his own, but King Gulon is another relic of the Lost Era'' ''Well, they certainly don''t need my help,'' Arimane determined and finally took a look at all four pets of the group. ''Tyran, Natsu, Akronis and Pronos. That kid didn''t use his Soul Beast against me? How stubborn can he be?'' He sighed. ''Regardless, all of them are monsters on the rise.'' ''As for those two, I can''t do anything,'' he looked at the twost members; Astraea and Lanata. ''The sheep girl is already a menace and even if I tried, I couldn''t do much. And that Star Entity oh, well, if the kid wants to add her to his harem, he''ll figure out a way to turn her into a living being.'' "I have a hunch you just thought of something infuriating, old man," Rakna raised his voice. "Hahaha, nonsense," the dragonughed and ended his train of thought there. "Well, that''s enough scouting on my part. I got a good picture of what to do," he said enigmatically and slowly directed his palm at the group. On cue, a massive magic circle whirled into existence and the Espectros tensed. They couldn''t feel anything dangerous from it but who knew if the Kind Demon had suddenly changed his mind? "[Third Forbidden Art,]" Arimane chanted and mischievously enjoyed the nervous expressions he got in response to the ominous name. "[Essentia Dominus.]" It was a power that defined the World; a Law that must be followed. And the dragon was currently bending it to his will. Nyx recognized it easily as it began to affect them all. She looked at her hands in surprise as a warm silver and ck light bounced on and off her skin like a probe. That phenomenon spread to An, Marie, Higure, via, Evelyn, Ceresta, and ended with the four Pets and Soul Beasts. It was gone as fast as it came and left behind a flustered group. "Say" An raised his voice in disbelief and pointed at what was probably a System window. "Is it normal that my level suddenly went up to above 400?" "It seems so" Marie answered with an equally amazed expression. "Mwahaha! My prodigious self has grown even stronger!" Akronis cheered boisterously, puffing up his chest and dodging an annoyed jab from his master. "What the?" Higure stared at her hands in disbelief. "Not only did I level up, but I also recovered skills and hah, I''m not an undead anymore," she shook her head. "This is crazy." via and Evelyn seemed to be both staring at their status with widened eyes as well while Ceresta seemed excited about something, as much as her muted expressions could show at least. Pronos and Tyran were quiet about it, but Natsu''szy stance on his contractor''s shoulder visibly changed. "really?" Rakna deadpanned to his uncle after checking everyone''s levels and status with Crystal Sight. They hadn''t just gained levels; some of their skills had been enhanced, their traits updated or improved, or directly granted hidden potentials. Arimane chuckled and lowered his hand. "What? I just threw some bones to the poor kids. At this rate, you would just leave them in the dust otherwise," he grinned. "I empowered them just enough so it wouldn''t negatively affect their innate growth, so be happy. The others are too strong or ''unique'' to receive it." "what about me?" The werewolf retorted reproachfully. "Oi, oi, kid, shamelessness has its limits," the dragon cackled. "But don''t worry, I have a better kind of gift for you," he dered and grasped the right side of his torso. He grunted and dug his ws into the scales and flesh. Rakna raised an eyebrow while Merlina and everyone behind her had troubled reactions due to the sounds produced. Soon enough, Arimane pulled out what he had been aiming for and held up arge ck and red colored heart pulsing in his hand with silver blood dripping from it. "Catch," the dragon uttered and casually tossed the muscle. The werewolf caught it with one hand, clutching the disproportionate heart. He inspected it while sparks of ck lightning popped in and out of it. Rakna looked back at his uncle andid down the greatest argument of all time; silence. "" "" "" "what are you waiting for? Eat it." "Crazy old man" "I don''t want to hear that from you, Mister ''I have a skill that''s all about eating my own heart and blowing up''. You''re gonna tell me that''s something a sane person would have?" "" "just fucking eat it already." Chapter 390: Desperation Chapter 390: Desperation ? ? ? ? Designation: Heart/Divine/Demonic/Draconic Name: --- Rarity: Exotic ? Description: A heart originating from a vessel of the Kind Demon. It holds the power of Nox Aeterna and the demonic nature of Angra Mainyu. ?Note: Further details are unknown. ? ? ? ? ? "" Rakna silently stared at therge muscle while contemting which way to use it. "Don''t overthink it," Arimane brusquely interrupted his thoughts. "If you try to add that as yourst genome, you''ll just pop like a balloon. Get the idea out of your head." The werewolf''s expression twitched in annoyance. "Thanks for the heads up" "You''re wee," the dragon nodded without shame. "Also, the reason I won''t mess with your Life Force is simple; it''ll mess up the ''recipe''," he said and pointed at his nephew. "To avoid that, you need to personally be involved in the process of receiving my power. You''ll eat it, refine it with your mes, and diffuse it inside your Star." "" "On top of that, since youbusted a lot of my Divinity earlier, you already have broken the bnce with your Infernity. We''ll fix that by feeding you my demonic energy." Rakna clicked his tongue but didn''t disagree. The Divinity had indeed started pushing back inside the Obsidian Star. ''I thought I had been hiding it well, but I guess it doesn''t mean much to him'' "And finally, if I don''t do this, you''ll have a hard time properly awakening your Sub-Path." "what?" The werewolf blinked at the unexpected topic. "Listen up, do you know what a Nephilim draws strength from?" Arimane asked with crossed arms. "wasn''t it something along the lines of converting Sins, Virtues, and more generally, all forms of evil and good into power?" "Wroong~," the dragon uttered with a look that screamed ''how dumb can you be?''. Rakna''s grip on Sonata trembled, itching to throw thence again. "Being a Nephilim entails reversing the flow of Fate and the World itself. Anything that a normal living being would normally exude out of themselves instead goes back inward." The exnation flew over Rakna''s head but a few of the bystanders overhearing the conversation perked up in extreme curiosity. "If they indulge in evil, it doesn''te out as demonic energy. It goes back inside as power. If they do good, they don''t gain holy energy, it turns into more power," Arimane exined as if it was obvious. "They hate someone? It makes them stronger. They love someone? It makes them stronger. If they kill? Even stronger. If they destroy or create? Stronger." The spatialyer fell into silence as he fired what seemed to be an infinite number of methods to gain power by merely living. "And of course, if someone hates them, loves them, projects their evil onto them, or subjects them to their virtuousness, they get stronger," the dragon sighed. "Basically, Nephilim are all unlimited sinkholes. At rest, they don''t release even a single speck of energy." The Demon waved at Rakna again. "You are partially one. To be exact, you started bing one when you fell into that ''Blood Pool''. The shiny guy saved your soul, and the Remnants thus had nowhere to go but be your own strength. That marked your crude ascension into a Nephilim. And it is also the most important ingredient of the ''Stone''. It''s like the core that pulls everything together and is governed by Sins and fueled by Divine Infernity." The werewolf furrowed his eyebrows. "Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?" "Because" Arimane raised an eyebrow. "If your awakening into a Nephilim does not turn out to be powerful enough, the ''core'' will fall apart. The ''recipe'' will copse and you with it." "" "You''re holding the solution to that," the dragon jerked toward the heart. "Honestly, you don''t even have to do anything other than eat it. You''ll be a Nephilim once you do," he stated with a wide grin. "that''s beyond fishy," Rakna retorted. "Come on, trust your dear uncle," Arimane smirked. "Did I ever mislead you in the past?" "About 148 times," the werewolf deadpanned and the dragon froze. "what the fuck have you been counting, kid?" He muttered in disbelief. "You''re not denying it." "I wouldn''t even know where to start" He admitted nkly. Rakna huffed and looked back at the heart in his hand. Without a word, he used Size Alteration to shrink it to a size where he could swallow it in one bite. "Uh, that works," hemented. "To be clear, old man, I would never use this as my fourth genome even if you told me to." "Hm?" Arimane tilted his head in curiosity. "Not only would your abilities annoy me to death every time I use them" "Oi" "But my instincts have already locked onto one target," the werewolf said. "And you''re not it. Sorry to say, but I trust my instincts more than I trust you." "Haha, I can understand that" Arimane smiled and watched as his nephew raised the heart to his mouth before abruptly stopping. "Hm? Something wrong?" "No I think I just understood what will happen to me when I eat this," Rakna replied calmly and eyed his uncle. "So, before I do it, I need to hear something first." "What is it?" "The Tra," Rakna cut to the chase and Arimane stiffened. This question coincidentally caused the Espectros to react minutely and the spectating group to focus. "I have my assumptions, but I want to hear it from your mouth." Arimane squinted his eyes and hummed audibly. "I see how about I answer it this way," he said and raised one finger. "Year one; death rates increased by 1864%, crime rates decreased by 87%, social cohesion improved by 76%, average life force increased by 945%." He raised a second finger. "Year five; from the initial values again, death rates decreased by 67%, crime rates decreased by 62%, social cohesion improved by 68%, average life force increased by 1996%, casualties of poverty and famine decreased by 85%, corruption increased by 32%, and finally, the number of Worlds dying every day to self-ruin decreased by 78%." The flood of statistics spoken by the Eternal Night God caused more than a few people to just listen dumbfounded. Only a select few had the proper context to understand what it was about, while the others were either confused or graduallying to a usible conclusion. "you haven''t changed," Rakna snorted in amusement. "Proudly and urately keeping track of your experiment''s results. 78% less world destruction? Compared to that, the first-period death toll and a measly 32% increase in corruption is a cheap price." "I know, right?" Arimane chuckled in response, but it sounded somewhat hollow, his smile sharp and his eyes closed. "That''s all I wanted to hear," Rakna added in finality and promptly devoured the heart. A pir of purple and ck energy erupted where he stood and was followed by a howl-like roar. Arimane immediately felt ''The Scavenger'' activate. This Nirvana Skill was like none other in its ability to plunder a target''s power. Realistically speaking, as the Kind Demon, he is more than able to regenerate his heart at will. Additionally, it would rationally not carry much of his power. That was the case for most creatures in Existence. The heart was a simple part of their physiology, not the source of their strength. But ''The Harvester'' did not care; the skill used it as a medium to cast something akin to a unique World Law. That Law was simple: ''If Rakna Xiorra eats your heart, your power will be stolen''. It didn''t matter if the target was dead for centuries, or if their soul waspletely gone; the World would see to it that the Law was respected. This was an ability born from the hunger of a Nephilim. Looking down at himself, Arimane saw Soledad''s bindings fall off his body, but not because he had shaken them off; they simply had nothing to restrain anymore. His body was already cracking and dissipating. Instead, the pir of energy shrouding Rakna became even bigger and bolts of lightning escaped from the top, thunder resounding everywhere. The howl of the werewolf became louder as if he was hollering in both pain and rage. Merlina widened her eyes as the energy became too much to hold back with her aura alone. She lifted one arm and a beautiful gauntlet appeared around it. Summoning one part of her Soul Armor, she let it shine and manifest an even greater spectral defense. Everyone behind her winced when Rakna''s roar was heard a third time. Kaelith squeezed her arms whilst biting the inside of her lips. "Why does it sound as if he''s in pain?" She mumbled worriedly. Kara, on the other hand, had a solemn expression. "Think about it, Kae Rara''s ability has always had a certain limit from what he told us, didn''t it?" "You mean?" "Oh! So, that''s why he bought hearts from my Trafford," Zialtra eximed. "Last I heard, he picked only those around level 200 or 300. And thess who came to buy more in his name" "500," Evelyn stated firmly. "That is the maximum level I dared to use in making Cardiac Pills. And that is considering my method drastically reduces the toll normally put on Rakna''s body But the heart of the Kind Demon can''t even bepared to that" "Why would the old guy make him eat it like that in the first ce?" Higure frowned. "From what I know, ''Harvester'' breaks down the heart''s power into dormant Traits and skills. But ''Scavenger'' pours out everything in one go." "The answer is there," Nyx chimed in. "As you said, ''Harvester'' converts the power into dormant potential. But it nheless takes ''space''. Each person has a different ''capacity'' for both body and soul. Rakna''s is probably incredibly high but for someone like Reigen it would be like trying to fit an ocean inside a river. It would erase his existence from the inside out. But to use ''Scavenger'' instead means drowning Rakna inside the ocean instead. Why would he?" She trailed, unsure. "Wis," via quietly called for an exnation afterward and the hat atop her head sighed. "The Kind Demon seeks to ''kickstart'' a Nephilim awakening," Wis answered simply. "By now, it is of no surprise that Rakna Xiorra has quite a set of special circumstances. Shortly said, the Demon wishes to infuse untold amounts of power into the ''Obsidian Star'' until it spills out. The boy will experience a state where his entire soul is filled to the brim as if redefining what he is into nothing more than a sentient bundle of energy." "What would that aplish?" Azheim asked in confusion. "Well, of course," the hat snickered. "What does a beast rely on in the end? Survival instinct." As if on cue, the rampaging pir of energy abruptly shifted. In the blink of an eye, it stopped rising upward and instead began bloating into a dome. It verged closer to the group and Merlina was about to intervene when it stopped just a few meters away from them. Then, it began to rewind its path, returning to its epicenter. The energy flowed inward, not letting even a single spark or ember go in any other direction. It continued like so until all of it had been fully retracted inside the now untransformed therian. Rakna heard several System notifications ping him but right before he lost consciousness, he used thest of his strength to re at Arimane. "Asshole you could have warned me" He uttered and promptly cked out. But right before he copsed, a sheep appeared out of nowhere and cushioned his fall with its pink wool. Lanata then quickly came up and patted her sheep summon who bleated happily. "Good job," she praised while everyone else also began to walk up. "he grew his sixth tail," Kaelith remarked as she gently brushed aside his bangs. "And I don''t sense anything from him at all," Kryas added curiously. "No energy, no aura; just pure physical presence. It goes way beyond the protection of Sloth that I know of." "Of course," Arimane''s voice rang out and everyone startlingly focused on him, almost forgetting that he was still there due to his continuously decreasing aura, now making him appear as some sort of half-exorcized ghost. "If Humans are wielders of Sin, Nephilim are its rulers." "So, you''re saying it worked?" Nyx inquired with narrowed eyes. "Hahaha!" The dragonughed good-naturedly. "That, it did. It might have been a little painful for both him and the ones inside his Soul Realm, but they''ll walk it off," he shrugged. "As for me, I''m pretty much done here." Arimane looked down at himself with a hum and then gazed at the sky. "But I suppose I have the time to leave a few parting words," he stated and brought a frown to the faces of the Espectros who wanted nothing more than him to disappear for good. "Hey!" The dragon abruptly shouted at no one. "You''re watching, right? You wayward child!" ? * * * ? Swimming in a void of emptiness, a pair of eyes opened softly, revealing irises resembling several geometrical shapes oveid atop one another, with each slowly and independently rotating. "Father" A whisper pierced through the emptiness. "[What is your goal?]" The voice of the Kind Demon reached her. "[You, who has reached the peak defining me? What do you desire to do with a power that matches mine?]" "" ? * * * ? "no answer, huh?" Arimane muttered to the silence of the spatialyer, ignoring the stares he was being given by everyone. "Or can I not hear you from all the way to Meuro?" He asked. A beat of silence passed and then, a ck line was traced in the dimensional storm that made up the sky of this ce. With an ominous noise, an ellipse was torn open, and a giant eyeposed of so many intricateyers peered down at them. Right away, an oppressive force descended. Even the Phantasms were not spared. They paled and trembled as the ''eye of emptiness'' scrutinized them, making them feel like nothing. Only two people stared right back, Arimane and Hans. The others could only force themselves not to lower their head and nothing more. Even Lanata had a mortified expression, her cheeriness nowhere to be seen, while someone like Ceresta was trapped by an intensity of emotions she could have never imagined experiencing. Though, it seemed Cetus, who had been rather quiet until now, could muster enough grit to look at it vaguely. That extended to Astraea who was a Star Entity like him. "There you are," Arimane grinned and the eye, who had been affixed on the unconscious form of Rakna, turned to the dragon. "Are you the one? The Tras closest to me?" There was no response and he chuckled. "I have to say, for Meuro to birth you of all things it''s beyond unexpected," he said. "That''s not a ce even I can take lightly, and you have tamed it... Or perhaps, a more urate way of putting it would be; you became one with it." "So, the question is, what do you want?" The dragon mused. "If you truly are the embodiment of emptiness, logically, only one thing could bring you contentment hah," he snickered as he ultimately did not require an answer to understand. "You as well are desperate, huh?" The watching eye''s shapes slowed down as if emting a squint. Arimane huffed at the Espectros. "Desperate spirits," he uttered. "Desperate prisoners," he said while ncing at the Hosts nearby. "And a desperate monster," he finished with a smirk aimed at her; the Tras Empress of Emptiness. "What do you say, does that describe you well?" "you will not stop me, Father." The voice that resounded from the sky was soft and cold. But the effect it had on its listeners was more than just disorienting. Empty; that''s how their mind suddenly became. It was as if the voice alone could dispel all of their thoughts and emotions Who knew what a touch would do? "Is that your answer?" Arimane replied with a sad smile. "It won''t work, you know? It will only worsen it. False hopes are cruel." "It does not matter My existence is void, my purpose empty. Is it such a heinous desire for at least one of them to be different?" The dragon quietly shut his mouth. "The next time we meet, Father, I shall be your opponent." With those parting words, the eye rapidly closed and the dark line faded awaypletely, lifting the domineering sense of power and destion that had been weighing on the surroundings. "Aah" Arimane sighed audibly. "I tried," he chuckled wryly and turned to the people crowding his nephew. He could tell that many of them were slowly being overwhelmed by today''s events. "Well, that''s my cue. Take care of the kid for me, okay? Also, my dear nieces-inw, I hope you can tolerate him in the foreseeable future," he said with a grin andughed at the blushing faces he got in return. As soon as he said that, his body began to fade and the Espectros finally rxed, now sure that he couldn''t rekindle his life force; the vessel was indeed dead. But right before the dragon went awaypletely, he eximed as if he had just been struck by a genius idea. "Ah! Wait, thinking about it, the kid''s quite simr to that Empress A Nephilim who devours to quell his hollowness and a Tras who swallows to quell her emptiness" The picture painted by those words caused Kaelith and a few others to deadpan. "Hahaha! Tell the kid when he wakes up!" Arimaneughed. "Get that girl in his harem and half the problems will be solved! Hahaha!" Eventually, his silhouettepletely disappeared while in the middle ofughter. The silence that followed onlycked a tumbleweed to be nothing less than unforgettable. Chapter 391: Lost Era Chapter 391: Lost Era "Finally" Locura sighed after Arimane was gone. He waved his right hand and opened some kind of gateway of which the depths could not be perceived. "We''re done here," he said, ncing at the watchful group of Hosts in the distance. Soledad simrly looked at them, narrowing her eyes at Rakna, and much like her tworades, wondering what the Kind Demon exactly implied about his importance to their n. "Not even gonna taunt us a little?" Zialtra abruptly spoke up, sneering at them. "If you''re the big bad guys, at least pretend a bit. Your presence here is so mild that honestly it pisses me off," she glowered. Locura gazed at her impassively. "And what''s that bullshit with the Global Quest? You want us to fight your war?" "it''s equally in your best interest to fight the Tras Empress," Miedo raised his voice to rebut her. "Based on Eternal Night''s words, her goal might very well threaten your lives." "Right and then after that, we''re supposed to let you do whatever you want," the Hunting Queen replied sarcastically. "What stops us from beating your asses right now, huh?" "Perhaps nothing," Locura said with a nk tone. "Chances are, all of you here are enough to defeat us too. We''re not all-powerful even if we are the ones who manage Systema. The three of us would lose to either of your two top Hosts alone, much less all of you together. Though, of course, it''s not something I''d rmend since plenty of you here are not strong enough to survive." Zialtra blinked in surprise at the easy admittance. "To make it worse, we Phantasms are not as numerous as we were eons ago," he added. "Eternal Night most likely knows this, but our numbers are finite. Phantasms are a race of spirits destined to go extinct." "And? Do you want us to feel sorry for you?" Kaelith suddenly asked with her arms crossed. He snorted. "How convenient would that be? Maybe we should have tried long ago," he uttered without a care in the world. "But it doesn''t matter; let me ask you something, have you ever held a goal, an ambition, for billions of years?" The vixen furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" "He means that justifications lose themselves to time," Hans spoke up while giving an uninterested look to the Phantasms. "I understand now how boring you are. The Kind Demon was being far too generous when he called you ''desperate''. At this point, you should envisage expediting your own extinction in order to have a satisfactory resolution." Soledad audibly gritted her teeth at that, her cold expression twisting venomously. "You''re one to talk, Wailful Nightmare! There is no Phantasm in all Existence that does not hold hatred for you! You know very well why! So, how about you follow your own advice!?" She yelled. Hans scoffed and adjusted his sses while everyone around him widened their eyes in shock, not expecting to hear something like that. "Unfortunately," the author whispered. "That is an escape I have been denied by an all-too-loving fairy," he said with a humorous tone as if he was aware of a joke no one else did. "Oi, midget" Zialtra scowled at the azure-haired boy. "What is that about?" "You--!" Soledad was about to continue when the cloaked arm of Miedo cut off her sight. "Enough, Soledad. Fighting the Last Ender is not part of our objectives," he spoke slowly and she clenched her fists until eventually swinging her arms in anger. She turned around and walked into the portal opened by Locura after sending onest re toward Hans. Miedo lowered his arm and nced at the Hosts, a single white dot piercing through the darkness of his hood. Without a word, he followed Soledad into the gateway. Locura disyed no visible reaction or emotion to Hans'' or Soledad''s words. However, before he left, he responded to the azure-haired boy''s criticism, "You''re right. It can''t be called desperation. And I don''t think someone like me, whose epithet is insanity, has any ground to defend it." The Espectro turned around. "But I suppose if I had to give it a name" He stepped forward. "The word ''obsession'' would fit well." On that note, thest of the trio vanished into the portal and closed it right behind him. On cue, the power that Soledad appeared to have applied on the spatialyer was undone and the connection with the Arena was re-established. ? * * * ? The first day of the Arena Games ended with mixed impressions, but the fight that had transpired before the cameras turned off nheless threw the whole System and its residents into chaos. Whether it was the true identity of Rakna Xiorra, the conversations he had with Eternal Night, or his power that surpassed even high-level Hosts; any of these was major news. In the evening that followed, countless articles and onlinements had been made and the cause of it all had just woken up with a bad case of soul-induced nausea. "I swear I''ll punch that old bastard in the face next time I see him," Rakna grunted out as he sat up on the couch of his home. "Actually, I''ll just shove another Longinus through his teeth" "Heh, will that even do anything to him though?" Higure asked with a smile as she leaned over the couch''s back. The therian huffed and after shaking off the strange side-effects left by eating Arimane''s heart, he confirmed that he was in his territory with everyone. "Looks like you guys brought me back all the way here with extra guests," he uttered as he spotted Merlina, Caer, Zialtra, and Cura. They were sitting at the dining table since there were no other seats. Caer shed a friendly smile, his squinted eyes curving into crescents. "Heya," he quipped with a wave of his hand. "I hope you don''t mind us visiting." "Hm" Rakna narrowed his eyes and nced at Kaelith, who was sitting next to him. "All right it seems all of you have something on your mind. Otherwise, foxy would have already started bashing me for doing unnecessarily risky things." The vixen rolled her eyes. "Wow, look at him, he''s learning but not really," she said sarcastically and the others chuckled. She then pointed at Hans who was nonchntly eating an apple. "And to answer you, wolfy, we''re waiting for him to spit out whatever he knows." "Well, personally, I''m more curious about our newbie''s abilities" Caer voiced his opinion. "I won''t tell you crap. You saw and heard a lot today. Be happy with it," Rakna immediately denied and he smiled wryly. "So, something happened while I was unconscious?" "Yeah," An nodded. "Want me to dumb it down for you?" "No need. Give me a second," the therian replied and ced a hand on the right side of his face. On cue, his eyes began to rotate and transfer data directly into his mind. "This thing could record my whole life in video and still have space," he exined. "So, I just let it. It''s especially useful for when I''m not conscious." It only took a few seconds and the transcript of the conversation they had with the Phantasms had already been digested by his brain. "I see" He casually said and looked at Hans who took onest bite of his fruit. "I was waiting for you to wake up before saying anything, but I suppose it was not that meaningful with that kind of feature," the azure-haired boy said and leaned back, crossing his legs. "Where to start" He hummed. "I do not know everything, but I am privy to a few key details." He mused and eventually tapped the small table in between everyone with his finger. At his touch, a nk book was conjured by his magic and he waved over the cover, manifesting a title on it. "Let us go back to the beginning," he stated. "Have any of you ever heard of the Lost Era?" Caer and Astraea were the only ones present who reacted meaningfully. Then, there was Fray who immediately made himself known with a telepathic link from within Rakna''s soul. "{Are you referring to the Original Era?}" The fabulist asked curiously. "Indeed, some call it that way," Hans snorted. Astraea spoke up soon after, "The Lost Era or Original Era, is a hypothesized time that precedes the current Existence as we know it. Before there were Worlds, Realities, or Parallel nes, there is said to have been a smaller and stabler Existence." "A hypothesis?" Rakna raised an eyebrow. "Even in Egregore?" She shook her head. "Not exactly. It is a half-proven one. There are creatures in our current times that are said to be survivors of a catastrophic end that urred in that era. Which is why most call it ''Lost''. It was destroyed and forgotten. Egregore may have existed during those times but theplete eradication of all life by unknown means somehow stopped the information from ever being carried over." "I expected as much," Hans nodded and the angel threw him a strange look. "By many theories a few beings have been marked as potential ''relics''," she said. "But no one has ever found any concrete proof to make it decisive. The suspects generally consist of creatures that have no traceable origin in our current era, and--" "Save your breath," Hans raised his hand to stop her. "No need to throw around guesses. I will tell you right now; there are two such relics in this room as we speak." Everyone blinked and only one ''individual'' reacted with augh. It was guttural and dark, echoing from beside Cura, where King Gulon was propped against the wall. Hans nced at the living weapon whose scales grew and whose mouth opened in hrity. "As you might have guessed King Gulon is one of them. I had my reservations when I first saw him. I was quite certain of his origin, do not get me wrong, but that he knew exactly what I was made me sure that he is an ancient creature, even by the standards of the Lost Era." Gul stoppedughing and grinned with a threatening row of teeth. A fascinatingly articte growl came out of his throat and only Rakna and Cura understood his words. "''Are you going to confess your failures, Wailful Nightmare?''" The shark man tranted the words of his weapon. Hans huffed and ignored the question. "And, of course, as you might have guessed already, I am the second ''relic'' in this room. The nature of my existence is due to my connection with two ''foreign forces''. King Gulon seems to have witnessed the birth of both of them, so there is no doubt that he is at least more than twenty billion years old." The eyes in the room snapped to the ancient creature and Gul snarled. "He''s saying that he spent most of that time sleeping," Cura interpreted. "And that if you want to look at someone weirdly, the Wailful One is not that much younger." "I was not exactly alive for most of that time either," Hans retorted with a snicker. "Regardless, this should be enough to introduce the basics of what I am, right?" Everyone nodded dumbly. "Wonderful. That will be relevantter. Now, let us move to another race of survivors. However, you will quickly realize that they cannot truly be called as such. Unlike His Majesty and I, they were not born during the Lost Era but rather created BY it. And they are the Phantasms." Hi, Im back. Yes, Im alive. . Thest three weeks can be summarized with the words fuck and shit, but from the top, I had to go to the emergency three weeks ago. Aint gonna bother to exin what it was for, but basically, I was suffering. . Its nothing bad, dont worry. Heck, its not even an issue anymore. Well, I still have an appointment in a month or so lets hope anything doesnt aggravate itself till then. . Other than that, I was genuinely busy. To make things worse, I was so damn low on energy its not even funny. Had a couple of unlucky days too, and today is literally the most rxed Ive been in about a month. . Seriously. Today feels like Heaven for some reason. . Anyway, after this impromptu and rather messy break, I think Im gonna organize myself a little better. Like I said before, Im not going to stop writing. Im just too damn stubborn. I should just finish the novel, to be honest. The sooner its done with, the sooner I can focus on other stuff (Not gonna rush anything, dw). . But yeah, thank you to those who worried and messaged me. Im just the type whos really bad at handling unexpected stuff. Once my daily life gets destabilized, I get KOd easily. . On that note, good day. Or night, for me.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 392: Lost Era II Chapter 392: Lost Era II "The Lost Era ended due to a series of disasters. As if fate had abandoned it, it was chipped away piece by piece until no life remained," Hans began to recount. "Evidently, the casualty toll reached absurd numbers. Even if the poption back then was not as high as today, the universe still housed countless civilizations." He flicked his finger toward the book he had summoned earlier and it was opened to the first page where apletely dark image was sprinkled with white spots. "All of that caused an unparalleled cluster of ''death force''. Restless souls were despoiled and swallowed. The stronger ones became nuclei and consumed the others, along with more deathly energy." "Billions of dead souls would turn into one spirit," he said and snapped his fingers. The white haze on the first page shifted to the second in real time and became silhouettes. "And thus, Phantasms were born." "So, that''s why Locura said their numbers were finite," Nyx remarked with a thoughtful tone. "Hm? But isn''t that a method that can still be replicated?" Kara asked curiously. "Obviously, there''d be requirements, but it is ultimately feasible." "You are looking at it from the wrong perspective," Hans shook his head. "The situation that made them cannot be reproduced. Shall I remind you that they are made of souls of the Lost Era? During those times, the Original World Laws, as you know them today, did not exist." "Magic Circuits were nonexistent and mana was something you would breathe in like air. The livesposing the Phantasms are much differentpared to the patterns of this ''Era''. And that is not an environment that can ever be simted." Rakna mused. "But what led them to create the System?" Hans let out a snort. "You are jumping the gun, Xiorra. First of all, Phantasms remained in aa for the first billion or so years of their existence. This was because of one simple fact. Amalgamated dead souls are nheless dead. And since ''Existence'' itself had fallen to ruin, there was nothing to animate them." "However, soon came along the Original Creators," the azure-haired boy said as he flipped the next pages to show two silhouettes that resembled golems, one ck and the other white. "Their names were nderer and Prayer respectively. Some of you might have heard of them; they are known to be the creatures who created Realities as we know them today. In other words, they created a new iteration of ''Existence'' from scratch after the fall of the Lost Era." "That''s how it was?" Nyx furrowed her eyebrows. "The Original Creators were never a secret to anyone outside of the System but considering you prefaced that by mentioning the Lost Era, does it mean that they have something to do with it?" Hans nodded and waved at the drawings. "Do they not look like golems? Artificial? The reason they appear so is because they are. nderer and Prayer were ast-attempt effort put together by one almighty being all of you have heard of; Yahweh." The name spurred a series of astonished expressions in the room. "W-wait a minute," Caer raised his voice first, his squinted eyes opening in disbelief. "You mean that the Primeval God of All we know of lived before our current Era?" "Yes," Hans nodded simply. "Why is it so shocking to you?" "Well" "In the first ce, Yahweh never was a God. The concept of Divinity did not even exist in the times of the Lost Era. People called him the Almighty One. But sadly, even he failed to stop the ''End''. This is something I''ve been told by the owner of a certain Realm," he said, glossing over who that was exactly on purpose. "She watched it all happen." "At the time, Yahweh saw that all life would cease to exist. He realized that if he did not intervene somehow, Existence would eternally remain a lifeless void. Thus, burning his life force until only a spark remained, he created two things; the Original Creators and the Spiritual Tree." "Uh?" Nyx blinked in shock. "Someone made the Spiritual Tree? The elusive center of Existence that dictates the birth of Realities and Myths? That Spiritual Tree?" Hans rolled his eyes. "Yes. The very same." "Is that even possible for one being to make?" Astraea, the only other Goddess in the room, shared her brethren''s disbelief. "But Egregore grows from the roots of the Spiritual Tree! Are you saying that he created our Realm as well?!" The author sighed blearily. "Quiet down," he grunted. "The Spiritual Tree is indeed his creation no matter how unbelievable you deem it to be. What you ought to know instead, is that he nted the sprout of the Tree whilst linking it to all the Realms." Astraea widened her eyes. "It is not that Egregore was born from the Tree, but that thetter grew on the former. Using the power of the Major Realms was Yahweh''s only chance to engender something powerful enough to recreate a semnce of life. You could say the Spiritual Tree itself is a self-contained Realm. It took a billion years for it to grow old enough to start its duties. It had been fed information and stories directly from the Realms and Yahweh himself." Hans nced over the room. "Many of the popr myths you know of originally urred during the Lost Era and were re-enactedter on in the New Era, birthing legends." "From that point onward, it snowballed," he continued and flipped the pages of his book. "After the sprout was finally done growing, the Original Creators were awakened. From then on, they began to enact their ''programming''." The book showed arge tree, shining like ss and crowned with white leaves. "Using the power of the Spiritual Tree, they created World Laws to set a stable environment for life to bloom. Which was quickly followed by the first Mother Reality." "It was roughly then that Phantasms first showed signs of awakening," Hans stated, bringing the topic back to the beginning and grabbing everyone''s attention. "The first Mother Reality had no such thing as ''time'' and only a few extremely mighty races were born in those conditions." He waved at the book and showed the next page split into four cases depicting a different creature each. "Tiamat, Mother of Twilight. Ra-Horakhty, Phoenix God-King. Acuran, World Devourer. And Timaiyin-Munti, The Archfiend." "So, ''Horsey'' did have a name" An mumbled in the background. "You only require to focus on one of them," Hans pressed on. "Ra-Horakhty. He is the progenitor of all Phoenixes. And as his faction grew, their ''Ash Fire'', that burned death itself to revive them from cinders, eventually awakened the Phantasms due to the sheer conceptual threat." The next set of book pages depicted white silhouettes fighting zing birds. "A premature war was initiated between the two. The Phoenixes did not just represent a risk; they were a genuine danger to the continued existence of the Phantasms. In a Reality where the rules had yet to be fully fleshed out, a sh of Existentiality could decimate the Phantasms." "Not to mention, barely awakened and uncertain of their situation, they were forced to pour their all into self-preservation," Hans said and idly started cleaning his sses. "The warsted a while and within that period, the Broken Depths was founded. An innermost association led by the Royal Phantasms whose only goal was the guaranteed survival of Phantasms." "At first, they sought a countermeasure to the Phoenixes. But the war ended thanks to the Spiritual Tree''s intervention, which created a conceptual barrier between the two races, while the Original Creators also established thest fundamental World Laws." "But" Hans narrowed his eyes. "With that, the River of Time began flowing once again on the ''soil'' of the Spiritual Tree. The Phantasms were faced with another threat; they began to decay." "Decay?" Rakna interjected for the first time; intrigued by the word choice. "Ah I see," on the other hand, Nyx seemed to understand something. "They decayed not only in one way but two, didn''t they?" She said with an almost concerned expression. Hans eyed her and nodded slowly. "First of all, the only concrete anchor of a Phantasm''s life fully lies in their nucleus. The rest are amalgamated souls. Crudely said, it is as if they wear the dead as armor. Such a thinges with one demerit; the souls do not possess permanency. Without a body to rely on, they have no protection from time and the world. They gradually eroded." "The early days of the Broken Depths were quite upright all things considered," he closed his eyes with a hum. "They purely wished to live, carrying with them the legacy of the past. Obviously, their first and most promising idea was simply to possess the body of a physical being. But when they realized that possessing corpses did not work, they refused to hijack living ones." "They still had time before the erosion became fatal, so they decided to research other methods in the meantime. However, cruelly for them, the second head of the issue reared up. The two types of decay they went through; one is for what they are, and the other is for who they are." Again, the book was flipped on its own and the two subsequent pages felt mirrored. Both depicted some kind of bubble and each was filled with light. The first was entirely green while the second was blue, but in thetter, tiny green spots seemed to be mixed in. "The left circle is the Lost Era, and the right one is our current Existence," Hans exined. "Both have different colors signifying the drastic difference in both ''structure'' and w''. And as you see, there are some intruders in the blue. Within the foreign light, what will happen to them?" "They''ll get swallowed?" Higure mused out loud. "Worse," Hans snickered. "Surrounded, smothered, persecuted, and pushed back until the source of the anomalous light is doused. That is how Phantasms live in a world that is not theirs. To them, this trantes into a corruption that vites their core being. Over time, the blended ''memories'' and ''emotions'' thatpose them rampage and copse." "Some fall to madness, others die, a few kill themselves, and the strongest ones somewhat manage to harness the corruption into power," Hans flicked a finger at the book, and a graphite illustration of the three Espectros they had seen earlier was revealed. "The Espectros are known to represent specific ''Aspects of Madness''. The ones you saw today are Insanity, Solitude, and Fear." "All of this to say that Phantasms were reduced to the pariahs of Existence," Hans huffed. "There is no saving grace for them. Their life is on a countdown and their sense of self is on a tightrope. The attempts to stop the erosion left way for fear of corruption. Over time, they eventually turned to taking over humans. But even if it stopped the erosion, it did not stop the corruption." "Some went as far as consuming souls in the hope of ''healing themselves''. Unfortunately, souls that do not share their origin are merely poison to them. It only elerates the process. However," the boy scoffed. "Souls of the same ilk as themselves worked well." More than a few people in the room widened their eyes at the implication. "To survive until today, the Phantasms turned to cannibalism," Hans said. "Those who fell prey to madness would be used as food for the others. Now, that is where the ''desperation'' finally kicked in. Dying, unable to reproduce, losing their minds it is enough to start pursuing ''miracles''." "The conclusion they came to in the end was that if they cannot adapt to the world, then they will make the world adapt to them instead," he smirked at everyone. "Logical idea, no?" "Logical, my ass," Zialtra went along with his sarcasm with a scowl. "So, that''s the point of the System?" Caer tilted his head. "To alter ''Existence'' itself?" "Yes and no," Hans shrugged. "Systema was not even their first course of action. The only goal they had before even that has always been the ''Realm Synchronization''. To return Existence to how it once was in the Lost Era. To pick up the pieces and mesh them together back into one." Chapter 393: Realm Synchronization Chapter 393: Realm Synchronization "Realm Synchronization?" via raised her voice in curiosity. "That sounds ambiguous" "A fine way to put it," Hans snorted. "It is a hypothetical phenomenon, after all. Different people have varied opinions about it, but the truth of the matter is simple. The Realm Synchronization implies doing a few things; get Existence under control, organize Realities, extrapte the Worlds and nes within it, fuse them, and then confine all of it inside a stable frame." "Next, you ''synchronize'' that frame with the Major Realms and establish a sort of osmosis rapport between them. Eventually, the ''Framed Existence'' will learn from the Major Realm and be one itself." "To turn our Existence into a Realm" Nyx mumbled to herself with a weird expression. "I don''t really know how to take that. On one hand, Realms are considered to be the highest possible form of self-sustained reality. But, on the other hand, Realms are said to orbit Existence. There never was a time I thought of thetter as an inferior construct" "But it is," Hans immediately retorted and she trembled. "Existence as of today is frail, chaotic, and unstable. Dimensions ovep and shatter, Worlds collide and fall apart, nes of Reality futilely divide the resources of a Reality, and Realities themselves are born and killed at a fateful whim." "" Nyx pursed her lips, forced to admit those problems did exist but she had always taken them as a natural urrence and never thought much of it. "In the first ce," Hans sighed. "The Lost Era was a Realm." "!" "If you use Sr Systems as an analogy, the Existence is not the sun. It is all the debris, asteroids, dust, and natural satellites littering space. Thes are the Realms and the Sun is the Spiritual Tree. Though, before Yahweh created thetter, the Lost Era used to fill that role." "the more I hear, the more I think ''Big G'' is carrying our sorry asses," An uttered nkly. "''Big G''?" Ceresta repeated confusedly. "Ah, uh don''t mind that," the blond cleared his throat. "Anyway, so, what you''re saying is that this System is all about fixing the destruction of the Lost Era? Isn''t that cool?" Hans snickered. "Right, certainly. It is a ''cool'' affair." "No need to be sarcastic" An retorted sullenly. "No, no, you are correct," the azure-haired boy assented with a smile. "It is an attractive idea. The possible benefits are iparable. Our current Existence is far too unkind to the creatures living within it. And it was even worse before Eternal Night abolished the Original Creators, who had outgrown their programming and let their opposite natures sh." "But did you not listen? In an ipatible environment, what happens to the dwellers?" He asked and An instantly realized. "It is a binary state. We survive at 1, they survive at 0. Change it up, and it means we die at 0, and they die at 1. The Synchronization essentially flips the switch." "At least, in theory," Hans added. "There are at least three more main conjectures as to what would ur. And only one of them is favorable, but is considered a pipe dream. Which is why there was never much of an effort done to aplish it." "But the Phantasms care about none of that, huh?" Kaelith frowned. "No matter the result, they''ll have what they want But how about they just ask for help from someone like Eternal Night? Or heck, someone like the Crystal Sage?" She said whilst pointing her thumb at Rakna. "They would know how to do it, no? A positive Synchronization." "Perhaps that would have been fine if it was not for the Royal Phantasms," Hans replied. "I believe I mentioned them, but have not exined who they are, right? For theck of a better term, on top of being the rulers of the Broken Depths, they were born with an ''extra'' ingredient." "Grossly said, the very essence of the Lost Era mixed with them," the author said and then rubbed his chin. "How to exin" He mused aloud and nced at Ceresta. "Let us put it this way, imagine that the Lost Era has a ''World Form'' that constitutes it, based on this girl''s magic. What I mean by ''they received a part of the era''s essence'' is that some of the Form became part of them." "That is tantamount to being one with Existence. Since the rules are different in this era, as I am sure I have insisted enough for you to understand, it is limited, but not inconsequential. The term coined to describe what they are is ''Beacon of Fate''. They are hyper-aware of the fate of every single life that ever gets registered by the Spiritual Tree." "This does two things. One, it aggravates their madness, and two, it makes the Synchronization an even more terrible prospect. If the Lost Era returns, the Beacons of Fate will fade into their essence as something worse than Gods or Devils. Royal Phantasms have be obsessed with the concept of ''freedom'' over time. Who knows how badly their madness twisted it." "Giving them control over the rules and possibly the fates of all lives within Existence would be a disaster," Hans snickered. "In a way, it is a world-domination plot. How quaint." "I don''t think it''s very funny though," Evelyn couldn''t help butment. The azure-haired boy shrugged. "What can I say? My humor is transcendental." "Yeaahh I think you should give up on jokes, pipsqueak," Zialtra deadpanned whilst dragging her words. "You''re not good at them." He clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow. "And are you any better?" "Well, better than you? For sure." "Lovely. I am happy for you," Hans deadpanned and a vein popped on her forehead, which was only provoked further by his next words, "The gori''s opinions aside, I believe this sums up everything you need to know about Phantasms. The only thing left is the System." "The project known as ''Systemakva Etr Zotan'' was spearheaded by the Royal Phantasms. It is with their unique nature, as I have exined, that they began constructing it. That was a few billion years ago, I believe. Unfortunately for them, it never went far. They did not possess the resources or the expertise to craft such a thing." "However, much more recently, they received help. Perhaps ounting for time dtions, about ten thousand years ago," he hummed. "And it is at this juncture that my information stops. Because soon after, the System waspleted and it began to escape even the Realms'' surveince." "But I do know one thing," Hans raised one finger and looked at Rakna. "The first individual to have made contact with the Phantasms to assist their project was one of the Five Dragon Kings. He was called The Watcher; Chronepsis. I do not know much of what he provided, but I am aware he had a daughter soon after one presumed to be from a union with a Royal Phantasm." "Eh?" Evelyn blinked in confusion. "Didn''t you say Phantasms couldn''t have children?" "Good catch. But I was not lying," Hans said. "As for an exnation, I do not have one. There must have been unknown circumstances that allowed it or perhaps Chronepsis found a way. Regardless, what I do know is that he was killed soon after. By whom? For what? I cannot know. But the death of The Watcher was confirmed even more recently. Rtive to the System''s time; about twenty or so years ago." "Along with that, another piece of information was revealed. ''The Daughter'', as the Phantasms call her, was confirmed to be alive; her soul had been rescued by her father and sent to a far-off world to reincarnate." Hans smiled mischievously and pointed at Rakna. "And this is where it bes interesting. At the same time as the recovery of Chronepsis'' grave, the woman known as the Timeless Invocator, La Reigen de, was confirmed to possess ''The Daughter''s soul." The therian first blinked at that and then recoiled slightly, his expression seemingly wondering if he had just heard correctly. "When you say ''Reigen de''?" "Yes. She is your uncle''s wife." Rakna was dumbfounded. "That old man married someone?" He mumbled in shock. "There must be something wrong with that girl. Maybe she received some madness from her Phantasm side" "That''s your first thought, huh?" Kara chuckled. "I mean, devourer of mine, all of us are also crazy enough to love you, you know?" Higure grinned at him and he briefly red at her. "No, I already gave up on you," he nkly retorted and the lioness didn''t know if she should feel offended or proud. Though the others had already made their voice. "Oi, I feel offended," Kaelith chimed in. "So do I," Nyx nodded. "Noment," via smilingly said. "" Evelyn pursed her lips and Ceresta tilted her head innocently. "Oh, I love it," and Kara, of course, went against the flow. Astraea sweatdropped with a wry smile. "Lord Monarch" Zialtra blinked at the girls and looked at Rakna with a renewed outlook. "You you''re one heck of a guy, aren''t ya?" "Whatever opinion you just made of me, please erase it," the therian immediately pleaded. Hans let out a snort at the liveedy show in front of him and leaned on his hand. "All of this to say, if pushes to shove, the Kind Demon may have a way to reach the System on his own with his wife''s help. But the main reason I mentioned this is that a certain Espectro has been acting out on his own and indirectly put her into the picture." Everyone concentrated on him again and Rakna recalled a certain name. "Tormento, was it? Since he supposedly revealed secrets to the old man, did he betray the Phantasms?" "Well, it is unclear. As I said, this is information ryed to me by Tita--" He paused and seemingly spent a few seconds thinking of how to continue. "by a clingy woman. She likes to y house and watches any troubles arising in Existence. But she has no way of intervening personally and cannot discover more than what she sees." "Shortly said, all we know is that Tormento uncovered Chronepsis'' corpse and revealed some of their ns to Eternal Night. That conversation transpired somewhere called the Sunset Star, the home of the Phoenixes, where Ra-Horakhty still resides. Naught can be done to know what was discussed between the Kind Demon and the Espectro of Torment in that ce." An hummed at that. "So, a lot of shit is brewing up outside the System, huh?" "But will the Kind Demon intervene even if he can?" Marie raised a question. "His ''Echo'' did say he would do more harm than good by doing so. Not to mention, you implied time differences earlier, no?" She asked Hans who nodded calmly. "You have a sharp mind," he praised. "And yes. However, rather than time flowing faster or slower, it is more urate to say that Meuro is isted from any flow whatsoever. To the outside, we could exist in the past, present, and future, as well as die and live simultaneously. But there is nothing to worry about. Arimane de should be able to find the System either way." "Admittedly, it would take time for him to do so, and while his time is dissociated from ours, each being in Existence has a personal ''timeline''. So, if the Kind Demon takes a year to find us, then he will alsoe a yearter from our perspective because his timeline is linked to Xiorra''s." "But there is one exception, I suppose," Hans added. "If the System suddenly loses its defenses or stops functioning, he would most definitely be aware of us in a matter of seconds." ''Loses its defenses'' Rakna thought. ''If the System starts ''dying'', then that would happen, no? If that is the case the old man probably used that gap in Shin-Woo''s future. Tiamat, and thus Nyx by proxy, might have been the only one capable of handling his power to send someone back in time...'' "Ah, speaking of ceasing to function," via hit her palm with her fist. "I don''t know if you''ve heard him when you were unconscious, but Wis left a message before disappearing." "The shitty hat?" The therian raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?" "Well" She made a difficult expression. "He said, ''Don''t dally on for too long. Those idiots really did it this time. They overfed Eden with Eternal Night''s power. Systema is dying even faster''." Chapter 394: “My unparalleled charm.” Chapter 394: My unparalleled charm. Rakna clicked his tongue after hearing Wis'' warning. "No wonder the old man increased our levels as a group then. I guess we can''t rely on Shin-Woo''s knowledge," he muttered. "Too many variables now, and I''m the biggest of them to boot." "Ah, yes," Hans concurred. "Kim Shin-Woo; he has an interesting story." "Excuse me," Caer raised his hand. "But could you exin what the ''System dying'' means?" "Oh, right," the therian eximed. "I haven''t told any of you about this. This is something Shin-Woo told me, and to avoid making this conversation even more convoluted, if you want to know how he knew, you can ask him yourself if you meet him. Shortly said, soon, the System is going to fall apart and things such as Resets, Trials, AIs, Statuses, and teaus are going to malfunction." "That''s concerning," the pink-haired man frowned. "Would it endanger our lives too?" "Not directly," Ceresta spoke up to answer. "Such malfunctions would only cause casualties based on specific times and ces. That is, of course, if those are as far as it goes. My assumption is that it is due to a core failure. Perhaps if ignored, we could potentially be ejected into Meuro?" "How grim" "Well, the worst-case scenario doesn''t apply to us," Rakna reassured. "I guess you could say all of us here are under the protection of the old man. If it''s a copse of the System, he can take us out of here before it bes fatal." Kaelith harrumphed. "Honestly, I don''t even care about that," she sighed. "We already have enough worries with the Abyss and that Tra Empress who''s ''desperate'' to swallow Existence to sate her emptiness what kind of crazy talk even is that?" She groaned. "Well, I kinda prefer that to Phantasms," An deadpanned. "She has a simple motive. I''m happy that it doesn''t give me headaches. Simple is best, after all," he nodded exaggeratingly. "Of course, you would think that," Akronis sneered as he hung from the ceiling. "Fuck you too," the blond retorted automatically. Caer hummed audibly as he pondered. "Should we publicize this, you think?" He suggested. "Realistically speaking, it has no strategic value," Kara mused aloud. "What it gives us is a better understanding of the situation, not a solution. Our best option is simply to reveal it to the highest-level Hosts like Lucrecia did with Karaskan''s story. Since they will know we are short on time, we can at least urge the Top Hosts to climb to the 1000th teau faster." "Speaking of," Rakna raised his voice. "Any news with the Ghoul King?" "Nope," Kaelith shook her head. "Lucrecia is still working around getting an audience for now." "If you are talking about the ''Miracle n'', there are already talks of conjoint operations around our Boss and other Guild Leaders," Caermented. "At worst, in a month or so, we''ll be ready to tackle the Wendigos as for the Vampires, it''s going to be a bit more delicate. The vampires alone are a powerful faction, and with the addition of the Tra, it''s a bit hard to raid them." "why not assassination?" Rakna suggested and Caer pursed his lips while Merlina closed her eyes and answered herself. "It''s an idea that has already been raised," she said. "But as far as that goes, only the likes of Afnil Albus, the White Scorpion, would be capable of infiltrating vampire territory andnding a fatal blow on Queen Nesslyria. And as you know, he''s the opposite of an ally at the moment." "Hm maybe we can employ either the Church or a Vampire yer," Kaelith contemted. "Well, we have thetter over here," Higure snorted whilst pointing at An with her chin. "He has the title. His race also makes him superior to most vampires and to some extent, his magic is able to erase his presence even better than any of us can. Sadly, he''s a weakling. So, it won''t work." "Thank you for the praise" The ''weakling'' deadpanned resentfully. "I could do it myself," Rakna hummed. "I''m sort of a Nephilim now, after all," he said and nced at a few of the System windows that had been pending since he woke up. "I could also easily use the Gemini to mask my aura, my nanites to change appearances, and Sonata''s Skulk Life Down to kill undetected with its Wicked Sanctity perk." "" The room fell silent for a moment and everyone collectively seemed to draw the same conclusion in their mind, ''Wait isn''t that kind of scary?'' But Kaelith abruptly spoke. "Denied," she uttered tly. "I prefer a frontal assault than having you go off to potentially die again." "Of course," the therian snickered, not disheartened in the slightest. "In the first ce, we would need these guys to be present, right?" The vixen added whilst pointing her thumb at Hans and then Cura. "Both their magic and weapon are key to this, no?" "True," Rakna shrugged and looked at King Gulon. "What''s your final decision, by the way? You did not answer me back at the Arena." The creature growled in response and the therian immediately smiled, while Cura had to trante for the others. "Gul says ''I''d be a fool to miss tasting such a unique dish''," he said. "And that applies to me as well," the shark man added. "I won''t run away from such an interesting battle. But I would also like toplete our deal soon." "Right, the spar," the therian nodded. "The Myth Council meeting is after tomorrow, right? And you wanted to inaugurate Harvest" He trailed as he looked at Kara. The older vixen shrugged. "Tomorrow is most optimal. Especially since you''ve agitated quite a lot of people today with your performance. They''re eager for more. But it''s not like you need to be there all prepped up. How about lending me a Tail Clone? You don''t need all your tails for a spar." "Good idea," Rakna replied and Gulon seemingly protested with an annoyed growl. "Oh,e on, it''s not like the quality of my energy changes with one less tail. Nor does the number of types. You will get your fill." The living weapon huffed and then went quiet. "you know, I''ve been meaning to ask," An interjected. "How do you understand this guy?" "Beast Tongue," the therian answered simply. "It''s a special skill thates with my title as Beast Emperor. It allows me to understand andmunicate with creatures that fall under the category of ''beast''." "Isn''t that a bit too vague?" Caermented. "There are a lot of creatures that can be defined as a beast by definition. Does that mean your Emperor Title applies to all of them?" "Now that I think about it, it''s indeed extensive," Kara said with a finger on her chin. "Wouldn''t that mean you are capable of defeating about half of the Wilden in the System by just ordering them to stand down?" Rakna shrugged. "I suppose. Though, the further away from a ''beast'' they are, the less my coercion would be effective. Gulon can be considered an ancient beast, but he''s quite far from the typical type, usually defined by four-legged wild animals." "Ites down to perception as well, doesn''t it?" Nyx tilted her head. "For example," she pointed at Akronis. "A bat is certainly an animal but people would rarely call it a beast. There is one thing that usually makes people consider something beastly; ferocity. An''s werebat form would fit the term better from that aspect." The blond blinked and snapped his head toward Rakna. "Oi, you better not use that shit on me." Rakna snorted in amusement. "Don''t worry, you''re probably too much of a blockhead for it to work on you anyway," he joked and An gave him a nk stare. "With that said," the therian followed up with a p of his hands. "That''s enough plotting. For now, let''s just wait for the Ghoul King''s response and the mounting forces against the Wendigos. We can get stronger until then." Caer sighed with a smile. "I suppose so. A month is quite a lot for someone like you, isn''t it? All of you even received Eternal Night''s blessing, so it would be judicious to take advantage of it. I''ll be sure to help you convince the Leader to have Throne of Glory assist you as well." "Thanks," Rakna smiled. "Though, I''ll try that myself during the test." "Hm, then, I guess it''s about time I go back hunting," Zialtra said as she stood up from her seat. She grabbed a few snacks prepared by via earlier in passing and headed toward the exit. "Thanks for the story time, midget," she waved at Hans. "You are wee, gori." The Hunting Queen snickered. "See you all on the battlefield," she said and left the house. "I suppose we should go too then," Caer followed up. "We have quite a lot to ruminate over and we might as well start gathering a bit of information," he added and smiled at Rakna. "See you during the test. And have fun at the Myth Council." With a chuckle, the eye-smiling man left and Merlina quietly nodded at everyone before following after him. "Ah, right!" Though, before the door fully closed behind them, Caer''s head peeked back inside and he squinted his eyes at Rakna. "You better not make a pass on my daugh agh!" His sentence was never finished as Merlina yanked him back outside by the cor. "" The therian deadpanned at the shut door and avoided Kaelith''s gaze. Instead, he turned toward the shark man standing next to his weapon. "What about you, Cura? Do you want to stay for the night? We can spar tomorrow." Cura silently pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "No need. Call me when you''re ready and I''lle back," he said and hoisted Gulon. "Good night," he uttered and left. "well, that was that," Higure huffed. "By the way," Rakna raised his voice. "Cetus has been recalled to Egregore, right?" "Ah, yes," Astraea nodded and smiled. "He should have been unsummed by now. He said he wanted to go swim a bit in Antis until his time was up since it was a good asion to do so." "I see. What about Lana? She didn''te with you?" "Heh," Higure immediately smirked. "what''s that for?" "Nothing," she shrugged. "She just went to her house to pack up." "Pack up?" "Yep! She joined the Guild, right? I told her she could move in here," the lioness grinned. "what?" Kaelith blinked and her expression twitched. "When did you do that?" "Wait," An raised his hand. "You invited the girl with an extremely scary background to live with us? Is that it?" Higureughed. "I did, indeed." "Well, personally, I have no problem with it," via said with a pacifying smile. "Who wouldn''t like such an adorable girl? I''m sure she''s going to be a great addition." Hans let out a snort. "To what? The house? Or Xiorra''s harem?" "Probably both, no?" Kara answered with an amused tone. Kaelith rolled her eyes. "How many is that?" She muttered to herself and started counting on her fingers whilst everyone watched her wryly. At the same time, the entrance clicked open and a bundle of pink hair shyly emerged, followed by a pair of twinkling green eyes. "Hello?" The sheep girl greeted with a blushing face, her ears going up and down in an excited manner. "" Kaelith stopped counting and looked up. Her expression went through a few variations until she pouted at Rakna. "That''s not fair. Why do you keep bringing in girls that I can''t bring myself to dislike even a little bit?" Rakna genuinely wondered if he should ignore the question, but in the end, his mischievous side won the battle, "My unparalleled charm." Chapter 395: "Nice." Chapter 395: "Nice." Rakna sighed as he came out of the shower, Eion veins glowing under his skin as his body steamed away the water dripping from him. "I needed that," he uttered whilst stretching his neck. "I''ve just been fighting recently and losing on top of that, now that I think about it." "{Haha, indeed. You''ve lost three fights in a row at this point,}" Fraymented. "Zasha, Roias, and the old man, huh?" The therian hummed and clenched his hand. It''s not like he was ashamed or upset about his losses. In the end, only one fact remained; he had already be markedly stronger than when he fought Zasha, Roias, or even Arimane just a few hours ago. "Well, I still have some way to go," he muttered to himself and put on Allegro, which he changed into a light set of clothing simr to a pajama. When he stepped out of the bathroom, however, he sighed again and gazed at his bed where via and Higure were ying a card game in nightwear. "So? Why are you here?" He deadpanned. "Well, we girls wanted to have a pajama party together, you know?" The lioness smiled. "But then we realized; ''damn, we need someone to warm up Rakna''s bed''." "No, you don''t. Why are you trying to make that sound logical?" Higure ignored the therian''s retort and continued, "So then, we had a grand and noble battle royale of rock-paper-scissors. The final was me and the youngdy. But we tied five times in a row, so we took it as fate and came here together." """Kaelith and Nyx were not allowed to participate, so expect them to be a bit mad tomorrow," she added and Rakna facepalmed. "Oh, and Kara was quite sad to end up third. She almost won against me. She pouted and said you''d have to brush her tails to make up for it." "Make up for what? It''s not my fault" The therian mumbled. "Apparently, you didn''t reward her enough for all the work she did for you," viaplemented with a small smile. "You should thank her, at least." "I guess I can''t deny that" Rakna scratched his head tiredly and ultimately joined the girls, letting them lie down on each side. "Ooh, I like this," Higure purred as she rubbed her cheek against him. "I should do this more often from now on," she said while via quietly blushed, a bit less bold than the lioness. Rakna snorted in amusement. "Cats sure love to cuddle," he joked. "But before you start viting my innocence, I have a few things to check," he said and opened several System windows. "What a mean way to put it," the lioness scoffed. "I''m not viting anything. I''m just going to jump you until I''m satisfied," she dered proudly. via and Rakna gave her equally nk looks. "What? I didn''t say anything wrong." "Of course, you didn''t" The therian snickered and with a flick of his finger, the System prompts were made visible. "Here. You can go through it with me if you''re bored," he said, skipping the notifications of his skills and proficiencies leveling up; except one. ? ? ? ? ? The Harvester''s Soul has leveled up! The Harvester''s Soul has leveled up! --- Your Divinity and Infernity have started to flourish into a Domain! It is yet immature and formless. ? ? ? ? ? ''Now, that''s an interesting message,'' he thought. ''I''m curious to see what would happen if I used the Awakening of Divinity. Would the Obsidian Star override it? Can my Domain be awakened normally in the first ce? With both Divinity and Infernity being just aponent of the Stone'' The idea was interesting but for now, he pushed it to the back burner. He already had a hunch on what his Domain would be, after all. That aside, he proceeded by opening a certain title. ? ? ? ? ? Imperial Crown of The Harvester ? Previously known as ''True Imperial Designation'', this title is the highest form of nobility that can be granted to a ''Leader Type'' Host or Local by the System. It is molded by the user''s power and is unique to them. This title grants the beasts summoned by the holder the ability to stay manifested forever and gather mana on their own. The summoner can nheless still provide it themselves if necessary. Furthermore, the intelligence of the summons will reach a new level and they will be capable of followingplex instructions depending on how high level they are. Finally, the Crown of the Harvester allows Rakna Xiorra de to absorb summoned beasts to not only increase attributes for a short amount of time but also temporarily acquire their physical traits. The duration depends on the quantity and quality of summons assimted at once. The boost in attributes will no longer scale by level, but directly with the attribute values of the summoned creatures. The stacking limit remains limited by the user''s capability to handle the strain. ? Additional Rewards: 25 Vtile Attribute Points. ? ? ? ? ? "Wow, every trait?" Higure eximed. "And you can summon all kinds of beasts, right? What if you absorbed a dragon and gained its defenses, natural magic conductivity, and breath?" "Yeah" Rakna mused. "I felt the effects firsthand when I used it on the Soul Remnants. I recall the sensation of having all kinds of new feedback. My vision and my hearing especially. But I also had some that gave me more control over my bones and muscles." "At some point, it felt like the number of joints in my skeleton had at least tripled. Not to mention my regeneration was boosted by a lot if I''m not wrong, among them was a jellyfish. So, I gained the ability to literally rejuvenate my cells," he chuckled. "I''m jealous," via pouted. "I wish I could rejuvenate too." "Hah, you''re a witch and a sorceress of immense talent," Higure smiled. "With the right spell, you could probably keep your youth for all eternity." Rakna chuckled. "Well, youth is a bygone concept for me at this point," he jested and opened a new window, one that disyed the direct benefits of the Imperial Crown. "There it is. When I sucked in the traits of my Soul Remnants, Fen and Rex were amongst them," he exined. "Thanks to both of them, I managed to use their abilities better. Especially" ? ? ? ? ? True Royal Luqu''s Wings ? You have awakened and learned to use the true powers of a Royal Luqu. Flight speed is no longer calcted with unit measures, but is proportionally scaled to the Speed Attribute instead. Mana flight no longer has a limit but the cost increases exponentially and most forms of spatial and temporal interference can easily be broken through. ? Techniques Learned: Time Leap, Space Leap, Quantic Plumes. ? ? ? ? ? "That''s what you used to teleport and travel in time" via said, fascinated. "I wonder if I could do the same with my magic." "Most likely," Rakna said. "You already can use Space Magic to some extent, right?" "Yes, but Time Magic is much harder to handle," she admitted. "How to say it it''s like I''m trying to fight the World every time I want to use it. It''s rejecting my use of it." "Well, time is closer to an omnipresent entity than anything else," Higure mused. "You should focus on trying to ''bend'' it rather than trying to control it. Or perhaps dissociate yourself from it instead of forcing it to listen to you. In other words, treat the River of Time as a giant. You can''t fight it, but you can try to circumvent it." "I see thank you for the advice," via smiled. "Haha, you''re wee. Us ''sisters'' naturally need to get along," the lioness smiled. "I don''t even want to know what you mean by ''sisters'' here" Rakna muttered and sheughed in a joyful manner that managed to soothe even him. He held back a fond smile and opened the most important notifications of the day. ? ? ? ? ? Heart of Lv.??? Eternal Dragon of Evil absorbed. Absorption Factor = ???%. Ascent Correction: ??? ? +111 STR +124 END +98 SPD +86 DEX +165 INT ? Note: These numbers do not take into ount the corrections for future Ascents. ? --- ? Philosopher''s Ardent Soul is reacting strongly! The Harvester''s Soul is reacting strongly! The Kind Demon''s Kin is reacting strongly! Chalice of Wishes is reacting strongly! A great amount of demonic energy is beingbusted at very high rates! The Obsidian Star''s Divinity and Infernity are starting to harmonize! ? --- ? Warning! Internal Force Surcharge! The Scavenger has entered an Overloaded State! The Harvester''s Soul is being overwhelmed! The Host''s Soul Power is rapidly expanding! The Sub-Path, Nephilim, is reacting strongly! Your Path, Nine-Tailed Werewolf, is reacting strongly! ? --- ? Your level has increased! Your level has increased! Your level has increased! + 22.4 STR, SPD, INT! +1 Skill Point! ? --- ? You have reached Level 250! Your Sub-Path has been unsealed! Your soul is stabilizing! The anomalous force is being absorbed! Your Sub-Path has mutated into Ten-Tailed Nephilim! ? --- ? Your Ultimate Exceled Skills of Sin are being consumed! ? --- ? Absolution of Belphegor has been taken out of your status! Ego of Lucifer has been taken out of your status! Caress of Asmodeus has been taken out of your status! Ire of Satan has been taken out of your status! All Virtues Shall Kneel has been taken out of your status! ? --- ? You have gained a new Sub-Path Skill; The World Is My Cradle! You have gained a new Sub-Path Skill; Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim! You have gained a new Sub-Path Skill; Authority of The Law-Breaker! ? --- ? Core Genome Updated: Six Tails Unlocked. Next Tail: Lv. 274/Lv.300 Number of Skills Affected: 1 Number of New Skills Attuned: 1 ? - Shape-Shift: Wolf (speed +82% -> +85%), Werewolf (All attributes +62% -> +65%) - You have gained the Nirvana Skill, Tailed Pearl. ? --- ? 3rd Factor Genome Updated: Four Layers Unlocked. Next Layer: Lv. 274/Lv.300 Currently essible Layers: Antanasia, Onera, Enkata, [+] Anastrofa. ? Number of Skills Affected: 1 Number of New Skills Attuned: 1 ? - You have unlocked a new Enthymio Layer; Anastrofa. - You have gained the Max Excelled Skill; Dusk Mane. ? --- ? You have reached Level 250! Your Second Main Path Quest has been issued! Select your Path on your Status to see the details. ? ? ? ? ? "That''s nice," Rakna blurted out. "We must have apletely different opinion of what ''nice'' means, devourer of mine," Higure said with a nk tone and skimmed over most of the windows until she saw something that made her smile. "Still, it seems you finally reached Anastrofa." "Is there something special about it?" "Well, to put it simply, Anastrofa is the firstyer of Enthymio that is capable of affecting the world around you instead of only yourself. See for yourself." ? ? ? ? ? Anastrofa ? The Falsehood of Inversion is the Fourth Layer of Enthymio. It is the firstyer among the seven that can affect the living world. Once Anastrofa is called upon, the user will distort the world with their presence. As if an ever-widening swamp, it will continuously expand with the user as the epicenter for as long as thetter is capable of maintaining it. Within the area of effect, allws of physics will begin to be inverted. Gravity will go upward, the wind will flow in the opposite direction that it enters in, the right will turn into left, the front will turn into back, etcetera. These effects first start weak and then be gradually stronger the longer Anastrofa is given time to impose itself. ? Note: The user will not be affected by the Fourth Layer but the strain put on the body is greater than any of the other Layers. ? ? ? ? ? "That''s an interesting description," Rakna narrowed his eyes. "But is it me or does it sound a bit ominous? If it inverts truly everything then it could lead to unpredictable results." "You''re right," Higure nodded. "However, for it to be chaotic to that degree, you would need to have Anastrofa encroach the real world for at least half an hour. It''s like a festering wound that won''t stop bing worse unless you close it. It''s not a favorite of mine, but it has some uses." "Hm" The therian mused and decided to test itter. "What about the ''Dusk Mane''?" "Ah, that''s actually the reason why we are called Dusk Lions," the lioness revealed and sat up. "Let me show you," she said and closed her eyes. Then, orange-yellow streaks of light undted from under her eyelids and a translucent mane of the same color began to wrap her neck and shoulders. When she opened her eyes, her golden irises were shimmering even brighter. "That''s pretty" via whispered and Higure smiled, her tail wagging as if happy. "Thank you. This is the Dusk Mane. Essentially, it''s the ''Inner Dimension''," she said and dispelled it soon after. She flopped down on the bed next to Rakna. "It''s kind of unique to our race. An Inner Dimension isn''t something like a Soul Realm or a Mindscape, but an actual dimension existing in harmony with our physical body." "Only Dusk Lions, or other species with a natural ability to break and attract dimensional energy, can have something like this. And as you can see, it has the colors of sunset. What it does is pretty simple on paper; momentum umtion." "Let''s see" She tapped her lips in thought. "Let''s say you want to throw a kick. With your Dusk Mane, it''s possible to absorb the momentum and cancel the movement. In return, the driving force will be hoarded inside the Inner Dimension. Then, if you kick again and decide to release what you umted, that kick will be twice as strong and fast." "That''s quite handy," Rakna remarked. He could already see the potential of it. "I know, right?" The lioness giggled. "It was especially powerful with my Echo Magic. Also, the best way to exploit it in my opinion is to hoard about 10 to 20% of every attack you make. The damage you inflict bes weaker of course, but in return, once in a while, you can dish out a strike that surpasses your maximum limit." She lifted her hand and manifested a bit of the orangish mane. "It''s very effective for feints and for leading the pace of a battle. Ah, but of course, don''t go overboard. Firstly, you should only release momentum that matches the movement. For instance, if you stack up kicks, then release it for the sake of a kick as well. Secondly, too much momentum will also bacsh severely. Be careful." "Mhm, got it," Rakna acknowledged her advice and briefly checked the description of the System and it roughly said the same thing, though lessprehensive than Higure''s exnation. "I didn''t know you had this ability." "Heh, and that''s not thest of it," she smirked. "If I''m not wrong, in the future, you''ll probably get the skill that makes us Dusk Lion Kings closer to the Eighth Layer of Enthymio. Sadly, even I don''t have it at the moment." "I see. I look forward to it then," the therian snorted. "Other than that, it seems I''ve finally unlocked the Tailed Pearl. It''s about time" ? ? ? ? ? Tailed Pearl ? The Nirvana Skill exclusive to the Nine-Tailed lineage. When triggered, this skill will channel all essible energy through the user''s tails and connect to their maw, where a concentrated sphere of raw destruction will form, with Mystic Energy as its core. The essence of the Tailed Pearl is ''unstoppable''. It disregards whatever type of energy it encounters. No matter what, it has no weakness or strength and unleashes destruction that does not discriminate. It is a skill closest to the concept of ''Original Mana''. It has no fixed cost and requires the entirety of the mana pool to be cast, as well as at least half of every other source, including Stamina and Extra Statistics. The power scales to how much energy is put inside the attack, as well as the number of tails possessed by the user. For instance, if we consider a total cost measured in mana to be about 1000 MP, then the base damage, with one tail, will be equivalent to 1000 Attack. Then, the final output will be multiplied by the number of total tails. Thus, if one pours in enough energy to match 1000 MP, the final attack amounts to 9000 if the user has nine tails. Following that logic, if the initial energy is around 10 000, then 90 000 ATT will be produced. ? Current Maximum Attack for the Host: ~200 000 ? ? ? ? ? Rakna whistled in appreciation. "Now that I see it for myself, this is really a terrifying ability. Even putting the damage aside, the fact that it has no weaknesses means it''s hard to defend against. And not only that but from what I''ve seen, it also has a tremendous range and area of effect." "It''s definitely something you use as a finisher," viamented. "Unless someone can replenish their energy as you do under the full moon, this practically knocks out the user." "True. This reminds me a lot of my ''self-destruct''," Rakna added. "They even both mention Original Mana. It has simr characteristics and costs, though one''s more extreme than the other. And the maximum attack value is surprising I only have six tails and it''s still so high." He hummed pensively. "It''s most likely considering my Soul Power into the calction. That''s the only energy not shown by the System that I can confidently say is my strongest." "Hmm, what about your Nephilim skills?" via asked curiously. "It swallowed your Sins, right?" The therian nodded. "Apparently. I didn''t expect to receive three of them at once." ? ? ? ? ? The World Is My Cradle ? Nephilim receive what can be called to be favoritism bias from Existence. They passively grow stronger by internalizing their power and by inciting powerful emotions in others. They learn things faster than anyone else and possess priority in the world''s evolutions. ? Effects: - It''s easier for friendly creatures to harbor positive feelings toward you. - It''s easier for hostile creatures to harbor negative feelings toward you. - Your power is fully reversed inward, providingplete aura concealment. - Powerful emotions from yourself and others grant you experience and buffs. - You have a chance to learn skills, spells, or proficiencies by witnessing them. - If the Fate of another endangers you, it will favor you instead. - Experience gained increases by 100%. - Rate of skill level growth increases by 100%. - Your level increases every 5 days. - Your Luck has increased by 1. ? --- ? Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim ? This Sub-Path Skill is the source of the mutation into a ''Ten-Tailed Nephilim''. It is a direct evolution of a Nine-Tailed Werewolf, incurred by the external manifestation of the Obsidian Star''s power. It is a secondary container confining the concentrated essences of Sin, Infernity, Divinity, Star Energy, and Soul Power in a stable form. It has swallowed the four Ultimate Excelled Skills; Absolution of Belphegor, Ego of Lucifer, Caress of Asmodeus, and Ire of Satan. Through this absorption, the demonic energy has been neutralized and nurtured into the purest of energies by the Philosopher''s Stone. All the effects of the Sin Skills have been retained and the ovepping benefits have been reinforced and stabilized. It is likely that once all the Sins are gathered and refined into the ''Understanding of Humanity'', the user will be able to receive the benefits of all Seven Virtues as well. Note: The aforementioned effects apply even when the Tenth Tail isn''t in a summoned state. ? The Tenth Tail can be summoned at will, but since the user is still not strong enough to handle it, it will put a strain on the Soul Stele and eventually disappear when it reaches its limit. Your soul must recover before being able to summon it again. ? When the Tenth Tail is active, simr effects to the skill known as All Virtues Shall Sin in itsplete state will be activated: - Due to a direct link between Soul and Body, the Obsidian Star''s properties will be strengthened. - You will start gaining the ability to read a living being''s soul and thoughts. - All Attributes will increase by 100%, Luck included. - All magic spells will be strengthened. - Soul Power will be stronger. ? Cost: None. Duration: Variable. Cooldown: Variable. ? --- ? Authority of The Law-Breaker ? Nephilim are known as the rebellious children of Existence and disregard all rules. They cannot be sealed or restrained. Their mind is impregnable and fate is theirs tomand, whether it be theirs or the one of others. Additionally, the Original World Laws are significantly weakened when applied to the holder of this skill, and more generally, if they are within an environment defined by rules or under the influence of a restriction, the user is capable of rendering them null depending on how strict and powerful they are. ? If a spell is undefendable, you can block it. If an object is indestructible, you can break it. If something is impossible, then you can do it anyway. ? That is what an Authority confers. ? ? ? ? ? "" "" via and Higure were speechless. "nice," Rakna uttered again and they both flicked his head as if reprimanding him. "Ow" He let out apletely deadpan voice and they sighed. "What the heck even is this, honestly?" The lioness huffed. "''The World Is My Cradle''? Is that a new roundabout way to say Mary Sue?" "I''m surprised you even know what that is" "The Tenth Tail thing is broken too," she continued. "And thest one is so imprecise and implicit that it''s scary." "I agree," via added. "On top of that, this must be a limited version, if the System handled it like it usually does. Nyx already told us that our growth is being carefully systematized, after all." "Well to me, only three things stand out to me," Rakna said nonchntly. "The ''fate will favor me instead of another'', the ''ability to read souls and thoughts'', and ''to nullify rules''. I agree that things such as gaining a level every five days or learning something by just seeing it are impressive, but it''s nothing to me." "First, gaining a level every five days is only useful long term and I have no intention of extending my stay in the System for so long. And what''s the point of learning stuff if what I have is already much better?" Higure snickered. "Self-awareness; you gotta love it." "On the other hand, those three lines I mentioned are on apletely different level. Especially the second and third ones. To ''read'' souls is probably simr to what Hans does, and I probably can see more than just their thoughts as well. And to nullify all rules can be taken very far." "How so?" via asked. "Don''t look too far," he snorted and pointed at the System window. "The answer is right there." "Oh," Higure blinked in realization and the Chaos Witch was right after. "That''s true the System imposes rules on its Hosts. If you can break those, you can be a living virus. Probably nothing could stop you." "You got it," Rakna nodded and reced the prompts with the first section of his status. "The only problem is that I don''t know how to do it. I''ll have to test that ''Tenth Tail'' too. Though I can''t say the extra Luck point is unwee," he chuckled. ? ? ? ? ? Name: Rakna Xiorra de Age: 18 | Level: 274 Race: Alkahestic ???-Tailed Werewolf Path: ???-Tailed Werewolf (*) Sub-Path: Ten-Tailed Nephilim Affiliation: Throne of Glory (Member), Obsidian Throne (Leader) ? Titles: Legendary yer C Legendary Wolf Emperor C Divinity yer C Treasure Hunter C Nemesis of the Abyss C Dungeon Bane C Cmity Hunter C Dimension Breaker C The Kind Demon''s Kin C Chalice of Wishes C Limitless Traveler C Sovereign Monarch of Firmament C Emperor of a Solitary Land C Anti-Divinity C Elysian Pariah C Femme Fatale C Martial Grandmaster C Legendary Beast Emperor C Immortality Breaker C Imperial Crown of The Harvester ? Potential: S+ | Host Rank: X | Ascent: I ? Attributes: STR: 200* + 85.8 | END: 200* + 75.4 SPD: 187.5* [+12.5] + 79.3 | DEX: 200* + 18.4 INT: 200* + 195.4 | LCK: 10 ? Avable Vtile Points: 25 (Ascent Correction: 12.5) Avable Attribute Points: 229.6 (Ascent Correction: 114.8) Avable Skill Points: 4 ? ? ? ? ? "A round number after it was stuck at 9 for so long," Rakna smiled happily. "I like it." "A word of advice, devourer of mine, you should be careful with your words when you reveal this to Kaelith," Higure advised him. The therian snorted. "I''ll be sure to do so." "Why do you have interrogation marks in your Path and Race?" via inquired. "Well, probably because it shes with the Sub-Path," Rakna replied. "My full potential involves a tenth tail now, so it essentially means I''m not just a nine-tailed werewolf anymore," he mused and noticed the small mark next to his Path name. "Oh yeah, my Path Quest is back. The previous one ended in the middle of something maybe I will resume from there" "Hm okay! Enough reading!" Higure groused and leaned over Rakna whilst waving her hands in the air until the System window went away. She ced her hands on his torso to straighten herself and grinned at him. "Now, it''s fun time." "chances of you epting a refusal?" "None." "That''s what I thought" He sighed in defeat. "Don''t worry, I already erected runes to stop noises from escaping the room." "When did you even do that?" Higure''s tail waved back and forth as she looked at via. "Ready, girl?" She asked mischievously and much to Rakna''s misery, the kindest woman he knew responded with a shiver-inducing smile that made him fear for his safety. "It''s only fair for me to be the devourer at least once, no?" Higure quipped and licked her lips, her eyes glowing menacingly. "I heard you have some interesting spells bring it on." ? * * * ? Meanwhile, inside Kaelith''s room, the girls were quietly ying a game of cards. "Your turn, Marie," Evelyn said and themia quietly hummed as she drew a card. "They should have started by now, huh?" Kara said to herself as she inspected her hand; they were ying a game that mixed the rules of the ''old maid'' and poker. "Started what?" Lanata asked innocently, her sword pressing on her shoulder. The older vixen smiled. "Adult things, dear." "Coitus," Ceresta casually said and they looked at her incredulously. "Am I wrong?" "Well, not really" Nyx mumbled. Kaelith harrumphed. "Really, how debauched. Is he going to take all of us in pairs?" "Well, who expected those two to tie five times in a row what are even the chances of that?" "No higher than 0.0017%," Ceresta answered as if it was an afterthought. "Yeah they must have conspired somehow," Kaelith narrowed her eyes. "Doesn''t via know divining?" Marie mentioned. "She may have used that." "Uh? Wait, then why would she make them tie over and over again?" "Oh my," Kara seemed to realize. "Maybe it was her n to have them both win." "Why though?" Kaelith couldn''t understand. "Well, think about it, Kae. Who among us is likely to be the most enthusiastic in bed?" "you?" The younger vixen instantly used her own mother. Kara blinked. "My, thank you for the praise," she smiled widely. "But no. It''s most definitely Higure who would be the most fervent. Can you imagine? Seeing Rara flustered under her? I''m sure via was dying to see it," she giggled. "Wow," Kaelith pursed her lips. "That girl really has a hidden side. But, Mom, that probably won''tst long for wolfy," she added with a smirk. "Oh?" The younger vixen chuckled and Nyx blushed faintly. "He''s the kind to be dominant when you push his buttons too much." "Oh, oh," Kara cupped her cheek. "Now that''s an information I need to remember. Don''t you think so too, little phantom?" She said to Evelyn who was a flushed mess. "Hey, harem infatuation time is over, time to reveal the cards," Marie sighed at them and everyone showed their hand. "Hehe, I won again," Lanata said cheerily. "How the hell do you keep winning?" Kaelith groaned. "Even though I sneaked a card in my sleeve" Kara whispered with a pout. "We can hear you!" ? * * * ? At the same time, in the living room, An stared at the TV screen with nk eyes. He mashed the buttons of his controller but there was no trace of victory in sight. Tyran, Pronos, and Natsu were also there, silently watching it all. "hey," the blond squinted at Hans sitting next to him. "Don''t tell me you still haven''t erased the skill you ''rewrote'' to beat Higure?" "I am sorry to tell you that excuses have no ce here," the azure-haired boy calmly replied. "You still have much to learn before you can triumph over me." "did you just rephrase ''skill issue'' to me?" "There are no rules in war." "You''re so much more petty than you let on, aren''t you?" I mean this isnt the first time I disappear for a month, as shameful as it is. I dont particrly have a reason for this one. I guess you can consider it an impromptu break. . Its terrifying how fast time passes. Sometimes, I wonder how you guys tolerate me. . Kinda forgot this was the chapter I had stopped at too. This one has it all. Bit of fluff, bit of lewd, number-gasms, some slice of life, and a pinch ofedy. . Anyway, Ill post moreter, hopefully. . PS: OH MY GOD, Inkstone has Italic and Bold now?! No way! I feel like I just fell into an alternative universe! . Well, it''s still shit cuz it doesn''t carry over from Word, but progress! Now all we need is the goddamn text alignement! . And on you guys'' side (on the website at least), maybe one day they''ll finally add a modifier for the width of the reading interface.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 396: Nephal Doppelganger Chapter 396: Nephal Doppelganger "Hm" The next morning, Rakna mused as he stood outside his home. Surrounded by the garden''s trees and flowers, he was twisting his neck to stare at his back where he could see his tails. Then, with a thought, a seventh one appeared in a sh, materialized within a crystal shell, followed by purple fire that soon transformed it all into fur. Just like that, in a split second, the ''Tenth Tail'' was summoned. The power it brought forth quickly was felt but Rakna also noticed a strange pressure weighing on him. It was nothing serious at the moment, but he could tell it would be worse if he used it for too long. After waving the tail around and confirming that it wasn''t any different from the rest, he made it disappear just as fast as it appeared. Out of curiosity, he summoned and dismissed it again. Then repeated the same process several times. "Six, seven, six, seven, six, seve" "Will you cut it out? What are you, a kid?" Kaelith''s voice suddenlyined from the side. Rakna snickered and turned toward her. "Good morning, foxy." "Yes, a good morning indeed. I''m sure it must have been a restful night of sleep for you," the vixen said with a raised eyebrow."well, I guess. I had to knock out the horny cat to stop her though," the therian deadpanned. Kaelith blinked and thenughed. "Heh, serves her right." "She really got carried away with the crest," Rakna sighed. "Instead of being unsettled, she got ustomed to it so fast that she somehow got energy from it." "She truly is the most enthusiastic" The vixen sweatdropped; even she had been taken off guard by the Lust Magic the first time. "I suppose that''s to be expected from her. Where are they now?" "Sleeping well, one of them is unconscious rather," he snorted. "via is sleeping like a log. She mumbles a lot in her sleep. It''s quite cute," he added. A soft expression appeared on Kaelith''s face and she stared right into his eyes with a smile. "What did I tell you, wolfy? I knew you''d be happier if you epted them. You''vee a long way from the emotionless guy who asked why an aisle was dedicated to nkets." "Bold of you to assume I would not ask the same question now," Rakna retorted. "Hehe... that''s true," she smiled. "So? What is that?" She tilted her head to look behind him. "It was just yesterday that you got your sixth tail. Where did that onee from?" "Hm," the therian pondered for a moment. "Simply said, I''m not a Nine-Tailed anymore." "Huh?" "I''m a Ten-Tailed Werewolf," he dered. "why are you saying such ridiculous things so confidently?" Her lips twitched. "Nine is supposed to be the limit for many reasons Not that I ever expected you to heedmon sense anyway." "Ah yes, I''m a ''Law-Breaker''," Rakna nodded to himself, amused by the context. "But that aside, there was something I wanted to try with this new tail of mine. First, I wanted to see how long I can keep it manifested. For now, the strain isn''t hindering me. I think I can hold on for several hours as long as it''s outside ofbat." "Not to mention, there''s no mental imbnce like with demonization," he added. "Even though it gives me extra abilities, it''s much more essible. And" He trailed and nced at Kaelith with an intent gaze. "W-what is it?" She stuttered with a small blush. "nothing," he shook his head, tearing his eyes away from her ''soul'' flourishing in his vision. There wasn''t much difference from using ''Soul Sense'', but there indeed was something beneath it. ''That soul-reading thing doesn''t seem easy to use,'' he mused silently. "Oh well," the therian stretched his arms. "I can also tell that the Obsidian Star is a bit more under control, but that''s about it. Now, what I truly wanted to do; [Tail Clone,]" he voiced and his seventh tail immediately started reverting to a crystal-like state. It separated from his body and began to mold a new body. The process didn''t appear much different from a normal Tail Clone, but when it was over, both he and Kaelith opened their mouths in confusion. "What is" The clone''s voice sounded as it looked around and at itself; long ck hair, purple eyes, a leather jacket and jeans, captivating looks, and a curvy figure. "why the hell did you adopt this form?" Rakna couldn''t help but utter. The clone turned toward him with a gaze even more indifferent than his. "How would I know? Are you sure it''s not simply because you''re a pervert?" "No I''m not that much into selfcest," the therian deadpanned and a System notice rang at about the same time. ? ? ? ? ? You have acquired a new Sub-Path Skill, Nephal Doppelganger! ? --- ? Nephal Doppelganger ? Through the use of Tail Clone, the user sheds their Tenth Tail to create a vessel for the power of the umted Sins & Virtues encased by the surplus power of the Obsidian Starpressed inward by the Sub-Path, Nephilim. The Doppelganger will possess a strong ego due to this and will receive power potentially equal to the original self. Due to its independent nature, the Doppelganger, which embodies the Tenth Tail, will not directly weigh on the user''s Soul Stele as long as it''s separated and will be allowed a continued existence until it somehow ispletely exhausted, fatally wounded, or terminated by the original user, in which case, the tail will return automatically through the soul. ? Note: The base passive effects of the Sin Skills epass both the user and clone. ? ? ? ? ? ''That''s not really helping'' Rakna said internally and looked at whom he could only call ''Ranka''. With a quick check of her attributes, he saw that her attributes were a mirror copy of his except for Luck which was at 20; the value he would have from the doubling effect. ''That''s cheating.'' "{I don''t want to hear that from you,}" Fray deadpanned. "{Though, this is interesting indeed shecks certain abilities, like any other clone, but less so, and she is definitely closer to you in power. At least, thatst one remains true as long as you refrain to use your more extreme skills.}" "Wolfy" Kaelith muttered. "I mean, I don''t mind the cutie version of you, but" ""Don''t finish that sentence,"" both doppelganger and otherwise retorted at the same time. Ranka especially crossed her arms and huffed. "It''s only natural. How could I ever be an imitation of someone else? How insulting." "Uh?" The vixen tilted her head in confusion. "I think she means that it''s an insult for her to be a mere clone," Rakna theorized hesitantly. "This probably is caused by ''Pride''. She''s powered by Sins, after all. So, she doesn''t want or rather, she refuses to be reduced to nothing more than a subservient copy." "But why that form specifically?" "Who knows," Rakna shrugged. "I stopped caring about stuff like that a while ago. It could be because this is a persona I adopted myself. With abination of the Sin of Lust and maybe the title that we will not speak of," he uttered and scowled at this clone. "Your thoughts?" She huffed. "My assumptions aren''t much different from yours. Though" She smirked. "I believe your personal opinion of this appearance might have left traces. You liked it, didn''t you?" "" The therian pursed his lips and leaned slightly toward Kaelith. "Hey, my clone''s making fun of me, isn''t it?" He whispered. "No, more like, she''s mocking me, isn''t she?" "Well, think about it," Kaelith raised one finger. "If you were in her ce, would you do the same?" Rakna looked up in thought for a moment. "I might," he admitted. Meanwhile, Ranka was twirling her wrists and poking her wolf ears. With a pensive hum, she eyed her ''original self'' and extended his hand toward him. "Come," she uttered and the scarf around his neck promptly flew to her, transforming into a Guandao. "I see. It works." Rakna''s expression twitched. "Who told you could take Sonata?" "I did," she instantly said. "So, you did." "" "{You have no counter, do you?}" Fray snickered in the therian''s head. "The drunkard needs us to be with her today, right?" Ranka asked as she whirled the weapon. "Let me go with her. I have no interest in your spar and you don''t need my power for it." "No, no, that''s my power" Rakna mumbled. "And we need ''me'' to be there in public. Unless you''re willing to change your appearance." "Of course not," the answer was instantaneous. "How unreasonable" "Just give me another clone. A normal one," she suggested. "Come on, that''s two tails I''m giving up here. King Gulon is going to notice that in a heartbeat. He''ll give me an earful," Rakna scratched his head. "fine, but you don''t get to bring Sonata with you." "Hm eptable," she nodded and tossed the Soul Weapon back to him. He caught it with a shake of his head and put it back around his neck as a scarf. "Seriously, negotiating with my gender-bent doppelganger first thing in the morning" He sighed and let out a chuckle. "That''s not very high on the list of things I could have predicted." "So, it''s not thest?" Kaelith jested. "Well, realistically, there definitely are worse things," Rakna shrugged. "More importantly since your personality is probably founded upon the Sins" He red at his other self. "You better not go around relieving your lust with ''my'' body." "Idiot," Ranka frowned. "I still am you regardless. Your tastes and interests are mine too. In other words, those targets of lust are already set, and you have one standing right there," she pointed at Kaelith. "Oh!" The vixen eximed with a round mouth. "That''s" She paused. "Incredibly unsettling!" She said with a tone that couldn''t have been faker even if she tried. "You sound way too happy, foxy" I have so many things to do at the same timetely, its horrible. I cant even look at time passing without having an internal crisis. . And while its not like I dont have any free time per se, Im sure everyone knows that feeling when you do something so fucking annoying that youre washed out for the rest of the day. Thats basically me for the past two weeks. . At this rate, Ill finish this novel on my deathbed lol. . Anyway, I just have one or two more weeks left of intense brain-mushing. Then Ill be fine. . PS: By the way, since I noticed that a lot of web readers nowadays are insecure as hell for some reason, don''t worry, Ranka is at best a fun plot point. Nothing serious wille out of it. It''s kind of a pity that I have to rify this actually.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 397: Transpith Chapter 397: Transpith A few hourster. "| Here it is, everyone! The conference in New Athens for the Beast Emperor is about to start. |" "Well, damn, Rak and Kara aren''t wasting time," Anmented as he watched the broadcast on the TV. He took a bite of his waffle and hummed. "This is for ''Harvest'', right? What exactly are they going to sell there?" "The main product will obviously be any item derived from the Eion Tri-Core," Evelyn said as she also watched with everybody else in the room. Kara and Ranka had left earlier, soon after the second clone had been summoned by Rakna. "I''m kind of scared of what mom is going to do for this" Kaelith muttered worriedly. "She''s been surprisingly professional nowadays but whenever she appears publicly" "| Hahaha, hello there~ |" On cue, the head of the older vixen popped on the screen and spooked a few reporters in the za where the announcement was taking ce. "| Oh, this is exciting! Don''t you think so, Ranran? |" Kara hugged the female therian next to her with one arm. "| Don''t call me Ranran, you drunkard |" "See?" Kaelith deadpanned."Who''s that?" Lanata asked, her ears twitching curiously, and pointing at Ranka. "She''s so pretty!" "It''s Rakna," Nyx smiled in amusement. "Just with a little twist." "Right, ''little twist''," An repeated sarcastically. "| Let me introduce you! This is Ranka Xiorra, |" Kara smirked mischievously at the crowd. "| She''s the savior of teau Zero, big sister of Rakna Xiorra, and a drop-dead beauty! |" She hollered and everyone noticed Rakna himself standing behind the two women with a nk face. "| ''Big sister'', my ass |" "Hahaha, he doesn''t wanna be there in the slightest!" Higure burst outughing. "Hehehe, clone or not, my devourer is the same no matter what." "| How lively, |" the chuckle of an elderly man echoed and the camera focused on Gaelius wearing formal attire instead of his white coat. "| If you''ll excuse me, I''ll permit myself to take over this presentation, |" he smiled. "| Harvest is a projectunched by Rakna Xiorra de, and Co-Founded with Lady Kara Yahkshasa and yours truly. Our research was focused on an invention crafted by Eternal Night Himself dubbed the Eion Alkal! We have engineered a machine capable of manipting this product. And the result is this! |" Gaelius raised his hand where a smooth cyan cube sat on his palm. "| Please engrave this in your mind as you will see it a lot. We named these cubes ''Transpith''. They are thepacted culmination of our research. As for what they do, let me show you, |" he grinned and visibly began to pour mana into the object. "| It is programmed to build. And the materials are none other than raw energy. And hop! |" He tossed the transpith in the air and watched as it shone brightly. When it touched the ground of the open za, it immediately expanded like a swarm of insects and then shaped itself into a muchrger structure. At the end of it all, a brand-new house was erected in front of everyone. The spectators blinked in shock, not understanding what happened. However, those with an acute mind grasped the value of this demonstration in an instant. Gaeliusughed. "| But that''s not all! Do it,ss! |" He signaled to Ranka who harrumphed and used her index finger to point at the house. "| [Star re,] |" she chanted indifferently and a re of Everfrost Energy was unleashed, tearing arge hole into the building but leaving the surroundings unscathed. Then, she gestured her hand and threw a sphere of raw mana at the house, which was absorbed in an instant. After a few seconds, the damages were repaired as if they were never there. An whistled in appreciation. "So, they mass-produced what our house is made of?" Kaelith crossed her arms. "It''s more than that. Gaelius used a house to appeal to a wider variety of customers but essentially, what he showed is the capacity to create any object by simply feeding mana or other energies to the transpith. In other words, an all-powerful 3D printer." "And there''s still more," Evelyn smiled. The next half an hour passed with Gaelius showing different applications of the Alkal. It included concepts such as a healing paste that could mend all injuries by recing lost flesh and organs and then gradually transform into the real thing by relying on the body''s organic resources. He also pitched ideas of weapons, androids, enchanted items, alchemy, and even the production of edible food and drinking water with further research. He even mentioned the unique product that relied on Rakna''s Nirvana Skill; the Cardiac Pills capable of restoringrge percentages of stamina and mana on top of healing injuries. "| All right, I''m sure all of that is exciting, right?! |" Kara stepped forward again. "| But there is still one more piece of exciting news for our dear future customers. Should Harvest attain revenue of ten billion Talys by the end of next month, we will celebrate by conducting a summer photoshoot with none other than our gorgeous sibling pair, Ranka and Rakna, as the models! |" "" The house fell silent. "| |" The site of the inauguration was much the same while Rakna''s tail clone facepalmed. On the other hand, Ranka''s expression turned into the very depiction of the words ''Death will not be enough to save you anymore'' but nobody seemed to care as the crowd began to cheer, men and women alike. "why does it feel like this was the most well-received announcement?" via smiled wryly. "This is dangerous" An crossed his fingers in mortification. "I don''t want to scar myself for life but I want to see those photos so bad" He muttered to himself and Marie didn''t even know what to say for once since she half-agreed. "I mean, my devourer''s female form is undoubtedly beautiful," Higure snickered. "It almost makes me jealous," she said and her tail began to sway excitedly as she imagined the scenario of the night before with Ranka added to the mix. "Well, it''ll happen," Kaelith shook her head. "Ten billion is low-balling. Mom used a number big enough to spur people and to guarantee that it will happen." "Hey, more importantly" An pointed at Ranka''s face on the TV. "It doesn''t look like the foxdy got permission from, well, either ''version''. She won''t go out of control, right?" "Hm, probably not," Nyx said with a straight face. "That''s not reassuring at all" ? * * * ? Meanwhile, Rakna sighed as the broadcast was projected in his vision by Eye of Symphony. "That woman" He sighed. "What the hell is she promising on her own?" He grumbled and looked up at the gray sky of the 75th teau. This ce was mostly lifeless; with stone, iron, gravel, and concrete making up the entirety of thendscape in a mockery of true vegetation. After a few minutes of wait, a loud boom echoed in the distance, and with a shockwave that arrived dyed by a few seconds, Cura crashnded with Gulon on his shoulder. "Hi there," Rakna smiled. "You got here fast." The shark silently surveyed the deserted terrain. "Grainvar, huh?" "Aye," the therian replied candidly. "It''s a neutral teau and there''s no need to worry about a few destroyed mountains. The better option would be my Soul Marble but we will see if we get to that point." Gulon cackled and Cura didn''t bother to trante since he knew there was no need. "What do you mean ''cocky''?" Rakna rolled his eyes. "This is a spar. You two are probably doing this to grow stronger, I get it. But I''m not dueling you to the death; I don''t need it. Using my Marble so many days in session will only hurt me anyway." The living weapon growled again and he sighed. "I can''t help it. One of my tails grew a pair of legs and breasts then sauntered off." At those words, Cura and even King Gulon looked at him weirdly. "Yes, I know. Stop looking at me like that," Rakna grunted and called Sonata to his hand. The scarf transformed into a Guandao while he snarled throatily and began to grow in size, his fur growing and his eyes swirling into their usual purple and mystifying shape. "Don''t worry, even with one-sixth of my attributes unavable," the werewolf pointed the polearm at his opponent, his wings unfurling behind him. "I''m more than a threat." ? ? ? ? ? Ascent: II ? Werewolf Attributes: STR: 353.6 | END: 344.2 SPD: 347.7 | DEX: 319.44 INT: 412.5 | LCK: 10 ? ? ? ? ? Cura silently lifted Gulon and shifted to a form less anthropomorphic, his head elongating into one of a shark and his muscle mass expanding along with the fin on his back. King Gulon followed the example and his scales became wholly white, with red tendrilsing out from the tip of each. Rakna snorted and lowered his center of gravity. "[Ghost of Rupture,]" he whispered and his body immediately began channeling his internal force at full power, briefly blurring his silhouette. With one eye closed in concentration, he also manifested an orange-colored mane on top of his already physical one. On the other side, a colorless and shapeless nket of ''force'' descended on Cura. It was erroneous to call it aura or even a type of energy. It felt more ''primitive'' than that. A tense moment of silence befell before Cura broke it by kicking the ground, smashing hectares ofnd behind him. His figure fizzled out of view and Rakna''s wings promptly glowed silver right as his Star re was invoked. In the blink of an eye, two weapons shed midair, and a city''s worth of area was crushed under the pressure. Chapter 398: Awaited Spar Chapter 398: Awaited Spar On the top of a hill in the 75th teau, Pronos snacked on random Wilden with a few of his heads at full size while spectating the battle ongoing in the distance. A streak of aura with the same color as the sea shed against a midnight-colored one. With each blow, a momentary apparition of arge winged werebeast and a giant shark manifested. "[de of Rupture,]" Rakna''s eyes shed and he swung at Cura. The dimension-breaking art shot out in the shape of a crescent but was immediately broken off into two parts as Gulon ate the middle half. The rest struck the ground and sectioned the concrete into countless boulders. ''So, he can eat even that, huh?'' The werewolf thought. "[Unity Craft,]" Cura intoned and teal water was invoked in his free hand. It spiraled into the shape of a spiky sphere and began to release a strange and unseen aura of power. "[Tide Force.]" Rakna''s instincts promptly took over and with widened eyes, he wrapped himself in his wings and channeled their powers to defend himself right as the shark man crushed the sphere with his grip. A muffled detonation echoed across the teau, and the sounds of ocean waves raged before being cut off right in the middle as if striking a wall. A shockwave stronger than anything Rakna ever felt before smashed into his wings. ? ? ? ? You have learned a new Sub-Technique Trait; Quantic Cage. ? ? ?? A Royal Luqu''s Wings could separate their owner from the space-time dimension and drastically reduce all forms of external influences. Yet, it easily pierced through and sent the werewolf flying toward the ground. The activation of the Quantic Cage essentially transformed him into a living cannonball with more aerodynamics than most projectiles. The impact alone was reminiscent of a meteorite. ''Okay'' Rakna groaned internally, re-opening his wings and snapping his shoulder back into ce whilst letting his Alkahestic body heal the rest. He mentally reallocated his attributes and released a burst of Neverwinter Aura that was then quickly reeled back inside by his Nephilim skills. The debris all around himbusted and exploded away from him. The werewolf looked up with his eyes radiating a golden cross. ''That was abination of magic and a Nirvana Skill And both are rare types. Hadal Sea; apound magic element thatbines water with the pressure found at the deepest levels of the ocean. And his Nirvana is ''Force Vector''...'' "{Incredible,}" Fray eximed. "{The theoretically limitless weight and density of his spell is quite a cruelly efficient ability already. But his Nirvana Skill is also exclusively geared toward controlling the vectors of physical force, thus amplifying and controlling it beyond even those limits.}" ''No wonder I could hardly defend against it,'' Rakna mused. ''There''s no physical medium. The collision is somewhat inexistent and the shock spreads whilst ignoring defenses to a certain degree.'' As he thought that, he sensed another eruption of raw momentum and the next thing he saw was the sharp scales of King Gulon going right for his head. He counteracted by whirling his Guandao and deflecting the living weapon mid-spin with an application of Ghost of Rupture. Rakna had learned from Arimane the potential his Internal Art had to redirect the strength of his opponent. Without redistributing his attributes to Strength, Cura surpassed him by at least several hundred points, so he had no choice but to focus on evasion. Truth be told, he probably was one of the very few Hosts capable of enduring such a disparity in attributes. Ripples traversed the air from where the weapons collided, the white scales scraping against the de of Sonata before they were pushed away from each other. At the same time, Gulon could be heardughing and Cura raised his fist, which Rakna mirrored. ? "[Hadal''s Hammer.]" "[Fist of Rupture.]" ? The punches struck and the dimension-breaking noises of the Rupture were rapidly lessened by a wave of water and a crushing pressure. Rakna grunted, his Dusk Mane glowing faintly. ''How stifling. This really feels worse than gravity; it''s like I''m drowning. Even Roias'' ''magic'' wasn''t this unsettling,'' he thought and separated himself from Cura with a burst of Intent. He pped his wings and teleported backward. King Gulon growled sullenly afterward and the werewolf snorted. "Well, sorry about that," he uttered and pointed his Guandao at them. "Let''s just say I''m dressing the table for you," he smiled and spread his wings wide open. The feathers all began to glow silver individually. "[Quantic Plumes,]" he intoned and the feathers imbued with the power of space and time shot out toward Cura, but they were not aimed at him. Instead, like a bombardment, they filled the area in the blink of an eye and stopped in ce as if frozen in time. The shark man raised an eyebrow at one of the closest to him and then widened his eyes when he saw a small rune etched on its surface. Before he could do anything, Rakna spoke up. "[Great Rune Array C Kuv??ik Ci?ai.]" The runes on every feather red up, and purple mes connected them all into an intricate web. Immediately, Cura felt the grasp of space and time weigh on him, holding him in ce. Gulon quickly opened his mouth and began sucking in both the mes and the distortions of space as if it was a regr snack. "Hah, as expected," Rakna snickered as the feathers began to shake and move out of ce. He lifted both hands and pointed his palms forward, letting Sonata float next to him. On his left, soul mes appeared and, on his right, a constetion shone into view. "[Wolfen Lord,]" he first activated his title skill and the purple mes divided themselves into two different clusters. They rapidly transformed into beasts with scales and wings of legendary nature that none could fail to recognize. Furthermore, each of them arose with opposite types of Star Energy. An Everfrost Dragon as well as a Neverwinter Dragon roared to life right then and there. Cura''s eyes widened slightly and both creatures started charging breaths without wasting a second. "[Star Monarch,]" Rakna continued and the constetion rang into existence. "[Draco.]" A ghost-like apparition of a giant ck dragon transiently joined the other two and dissolved into particles of light that merged with and reinforced the two summoned beasts. The effects were instantaneous and the two dragons'' aura grew stronger in the blink of an eye and their breaths began to release heat and cold beyond what could be imagined. Finally, Rakna aimed his index finger at Cura and King Gulon. A granted orb spiraled at the tip and shards of obsidian began to spin around a core of mes. "[Sltta Natcattira Raja,]" he intoned and fired the spell at the same time as his dragons'' breaths. All three attacks converged toward the wielder and weapon pair. Right before they hit their target, however, Rakna caught a glimpse of King Gulon''s lips twisting into a smirk. Thebined might of all his three stars subsequently detonated the dimensional cage and its surroundings. He used both Space Leap and Rift Shuttle to avoid his own spell and watched it from a distance as a mushroom cloud the shape of a six-pointed star glittered all three colors, crowned with a halo of sorts made out of volcanic shards. The teau quaked due to the explosion and the shockwave alone toppled down a few mountains nearby, copsing them into a pile of gravel and rocks. The golden crosses in Rakna''s eyes shone strongly and soon enough, the smoke was blown away by a peculiar pressure. The dragons emerged from the aftermath with both their necks chewed off by a pair of summoned sharks. Cura himself was standing in the same ce he was before, unscathed and with some kind of red barrier surrounding him that seemed somewhat electrified. "[Positive Field,]" the shark man whispered and the barrier blinked from red to blue. It promptly changed shapes and ttened into a polyhedron. Then, Cura raised Gulon who wore a satisfied grin, and pointed him at Rakna. The tendrils dangling from the scales of the weapon red up with all kinds of energies at once and King Gulon''s mouth opened, a mass of energy pooling in the back of his throat. "[Superior Pharos,]" Cura uttered and the Gulon spat out a concentrated wave of power, evidently mixed with several kinds of Star Energy. The blue field surrounding the shark man was transferred to the attack at the same time and Rakna narrowed his eyes. He maximized his movement by using Enthymio and Space Leap together, but it was for naught as the attack literally curved to chase him. The werewolf frowned and fired some of his feathers to create a defensive array right in front of it. But, to his surprise, the wave didn''t try to break through but instead bounced off and circumvented it altogether. "Well, I''ll be damned. What about this then?" He muttered and allowed it to catch up to him. It happened almost instantaneously but with Eye of Symphony, it was easy to time it perfectly, and when Rakna felt it start to sear his fur, his wings flickered and his figure fizzled out. Yet, the attack properly struck and a burst of countless energies created a storm in the air. However, none of that mattered to Cura already since King Gulon was categoric; it hadn''t hit. Time had been disced right before it could. "[Mark of Vindication,]" a chant echoed from all directions, and with a surge of sinister mana, the spell was invoked. An emblem carrying the Sin of Wrath appeared above Cura''s head like a curse, as if designing him a target. Gulon''s body immediately stretched to eat it but before he could do so, a greatsword zing with purple mes swung from behind and deterred the voracious creature. "Can''t let you eat that quite yet," Rakna''s voice sounded and Cura immediately pulled on the handle of his weapon. The blue barrier flickered back to life and he swung at the werewolf whilst applying his Nirvana Skill to his movements. The werewolf countered with an upward swing, attempting to deflect Gulon, but despite that, the scaled weapon did not change course, and the blue field swathing it briefly glowed. ''I see,'' Rakna thought to himself before leaning back to dodge Gulon. He maintained the momentum and flipped his body, simultaneously using his tails as limbs to shoot five Star res. The five arcs of Star Energy were swallowed by King Gulon in the blink of an eye and Rakna used that moment to activate one of his newest skills. "[Invert All Creation, Anastrofa,]" he chanted and a certain zone was established with him as the epicenter. He gritted his teeth at the intensity of the dimensional force assailing his body and the area became somewhat dimmer, as if light was weaker all of a sudden. King Gulon growled warningly and Cura became wary. "[Negative Field,]" he uttered and the blue barrier reverted to red. At the same time, Rakna teleported face to face with him and swung his fist crackling with all the energies he had at disposition. "[Fist of Rupture,]" he struck forward and the ultimate blow of his Internal Art collided with the barrier. Or at least, it would have if his fist hadn''t stopped centimeters away from it. Rakna''s arm trembled as he tried to push forward even a bit more, but eventually, his punch waspletely halted and the power infused into it shattered. "Maism or a concept simr to it," the werewolf grinned. "Let''s see how much it takes to get through, shall we?" He jested and filled the de of Sonata with mana. The greatsword turned into a one-handed sword and shapeless power flowed along the edge. "[10 000 Nights of Severance,]" Rakna triggered the perk and swung at the negative field. Cura mirrored the attack and tried to counter with King Gulon, but at the moment of the swing, he stiffened in shock when he saw his arm angled somewhere he never intended to. Rakna cackled and in the end, Sonata shed the field and opened a thin breach. Before it had the time to repair itself, he reared his left arm once again and rekindled his Internal Art. However, he added twoyers to it. The Dusk Mane around his neck became agitated like orange mes and the Mark of Vindication above Cura shed red. "[Fist of Rupture,]" he reiterated and punched forward with more than half of his attributes put into Strength. It slowed down briefly when brushing against the red field, but quickly overpowered it and broke a hole into it, elerating back to normal right after. Cura hastily lifted Gulon in front of him to act as a shield and when the fistnded, the Wrath Spell showed its true colors. The Mark dissolved into Rakna''s arm and the attack value of the Fist of Rupture doubled. Coupled with the momentum hoarded in the Dusk Mane, a blow several times stronger than normal struck the shark man. The dimensions shattered like ss and the energies carried by the fist exploded outward, hurling Cura toward the ground in the distance at breakneck speeds. The force behind the attack was such that he failed to regain control until he crashed. The shark man dug a trench with his body until he forced his body to move and plunge King Gulon into the stone to break the impetus. It took a few seconds for him to stoppletely and with one knee down, he spat a mouthful of blood. "as expected," Cura mumbled and unearthed King Gulon. The creature seemed to be chuckling as if the attack had done nothing but amuse him. "Hey, Gul, this is pretty nice, huh?" The shark asked calmly and a huff was the reply. He then stood up and a stream of transparent energy and water coiled around him like an aura. He gazed at the werewolf hovering in the sky with his four wings spread out and an uncharacteristic grin split the shark man''s stoic expression. "Very nice" He whispered and lowered his body slightly. Then, with a resounding boom, he took off with strength that trampled the teau''s surface even worse than his fall had. Another sh urred up above and countless Wilden cowered away from the lethal winds caused by it. This battlested until the evening after enoughnd to house many countries had been ruined. I guess the argument could be made that fight scenes are a strong point of my writing, but goddamn if theyre not a pain in the ass to write. . Thats all for the spar, by the way. Cura has more abilities, especially with Gulon, but Ill probably showcase them in ast-boss scenario.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 399: Honor of Memory Chapter 399: Honor of Memory Long ago, the Gulon were a race of creatures born at the core ofs. They were often seen as worms of relentless willpower, oveing istion by defying what could or could not be their food. It was not such a rare thing fors with incredibly short lifespans to be born. During the dawn of the Lost Era, whenever any such ce was created, the steady cycle of the Realm would scatter its remnants to assist new life elsewhere. But sometimes, unfortunately,s were able to develop a mind. Maybe some were too close to a mana vein for their own good or perhaps they had too many primitive lives on their surface; such things brought sentience to the celestial objects. Therefore, they possessed a natural drive to survive. However, it was nearly impossible. They had been born imperfect and couldn''t hope to do anything about it without help. In those conditions, an ambition would be made and determination would germinate. The core of the would detach itself from the rest, be an eggshell of its own, and give life to a creature obsessed with survival and sustaining itself. To grow beyond the''s lifespan and carry on its memory; that was the meaning of their life. To do so, they needed resources. So, they would eat the mass ofnd that birthed them. Eating and eating. Until they knew they could survive long enough to eat more. The Gulon were born just like that and became a species roaming the vastness of outer space. They swam through the vacuum, and some were said to be bigger than a star. Their forms varied based on what they ate or what they were born from at the very beginning. But their rough features were consistent; no eyes, red tendrils, mineral-like scales, and a maw that could eat and swallow anything it came in contact with. Among those creatures, one was born from a very small; the weakest Gulon in the whole of Existence. Despite this, he was the one with the most developed sentience. And perhaps out of pity, sadness, or kindness, that Gulon had one personal objective; to give the support his brethren and himself never got to enjoys that were sentient but too weak to birth a Gulon; he would visit and grant them respite by devouring them, carrying their memory and spirit with him. Perhaps due to his actions, he one day became able to eat mana and all kinds of energy. He was still the smallest Gulon to ever live, but the strongest of them all. Attracted by him, others of his kind found him and followed him on his journey. It didn''t take long for him to be called King of Gulons by humans. Led by him, the Gulon remained pacifists and lived in peace. That is until the End came, preceded by the advent of the Three Enders, abominations of nature that corrupted and devastated the world; The Wailful Nightmare, The Blind Puppeteer, and The Brume Legion. Stars ands began to die, mana became poisonous, newborn life didn''t live past infant stages, dimensions splintered, time became erratic, and the external Realms were severed as if banished to exert their influence. King Gulon survived through it all, eating the dying celestials and even as far as his own followers who diminished over time. When there was ultimately nothing but him, his determination to keep surviving and carry the proof of his species'' struggle allowed him to persevere. He hibernated in a timeless world until one day, a breath of life woke him up. The resplendent tree that had sprouted at the center of the universe gave him just enough strength to hibernate through a few more billion years. Then, one day, he awoke for the second time inside an ocean, on some that had caught him in orbit during its formation. King Gulon was amazed; he had never been to such a ce. The depth he sensed himself to be was greater than thousands of millions of kilometers and he wasn''t even anywhere close to the bottom. This would be known by Existenceter as Vathi, The Boundless Sea, located in the Second Mother Reality where all life is said to be the strongest, and where a baby could be strong enough to kill a grown man in any other Reality. King Gulon spent thousands of years on that, eating his way past the horrors of the deep sea where darkness was the most prominentpanion. Eventually, he reached a tform of soil. It was merely an elevated cliff but he felt quite fascinated by the fact it had taken him that long to even see a hint of reaching the bottom. He wondered what kind of behemoths lived there. But it was on the second elevated tform that he found something he didn''t expect; humanoid lifeforms that had evolved to breathe and live underwater. He observed them for a few years and eventually resumed his way downward. Focusing his path vertically, it took him only about a few hundred more years or so to finally reach the floor of this ocean. He expected frightening monstrosities to greet him and, in a way, he wasn''t disappointed in the slightest. But all of themy dead. These monsters of nature bigger than continents and outrights were scattered everywhere and dead beyond doubt. His interest piqued, Gulon deployed his senses and located two lives. One was weak, but the other was notable. King Gulon put in the effort this time and moved at full speed. Quickly, he reached his destination and found a felled creature worthy of being called a leviathan. It was sprawled on the ocean floor with its tongue out and all around it, there were remains of a destroyed settlement like the one he had seen above, made by amphibious humanoids. He spotted a few corpses of said beings and then approached the twost living ones. Both of them were shark merfolk; a child and a much older man. Thetter was sitting against the dead leviathan with a greatsword buried next to him, his body battered and bloody with an arm missing. The child was unconscious on hisp and unharmed. King Gulon guessed easily that this used to be a vige of humanoids that had been raided by sea monsters. He could sympathize with these people who had been forced to stand their ground and defend themselves instead of swimming upward to lesser depths. This had mysterious tunnels of water. On his way down, the pressure weighing on him had changed at least a hundred times. The problem was that it was abnormally random. Sometimes, he would be caught by ayer with incredibly weak pressure as if he was just a few meters under the surface, and at others, it felt like he was liftings all on his own. This bottom area was shockingly tame; a pressure of barely a few tens of kilometers worth, though there was also a massive increase in ambient life force. Comparatively, the previousyer had been far worse and most of these amphibious people would have died instantly there. To King Gulon, it wasn''t much, but for them, it was a prison forbidding anyone from escaping. "you''re a new face" The dying warrior whom King Gulon suspected had killed most of the sea monsters spoke up, opening one eye to look at him. "Though I can''t say you have a face anyway," he joked with a wry smile. Gulon tilted his body. These beings wouldn''t understand him even if he spoke, so he kept silent. It was only due to his transcendent nature that he could understand all forms ofnguage. "Don''t want to answer? Or maybe you can''t," he snorted. "If you could save me, that''d be perfect but can I ask a favor?" He asked airily and King Gulon growled pensively. He had already finished exploring this, so he nodded since he had nothing else to do. "This is my son" The man patted the boy on hisp. "His name is Cura An you''vee from above, right? If I asked is it possible for you to bring him with you? Just handing him to the care of another vige is fine" King Gulon didn''t reply for a moment and nonchntly swam in circles a bit, looking around a few times, and eventually approaching the sleeping child. He inspected him with his senses and turned back toward the warrior to nod. "Hah thank you very much" The shark man mumbled. "Please tell him his dad went off like a true warrior" He said with a grin, leaning his head back against the leviathan he had killed and the hundreds of sea monsters in his sight. He then slowly closed his eyes; for eternity. Quietly, King Gulon huffed in respect and used one of his tendrils to grab the child and move him away. Then, he opened his maw wide and swallowed the body of the dead warrior. He acquired his memories and added them to the grand list of lives for which he needed to survive. He then nced at the greatsword left behind and at the child as well. After some thought, he ate the weapon and slowly changed his appearance to fit a simr aesthetic. He grabbed the child and then used his full power to swim up and shield the boy at the same time. ? * * * ? "That''s certainly an interesting story," Raknamented as he sat on a boulder of the 75th teau whilst watching the sunset. Everything around him was either craters or gravel so he did not really have anywhere else to sit. He brought a cigarette to his mouth and exhaled a cloud of cyan-colored smoke a momentter. It had been quite some time since he no longer needed them to calm Obsidian Blood, but it didn''t change the fact that it was a perfect concoction designed by his uncle to help its user rx. "Interesting, huh?" Cura snorted, his body healing from its wounds thanks to a prototype transpith of Harvest given to him by Rakna. "I guess. I just want to be stronger; strong enough to match my father and conquer the ce that took my family. I want to dedicate it to them. Apparently, Gul decided to train me because I reminded him of himself." "We spent about twenty years in the upperyers of Vathi," the shark said. "Most of it was spent moving and Gul asionally pitted me against roving monsters. There wasn''t much he could teach other than that and he nned to get us out of the with his full speed. Normally, we would have reached it after a few more years but" "The System, huh?" Rakna hummed. "Yes," Cura nodded. "In a way, it was the perfect ce for me to grow stronger, and Gul also agreed that this System was a very useful training wheel but that it should have been discarded long ago at this point. We only want to get out now, but Gul doesn''t have the necessary skill set to do it." King Gulon growled in annoyance at that. Cura shrugged. "He''s a creature with transcendental physical toughness and energy maniption, but he''s incapable of magic or any other technique to cross space or dimensions. He could try and eat time and space, of course, but ording to him, that might just annihte teaus more than anything else. This ce is too ''structured''. Break one thing, and the rest copses too." The therian snickered. "Sorry to hear that," he smiled at the ancient creature. "I guess you can get a ride with me once I get strong enough to exit myself or more likely when we settle our scores with the Tra and the Phantasms." "I suppose," Cura mused. "If it means a good fight, I''m in anyway." On the other hand, Gul grumbled to himself, obviously annoyed at being at the mercy of those mere pests and ghosts that should have normally been way below him on the food chain. "Though," Rakna looked at King Gulon. "You''re way stronger than any of us, right? Are you holding back or is the System weakening you?" "Nothing like that," Cura shook his head. "Gul bound himself to me. I guess you can say it''s simr to your Soul Weapon. If he wants, he can unseal himself, but right now, he''s equalized to me. That''s the reason we think the System even summoned us. We don''t know what would happen if he were to let loose. Like I said, the intrusion of his full power might harm everyone in the System." "I see. It makes sense," Rakna nodded. "Otherwise, there''s no way the System would intentionally summon a creature beyond its capacity due to the risks it poses I wonder if Hans was in a simr situation." "{I''m also rather curious to know how the Wailful Nightmare became my sessor,}" Fray added. Rakna sighed and threw away his cigarette before standing up. "Well, we can just ask him. Anyway, Cura, ept this," he said and sent a Guild invitation. "In a month or so, before or after we start the ''Miracle'' n, we''ll see, there''s an SS-ss Hidden Quest I''m sitting on that I n toplete. I''ll ask help from both Throne of Glory and my Guild; I thought you might be interested." "SS?" Cura repeated. "That''s the first I hear that rating," he replied and Gul hummed in interest. "It''s been issued to me a while ago, and just looking at the thing almost killed me," Rakna revealed with a small grin. "It would be quite amazing to defeat the Boss of that ce, no? I can''t wait to get my hands on it." "On what?" "Well, of course," his grin widened viciously. "I''d like to see how its heart tastes." Its all right? Didnt bore you too much? I wanted a little backstory episode for Cura so here you go. Its nothing fancy.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 400: Myth Council I Chapter 400: Myth Council I The streets of New Athens cleared themselves as the day started. Even the higher sectors were not an exception as the aristocrats stood aside in deference as the Myth Tower was released. "How snobbish," Rakna huffed as he walked up the granite stairs of the second-highestyer of the spiral city. Kaelith following next to him snorted in amusement. "What else do you expect them to do? To everyone here, it''s the day where their Presidents gather, so to speak. They decide how things are run; the highest authority endorsed by the System itself andposed of the most influential, powerful Hosts and Locals." "I approve of it!" Akronis stated loudly from atop An''s head. "This pleases me very much!" "They aren''t doing this out of respect for you, stupid bat," the vampire yer retorted. Nyx shook her head at the duo''s antics and turned toward Evelyn, who had a stiff expression as they approached the Myth Tower. "Are you okay?" The goddess asked worriedly. The Cambion tensed up for a second before sighing. "Yes I think it should be fine." Rakna nced over. "Don''t worry too much. As long as you''re with me, nothing should go wrong. I won''t let the Council protect ''them'' if they ever try." She smiled softly. "Yes. I have no doubt, but" She looked down. "I fear for what I""Evelyn," the therian cut her off. "Don''t hold back," he uttered and she blinked in surprise. "There is nothing to fear. The judgment will be all yours, so let it free; your hundred-year-old grudge." The subus'' eyes widened slightly and their dark green color briefly glowed red before she schooled her face into a healthy flush and a smile. "Yes!" She replied happily. Natsu, who was hanging from her shoulder, looked at her from the corner of his eyes and inwardly smirked at what he could feel was already brewing up to the surface. After all, even he had been startled to see thepatibility he had with her as a Soul Beast. When thinking about it, it made sense to him. Being a Hell Priestess was one thing but the requirements for having such a Path was another. "Here we are," Kara eximed as they reached the end of the stairs and were faced with a carved stone tower, crowned by a floating ring of crystallized mana. It was a structure that could only be found in the Four Major teau Cities. It was situated at the center of a circr tform, pirs erected along its circumference to hold up the roof, from which water flowed down like a fountain. At the entrance of the tower, a pair of Adjudicators were silently standing guard. Not far from it, a small group of people seemed to be waiting for Rakna. "Ah,d! Good morning," Gaelius Eldron waved his hand in greetings, a grin on his lips. "Mhm," the therian nodded as he reached him. "Good morning," he said and sinctly greeted Caer and Merlina who were there. Thetter reciprocated with a nod and the pink-haired man let out a chuckle. "It''s a nice morning, isn''t it?" He smiled. "Eh? Were you also part of the Council?" via asked curiously. "I''m just here to apany my wife like all of you are right now," the Blossom Wind replied. "I''m sadly not part of the Council myself," he shrugged. "I''m quite far from being a Top 10 Host, or even a King or prominent merchant. Just good old Caer," he joked whilst wagging his finger, his squinted eyes forming perfect crescents as always. Merlina was the one who gave him the most unconvinced stare. "Don''t be fooled," Kaelith rolled her eyes. "Caer wen may not be the most powerful member of the Throne of Glory Guild, but he''s still one of their most vicious assets," she uttered. "And there is nothing more misleading than his title; harmlesspared to the scenes he leaves behind after his battles. Your guild is a bunch of weirdos, wolfy. Remember that." Caerughed lightly. "Aren''t you being a bit mean?" He pouted. "I would argue that I''m a gentleman no matter the ce, even the battlefield." "Sure, you do that," the vixen droned sarcastically. Rakna watched his guild mate react with faux hurt and then turned toward the two other people that had been quietly awaiting their turn to speak. One of them was an elderly man with a patient and kind smile wearing the robes of the Basilica; Lacros Hortensia. Someone Nyx greeted with a respectful smile. The other was a woman perhaps nearing her 30s with luscious hairporting two colors at once, orange and red, with charm and appeal fit to be admired. Her expression was marginally colder in naturepared to Lacros, but her blue eyes were soft and seemed even wiser. But most crucially, she exhibited inhuman traits, such as a pair of antlers stealthily growing above her temples, semi-hidden by her hair, and faint golden-bronze scales on the back of her hands that brandished unusually sharp nails. She wore a ck dress tailored for Basilica members, with the customary eight-branched cross around her neck as a ne. When the focus was put on her and Lacros, they promptly bowed with one hand over their heart. ""We greet the Kind Demon''s Kin,"" they spoke in unison. Rakna blinked, unsure of how to respond, while Kaelith seemed surprised for a reason of her own. "Light of Tribtion" She muttered and the beautiful woman straightened her back with a smile, seemingly amused by the title. "It is my pleasure to meet you all," she said with a polite tone. "My name is Fiora Leonhart, known as Light of Tribtion to some. I am somebody that some refer to as the Founder of the Basilica of Eternal Night," she revealed and a few gasps spread among the listeners. "Um, if I may" Astraea raised her voice curiously. "Are you perhaps a Qilin?" Fiora''s smile widened. "Correct. I am a Tribtion Qilin, wielding Lightning and Light as one. I''m the only one of my kind in the System if you''re curious." "She''s a Wilden, wolfy," Kaelith further exined to Rakna. "One of the strongest we know and one of the few everyone has collectively agreed that fighting isn''t worth any reward. A Qilin is a Divine Beast, a Child of Heaven of sorts, but not quite a Celestial. She''s stupidly powerful," she said nkly and the woman in question chuckled. Honestly, Rakna didn''t need anyone to tell him that. If it wasn''t because he knew she wasn''t hostile in any way, his mere instinct to flee would have been difficult to ovee. Unexpectedly, he could also smell something beyond friendliness from her something closer to devotion. "If she wasn''t part of the Basilica and peaceful, she would most likely rule over entire teaus just by herself," Kaelith shook her head. "I knew she was part of the Myth Council, butst I heard, she hasn''t partaken in over five hundred years." "Well, how could I possibly stay still when the nephew of Arimane de is here?" Fiora said with a bright smile. "This might mean nothing to either you or him, but the Kind Demon saved me from the worst possible fate, even if unaware. I have thus a debt I can never repay to both him and any of his kin." Rakna snorted. "Well, I''m sure the old man would be happy to hear that. He once told me that there is nothing in life more pleasing than someone owing you a debt for free." The Qilin giggled. "Good to hear. Please be assured that my power is all yours. Should you need me or the Basilica, I shall force them to ept you as their leader," she stated confidently. Lacros sighed. "Please don''t do that" She ignored him, too happy to show hermitment. "And should you wish so, I would be more than happy to even bear your child," she dered with no change in her expression. A few people immediately choked on nothing but air and Lacros facepalmed. The girls shook their heads in exasperation, Lanata''s mouth opened wide in an ''O'' shape, and Karaughed without a care in the world, "My, I''m genuinely curious of what kind of child would result from that union." "A unique breed of Qilin and Ten-Tailed Werewolf" Hans muttered under his breath; his interest piqued. "I have to admit, I would love to see it, if just to record it on paper myself." Kaelith''s expression was nk as she retorted, "Follow the pecking order. You''rest; deadst." Fiora seemed startled by the collective effect of her words. "Oh, I apologize," she cleared her throat in embarrassment. "I had no idea I would be intruding. Please forget that." "Oh no, please don''t think that," Kara smirked teasingly. "You''re more than wee." "That''s enough," Rakna groaned. "I understand," he said and looked at the Qilin. "Your loyalty was heard and received. I''ll be sure to rely on it, so be prepared," he said with a small smile. With a small widening of her eyes, Fiora''s mood spiked up. "Yes!" She replied eagerly. "Ding, Strongest Wilden, Get." An quietly imitated a video game notice to the side and more than a few people smiled in amusement. "Wow, little Majesty, just two days and there''s already a top-tier powerhouse swearing allegiance to you?" A new voice echoed from the staircase leading to the tower and everyone turned toward it; Zialtra''s dominating presence quickly joined them. "Oh, the gori," Hansmented off-handedly. "Tch, who are you calling gori, you fucking midget." A step behind Zialtra, another woman approached. One that Rakna had never seen before, but that plenty of others knew about, especially Nyx. A woman with pink eyes dressed in a tantalizing ck dress approached the group and without saying anything, red at Rakna as if he was her mortal enemy, which got her a confused expression in return. "Hello, Guild Master," Nyx greeted the woman. "Ah, yes," Enya Fendyrlen looked away from the therian and smiled at the goddess. "It''s good to see you, Nyx. I haven''t seen you for several days now. Polia misses you." Nyx smiled ''gently''. "Please tell her that I certainly don''t." Enya chuckled. "All right. I''ll be going in. Let''s talkter," she said and gave onest re at Rakna before heading inside the tower with a huff, the Adjudicators scanning her to confirm her identity. "Did you do something to her, devourer of mine?" Higure inquired with a tilt of her head. "I''ve never even seen her before today," Rakna responded. "Who was that even?" "Enya Fendyrlen," Caer answered. "Fifth Ranked Host, Leader and ''Master'' of the Wan Guild, and titled Monarch of Sorcery & Magic. I''ve met her a few times. She''s an innocent child under all that pretense. She''s probably jealous of the spells you and your uncle used during your battle." "Well, the girl''s cute like that," Zialtra said mischievously. "But don''t underestimate her. She isn''t a Monarch for nothing. Magic has no secrets for her. She can dispel others'' spells and cast some herself capable of eradicating millions of lives without breaking a sweat." "I see" Rakna muttered. "Well, I''ll try not to provoke her." "Or seduce her?" An added with a smirk. "That too," the therian deadpanned and eventually approximated the entrance of the Myth Tower where he paused next to the Adjudicators when an idea popped in his mind. "Hey, you," he called out to one of the marble-like pdins, and due to his authority, it immediately responded. [| Rakna Xiorra de. Clearance Confirmed. State Your Attentions. |] "Only Myth Council members can enter this ce, correct?" [| Entities Fulfilling Entry Conditions Can Pass. |] Rakna hummed and pointed at two people; Astraea and Ceresta. "Then, can they?" The Adjudicator turned its eyes toward them and spent an abnormally long time examining them before answering, [| Affirmative. |] The therian smiled. "You heard the big guy," he said and both girls blinked in surprise. They hadn''t expected to be granted ess. "How peculiar," Caer chuckled. "This is probably the first time I see this." "You don''t say" Zialtra raised an eyebrow. "Let''s go. Evelyn, you should be called in after a while," Rakna said and the subus nodded with a serious face. "See youter then." "Mhm, good luck in there," Kaelith crossed her arms. Promptly, everyone with the clearance began to step inside the portal-like doorway and when only Zialtra remained, she shed a grin at Hans. "Later, midget." The azure-haired boy''s eyebrow twitched. He grunted quietly and before she could even move, he abruptly walked past her and sent an indifferent gaze at the Adjudicators as if daring them to do something. Before they knew it, he had stepped inside and disappeared from their sight. "huh?" The Hunting Queen was left gawking. "Hm" Caer rubbed his chin. "As expected of the Wailful Nightmare" "Wait, wait, wait! Brick head!" Zialtra shouted at the Adjudicator. "Why''d you let that one in?!" [| |] It remained silent and she frowned. It wasn''t normal for them to just stay silent at a question from a council member. In other words, it meant her wording was the problem. "Adjudicator," her voice lowered a bit. "Is there a Host called ''Hans De Vale'' in the System?" This time, it reacted and after its eyes shed, it replied, [| Negative. |] Zialtra''s eyes widened and then she burst outughing. "Hahaha! I can''t believe it! It''s not that they allowed him to pass; they didn''t even register his presence," she cackled to herself and finally went inside. "Hah, that midget is a bag of wonders." Happy 400th Chappy.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 401: Myth Council II Chapter 401: Myth Council II "I mean, I don''t care," Rakna suddenly said as soon as he entered the Myth Tower and saw whaty behind its entrance. Astraea sweatdropped at his obviously insincere tone. "But if this is how you''re going to do it, then why a tower?" Whaty in front of him was an infinite expanse of pasture. Just grass. Everywhere. Grass. And of course, a clear blue sky, cloudless and bright. Then more grass. "It''s pretty," Lanata stuck out her head from behind Rakna. "It''s my first time here," she poked her lips with her finger as her sheep ears wiggled. She had never participated in the Council meetings ever since she had been crowned ''Empress''. It had never interested her. Ceresta quietly took in the peaceful scenery, and Cura, ever so silent, had already sat down on the ground some distance away and closed his eyes. "This ce is good for when fights break out," Fiora exined. "The space avable is as big as it appears. Small conflicts between top powers, even if not escted into real hostility, cause severe upshots. Being inside a building or a room would make a mess." "Yes, but like why a tower?" The therian made a strange face. "Calm down, Xiorra," Hans deadpanned. "Your pathetic excuse of a brain is going to overheat." Rakna''s raised an eyebrow at him. "My brain is augmented past even scientific limits," he defended himself, not even surprised by the author''s presence inside this ce. "Precisely." "You guys" Zialtra muttered in disbelief as she appeared behind them. "Still" Rakna dropped his joke and looked a bit off in the distance. Slightly spread out, he saw the other members of the Council standing in wait. He spotted Enya crossing her arms whilst sitting on a chair made out of her own magic, apparently woven from grass des. ''I don''t sense any affinity in the mana she used. So, it''s a neutral spell. That''s a uselessly impressive show of magic formation mastery,'' the therian remarked internally. ''But she most likely did not even think about it. That''s how effortless it was for her...'' ''Next'' He looked away and nkly looked at a certain Pavilion President lying in the grass. ''Kryas is sleeping over there, of course,'' he thought. Hybran cksteel was here as well but that was about it for the people he could recognize. He did have a hunch for a few of them though, especially a certain pair; a robust man with tiger ears and a rueful one with fox ears. Two of the strongest Patriarchs of the Nine-Tailed n; Ghura Matuc and Karyu Yahkshasa. There was only Lucrecia missing today, thest of the three ''Grand Patriarchs'' of the n. "{Oh, look, your father-inw,}" Fray jested. Rakna coincidentally exchanged nces with the Fox Patriarch, and both simply nodded at each other, keeping whatever chat they wanted to have for after the meeting. Karyu aside, without using Crystal Sight, there was no one he knew anything about anymore. And while he has no qualms using it on most people, it was better to be careful in a ce filled with this many key figures. ''Azheim isn''t here either. His arrival probably marks the start of the meeting,'' he thought. However, he quickly memorized the profiles of everyone here. An old man with a muscr frame and a formidably long beard was sitting silently, meditating. He wore a gray kimono and the hands that sat on hisp were visibly calloused and scarred. Rakna had never seen him but something told him he was the strongest person here. And purely based on his gut, he was pretty sure he knew exactly who that was. There also was a tall man with pure ck wings standing quietly near the old warrior. He had red eyes and long ck hair tied into a ponytail. His clothes seemed oriental, simr to what Fray had been wearing when the therian met him, but with a color scheme leaning more on red and white. Then, there was a smaller individual, clearly not human. He was a bit out of ce since there was no mistaking his race; goblin. Despite that, he wore an expensive-looking suit and even a monocle of all things. A bit to the side, excluded from everyone else, there was a very small reptilian creature with wings sitting on the ground like a cute plushie. It obviously looked like a dragon, but its less-than-a-baby size was quite jarring in a ce like the Myth Council. Next to that tiny dragon, a cloaked humanoid figure stood silent and immobile. It was to the point that the only thing Rakna could sense from it was the air shifting when colliding with it. Though, he also unmistakably felt the ''death aura'' around it, usually implying an undead. Then,stly, amongst what seemed to be the Locals, with Hybran and Gaelius, four people were also unknown to Rakna. One was a middle-aged man with sharp angr features, short white hair, narrow pale blue eyes, and long ears; putting him as a potential elf. The second Local was an older man around fifty years of age, with brown hair and eyes, a trimmed beard, and a wide physical build. His attire stood out a bit, with a leather trench coat, and a color scheme of faded brown and gray. He gave off the impression of an artisan or a carpenter. The third wasparatively younger, in his thirties perhaps, with a rugged face and a somewhat dusty outfit reminiscent of the old west standards on Earth. This was corroborated by the Stetson hat on the man''s head, practically making him look like a cowboy. But there were some additional nuances on his clothing that also reminded one of a farmer. Finally, thest person was someone Rakna immediately ssed as the strongest Local present, as long as Azheim had yet to arrive. It was a woman near her twenties ording to appearance, with pale skin, blue hair, ssy silver eyes, and a lozenge white mark in the middle of her forehead. With her white robe, of which some parts seemed to float over her shoulders, she radiated a unique presence. Rakna himself was alienated by her ''aura'', since it was wholly distinct from what he was used to. ''Right if I had to guess,'' he squinted his eyes. ''She''s a Cultivator,'' he concluded as he concentrated more on his Soul Sense, picking up the peculiar resonance of her soul power. It was refined in a way he wasn''t aware of, mixed with her Ki and Psyche. ''I see. That''s what they call Qi, huh?'' At the same time as he made that realization, he started hearing voices fading in. He looked away from the mysterious woman and turned toward the source. It seemed new arrivers were in the middle of talking as they walked through the portal. "just rude bitch!" That''s the first thing Rakna was able to hear and he blinked dazedly. He wasn''t the only one as several people sighed audibly, clearly used to it and past the point of even caring. Then, three people appeared in the middle of the clearing. One was a young man wearing a white overcoat and robes of the same colors. He had blond hair and heterochromatic eyes, one blue and the other green. He had a Christian cross around his neck and his handsome looks were currently twisted in exasperation as two seemingly very young kids glowered at each other in front of him. "Ugh! This is why I hateing to these meetings!" One of them, a boy sharing the same traits as the older man behind him shouted; beautiful blond hair and a pair of cerulean eyes. "Go back to your mountain already, you brutish woman!" "Hah! You wish!" The one who responded was a girl with purple hair reaching the middle of her back, purple eyes, and equally as small as he was. Despite her stature, she seemed to be unhesitant to wear loose clothing, sporting them somewhat frivolously, along with a red rope tied around her waist from which hung a gourd of some sort. And most importantly, a pair of long reddish horns sprouted from her forehead. They were smooth, as if polished, and barely curved; quite elegant from a certain point of view. "You religious groupies won''t get rid of us that easily!" She huffed, a fang protruding over her lower lip as she grinned. "We''ll fight you as much as needed." "Aaah! For the Lord''s sake! That''s the problem! Stop smuggling alcohol into our clergy!" "Never!" "Never, my ass!" "It''s my duty to spread my faith in liquor just as much as you do your silly teachings." "Don''tpare our Church''s teachings to your wantonness!" "" Rakna watched, holding in a smallugh as well as a bit of incredulity. He felt like some school student who had wound up in the wrong ssroom. "Would you like me to identify them for you?" Fiora suggested dutifully. "I wouldn''t mind that." "Understood," she nodded and pointed at the handsome man behind the two children. "First, this is Isael ''Arthur'' Pario, Tenth Ranked Host. He''s affiliated with the Church as a Cardinal as well as their Holy Knight. He is the current wielder of Excalibur, and has been granted the name ''Arthur'' in respect to that." The Qilin then pointed at the boy. "The one over there is Ulquiel Pario. He''s Isael''s older brother." "older brother?" Rakna repeated, thinking he heard that wrong. "Yes. Older brother," Fiora confirmed with a smile. "Also, he''s the current Pope." Rakna''s mind shut down for a second before his head snapped toward her. "Excuse me?" "He''s the Pope," the Divine Beast repeated herself, beaming in happiness. It was like she didn''t care about what she was answering, but rather indulged in the fact that Rakna was relying on her. "He is the Pope," Ceresta coincided with a nod. Rakna was left mind blown. "Then, the girl over there with the horns is Alcina Kazakiri Dren," Fiora pointed at thest one of the three. "She is the Eighth Ranked Host, Master of the Night Parade, and Matriarch of the Ykai n. As you can see, she''s an Oni." Before Rakna could even recover from the shock, another member appeared and while everyone did not react much, the therian nearly fell over. ''What the that''s just a Gundam,'' he uttered in his head as he was faced with the hulking figure of a humanoid robot, with fully rigged facial features that behaved just like a normal human. ''No, a Transformer no, both.'' "That is Orion," Fiora nodded. "He is the 19th Ranked Host. And alongside Lanata and yourself, he has the title of Machine Emperor." "I give up," Rakna muttered nkly. On cue, a 26th participant, aside from the extra guests from Rakna''s side, appeared and the friendly smile of Azheim greeted everyone. His entrance was enough for even Kryas to wake up, so it was without saying that they all gave him his attention. "Good morning," he greeted with an arm over his chest, his palm near his shoulder as a respectful gesture. "It''s about time we start this meeting. Shall we get to it?" He inquired readily, neither too yful nor solemn. Though, before anyone could give their answer, ast-minute entry was perceived and two people ran in, a man and a woman. "Safe!" The former cheered with a grin while thetter rolled her eyes, only the corner of her lips twitching upward ever so slightly. This new pair struck quite the picture. Both could be considered extremely attractive and also had opposite outward impressions. The young man had spiky ck hair tamed enough that it could bebed to behind his ears and incidentally highlight the scar that started from above his left eye and continued to the side of his head, tracing a white line through his hair. His brown eyes were brilliant and charming due to his youthful qualities, which made him appear quite weing and kind. His clothes were casual in every sense of the word, virtually the same as any random young adult you could find walking on the streets. As for his physique, nothing needed to be said. He was lean, but the muscles that could be gleaned from his arms and his overall size indicated a body sculpted to fight. At his side, the woman had divine beauty and held herself haughtily, though obviously mellowed a lot whenever she was close to herpanion. She had wavy ash-blonde hair and a pair of steel-like eyes, with hypnotizing pupils that perpetually glowed white. Her figure was voluptuous enough to catch the eye and was hugged by a ck buttoned shirt with see-through sleeves and red pants. She seemed to be sharing the casual elegance of the man at her side. "Haha, sorry, everyone. I''m a bitte," the young man waved at everyone gathered. "It''s fine" Azheim shook his head. "We were just about to start." "Ah, thanks," he sighed in relief. "It just took a while to convince Kamiria toe," he added with a wry smile and the girl next to him harrumphed. "I have no interest in whatever topics this rabble fusses over," she huffed. "Come on, we might need your help," the young man pleaded. "I''ll make it up to you." Kamiria stared at him from the corner of her eye. Her cheeks reddened and she clicked her tongue before looking away. "Fine. I''ll lend my aid," she blurted out and he smiled softly. Meanwhile, Rakna had the nkest expression in Existence as he watched the two. ''This guy just screams ''Hero'' and he''s got a tsundere with him What do I do? I just found the main character.'' I don''t wanna whine about my life, so I''ll make it quick. Stuff happened, I basically forgot to post an update for you guys, and now I''m back more or less alive. . Just a little head up though, from now on, I''ll post chapters as soon as I can and that''s about it; no schedule. . Oh, and today''s an exception but, nothing on Sundays. Ever. . Sunday will be my sanctuary day. Even if I have like five chaps ready to go, but I forgot to post them Saturday, well sike! I ain''t doing shit about it until at least Monday! . Anyway, very veryte Merry Christmas and New Year. Hope you''ve had a good one until now and let''s just get this fucking novel done by the end of it too. I''ll have to work on the Crystal Sage very soon as well. . Finally, since a lot of you might have already started forgetting stuff (naturally), I''ll take some time to update the Glossary (dont know when) and also add a new index chapter with short summaries of each story arc to jolt everyone''s memories (its more for those who most likely gave up on me due to the updates and mighte backter). . Cya next time then. . PS: Yes, I know, lots of characters to introduce here.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 402: Myth Council III Chapter 402: Myth Council III "Please make yourselvesfortable," Azheim addressed everyone. ''really?'' Rakna nkly thought as most of the attendants promptly sat on the grass without even bothering to make themselves a seat, and even Enya dispelled her own for some reason and joined the rest. The therian nced at his group and they shrugged at him. "It has always been this way," Fiora smiled at him. "It''s a fair arrangement that puts everybody on the same level. I''ve been told by the previous Mediator of the Council that it cates these ''unruly children'' quite well with its peaceful atmosphere." Azheim smiled upon hearing that. "My predecessor is indeed the kind of person to say that." Rakna huffed and sat down with hispanions as well. It''s not like he cared either way. "Now then, let''s do a roll call. Some people here may appreciate an introduction," Azheim said with a smile. "Starting with the side of us Locals," he waved at Hybran and the elven man with white hair. "Hybran cksteel and Sariel Hestdrom, Mayors of ck Steel and Shattered Paradise, cities of the 1st and 750th teau as you must already know." He then gestured toward the cow-boy-like man. "Coal Tibran, owner of the fields of Antis, Old Eden, and of several more teaus," he exined and the man in question nodded in greeting, mostly toward Rakna since everyone knew who these introductions were for. ? "Jory Vikel." The next name was voiced and the middle-aged man with a robust physique grunted to identify himself. "Master of the Crafting Guild, as well as the primary supplier of the Pavilion." ? "Gaelius Eldron." The old scientist waved with a small smile. "Leading Alchemist and researcher of the Eldron family, and more recently, co-founder of Harvest." ? "And thest of the Locals present," Azheim waved at the female cultivator. "Qing Yue. Protector of the Vision Sect, and our strongest Soul Practitioner." On cue, Qing Yue exchanged nces with Rakna as a fellow cultivator of the soul. On sight, both of them knew where each other stood. The former possessed Qi inside her body, cultivated to heights that could barely be fathomed by most, but the therian, on the other hand, had parallelly reached soul power beyond her reach. "From the side of the Wilden," Azheim immediately continued as to not waste time. He pointed at the two creatures quietly sitting together: the cloaked being and the tiny dragon. "Koden, Creator of the Undead Legion in the 125th teau, and Lich King." The undead hiding his appearance nodded in return. "Karvienth." The small dragon''s tails wagged. "Raid Boss of the 720th teau, and Dragon King." At the mention of his name, Karvienth chuckled with a voice pitched up by his size but still carrying a resonance only found in creatures of old wisdom. "Nice to meet you," he spoke and directly eyed the therian. "Before Azheim continues, I''d like to rify this; several Wilden have refrained from being present today because of you." Rakna raised an eyebrow at that. "Please excuse them. Most of them aren''t willing to try their chance at overpowering the coercion of an Emperor whose reign epasses all beasts," the dragon expounded. "For now, they seem to be content observing this meeting instead of participating." "I see," the therian replied, not really knowing what to say to that. Though, he supposed knowing that the missing members of the Council still had the option of observing the meeting was a useful piece of information he didn''t have. "That''s all from me," Karvienth smiled. "You can resume." Azheim nodded slowly and turned toward Fiora who had a neutral smile on her face. "Last of the only three Wilden present today; Fiora Leonhart. Qilin of Tribtion, Guardian and Founder of the Basilica of Eternal Night." "And finally, from the Hosts'' side," the mediator faced the biggest group. "I shall be brief. Starting from the Top 10 Hosts, whose Rank alone grants them a ce here." "Cain Unsworth, and his Pact, The Goddess of Steel, Kamiria Vistevia." The kind-looking young man and the tsundere,beled so by Rakna, mutely answered the call. ? "Ensis Credo Gen, Leader of the Throne of Glory." The muscr and scarred elderly man, whom Rakna assumed the name referred to, maintained his eyes closed instead of answering the call. At the very least, the therian now had the confirmation that this man was indeed his Guild Leader. ? "Kryas Io Fascio. Pavilion Owner, as you all know," Azheim said with an exasperated look, with the man he was trying to introduce looking like he was about to fall asleep. You wouldn''t be able to tell that he was one of the most influential members of the Council by just looking at him. ? "Lux Mch Strada." The fallen angel beside Ensis expressionlessly saluted with two fingers. "Also affiliated to Throne of Glory. Known as Nemesis." ? "Enya Fendyrlen, Monarch of Sorcery and Master of The Wan Guild." "Zialtra Lanfor, Hunting Queen, and Owner of Trafford." "Merlina wen, Knight of Spring, once again affiliated to Throne of Glory." ? "Alcina Kazakiri Doren, Matriarch of the Ykai n, and The Purple Oni." The petite girl smirked at Rakna with a worryingly roguish gaze. ? "Isael ''Arthur'' Pario. The Church''s Holy Knight and Excalibur''s Chosen One," Azheim concluded the listing. "That is all for the Top Hosts. I am sure you understand that the absence of the White Scorpion was to be expected," he said and nobody even bothered toment on it. "On thest stretch," he continued. "We have His Holiness, Ulquiel Pario, leading the Church as the human most blessed by God," he introduced and the boy''s nose seemed to grow longer somehow, his lips stretching into a smug smile. "Ugh, get that disgusting face out of my sight," Alicia groaned. "Hmph, how could you understand my splendor?" "Tch, why is a foul man like you even the Pope? Yahweh must be senile." Azheim cleared his throat and ignored them. "From the Basilica again; Wielder of the Pure Eternal Night and Archbishop, Lacros Hortensia." ? "Shark King, Cura An. And his Soul Pact, King Gulon." ? "From the Nine-Tailed n; Karyu Yahkshasa and Ghura Matuc. Grand Patriarchs and respectively the Fox and Tiger Kings." ? "Ratten Gostel," Azheim nodded toward the well-dressed goblin. "Goblin King, Mayor of the Casino City in the 400th teau by right of ownership. As well as the owner of the Hosts'' Merchant Guild." ? "Orion, thest living member of the Cintva species, and Machine Emperor." "Lanata Ovis Venera, Sheep Empress." ? "Andstly, our newest member," the mediator smiled. "Rakna Xiorra de, the second Host in the history of the System to receive the title of ''Legendary'' as well as the Wolf and Beast Emperor." At that moment, as if they had collectively agreed to it, everyone turned toward him, some shing smiles and grins at him. Others had indifferent expressions and Ensis opened one eye. "And you bring with you unprecedented guests," Azheim added somewhat wryly, and at his words, a few people seemingly noticed the ''anomalies'' as well. Even Lanata to some extent was a surprise since even though she had every right to be here, her infamy and general absence until now made her an abnormal presence. "Should I even ask how? Or at least who?" Rakna nkly nced at his threepanions. His eyes lingered over Hans and turned away with a shrug, giving up on trying to find a defense for him. As for Ceresta and Astraea he blinked and shrugged again, silently staring back at Azheim who immediately sweatdropped. "Well," Astraea tapped her chin. "You may consider Ceresta and myself Lord Monarch''s brilliant secretaries!" She eximed humorously and crafted a pair of sses with divine power, putting them on as the lenses sparkled. "Oh," Ceresta''s mouth opened slightly, and with a few nces at the angel next to her, she tried her best to imitate her while using her nanites to create sses. Rakna had to hold himself from impulsively pampering her. Hans had an empty expression as he gazed forward, thinking of an answer. "I am your friendly neighborhood nightmare," and there came out the dry, sarcastic, joking, yet truthful answer. "" The Council members were nothing short of speechless. "I''ll vouch for them if needed," Zialtra snorted. "Those two girls are harmless and the midget the idea is not to anger him, I suppose," she said with a smirk and squinted at Hans. "Though I wonder what this ''thing'' can do when unleashed. Mind sating my curiosity?" "Keep your death wishes to yourself," the azure-haired boy retorted with utmost honesty and she couldn''t help but chuckle. Cain, of all people, was the only one to gaze at Hans with a brief solemn expression before a natural smile reced it, but Kamiria didn''t fail to notice either way. "All right... I understand," Azheim acquiesced without much resistance. "The Council members can bring other people as long as they''re bound to themselves while there seem to be two exceptions here, we''ll grant them the same station." No one had anyints so he continued. "Let''s start with today''s meeting. There are important matters to address today, as I''m sure you know already. But, for now, we shall tackle customary administrative concerns." "Starting with the financial situation of the Four teau Cities" ? * * * ? Hm. Rakna now understood why Arimane alwaysined to him about the meetings he would participate in for thepanies he had managed, as well as the politics of it all. Honestly, there was nothing he didn''t understand. All that economy andws boiled down to was an understanding of human thoughts as well as memorization. He had the former refined to levels few could reach and thetter was handled by Eye of Symphony better than any organic mind. But, since he had no stakes in this whole discussion, he was just bored. It was the case for a lot of other members who merely listened. Some were uninterested, while others were impatient, such as Kamiria. Only the ones controlling markets, politics, or money, like the Mayors, Gaelius, Coal, Jory, Ratten, and to some lesser extent Karyu and Ulquiel, had the incentive to voice their opinions. ''There are probably even fewer people than this in normal times, huh?'' The therian thought. ''I don''t think the Wilden even need me as a deterrent to skip these meetings...'' "As for the issue of the Striven Family," Azheim introduced a new topic. "Their illegal ve market in Old Eden has been exposed recently. It appears they were affiliated with Kratos and have lost their stable hierarchy, allowing us to find out about the many transactions." Rakna''s ears perked up at that, his interest piqued. "From our investigation, two Hosts in the Top 100 are involved, and more than a dozen nobles have participated in the acquisition and distribution of ves," the mediator added. "How should we deal with it? That is a question I would like to extend to all of you." "Azheim" Ulquiel spoke up with an angry scowl. "It''s your city. You should have already dealt with it yourself. Furthermore, this crime is obviously unforgivable." "I am aware. But this also extends beyond just my city. I have already put the necessary effort into freezing their activities, but if I act too rashly, the punishment may backfire on innocent citizens when their respective territories copse." Rakna tapped his leg a few times and spoke up for the first time. "Kill them," he uttered without much fanfare and more than a few pairs of eyes focused on him. "Don''t walk on eggshells for too long. Better to swipe it all together. Kill the ones involved, seize their belongings, and use them to quell the chaos afterward. Then assign trusted men to fill the holes left behind. If you want to keep order, then justpletely rece them, mercilessly. Hesitance is the road to copse." Azheim blinked in shock. "That''s" "It''s that, or do nothing," Rakna interrupted him. "In case you forgot, the situation is a bit different from usual. You haven''t broached the topic yet, but we have enemies. Don''t let them plot for too long with investigations and imprisonment." The therian nced at Karyu. "The Scorpions were your best intelligence force, weren''t they?" The Fox Patriarch stiffened. "Indeed" "Then they know how to furtively take advantage of things. Don''t give them time to nt anything that could help them destroy us. Not to mention, with someone like the White Scorpion around, it is best to get rid of disruptive factors rather than wait for them to join our enemies." "" "And while you''re at it, use the asion to identify aplices and dissidents," Rakna added with an uncaring tone. "For the most dangerous ones, make up some fake charges and evidence to pin on them and that should do fine. Killing those is not necessary. Depriving them of everything they possess is eptable enough." The listeners could only look at what was supposed to be their newest and inexperienced member with strange eyes. They felt like they were facing some kind of bloodthirsty tyrant. Alcina let out a snicker to break the silence. The girl Oni grinned at the therian. "You sound crueler than even a devil, kid. But I like that," she cackled. "Wait a minute there," Ulquiel scowled. "While killing all of them is a bit extreme, I can understand your reasoning. But using fake usations to condemn more will aggravate others, increasing the chances of them switching sides to avoid being treated the same way." "And what of it?" It was Lux, the fallen angel from Throne of Glory, who retorted. "I agree with the new guy. After getting rid of the most annoying ones, only the insects will be left. Those are easier to monitor and if they do something, we can easily catch them in the act." "Same here," Alcina crossed her arms. The young Pope groaned and scratched his head. "Jeez, this is reckless I agree that this leaves the least loose ends. But it risks creating bigger ones instead." "The bigger, the easier for us to benefit from," Rakna said calmly and Ulquiel nced at him before sighing, falling silent. "Incidentally, don''t punish them alone. This Council has enough authority to call upon the Adjudicators, right?" Azheim narrowed his eyes. "We do... To some extent." "Then make a show out of it. Make it seem like the System itself, not the Council, will not tolerate betrayers. I''m sure many people consider the System and Eva invible existences. It''ll do fine to create a sense of oppression, reducing the cases of insurgence. Oh, and film both the execution as well as the Adjudicators taking away their power beforehand. Then spread the videos. It''ll help." No one knew what to say to that and Zialtra stared at the therian with a strange look. "How damn brutal can you get? Did you graduate from dictatorship school or what?" "My uncle was the greatest fearmonger to grace the Earth''s surface," Rakna snorted. "You thought I wouldn''t learn anything from the man who trained me?" "Hah, that makes too much sense." Azheim sighed. "In that case who votes in favor of the Beast Emperor''s idea?" He asked and with expected results, more than three fourth of the members raised their hands. Fiora was doing so very enthusiastically. Had the Qilin not even heard a thing, she would still have voted for him anyway, without a doubt. On the other hand, there was also Cain, who seemed to be content listening and also abstained from voting, rather than disagreeing altogether. "Then, it''s settled. I shall make the arrangements after the meeting," the mediator nodded. "Since it was your suggestion, Rakna, do you mind the progress beingmunicated to you?" "No problem," the therian replied. "If required, to smoothen things, I will grant myself the right to request help from those who voted in favor today," Azheim added and received no rebuttals. "Now, onto the next matter. There were concerns conveyed to me very recently about the impact of Harvest." Rakna tilted his head at the sudden mention of hispany. "From what has been seen, there is potential in your hands for excessive monopoly," Azheim spoke to the therian directly. "I would not humor these types ofints normally, but they are fairly justified in this case considering the capability of your Eion Alkal and the Transpiths." "Uh? Is it really that bad?" Lanata raised her voice in confusion. "It just looked awesome to me." "Have you ever heard the saying that money is spiteful?" Ratten, the goblin businessman, spoke up with a professional tone. "Having too much makes you responsible; not having enough makes you its servant. Yet, its concept represents the key to prosperity. The limited form of currencies is a living being''s stake at freedom in a society." The Goblin King squinted his eyes at Rakna. "Take it away and anarchy unravels. Make it unlimited and the same thing happens. Because in both cases, the leash of freedom is snapped. This applies to more than just money. The products the Beast Emperor wishes to introduce may give so much convenience and power to the masses that it might as well be limitless money. And if there is truth in Harvest''s promises of developing synthetic food, then that would make it truly unstoppable." The sheep girl pursed her lips, not fully grasping his exnation but understanding that someone like the Goblin King, who thrived as the wealthiest individual in the System after Kryas, was more than qualified to have his words taken seriously. Rakna quietly returned Ratten''s gaze. "Low-supply, small-scale donations, auctions, and premium sales. I''ll have Kara get the numbers for you if you want. Satisfactory?" "It''s good that you understand," the goblin simply said and fell silent afterward. "It''s settled, Azheim," Rakna told the old mediator, who blinked dazedly. "Oh, yes well, then, before we attack the main topic, there is one more affair to resolve," Azheim dered and swiped his hand over what most likely was a System terminal. ? * * * ? At the same time, one of the guarding Adjudicators'' eyes shed outside the Myth Tower. It looked at a certain individual nearby and spoke, [| Descendant Host Entity, Evelyn Jill Malcanthet. Entry Has Been Ordered. |] ? * * * ? On the 500th teau, another hulking marble golem spoke to someone leading arger group of people, [| Host Entity, Makvael Van Jill. Entry Has Been Ordered. |] Chapter 403: Half-Devil Chapter 403: Half-Devil As soon as Azheim forwarded the new topic, Evelyn entered the dimension, a few meters off from where Rakna sat. And following her, an entire group also emerged behind the mayor of Old Eden as guests. The Council members, who were either uncaring of what this was about, or unaware, were quickly interested in the wave of killing intent that erupted from the green-haired woman. Rakna nced to his left as well, taking in the sight of Evelyn''s earlier nervous expression twisted into something much closer to murderous fury. Already, he could see a ck energy surrounding her, but she was still in control of herself. The therian eventually looked at the other group. It seemed not only one person had been allowed entry on the Jill Family''s side. Perhaps because there were good chances the direct subordinates of the Head also had a hand in thetter''s crimes. Rakna quickly identified said man as well; someone near his sixties in appearance, with dark gray hair, narrow eyes, a goatee, and a thin build. The therian could smell a mix of anxiousness, anger, and something simr to indignationing from him. Not even an ounce of guilt. In fact, it was the opposite. This cocktail of emotions meant he believed himself to be the one who was being wronged. ''Good to know. No need to hold back,'' Rakna thought to himself. Though he didn''t even need his nose to see his culpability. His Soul Sense had long reached levels capable of peering out the ''evil'' inside someone. He scanned them all with it and more than half of them were worthy of being treated as criminals. "Youngdy," Azheim spoke up after a moment, staring at Evelyn. "Pull it back," he calmly ordered, but it wasn''t without a small hint of warning in his tone. The subus trembled and managed to retract the rampant residual energy. The meditator nodded and looked at everyone. "This is not a trial," he directly stated and several people looked at him in confusion, and even Makvael had a bad feeling about this. All he knew was that he had been used by Evelyn Malcanthet and summoned by the Council. But if this was not a trial to argue his faults, then what? "Apanion of the Beast Emperor is the owner of the Wisdom of Ariv," Azheim said evenly, and only Enya had the necessary knowledge to tie it back to via, a guild member. "The question was asked; did the Jill Family betray the Malcanthet? And I was a witness to the answer." Makvael paled considerably. "It directly incriminated Makvael Van Jill," the mayor of Old Eden disclosed, and by that point, the Council members had already been convinced. For the younger Hosts without connections or information, it might have been inadequate. But the word of the Wisdom of Ariv had been trusted and upheld across the System''s entire history. It had never lied nor had been wrong. Which is why it was so coveted. "W-wait a moment!" Makvael tried to defend himself but a small burst of aura from Azheim forced him to close his mouth and kneel. The old man hadn''t even needed to acknowledge or look at him to do so. "Jory," the mediator addressed one of his fellow Locals. The owner of the Crafting Guild raised his head at the call. "The Jills are a subsidiary family of your firm. You have the right to dispute these ims, no matter their source. Do you have anything to say about the integrity of their Head?" The gruff-looking man nced at Makvael. "Can''t say I do. He has a good business running, but as far as personal opinions thrown about him go, I''ve heard nothing good. I will relinquish my right of dispute to the victim herself. I don''t intend to apologize for not being able to handle every small thing about my subordinates, but I certainly won''t stand in the way of owed retribution." Azheim snorted. "As blunt as ever," he said and looked at Evelyn. "Youngdy, is there anything you wish to say before a verdict is rendered?" "" The Cambion initially remained silent, ring at the man who destroyed her family, and drove her brother to insanity of which death was the only cure. She gritted her teeth and spoke the truth as it was, "Nothing. I have nothing to say about this man. His life is forfeit, no matter what." At her words, a few people smirked; namely Alicia, Zialtra, and Lux. Azheim observed her calmly and briefly looked at Rakna, who was resting his head on his knuckle with but a ghost of a smile on his face. The old mayor closed his eyes and nodded. "All right. Qing Yue, would you?" He requested and the mysterious woman stood up wordlessly. The cultivator approached the Jills and pointed her palm at them. Promptly, a wave of intangible power struck everyone in front of her and sent a bit less than half of them flying away while the rest were left rooted in ce, with sweat pouring down their skin. Rakna raised an eyebrow when he noticed that the ones who had been shoved away were those that he had previously considered tolerably innocent. Qing Yue lowered her hand with a cold gaze and went back to her spot to sit down. She didn''t say a single word but Azheim continued on regardless, "About these men still there; shall we vote in favor of Evelyn Malcanthet to pass judgment upon them?" A few amused snickers spread to the Council members until all of them, without exception, raised their hands in ord. Makvael felt like his heart stopped and aplicated expression appeared on Evelyn''s face. Her body was tense, even as she was given free rein to do whatever she intuitively threatened to do just a moment ago. "Evelyn," Rakna spoke up and she shuddered. She looked down at where he sat and saw him smiling at her. "Don''t fight it," he advised. "The best way to control something is to dominate it at the peak of its power. If you hold it in for too long, it''ll weaken and overtake you. But if you let it out, it''s no longer a battle of attrition but of grit." Rakna looked back at Makvael''s group who appeared to be desperately trying to move but were forced down by the shapeless pressure of Qing Yue''s Qi. "So, which one''s stronger?" The therian continued, several people hearing and understanding the meaning of his words. "Which one''s worth more? Your feelings or their reflection?" Evelyn''s eyes widened, a realization striking her as a System prompt rang in her mind. Her body rxed and she fully turned toward her targets, facing Rakna with her back, whose mouth curved into a grin as she did so. The Cambion had a calm expression until she shakily breathed out. In the blink of an eye, the ck energy she had been repressing swallowed her and disturbed the serene wind of the grasnd. At first, it was nothing more than demonic energy filled with malice, but it quicklybusted. It turned into purgatorial mes of such darkness they eclipsed any that Evelyn had used with her Hell ze magic until now. This inferno was something sourced from the deepestnds of Hell; it produced no light nor did it even ept any. Evelyn''s surroundings darkened as if night had fallen. Her demonic energy spiked immensely and her Phantom body seemed to take on a more ''tangible'' form. ? ? ? ? ? Warning! ckening has been detected! The Host''s soul is being corrupted by demonic energy! --- You have awakened your Nirvana Skill; Ifrit''s Wrath! --- Your Spirit Form has evolved! Your body has solidified into pure Life Force! Your Soul Power has found a ce within your core! Your Race has been updated to Cambion Specter! --- ckening has reached its critical point! The Host is losing rationality! --- Ifrit''s Wrath is reacting! Hell Priestess is reacting! --- A dormant blessing has been triggered! The Kind Demon''s Blessing is reacting! --- Your Nirvana Skill has evolved into ckened Ifrit! --- Your Race has been updated to Half-Devil Ifrit! --- Your Infernity has increased! --- The Trait, Phantom Membrane, has evolved into Ifrit Membrane! The Trait, Cambion, has evolved into Half-Devil Physique! The Trait, Half-Subus, has evolved into Devil of Lust! --- You have gained a new Trait; ckening. You have gained a new Trait; Ifrit''s Arcane. --- Hell ze has Ascended into Nether Fire! --- You have gained a new Cognitive Skill; Fire Immunity! You have gained a new Cognitive Skill; Curse Immunity! ? ? ? ? ? This number of notifications was something Evelyn experienced for the first time. Had she been in her right mind, she would have no doubt marveled if Rakna always went through this. But, at the moment, shrouded by the pir ofher mes, the figure of the former subus was slowly changing. She grew taller and leaner, yet more sensual. Her hair lengthened, and from the roots to the tips, every strand was dyed ck as deep as the light-eating ze. Her bat-like demonic wings unfurled and transformed into somethingrger, ck scalesyered upon each other; almost carved into the shape of feathers. The subus tail that she used to have was altered the same way, but it retained its slender size, with a sort of hook forming at the tip. The transformation barelysted a minute and when she opened her eyes, just as dark as her hair and magic, theher mes scattered as if they were never there. The reborn woman stood still for a moment, her head lowered and her demonic aura filling the air. Her expression was vacant, and her limbs were ckened. She remained inert for several seconds but nobody tried to interject or check on her. For they all knew it was just a matter of time. Evelyn''s hand contracted and her fingers curved like ws with an audible crack. She raised it and palmed her face, right before an ear-splitting grin distorted her mien. It was not vicious, insidious, or happy. No it was frenzied. "Hehehehe" She quietly started cackling and Rakna calmly closed his eyes, as if expecting it and now waiting for it to end. "Hahahahaha!" The cackle devolved into madughter and the demonic power became tainted with something more primordial than mere malice. In her hrity, she stepped forward and her tail whipped the ground, exploding the dirt and grass on impact. She walked forward and evidently made her way toward the Jills. Herughs gradually diminished to nearly inaudible chuckles but her measured steps didn''t stop. "E-Evelyn! C-calm down!" Makvael stuttered out as he couldn''t do anything else but watch as she got closer. Her aura and crazed appearance terrified him to the core. Every time her hair fluttered or her eyes moved with her head, the light seemed to be sucked in; creating a brume of darkness. "I d-didn''t do it, okay?! I I was forced! Yes!" He sputtered out in panic. "You have to believe me! It couldn''t be helped! M-my father was the one who plotted to do it! He wanted the research of your parents to be his!" ""Lies,"" Rakna and Lux spoke at the same time. The two of them nced at each other and snorted in amusement. They hadn''t spoken an opinion; both had stated it as a fact. Regardless, it didn''t seem Evelyn was even listening to them. She marched forward with only her grin in ce. Her chuckles had died down and her palm was dragging down the side of her face. Makvael shook in fear and his aplices were not much better. Several of them tried to plead as their Head had just done, pushing the guilt of every bad deed they had evermitted unto him. "Shut up," Evelyn abruptly said, her tail whipping into a curved blur. Before they knew it, everyone aside from Makvael saw their head ripped apart. She hadn''t even bothered to aim for their neck to cleanly decapitate them. In fact, she hadn''t even looked at them. One had his head split through his eyes, another had half his jaw still on his head, and some more who had a higher level, but were held down by Qing Yue, had their skulls smashed. There were also ck embers sweltering on the flesh that had been struck. Makvael froze on the spot as he heard the people behind him die. To him, it sounded like their heads had popped and he didn''t even dare to look. "P-please don''t kill me!" He prostrated himself. A chuckle echoed ominously and with his eyes fixed on the ground, Makvael felt a handnd on his shoulder. His breath hitched and he stilled, too scared to move. And then, a strange sound reached his ears. There was something about it that made his head spin. The truth was his mind had simply failed to catch up. Briefly ignoring his fright, he rapidly noticed that his center of gravity was leaning to the side a bit too much. "Uh?" He uttered when he saw drips of blood fall on the des of grass. And then, more noises came from above his head and his eyes were naturally attracted to it. Evelyn was grinning at him, her abyssal eyes threatening to devour him. In her hand a very familiar limb was being crushed by her grip with such strength blood gushed out and the bones snapped. "Ah" It hit him. The pain attacked him mercilessly afterward but before he even had the time to scream, a hand mped on his mouth and forcefully flipped his body until he was lying on his back, his skull pressed against the ground. "I don''t want to hear your disgusting screams," Evelyn whispered. She tossed the crumpled arm aside and licked her bloodied hand with a vicious smirk, the ck mes boiling the blood as if they were tasting it alongside her. "Suffer in silence," she pronounced. Nether mes burst from the palm grasping his face. The fire surged like a creature and infiltrated his nose, ears, eyes, and mouth. His skin burned and his insides melted. In a few seconds, he had cked out and awoken in agony at least ten times. This was the wrathful fire of a Half-Devil Ifrit, corrupted by the ckening. It is a me that has gone through the process of demonization on a conceptual level. It burrows deep into the soul and mind of its victim and, strung by the vengeful spirit of its wielder, brings a painful death. The members of the Council were not disturbed by the sight in the slightest. All of them had been shaped by these kinds of disys. Though, the two siblings from the Church, Isael and Ulquiel, had the decorum to close their eyes until it was over. After a while spent listening to the oddly muted noises of the mes, and the asional muffled scream, Evelyn stood over a patch of ckened grass; whatever corpse that should have been there turned into something even lesser than ashes. Then, she slowly inclined her head and met Rakna''s eyes with her own. Her crazed expression was reced with a joyful smile. "I did it..." She rasped out. The therian nodded. "Hm, you did. Good job." As if that was all she had been waiting for, Evelyn passed out, her hair color peeling away to restore her emerald locks, while her wings and tail dispersed into ck particles. Rakna silently invoked his Valkals to stop her fall and softly carried her to him. "You can rest now." Hmm this wasnt as rushed as I feared it to be. . eptable, Id say.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 404: Reverse Ifrit Chapter 404: Reverse Ifrit With her usual soft and impassive expression, Ceresta stared jealously at the unconscious form of Evelyn, currently getting ap pillow from Rakna. The doll-like girl''s eyes narrowed slightly as if to convey both her envy as well as her fascination for that very same new emotion. "Well, that was fun," Alcina giggled as a few authorized guards from Old Eden entered the tower and repatriated the dead bodies as well as the spared members of the Jill family. "Hey, if the girl needs help developing her demonic powers, you can leave her in my care," the little girl added with a smirk. "Back off my guild member," Enya scoffed. "I am more than enough to teach her." "Heh," the Oni sneered. "You sure? Do you even understand what a True Devil is?" "Don''t even entertain the idea of being more knowledgeable than I," the sorceress narrowed her eyes derisively. "I could give you a hundred different ways to kill your race on a gic level. I''d be willing to bet that you don''t even know ten of those." "Hmph, arrogant bitch. Can you even actuate any of those shitty theses of yours?" The two women red at each other, a very tangible sh of aura filling the air, which was enough for even Rakna to grunt, though it was nothing he couldn''t breeze through. "Hey, calm down now," Cain spoke up with a cating smile. "Fighting has never led anywhere in our council. You''ll just tire yourself out." "I suggest you listen to him," Azheim added calmly and the two girls huffed and looked away from each other. "Now, it is about time, isn''t it?" He nodded. "Does anyone here need boration about the recent ''Global Quest''?" Immediately, the tension in the air peaked and, without exception, all members began to pay much more attention to their surroundings. Even Kryas sat up with a sigh. "Hm, I would like to hear a few details," Karvienth said. "Unlike Hosts and Locals, we Wilden have not received any prompt enlisting us in a war. We received a warning, at best. On the other hand, I heard there was additional information on your side that went further than that." Azheim nodded at the dragon and subsequently eyed both Rakna and Karyu. "The Beast Emperor has indirectly provided us with information about the Abyss Empress through the Wolf Matriarch, Lucrecia Alt Lupus." "I met Karaskan," Rakna decided to exin and a few people scowled at him. "He spoke of both the Empress'' power, which might surpass Eternal Night''s, as well as a ''legend'' potentially capable of being our weapon against her." "can we even trust the words of the Mad God?" Koden, the cloaked lich, countered. "The news of your rtionship with the Kind Demon has even reached the Wilden territories. Why would you put any value in the words of your uncle''s worst enemy?" "Because he''s precisely my old man''s worst enemy," the therian retorted. "I met the guy; I figured out the kind of bastard he was at first sight. People like him do not lie because they know the truth hurts more," he stated tly. "Well, I believe you for one," Cain casually raised his voice and everyone looked at him. He didn''t even blink at the attention and nced at hisrade. "What about you, Kamiria? You lived in the Celestial teau for a while. Do you have an opinion of Karaskan?" The Goddess of Steel narrowed her eyes and viewed Rakna with a cold gaze. "The Mad God is not an evil being. He is wicked; madness itself. Evil deceives, but madness is honest. That''s all you need to know." Hans quietly snickered at that, but otherwise, everyone was mostly silent about it. Azheim sighed again,menting to himself that every meeting was as stale as this one. "If nobody has anything else to say, I will start recounting everything we know" ? * * * ? For the next fifteen minutes, Azheim divulged everything known about the situation. Starting with what Meuro truly was, the Abyss Tra''s power, the Scorpions and Vampires'' treachery, the Grafted found in teau Zero, the ''Miracle Story'', and finally the goals of both the Abyss Empress and the Phantasms. Of which thetter was ''generously reiterated'', as per his own words, by Hans. "The Realm Synchronization, huh?" Cain muttered faintly, but everyone heard him since there was not a single person around without transcendental senses. The tone in which he had said it seemed almost forlorn. "Cain?" Kamiria showed uncharacteristic worry. "Haha, it''s nothing," the first ranker shook his head. "The motives on every side the desperation sort of reminded me of a few sad things," he exined with a strained smile. "" Hans squinted at the allegedly strongest man here. "{Xiorra,}" he called through telepathy and the therian acknowledged it with a grunt. "{I know,}" Rakna responded; Crystal Sight glowing under ayer of Eye of Symphony. He hadn''t gone as far as trying to peer into Cain''s status and contented himself by observing the aura that surrounded him. "{He''s not like you or King Gulon, but there''s something simr alien.}" "{At least, we agree,}" the azure-haired boy hummed. "{Even I fail to read his essence. There may be unknown circumstances blocking my sight. Hm, Cain Unsworth and Eden.}" "{Yeah, I had noticed that one,}" Rakna snorted in amusement. "{How literally we should take it is the question. What do you think?}" "{Nothing much,}" Hans deadpanned. "{I do not care about the mysteries of the System. If you want an answer, I suggest you either bide your time or simply go ask the man himself.}" The therian rolled his eyes. ''Of course,'' he thought to himself and nced at Cain again. ''I guess I''ll just wait and see...'' "With that said," Azheim picked the conversation back up. "Putting aside the Ghoul King''s eventual answer, I would also like to organize a raid of Nesslyria''s territory. If we are to believe Karaskan''s ims, then swiftly dealing with at least the Vampires is our best course of action." Ulquiel raised his hand. "If it''s against the vampires, the Church will contribute. Nesslyria has been a thorn in our side for a while now anyway." Kryaszily opted in. "I''ll put in the resources for the raid." Azheim nodded. "Thank you. Who else here is willing to participate?" Cain, Zialtra, Rakna, and Cura all mutely raised their hands. Although the therian had yet to reach the teau where Nesslyria''s territory resided, the 650th, he could easily rush the Trials. Getting there in time for the raid was feasible, unless too many trials forced him to waste long periods of time toplete. ''Hm I could ask Eva,'' Rakna thought. ''As a special case, maybe she can temporarily allow me entry to an upper teau.'' Meanwhile, Merlina and Lux seemed to be awaiting Ensis to say something, but since the elderly warrior abstained from saying anything, they also held their tongue. Aside from the Hosts, Karvienth lifted one w and waggled his wings. "I''m in," the dragon simply said. "There aren''t many on our side who like Nesslyria. Well, maybe except all the lovers she takes for herself," he snickered. Rakna sweatdropped. ''How bad is she that nobody here has qualms raiding her territory?'' "I will naturally aid in whatever the Kind Demon''s Kin demands of me," Fiora ced her hand over her chest as if she was swearing allegiance. The smile on her face was full of happiness at being able to disy her loyalty. Lacros Hortensia smiled wryly at the behavior of his Basilica''s founder. "Hm" Lanata pursed her lips. "Then, me too, I guess," she smiled sheepishly. "My presence is required along His Majesty to collect the Miracle," Hans said whilst pointing at Gul with his chin. "Since I have pledged my assistance, I shall obviouslye." Several council members immediately stared at the young-looking boy, still unsure of what he was since he hadn''t bothered to exin his origins whilst describing the Phantasms. "I''ll see if I can ce bounties," Ratten interjected. "I can try to send a merchant to bribe a vampire willing to betray their Queen as well. Though chances are she holds more than social control over them." Azheim acquiesced, "Please do. Anything can help. Qing Yue and I will be contributing to the battle. And there are chances I can convince Vanren to help." "Ah, that insane guy," Zialtra deadpanned to whom the name referred. The mediator could slump in defeat. "Yes, I can''t deny that," he conceded. "But despite his oddities, he''s still one of the strongest Locals we have. For obvious reasons, he will have a personal stake in this battle, and his power will be more than wee." "Hm, so? When can we expect the raid to start?" Isael spoke from next to his brother. "To give us the time to prepare and gather more strategic information, let''s settle for thirty days at least," Azheim dered. "I will have the System deliver a message to all of you." "One moment," a synthetic and mechanical voice sounded and everyone turned toward therge robotic figure of Orion. "Eva''s announcement of the ''Forefront teau'' do none of you have data on the matter?" He asked. "It could affect the n depending on what she intends to do in regard to this ''war''." "Hm, he has a point," Alcina mused out loud. "What did Eva mean by remodeling teau Zero? She also announced it at the same time as the Global Quest, so there must be a connection, no?" "Based on the name" Lux muttered. "Could it be something like a battlefield? Or a gathering point for those willing to fight against the Tra?" "Should I seek a meeting with Eva?" Azheim suggested. "Let me do that," Rakna calmly said. "I''m probably closer to that brat than most of you. I''ll ask her myself since I have a few things to talk about with her either way." The Old Elden mayor looked at him in surprise but, after a bit of contemtion, nodded. "If that''s the case, go ahead. Please ry anything of note to me afterward." "Sure. I''ll go see her tomorrow or a bitter. I''d like to rest after the mess with Kratos," the therian shrugged. "Until then, there''s still plenty of groundwork to be done, isn''t there?" "That''s understandable," Azheim smiled. "On that note, this meeting is adjourned," he stated and stood up, rolling his stiffened shoulder. "You can leave the Myth Tower at will. If you stay for more than an hour, you will be automatically ejected," he said, mostly for Rakna. He then quickly turned around to leave, but not before calling out a pair of names. "Sariel, Hybran; meet me in Old Eden, we have to discuss," he said and waved over his shoulder at everyone before vanishing from the grass field entirely. The remaining Locals were the first to exit, with Gaelius bidding goodbye to Rakna. Qing Yue also wordlessly bowed to the therian as if to show her respect before disappearing. "Ey, time to go then," Karvienth nonchntly eximed as he hopped to his feet. The tiny dragon used his tail to salute while Koden silently left. "It was nice meeting you, Beast Emperor. See you soon," he grinned and vanished from the spot, though, unlike the others, it was as if he had dashed out of view instead of being teleported out of the Myth Tower''s dimension. Amongst the Hosts, Ratten, Orion, Ghura, Kryas, and Enya directly headed out. Thetter did greet both Ceresta and Astraea beforehand but also gave Rakna onest re as well. "That woman she looks at me as if I had insulted her whole bloodline," Rakna muttered, standing up and hoisting Evelyn in his arms. "Hehe, she''s just petty," Alcina said as she approached him. The Oni''s height became much clearer when standing next to the therian. The tip of her horns barely reached above his waist. "Also, you got an interesting one over here," she said and tip-toed a bit to observe the newly born Half-Ifrit. "You imed to be able to help her, right?" Rakna inquired and she raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" "Do you have some advice?" "Well" The Oni tapped her chin. "She''s Half-Devil for one. Since being a Devil signifies embodying a certain aspect of vice or spite, the non-devil half can be quickly overwhelmed. In which case, you find yourself with a case of acute demonic blight. It''s not pretty." "" "Interestingly, this girl is a unique case. If she was half-human, half-devil, it would have been hard for the former to handle the Infernity. But instead, in her case, she was a Cambion and then turned into a Phantom after death. Her human half became a spirit. Today, her demon half evolved into a true Devil physique. And what brought it on was her spirit half evolving into an Ifrit." "Ifrits are ssified as Spirits, and more specifically, Specters," she said. "Their birth usually urs after death. An outer part of the soul, filled with willpower or lingering emotions, detaches itself from the bigger whole and then materializes itself into a new physical body." Alcina then pointed at Evelyn. "By any chance, does she have a mutated form of ''ckening'' as a Nirvana Skill or something?" "I couldn''t tell you for sure," Rakna shook his head. "It awakened today. But from what I''ve seen, it must have been something simr to that." "Hm I suppose it makes sense. ckening is defined by an explosion of corrupted emotions. This process normally extracts the core of a soul, permanently harming it. However, your girl survived thanks to her Nirvana Skill, and the ''soul explosion'' was repurposed." "The core of her soul became a physical body instead of the outer parts" Rakna voiced out. "Yep," Alcina waved a finger. "It''s like a ''Reverse Ifrit''. Instead of expanding the soul into a body, it copsed on itself and used its insides to make a body. ''ckened Ifrit'' sounds nice too. But that aside, the next step caused her demon half to evolve into a Devil." "A burst of Infernity, isn''t it?" The therian interjected with a self-affirming nod. "Her copsing soul essentially ended her life in a way. But her emotions started making a vessel for herself and she unwittingly imitated the way a Devil is born by embodying her malevolent urges." "Exactly!" Alcina smirked. "You''re pretty smart!" Rakna snorted. "Thanks, I suppose." "Thebination of Ifrit and Devil is one I''ve never heard before, but it could work," the Oni added with a pensive hum. "Ifrits are creatures of Arcane. They wield ''sentiments'' to create a branched-out school of Soul Magic. Devils embody a ''sentiment'' and source their power from it. It''s a perfectbination in a way." "Though" Alcina''s eyes glowed as she took a peek at Evelyn''s status. "As a Hybrid, she needs to be careful handling her Aspect. She might lose her sanity otherwise." "Her Aspect, you say" Rakna also checked the half-devil with Crystal Sight. "Is it ''Lust''?" "Heh, apparently," Alcina chuckled. "Lucky or unlucky, I don''t know. I would have pegged her to be a Devil of Vengeance or Wrath, but she ended up with Lust. Not a bad thing. Cardinal Devils are not weak." "But how?" "Lustes in many forms, you know?" The Oni grinned ominously. "Carnal pleasure is one thing for sure, but there are more. In this case, the cause was simple. Beyond her want for revenge and her fury, her mind was far more overtaken by the sheer pleasure of torturing the target of either." "well, damn," Rakna didn''t know what to say to that. "Oh, cheer up!" Alcina smiled sweetly. "It''s easier to ''satisfy'' than the other two! Just get her some good time in bed or let her torture a few people once in a while! Easy, right?" "" The therian''s expression twitched. Ceresta, Astraea, Zialtra, and Hans collectively stared at him, nkly and judgingly. Rakna groaned and briefly nced at Evelyn''s peaceful sleeping face with a strange expression. ''I''m kinda scared of when she wakes up now'' "{Look at the bright side of things,}" Fray chimed. "{You have Lust Magic. As it stands, your sexualpatibility with her is exceptional!}" He stated with a mirthful tone. "{You can make her devil half stronger; it''s a match made in Heaven! Oops my apologies, I meant in Hell.}" ''fuck.'' Im trying to organize my time right now, so sorry for the slow update. . Organize; thats a word Id wage war against. . Anyway, Ill try to reserve some time each day. If I dont finish a chapter in one day, at least I can hopefully write half of one. Ill get there eventually, dw. . On another note, I also kind of want to take some time to generate some illustrations. It could be fun to see if AI can make rough representations of each teau too I should try. . And of course, I should properly edit the past volumes and make the eBooks for them. . But well, thats up to fate to give me some time and energy.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 405: The Lonely Fox Chapter 405: The Lonely Fox Alcina left with a mischievousugh, and the Pario brothers did so after exchanging a few words with Rakna. Ensis was the next to approach and the therian had to look up due to the unexpectedly tall stature of the man. As old as he was, you wouldn''t expect him to be anywhere near the two-and-a-half meters of height he possessed. His posture was also as straight as an arrow and the pressure of his presence would no doubt cause a lesser mind to cower. "The evaluation will ur two days from now," Ensis said with a gruff but not unkind voice. "Your power is not in question. Your battle itself will be the subject of my attention. Until then, rest well, boy," he inclined his head and promptly headed out. "That''s the boss, all right." Lux walked up whilst massaging his neck. "After all this time, I still don''t know if he''s just blunt or doesn''t like to talk. But anyway, nice to meet you," he smiled and extended his hand for a handshake, which Rakna epted. "Likewise." "You already know, but I''m Lux. I''m also the Vice-Leader of the Guild. I''m sure we''ll see a bit more of each other from now on," the fallen angel said before pulling his arm back. He walked past Rakna and patted his shoulder. "See you at the evaluation. Everyone will be there." Once he was gone, Zialtra, Lacros, and Cura also went their way and Rakna ultimately stuck around with his group, Fiora included. There were still two people who seemed to want a word with him. Cain was the first toe forward, Kamiriagging behind with her arms crossed. "Hey, I''ve been meaning to meet you for a while," he said amiably. "I don''t want to take too much of your time, so I''ll be brief. I have a question; is it okay if I ask it?" Rakna raised an eyebrow. "I don''t see why not." The man let out a chuckle. "Yes, of course" He shook his head and his smile turned a bit sad. "It''s a simple question, all things considered. Is your goal the Fruit of Eden?" The therian froze, his forehead creasing in a mix of confusion and skepticism, "Why do you ask?" "Haha, well, I guess you can say I''m curious," Cainughed lightly. "I happen to know a few more things about itpared to everyone else. I''m privy to certain details," he informally revealed, not even fazed by the shocked looks he got from everyone still here, even Kamiria. "what if I say yes?" Rakna retorted inquisitively. Cain smiled. "That would not do anything much. In a way, all active Hosts have Eden as their goal by default. But all I want to know is, what you intend to do with it? Destroy it? Use it?" For a moment, the therian fell silent. Then, he swiftly raised a hand and snapped his fingers. A pair of runes blinked into existence and temporarily separated Cain and him from the outside. No one would be able to hear or perceive his next words. Everyone saw Rakna open his mouth to speak inside the improvised rune array but couldn''t hear anything nor even read his lips, as if there was an illusion over it. Most of them could have easily broken through it but it would have required an equally easily detectable intrusion. Most importantly, it didn''t evenst a few seconds before Rakna dispelled it, revealing Cain with an amused, but also somewhat defeated expression. "I see. I''ll be honest, I like that answer more than I imagined," he chuckled, eluding everyone with the meaning of his words. "I''m satisfied. Thank you very much," he bowed and turned toward his partner, who had a frown marring her face. "Sorry about that. Let''s go, Kamiria," he said softly and walked toward the invisible boundaries that delimited the exit area. But before crossing it, he addressed Rakna onest time. "Right, since I have the chance, I''ll say it now. No matter what, please keep in mind that I am your ally," he stated with an offputtingly casual tone. "I promise it," he finished and disappeared. Kamiria dyed her own departure for a few seconds, staring at where he had been standing with an unreadable expression. She clenched her hands out of what seemed to be frustration and then stormed out, leaving a confused group of people behind. Only Rakna and Hans momentarily disyed a sh of doubt past that perplexity. ? * * * ? "Could we talk alone for a moment?" Lastly, Karyu faced Rakna with neither a stern nor polite countenance. His expression was set in a serious kind of neutrality. The therian silently judged his reasons before nodding. "You guys go ahead," he told his group and left Evelyn in Astraea''s care. They went without much fanfare and once there were only the two Nine-Tailed left inside the Myth Tower''s dimension, Karyu let out a quiet sigh. "Well, how should I broach this?" The fox man uttered with an amused snort. "First of all, I suppose warning you not to hurt my dear daughter is a good start?" He hummed spectively. Rakna sweatdropped. "Why the question?" "It''s not like I had a choice" Karyumented. "Kaelith might as well be the parent here. She wants something; she gets it. Not because we spoiled her or anything. Quite the opposite. Whenever we''d try, she would just give us the cold shoulder and obtain anything she wanted alone, with her own hands. And if we ever dared to try and intervene" "She would beat you up," the therian nodded sagely. "Mentally, physically, or both." "Quite so," Karyu smiled. "But then, what did you want to talk about?" Rakna tilted his head. "I don''t mind getting to know you, far from it. I would happily wee you to my territory. But why the need to talk alone here?" The Patriarch''s smile turned a bitx. "Well, there''s another stubborn vixen we both know, no?" Rakna blinked dazedly and then face palmed. "Aah right. That woman''s such a damn storm of a person that it slipped my mind," he grumbled, but smiled nheless. "Though I can''t say I don''t appreciate the unique brand of liveliness she brings around." "That''s good to hear," Karyu snickered. "To rify, there is no bad blood between us. In fact, it makes me more than happy to leave Kara in your care. And I don''t mean it lightly," he added with a solemn tone. The therian silently raised an eyebrow. "This isn''t about hurting her or even answering her feelings," he continued. "Did she tell you about her past?" He asked. "She did, but glossed over it quite a bit, I admit," Rakna answered simply. "Though, rather than her being hesitant, I would assume she just didn''t want to make me feel sympathetic." "Hah, sounds like her. You see, Kara is probably one of the oldest members of our n," Karyu said whilst looking up at the sky as if reminiscing. "But that lifespan was not spent with us. She joined the Systemte toote. She already had endured a life of crippling loneliness by the time we weed her into the n. As much as it hurts to say it, our rtionship started due to her desire for ''closure''. She was desperate and my eptance of it was shamefully superficial." "As such, it wasn''t enough," he huffed. "I wasn''t enough. Her past had made scars she couldn''t get rid of. Giving birth to Kaelith helped a lot, but otherwise, she holed herself in her room, never stuck out her neck, and killed time drinking. I think she couldn''t escape the lingering solitude. The scars overpowered whatever she tried to heal them with and maybe it is urate to say that she eventually surrendered to it." His expression darkened. "And ultimately, the me lies with me. I failed to do anything about it when I should have. I couldn''t help her and it took me several years to recognize it," he shook his head. "So, imagine my surprise when I recently heard she frequently went out to meet a Host that also happened to be the target of my daughter''s fancy." Rakna grunted. "Don''t remind me. Those two are bold enough to badger me together. I can already predict the torments they will make me suffer," he sighed. "And from what I can tell, Kaelith enjoys it more than she lets on." Karyu grinned. "That''s wonderful news," he genuinely seemed happy about it and the therian gave him a nk stare for daring to find entertainment in his ''misery''. "In the first ce, I never assumed you would do wrong," the Patriarch chuckled. "Maybe you have something Kara rtes to... or something she''spelled to interact with. I wonder, is it possible that you understand the kind of loneliness she suffered?" He asked softly. Rakna pursed her lips. "I wouldn''t say so," he said. "I believe our experiences are too different to drawrge parallels. But, I suppose, the heart of the issue is the same. Both of us have been forced to repress our ''hunger for affection'' in a way." Karyu nodded gravely. "I see" He muttered. "I''m sorry if this conversation was too abrupt. Like I said, I wasn''t scared you would hurt Kara. I have lost the right to do so. The reason I''m here right now is mostly selfish after all if you don''t mind, can I leave this regret of mine with you?" Rakna narrowed his eyes slightly. "I will do as my desires dictate," he stated ambiguously, but if anything, it appeared this answer managed to satisfy the vulpine man even better than any other could have. "Thank you," he closed his eyes gratefully and swiftly stepped out of the Myth Tower, returning to the 500th teau from where he had entered. The therian gazed at the empty field for a while, no clear emotion showing on his face. After some additional minutes of reflection, he finally left as well. The change was instantaneous; he mentally voiced his demand to exit and in the blink of an eye, he was back in New Athens. There was no one around the Myth Tower when he came out, but he could sense his group waiting for him at the bottom of the staircase they had taken earlier. At the same time, he curiously looked behind him to see the tall tower quietly shake. The Adjudicators moved for the first time and entered the portal themselves. It closed after them and the entire structure began to slide into the ground with a metallic sound apanying it. Rakna appreciatively nced at the seamless mechanism before walking away. He tugged his scarf a little, repositioning it without disturbing Pronos who was sleeping under it as usual. The golden crosses of Crystal Sight surreptitiously glowed as he directly stared at his friends even despite the distance and buildings separating them. "{there''s something brewing in that head of yours,}" Fraymented matter-of-factly. "{Does it weigh on your mind?}" He asked. "{You shouldn''t have to overthink it. She probably is seeking her own personal salvation. Simply let her.}" A tranquil and agreeing hum was all the therian responded with. Before long, he rejoined his group and the first thing he saw was An gazing strangely at Evelyn''s grown figure. "Doesn''t she, like, look taller than me now?" The blond muttered as Higure simrly inspected the half-devil as she was carried on Astraea''s back. "And you say her hair and eyes werepletely ck when she transformed, and that she killed those guys whileughing?" The lioness confirmed with Ceresta who nodded faintly. "Damn, she''s got potential" Higure rubbed her chin. "I fear to ask what kind of potential you''re referring to," via shook her head in exasperation. "Ah, wee back, wolfy," Kaelith smilingly greeted Rakna as soon as he came into view. "How was it? Not too boring? Or maybe a bit overwhelming?" "Eh, in the middle," the therian shrugged. "It was interesting to meet the members, at least." "Um, Rara?" Kara raised her voice to catch his attention and he turned toward her. He blinked in a daze for a moment when he saw her expression. She was nervous; a vulnerable sort of anxiety. It was the first time he had ever seen her disy something like that. In one way, it fascinated him, and on the other, he realized that she was just as fearful of her inner struggles as he once was. "Hans told us that Karyu asked for a private talk" She started hesitantly, her eyes darting in order not to meet his. It was obvious that she had an idea of what may have been said to Rakna. The helpless regret of the Fox Patriarch was something she was aware of. Her personal grievances with the man notwithstanding, she knew he was concerned enough to share his worries with the therian. Karyu was that kind of person; responsible but dolefully passive. "Hm" In response to her inquiry, Rakna simply gazed at her as if he was viewing a certain puzzle, which only worsened her nervousness. "Kara, can you lift your arms for a moment?" He suddenly requested and her mind nked. "Eh?" She eximed in confusion. "Why?" "Just do it. Extend them to the sides." Bewildered, the vixenplied and spread her arms while Kaelith watched with a scowl and an amused smile on her lips. "Like this?" "Yep." Before Kara could even say something, she was abruptly wrapped in a hug. Her body froze and her mind shut down. She felt Rakna''s hand rubbing her back as if soothing her and for a moment, the warmth of that sole action clouded all her senses. The therian''s presence was assuaging all her worries without even trying. She got reminded then and there why she always came back to this boy. It was like chasing a drug, indulging in the sense of peace it gave her; she had never met someone whose soul cried out louder than her own. There were no words conveyed and all he did was hug her as gently as he could, something which she reflexively returned. They separated after about half a minute and Rakna smiled at the frozen form of Kara. She didn''te off as embarrassed, or even shocked. There was something else stopping her from reacting. With the same amount of gentleness, he patted her head and walked past her. "All right. Let''s go back home," he spoke up with a casual tone as if nothing had happened. A few of the onlookers had their eyes wide open in surprise, while others sympathized with Kara despite not even being aware of the details. Just looking at her, they could tell the hug had meant something greater than they could imagine. Kaelith approached her mother alone and with their back facing everyone else, the younger vixen spoke up. "Well, how does it feel?" She asked softly as she watched tears flow down Kara''s face. "Heh," she let out a stifled chuckle, wiping the tears away with her palms. "I feel like I''ve regained something precious I lost a long time ago," she confessed and allowed a grin to finally restore her habitual mood. "How lucky you are, Kae." Kaelith raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "How lucky we are, indeed," she emphasized her words and turned around to follow the others out of New Athens. But at the same time, she heard her mother whisper something to her. "Thank you, Kaelith." The younger vixen pursed her lips and looked away with a blush on her face. "You''re wee" A bit of characterization for Kara wont hurt. . I remember I wrote this chapter after seeing some totally wrong opinions on her. I refuse to take that lying down! MILF ftw! . But like, seriously, in all mangas, novels, andics ever, how the fuck do you see the moms being so stupidly pretty, stupidly kind, stupidly sensible, and stupidly mature, and not prefer them over regr female leads? Like, bro! That''s the perfect woman right there! By definition! Literally! Why should I care about whatever brat the FL is after that? . But anyway, that''s all for my personal religion. . Incidentally, I still have a few more sub-plots to work on now that Evelyns done. Specifically, theres Higure, via, and possibly Lanata, though thats not certain as I have yet to decide if Ill make her an actual lead yet. I like my badass adorable sheep for now. . PS: I have made illustrations. Like, a lot. A ton. A truckload. . I re-designed the old ones too. For now, there''s already 100 of them and I''m not done yet. . You can go see them on my discord (I don''t really care about having people in it or not, but for now, that''s the most convenient way). You should be able to find the link to it in the synopsis. Come on, you''re big boys and girls, I don''t need to copy paste it here.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 406: Authority of Creation Chapter 406: Authority of Creation Sometime after the Myth Council, Rakna''s entourage returned to his territory and the second that they walked out of his private Pavilion, Kara snatched him by his scarf, startling Pronos right out of it. "All right, Rara, youe with me," she said happily and started dragging the almost unresponsive therian toward an open meadow of the underground garden. "what the hell is she gonna do in the middle of the day?" An blurted out while Pronos blinked in confusion from the ground he had rolled on, already being joined by Tyran to y. Kaelith snorted. "Don''t worry. Mom is not that brazen. If anything she''s more reserved than most of us," she said and then blinked at the realization. "Damn, doesn''t that mean I''m more of a pervert than her?" She whispered to herself in shock. "Normally, I would have pegged Evelyn to be the most prude," Higuremented. "But well, let''s hold onto that thought until she wakes up," she cackled. Meanwhile, at the doors of the Pavilion, Elora was peeking with a hand over her mouth and a deep blush. "No way! The Fox n Matriarch is really that way with His Majesty?" The young elf felt like she was witnessing the exciting affairs of celebrities. "By the way" Kaelith eyed a certain ''legendary creature'' standing amidst their group. "What are you doing here?" She asked Fiora who was happily crossing her hands in front of her, as if a maid in wait of an order. "I pledged myself to my Master, so of course I should serve him. I have no responsibilities to attend to, thus I am alsopletely avable!" The Qilin replied proudly as if it was an inevitable oue and everyone deadpanned at her. All of them could tell there was absolutely no other motivation. In a way, they preferred that to her being another besotted woman "Hm," via mused aloud. "Well, it certainly wouldn''t be a bad idea to have someone as strong as you with us," she voiced her opinion. "That''s probably why Rakna didn''t even bother to stop you." "If that''s how it is" Kaelith nced at the ground. "Oz,e out," shemanded and on cue, an elemental gray wolf with six tails emerged beside her and promptly bowed its head. "I greet the First Lady," the wolf surprisingly spoke up. Oz had long been assigned as the leader of the territory''s defense by Rakna and had been recently promoted. The former earth wolf had turned into a multi-elemental six-tailed thanks to the ruing powers of his creator. He now had a status matching a Level 200 Host and enough intelligence to speak. "This woman here will be under you from today onward," Kaelith pointed at Fiora with a smile and the wolf momentarily froze as if to process that information. Even as a mere familiar, Oz could tell that the Qilin was a creature whose power and standing eclipsed his on an immeasurable scale. "That''s fine with you, right?" The vixen smirked at Fiora. "Oz here is a direct subordinate of Rakna and as his lover, I havemand over them. Every condition for you to work under him is met." The Qilin tilted her head and then looked at Oz with a bright smile. "I''ll be in your care, sir." "Ah um," the wolf''splicated expression was painfully obvious. "Yes let''s get along." Just like that, Oz gained one of the strongest Wilden as his underling. ? * * * ? "So, we''re back to this, huh?" Rakna smiled wryly as Kara sat snugly on hisp, almost purring as he was once again made to brush her tails. "My, were you expecting something else?" She asked mischievously. He snorted. "Not really. I like this alternative better, actually," he admitted. "Is there a reason you like to do this so much?" "Hm," the vixen looked up. "It''s thepanionship, I suppose. Back in the day, the act of brushing my tails was like a solitary escapade; my own way of rxing my mind. I would also do it for the small foxes that came to me daily," she smiled at the memory. "But to know that someone I hold dear is there to do it not just me," she looked over her shoulder and grinned. "It''s exhrating." "Is that so?" Rakna smiled back. "Then, while we''re at it, is there something you''d like me to do?" "Hehe, you''re being awfully servient all of a sudden," she raised her eyebrows teasingly. "Are you feeling sorry for little old me?" "I could also just stand up right now and leave," he retorted nkly. She pouted. "Who told you to do that?" She huffed and leaned back. "Well if I had to be shameless about it, it''d be nice if you gave me a little spot around here and helped me, um" She blushed and grumbled a bit. "Make my den" Rakna nced at her curiously. "Is that an embarrassing thing to ask?" "No, I mean ah, whatever," she huffed. "In my old world, there was a giant tree I used as a den by living under its roots. Even if it was a lonely time, I miss my home a bit, you know? I thought about recreating it several times, but I never really managed to get it right I also had a lot of foxes living with me," she smiled at the memory. "Cute little things; running around me," she recounted. "They were the onlypany I had it was a sad thing to see them exceed their lifespan over and over again though," her smile became slightly bitter. "In the System, I can hardly find the same kind of animal. Every wild fox is a Wilden with varying degrees of power and aggression." "do you want me to summon some for you?" Rakna asked curiously. "Well, yes, I admit. I asked Karyu once since he''s the current Fox King," she exined. "But they feltpletely different from yours. The ones you summon feel as if they have souls. It''s incredible in all honesty; I can sense life in them. How do you even do it?" "Hm" The therian hummed in thought and stopped brushing her tails. "I''ll do you one better," he said with a furtive smirk and his eyes zed with purple mes. "[irvoyance,]" he whispered and scoured Kara''s past through Egregore. He didn''t want to pry into anything she didn''t want him to see and focused on her den. He carved every single detail into his memory and then ended his skill. "What are you?" Kara muttered in confusion. She had felt his soul power envelop her but hadn''t rejected it, fully trusting him. "You''ll see," Rakna said and under her eyes, he used one of his ws to cut his palm deep enough to draw blood. He clenched his hand and held it to the side above the grass. His soul mes coiled around his arm and the Chalice on his back shone brightly. "Let''s try this, shall we?" He smiled. "[Philosopher Craft C Pa?aippi? Atikram,]" he intoned and a condensed droplet of pinkish blood dripped out of his grip. ? ? ? ? ? A new entry has been added to your Personal Skill; Philosopher Craft. You have learned Pa?aippi? Atikram [Authority of Creation]! ? ? ? ? ? The blood hit the ground and an otherworldly aura spread. There was something so inhumanly pure about it that made Kara shiver. It was like being in the presence of something unfathomable. In an instant, their direct surroundings began to twist, bend, and stretch. The dirt was overturned and the terrain distended into mounds. Then,rge roots burst out from underground and plunged back in and out of the earth. Apanying them, a germ sprouted in the middle of it all. It grew at a staggering speed, quickly turning into a tall and majestic oak tree. Fascinatingly, none of the phenomena seemed to be affecting Kara and Rakna as avoiding them. And before they knew it, they were both sitting under a spherical ceiling of roots, inside what seemed to be a crude room where the wood had been sculpted to roughly resemble furniture. There was even a wooden bed with wool and feathers acting as its mattress. "This" Kara stood up with her eyes wide open in shock. She recognized everything. Every single splinter of wood, every smell, every jutting rock, every de of grass even the feeling of wind on her skin. It was all as she remembered. She could even see some of the containers she used to have for her alcohol lying on the ground as well as several of her coffers. But it didn''t stop there. Lost in her daze, she heard several high-pitched yelps and on cue, at least a dozen small foxes, ranging from kits to adults, came out from inside a few holes inside the roots and swarmed her. The familiar texture of their fur nearly made her tears burst for a second time, and she crouched to wee them all in her embrace. At the same time, Rakna quietly petted one sole fox who hade to him. ''I suppose it''s that easy,'' the therian thought as a spark of soul fire receded into his eyes. ''Feeding my blood with energy, registering the organic matter, altering thendscape, synthesizing physical bodies and transmuting soul power into artificial souls.'' ? ? ? ? ? Congrattions! You have achieved a divine feat beyond the capabilities of a mortal! You have created life from scratch! You have been granted a great amount of Divinity for this achievement! ? --- You have gained a new Title; The Advent of Creation Is Nihility! --- ? The Advent of Creation Is Nihility ??? ? Effects: +50 Vtile Attribute Points. + 100 Attribute Points. +50% Damage Against All ''Lifeforms''. +50% Attribute Points Every Level. ??? ? ? ? ? ? ''this title couldn''t be vaguer even if it tried,'' Rakna thought and waved it away. He was far past the point of caring about some question marks on his status or some amazing effects. "{What are you bing, huh?}" Fray remarked solemnly. "{You can''t be called anything close to a mortal at this point, much less a human.}" ''Well, we already know what,'' the therian snorted to himself. ''In the end, there''s nothing to be scared of'' He thought and Kara''s voice caught his attention right after. "You outdid yourself, Rara," she said quietly. She wasn''t looking his way, and instead, wistfully rubbed cheeks with a baby fox. "Sometimes I wonder if you''re not some God striving to experience his mortality once again," she jested. "How farfetched," Rakna deadpanned and she giggled. "And I''m insulted that you would insinuate a God could do what I can," he added with a fake offended tone. "Hahaha," the vixenughed softly. "Indeed. That was rude of me, wasn''t it? Of course, you''re much better than any Celestial out there, Your Eminence." "As long as you understand," Rakna nodded. Kara smiled to herself. "I can''t believe I''m going to be this sappy twice in the same day, but" Her lips curved in amusement. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart," she said with emotions the therian could feel without even using his skills. He looked deeply into her eyes for a while before closing his own. "you''re wee." My bad. Stuff happened and I also got distracted writing something else a bit (not to mention the three chapters I wrote for patreon are like 11k words). . Aaaand... I''m too tired to write more excuses so that''s that, kek. . Anyway; these chapters are a quick interlude for the girls. Just snippets of fluff. Not all will be as long as this one, but just enough to make both you and I appreciate them more. . After that, well jump right into the evaluation battle against the dragon. Ill also reveal the Resonance between Pronos and Rakna at that time. That ones long overdue.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 407: Quasi-Divine Meal Chapter 407: Quasi-Divine Meal Rakna entered the house after leaving Kara to enjoy the garden outside and saw the living room mostly cleared out. Only Natsu was there, lying down on one of the couches. "Evelyn''s still unconscious?" The therian asked as he passed by the Celestial ze. "Indeed," the elemental replied. "Astraea is looking over her but she said she might not be awake in time for lunch either." "I see," Rakna nodded and went to the kitchen where he could sense via. When he got there, he could only smile wryly at the sight of arge cauldron in the middle of the room with a bubbling dark purple substance inside. "You''re putting that in the food?" He asked after leaning on the counter to her right. She was using her telekinesis to stir a pot while she manually gutted an assortment of fish. Instead of answering his question, she pouted. "In situations like these, at least you should hug me from behind. A few neck kisses would be nice too." "I could still do it." She harrumphed in mock resentment. "It''s toote for that." Rakna smiled. "Is that so? Well, what''s that then?" He pointed at the cauldron with his chin. "A witchcraft concoction, as you can see," she said with a mysterious smile. "You''ll see what it does during lunch. I''ve been working hard on it." "As long as it doesn''t kill us," the therian shrugged. "Though, I''ve been meaning to ask. What does it mean to be a Sorceress? If this is witchcraft what differentiates Sorcery and Witchery?" "Hm," via mused for a short moment. "Well, apparently, there are many schools of magic. It''s to the point that it exceeds a thousand in number. But some are parallel to each other. A Sorceress is someone who excels at ''manufacturing magic''. We use materials, rituals, sacrifices, etcetera." "But Witchery is different. Actually, Witchery and Witchcraft are two different things. The former is what I have. As a Chaos Witch, my ability is closer to a psychic power. It''s an innate element. It usually has a specific title apanying it, like my ''Chaos''. Witchery only awakens in women from what I''ve heard too." "Witchcraft is learned by Wizards and Witches both. It''s simr to sorcery. But the way they are defined is different. Their basis is municating with the World'' to cast spells. They can interact with nature, contract spirits, extract life energy out of ingredients to make potions, and a few other things that include the best of curses." via waved at the cauldron. "Sorcery has a very broad application. Wizards are better at making concoctions but that doesn''t mean we can''t do it too. Our basis is manufacture, after all. As long as it can be made with materials, we can do it. But culturally, anything involving concoction has been coined ''witchcraft'' even if used by sorcerers." "Uh," Rakna eximed dumbly. "Thanks for the lecture, I guess." She smiled widely. "You''re wee." After ncing onest time at the very ominous bubbling inside the cauldron, the therian cleared his throat and turned back to via. "Anyway I had a thought earlier. Your girls helped me a lot to figure myself out." "Oh, really now?" The Chaos Witch retorted with a sarcastic tone. He rolled his eyes. "Point in case, I helped Kara just now with something I thought I could extend the favor to all of you. If not to thank you, then at least spend some time together." via''s smile became brighter if that was even possible. "I''ll dly take the offer. But I don''t think there''s anything I need You already gave me everything I want," she said softly. Rakna gazed at her. "You know I never bothered to ask any of you because I knew it was a useless question, but I need to ask you." She blinked in surprise. "What is it?" "I don''t want to phrase this too heavily, and love is tiring topic, but simply said, why did you ever like me?" He asked calmly and she froze. Her expression became vaguely distraught, but not in a way that spelled fear or confusion. "That''s" She smiled bitterly. "Can''t we just say it''s because you saved my life that time?" "I would have left it at that if I knew it was the real cause" Rakna paused. "No, in fact, I would say it was rted to that day to some extent. But I fail to understand the exact reason I would have been able to tell if it originated from gratitude or admiration, but it wasn''t." via looked down at the cutting board with an illegible expression. Despite that, her telekinesis never stopped preparing several ingredients around the kitchen. After a moment, she chuckled weakly. "You''re right. You didn''t just save me that day," she said and grinned. "Honestly, you could say you seduced me!" She dered with a somewhat joking tone. The therian nkly stared at her. "The walking stoneface kid that I was did that?" "Wow how self-aware," she giggled. "But, yes, you did. You may not know how, but I can assure you that it stole my heart. However I don''t think I can say it." "Why? It''s embarrassing?" "You could say that," she smiled awkwardly. "I mean, you were young too at the time. It''s a bit of a conundrum to talk about." "I see" He closed his eyes. "It''s not like I''m trying to authenticate your feelings or anything. So, if you don''t want to say it, I don''t mind. I suppose I''ll just enjoy my unintentional ''seduction''." Sheughed lightly. "Yes, you can do that. As for your earlier offer" She held her chin. "How about a hug?" She spread her arms with a wide smile. "I was a bit jealous of Kara when I saw it." "Well, I don''t mind but can you put down the kitchen knife first?" "Oh, I forgot about that," she sheepishly put the knife down and then happily weed her lover''s embrace. And as she bathed in the warmth, she closed her eyes and remembered the day a young boy stormed into a warehouse to save her from her abductors. After seeing her on the ground and injured, he tore them apart; one by one. Mercilessly. Breaking limbs and gouging eyes while unarmed. Some of them died without him even aiming for it but had he been carrying a weapon, all of them would have suffered a gruesome death, she was sure of it. That day, Rakna may have thought she had been unconscious and only woke up to stop him from killing thest one. But it wasn''t the truth. She was awake and had watched it all. A pang of disgust sometimes res up because of what she thought then. She had cried tears of joy, not anguish. She had begged him to stop, not because of morality, but because she feared his already unstable psyche would be even more broken. In some way, it wasn''t necessarily reproachable thinking. She still acted for his sake, right? But it wasn''t theplete truth. His cruelty, born from the anger he had for her sake his path of ughter, she had admired it. She couldn''t let it be degraded into some sort of mindless machine''s design. She wanted to see more of it; she wanted it to be preserved. In the end, the only word that went through her mind that day when she witnessed death bloom at his every step was ''Beautiful.'' ? * * * ? ? ? ? ? You have eaten a Quasi-Divine Meal cooked by a proficient Sorceress and Witch. All forms of regeneration, Soul Power included, will increase by 5% for the next hour. Your Stamina, Swiftness, and Mana will increase by 5% for the next 24 Hours. Your experience gain will increase by 25% for the next 24 Hours. Note: Regr consumption may increase statistics permanently. This food possesses smell and taste capable of inducing addition into lower-level beings. Nutrition effects cannot stack with other meals. The stronger ones will overwrite the weaker ones. ? ? ? ? ? "Wha" "What?!" Kaelith immediately overpowered Rakna''s half-formed exmation. via stood near the dining table after serving the lunch she had been preparing. She had a proud smile on her face, visibly delighting in the shock of everyone present. Not even Rakna could have predicted this result despite keeping herpany as she cooked. "I was waiting to show you this," the Chaos Witch said happily. "I have been working onbining my cooking with my magic. My Sub-Path gave me a breakthrough recently. And after I got a title for it, well, it helped me make this possible. Sadly, since I''m channeling ''Chaos'' into these dishes, the effects are mostly random unless Imit to other methods. But in return, they''re potent." "B-b-but" Kaelith''s mind was overlocking. "Hm, delicious!" Fiora praised as she chewed the fish. In contrast to the vixen, it was as if she did not even notice the effects. "Master is fortunate to have a wife such as you." "Eh? O-oh!" via''s face flushed and she cleared her throat, looking away slightly. "O-of course," she stuttered whilst ncing at Rakna repeatedly who simply smiled in amusement. "Plenty of love went into it, right?" Higure teased with a grin as she finished a steak with a hum. "um, going by Kaelith''s reaction," An spoke up. "This isn''t normal, is it?" "Correct," Kara smirked. "Undeniably abnormal." "" Ceresta was silent as she continued to eat. Each bite she took was methodical, but the fact that she was not stopping for even a second was telling enough. Hans was of a simr case or maybe not since it wasn''t really different from how he usually ate. "This is the best food ever!" Lanata positively glowed as she devoured her te. "Thank you, everyone," via bowed with a pleased smile. Kaelith.exe still needed a reboot though. ? * * * ? "Spend time with us?" The vixen tilted her head at Rakna after lunch. "Wow, wolfy, are you finally eager to get it on?" She grinned, her tails wagging merrily. "You can''t hold back, after all, eh?" "not that kind of ''spending time''." "Hehehe, I''m just joking," she snorted. "Hm, well, I certainly don''t have anything I want like mom''s tree outside. We were all startled when you grew it, you know? Aren''t you showing a bit too much favoritism today?" She narrowed her eyes. The therian shrugged. "As long as any of you ask, I could do anything smaller or bigger. It doesn''t matter as long as it''s something I can do." Kaelith smiled softly. "That''s sweet. Well, let''s see oh, I know!" She eximed and grabbed his hand with a mischievous expression. "Let''s go up for a moment." Right after the words came out of her mouth, her blue mes swirled around them and after just a moment, they reappeared on the surface of the teau. Fortunately, the swamp seemed brighter than usual today. The sky was cloudy but there were enough sun rays to illuminate it. "All right, turn into a wolf," Kaelith said as soon as they were dropped by the teleportation. "Make yourself a bit bigger than a horse as well." "Okay?" The therian hesitantly shifted into his quadrupedal form, his midnight fur and its purple spots glowing as he grew the mane he had inherited from the Dusk Lion King genome. When the transformation ended, the vixen readily jumped on his back and he choked. "Hey, what''s that reaction for?" She red at him. "I''m not heavy." "No, that was" He shook his head. "No, more importantly, what are you doing, foxy?" "Well, I''m riding you, obviously." "thanks for pointing that out." "Now run, wolfy!" Kaelith pointed forward boisterously and with a nk face, Rakna immediatelyplied. He did say he would do anything, didn''t he? He ran through and over the swamps with speed nearing the 500s and the vixen promptly grasped his mane to stay in ce. She thenid down, resting her head on the back of his neck. Rakna''s eyes flicked upward on reflex before he snorted fondly. "Is this all you want?" "Yes," she responded quietly. "I wanted to see how it would feel to ride you like this." "And the verdict?" "It''s strangely rxing," she smiled, her ear picking up the wolf''s heartbeat. "The wind streaming past you and brushing my back plus your presence is unexpectedly very soothing." "Is that so?" Rakna snickered and in the blink of an eye, one pair of wings grew on each side of the vixen. They pped before she could say anything about it and their altitude rocketed. She almost felt dizzy but when the wolf stabilized his flight, she felt as if the air was caressing her whole body instead. "Ooh this is much better," she marveled. "You''re the perfect mount, wolfy." "Why, thank you," he deadpanned. Kaelith giggled. "Don''t worry, next time, maybe I''ll just have you tag along in one of my hobbies." "I don''t know if I should be reassured by that." "My hobbies are perfectly normal," she scoffed. "Really now?" "Yep! Like pranking anyone I don''t like in my n." "" "But I also love doing Puzzle Dungeons." Rakna raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Puzzle Dungeons?" He inquired as he nonchntly swung one of his tails to send an arc of star energy that killed a flying Wilden. "They''re rtively low-risk Dungeons with little fighting involved. In fact, those have no level cap and it''s generally preferred for people who want to level up more easily. Of course, some puzzles can kill you, but they''re rare. I like doing them. They can be very unique." "Hm, sounds interesting. I haven''t visited a Dungeon in a while too." "Then, it''s decided. I''ll bring you to one next time," Kaelith smiled. "We can do a cooperation type together. There should be some among the recurrent Dungeons I haven''t done yet" Sensing the vixen''s excitement, Rakna smiled internally and pped his wings, elerating. Chapter 408: Eternal Wish Chapter 408: Eternal Wish "So, it''s my turn?" Higure smirked and crossed her arms on the backrest of the couch she had been sitting on when Rakna returned. "What? Has the word spread already?" "Heh, small house," the lioness joked. "via told us. So, you''re gonna do whatever I want?" "I suppose I did say that." "Good!" She hopped off the couch and grinned. "Now, sit down," she pointed at where she had been just before and he briefly scowled at her before doing so. "You just have to say still," she added and nearly faster than he could react, she initiated a leaping motion toward him but in midair, her body shrunk and transformed into the one of a young lion, much like she had been when resurrected. The catnded in Rakna''sp and nestled herself there with her paws up. "Belly rub time, devourer of mine!" She eximed with a teasing but expectant voice. "you girls really are something," the therian muttered and swiftly started stroking her belly and asionally scraping her chin with his fingers. Her legs reflexively wrapped around his wrist and he smiled at the adorable view. "Now this is what I''m talking about" Higure purred contently. "Knowing you, I expected you to just drag me to bed," Raknamented. One of her eyes opened to look at him with augh. "I already got that one not long ago. I can hold back a little. You did a number on us, you know? Hands down the best night of my life," she smirked shamelessly. "I''m satisfied for now but I fully expect you to make it outdated soon enough." Rakna huffed and used his other hand to directly pat her head, closing her eyes. "I could probably make some kind of curse with Lust Magic" He said without much thought but when he saw her tail immediately swaying faster, he could only sigh. "Which of course, you would love." "Absolutely," she confirmed without hesitation. As the two enjoyed the subsequent silence together, Rakna''s thoughts wandered back to the first time he talked to Higure in the first ce. The memory felt old and recent at the same time. In this house of his, there was barely anyone he wouldn''t trust with his life, but the lioness represented something more. A bit special. ''I suppose sharing your soul with someone for a while does that to you,'' he thought and looked down at the feline. "Hey, Higure, you still n to meet your children, right?" Her ears twitched and she opened her eyes with a meditative gaze. "Of course," she said gravely. "It''s my responsibility, in the end. I do feel a bit sad about it though. Verias killed me right after I gave birth, after all. That I didn''t have a hand in their growth is upsetting." "" "I told you we Dusk Lions can reproduce by parthenogenesis, right?" "Yes." "The truth is, Dusk Lions, as small as our poption is, seldom resort to it. It requires us to expend most of our strength and we be vulnerable until we recover," she smiled bitterly. "Proven by myself. It''s uselessly risky. But I wanted children, and being the strongest Dusk Lion, there was no worthy father to be found anywhere." "So, you did it yourself," Rakna nkly said. "So, I did it myself," she nodded back with a grin. "But, well, all of that was four hundred years ago as it would seem. One day, I died, and the next, I woke up in your soul scape. I can only hope they''re still alive today we are hermits and long-lived, but not immortal." Higure grunted to herself. "I made sure to lure that shitty Tras away when I sensed his intention, but who knows what happened to my children after I left them. Did they rise up on their own and survived? Did someone help them? I''m nervous to find out." Rakna wordlessly rubbed her belly and she smiled. "Though, I''m also thankful that Verias had to go into hibernation or else he might have raised me as a puppet I would have never met you and probably been lost forever." "Honestly, I''m surprised your soulsted that long," Rakna remarked. "It didn''t," the lioness snickered as if she had heard something hrious. "At best, my desire to take revenge against the one who killed me, and protect my cubs, allowed the remnants to stick around my corpse, frozen inside the spatial storage. The fact that your Nirvana Skill could reconstruct me from the ground up is nothing short of a miracle." "true," Rakna hummed. "I could have ended up with someone like Rex a newborn Dusk Lion of sorts." "Would you have preferred that?" She asked with half-lidded eyes. "Never," the therian retorted instantly and she curled around his hand with a smile. "Then, it''s all good" ? * * * ? "I see you''re adapting quite well," Rakna said with a gentle smile, crouching next to Ceresta in front of a flower bed that she was cultivating herself behind the house with both her magic and natural means. The doll-like woman brushed the petals of a rose with the back of her hand and nodded. "Yes this feels right?" She said hesitantly. "I believe that is how I see it." "Maybe it''s my fault well, in a good way," the therian hummed. "I saw that you liked flowers back in the ''dream'' and named you after one. It might have been imprinted in your growing soul." "that is not quite right," Ceres shook her head slowly and watered another patch of flowers. "I do agree that my soul was imprinted because of my name, but it was fueled by you," she smiled very faintly, to a degree Rakna almost missed it. "I ''became a flower'' because... I was loved as one." The therian''s eyes widened slightly. "That''s" He blinked before chuckling. "Well, you would know better, wouldn''t you?" His lips curved. "That love must havee from an awfully suave guy." Ceresta looked at him then tilted her head silently with a pure and perplexed gaze. "that was irony," Rakna couldn''t help but rify. "Oh," her mouth opened. "I understand," she nodded seriously and he snorted in amusement. "By the way, would you like a gift of some kind?" He asked. "Or something you want me to do?" She pursed her lips hesitantly. "you have given me life already have I done anything deserving such a favor on top of it?" Rakna smiled and patted her head. "Of course, you have. All of you mean a lot to me. I wouldn''t be here as I am today without you, Ceres. And it''s not like I''m asking you to take advantage of me," he jested and pulled his hand back, much to her instinctive regret. "Anything; something that would make you happy. Just say it." "" Ceresta fiddled with her own fingers and after a moment, she stood up. She dusted her dress and turned toward Rakna as he straightened himself next to her. She sped her hands together and a rather impressive amount of mana and soul power flowed in between them. ''This'' Rakna watched in shock. ''A soul technique? And she''s oveying a spell on top of it?'' None of that was easy. If he had to be honest, even he would have a bit of a hard time doing it with normal means. But, demonstrating monstrous talent, shepleted her intended creation and opened her hands to reveal a pale flowerying in her palms. It had no color or shape per se. It had exactly ten petals and a white pistil. "Please infuse this flower with your soul power," Ceres requested softly. "got it," Rakna put his palm over hers and released a flow of purple mes. They wrapped around the flower and were harmlessly sucked in by the petals. After a few seconds, the flower had already been altered to possess purple petals and a ck pistil. When the therian reined in his soul power, he noticed a connection between him and the flower. If he didn''t focus on it, it would be practically unnoticeable. Ceresta carefully grabbed the flower with both hands and held it closer to her chest. It was glowing like a moonflower and permanently burning with minuscule mes. "Thank you." "What does it do?" The doll-like beauty smiled and delicately set the flower in her hair like an ornament. She crossed her hands and stood regally. "It is a memento... As long as it blooms, I will know that my love is yet to be weakened." Her voice was as soft as it was melodious. ? ? ? ? ? Soul Flower of Eternal Love ? A flower conjured from Soul Power and Flower Magic. It connects two individuals'' souls and manifests the strength of the connection as a blooming flower. The state of the flower reflects the physical and mental condition of Rakna Xiorra de. Its wilting signifies the demise of the one linked to it. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna read the description in the blink of an eye and Ceresta''s eyes twinkled with joy. "I shall carry you with me forever," she dered. "" The therian was speechless. If anything, he was the one who didn''t deserve these girls. With a wistful sigh, he called upon the Crystal Sage''s power. A small crystal flower fastened to a ne appeared between his fingers and he held it forward. "In that case, it''s only fair we exchange." That day, Ceresta''s smile was the happiest it ever was. ? * * * ? "Wait here," Nyx spoke with herposed demeanor, leaving no hint as to what she was thinking, and forced Rakna to stand still in her room. The therian obeyed in bewilderment after having been dragged here the moment he returned from Ceres'' side. He hadn''t even been able to say anything. The goddess left him in the room alone and then swiftly came back. With orderly movements, she ced a chair opposite of him and pulled out what she had gone to fetch from her soul storage. It materialized between her and Rakna right as she sat down. "Is that a canvas?" The therian asked. Nyx nodded quietly, cing painting supplies on a stool. From Rakna''s view, the canvas was fairlyrge, a bit more than a meter in width as ity horizontally. "I didn''t know you liked to paint." "it''s an asional pastime of mine," she said while preparing the brushes. "The oldest, as well. I started early on in my life after seeing it once. I used to paint the moon a lot," she said and casually twirled her wrist to conjure a shining moon. She sent it toward a corner in the ceiling behind her and then closed the curtains. She preferred to work with minimal lighting that she could control with ease; she could see in the dark regardless. "I borrowed these instruments from Hans however," she added as she mixed the paint. "So do I stand here until you finish?" "Mhm. Exactly so," she smiled faintly as she began her first strokes. "Did you anticipate something more romantic by any chance?" "I wouldn''t go that far but realistically, would you even need me as a model to paint me?" "No," she answered inly and he sweatdropped. "And I''m standing here because?" "I like you there," she said without hesitation and he frankly had no counter for that. "You say you would do anything for us if we asked, right?" "I did" Rakna took the sudden change of topic in stride. "Why?" She followed up sinctly and he smiled wryly. "Such a hard question for a single word," hemented to himself. "Do I need a reason? I owe you much. At least, that''s how I see it." "But you don''t owe us," she retorted softly and wet her brush before picking another one. "We love you, and you love us, no? That''s the only transaction there is. Debts are inexistent. We don''t need anything; we just want you to be there." The therian chuckled. "And I agree. But once in a while, it''s not that bad to push a bit, is it? If putting myself at your service is enough to make us both happy and deepen our bond at the same time, it''s not such a bad way to repay each other''s love." "those are words the old you would have never been able to say," Nyxmented quietly. "You may be right." "But if debts are to be paid you still have a big one to settle with me," she stated. "Do you know how it felt to have you dying in my arms?" She uttered and Rakna stiffened. "For a moment, I think some part of me broke. On one hand, I was happy to have been able to save you I was even happy about the method," she added with a small blush, hiding behind the canvas. "" "But I can''t forget that despair I felt when I was sitting there all alone," she lowered her eyes. "And the more days pass and my feelings grow, the more I imagine how worse it could have been. All of this to say" She breathed in. "The most important thing isn''t what you can give us, but what you are to us. Do you want to repay me? Then never do that again." Nyx closed her eyes, her brush moving nheless. "I want to live for you for as long as the world allows us to, without experiencing that again. That is my wish. Can you grant it?" On cue with her words, Rakna couldn''t stop the activation of his Chalice. Instinctually knowing the stakes of the wish she had just voiced, he couldn''t help but gaze at her with a defeated look. It was as if her desires were too genuine, too desperate, to willingly deny her the ''wish''. "You know what that means, right?" He asked softly and she nodded unhesitatingly. "Of course." "Your Wish Shall Be Granted," he dered tenderly and a purple and white light filled the room for a split second, unbeknownst to everyone else in the house, and a ''contract'' was formed. The therian smiled at the Night Goddess who put down her brush with a rxed expression. She gazed back at him as if waiting for something. "Then, it''s time for me to promise you, huh?" He said helplessly. "I swear to never fail and force you to endure alone." Once he said that, Nyx finally showed a satisfied expression. "You better, you dork," she scoffed in fake annoyance, blindsiding Rakna with the word choice, and then stored the canvas. He was about to say something when she abruptly took out a second, nk canvas and stopped him cold. "Let''s start the next one," she said with a yful smile. "You continue standing there. This one will be a full portrait so it''ll take longer." "yes" Pure fluff today, huh? . You know what, I''ll give you the next one as an unnned freebie.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 409: “Did you have fun?” Chapter 409: Did you have fun? Rakna sighed as he walked back down the stairs to the ground floor. Nyx had made him stay with her for several hours, and the sun was setting already. It wasn''t as if he didn''t enjoy his time with her but he would have preferred to be able to move. At that moment, he briefly halted his steps when he sensed a brief wave of demonic energy wash over his territory, fused with a noticeable spark of Infernity. The therian hummed and looked in a certain direction. "Did Evelyn wake up?" As soon as he said that, Astraea and Higure hurried out of one of the first floor''s few bedrooms and immediately set their sights on him. "Ah! Perfect timing, devourer of mine!" Higure smirked and swiftly approached to drag him down the stairs. "Your help is needed for this one." "" Rakna immediately had a bad feeling and on cue, the door they had exited began to open. "Oops! We don''t have much time," the lioness said and ''abandoned'' the therian in the middle of the living room. She fled upstairs with Astraea and crossed Lanata and Kaelith who were about to go down to check what was happening. "Is something wrong?" The sheep girl asked innocently while eating ice cream. "Oh" Kaelith eximed in wonder as she peeked through the railings. The taller figure of Evelyn came out of the room; her hair wholly ck and darkening her face. "I think I get it," she giggled. "Okay, wait a--" Before Rakna could even say anything, the half-devil used Blink to teleport herself right on top of him, pushing him down on the couch. Her bangs parted to show her dark eyes and the therian shivered when he saw the desire they contained. "I can''t hold back" The former subus rasped out, her face red. "Well then," Kaelith grinned. "We''ll give you the floor for the night, wolfy. We''ll eat in via''s room since she has a mini kitchen. See you in the morning!" She waved happily and went back up. Higureughed and followed the vixen along with a flustered angel and a curious sheep in tow. "" Rakna slowly gazed back into Evelyn''s eyes and her ckened mind seemingly rejoiced as she licked her lips. If he had to be honest, he had absolutely nothing toin about but ''I''ll really have to say goodbye to peaceful nights in the foreseeable future.'' ? * * * ? Some minutester, Kara walked to the house with a fox kit tightly held in her arms. She sneakily opened the front door by a few centimeters and peered inside through the gap. "Oh my," she put a hand to her mouth, her lips curving. "How lively I''m almost jealous. Perhaps I should haveid my im today as well?" She giggled to herself. "Ah, is Master procreating?" Fiora''s head suddenly appeared above the vixen, her voice hushed. It only took her a glimpse of what was going on inside for the Qilin to blush a bit. "Oh" "I know, I know," Kara nodded repeatedly. Of course, both of them were using their mana to snuff out the sound of their voices in order not to bother Rakna, whose senses could probably pick them up from kilometers away if he wished so. Meanwhile, Oz sat at the back with a deadpan expression. If there was a world record for the most inexpressive face a wolf could make, he would have won it. And now, he simply stared at the pair of women, one of which was apparently his subordinate now, peeping at his creator mating with another woman. After gaining further intelligence, the summon could only wonder. ''is my creator a phnderer?'' He asked himself seriously and then a possibility shed through his mind. What would have happened if he had been summoned as a female wolf? Oz shivered and put his paws on his head to repress the thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, Kara and Fiora were looking at him at that moment. "That pup''s thinking of something weird, isn''t he?" The Fox Matriarchmented. "It seems so," Fiora tilted her head. ? * * * ? The next morning, Rakna woke up lying down on the couch. His arm was wrapped around Evelyn''s waist as she slept on top of him in her birthday suit, almost nuzzling into his neck with a smile. The therian sighed. "At least, she''s back to normal," he snorted fondly as she observed her emerald hair. He adjusted the nket he had conjured for them before going to sleep after she had passed out and started working his way out of her embrace which turned out to be quite the challenge. He eventually seeded in getting out without disturbing her and dressed himself. Thankfully, he had already cleaned the mess they had made so there wasn''t anything to worry about there. "{so, your Lust Magic leveled up thrice, huh?}" Fray remarked. "Shut your mouth," Rakna didn''t even bother defending himself. He walked to the kitchen and took a few snacks for himself. At the same time, he prepared tea as well as chocte milk for Evelyn as he knew she liked it. When he returned to her, the therian smiled and crouched. He brushed the hair away from her face and then gently pinched her cheek. "Wake up. Or do you want me to use soul power again?" The half-devil squirmed a bit and blinked her eyes open. Her vision remained blurry for a moment before she could probably see Rakna''s face. Then, with an extra two or three seconds, the memory of what she had done made itself known in her head. "!" Her face flushed and she swiftly retreated under the nket with a high-pitched noise. "I can''t believe I did that!" She squealed into the fabric. On cue, a certain fire puppy jumped onto the couch''s backrest. "I''m afraid you did," Natsu uttered without mercy and she cried out as if imitating a kettle. "Well, it''s good to see you''re the same as always," Rakna snickered. "Here, take this." Evelyn shyly revealed her eyes from below the nket and epted the milk. "Thank you" "There''s nothing to be ashamed of," the therian added and he sat next to her. "In a way, you received a Sinparable to mine. But yours is encapsted into your Race and Traits instead of a skill. It took you by surprise is all. The only reason I could resist any bad effects of Sloth at the beginning was because I was rather distant from that kind of indolence." Natsu nodded in agreement. "But you, girl, have a less mature willpower. Your Lust merely made you act impulsively toward My Lord because of your feelings toward him." "Not to mention my magic calmed it down much more efficiently," Rakna said with a yful smile and she pouted. "I get it stop teasing me, you two," she mumbled. "Anyway, you better get dressed too," the therian said as he took a sip of his tea. "Everyone is almost awake, you know? I can tell they''re waiting upstairs. I made a new outfit for you with my ''craft''. It''s folded over there. Since you, well, ''grew'' a bit and ripped your clothes apart yesterday." "Ah" Evelyn devolved into an even bigger blushing mess at the reminder. "Wait waiting?!" "Yes, my dear!" Kaelith''s mirthful voice sounded from the stairs. "Did you have fun?" "Eh, ah wait right" The half-devil''s eyes spun. Now that she thought about it, they had spent the night in the living room and neither Rakna nor herself had done anything to block out the noise they made. "You heard?" "Hahaha, loud and clear!" Higure''s voice came next. Evelyn then immediately retreated into the nket to squeal again. ? * * * ? "Hm, are you sure this is all you want?" Rakna asked Evelyn as they rode the elevator to his training room. Thetter was wearing thebination of a dress and a skin-tight battle suit he had created for her. The color scheme was mainly dark green and ck, fitting her new Devil Ifrit form which she had ess to at any time. "Yes," she smiled. "Even if you say any favor is okayst night was more than enough for me," she blushed faintly. "And I think this is a really good gift already." "Well I could have entrusted ''him'' to you for free anytime if you asked," Rakna shrugged as they stepped out when the doors opened and the lights automatically turned on. "Unfortunately, I grew stronger a bit too fast for ''him'' to keep up." They walked a few meters into the training ground before stopping and he activated the spatial storage of his Necromancer ring for the first time in a while. His shadow expanded and released arge figure from within it. An intimidating chimera with hooved legs, disproportionate features, monstrous horns and fangs, and a furred body with skin patches; the former Guardian of a Labyrinth Ordeal. "His name''s Aster," Rakna spoke as he patted the creature''s arm holding a great axe. "I gave him a name in honor of what I saw inside the Ordeal. Can I ask you to keep that intact?" Evelyn smiled. "Of course. I''ll be sure to take good care of him. I''ll make him the strongest Chimera the System has ever seen!" She pumped her fists with a determined expression. Rakna chuckled and wordlessly renounced his control over Aster. He transferred it to her a secondter without difficulty. The connection was mostly based on mana supply so it wasn''t that hard to transfer between people as long as he had enough control. "I''ll try to forge a ring for you that can hold chimeraster," the therian said. "I should be able to do something of a decent tier with via''s Space Magic, my Craft, and my Runes." "Well, I''ll happily ept it," the former subus smiled brightly. "Oh! On a side note, do you want me to try making some potions or pills that work with your ''Philosopher Craft''?" "Uh, that''s an interesting idea," Rakna rubbed his chin. "There are few things I wanted to try with my Craft; essentially superior versions of our current Transpiths. But for your alchemy I guess there are some things we can test. I''ll be out to meet Evater today; we''ll look at it together when Ie back. Is that fine?" "Of course," she nodded. As she said that, the elevator chimed and someone came out with a giddy step. Astraea skipped to them, her wings wagging and almost making her glide with every step. "Lord Monarch, can I ask you to grant me a favor like the others?" She quickly asked. The therian tilted his head. "You helped me several times, so, sure, but what is it that you want me to do? If you want to bepletely freed from Egregore, I don''t think I can do that quite yet." She smiled wryly and shook her head. "That is a tall order I wouldn''t dare to ask. It''s I just now had an idea. I have friends inside Egregore could you perhaps manifest them as you did for me?" "You did mention you had some form of awareness in your Realm before," he nodded. "But you know I''m limited in who I can summon, right? I can probably push it a little with the Crystal Sage''s power, but ultimately, it''s better for them to be rted to stars." "Yes, I''m aware. My best friends were Artemis and Aphrodite I''m aware at least one of them can be called through a constetion, no?" She asked hopefully. "Well sort of," Rakna mused. "Honestly, I could summon both. In the end, my bridge to Egregore was merely created by my usage of star magic. It doesn''t mean I cannot build upon it. Aphrodite could react well to the Sin of Lust. But that''s something that would require a bit of trial and error." "Regardless," the therian smiled. "Artemis is feasible. She''s not a main figure in constetions but she is an intrinsic facet of Orion," he stated and conjured a beautiful brush of obsidian. He drew the main stars of the constetion, which amounted to only seven points, but then added two additional ones to form the most popr representation. On top of that, he drew minor stars that depicted Orion''s bow; a concept that helped him get closer to Artemis'' Domain. Thest step was pouring enough mana and have a proper magic formation, which he adjusted a bit with runes. Once he was done, he flicked it with his finger as always and the energy spiraled into the silhouette of a woman, bringing with it a wave of Divinity. The Goddess that came out of the light looked rather hardened in appearance. She had white hair going no further than her shoulders, bright orange eyes of which the left was crossed by a scar, a leather garb befitting a hunter,plemented by ornate white robes, and a right arm covered to her elbow by a long ck glove. The newly summoned Star Entity looked around in confusion, briefly ncing over to Aster with a small scowl, and then focusing on a person she recognized. "Rea?" She asked hesitantly. "Yes!" The angel beamed and rushed to hug the Goddess of the Hunt. "It''s so good to see you!" "This is odd," the huntress muttered as she awkwardly returned the gesture. "This might be the first time I ever interacted with another Egregore Entity outside of the Realm..." "Is this satisfying enough?" Rakna asked with a smile. "Yes!" Astraea let go of her best friend and bowed. "Thank you, Lord Monarch." "Wait, so you are?!" Artemis observed the therian properly and her eyes widened. It seemed that much like her fellow goddess; she knew about who he was and will be. "I-it''s an honor," she greeted with surprising deference. "I am Artemis, Goddess of The Hunt. I shall be at your eh?" Before the huntress could finish, Astraea interrupted her and pulled her arm, dragging her toward the elevator with an excited gait. "W-what are you doing, Rea? I must pay my respects" "Lord Monarch doesn''t care about those things, Arte!" The angel grinned. "Come, I''ll introduce you to the others!" "But--!" Artemis couldn''t say anything as the elevator doors closed on her. "they look like very good friends," Rakna snorted. "True," Evelyn giggled. "It''s nice to see Astraea so excited too." "I agree. Well, I''ll leave you with Aster," the therian said. "Don''t hesitate to ask if you ever need help or resources. I quite like this big guy, so I won''t regret any splurging." The half-devil smiled and turned toward the undead chimera. "I will." Chapter 410: Gathering Chapter 410: Gathering Rakna spent the following day nning for future equipment and skills he could make or improve on, as well as spending more time with everyone. In the afternoon, he went out to his Pavilion in order to meet Eva. From the perspective of hispanions, he only spoke to her for about ten minutes and then came back out with a thoughtful expression. The only thing he told them aftering out is that there wasn''t a need for them to rush climbing the teaus to participate in the war against the Tra. The rest of the day was spent much the same way as the morning, with Evelyn working together with him to create new products, which Kara was a witness to as the main lead of Harvest. ? * * * ? When the next morning came, Rakna woke up in his bed and breathed in peacefully. Obviously, he also felt the warmth of Kaelith currently entangled to him, her tails refusing to let him go. He sweatdropped. ''Yeah this one, I can''t escape.'' "Don''t worry, I''m not going to hold you prisoner or anything," the vixen suddenly opened her eyes and smirked at him. "There''s no need to yet." "Yet, huh?" "Mhm!" She nodded yfully and snuggled against him with a giggle. "Finally, I got to have a night alone. I was your first but Nyx was still there at the time. Now the bnce has been fixed." "I suppose so," he huffed in amusement. "So, Throne of Glory is going to test you today?" "Rather than test, a ''tryout'' seems like a more fitting term," Rakna retorted as he sat up, free from the vixen''s tails with some effort, to which she pouted. "There''s no need to test me, per se. They all know what I''m capable of for the most part after the showcase. I suppose their aim is something other than my strength." "Hm makes sense," Kaelith rolled onto her back. "Credo always looked like the kind of old man to judge every aspect before acknowledging someone." "You met him before?" "Well, yeah. Once or twice, by proxy of my father," she reminisced. "And I''m warning you, wolfy, but that geezer is nothing short of a monster. He''s one of the few truly hampered by the System. I heard once he almost corrupted the code of an entire teau because he tried to learn powers that the System couldn''t handle." ''no wonder Eva is scared of him,'' Rakna thought to himself. "Frankly, all I see is that I have a very dependable Guild Leader," he shrugged. "That for sure can''t be denied," the vixen chuckled. Ding! Rakna raised an eyebrow as he heard a notification sound and looked at the window that popped up in his vision. ? ? ? ? ? Hey, kid, hope you''re having a great morning with your harem and all. I was asked to send you the coordinates of the gathering point, so here it is. The leader wants you there in half an hour and don''t worry we weren''t warned either. I''m pretty sure Tai and Varq are still asleep Sometimes, I wish the leader would just wait a bit before deciding something. ? ? ? ? ? The therian deadpanned at the clown''s sessive messagesing in. One thing could be said, it didn''t seem like Ensis was the kind of person to care about avability. Patience wasn''t something the old warrior seemed to even have in his vocabry. ''He decides something and he does it, huh?'' Rakna snorted internally. ''Can''t say I hate that.'' "You got a message?" Kaelith inquired. "Yeah looks like Credo wants us to gather pretty early," the therian said and got off the bed before a mass of nanites abruptly covered his body. Allegro emerged as if from inside his body and formed his usualbat gear. He cracked his neck and Sonata flew to him from a nightstand. "I see. Better you get going now then," the vixen nodded. "But, first, get your face here," she huffed and crawled to the edge of the bed before pulling him back to her level. She kissed him for a few seconds and let him go with a grin. "Go y a dragon." Rakna smiled back. "I''ll be sure to do so," he said and opened the room''s window, where he knew a certain little guy was. "Hey, Pronos time for us to go." ? * * * ? "Aah six in the morning, I should''ve known," Lux grumbled as he stood on the surface of Antis'' water as if it was solid ground. The fallen angel was surrounded by nine more of his guildmates as they gazed in the distance where a dragon slept underwater. The ones present aside from Ensis were, aside from one, all members that Rakna had already met such as Gray, Lilia, Caer, Merlina, Tira, and the doctor who attended to him after his first use of the Titan skill, Vegas. Only one person was someone never seen by the therian before. With the pseudonym of Void, his name was Geisman Vanderein. Someone visibly in histe years, with short groomed gray hair, a beard, and an old gaze full of wisdom. Despite that, his body alone was enough to give him a youthful aura due to its lean shape. He wore a ck and white outfit, sporting a trench coat adorned with various ruby-like stones. There was arge and cruel-looking axe attached to his back. It was serrated, heavy, and pliable. "?irkk," he spoke up. "What kind of breed is this one?" "Hm, it''s a hybrid," Tira answered as he observed the World Boss through the depths. As one of the highest draconic species himself, he could naturally perceive a lesser dragon. "A mix of a Wyrm and a Lng, I believe," he added as the image of a long serpentine body with thick scales appeared in his eyes. "It''s a bit nasty, isn''t it?" Gray said, his metallic face projecting a grin. "It''s a World Boss, after all. It seems it also leveled up quite a bit since it wasst discovered. Level 620, huh? That''s a 100-level increase. He was probably a newborn when it was discovered." "Hm nheless weaker than Rakna," Caermented from beside his wife. "Agreed," Lux yawned a bit. "The test doesn''t change then." As they chatted, Ensis stood in midair with his eyes closed, waiting. Not even the arrival of thest two members of the Guild made him react. One of them was Tairen, the minotaur who had assisted to contain Rakna''s first Full Moon, and the other was a handsome young man with spiky red hair, wearing clothes of equally vibrant colors. His eyes were ck as coal in contrast with the rest and he sported silver earrings. "Fuck, I almost didn''t get the message," he said as soon as he arrived, wiping his sweat. With ''Blood'' as his alias in the guild chat, his name was Varq; an orphan with no surname. "Hahaha, me too!" Taiughed boisterously. "It would have been a shame to miss the newbie''s test after what I saw the other day. I want to fight him again! I think I can go at full power against him this time around." "So, when''s the guy supposed toe?" Varq asked with a scowl. "I swear to fucking god, if I could have slept more before getting here, I''ll hate you all." Gray chuckled. "He should be here soon. Unlike us, the boy actually has a sessful and bountiful love life somehow," he said with an exaggerated sigh. "He must be busying himself taking care of it in the morning." "oi, was that an indirect jab at me?" The blood user''s expression twitched. "You fucker, what are you saying about others, huh? You''re a three-meter-tall robotic clown! What kind of woman would ever be attracted to you?!" "I''ll have you know I had plenty of lovers," Gray said and twirled his cane. "Sometimes, adventure is all thedies ask. I make for quite a unique trip," he smirked. "Ugh, damn clown" Varq groaned. "Speaking of the wolf," Geisman suddenly said and looked in a certain direction. Everyone followed his gaze and widened their eyes in surprise when they sensed a disturbance in space. This feeling was something even some of them couldn''t create with speed alone. It only took a few seconds and in the blink of an eye, Rakna appeared amidst them as if he had always been there, his two pairs of wings unfurled in their entirety. He greeted everyone with a nod, exchanging nces with Ensis and smiling faintly at Lilia who quietly waved at him. "Good morning, I suppose," the therian eventually said after retracting his wings, weing the appraising gazes of everyone as they tried to gauge the full extent of his power. It was nothing too intrusive so he didn''t mind. "Hey," Varq was the first to respond, with a small but sincere wave of his hand. "I''m one of those you didn''t meet, right? I''m Blood; name''s Varq. People call me Crimson Scourge if that title means shit to you." Rakna smiled lightly. "Nice to meet you. I have to say, you look every bit the way you speak," he joked lightheartedly and the redhead snickered. "Heh, that ain''t the first time someone told me that," he replied with a shrug. "A pleasure to meet you as well," Geisman greeted the therian with a hand on his chest. "I am Void, and my name is Geisman Vanderein," he smiled. "Some call me the Hunter of Denial." "Well met, Geisman." The polite and calm demeanor was something Rakna immediately likened to the disarming words that Void usually sent. Though, he didn''t exactly expect him to be that old. "You should''ve met everyone by now, right?" Gray mused. "Um, wasn''t there supposed to be a twelfth member?" Rakna frowned and he noticed the way the cyborg blinked at my words before facepalming. "Ah right damn, that girl, I hope she could learn how to control that damn thing." "Yeah, even I keep forgetting," Varq grunted too, much to the therian''s confusion. Wordlessly, Merlina pointed to somewhere Rakna believed there was nobody. But when he turned to look at what she was pointing at, he instantly froze in shock. There stood a stunning woman with long and wavy hair that shone gold even in the diminished light of the morning dew. Her eyes were as enchanting as they were daunting. Her irises were crimson, but her pupils white as marble, making them stick out more than anything else. Her outfit was nothing short of regal in its details. Gold, white, blue, and red; all these colors meshed together in a way that made her both look like a grand queen and a general leading charge into battle. Rakna was not mesmerized by her, far from it. Truth be told, his emotions were closer to dread. In his mind, there was simply no way he could have missed her. Her appearance was radiant; the kind of person you would find in a crowd in a split second. Yet, he didn''t know she was there. No, to be exact he had unwittingly overlooked her existence. Haha. Meugh in headache. . Who cares. Anyway. For those who even remember me, I''m alive. . Had a rough period. I can find the strength to write finally. I''ll try to finish half a chapter a day now that I have time.AhraManyucreators'' thoughts Chapter 411: The Unnoticed Radiance Chapter 411: The Unnoticed Radiance "Svanya Xilios," the woman''s soft and cold tone echoed as she spoke to him. "My ''other name'' in this Guild is Silence. And if you prove capable of remembering it, hear my title; The Unseen." Rakna narrowed his eyes. There was something odd going on. ''An illusion? A perception filter? Mind control?'' He considered each one of them and decided to test something. Hemanded his Eye to carve the information into its core hardware and then looked away from her. At that moment, the confusion on his face disappeared. It reverted to the exact expression he had before turning around. He was about to say something when he noticed Merlina''s arm lowered but stopped himself when a feeling of dj vu sprung into his mind. He checked the time in his Eye and realized that the memories of thest minute were missing. "what is going on?" He muttered with a frown. He tried to rewind the video continuously filming through his eyes but it had also been deleted. What survived was information he seemed to have personally inputted. A description, a name, an alias, and a title. Caer smiled at him. "You handled it on the first try. Incredible. I suppose that''s the advantage of a digitalputer interconnected to your mind. The rawest form of remembrance, writing, survives her ability but no image or audio of her can ever exist, whether that be recordings or drawings." "" Rakna furrowed his eyebrows. "Despite writing down discoveries and hearing it from others, cognition of her still fades over time either away if you don''t remind yourself enough," the pink-haired man added. "We all know about her, but if we don''t ''talk'' about her for too long, we still forget. As for interacting with her directly, we obviously forget everything about it the moment we look away." "It''s a shame," Lux said with a sigh. "Apparently, she''s a heck of a beauty, but we cannot remember her appearance. Writing her description down isn''t enough." "so, you have some type of spirit-type Skulking Angel in this Guild?" Rakna asked. "Hm, well, sounds about right," Gray nodded. "Isn''t that a pain for teamwork?" "Not really," Lux shrugged. "It''s a one-way street in the end. We just have to give directives without looking at her. And if she needs tomunicate, she can send messages back. She hates it though." "Why?" "because we forget to reply," the fallen angel said whilst scratching his cheek. He was pretty sure that Svanya was currently ring at him. "Writing that originates from her is different. The second we finish reading a sentence, we forget it. So, she has to keep it short. And then after that, we also have to be fast at reacting to it. Otherwise, well, we forget her message altogether." "It''s quite a predicament, I''ll admit," Geismanmented helplessly. "Even the leader has a hard time keeping her in mind. Compared to us, he''s capable of remembering for several minutes after looking away but it still fades eventually." Ensis grunted to catch everyone''s attention. "I believe we have strayed off topic," he said with a gruff tone. "Are you ready to start the test?" Rakna blinked and slowly nodded. "Yes, but give me a second," he said and turned around once again. He faced Svanya who raised an eyebrow at him. "Don''t mind me," he said with a smile. "I''m simply curious," he said and his eyes were split by a pair of golden crosses. Promptly, the blonde woman stiffened. She felt something pry into her very existence. It wasn''t the kind she was used to when someone tried to peek into her status. This was something else. "Uh you exist twice," Rakna uttered with a fascinated tone and the rest of the Guild looked at him curiously. "With every instant that passes, you alternate between two states of existence. It''s hard to exin, but basically, you''re ying hide and seek with yourself." "pardon?" The regal woman eximed with a confused grimace. "In one instant, a version of you that ''exists'' gets caught and reced by another," he mused. "With these eyes of mine, I learned that everyone has a ''root'' that goes beyond time and space. It''s tied to someone''s ''existentiality''. If it disappears, you get erased from History; never born." "And you''re doing that practically every nanosecond," Rakna tilted his head. "You''re resetting your life at every living moment, but as the eye of the storm, you grow and live like anyone else even though the perception of others is warped." "can you do something about it?" Svanya asked with a subdued hint of hope in her voice. "Unfortunately, I cannot do anything to the problem itself." "I see" Her voice reverted to neutral coldness. "But that doesn''t mean I can''t use a quick fix on myself," the therian said casually, almost missing the way she trembled. "Let''s see how about this?" He smiled and purple mes slithered up his limbs. He enveloped himself in soul power while he maintained Crystal Sight. From what he understood, someone''s ''Root of Existence'' was invible. It is something he could affirm to be truly indestructible, since it is natural ''proof'' of a living being''s birth; something that remains even after death. The only way it can be influenced is through oneself or by intentionally making it vulnerable. Rakna could feel that ''Root'' somewhere under the Soul Stele. It was there; he knew it. But he had no way to do anything about it. His idea was simple; use Crystal Sight to duplicate both versions of Svanya''s existence and carve them into his soul power with transmutation. Then bring that recreation down to his Soul Chasm and then connect it to his Soul Stele. It would be better to directly carve it into thetter, but that was suicidal, even for him. Even Arimane would never consider altering his Soul Stele so lightly. In the end, what that would do is create a shared ''cognition of existence''. In other words, no matter how many times Svanya reset herself, it wouldn''t reset the proxy he had created by tying it to his own existentiality, fueling it in a way. Rakna winced as he forced the transmuted soul power to go down his Soul Sea, reach the bottom, and advance through theyer beneath. On the outside, it only looked as if his mes were being swallowed through his mouth. When he reached the Chasm, he promptly sealed his soul power and imnted half of it into the boundary of the Soul Stele''syer. Once he was done, he let go of his soul power and wobbled back to reality. "Ow" He rubbed his temples as Crystal Sight flickered away. "That stung." "You" Svanya was staring at him wide-eyed. "What did you just do?" "Copied your existence," Rakna grunted and then turned his back to her. She immediately held her breath until he spoke the next words. "Hm, it could be worse. I can still remember our interactions but it requires a bit of focus. That''s the side effect of only getting it near the Stele" "Holy shit" Varq muttered as he caught up with what was happening. "Did he just?" "Mhm, he did," Gray nodded sagely as if this waspletely normal. "Rule number one of dealing with the newbie; if he does something nonsensical, don''t worry, it''s normal." "What kind of fucking advice is that?" "Interesting," Vegas raised his voice. "I understand what you did to some extent, but aside from the kind of skill set it would require, isn''t it incredibly dangerous?" Rakna shrugged. "Maybe. For me? Not as much." "Wait a minute," Lux interjected, alternating his gaze between Svanya and Rakna. "What the hell is going on? When I look away from her, I don''t forget as long as I have you in my sight. How?" "As I said, I ''copied'' her," the therian reiterated. "Essentially I''m sharing her burden. Consider me an extension. If you keep your eyes on me, you will be able to remember her the same as if you were looking at her directly. Though, ultimately, it ends the same if you look away." "Why" Svanya''s voice sounded and he nced at her; she had aplex expression. "Why would you go so far to remember me? Is it even worth it to meddle with your own soul for a stranger?" "I would hate it in your ce," Rakna answered bluntly and she widened her eyes. "Not being able to have a normal rtionship with any living creature? That sounds like a hell I wouldn''t wish on anyone. Call it vanity, if you want. I refuse to be part of someone else''s misery if I can help it." "hah," the golden-haired woman let out augh. The guildmates who had been paying attention to her opened their mouths wide. Somehow they knew this was probably the first time they had ever gotten something close to a smile from her. Her expression melted in some kind of courteous joy, controlled, and not hysteric enough to erase the natural aloofness she exuded like royalty. "I like you, boy," she dered. "This is surely the first time in my life I am grateful for something the clown did; to have recruited you." "Hey, I resent that. I do plenty of things deserving gratitude," Gray retorted. "Who was the one who coded a program to check on you once in a while?" "Which you forgot about," she deadpanned. "which I forgot about oh," he whispered to himself. "I forgot I had forgotten, hahaha!" Varq rolled his eyes. "You really are a stupid" He blinked, losing his words. He had inadvertently lost sight of the two. "What were we talking about again?" He asked aloud and those who had kept their eyes off Svanya in order to remember the conversation through context alone sighed. At the same time, Rakna noticed the way Svanya''s lips twitched downward. "See? That hurts, doesn''t it?" The therian asked and she smiled sadly. "It does indeed" Ensis opened one eye to look at the two who now shared a ''cognizance'', his thoughts unknown to anyone. "are you done?" He asked out loud and Rakna looked back at him. "Yes. We can start anytime." "Good," the old warrior eyed Lilia, who had just a moment ago been awfully invested in whatever words were being exchanged between Rakna and Svanya. "Lilia." The purple-haired girl was jolted back to her senses and she quietly waited for the instruction that was toe. "You know what to do," Ensis said. "Drag that World Boss out of there." She nodded quietly and flew off, her outfit shining white before it was reced by an ornate mage robe resembling some kind of ceremonial garb,plemented by a blue fur mantle. A tall wooden staff with intricate carvings also appeared in her free right. Rakna watched her head toward the dragon, plunging into the water and creating a circr wave strong enough to reach them. "Wasn''t I supposed to fight that thing?" He inquired. "Don''t worry, you will," Ensis said tly. "But there will be rules." "Rules?" Before Rakna could get an exnation, Lilia re-emerged from where she had dived, her clothes mysteriously as dry as how she went in. Trailing her, bubbles began to rise and the ocean''s surface bloated upward, signaling the arrival of a massive creature. When the uprise of water burst open, arge dragon with a lengthy body reminiscent of an oriental dragon took to the skies with a roar. Its body was dark blue and red. It had manyyers of scales and protrusions that could easily pass off as limbs at first sight. Those were the features of wyrms who usually lived underground and inside magma, forging their own scales as they grew older. The weight usually made it impossible for wyrms to fly, but they made up for it with a defense that couldn''t be prated by both magic and physical attacks. However, this dragon not onlycked a concept of weight limit but also was a Lng capable of high-tier magic. "{Undoubtedly a World Boss,}" Fraymented. "{Though what is she doing?}" Rakna squinted, observing Lilia who stood atop the dragon''s head, her staff sending an azure light into the creature''s skull. With a quick use of Crystal Sight, he rapidly understood what was going on and didn''t know whether to be impressed or confused. "Lilia is arguably our Guild''s greatest asset," Caer abruptly said from next to him. "She has a Unique Path called ''Mother of War''. She possesses buffing skills capable of increasing the averagebat level of an army by at least a hundred levels without breaking a sweat." "And if she focuses on specific targets, and uses her skills to their utmost potential, she can boost a target at least three times more than that." He looked up at his daughter and smiled. "I couldn''t be prouder of her. But most importantly, her Sub-Path is called ''Mother of Nature''." Rakna''s eye twitched when he heard the conspicuouslypatible names. "Her Sub-Path''s skillset is divided into two simple halves; one grants power from nature, while the other has a synergy with her Main Path that makes her the Top Tamer in the entire System." "Here''s your test, boy," Ensis spoke up as Rakna came to terms with the fact that a World Boss had been tamed by Lilia in the span of a minute. "You will kill that dragon while Lilia does everything in her power to empower it and make it survive." "The rules are as follows; you are forbidden to target or harm Lilia, no matter if she jumps in front of your weapon as you swing or is just in your attack''s area of effect; you are forbidden from using your Soul Marble or Manifestation; and finally, consider us a ''prop'' to protect." "What?" Rakna scowled at the elder. "What do you mean?" Lux waved at everyone with a smile. "Exactly as it sounds. A fictional scenario where you have to protect us. Lilia will lead the dragon to attack us. If even one single attack, no matter how weak it is, manages to reach us, you will have failed. Ah, but of course, we won''t just stay here." "really?" "Yep. We will split up in different directions. So, you will have to protect each one of us, separately and maybe concurrently," the fallen angel smirked as if he hadn''t just stated the most unfair thing imaginable. "" The therian gawked at them. "You can''t be serious if Lilia''s buffs are as powerful as you make them out to be, that''s essentially impossible." "Well, that''s not my problem," Lux chuckled. "Comin to the leader." "The test will start in ten seconds," Ensis announced without care. "" Rakna was genuinely speechless. His expression twitched violently as he grabbed his scarf and ordered it to change forms. At the same time, Pronos jumped out with a small hiss andnded on his shoulder, catching the eyes of everyone. "Fine I''ll y your game," Rakna growled and whirled the Guandao in his hand. "You better give me a good reward afterward. Because joining your Guild alone isn''t worth this shit." Ensis allowed a taunting smile to appear on his face. "Convince me." Chapter 412: Mother of War Chapter 412: Mother of War "Pronos," Rakna called and the little Hydra cried out cutely before jumping off his shoulder. And as he fell toward the water, his body expanded rapidly and his hisses turned into deep growls due to the size of his vocal cords alone. The Throne of Glory members only saw his full form for a brief moment, taking a glimpse of his pupils in the shape of a lemniscate, before hepletely dived into the ocean. To their surprise, they immediately lost track of him; therge beast camouging itself perfectly. "How about we start whenever the first attack is made?" Rakna suggested as he quietly ascended, his wings releasing a silver mist. His eyes were fixed on the dragon and Lilia standing atop its head. Ensis nced at where Pronos went off to and grunted. "Let''s do so," he dered. "Scatter." At hismand, every guild member except the leader himself vanished and then reappeared in different ces. They had all chosen a different direction and that included skyward. Additionally, the distance between them was as big as they could systematically arrange themselves. "I see, you''re not going to make this any easier for me," Rakna snorted and promptly transformed into a werewolf, the size of his weapon increasing alongside him. His eyes became golden purple as he activated Crystal Sight. He took a peek into Lilia''s status and snickered. There wasn''t even a point in strategizing about it. ''Three Nirvana Skills capable of instantly buffing a target in a different way each.'' He couldn''t find a workaround. ''Not to mention her Magic and Path Considering the old guy''s rules, she should only be allowed to support andmand the Boss, not attack me directly. I can ignore certain skills she''ll probably use her debuffs, huh?'' "For now let''s do this," he narrowed his eyes. "[Wolfen Lord,]" he uttered and a pack of thirty Obsidian Star wolves with six tails appeared around him. Without verbally receiving the order, they immediately spread out to protect each of the guild members in pairs of two. "Decent idea," Graymented with a smile as he eyed the ebony summons standing guard. They were quite big up close; almost as tall as himself. "[Ghost of Rupture,]" Rakna followed up and his body momentarily blurred from view, signaling the activation of his Internal Art. "And [Voyaging Star,]" he intoned and apletely new skill was unveiled. Everyone blinked in surprise when they felt a surge of star energy. The werewolf''s entire body turned aze with purple mes and if one looked closely, they would also notice that his flesh was undting as if not truly physical. This was a Max Excelled Skill Rakna had synthesized just the day before. He had used no less than fiveponents to create it, but the most interesting part of this synthesis was that it had actually required him to use a Skill Point to finalize. ? ? ? ? ? Voyaging Star ? A transcendental skill born from thebination of Flight, Grand Reinforcement, Star re, Stealth, and Artzpul, and stabilized through the intervention of the System. This skill embodies the legend of the Voyaging Star; a myth recounting the existence of a wandering star traveling the cosmos unseen and undetected. It could not be stopped, could not be followed, could not be detected, and could not die. Only a handful of lucky ones were ever able to ever witness this ''True Shooting Star''. It could elerate beyond the limits of space and fly wherever it wished to go. And despite its great power, it seldom was noticed due to its furtiveness and sheer speed. Those that tried to stop the Voyaging Star would find themselves swallowed, their material existence broken down, or destroyed by the res erupting on its surface. When triggering this skill, the user''s body will transform into the Voyaging Star itself, bing partially intangible and having all Statistics increased by up to 50%. All iing damage will be reduced by 1 to 100% depending on how severe it is. Making contact with any physical matter will allow the user to convert it into star energy. All forms of spatial or temporal bindings will be ignored, and all forms of scrying spells or sensing skills attempting to find the user''s location will fail. The user will be impervious to wounds for as long as the skill is active unless the opponent possesses the ability to bypass its healing or have a much greater life force level. In this state, the Sub-Skills ''Comet'' and ''re'' can be used. The former will grant the user a burst of speed in the form of a step and increase their base attack statistic by 25% for a second afterward. Thetter grants the ability tounch devastating res of star energy capable of mass destruction. ? Transformation Cost: None. Sustain Cost: Variable Mana & Stamina. Comet Cost: 10 MP per Meter. Cooldown: None. re Cost: 500 MP per re. Cooldown: None. ? Note: Mana will be consumed to heal damage or convert physical matter into raw energy. The Voyaging Star skill will automatically be disengaged when the user runs out of mana or stamina. ? ? ? ? ? It was the greatest elemental reinforcement and movement technique packed into one skill. With this and his Luqu Wings, Rakna believed that there was almost nothing in the System capable of outrunning him. "Ready?" The werewolf raised his voice with a small grin, looking at both Lilia and the tamed World Boss. The quiet girl quietly lifted her staff and readied herself, a mauve and white light enveloping her and the dragon below. "draggy," she whispered and the half-wyrm roared loudly, agitating the waters enough to create a small tide. The obsidian wolves shielded their ''props'' with aura and Rakna snorted. Sonata''s de began to thrum audibly and the werewolf exhaled a cloud of stardust. His soul fire flickered over his fur and he opened his mouth, "[Comet.]" In the blink of an eye, his figure was eclipsed by a four-pointed star and disappeared. A trail of star energy in the form of dust was left behind and at a speed infinitely close to teleportation, Rakna found himself on the right of the dragon''s body. Both Lilia and the World Boss immediately reacted to his movement but he also didn''t waste time at pointing his Guandao forward. Light and dark crucifixes shed into existence around the shaft of the weapon and began spinning. "[Road of The Martyr.]" The second perk of Longinus rumbled like a cannon. A mix of opposite-natured forces fused into one indiscriminate energy that shot out, seeking to obliterate whatever it found in its path. Rakna had made sure to aim at the body of the dragon, keeping Lilia out of sight as per the rules. Though he had never expected much from it. "[Grace of The Immortal Monk,]" Lilia''s voice echoed in what was probably the most structured way he had ever heard her speak. A golden emblem shed above the World Boss, granting it the same type of glow at the same time. When the ck and white wave of energy hit the dragon''s body, it almost bounced off, dispersing into countless smaller beams. But the World Boss didn''t take it lightly. The creature seemed to be a type of Wilden possessing far more ferocity than intelligence. The moment it felt the attack strike, it roared and unleashed a dark red and blue aura. Some of the protruding scales on its body began to move, coalescing into a pair of wing-like giant arms. Promptly, a colossal sword made of magma materialized in one of those hands and Rakna''s eyes widened before he had to use Comet again to dodge a swing of it. The strange scales of the dragon wielded the weapon like a real limb and caused the ocean to split. For a second, it was as if a crevasse had opened in the water, gushing steam due to the magma''s heat wave. Varq whistled in appreciation, being the closest from it and luckily not affecting him, or else one of the elemental wolves would have been forced to sacrifice itself to counter it. "That''s a decent World Boss," Lux remarked from a distance as a second weapon appeared in the dragon''s other ''hand''; this time, a gigantic ax made out of some kind of blue stone. Rakna heard thement and grunted as he pped his wings to fly upward. This wyrm''s ability to use scales as limbs and summon weapons was in fact abination of two Nirvana Skills. ''Two Nirvanas I suppose it''s adequate for a high-level World Boss,'' he thought. ''But the problem is not the skills themselves but the potential it has with--'' "[Grace of The Weapon Master,]" Lilia chanted and the werewolf smiled wryly. A magic symbol appeared at the tip of her staff, a gray-colored one different from the previous golden, and imbued the dragon with its power. Immediately, Rakna sensed Spiritual Intent erupting from the giant weapons. The proficiencies of the Wilden had just been forcefully enhanced by a spell. ''Heavenly Grace a magic capable of granting the ''Blessings of Great Ones''. What the hell is that even supposed to be?'' He groaned. ''Immortal Monk, Weapon Master each an archetype of a great lifetime achievement. And she can give that to anyone at will...'' Lilia''s mana surged through her staff again and he stiffened. Her hair began to rise as if lifted by the wind and for a moment, her whole being exuded a presence much greater than the World Boss she controlled. "Shit is she already casting that?" Rakna cursed to himself. He couldn''t attack her directly so he had no way to disrupt her. Her ''little pet'' would protect her anyway and if he tried to use a stronger attack, chances are it would count as her being in the crossfire. "How unfair can these rules be" Lilia looked into the werewolf''s eyes after channeling her mana and smiled as if teasing him. "[War God Descent C One Against All,]" she intoned and the sky was torn by a pir of light. Her Nirvana Skill was invoked and the World Boss roared as power was infused into its body. Rakna kept an eye on the dragon''s status and grumbled when he saw its attributes double. "Draggy," Lilia spoke up and the World Boss promptly crossed its weapons, evidently preparing to swing both. Intent and draconic energy whirled around the giant weapons, sealing the very atmosphere with their pressure. The werewolf clicked his tongue and used Eye of Symphony to continuously disy a detailed map of his surroundings, marking each of the guild members at all times rtive to his position. He was sure the dragon''s next move would reach them all, after all. He had the option of summoning his Tail Clones or even constetion entities to protect them in his stead. But, in the end, only ''Ranka'' would give him peace of mind since he could trust her to do the job properly. The only worry she could bring was if she got too annoyed by the test and decided to attack Lilia. ''I can always summon themter. Lilia could have been far more aggressive already in attacking the others if she wanted to. She probably won''t be too heavy-handed from the start,'' Rakna huffed. ''Let''s go with this for now'' He thought and sped his hands. Three crowns of runes formed around his fingers and he wordlessly summoned his Valkals. The reverse tails directly began to write runes near the guild members at the speed of his thoughts. This was the trick he had used against Zasha back in teau Zero. He had drawn the magic circle meant to conjure the ck hole on top of him from inside the Reverse World; unnoticed. "" Ensis, however, opened one eye as he seemingly sensed the disturbances around him. And barely a secondter after the dragon had begun charging its weapons, they were swung at full strength. The trail they left behind, red and blue, merged into one and then swiftly turned into a giant tornado. And the twin sh traveled much further; their crossing point perfectly aimed at Rakna while its edges loomed over Tairen and Merlina. "[Great Rune,]" Rakna growled and around each of the guild members, incrediblyplex runes made themselves known. They wrapped around their charges like a shield and shone a deep shade of purple; powered by his Intelligence attribute boosted to a thousand. "[Denial.]" The werewolf unsped his hands at the same time and used his wings'' Time Leap to dodge the cross sh. The attack cracked the barriers erected around Tairen and Merlina, and carved loudly into the water, sounding almost like a meteor. However, there was still a tornado of energy that quickly expanded and swallowed nearly all of the guild members. But the rune shields were enough to repel any harm for as long as he provided the mana for it. "Little guy!" Rakna yelled, and on cue, arge Ouroboros magic circle formed above the surface of the water. Its effect was immediate; the storm generated by the World Boss slowed down to a halt and helplessly faded. The werewolf then immediately used Comet, his silhouette eclipsing as he found himself above Lilia and the dragon. The former looked up as soon as he did so and waved her staff at him, a white and silvery light shing at the tip. ? ? ? ? ? The Debuff, Weight of War, has been cast on you! The Debuff, Nature''s Rejection, has been cast on you! The Debuff, Mother''s Grief, has been cast on you! --- Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim is resisting the Debuffs! Authority of The Law-Breaker is resisting the Debuffs! Battle Continuation has been nullified! --- Debuffs cannot be fully resisted due to Level disparity. Effects have been weakened by 75%. --- Statistics will fall by 10% for the next three minutes, your mana and stamina consumption will increase by 25% for the next five minutes, your skills have a small chance to fail or go into cooldown for twice as long, and all forms of regeneration will be stunted. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna gasped when he felt the sudden ''shackles'' put on him. ''Three in an instant!? And even with a 75% reduction, it''s still that powerful?!'' On the other hand, Lilia received the results of her skills and widened her eyes, not expecting her debuffs, even basic ones, to be resisted that much. Following her intervention, the World Boss whipped its tail at the werewolf, who barely managed to trigger a Comet backward. The giant magma sword was then swung at him. "[de of Rupture,]" Rakna struck back, optimizing his attributes toward strength. Sonata grew in size as well and when the des shed, it was an uncannily equal match. The shockwave alone caused even more damage to his runic barriers. The dragon roared and the magma sword began to heat up dangerously. Droplets ofva ran down its length and its hilt started glowing. The werewolf shuddered and hurriedly twisted his grip, allowing his Guandao to slide against the t side of the giant weapon before he dashed away, in time to avoid the explosion of magma that followed. It was as if a volcano had suddenly awakened. "{Self-destruct,}" Rakna quickly ordered through telepathy and one of each pair of wolves he had summoned earlier jumped out of the rune shield and exploded into clouds of Obsidian Star energy, their transmuting naturepletely nullifying both the shockwave and heat. The World Boss didn''t stop there. With its sword gone, it twisted its body around with speed that didn''t match its stature and swung the ax instead. Rakna''s instinct red up as he saw the approaching weapon but he couldn''t dodge it since Vegas was right on its course. With a groan, he conjured a gauntlet of obsidian and teleported to the side of the weapon. "[Fist of Rupture,]" he intoned and punched it. The hit shattered dimensions open and condensed all of his energies into blunt power. The ax''s de cracked and veered off toward a different angle, upturning the ocean once again with the momentum behind it. "Fuck, what is that thing made of?" The werewolf flew back as his broken arm healed. The rebound of forces hadpletely shattered his gauntlet and the star energy constituting his limb. "{Aqerite,}" Fray mused. "{A naturally formed mineral found in the depths of the ocean. It absorbs water, and the more it takes in, the tougher and heavier it bes.}" ''His second magic element, huh?'' Rakna added as he remembered the name of the magic stated on the dragon''s status. ''Still, this is annoying I''ve never felt more suffocated in a fight. Being mindful of multiple liabilities and unable to use attacks with wide ranges my choices are limited.'' "Ready?" Lilia''s soft voice resounded and the werewolf raised an eyebrow. "ready for what?" She smiled thinly. "Fight." A few of her guild members snickered at that and Rakna chuckled. "Is that your way of saying that it hasn''t even started?" He shook his head in amusement. "Don''t worry I''m never unready." At his words, nine pairs of slitted green eyes stealthy opened below the water. Chapter 413: Resonance I Chapter 413: Resonance I Lilia could boast about her awareness and judgment on the battlefield. It was a necessary aptitude to possess when directing war and granting its participants the correct buffs at the right time. That''s why, she was certain something was about to happen when she saw Rakna''s smile. On instinct, she looked down from where she stood on top of Draggy''s head and immediately spotted the emerald eyes of the Hydra. Unfortunately, it was toote. In the next instant, countless stone ''spears'' shot out from under water. Their number was such that she couldn''t even imagine being able to count them. Not to mention, all of them were wrapped in the effect of an unknown magic; making them incredibly fast. Before she knew it, hundreds of those spears actually pierced into her tamed beast''s tough scales and caused it to roar in pain and anger. The dragon''s eyes turned downward in fury and, without her input, was about to summon a new magma sword. But before long, something else happened. The Wilden''s movements slowed to a halt and Lilia immediately noticed why. Each wound caused by the spears was spreading stone itself, petrifying the flesh around it and applying something she was very much attuned to; a speed debuff. "Let''s start properly then," Rakna spoke up with a grin and Pronos promptly emerged, lunging at the World Boss with great momentum. Lilia furrowed her eyebrows, tapping the head of her tamed beast with her staff. "[Cleanse,]" she intoned an almost boringly simple keyword, but the effect was nothing such. In the blink of an eye, the dragon was freed from the petrification. The World Boss snarled andpleted the invocation of a new magma sword, while also ejecting the spears out of its body. The sword was swung at Pronos and the Hydra riposted by making one of his own; solid poison turned into a weapon. He held the equally giant weapon in between his fangs and shed with his opponent. At the moment of collision, Pronos'' eyes shed and his Infinity Magic nullified the momentum between the two of them. Without a second wasted, he took advantage of the opening and slipped past the dragon''s defense. He conjured eight other swords, wielded by each of his heads, and stabbed them into the half-Wyrm''s body. The dragon cried out in pain and retreated using its superior flight ability. Lilia narrowed her eyes at the swords injecting their element into her tamed beast. She whirled her staff, standing straight despite the sudden movements, and cast another spell. "[Grace of The Toximancer,]" she chanted calmly and halted the advance of Pronos'' poison in the blink of an eye. She could have just as easily cleansed the poison, but preventing future toxins as a whole was a much more prudent alternative. "Would you look at that?" Gray chuckled as he watched from a distance. "So, that''s what the little snake was doing down there," he said as countless statues slowly surfaced one after another. They had humanoid shapes, but the head and lower body of a snake. All of them wore armor like warriors and held bows taller than themselves. The water turned to stone at the tiniest of contacts with them and their eyes glowed an eerie green. The truth was that Pronos had received one very specific gift from Arimane. His petrification had gone from being solely a Nirvana Skill to abination with an Ultimate Skill. Now, not only himself, but anything touched by his mana itself, and thus his magic, would also be petrified. And to top it off, whether it be the summoned statues or himself, anyone who stared too long would also start to turn to stone. "How frightening," Tira smiled as the sea was quickly swarmed by an army of serpent warriors. Now he knew where those thousands of ''spears'' hade from. Those bows were just big enough to make their arrows look like spears, especially due to their material. Incidentally, soon after they came out, the statues collectively tore out a chunk of the water they had petrified themselves and shaped them into arrows with mana. They nocked it onto their bows and pulled, crisp sounds apanying it due to the strings being stone. Soon enough, they shot again but not before their eyes shed with an infinity sign synchronized with Pronos'' own. The arrows rocketed toward their target at speeds far above the speed of sound. "[Protection From Arrows,]" Lilia spoke coldly and her skill activated instantly. About two-thirds of the spear-like arrows somehow deviated from their path, missing their target. But the rest had enough power behind them to ovee her ability and pierce into the World Boss. She clicked her tongue whilst casting Cleanse again. She hadn''t learned any skill or spell capable of preventing petrification permanently. At least, not without resorting to high-tier measures. She also quickly realized that the Hydra''s magic was tricky. Not only did it elerate and increase the power of projectiles, but it also elerated the spread of petrification. "Getting annoyed?" Rakna''s chuckle echoed from a distance and she looked at the source. Atop the middle head of Pronos, he sat half-crouched like a prowling wolf with Sonata shouldered. "I can''t target you and I have to protect several positions; even from myself. It''s a creative way of limiting my options. But, in the end, if I harass your little pet enough I''ll get a chance eventually." "" Lilia''s stoic expression didn''t change much. But, after a few seconds, the corner of her lips rose slightly in an enchanting smile. "No chance," she said almost softly and a colossal amount of mana poured out of her body. The sheer density of it made it manifest physically. Rakna smiled wryly, not surprised in the slightest. ''I provoked her into using it quite fast...'' There was one Ultimate Skill she possessed that he had immediatelybeled as dangerous. It had a high cost and could only be used on ''bound'' or ''tamed'' creatures. "[Unspoiled Rebirth C Yin,]" Lilia chanted and her mana flowed into the dragon. It painted itself ck and white and then separated into two. The half-Wyrm roared as the darker half fused with its soul and was then expelled through its mouth. Over the next few seconds, the cloud of conceptual force shaped itself into an identical dragon with inverted colors. Its scales were white instead of ck, and its dark blue and red features were all swapped. A quick check confirmed what Rakna already knew; the two creatures had the same strength. They were both the same being, not clones, and yet as strong as one another. The Yin''s Unspoiled Rebirth was a process involving the extraction of a conceptual existence; an untapped possibility, a forsaken parallel life, or a contradictory nature. Both dragons were one and the same, not sharing power, but wielding the same source. The newly summoned dragon promptly manipted its scales and summoned weapons simr to its counterpart. The difference was that the ax had be one made of ice, and the sword was now made of Aqerite stone. Subjected to the res of both draconic beasts, Rakna grinned lightly, and Pronos responded with the same amount of aggressiveness. "Look at you; reminds me of myself," the werewolf chuckled as he saw the opposition of magma and ice. Lilia silently waved her staff at her second dragon and reapplied the Nirvana Skill she had used on her first one earlier, doubling its attributes as well. Rakna clicked his tongue. "That''s broken. For that skill not to have a cost or cooldown, but a target cap is just crazy," he grumbled and she smiled again. "Chance?" She asked sinctly and the werewolf snickered. "Yes, yes" He shook his head. "Very impressive. But it''s still not enough," he narrowed his eyes and everyone from Throne of Glory shivered, sensing an impending force. It was raw, pure, and all too powerful. Rakna grew a seventh tail in an instant and he set free the power contained inside. In the blink of an eye, his strength had more than doubled and Lilia''s expression became a bit more serious. This was something she had no knowledge of; an ability Rakna learned after his fight with his uncle. "You should know by now, right?" The werewolf suddenly spoke up with a grin. "?" "I can reassign my attributes at will," he said and contracted his muscles. "In my current state the unrestrained, highest value I can have, is probably around 4000." Lilia genuinely shuddered at the figure. She herself didn''t have a single attribute above a thousand and while she was confident in being able to raise her highest value above 4000 with her buffs, it was slightly terrifying to hear Rakna could do it. For two reasons; he was still below level 300, and he had been forbidden from using a much stronger transformation "And as you guessed, with the Full Moon, I could crank that up to 12000," Rakna added as if it was a casual statement. "Well a punch of that level would annihte my body, but it still counts." The tamer squinted her eyes with a hint of a pout on her lips. "Bragging?" The werewolf grinned. "Me? Never," he said and snapped his fingers, revealing a constetion hovering behind him. "I was just buying time to draw this," he snorted. "[Aquarius.]" At his call, the full constetion, drawn to its utmost detail, rippled and swirled into the shape of a young man carrying an amphora in his arms. Unlike his first summon at Rakna''s hands, his form wasplete this time, and his appearance was the perfect description of fair and handsome. His blue hair, reaching his shoulders, and his bright turquoise eyes gave him that much more charm. "It''s been a while, Ganymede," Rakna greeted. "But for now, do what you do best. This is your home turf. You are in charge of protecting everyone here who still has the remnants of my rune magic on them, got it? You can use as much mana as you want." "Understood, Lord Monarch," the constetion entity bowed respectfully and transformed briefly into a stream of water,nding on the surface of the ocean with a small smile. He promptly twirled the container he held and on cue, the water of Antis stirred to hismand. In a ce like this, Aquarius reigned supreme. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of tons of water wereced with magic power. Pirs were raised and cyclones formed protectively around each of the guild members without even touching their clothes. "This water" Merlina inspected her new ''protection''. "It feels as if it was the product of a high-tier spell despite having been sourced naturally" "Hey, hey, isn''t this a bit too scary?" Varq ran a hand through his hair. He raised an eyebrow at the back of Ganymede through the curtain of water. "That guy over there Am I tripping or is he close to an Earthen God''s level of power?" "4000 Attribute Points," Tira chuckled in response. "If he concentrated it all on Intelligence while casting, obviously the result would be much more potent. And he doesn''t even need to maintain that distribution once the summoning is over" "That''s unfair as fuck!" "Hahahaha! Looks like we''re pretty much out of the test now," Tairenughed. "Hm, I wouldn''t say that yet," Geisman retorted calmly. "If Lilia starts focusing on us for good" As the guild discussed the oue of the battle, they were interrupted by Rakna firing a Cataract at the inverted dragon. Thetter riposted by cleaving the spell in two, letting the halves explode behind it in a spectacle of obsidian shards. At the same time, Pronos fired an Eion Fission Stone, using his magic to turn it into aser instead of a downright nuclear st, which the World Boss was forced to parry with his ax. Of course, both of those actions were followed by a volley of petrification arrows. Lilia frowned at that, casting a newyer of Projectile Protection and preparing a new Cleanse as well. At this stage, they were pretty much in a stalemate until either side decided to be more aggressive. "Draggy 1, Draggy 2," she uttered, making everyone who heard her smile wryly. Regardless, at her beckoning, both dragons immediately grouped and she began floating upward. She let go of her staff and let it hover behind her on its own. She spread her arms, each palm facing one of her tamed beasts. "[? Master of Nobles, Ancient One From Yonder, Bless Thy Kin,]" she chanted and golden auras shrouded both Bosses. "[Grace of The Dragon Lord.]" A surge of power exploded from the two creatures and they promptly opened their mouths whilst pointing their swords forward as well. Energy began to gather inside their maws and at the tip of their des. ''Their Breaths,'' Rakna groaned and raised his hand, his palm ready to fire a full-power Sltta Raja with his highest Intelligence possible, but abruptly stopped when Lilia advanced, cing herself in front of the dragons with a small smile. ''That little'' The werewolf''s expression twitched. ''This would count as me attacking her. Isn''t that a bit too shameless?'' He lowered his arm and smiled helplessly. "Well then little guy," he nced downward and one of Pronos'' heads looked back. The werewolf grinned. "Ready?" The Hydra cried out loudly and both of them red their respective auras. Then, as they got closer to each other, said auras began to encroach into each other, homogenizing their colors into one. All of the people present realized what it was. Lilia''s eyes widened and waved her hand, prompting the dragons to roar. The two Dragon Breaths made the teau quake as they were fired and merged into one. This was an attack Rakna wouldn''t be able to endure unscathed even if he put every point into Endurance. However, even as it approached, he smirked fearlessly and spoke only one word. "[Resonance.]" A ck aura outlined by purple, and a green one outlined by gold, immediately fused. The bodies and silhouettes that they originated from broke down into a swirl of energy. Ganymede calmly raised a giant circr wall of water, delineating the area where the Breaths were about to hit, and not even a second after he did that, they struck. For a short moment, every sound became muffled. Then in the next, a burst of ice and magma exploded in opposite directions, andstly, the very atmosphere shook as an explosion blew up the walls of water. Hundreds of the archer statues turned into rubble from the shockwave alone, and Ganymede flew back as his fortifications were breached. But he created a tidal wave instead,unching it toward the epicenter of the st to buffer the rest of the st. Of course, he also strengthened the defensive cyclones around the Throne of Glory members and turned them into opaque bubbles capable of extreme shock absorption. Simrly, Lilia retreated atop the World Boss and watched the pir of draconic energy rise into the sky. She narrowed her eyes and as she suspected; a new color quickly emerged. An eerie ck adorned with wavy patterns of emerald and purple. It grew in size and swallowed the explosion before snuffing it out. ? ? ? ? ? Resonance with Contracted Soul Beast, Pronos, Initiated! Compatibility Level: 92%. Type: Error! Soul Resonance Full Resonance Error! Resonance Type Unknown! ? --- ? The Soul Beast''s Base Attributes will be added to the Host''s! Infinity Magic has been temporarily learned! Myriad Poison Magic has been temporarily learned! Statue Magic has been temporarily learned! Mystic Magic has been strengthened! Poison Immunity has been temporarily gained! Nine-Fold Kaleidoscope has been temporarily learned! Eion Fission st has been temporarily learned! Infinity of Stone has been temporarily learned! Superior Regeneration has been temporarily gained! ? ? ? ? ? A suffocating presence filled the air and a pair of slitted golden eyes opened, crossing with Crystal Sight and forming a six-pointed star. The shadows of sevenrge tails slithered behind the steam caused by the evaporation of the water. When the natural cover finally went down, a creature more than ten meters tall was unveiled. Its tails, incrediblyrgepared to the rest of its body, moved about on their own, each ending into the head of a hissing snake; the fur seemingly alive and with fangs tinted gold. The creature''s ws were scaled azure and purple, ending at the elbows and knees where it once again reverted to being pure fur. Over its torso and shoulders, golden lines formed a symmetrical pattern and joined into a single point above the heart. Its head remainedrgely lupine, with longer fangs, akin to a vampire, and a dark green highlight around the eyes. "Well, well" A voice, growly and breathy at the same time, echoed clearly. A grin split the serpent werewolf''s face, his fangs glinting ominously. "Up for Round 2?" Chapter 414: Resonance II Chapter 414: Resonance II "I''m starting to think the newbie is a bit too OP" Varq muttered as he looked up. The resonating pair of werewolf and hydra drifted in the air, the previously eagle-like wings streaked with emerald feathers and a scaled frame. "Well that''s a Resonance for you," Lux hummed. "All of us here have Manifestations which now that I think about it; how the hell does he have both a Soul Beast and a Manifestation?" "See?! OP!" "Boss," Tairen raised his voice inquisitively and Ensis opened an eye to look at him. "I know I ain''t the best at brain stuff, but doesn''t his Resonance feel weird?" He asked whilst scratching his head and Merlina silently nodded as if to agree. "Resonances with Soul Beasts are characterized by ovepping the frequencies of souls," the old warrior began to exin. "It is generally called Soul Resonance. The stage above is Full Resonance. What it does is ovep both the soul and physical bodies. In other words imagine a Hydra with nine wolf heads. That would be a Full Resonance for him." "And this is neither?" Ensis nodded. "Generally speaking, a Resonance builds upon a base. It enhances it. But this let''s say that it''s more symbiotic than anything else I''ve seen. As far as enhancements go, this version seems weaker than a normal one. A Resonance would usually double attributes. But in this case, it added them up together. But most importantly, their skills are synergizing." "I see," Gray remarked. "In short, Resonance is less extensive than this. If anything, it would make more sense if we took this as both of their statuses bing one. None of their skills and Nirvanas lost potency despite their respective fortes conflicting. Rather, they were elevated." At the same time as he said that, Rakna pointed Sonata forward and all his serpentine tails imitated him. They grew even bigger in size and opened their mouths. At the tip of the Soul Weapon, and in front of the seven tails, a granted orb of Star Energy came into existence and Lilia shuddered. ''United multicast?! And eight of them?!'' Even she couldn''t keep her calm in front of that. "Draggy 2," she called out grimly and the reverse World Boss promptly flew to the side, speeding in a circle out of Rakna''s field of view. Its target was clear; the guild members. "Where do you think you''re going?" Rakna grinned and three of his tails moved independently and turned toward the nking dragon. "[Kaki?scp C Sltta Natcattira Raja,]" he chanted and each of the orbs were fired. Instead of waves, they were concentrated into high-precision beams. Three went toward the reverse World Boss while five spun around each other whilst approaching the original version. Lilia silently waved her hand at her most distant tamed beast. Wordlessly, she applied a speed buff to it so it could escape the spells'' trajectory, and concurrently cast a spell on the dragon she was standing on. "[Grace of The Spell Breaker,]" she intoned and a new emblem shed into existence. The World Boss swung its magma sword at the iing beams and shed them apart. For an instant, it was as if five sword strikes had been delivered in an instant; implying the continuous presence of the ''Weapon Master''s Grace''. The Sltta Rajas crumbled but even Lilia''s magic couldn''tpletely undo the Obsidian Star. The core of the spells shattered but the energy detonated and scattered shrapnel. The World Boss quickly grew a third limb from its scales and shielded itself with it. At right about the same time, the reverse dragon was close to attacking Gray through the curtain of water. "Oh, please save me~" The clown called out in a sing-song voice. "Keep the disgusting shit inside your head," the scaled werewolf groaned and pointed his palm at them without looking. A golden and green magic circle with an infinity sign in the middle appeared at his behest and in a sh, the three beams that had been dodged earlier curved and elerated. Before the reverse World Boss even had the chance to swing its sword at Gray, it was interrupted by the spells striking its arm, neck, and underbelly. Three explosions,plemented by purple mes, engulfed the creature as it roared in pain. Lilia''s eyes widened. ''How?'' Of course, altering the path of a spell wasn''t an inconceivable thing to do, but this was unnatural. The Sltta Raja was obviously a power-type spell. It shouldn''t have been able to curve and elerate in the middle of its flight like that. On top of that, Gray''s surroundings weren''t even affected. It was as if both the energy and shrapnel were avoiding him without Ganymede even intervening. The reverse dragon''s sword fell from the cloud of destruction, shattering the petrified water before sinking. The damage done to the beast was extensive; a third of its scales broken, arge chunk of flesh carved and burnt, and at least several non-vital organs destroyed as rivers of blood fell from its open wounds. "[Mother''s Embrace,]" Lilia immediately chanted and a spectral apparition of a woman wrapped its arms around the wounded beast, shielding it from threat while healing its wounds at the same time. Rakna snorted and without wasting time on chit-chat, he pped his wings, and twisting time and space to his whims, he arrived in front of the World Boss earlier than he had disappeared. Sonata turned into a greatsword and a purple me whirled around its de. "[Crescent of A Falling Star,]" he intoned and swung his weapon with the perk active. The dragon reacted in time and used both of its giant weapons to strike back. On collision, the star energy exploded outward and deflected both of them. Lilia quickly applied almost a dozenyers of new buffs without breaking a sweat and the World Boss countered just as fast. It let go of its sword and summoned a magic circle in its ce, aimed at the sky, while also releasing a short Dragon Breath that Rakna was forced to defend against. A Magma Spell was cast right after and the air began to heat up considerably, a red hue dyeing the atmosphere. Rakna flew back from the dragon''s breath with crossed arms, Rift Shuttle crackling around his body with dimensional energy. He then looked up at the sky and chuckled as he spotted many red dots gradually getting bigger; a shower of magma rocks was dangerously making its way down. Lilia raised her staff. "[Desperation of War,]" she chanted with an emotionless voice, and a magic circle bigger than even the dragon she had tamed whirled above her. Several more then oveid it, each smaller than the previous, with inner formations containing squares and prisms. In the eyes of someone like Rakna, its effects were obvious. With each instant that the meteors fell, they grew bigger in both size and power. "Ganymede," he spoke calmly and the star entity looked up for a moment before shaking his head in the negative. "Well, damn," the werewolf chuckled and started pouring soul power into Sonata. "[Core Mode C Divine.]" As soon as those words came out of his mouth, his Soul Weapon transmuted the source of its power into a new element. A wave of divine energy wafted off and turned its de pure white like marble. Lilia blinked in surprise as she felt the divinity. ''No, it''s not true Divinity it''s something simpler. It is magic powered by faith; Divine Magic. A primal affinity rted to all gods. He can even transmute that kind of thing?'' "[Star Puppetry]" the werewolf chanted and untold amounts of Obsidian Star energy flowed out of his body to form a giant puppet made of volcanic ss. It was so titanic that it could stand on the ocean floor and have more than half of its body above the surface. Lilia frowned as the puppet began to gain features like red tattoos, a white garb, and a beard on its face. She more or less understood his intention. Obviously, the spell of her dragon was meant to be a threat to her guildmates. Rakna could easily survive even if he took the full brunt of it, but following the rules of this test, he was forced to protect the entire area from the magma rocks. And since they were boosted by her skill, it was quite an endeavor. "Toote," she voiced her thoughts and Rakna smiled at her. "Perhaps," he replied to her as they began to feel the heat of the magma meteors. The spell he was constructing was taking far too much time. At this rate, it wouldn''t bepleted in time. "But such a small problem is nothing. Right? Little guy." The werewolf spoke to himself and his eyes projected an infinity sign. As if against thews of the universe, the construction of the giant star puppet was finalized in elerated motion. Rakna then lifted Sonata and conjured a Divine Spell with the puppet as a medium. "[Philosopher Craft C Teyvka A?aippu, As.]" The puppet promptly gained a presence of its own and began to release true Divinity. It was as if a real God had descended in all its grandeur. ? * * * ? "Huh?" Garuda lifted his head in shock. His pupils dted as he sensed a full-fledged God suddenly appearing in the 100th teau. "No that''s not right Did someone just make a God?" ? * * * ? Kamiria froze in her steps and her expression twisted. "What kind of mockery is this?" She spoke under her breath and Cain, who was walking ahead of her on what seemed to be a solid cloud, also paused momentarily. But unlike hispanion who was offended by this divine presence, he smiled nonchntly. "It''s amendable feat, Kamiria," he said merrily and resumed his walk. ? * * * ? The giant puppet-turned-God had no cognizance. Its appearance was that of a middle-aged man with wine-red hair and a beard. His arms were bursting with muscles, and without making a noise, he put them both up in the air as if carrying an invisible burden. Then, the descending magma rocks began to slow down. All of them, without exception, began to decelerate as if there was an opposite counterforce pushing them. Lilia gaped at the sight. She knew how powerful each of those meteors were. While the spell cast by her dragon wasn''t anything grand by any means, it was still a Tier 4 spell. To top it all off, she had used her own Path Skill on it. At this stage, it wasn''t urate to call this shower a Tier 4 spell instead, each magma rock was equivalent to one. And Rakna had just improvised a spell capable of stopping all of them at once. By incarnating the divinity of an actual God at that. It didn''t even take a minute for all the magma rocks to stop falling for good and the Star Puppet''s arms flexed without budging. They gave the impression that it could continue carrying the spell for all eternity. "I hope you''re ready," the werewolf''s voice jolted Lilia out of her thoughts and once she saw what he was doing, she nearly gave in to the urge to run away. Eight spheres of raw energy, crowned by Soul mes, infused with Mana, Lunar Energy, Intent, Ki, Obsidian, and Soul Power. Eight pearls of unrelenting power, encased in shards of Obsidian. This was the one and only Unity Craft Rakna had used against his uncle. "Oi, oi!" Varq almost jumped out. "What the hell is he doing? That shit could kill even us if we don''t do anything! And he''s aiming it right at Lilia! Why is he breaking the rules all of a sudden?" "It could hit us at this distance," Vegas nonchntly added. "Leader?" Lux asked calmly and the old warrior remained silent. Lilia herself had watched the showcase at the Arena and seen the destruction caused by just one of these ''Fake Tailed Pearls''. But with his Resonance, Rakna could cast it eight times without caring about its cooldown. Her mind was in a small panic, wondering if he was truly going to target her along with the dragon and if she should focus on her own safety. But before she could make a sound decision, again, the infinity signs reemerged. She paled when the pearls bloated in an instant as if forwarded in time right to the end of their charging phase. She barely had time to build up a countermeasure. "[Unity Craft,]" Rakna intoned with an audible grin. "[Kaki?scp C Sl??ar Muttu.]" The werewolf howled and the snake tails hissed as theyunched their pearls. They traveled the distance between their origin and goal in the blink of an eye. All of them were coated in ayer of Ouroboros'' magic. The World Boss and Lilia found themselves surrounded as if inside a minefield. The pearls began to crack, letting out sparks of purple fire. The young woman gazed into Rakna''s eyes and narrowed her eyes, activating only one skill right before all eight orbs imploded. Eight superimposed spheres of merciless destruction swallowed Antis'' seas, sting away the meteors suspended in the sky and triggering tsunamis and quakes that terrified Wilden, Locals, and Hosts alike across the whole teau. Chapter 415: Queen of War Chapter 415: Queen of War The members of Throne of Glory witnessed a bizarre phenomenon that day. Inside their bubbles erected by Ganymede, everything around them was pitch ck like outer space, flickers of purple shing here and there like stars, and an obscene amount of energy and obsidian shards storming about. Any poor soul caught in this would have been disintegrated, shredded, and literally transmuted into nothingness. Yet, the guild was situated in the middle of it as if it was normal. "What the fuck?" Varq tried to extend his hand out of the water bubble and expected it to get all but unscathed; he could regenerate it anyway. But instead, the mayhem avoided him. Or rather, it was as if the spell was alive and treated him like a precious protg. Even Ganymede and As were unaffected, standing tall without anything protecting them. "I see," Ensis suddenly remarked. After a short while, the Pearls of ughter''s effects eventually faded away like a dream and the half-emptied ocean began to fill the void after a few seconds of stillness; as if nature itself needed a moment to realize that the water had been gone. Rakna emerged unharmed, as expected, and he smiled brightly, his tails mirroring his expression as if extensions of himself. He looked at Lilia, who also hadn''t suffered any damage. Strangely, the dragon below her also was intact, but the beast''s eyes were shaking, indicating its frightened state of mind. "So, you trusted me?" The werewolf spoke up with a chuckle and Lilia maintained a nk face. It was as he said, she hadn''t put up anything to protect herself before the explosion. Instead, she had used one of her core skills on the dragon. Rakna''s eyes shed with a golden cross. "Damage Redirection, huh?" He uttered and nced to his left where there should have normally been the reverse World Boss wrapped by the avatar of the Mother of War. But instead, all that was left there were remnants of a spell fading away. "That second Ultimate Skill of yours" The werewolf mused. "It''s capable of nullifying damage on a self-affiliated target and offload it onto another. That''s definitely something I wouldn''t want to fight against if you''re at the helm of an army. You can just redirect any damage done to yourself as long as you have tamed beasts; you are practically invincible." "thank you," Lilia deadpanned and he snorted in amusement. "Poor guy though," Rakna looked at where the other dragon used to be. "You kept healing him with that other skill of yours during the whole duration of my spell, enough so that he wouldn''t die and lose the ''privilege'' of being affected by your Damage Redirection." Varq grimaced at that. "Yikes, that''s grim." "Funnily enough, I got rewards for killing it," the werewolf nced at a System window. "I got the instant level-ups and everything. Your ''Rebirth'' skill is an exploit all on its own." Lilia squinted her eyes, uncaring of his chatter. "How?" She finally asked the question. She did not need to hear what she had done; what she wanted to know was how he had spared her from any harm. It was as if she hadn''t existed rtive to that explosion. "Probability Control," Rakna smiled and one of his tails hissed. "Infinity Magic. Its fundamental use is the maniption of numbers. How fast a projectile is; how high damage is; or how long a spell takes to cast." "" Lilia immediately realized what he was talking about; the speed of his statues'' arrows, their piercing strength that punched through her dragon''s scales, and his elerated casting. "And, of course, what are the chances of a spell hitting its target?" His smile widened. "Or what are the chances of a spell hurting someone?" She shivered. The Rajas that had curved back on the reverse clone; the chances of it being hit had been inted to 100%. And the chances of herself and her guildmates being affected by the eight pearls had been reduced to 0%. This was something close to causality control. The only reason he had most likely been able to do it was that it involved his own magic both times. But even then, the amount of mana required for that kind of spell would be astronomical. "Sure, it''s a hefty cost," Rakna shrugged as if he knew what she was thinking. "But when ites to mana I''m loaded. I''m also efficient with it and if I don''t have any" He casually swung Sonata at the water and a flying sh cut the surface apart. Immediately, everyone could sense raw mana being exuded from it. "I can just transmute some." "hey, the newbie is spouting crazy shit again," Varq couldn''t help but mutter. "Well, he did demonstrate that supposed ''crazy shit''," Caer retorted humorously. "So? What do we do?" Rakna casually whirled Sonata. "I don''t need to hold back anymore. I''m not breaking any rules as long as my attacks can''t even carry the concept of you being a target." Lilia sighed and dismissed her staff, the item going back into her storage. Then, she floated away from her dragon and spread her arms lightly. "[Resurrection,]" she whispered and her body was swallowed by a thread of light. A heavy pressure descended upon Antis and a rumble echoed as if a thousand lightning strikes hade down at the same time. When the light went away, Lilia came into view as apletely different person. Her hair and eyshes had be longer and snowy white. Her cold eyes glowed silver and her previous mage robe seemed to have gained a life of its own; ribbons and sleeves iling to a white aura surrounding her. ? ? ? ? ? You are standing before the Queen of War! Ten-Tailed Nephilim is resisting the oppression! Level difference partially negates the resistance! ? --- ? Your Attributes will be decreased by 9% for as long as the War Queen stands; all intimidation skills will be rendered null; your energy consumption will increase by 27%; and every entity affiliated with the War Queen will be aware of your exact location at all times. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna grimaced as a newyer of debuffs chained him down just by being in her presence. ''that''s a real Soul Manifestation, huh?'' He thought. The sense of danger was no joke. This one seemed to be a self-altering type, not unlike the Internal Releases of his own Manifestations. Varq whistled. "I didn''t expect to see Lilia''s War Queen today." "Just goes to show how far Rakna can push her. Although she is limited by the rules as well, she''s still one of us. He''s quite something," Tira remarked, impressed. "[Find Worth In The Heavens,]" Lilia began to chant with a soft tone and a magic formation matrix of extremeplexity encased the World Boss. This was not one of her Manifestation''s direct uses but her third Nirvana Skill. "[? Blood of The Forting, Bloom C Edge of Liminality.]" The magic matrix shrunk on the dragon, hiding the creature from sight andpressing further and further until bones snapping began to be heard. At the same time, Rakna huffed whilst sensing the increase in aura. A whirlpool formed right below the encased World Boss, widening as it grew ever stronger with each passing second. When the matrix broke apart after its purpose waspleted, therge beast had already be something entirely new. It was a dragon in the shape of a man. Wings shaped by ck scales, dark blue ws, severalyers of shaded scales made as if to imitate muscle, an ax and a sword in each of its hands, and a draconic head crowned by two pairs of curved horns. "Good material," Lilia spoke up with a smile, her voice as cold as it was proud. And then, her tamed beast roared, squashing down the ocean waves and forcefully cating the water''s surface to the point no undtion could be seen. "I can see that," Rakna''s eyes shed gold. ''Edge of Liminality a Nirvana Skill that can forcefully evolve a subordinate creature''s race to its most perfect potential'' "Draggy," the Queen of War''s eyes glowed. "Attack." It was instantaneous. One instant, the humanoid Wilden was unmoving, and in the next, a sh of des so loud it resembled thunder split the sea and clouds. The werewolf and dragon faced each other through their crossed weapons but the former quickly lost in a contest of strength. Rakna''s face twitched as Sonata was knocked to the side by the blue stone ax. ''Heavy!'' He thought and could only raise his arm in defense when the opposite weapon continued its path. It tore through his forearm without resistance and cleaved into his shoulder, going past where his heart was located and nearly bisecting him as purple mes gushed out instead of blood. The World Boss didn''t stop there. It gripped its sword and ignited its edge withva. Just as fast as the first strike had been, he swung it and conjured a massive ball of magma. It swallowed Rakna and carried him toward the water, where a steam explosion urred soon after. Ganymede blinked as his summoner was sted away. But he didn''t have time to care. He swiftly tossed his amphora to the side and the container shot out such a strong stream of water that it resembled aser. The second that it came out, the evolved dragon appeared in front of Lux. The Wilden''s sword aiming for the guild member was barely deflected by the stream of water that easily had taken more than five thousand mana from Rakna''s mana reserves. But even asplete as he was as a Star Entity, Ganymede didn''t have the power to stop the dragon further than that. That is why As moved at exactly the same time. The titanic god threw a punch downward, fully intent on smashing the World Boss into a paste. A spherical aura formed around the giant''s fist as if a spectral sun and dwarfed the heat of the dragon''s magma. In response, the evolved Wilden poured mana into his Aqerite ax and began to draw in the water around them. Hundreds of strings of water shot toward the weapon, infusing it, and expanding its size and weight exponentially. The dragon roared and swung the ax at the iing fist, halting it and causing a massive burst of unresolved momentum. The shockwave knocked As back and the World Boss followed up with a Unity Craft. It waved both of its weapons and countless copies materialized in the air. All of them radiated heatbined with the density of Aqerite. Lilia breathed out a white cloud and snapped her fingers. "[Aim C True,]" she whispered and when the weapons rocketed forward, they collectively hit the same spot; As'' heart. The puppet let out a loud growl right before the summoned weapons exploded, causing him to topple backward. And right as As'' back hit the ocean, a spatial tear was opened right behind the dragon. A serpent-tailed werewolf appeared in the blink of an eye, the wound on his chest rapidly closing with star energy and soul mes. A translucent mane glowed over his shoulders and Sonata''s scythe form was swung to decapitate the World Boss. But, with inhumane reaction speed, Rakna was parried, his arm rattling from the rebound of the ax''s weight. This mineral that grew tougher the more water it sucked in was a much greater threat than he had expected initially. "so, that''s what ''entities will be aware of your exact location'' means, huh?" The werewolf said as he contemted the reaction speed the dragon had disyed. The effects of Lilia''s Manifestation essentially made it useless to conceal his presence or attack by surprise. Rakna snorted and channeled his internal force through his body. "[Field of Rupture,]" he uttered and his Internal Art exploded out of his body, fracturing the very dimensions. The dragon''s slitted eyes contracted even more and it pped its scale wings to retreat. But just a secondter, the magma sword that was supposed to be in its hand dropped. The beast looked at its arm, only to find a mangled mess. Rakna whirled his scythe and then promptly split it into twin katanas. He pointed one of them at the World Boss. "So, you can keep up with me now, huh?" His lips stretched into a smile. "Let''s see for how long." Chapter 416: Inversion u0026 Order Chapter 416: Inversion u0026 Order Lilia twirled her wrist and healed her tamed beast''s arm as easily as breathing. And then, without need for her input, the dragon dashed forward again. But this time, instead of summoning a new sword, it held its ax with both hands before coating it in magma. The Aqerite twisted in shape, a second element being unified with it, and before long, a war ax of muchrger proportions was created, with magma veins over the surface of its material. One of Sonata''s des collided against it and a stray sh opened a trench in the ocean. Rakna squinted past the entangled weapons, his body immune to the war ax''s mes or heat. Even if the Obsidian Star had be dominant, his immunities originating from the other two had not gone away in the slightest. In fact, his aura passively absorbed some of it. ''I need about 2000 Attributes just to keep up with its speed,'' the werewolf noted, Pronos'' thoughts agreeing with him in parallel; both of them sharing a mind. ''And if I want to overpower it, I need to give up on either dexterity or intelligence; or both. The bnce of values is just as important as any high figure, so it''s a bit tricky. This guy''s better off than me in that regard.'' "{It just goes to show that your Sage Beast Trait has its limits,}" Fraymented. "{You can bridge the gap between you and much stronger foes but depending on how far a gap you''re trying to get over, the more ws appear in the process.}" ''No shit,'' Rakna grunted and was pushed away from the deadlock after the Aqerite became even heavier. Then, he noticed Lilia casting a new spell and the next thing he knew, the dragon turned into a blur, reaching another level of speed. ''That little!'' The werewolf''s eye twitched as he sensed the next target of the World Boss. He put even more points into speed and caught up in time to kick the war ax off its path toward Varq. At the same time, three of his serpent tails fired a Sltta Raja at the evolved Wilden. The dragon swiftly dodged them, even using one of its wings to deflect one, and faded out of view once again. Rakna gritted his teeth and teleported again, protecting another guildmate and nearly getting his arm cut off because of it. This cycle repeated itself at least ten times in the next few minutes. Each time they shed, waves of raw force would cleave into the water, and they were moving at such speeds that the ocean never had time to recover. It looked like they were digging into the water as if it was dirt. And despite the tedious strategy of the dragon, Rakna couldn''t help butugh. He had to give it to his guild leader, this was by far the most fun he''d had fighting. Something about this test felt like a challenging and fun game, one that kept his focus and mind upied at all times. And the fact that Lilia was a fascinating opponent to go against only made it more interesting. "He sounds happy," Tairen mused as a bolt of Star Magic brushed past him. "Even more than when he fought his uncle," Gray agreed. "Maybe it''s the circumstances? He''s getting a kick out of fighting his all without worry?" "his Resonance," Merlina muttered quietly. "Oh!" Caer cupped his hands. "There is that too. A resonance of minds could have done that. Maybe the happiest between the two of them is actually the little Hydra." As he finished speaking, an explosion resounded in the sky. A Union Spell from the dragon, glowing dark blue and shaped like a fireball, colliding with an Everfrost Cataract. Rakna spread out his wings to parachute the knockback and swung his katanas. He activated two of his weapon''s perks; Falling Star and Severance, fusing them into one attack. At the same time, his tails each fired a full-powered re. The World Boss roared in return and breathed out a wave of blue fire, swallowing and detonating everything together. "Hahaha!" The werewolfughed and turned into a Comet, using a Quantic Leap with his wings at the same time. He hacked down at the dragon as soon as he appeared in front of it and when it was blocked, he gripped his second katana in a reverse grip and activated its strongest perk. "[Skulk Life Down!]" He growled out and both Lilia and her beast felt the danger. But the nature of such a skill was too sly to react in time. In the blink of an eye, the Wilden''s chest was bisected starting from its shoulder. Lilia''s expression grew serious and she extended a hand toward the dragon. "[Scrap,]" she uttered, and as if denying the action from ever happening, the wound disappeared. It was a variant of her damage redirection, with much greater limitations, but an even more terrifying use... "[Reject,]" she raised her voice coldly and the next thing he knew, Rakna felt himself cut in two. His eyes widened in surprise as his energies hastily started sewing him back together. But it wasn''t fast enough to stop the next swing of the war ax; further splitting his body vertically before a st of magma scattered the rest. The World Boss was aware such damage wouldn''t be enough to stop the werewolf, so without even a second of hesitation, it focused on the primary goal given by its master. It pointed a hand at the closest member of Throne of Glory and conjured a spinning rock of cerulean magma. Ganymede was about to intervene but stopped in his tracks when he saw an infinity sign appear in his summoner''s eyes. As if time slowed down, everyone heard the werewolf''s next words. "[Invert All Creation, Anastrofa.]" Then, everything around the regenerating werewolf copsed. Light became dimmer, the sky and ground switched ces, the wind began to blow in the opposite direction, the gravity pulled them upward, and north turned into south. Without Rakna doing anything, the dragon fired his spell into empty air, going nowhere near where it was aimed at. To those outside the range of influence, they looked on in confusion, only seeing a sphere of distorted images; as if the werewolf and the World Boss were trapped in a hazy bubble. Before long, Rakna got his body back together with a smirk and grasped the dragon''s throat. The creature tried to swing its weapon at him, but inexplicably, it missedpletely. "The intensity of the inversion is still weak, but it''s enough," Rakna chuckled. "Otherwise, you''d be unable to even aim something in my general direction." As he said that, Lilia caught onto what the field was. She prepared to cast something but the werewolf manifested Infinity Magic once again. "[Field Expansion,]" he intoned and Anastrofa''s area expanded rapidly. Instantaneously, everyone entered its range and felt sick as all their senses were thrown over their heads. It was to the point that whatever Lilia was channeling failed due to the cognitive loss of her objective. ''Enthymio?'' She frowned and looked around. She felt buoyant, almost as if she was about to fly up, and along a plethora of weird sensations, she noted that colors seemed different. As if they were slowly being flipped toward their opposite spectrum. It was then that she noticed what her body was doing. Whenever she looked right, her head would turn left and she couldn''t believe she hadn''t noticed. It''s not like her mind was being controlled. It was as if a fundamental truth had been altered; where a motion was triggered by counterthought. Lilia tried to expel mana out of her body but it instead waspressed and she fully realized what was happening. On cue, she saw Rakna pointing both his fists in parallel to each other at her tamed dragon. His arms were buzzing and blurring. "[Hammer of Rupture,]" he grunted out and space broke apart like ss, his Internal Art bursting like a cannon. For a moment, the World Boss looked like it had been split into hundreds of small pieces and then disced as if a misaligned puzzle. Itsted less than a second but when it was restored, the dragon immediately vomited blood and the scales on its torso crumbled like sand. Lilia closed her eyes and focused on her magic. If it was her, she could easily adapt and cast spells like normal in this inverted field, but her dragon would be stunted, aside from its physical capabilities. First, she needed to heal it and then give it a method to fight back until Rakna couldn''t keep the Enthymioyer active. Considering that he had forcefully expanded its size, Anastrofa would soon apply too much toll for even him to handle. As soon as she organized the situation in her head, Lilia had already gotten around to conjuring a proper spell, casting on herself the ''Grace of The White Saint'' and acquiring healing magic strong enough to save someone from near death, which she immediately demonstrated on her dragon. The World Boss was bestowed a cape of white light, healing its injuries as soon as they had been inflicted. It returned to full health and in a surprising disy of awareness, it didn''t try to use its weapon inside Anastrofa and instead punched its own ax, shattering it. The fiery blue fragments glittered as they began to spin around the Wilden, who decided to release everything in its rawest form. Discharging its mana over the broken Aqerite, the dragon designed a crude frag attack and ravaged every direction possible to ensure a hit. Raknaughed lightly and mentallymanded As. The Titan moved unaffected by the field of Enthymio just as his summoner was. He struggled to straighten his damaged body after taking on the volley of swords and grasped the air toward the Aqerite fragments in the same way he had for the meteors. The improvised attack of the dragon was halted, frozen in space until itpletely lost all its force. Even the Wilden itself was caught in an invisible prison, and whenever it tried to free itself, one could see As'' hands tremble, slightly being pushed apart. Simultaneously, Rakna began to craft a new spell, duplicating it with his multi-casting. "[Forger of The Stars,]" he chanted and the obsidian outlines of eight spears manifested into reality. Lilia opened her eyes with a grave expression and pointed her staff at As. "[Break,]" she uttered and for a split second, the giant figure fizzled out. Normally, this skill of hers was meant to break a spell and should havepletely gotten rid of the God but, as she had expected, thebination of Divinity and Domain, inside an Obsidian Star Puppet, was too convoluted to dispel. Nevertheless, at least, her dragon was freed from his grasp. "[Marite,]" she immediately used a more indiscreet type of skill to take control of half of her tamed beast''s mind. She influenced the dragon like it was a remote limb and made it face Rakna. Lilia didn''t even try to target her guildmates. It would only give Rakna an opening that her dragon or herself wouldn''t be able to correctly respond to in this reverse field. Therefore, she poured all of her beast''s energy into its Breath. The World Boss'' wings rattled and began to split into floating ck scales. They flew into its mouth where a crimson and blue fire was rising dangerously. Rakna grinned at the sight, ignoring the fissures appearing on his own body due to Anastrofa. The dimensionalyer was starting to pierce through his physical defenses and harm his soul. At this rate, he would be forced to disengage within a minute. Not to mention ? ? ? ? ? The Debuff, Shackles of Time, has been cast on you! The Debuff, Shackles of Space, has been cast on you! The Curse, Eye of Cauchemar, has been cast on you! The Curse, The Mortal''s Land, has been cast on you! The Curse, The Poor''s Dream, has been cast on you! The Spell, Grace of The Martyr, has been cast on you! --- Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim is resisting the Debuffs & Curses! Authority of The Law-Breaker is resisting the Debuffs & Curses! Limitless Traveler is resisting the Debuffs & Curses! --- Effects cannot be fully resisted due to Level disparity! --- You have gained the temporary Skill; Defiance of Respite! You have gained the temporary Trait; Martyr''s Sacrifice! Defiance of Respite partly rejects the negation of the burdens! Martyr''s Sacrifice has increased the effects of the burdens! --- The space and time contained inside your body have been shackled! You will not be able to teleport or influence time flows for the next 15 seconds! --- Your body has stopped responding! You will not be able to move for the next 2 seconds. --- For the next three minutes, as long as you do not stand on firm ground, your will speed will decrease by 42%. --- For the next 23 seconds, your skills or spells have a 62% chance of backfiring! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna couldn''t help but shiver as he witnessed Lilia cast all of this with just a wave of her staff as well as a terrifying surge of mana. ''To think all thises from one magic affinity'' "{Infirmity Magic}" Fray whispered. "{To be able to cast curses and debuffs of such strength and at such a rate I have never heard of it before today. If it wasn''t for your resistance, I''d say it would be impossible for you to win.}" The werewolf snickered. ''This was never about winning,'' he said and his eyes shed, finishing the creation of the eight spears. All of them were exact copies; a golden and red spear with an intricate de resembling a trident, but with each spike converging into one tip. "[A Dragon You Felled, A Princess You Saved,]" Rakna chanted with a humorous smile hanging on his lips due to the incantation. "[A Name You Were Granted.]" His eyes glowed with the power of infinity, but he wasn''t the only one who elerated his attack. "[No Cast,]" Lilia uttered dryly, and without even an extra millisecond, the charging of the dragon''s breath was over. Dark blue mes, highlighted by red, spewed out of its mouth. Their movement disturbed Anastrofa''s rules and appeared heavy as if the mes were solid. Rakna watched the iing breath in awe. The way those mes flickered he wasn''t looking at fire; this was stone behaving like fire. Heughed and spread his arms; the best he could do under the Eye of Cauchemar curse. Yet, he didn''tunch his spears. He smirked. "[Imperial Order,]" he calmly uttered and the wave swallowed him. A crackling noise echoed on contact, and before long, the ''blue mes'' erupted. The force behind it parted the seas and reached several inds on Antis, New Athens included, causing several earthquakes. Ganymede barely managed to keep his charges safe with the help of As, who exhausted everyst bit of his energy in exchange, dissipating into particles of star energy. On the other hand, Anastrofa disappeared as soon as the dragon breath hit its mark. But Lilia had no delusion to believe it was because of the attack itself. Rakna had consciously withdrawn it. And as she observed the upshot of the blue mes, she shuddered and looked up. A winged werewolf leaped through a cloud of steam crowning the explosion with almost no visible damage, aside from a few cuts and some internal injuries that were already being fixed. Lilia''s eyes widened in shock. She was indeed surprised to see him with so little damage, but the most shocking part was that the spears he had created earlier were still hovering around him. She could understand if he had used them to defend himself from the Dragon Breath, but it was evident he hadn''t. And most importantly, none of them had been dispelled. It was practically impossible to maintain a spell active if everything around you was utter chaos. Those spears shouldn''t havested even a second inside the blue mes. But here they were. "what is Imperial Order?" She asked, recalling the words he had spoken. Rakna grinned but didn''t answer her question, instead waving his hand at the World Boss before it could recover from shooting such a powerful breath. "[Ascalon,]" he uttered and the spears flew fast and true. The time it took them to reach their target was close to non-existent and the evolved Wilden roared in pain and anger as the weapons impaled it from eight different directions. Lilia winced and attempted to negate the spears'' Anti-Dragon damage, only for a wave of tiredness to fall over her. Much to her confusion, she literally felt too to do anything. ? ? ? ? ? The Spell, Lazy Actor, has been cast on you! 8x Resistance-Check failed! You are ovee with Sloth! ? --- ? Skills and spells will be mentally harder to cast. This will not make them unusable or increase their costs, but if the person afflicted with this hex tries to cast anything with a normal level of concentration, there is a high chance for the activation to fail. ? ? ? ? ? Lilia gaped. She just stared at the System window, feeling amazed, embarrassed, and insulted that someone had given her a taste of her own medicine. And before she could get out of her daze, Rakna dashed toward the World Boss and coated Sonata with ayer of Obsidian and Soul mes. The Guandao vibrated and the werewolf blurred out of view. In the next instant, he reappeared on the opposite side of the dragon, his back facing it. The Wilden had coincidentally stopped moving with an empty expression. "[Apci?iya?i? Na?a?am,]" Rakna breathed out. He slowly whirled Sonata and shouldered it with a grin, staring at Lilia in the eyes. Behind him, a purple line spontaneously traced itself on the body of the dragon, curving a few times from the top to the bottom. It was a ''road'' paved over Focal Points. Soon after it appeared, the Wilden''s body crumbled along the line. A leg, half the skull, half the torso, and the remainder; four pieces. There was not even a single drop of blood to be seen. The dragon had been ''sliced'' by the Obsidian Star, targeting the Focal Points. Its body had already lost the properties of a living organism and its soul had been cut apart. The World Boss was dead beyond doubt. "Well then," Rakna cracked his neck, his tails hissing softly as they grinned the same way Pronos would when he acts mischievously. "Did I pass?" Chapter 417: “My entertainment.” Chapter 417: My entertainment. Rakna''s body shone as the Resonance came to an end, separating him from Pronos who emerged in his full size, promptly plunging into the water and only sticking out his heads joyfully. The now untransformed therian rolled his shoulders with an impassive expression. "That was an interesting experience," he muttered as the high of Pronos'' emotions died down. At the same time, he casually lifted the corpse of the World Boss with his Valkals while the kill notification rang. He also checked the one he had gotten for the clone. ? ? ? ? ? Lv.620 Yin-Born Dark Sea Krymog Dragon killed. You have killed a P.100 ss Wild World Boss. Major teau Bias Confirmed. Due to the level difference, rewards will be increased exponentially!? --- ? Lv.620 Liminal Dark Sea Krymog Dragon killed. You have killed a P.100 ss Wild World Boss. Major teau Bias Confirmed. Due to the level difference, rewards will be increased greatly! Due to the powerful nature of the evolution, rewards will be increased greatly! Due to the subjugation difficulty, rewards will be increased greatly! ? --- You are rewarded with 30 Instant Level Ups, the Skill Card ''Inner de'', the Red Rarity Set ''Armor of the Krymog'', and 250 Million Talys! --- You have gained a new Title; Dragon yer! --- ? Level up! Level up! Level up! +54 Free Points. +9 STR, SPD, INT. ? --- Requirement for level up updated. Current progress: 125/4 864 --- ? You have reached Level 300! The Experience required to level up has increased by 30%. Your Magic Circuit Pathways have widened! Your Spell Cooldowns have been reduced. Your body''s metaphysical weight has increased. ? --- 3rd Factor Genome Updated: Five Layers Unlocked. Next Layer: Lv. 304/Lv.400 Currently essible Layers: Antanasia, Onera, Enkata, Anastrofa, Katastra. --- ? Katastra ? The Lands of Ruin is the Fifth Layer of Enthymio and an external type. Once called upon, Katastra will manifest through a physical surface that the user is touching. Whether it be a living being or not, ruin will befall them like a gue. Depending on how attuned the user is to the dimension or how long contact is maintained, the spread will vary. The toll of Katastra among the Seven Layers is only second to Anastrofa. For it is not strain that is subjected to its user, but an omen. One should not y with ruin too much lest it bites you back. ? ? ? ? ? ''That''s pretty much what I would expect,'' Rakna thought and briefly checked the rewards. The Skill Card was essentially an inferior version of the World Boss'' Nirvana Skill and the armor had the features of the coat of scales it had been using as limbs and then wings afterward. ''It has interesting effects, but I don''t need the skill. Maybe via or Nyx could do something with it. As for the armor, it''ll make good ''food'' for Allegro. I haven''t evolved it in a while.'' As he thought that, he extended his ws and plunged his hand into the dead Wilden. He gripped its heart and held it tight. Lilia raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled at her before engulfing the carcass with soul mes; sending it to his storage, separating it from the heart which went directly into a spatial ring. "I hope you don''t mind," the therian said and she slowly shook her head. "how?" She spoke up, seemingly asking something else while she undid her Manifestation. "Hm? You mean how your curse didn''t activate when I used my spells at the end?" Rakna inquired back and she nodded twice. "No, no, how did you even know what she was asking? Varq interjected in disbelief as the whole guild approached them. The therian nced at the red-haired man and shrugged before pointing at his seventh tail, which he had yet to dismiss. "You felt it earlier, no? This thing makes me stronger in general and boosts my magic, soul power, and transmutation. It also gives me the ability to read souls and thoughts." "huh?" Varq didn''t know what else to say. On the other hand, Lilia''s eyes sparkled. ''Efficiency Master!'' She cried out internally and apparently, she was somewhat heard as Rakna sweatdropped. "Yes though, to be fair, I don''t have a great handle on it quite yet," he added. "I could barely use it to read which target that dragon meant to attack. And, at my stage of mastery, I can only read thoughts if they are especially ''loud''." ''So? How?!'' Lilia asked with full concentration and he snickered. "Your Eye of Cauchemar had a 62% chance to make my spells and skills backfire, and it''s true that my multi-cast basically entails casting eight spells at the same time. I also didn''t have the room to use Infinity to alter it. Nheless, Lazy Actor hit you at a 100% rate and my other attacks also went through. The exnation is very simple" The young woman gazed at him expectantly and he grinned "I''m just that lucky," he dered and she froze on the spot with a stunned expression. He shrugged at her reaction. "What can I say? 20 Luck goes a long way," he smiled teasingly. Gray burst outughing and Lilia pouted, looking away with a huff. "Wait a minute, did you just say 20 Luck?" Lux blinked. "To be exact, I have 10, but it doubles when I use this tail," Rakna rified and then allowed his tail to disappear. Even if the Tenth Tail''s toll was much lesser than the demonization, he wasn''t going to keep it out just for fun. And, though he was embarrassed to admit it, every time he caught a nce of Svanya while it was active, it would give him a headache. Unsurprisingly, directly watching a soul flicker in and out of existence was severely perturbing. That aside, while his sense of smell didn''t work on her, going by the smile on her face, he could also tell that she was quite happy for some reason. "You look awfully perky," he remarked with a curious tone. "Was there something in this fight that got you satisfied?" Her grin widened, entuating her regal beauty. "You protected me," she stated. "Well, that''s the point oh," he eximed. He realized what she meant. Now that he thought about it, he did remember teleporting in front of her to deflect one of the dragon''s stray attacks at some point. It seemed that even Ganymede had not been spared by her ''ability'', so he had been forced to do it personally after noticing theck of defense around her. Thankfully, Lilia and her dragon had also been affected, so they obviously couldn''t take advantage of it. "This is the first time it ever happened," she continued with a wistful tone. "Thank you." Rakna didn''t have anything witty to say. Her gratitude was genuine. "you''re wee. I''ll protect you any time." Svanya smirked slightly. "Is that so? You''ve got quite the tongue on you. No wonder there are so many rumors going around about you being a womanizer." The therian flinched. "Seriously?" "Oh, seriously serious," Gray cackled. "Every girl you''re seen with in public nowadays is said to be in a rtionship with you. Even the fox matriarch, which, by the way; is it true?" "" "I''ll take that as a yes," the clown grinned. "Okay, okay,y off the chit-chat for now," Lux waved his hand and looked at Ensis. "So, boss, what do you think? The test was well passed?" The old warrior huffed gruffly. "In a single word; yes." Rakna had no change of expression at the verdict. In fact, with how deadpan his face was, all of his guild mates would be willing to bet he was thinking something along the lines of ''If I hadn''t gotten in, how the hell would you even have members?''. Which frankly, they agreed with. "The long version" Ensis raised five fingers with a grunt. "You''re exceptionally strong. That is not a secret and it was never in contention. In fact, I would say you can defeat an army-less Lilia if you both were to go all out." Lilia puffed her cheeks and Rakna smiled in amusement. Ensis lowered one finger. "You have exceptional talent. Compared to some of us, there''s no denying youck some experience, but your sheer instinct goes above and beyond what it would get you." Another finger down. "Your battle ns are efficient despite their asional shiness and you''re bold enough to bend the conditions to your advantage. Your probability control was a pleasant surprise." The therian slowly nodded, epting the praise. The third finger was lowered. "You were cool-headed and patient. You were also considerate of the test and didn''t overdo our defenses so you would need to extend yourself more. You also didn''t try to move us to a more secure location so that the rules would have more impact. It speaks much of your personality," he said and lowered the fourth finger. "" "Finally," Ensis lowered his hand entirely. "You neverpromised with yourself." Rakna actually tilted his head at that one. "What do you mean? That I didn''t want to circumvent the rules?" "Wrong. That you did not want to surpass the rules," the old warrior said and the therian only had more questions. "...hey, my ''efficiency mastery'' isn''t working here," Rakna nced at Lilia. "What is he saying?" He asked and she helplessly shrugged. "I believe the leader implies ack of displeasure on your part," Vegas spoke up as he fixed up his sses. "Fighting under disadvantageous circumstances is generally frustrating. Whether it be in a spar or a battle to the death. In fact, it is more predominant in the former case. When there is no need to fear for your life, you easily start to me the setting." "Right, so you mean Ick vanity," Rakna summarized and the doctor let out a smile. "More or less." "That kind of test doesn''t work really well on me though. You would need to impose much harsher handicaps for me to be frustrated about them." "But lest we forbid you from basic maneuvers, you would have fun, wouldn''t you?" "I can''t deny that," the therian muttered. "You already had the qualifications beforeing here," Merlina said with a neutral tone. "And we knew of your integrity, but humans haveyers. Verifying them was natural." Caer smiled at her wife''s words and waved at Ensis, who let them exin. "Our leader is the kind of person to read everything about a person through how they fight. You could say there is nothing you can keep from him as long as he sees you swing your weapon once. The reason we chose Lilia as your opponent is also to evaluate how you would handle her temperament." "Teamwork can be essential, but what I value above all is its foundation; trust," Ensis followed up calmly. "Trust is a blend of empathy and indulgence. And truth be told, I already had my answer to your test the instant you went out of your way to sympathize with Svanya." Rakna''s eyebrow twitched. "Then why have me fight anyway?" "My entertainment," the old warrior fired back with a straight face. "even you can make a joke, huh?" The therian uttered. "Well, I suppose it would have been a waste to rescind the whole dragon hunting thing. It was a good fight." While Rakna took Ensis'' words indifferently, Lilia immediately had a pout. She red at her guild leader, "Useless. Owe me. Material." "I think she" "She''s telling you to pay her back for uselessly wasting ''Draggy 1'' like that," Rakna tranted andpletely ignored Caer who was about to do the same. The pink-haired man''s heart broke into a million pieces as he fell to his knees. "He''s tranting my dear daughter''s words faster than me! Damn! Damn him!" He cursed with crocodile tears while Merlina pacifyingly rubbed his back. "He even used Lia-terminology! How could it be?!" "The heck is Lia-terminology?" Varq retorted dumbfounded. "How did you raise your kid?" Meanwhile, Ensis grunted like an exasperated grandfather. "All right, brat. I''ll personally capture a few Wilden in the upper teaus for you. But if you can''t tame them, it''s on you." Lilia immediately smiled in satisfaction. "Now then, boy," the old warrior turned toward Rakna. "Let''s get you that reward." Chapter 418: Eínai Star Chapter 418: Enai Star "So, there''s something like this for Guilds too, huh?" Raknamented as he entered a storeroom inside the Pavilion''s private section, following Ensis. It reminded him of the Pavilion Shop''s vast stock where he had first met Kaelith. "It''s not exactly the same as what you''re thinking," the old warrior said from next to him. As always, he stood straight like an arrow, contrary to his age, and kept his eyes closed. "This is the exclusive treasury of the guild. Everything here is brought in by the members. Submitting items rewards you Guild Points rtive to their worth, with which you can buy others." "I see. You have your own little market," the therianmented as he walked around to check the many items. Crystal Sight shone faintly as he scanned everything and Pronos stuck his heads out of the scarf to admire everything. Armors, weapons, skill cards and books, Wilden eggs, materials, ores, potions, money There was practically everything one could think of. "You can take any one thing from here for free," Ensis said as he let him explore. "It is the reward I owe you as well as your weing gift." As soon as he said that, a System notification popped up in Rakna''s vision.? ? ? ? ? Guild Quest C Wild Boss Subjugation has beenpleted. Rewards have been defined by Credo. Choose any item contained within The Throne of Glory''s treasury. ? ? ? ? ? "I see. Simple enough, but equally valuable," the therian said as he deliberated what would actually be useful to him. Armor and weapons were not important. Especially with Allegro and Sonata only needing him to feed items he could create himself with magic. essories were tempting though. He only had his Spatial Ring and the Necromancer''s Rule at an eptable tier for him. Just thetter gave 10% additional Magic Attack other than the increase in mana regeneration and his two undead-rted skills. Having more of those wouldn''t hurt. On the other hand, he had no need for ores, pets, or money. Aside from that, there were also a few Random Item Boxes, proficiency cards, recovery items, and the infamously rare utility items "Hm?" Rakna halted his gaze at a peculiar object. It was a luminous steel prism contained inside a ss case. It had four sides and was run through by white lines. One thing he noticed however was that hidden under those white lines, aplex magic matrix spanned the whole object. ? ? ? ? ? Designation: Item/Material/Consumable Name: Enai Star Rarity: Exotic ? Description: An ageless piece of technology crafted by unknown alchemists and scientists in order to create the perfect artificial golem-automaton known as ''Ark-Mk1'' to save ??? from the ???. It is one of the building blocks for a minor supportive harness meant to encase a Star Gem; a power core born from thepression and refining of an entire Star System into the size of a gem. This Enai Star is one of the three created for the sole purpose of assisting the connection between the Star Gem and the body of the golem into a unified mecha-organism. Made with over a thousand different materials and ingredients, including the legendary ore known as Dead Star Tears, an Enai Star is more than capable of individually being one of the greatest energetic catalysts in Existence. To use it, one can either craft a greater whole with it or employ the matrixial protocols iid into it. Thetter option will have the Enai Star link itself to an object, living being, or a conceptual force. The Enai Star will subsequently be an embodiment of the linked entity and if consumed by either a living or non-living organism, will grant that embodiment as strength, by fusing with the physical matter of the consumer. ? Note: The System shall assist with the process. It is possible to feed the Enai Star with an item of any sort and turn it into a Skill once consumed by a Host, Local, or Wilden. Important Note: This is an Item made with scientific, alchemical, magical, and experiential production methods. Theplexity of its making equates to theplexity of its usage. The System does not guarantee sess or safety, only stability. ? ? ? ? ? This wasn''t the only Exotic Item in this treasury, and there were even more Gold Rarity ones lying around. Additionally, an Exotic Item was not necessarily better, but Rakna immediately made up his mind when he read its description. Not only was there no other item that triggered his instincts as much as this one did, but the nature of it was immenselypatible with him. Whether it be the star or alchemical aspects. And even more importantly, he did possess an Item he found great potential in turning into a skill. "I want this one," Rakna pointed at the prism and Ensis opened one eye to look at it. "it''s one of the few objects in here that have redacted writing," the warrior remarked. "There is also no need to solicit me; your reward has no restrictions, so take it. Nevertheless, I must ask, are you able to see more than we can about its origins?" The therian nced back at him and hummed as Crystal Sight shimmered silently. He had already peered into the question marks of the description. If the System wanted to hide something or had no way to extract that particr information, it didn''t mean he couldn''t do it. And as a matter of fact, he had already done so. He stared at the description and watched the words being swept as if washed away by a river. The redacted words fell apart and his Sight began to read whaty beyond; the Original Language. ''To think I would find another relic like this so soon,'' Rakna thought. ''A robotic golem built during the Lost Era to fight against the Enders Clearly, some people tried to do something before Yahweh had to intervene. And this prism is just an infinitely small piece... I wonder how strong this ''Ark'' was, or if it ever waspleted.'' "{Perhaps we''ll never know,}" Fraymented. "{And this is ''Mark One''. There might have been a second one after the prototype failed. Regardless their Era ultimately ended.}" The therian silently agreed and eventually took the Enai Star, his Quest confirming his choice and unregistering it from the treasury. He held it in his hand for a short moment, sensing the incredibly precious materials it was made of. "I know a bit," he eventually answered Ensis'' question. "But there isn''t much to say. Caer told you about Hans'' story, no?" He inquired back and the guild leader''s eyebrows rose. "That Itemes from that ''Lost Era'' then? Then the alleged automaton" "Yes. A failed hope to save its inhabitants it seems." Ensis hummed to himself and closed his eyes. "I see. Well, do you wish to leave now or do you want to submit some items of your own? You could exchange for something else if you have enough." Rakna smiled. "Well I don''t really have anything on hand, but I could conjure up some weapons with my magic. They''re as permanent as any real object. But for now I''m fine." The old warrior snorted, acting as if the idea of exploiting the Guild Point system with magic-made weapons was merely amusing, and not ridiculously unfair. "As long as you don''t bankrupt us," he jested and turned around to leave. "Don''t worry, I''ll exchange you some good spells if it everes to it," Rakna followed him out with a chuckle. * * * "Oh, so you picked that pyramid thingy?" Tairen eximed as the whole guild sat in the Pavilion. "Interesting choice," Tiramented. "I suppose you already have an idea of what to use it on?" Rakna nodded. "I have a Utility Item that''s incredibly versatile and useful. I would say it''s quite a powerful one too since its power scales to me. But my skills and magic are usually far more optimal to use in most situations. Conversely, it''s very in line with my transmutation powers." "Wait, that Utility Item; you mean that one you got during the Tutorial?" Gray asked. "Yes." "Uh, I guess it does fit the whole thing about the Philosopher''s Stone," the clown said. "If you learn it as a skill it could evolve into something quite good. You''ll do it now?" "Nah,ter." Gray''s eyes narrowed sullenly. "you want to keep it a surprise, don''t you? Haven''t you had enough fun destroying ourmon sense already?" "Not even close," the therian retorted shamelessly. "Anyway, I didn''t stick around for that. There''s something I want to show you," he changed topics and fished out one of his ongoing Quests; a very specific one. He swiftly applied it as a Guild Quest and Ensis'' eyes shifted. The old warrior immediately widened his eyes at the notification he received. He looked at Rakna for a short second before approving the Quest and sharing it with the entire guild. "Holy--!" Varq stood up. "Where the hell did you get this kind of Quest?!" Geisman leaned forward with a serious expression, scowling at the System window. "I have never seen thisbination of ssifications. A Hidden Dungeon, a Hidden Quest, and a World Raid Boss to top it off. And the title of Chintamani Lord" "There''s something more important before that!" Varq shouted. "I can''t be the only one seeing the SSS Difficulty Rating, right?! I''ve never seen that!" "SSS?" Rakna raised his voice in confusion. "It''s SS, for me." "Huh?" The red-haired man blinked. "Wait your rating is lower?" "Well that''s the rating it gave me when I received it," the therian replied. "It hasn''t changed since then. This is supposed to be a personal rating, right?" "You''re correct," Caer took over the conversation with a frown. "There are two types of Difficulty Ratings in the System, as you already know. The first is a general estimation, such as the ones used by the Pavilion, and the second is judged by the System based on your predisposition. This is quite obviously the second type but mine is also showing SSS." "I''ve heard that SS means close to impossible," Rakna raised an eyebrow. "So, the step above is just infeasible to do ording to the System?" "Pretty much," Lux nodded and turned toward Ensis. "Boss? What does it show for you?" "SS," the guild leader calmly answered. Vegas rubbed his chin. "So, it''s the same rating as Xiorra I can understand the leader having such a ratingpared to us. There''s no one stronger in the System aside from Unsworth. But," he eyed the therian. "For you to have the same rating as him is strange." "Not strange," Lilia suddenly said and everyone looked at her. "Counter." "Oh, that would make sense," Rakna muttered and the stares turned to him, though it was more in disbelief this time; they couldn''t believe how fast he could decipher the girl''s intentions. "If there is something in that Hidden Dungeon to which I''m a counter, it would exin it. If we assume the biggest danger to be the Boss, then I might be its natural enemy somehow." "This feels like some crazily dangerous Quest," Varq uttered. "Um, boss, this is the individual rating, right? If you issue the Quest with us as a party, what does it change to?" Ensis was in the process of doing just that, so he had the answer quite fast, "S+" Tairen whistled with a grin "Damn, it''s still high. But as long as it''s not impossible, I''m in! I wanted to ask the new kid for a spar, but it looks like he brought us something even better!" "I might bring some of my ownpanions too, so it might be a bit lower than that," Rakna mused. He wasn''t keen on the idea of endangering anyone close to him, but having Lana, Cura, Kaelith, and Hans would make things much smoother. Add the recently joined Fiora as well, and it could greatly increase their chances. Instinctively, Rakna knew those five had the strength to handle this Quest. "Wait a minute, we don''t know the entry limit," Lux interjected. "You might not know this but the higher-level Dungeons usually have a limit of about 10 participants. Some even have requirements to enter; like levels, a specific skill, or an item. In fact, if you had tried, you would have noticed that no Dungeon in the entirety of the System epts more than 25 people." The therian''s eyes widened slightly; he hadn''t thought about that. "Did you never get close to the Dungeon?" The fallen angel asked. "That''s the only way to see how many people can get in at once and the entry conditions." "I didn''t To be fair, I almost died by just looking at it from a distance. I barely managed to survive, much less approach it," Rakna furrowed his eyebrows. "Svanya," Ensis suddenly called and the woman in question perked up from the corner of the room, looking at her guild leader''s back. "Get the coordinates of this Dungeon from Rakna and check its entry requirements. See if you can sense the power of the Boss while you''re at it." Svanya replied in the positive with a System message,plying with the order. "You might want toe with me for that," Rakna stated. "The way I got to that Dungeon was by forming a G from an Anchor Point. It''s stupidly far out into the Fifth teau. Sorry to say that it''s impractical to consider making a round trip over there." "How many ''strings''?" Ensis asked, seemingly aware of Anchor Points'' characteristics. "86," the therian uttered, and the old warrior''s expression twitched for the first time. "Higure said that the distance it covered could basically be calcted in light years." Svanya visibly bristled at that. She certainly wasn''t going to undertake that kind of trip. She wasn''t even that talented in the speed department, special means aside. "Fuck, no wonder this Dungeon was never found," Varq uttered in disbelief. "What kind of dumbass would even explore a teau for more than a few months? Even the System doesn''t send you that far off when joining a new one. That G thing is a portal, right? Where did you find it?" "In my house''s basement," Rakna deadpanned and the guild fell silent. Svanya gave him a nk stare. In context, he was essentially implying that the ce he was going to lead her to was his basement. Only Gray chortled, fighting to hold back hisughter. Ensis sighed. "All right Svanya, you will apany Rakna to his territory so that he can open the G for you," he instructed and then looked at their guild''s exclusive introvert. "Lilia, you will also go with them and buff Svanya before she goes in, understood?" The mauve-haired girl quietly nodded and Caer had an outrage, "What?! I object! My Lili will not go anywhere near some brat''s basemargh!" Merlina elbowed him and he instantly copsed on the floor clutching his side. The armored woman gave a thumb up to her daughter, who responded with the same gesture. Ignoring the family''s antics, Ensis continued, "When we get more details, we''ll assess the risk and assemble a suitable Party. Depending on how dangerous we determine the Dungeon to be, I will reserve the initiative to conduct a vote to decide if we raid it or not. Understood?" ""Yes,"" the guild collectively acknowledged, unknowingly preparing for a session of events that would soon be set in motion and affect the entire System. Chapter 419: The Philosopher’s Sleeve Chapter 419: The Philosophers Sleeve Rakna returned to his territory through the Pavilion Portal and led both of his guildmates to the house while they admired the underground greenhouse. "Pretty," Liliamented candidly and the therian snorted in amusement. "Why, thank you," he responded. "What about you, Svanya? Any thoughts?" The regal woman briefly nced at the mausoleum before answering. "a beautiful territory. It is good to see a Host get creative once in a while," she said with an appreciative hum. "Good to hear," Rakna smiled and opened the front door, earning the weing eyes of a yawning Natsu, and Hans silently reading on the sofa. Higure was also there, but unlike the other two, she was far more energetic on his arrival. "Hey, devourer of mine," she sprung up to him with a grin. "Did it go well?" The therian shrugged. "It was nothing hard," he replied and Lilia pouted next to him. "Rude," she huffed. Rakna chuckled. "Right, my bad. It was challenging and fun," he rephrased and the mauve-haired girl rolled her eyes. Higure raised an eyebrow at them with a smirk. "A new one?" She asked mischievously. "Nope. I''m just getting her to my basement." "wow, that sounds so wrong," the lioness marveled. "I know," he agreed with a nod. "Anyway, do you remember the G I opened back then?" Higure immediately became serious and Hans perked up slightly. "Yes, I remember. It''s hard not to, considering you almost died. Is she here to see it on behalf of the Throne of Glory?" "''They''," Rakna corrected her and the lioness momentarily tilted her head in confusion. Then, she was hit by a sense of uneasiness when she caught a second girl in the corner of her eye. But before she could react to it, someone else beat her to the punch. "What kind of abomination did you bring with you this time, Xiorra?" Hans spoke up nkly, his eyes locked onto Svanya with detached intensity. Said ''abomination'' frowned back and Rakna shook his head. "Politeness and tact aren''tpletely useless to learn, you know?" He retorted. "Yes, I am sure of it," the azure-haired boy snarked and wordlessly summoned a book with a snap of his fingers. He also created a quill and began to write without losing track of Svanya in his field of view. "[Rewrite,]" he whispered and the book dissolved. Only then did he allow himself to look away, returning to his reading without a care in the world. "What did he just do?" Svanya couldn''t help but inquire. Rakna shrugged. "He did the same thing as me, probably," he said calmly. "He''s not the kind to tolerate his mind being at the mercy of something else. Though his method is definitely not as convoluted as mine. Let''s say he has the necessary gifts to remember you and more." Svanya blinked in shock. In just a day, she had met two people capable of oveing the curse guing her. "Are there more people like you two in your guild?" She asked hesitantly. "Hm considering even Credo has trouble overpowering your condition, only the most esoteric of us could deal with it. So" Rakna mused for a moment. "Other than Hans and I, Ceresta has a good chance of seeding. Astraea, and Artemis more recently, are special themselves. And my gut feeling tells me Lanata may surprise us if she tries." "you truly are an anomaly," she uttered. The therian smiled wryly. "I''ll take that as apliment," he said and headed for the elevator after reassuring Higure who was staring at Svanya with instinctual wariness. Rakna descended to the basement with his guildmates and approached the Anchor Point once the lights turned on automatically. Crystal Sight red up as he identified the 86 dimensional strings and had Eye of Symphony calcte the solving process once again. Compared to the five minutes the first time, hepleted it in less than two this time. The ellipse-shaped void appeared after the strings ovepped themselves and Rakna waved his hand down, pulling it apart to the size of a human being. A giant eye-like spiraling portal; the G was opened. "So, this is it," Svanya stepped forward. "Lilia, if you will." The buffer nodded quietly and her staff appeared in a sh. Her aura burst out of her body and to Rakna''s surprise, the aura itself began to write incantations in the air. "So, that''s the Aura Chant skill," he muttered to himself. It was one of the skills he had seen on her status but had not been used. It increased the speed of casting as well as its efficiency by recing regr chants. The cost was higher, but it was more than worth it. This ability could be considered a tier below Multi Cast. ? "[War God Descent C One Against All.]" "[Grace of The Demon King.]" "[Grace of ne Walker.]" ? Lilia intoned all three one after the other and silently cast at least a dozen more basic buffs. Once she was done, she finished by activating thest of her Nirvana Skills. It was something Rakna had thought to be impressive but didn''t worry about during their battle because it would have been a bit redundant for the test''s purpose. "[False Life,]" she added, her eyes glowing stronger than ever. For a second, a shapeless force on par with the one invoked by Rakna''s Tenth Tail encased Svanya before vanishing as if it was never there. ''False Life a skill that renders any fatal attack in the next twelve hours null and heals the victim in ordance with the potency of saidst blow; both injuries and energy. All-around recovery,'' Rakna narrowed his eyes. ''For a Nirvana, it''s on the simple side of things, but it''s still a great lifesaver.'' Svanya clenched her hands a few times and nodded. "I will be back within five minutes," she stated matter-of-factly. Though, simultaneously, she was also suggesting that if she wasn''t back within that time frame, they could consider her lost. "You better," Rakna scowled. "If you don''t, I''ll be dragging you back myself." She let out an amused smile. "That would defeat the purpose of my going there alone." "Then you know what to do." Svanya looked at him with half-lidded eyes and snickered. "It seems you''re honoring your word to protect me," she said. "Don''t worry. If I do not return, it might as well mean no one can, even Credo. That''s why he sent me. In the first ce, if the Boss can kill someone of my level from inside the Dungeon, no Host or Local in the System would be able to clear it..." "Stop talking," Lilia suddenly interjected with her lips drawing a t line. "Duration." "Oh, I apologize," Svanyaughed lightly. "We shouldn''t wait for the buffs to go away," she said and nodded onest time toward them before jumping inside the G. Rakna promptly nced at Lilia, whose expression was momentarily confused. But when she took a good look at the portal and her skill backlog, she gathered herself. It appeared she was used to working with Svanya and could quickly catch up to her ''erased'' memories. "Well, while she''s there" The therian turned around and went to sit down on the floor. Lilia tilted her head questioningly and he answered her unspoken question by bringing out the Enai Star. He then extended his hand out and a deck of cards appeared in his palm. ? ? ? ? System Procedure Detected! Do you wish to assimte The Tricker''s Sleeve with the Enai Star? Yes/No ? ? ? ? Before confirming, Rakna summoned his Tenth Tail, if just for the increased Luck and connection with his Soul, then pressed ''Yes'' without much hesitation. On cue, he felt his soul power and mana coalesce into one and join the Enai Star in his right hand as Obsidian Energy. The ck-purple energy jumped from the prism-like object onto the card deck and consumed it whole before returning to the Enai Star. Already, Rakna could sense a half-formed link between himself and the Item. ? ? ? ? Swallow the Enai Star to finalize the process. ? ? ? ? ''of course,'' the therian thought and brought the object to his mouth with a groan. ''There''s no level of strength one cannot attain as long as they eat random shit...'' "{Ironically urate,}" Fraymented right before Rakna swallowed the prism. Lilia recoiled slightly and reflexively shielded her eyes as purple fire burst out around the therian''s body. Again, she felt the unique aura of her new guildmate. It was mystifying to her how something so obviously powerful could feel so neutral. Sometimes, her senses would try to convince her it felt like Divinity, but at others, she was sure it was Infernity, but then it would be simple mana; until all of it just drowned in soul power. If Lilia had to describe how Rakna''s soul power felt like, she would say ''water''. Or to be exact, the taste of water. Tasteless, but fresh and reinvigorating. While she was lost in her thoughts, the process ended rather swiftly and the soul mes scattered with a small shock wave. She waved her hand to get rid of the remnants and then looked at Rakna whose body was being orbited by four iying rings of cards. They werepletely different from before. They were bigger than normal ying cards; looked as if made of obsidian; entuated by purple designs; and released a strange aura that absorbed light waves and air currents. The drawings on them were much more radiant and realistic as well. Each Diamond, Spade, Clover, and Heart symbol glowed purple, emerald, crimson, and cyan. The Ace Cards felt like nukes about to go off due to the energy they radiated, and the figure cards were eerie, to say the least. The Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Jokers their caricatures felt alive for theck of a better word. Lilia frowned several times when she mistook a fluctuation of purple light in the corner of her eyes for them moving. But, when she focused on them specifically, it progressively got worse. The King red at her; the Queen giggled; the Jack yawned; and the Joker smirked. "you shouldn''t stare too much," Rakna''s warning jolted her out of it and the cards promptly flew to his hand where they piled up into one neat deck. The therian seemed to be eying the cards with a certain amount of apprehension. Something about these cards felt like the Crystal Sage. Though, when he looked at its description, he couldn''tin much. ? ? ? ? ? The Enai Star is being digested by your body The Trickster''s Sleeve is being incorporated into your Status! --- The Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim is reacting! Prima Alkahest Materia Physique is reacting! Chalice of the Crystal Wolf is reacting! Chalice of Wishes is reacting! --- The Trickster''s Sleeve has been ssified as a Personal Skill! The Trickster''s Sleeve has mutated into The Philosopher''s Sleeve! --- ? The Philosopher''s Sleeve ? A skill created by converting a Red-Grade Utility Item with an Enai Star. It was assimted and transformed into a Personal Skill by the unique traits of Rakna Xiorra de. It retains its base capabilities but has ascended beyond the divine sources conferred to the Item and has touched the power of Original Transmutation. The Deck of The Philosopher''s Sleeve possesses 13 Cards for each Suit, with an additional pair of Jokers. Their power will scale off the user''s overall strength. Heart Cards will heal all ailments and injuries; Club Cards will build and create whatever the user wishes for; Diamond Cards will block and nullify all threats; Spade Cards will fell even the Gods and destroy all without resistance. The Joker embodies the fanciful Philosopher. Offer it tributes and it will grant your wish as long as an equivalent exchange is reached. Anything the user owns can be used as fuel to engender results surpassing the limits of the Four Suits. The Joker is generous and does not demand high prices but he never stops ying. He will honor the wish but Karma and Fate will decide how the result is manifested. ? Cost: Card Points [1~13] [Joker Cost: 20] Card Point Capacity: 54/54 CP Regeneration: 1 Per Day Cooldown: None. ? Note: Card Point Regeneration is powered by Obsidian Points and can be elerated by channeling a surplus of them into the skill. Additional Note: The user is granted feedback whenever a situation can or cannot be solved by one of the cards. And as a mutated skill, it is now possible for The Philosopher''s Sleeve to surpass its limits bybining several cards. ? --- ? The Harvester''s Soul has leveled up! Triad Star Aura has leveled up! x2 Wolfen Lord of Beasts has leveled up! x3 ? ? ? ? ? "I see," Rakna muttered to himself and drew two cards from the top of the deck. He fanned them in between his fingers and what he saw was two King of Spades. "It''s no longer card by card. There is a general stock of ''points'' that can generate any card at a specific cost. If I wanted, I could use these two Kings at the same time to create a bigger result." "?" Lilia closed the distance, looking over his shoulder with a curious face. "Want to see?" He snickered and she nodded quietly. He didn''t mind showing it to her so he shared the whole description of the skill. The young woman widened her eyes in surprise. She had seen many skill descriptions in her time inside the System. Some weak, some unique, and some overpowered. But this kind of esoteric type was the rarest and scariest. The reason for that was simple; its potential was unrestricted. "try me. Attack," she uttered and Rakna raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean... to try what cards I''d need to harm you?" She nodded twice and watched as he put down the two King Cards. And right after, he pulled one card from the top; it was a Jack. Lilia pouted; even if it was a figure card, it was the lowest rank and there was still the Ace above the King. Despite Rakna''s level being far lower than hers, it was still enough to harm her. With just one card to boot. She wondered what kind of attack a pair of Kings or Aces could do. Or more. Maybe it was possible to do things like a flush. Rakna noticed her reaction and smiled. "Don''t be too sad. This is the result after evaluating your current self without buffs or skills activated. And it scales with my ''strength'' now, not my level." She gave him a deadpan stare. "Cheat," she stated and he made a wry expression. Chapter 420: Chintamani’s Palace Chapter 420: Chintamanis Pce When Svanya came out of the G, she immediately located what she was looking for. Her senses picked up on the floating ind far into the distance better than even Rakna had. "I see," she grimaced when a terrifying presence abruptly concentrated on her. She didn''t have to do anything to counter it since Lilia''s buffs resisted it for her. Without wasting a second, she rushed forward and her speed peaked instantly. It was as if her movements had ignored all forms of wind-up or eleration. She blitzed toward the Dungeon dozens of times faster than sound. As soon as she did so, a barrage of multi-colored gems shot out of nowhere. One of those had been enough to punch a hole through Rakna''s torso before he could react, but Svanya simply waved her hand with a sneer. "I may despise this affliction but do not believe I failed to harness its power," she mumbled. Without fanfare, they all disappeared out of view as if erased from Existence.? * * * ? Arge draconic silhouette with six arms, wearing a dark robe, stiffened inside the Dungeon. "That girl" The Chintamani Lord''s oddly soft tone echoed and he fully turned his head in the direction of the ''offender''; his jewels illuminating his slitted white and ck eyes. "Empirical Dissociation Syndrome?" The creature muttered to himself. "Even Systema who draws upon the Laws of the Spiritual Tree cannot sustain the life of a mortal like this" He said and then noticed something else about the woman. "Ah a half-breed. A World Sage? That exins it. She seems of royal lineage as well. Quite a unique human." The Lord chuckled as she watched her approach. "Well, should I entertain myself a little?" ? * * * ? Svanya''s pupils narrowed and summoned a sheathed longsword in her hand. It looked ceremonial in appearance with all the expensive decorations it possessed. She gripped the handle and clicked it out of its scabbard right as a giant carved jewel flew at her from above like a meteor. And, incongruously, as if the time taken to swing the weapon had been ignored, Svanya sheathed the sword back and the jewel was shed in two. The two halves whizzed past her and crashed into the ground below, releasing yellow trails all the way. ''the energy packed into them didn''t detonate,'' Svanya thought warily and nced down at the cut jewel. She shuddered when she saw dirt, stone, water, and air gather around each half. Before long, two giant golems made from earthly elements were raised with the divided jewel as their cores. She was sure that there wasn''t such a spell imbued into the precious stone when she cut it. But it somehow spawned a golem; one for each of its split parts. That wasn''t normal. It was as if the very nature of the jewel automatically created a body with what it could get its hands on. Wordlessly, she allowed them to swing their colossal arms at her and held her sword vertically in front of her. She waited for them to be as close as possible and then revealed the pristine de of her weapon for half a second before it was retracted with another metallic click. On cue, the golems'' arms split as if peeled in two directions. From their knuckles to their shoulders, hundreds of meters worth; all of it was neatly sliced. Svanya''s eyes flicked toward the Dungeon and she activated her power again. This time, what was ignored was the distance between her and her destination. Not unlike teleportation, she traversed the rest of the distance in one instant. Truth was, while it was a fool''s errand to do so, she was one of the few in her guild that could have actually made their way to this ce without Rakna''s G. For most, teleportation would havepensated for the distance. For her? Making the trip with her innate speed would have indeed taken potential years, but the power earned from her affliction was a different matter altogether. She existed, and at the same time didn''t. This bizarre state she lived in was eventually exploited for herself. If she had to get rid of a projectile, she could switch its existence from real to nothing. If she had to swing a sword, she simply did so while in a state of ''inexistence'' and when she returned to ''reality'', the world would catch up to her action. If she had to go somewhere, she could erase her existence from where she stood and reform herself somewhere she had a spatial awareness of. This was the power of the Unseen One that had unnerved Ensis himself. Of course, it had its limits and could be ovee with raw power, but thetter was something she also possessed. "You use it well, child," a voice boomed outside of the Dungeon and Svanya shivered. She gazed at the floating ind from up close, renewing her impression of it. The dirt seemed like amber, the stone was silver, the vegetation was made of emerald and jade, the water looked like liquid sapphire, the fruits were rubies, and the citadel built in the center of the ind had at least a hundred more types of gemstones incorporated into it. Even the clouds in the direct vicinity of the Dungeon resembled diamonds and quartzes more than anything else. Fascinatingly, Svanya wasn''t overwhelmed. Thebination of brilliance and color somehow felt natural to the eye and blended in with its organic counterpart. "Are you a friend of that young wolf?" The voice asked and she scowled. Svanya remained silent and extended her hand, touching an invisible barrier. ? ? ? ? ? Hidden Dungeon, Chintamani''s Pce, discovered! --- Entry Requirements: None. Level Limit: None. Party Limit: 10. --- Do you wish to enter? Yes/No --- Please select a difficulty: ? ??? ? ? ? ? ? ? Svanya furrowed her eyebrows. ''It''s worse than expected...'' "Frightened?" The voice returned with a teasing tone and her expression twitched. "If that is all you''re going to do, princess, then you might want to leave as soon as you can." The regal woman shuddered at his words and before she knew it, tens of golems like the ones she had partially destroyed just a moment ago began to rise from thend around the ind, and even more behind her. Each of them was big enough to be considered a true titan. Hexagonal jewels of various colors sprouted from the center of their torsos and began to chargerge rays pointed at her. Just one of those could level a city, much less all of them at once. Altering the state of her existence wouldn''t be enough to dodge or defend. "Tch," she clicked her tongue and flew up, circling a golem that was cutting off her line of sight with the G; she could only ''teleport'' to ces she could see with her own eyes. Her soul became thin and switched states; but unexpectedly, she found herself reappearing halfway to the portal. She widened her eyes and then swiped to her right with her fist, deflecting a wind de heading toward her. At the same time, a flock of pterodactyl Wilden swarmed her, releasing an unnaturally high amount of aura for their level and blocking her advance. One of them especially looked like a wyvern and was flying where she had intended to ''teleport'' to. Normally, regr monsters of the Fifth teau wouldn''t even survive a flick of her finger, but each of those in her current vicinity had a strange feature; a jewel encrusted into their foreheads. ''He can do it with living beings too?'' She scowled. ''And it makes them strong enough to interfere with my nas Midn? Just how much power do those jewels contain? And how?'' She wondered and tossed her sword into the air. She curled her fingers and crossed her arms as if pulling on something tied to each of them. Light glimmered around her and the Wilden froze in ce. Svanya twirled her wrists afterward and in the blink of an eye, the hundreds of artificially enhanced beasts had their wings clipped. Their blood rained as she caught her sword during its fall. She dashed forward in a burst of speed, approaching the G, where the unscathed Wyvern began to charge a breath with the help of the shining white jewel on its forehead. Svanya gripped her sword and narrowed her eyes. "Get out of my way," she spat and in return, the wyvern roared out a white beam of raw energy. It didn''t feel like mana or ki; it was as if someone had extracted the very concept of power and given it shape. "[Lepda Plgmatos,]" she whispered and hundreds of glowing strings coiled around her de as she unsheathed it. Then, once again, her body skipped all physical steps and before the white wave of energy could strike her, it halted on its path and she rocketed into it without a care. From her mere movements, the energetic attack copsed into square shapes as if a grid had gone through it and partitioned it. The Wyvern was simrly immobile, but when Svanya reached it, she did not even need to make contact for the body to crumble in the same way. And, as she sensed the golems about to fire their attacks, she swiped the white jewel that had been fused with the Wyvern and jumped into the G. ? * * * ? The Chintamani Lord chuckled to himself after she was gone and snapped his fingers. His golems immediately stopped and their energy flowed back into their cores. Without difficulty, everything was canceled and the golems rejoined thendscape of the Fifth teau''s swamp after falling apart. "She pilfered one of my jewels, huh?" He remarked in amusement. "Oh, well, it''s irrelevant. I await the next time you visit along with the wolf who is supposed to devour me." ? * * * ? Svanya gracefullynded inside Rakna''s training room, rendering her momentum nonexistent. She breathed out in relief and looked at the therian who had been in the middle of dismissing a crystal-like deck of cards out of view. They nodded at each other and Rakna approached the G. He grabbed the edge of the portal and then pulled it down, almost like closing a curtain. When the two edges of the elliptical gateway got close, they attached to each other like mas and closed for good. "So?" Lilia tilted her head at Svanya. The regal woman grunted. "It''s worse than we thought. Also" She trailed and looked down at her hand that she knew should have been gripping a certain jewel. But all that was left was a handful of white powder. "that Boss is the real deal." "Solo?" "It''s not that bad," Svanya shook her head. "There are no requirements or level caps. And the party limit is 10. Normally, that would have been more than enough for our guild''s caliber, but not only is the Boss powerful enough for his presence and abilities to bleed outside the Dungeon to a great extent, but the difficulty option was locked and redacted. I''m not sure 10 of us is enough" She proceeded to recount what she saw while Rakna''s eyes wandered toward the white dust that had slid down her grip. Golden crosses shed over his pupils and he frowned slightly. "Do you see anything?" Svanya eventually asked him as Lilia was busy writing down the content of their conversation in the Guild Chat before she forgot it. "Not exactly" He mumbled. "Though, this jewel was definitely a Chintamani sort of." "How so?" "I believe it''s a piece of a bigger whole. A Chintamani should essentially be something on the level of a Philosopher''s Stone. It''s most likely not ''transmutation'', but a concept equally powerful. That it crumpled to dust in your hand means what you took was just an extension; a bit like the material of my body that loses power after getting away from me for too long." "Hm," Svanya hummed in understanding, even if she was missing some details. "Then, is this based on distance? The moment I took the portal, it lost all the power it had inside of it." "Right. You said each of them had extreme amounts of energy inside of them and could act as cores for all kinds of vessels?" "Yes. The way those golems were formed or how the Wilden were ''possessed'' seemed like a natural reaction to the stones themselves, not a skill or spell. Also, the energy itself had no affinity. It felt removed from ordinary types like heat, electricity, light, or motion." "Uh, then something simr to Cura''s Nirvana or my obsidian star''s points," Rakna held his chin in thought and recalled a term he saw just earlier on The Philosopher''s Sleeve. ''Original Transmutation simr to Original Mana,'' he thought. "{It could be rted to the Lost Era,}" Fray chimed in. "{The more I hear the term, the more I have a hunch that it rtes to those times. Hans told us, didn''t he? That back then mana was something you breathed in like air. Maybe to us, you could ssify that mana as the ''original one''.}" ''Hm, that''s reasonable. But what would the Chintamani Lord be in that case? Is he a relic of the past like Hans and Gulon, or is the Chintamani itself the relic, and he''s just the holder?'' "{You could always ask the Wailful Nightmare if he knows anything about it.}" ''Will do.'' "Hey. Efficiency master," L suddenly said and Rakna slowly looked at her. "Are you calling me?" "Yes." "please don''t call me that." "master?" "That''s worse..." He facepalmed. "Hell, if you start calling me that way after returning from my territory, your father might seriously murder me." She blinked and then shrugged. "Chat," she simply said. Rakna sighed and opened the Guild Chat. ? ? ? ? Obsidian, how many ces out of the ten will you need in the party? Damn, the boss is really trusting the kid wait a minute That''s discrimination! No one cared about my opinion when I first joined! <Clown> I believe you being you is more than enough for an exnation. Fuck you! ? ? ? ? "As lively as ever," Rakna deadpanned and focused on the message Ensis had pinged him in. He was asking how many people he would bring to the Dungeon. "...can''t help it," he muttered to himself, and without warning, gray lines began to fume under his skin, startling Svanya and Lilia. "Lanata, Hans, Ceresta, Fiora, and Kaelith" The therian frowned as he listed the names. The roster suggested to him by Founding Intuition wasn''t that surprising, but there was something else the ability was trying to tell him that he couldn''t quite understand. He was about to answer Credo''s question when a realization hit his mind. "Of course" He smiled to himself and then replied after disengaging his Firmament Monarch ability. ? ? ? ? Give me four slots; me included. Understood. We''ll discuss a date for the raidter on. Got it. ? ? ? ? "{Four?}" Fray asked in confusion. ''Think about it for a while and you''ll get it,'' Rakna snorted. "{?}" "Well, my work here is done," Svanya sighed and returned her longsword to her storage. Lilia hummed audibly and looked up. "Stay. Socialize," she nodded with determination. Rakna sweatdropped. "Knock yourself out but if you want to socialize, I don''t rmend going for Hans, or Cura, if he visits. Try Ceresta or Evelyn, I think you could be good friends." The young woman mused for a while before nodding. "You too, Svanya," he followed up and the blonde''s expression shifted as if she had heard something totally unforeseen. "You probably don''t ''socialize'' a lot, as Lilia eloquently put it, but try if you don''t have anything else to do. In fact, consult Hans about a method to make others remember you. If it was up to me alone, I wouldn''t be confident in developing a solution any soon, but he might be able toe up with something." Svanya gawked at him in a mix of hope and uncertainty. "I will try," she muttered. "However, are you noting up with us?" "Nah, I have a few things to review with my status and items," he said and sat cross-legged on the floor once again. "And most importantly I''m going to finish a Quest right now." Chapter 421: Preparation Chapter 421: Preparation After sending Lilia and Svanya off, with Pronos happily apanying them after he somehow had convinced them to let him try their cleavage as pillows, Rakna was left alone in the training room. "I swear that little guy is more perverted than even Higure" The therian uttered. "Or maybe he''s passionately hunting for perfection..." "{Though it seems via''s are still his favorite for now,}" Fray chuckled. "So, it seems," Rakna chortled and opened his status. "Anyway, let''s see..." First of all, he still had 50 Vtile Points unassigned after he got his Advent of Creation title. He checked the Dragon yer''s perks as well, but other than an increase in damage and a passive skill to sense draconic beings, there was nothing else. It did have the detail of somewhat increasing his statistics if he drank dragon blood though "Well, eating hearts is enough for me at the moment," he snorted and assigned the Vtile Points to Dexterity, which already had the other half of his movable points. The increase thus tallied up to 33.3 in total, respective to his Ascent. "And speaking of hearts" He pulled out the still-fresh muscle from the World Boss. If he kept the Tenth Tail up, he was confident in being able to assimte it. His transmutation gave him a way to regte the flow of energy when using Harvester; ridding the excess and converting it into other types of energy. In this case, Obsidian Points were the safest choice. Before proceeding, he made sure to turn into a werewolf to increase his attributes and match the size of the muscle. He lifted it and ate it all in one bite. Immediately, the most violent rush of power he had ever felt flooded into him. He growled and controlled the flow to activate Scavenger. ? ? ? ? ? Heart of Lv.620 Liminal Dark Sea Krymog Dragon absorbed. Absorption Factor = 16.3% A great draconic energy has roused the Second Genome''s, the Royal Luqu''s, hunger! Absorption Factor has increased to 24%! ? 10th & 11th Ascent Attributes Recognized C Correction Applied. +504 => 6 048 STR +476 => 5 236 END +606 => 7 272 SPD + 288 => 3 168 DEX +401 => 4 411 INT ? Note: These numbers do not take into ount Ascent Stages. --- Warning! Internal Surcharge Imminent! Critical Condition Detected! --- Warning! The risk of death is increasing rapidly! Seek urgent intervention! ? ? ? ? ? "Just shut up!" Rakna snarled out. Glowing blue fissures appeared all over his body, breaking it like ss, as star energy and purple mes red out to continuously repair it. He punched the ground with both hands when the pain began to reach his soul, shaking the entire basement. With his ws buried in the floor, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the deepest part of the Obsidian Star. The numbers shown were not actually as ludicrous as they looked due to Ascent Corrections, but the highest could still easily rocket his base value to above 900. The problem was that his body, and more specifically, his life force, was not ready to handle that kind of power. Skills and techniques that boosted attributes were built upon a base, but augmenting attributes was something dangerous to do without proper procedures or life force; i.e., levels. Truth be told, Rakna had an idea of how to deal with that weakness, but he felt like he would probably need his fourth genome to do so. "For now just go away," he grunted to himself and felt as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders as he poured the excess energy into his soul. The Obsidian Star happily swallowed it and turned it all into the malleable conceptual energy the System had aptly named Obsidian Points. ? ? ? ? ? Internal Surcharge Rerouted! Danger Subverted! Your Soul Power has grown stronger! Wisdom of The Soul has leveled up! The Harvester''s Soul has leveled up! --- Obsidian Star Magic is growing stronger! Mystic Magic is reacting! Your Race, Alkahestic ???-Tailed Werewolf, is reacting! Your Path, ???-Tailed Werewolf, is reacting! Your Sub-Path, Ten-Tailed Nephilim, is reacting! The Host''s magic affinities are merging! You have gained the Origin Compound Magic; Ten-Tailed''s Mystic Stars! --- Ten-Tailed''s Mystic Stars (???) ? - Obsidian Star: The Voracious Star thatys below Harvest. It embodies its holder''s life and the never-attained aspirations of Olden Alchemists. - Everfrost Star: The Freezing Star that orbits within the Obsidian, flickering eternally as the first of the container''s materials and the inception of ceaseless permanency. - Neverwinter Star: The Scorching Star that orbits within the Obsidian, erupting eternally as the second of its container''s materials and the inception of perpetual destruction. ? Origin Compound Effect C Mystic Star: For each tail the user possesses, magic attack, casting speed, and other numerical effects will be increased by 10% without cost. ? Note: The trinity that makes up Rakna Xiorra de''s soul. --- Your Race has evolved into Alkahestic Ten-Tailed Beast! Your Path has stabilized into Ten-Tailed Werewolf! Moon Shine of The Nine Moons has evolved into Moon Shine of The Ten Moons! Effects have been strengthened! The number of Lunar Points per tail has been increased to 2,000! Shape Shift has evolved into Mystic Shift! --- Attribute increases have been restrained by the Obsidian Star. +1 018 STR +989 END +1 130 SPD +780 DEX +860 INT --- All Attributes have been capped. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna sighed when the cracks healedpletely. His soul mes spiraled around him for a second before disappearing and, after calming down, he noticed that his body had undergone changes. It wasn''t anything major, but he could see that his fur was glossier and sharper looking somehow. With Crystal Sight, he knew that his eyes, which usually turned into swirls when transforming into a werewolf were now more geometric, with purple sclera and ck pupils. He mused and clenched his fist, noting that his arms and torso were a bit wider. And if he wasn''t wrong, his legs appeared to simrly have more muscle on them. "Well, I didn''t exactly aim for any of this but" He muttered whilst ncing at the notifications in the corner of his eyes. "But it''s a wee surprise, I suppose. So, my stars essentially united under one banner while gaining a more passive version of the Mystic Magic''s boost convenient. I guess the energy I fed the Obsidian Star made it tip over. And my Race and Path have stabilized" Rakna squinted his eyes and opened the description of Mystic Shift. ? ? ? ? ? - Mystic Shift: A skill exclusive to Rakna Xiorra de, the Ten-Tailed Beast who has appropriated itself the genome of a Nine-Tailed Wolf. Reaching levels of mysticism far greater than the Nine-Tailed Ones, this trait grants the ability to not only shift between three forms but also wield the traits of other species, imprinted in the Obsidian Star, at the cost of soul power. Forms: Wolf (+140% Speed), Werewolf (+70% All Attributes), Therian. ? Note: The attribute multiplicator scales off the user''s number of tails. It is also possible to transform while limiting the number of tails and their power if desired. ? ? ? ? ? "I see. My wolf form has be much more worthwhile and this trait also skips the step of having to summon the Soul Shades from my soul to assimte them," he mused. "But I won''t get the extra attributes if I use this method. But I admit it''s more efficient." "{The day you will stop being so absurd is a pipe dream, isn''t it?}" Fraymented. "I certainly don''t intend to ever stop," Rakna smiled and checked his attributes. ? ? ? ? ? Base Attributes: STR: 300* + 306.2 | END: 300* + 280.3 SPD: 300* + 338.4 | DEX: 300* [+33.3] + 205.6 INT: 300* + 325.7 | LCK: 10 ? Werewolf Attributes: STR: 510 | END: 510 SPD: 510| DEX: 510 INT: 510 | LCK: 10 ? Tenth-Tail + Werewolf Attributes: STR: 1020 | END: 1020 SPD: 1020 | DEX: 1020 INT: 1020 | LCK: 20 ? Avable Vtile Points: 0/100 (Ascent Correction: 0/33.3) Avable Attribute Points: 365.6 (Ascent Correction: 121.9) Avable Skill Points: 3 ? ? ? ? ? "Heh," the werewolf snickered. "No wonder I feel so full of energy right now." "{Goodness}" "Hm I was thinking of trying thister on, but it should be fine if I just limit it to attributes" "{Uh?}" Fray eximed at Rakna''s muttering. "{What do you mean?}" Instead of replying, the werewolf closed his eyes and breathed out softly. The Obsidian Points he umted just before moved at hismand to assist in a new transmutation. "[Philosopher Craft C ?aiya Adhikram,]" he intoned and his Personal Craft manifested inside his own body. As soon as he activated the skill, the System chimed. ? ? ? ? ? A new entry has been added to your Personal Skill; Philosopher Craft. You have learned ?aiya Adhikram [Authority of Control]! --- Error! Error! Error! An external influence is intruding upon the System Firewall measures failed! Analyzing --- The error has been rationalized as a Skill Effect. You have gained 1 456.2 Attribute Points! ? ? ? ? ? "{what?}" Fray uttered dumbly. Rakna chuckled and opened his base attributes again. ? ? ? ? ? Base Attributes: STR: 300*| END: 300* SPD: 300* | DEX: 300* [+33.3] INT: 300* | LCK: 10 ? Avable Vtile Points: 0/100 (Ascent Correction: 0/33.3) Avable Attribute Points: 1 821.8 (Ascent Correction: 607.3) Avable Skill Points: 3 ? ? ? ? ? "{What in the}" Fray''s confused voice sounded. "{No, wait I mean, this is not that shocking of a thing to do since you can already reassign your attributes at will, but" "But the implications that I can do this are immense, aren''t they?" Rakna finished for him. "That is just the lesson I learned with my power; all things can be transmuted. No exception." "{Then, if you use your attributes or skills like resources}" "Yes. Theoretically, I can turn them into levels," the werewolf nodded. "But that''s for the future. It''s not something I can do yet. Life force exists on a deeper level than physical. Attributes aren''t even mine per se; I transmuted the resources given to me by the System." "{So you need to reach the next stage of the Philosopher''s Stone''s creation. How?}" "My soul, and thus the Obsidian Star, is already optimal for it. What iscking now is my physical body. This Prima Materia is enough to be a container, but not a satisfying constituent. In a way, my current body is hindering the Obsidian Star. And the solution to that is simple." "{Your fourth genome,}" Fray concluded. Rakna merely nodded, ending the conversation as he pressed ''Yes'' to proceed with an Ascent. ? ? ? ? ? Undergoing Third Ascent Five Attributes Capped C Quintuple Ascent --- Your body''s metaphysical resistance has ascended to the next stage! Opponents that have attributes lower than 300 will have their damage halved. Vtile and Free Points will now be worth 0.25 each. --- For your Third Quintuple Ascent; you are rewarded with a Random Tier 5 Skill Card. Your statistics will increase by 50, except your MP and MR which will increase by 500 and 5. --- ? Base Attributes: STR: 300 => 301 | END: 300 => 301 SPD: 300 => 301 | DEX: 300 => 301 INT: 300 => 301 | LCK: 10 ? Avable Vtile Points: 100/100 (Ascent Correction: 25/25) Avable Attribute Points: 1 821.8 (Ascent Correction: 455.45) Avable Skill Points: 3 ? Base Statistics: STA: 2 334 | MP: 14 880 SWI: 1 648.8 | AGI: 1 487.6 SEN: 9 628 | ATC: 1 515 ATK: 2 751.8 | DEF: 2 148 MA: 1180.3 | MR: 197/min LP: 12000 [+2 000 Tenth] | TD [5]: 137.6 OP: 6 785/???? ? ? ? ? ? "That''s good enough," Rakna huffed. "I''ll hoard my attribute points for now but the vtiles can go to dexterity again," he muttered to himself and then closed his status. Without wasting time, he took out the armor he had earned from killing the Liminal Dragon. A jet-ck full-body armor with blue ents immediately appeared next to him, standing upright as if sustained by a stand. Rakna stood up, reverting into a therian at the same time, and knocked against the item with his knuckle. "Hm cool design," hemented. "Not that it''ll matter for long," he snorted and on cue, the sleeve of his outfit elongated andtched onto the armor like a spider web before swallowing it. When Allegro retracted, the armor had disappeared and Rakna''s clothes had been altered slightly even if still maintaining their ''casual'' mode. The outfit''s colors looked sleeker for one, with greater shades of blue and red than before, and it also felt much morefortable. ? ? ? ? ? Allegro is absorbing the Red Rarity Item, ''Armor of the Krymog'' Item Set Feature has been consumed! Allegro, Scherzo, and Wight Andante havebined into Vivid Symphony! --- Designation: Armor Set/Full-Body Exo-Armor Name: Vivid Symphony Rarity: Exotic Durability: 100% ? Effects: +2 500 (A)DEF / +200 ATK / +100 MA / +1000 MP ? Perks: ? - Intertwined Miniature Eion Systems - Eion Energy Production. - Eion Exoskeleton: The fibers of the item are constantly contracted by the Eion Energy flow and will increase the wearer''s Agility and Attack by 250 at all times. This flow will also be able to regte the wearer''s temperature to allow him to explore all environments without trouble. ? - Scherzo - Wight Andante - Talpa Scherzo - Symphony Key - Dreorin Spirit - Wind Incarnation - Manesis Charm ? - Faded Tale: A perk granted by Scherzo after consuming an item capable of casting low-level illusions on specific objects. After bing an Armor Set, the effect is shared with Allegro and Andante. When wearing the mask, the user will be cloaked with a perception filter capable of making weaker individuals ignore your presence. - Marked By The mes: By bathing in Ardent Soul mes, the very concept of corporality has partially been burnt off Vivid Symphony. This results in a bridge being connected between the item and Rakna Xiorra''s soul, conferring it the behavior of an iplete Soul Item. - Revenge Counter: This perk was granted to Allegro after consuming the Item, Revengeful Helm of The Dying Warrior. When the user receives damage, the armor will store and multiply it by between two to five times. The storage limit depends on the total number of Attributes the user possesses across the board. Once the counter reaches its limit, it can be activated to release everything in one attack. - Krymog Scales: A perk that passively increases the defense of the item by 100% and actively transforms every part of the armor into living scales capable ofplex movements and autonomous counter and defense. - Dragon Fear: This item is imbued with the power of a dragon that has reached the peak of its race''s power. Any beast attuned to the aura of a dragon will fear the armor as well as the one who wears it. - Aqerite''s Blessing: This armor originates from a Krymog whose magicprised the mastery of the Stone of The Abyssal Sea, Aqerite. This perk allows the user to infuse the armor with water at the cost of mana to temporarily increase defense and weight. - A Lng''s Birthright: The Lng Dragons have the birthright of ruling over the Heavens. They can fly without magic, wind, or rules. To a Lng, flying itself is the muscle; wings are worthless. This perk allows the wearer of this armor to fly like a Lng and resist all debuffs that would impede the ability to do so. Flight speed will scale off the Speed Attribute. ? Description: A three-set masterpiece forged, crafted, and put together by a master artisan and cksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of de. It has since consumed other Items and evolved to possess several perks, which include magic negation, damage counter, and the vestiges of a rare liminal dragon. Due to continuous exposure to Rakna Xiorra''s soul power, it has also begun to show signs of turning into a soul-bound object. ? Note: Evolvable. ? ? ? ? ? Rakna whistled at the description, fiddling with Scherzo that had appeared on its own. Frankly, he had neglected the evolution of Allegro quite a bitpared to Sonata, but what he was seeing was impressive nheless. As things stood, the strongest perks were by far Manesis Charm, Revenge Counter, and Krymog Scales. The first was created by the influence of Cuniya''s powers and could negate magic damage by anywhere between 1 and 99%. Revenge Counter was from an item he had received from his Second Ascent. It only had one perk and a low defense, so he thought it would be good armor to assimte. And now, Krymog Scales was practically the ultimate defense perk. "Still, this time around, this evolution increased the defense value by a lot," Rakna remarked after reading everything. "My defense has practically doubled on top of the extra effects. Maybe I should focus a bit more on Symphony now at least until it bes a Soul Equipment like Sonata." "{Yay, more overpowered toys for you,}" Fray deadpanned. Rakna smiled at that and mentallymanded his sleeve to momentarily turn into dark scales. He nodded at the responsiveness and then took out the Random Skill Card he had just gotten to finish things up. The nk card with a stylized question mark appeared in his hand and promptly began to glow as it activated. It slowly changed colors and shape until the new Skill Card was formed. "Hm?" Rakna raised an eyebrow at what he saw. "This is interesting but what would oh," he let out a smirk as he opened his status again. "Well, aren''t you perfect" ? * * * ? When the therian was done with his preparations, he once again sat cross-legged on the floor and breathed in. He pressed on the button next to his Path and a System window popped up. A simple yes and no question. "All right," he cracked his neck. "Let''s get this done," he uttered and vanished from his house. ? ? ? ? ? Simtion Transfer Complete. Path Quest Resumed; Ancient Sentinel of The Moon C Second Act: Distorted Evil. The Host''s form and physical abilities have been readjusted to match the state taken during the First Act of the Simtion, but all skills or spells learned since then can be used. Much like before, the Second Act has several possible goals and clearing conditions. Feel free to do whatever fancies you. ? ? ? ? Chapter 422: Lunisolar Blaze Chapter 422: Lunisr ze When Rakna woke up, he was lying down on something soft. He snapped his eyes open and found himself staring at a carved moonstone ceiling. He groaned and sat up, instantly getting used to his current form as a Nine-Tailed Werewolf and the abundant supply of lunar energy in the air. "So, physically, I''m the exact same as when I came here the first time," he muttered to himself. "But my skills, soul, and magic have carried over. Good to know. With my current strength, I could easily subdue Ramsa if we fought again." With that said, he looked around the room he was in. Based on the materials and therge bed he was on, which looked more like a big pile of nkets and feathers rather than an actual mattress, he could tell he was still inside the capital of the Lunar Kingdom. The carvings in the walls were also too ''edifying'' to be a random house, so he was either inside the Shrine that previously sealed the Moon God or some other sacred structure. "Though what the hell is she doing?" Rakna deadpanned at the woman sleeping on a chair next to his bed at a fair distance. The long ck hair, the slightly pointed ears, and the red orbs he knew hid under her eyelids; this was indeed Lilith. "hey, Yamul," the werewolf raised his voice and the demoness breathed quietly, still asleep. With a roll of his eyes, he stood up, flexing his limbs and tails. He approached her and ced two fingers in front of her face before snapping them. "Yah--!" The sound, apanied by a small burst of mana, instantly woke her up. She yelped in fear and fell off her seat, though quickly recovered herself by performing a cartwheel. The beautiful woman hastily looked up when she noticed a shadow being cast over her and pursed her lips as the tall werewolf gazed down at her with its daunting purple eyes. "Good dreams?" The Sentinel asked with a raised eyebrow and she blushed a little. "That''s ahem," she cleared her throat and straightened herself. "I''m sorry. I must have been a bit too tired," she continued more calmly. "I was watching over you at the request of the Moon God." ''Watching over me? Did I faint at the end of the First Act?'' Rakna frowned and she stiffened. "Putting aside the reason why he would order a demoness and why you even listened, how long have I been unconscious?" "four days." "And I suppose a few things happened in the meantime?" The werewolf scoffed and walked toward the door, with her stepping in line behind him. "That''s correct" She nodded with an unreadable expression. "Is Ramsa alive at least? I hit her with quite a vicious anti-divine spell, after all." "The Sun God is alive, yes. The Moon God stabilized her after you fell unconscious," she said. "When the seal over the Shrine was lifted, he shed away and returned with both of you unconscious. He also used his powers to repair the half of the moon that had been destroyed by your battle." "I see." Rakna wasn''t that surprised. For a Heavenly God, rebuilding a moon was a simple feat, not to mention it was his Domain. And it was good to know that his ''mother'' was still alive. It might just have been a scenario setting, but killing her would have left a bad taste in his mouth. As he thought that, he walked out of the building and ended on a main street of the city, which had seen better days for sure. The earthquakes and energy upshots caused by him battling Ramsa had caused some significant damage. Though "What is that thing?" Rakna asked, looking up at the gigantic form looming over the city like an endlessly tall mountain. It had a spiky carapace, almost like a turtle, with a curved shape that fitted its body, and a lion head with fur colored like his scales; light shades of brown. It also had a pair of massive ck wings, four pairs of forward-facing horns, and four legs of which two had extremelyrge ws. It had two tails that initially separated at the base but then joined as one at the tip. Bone-like spikes were iid in the inner part of said tail and if contracted would certainly be as threatening as any beast''s jaw. "That is the Tarasque," Lilith said with a sigh. "He''s our hidden card, created by our God long ago, even before he fell to corruption and became a Demon God." "Riveting. But what I would like to know is why it''s here." "Mino," she answered sinctly. "He''s our King''s butler. Apparently, he had been sent here in case the Sun-Dwellers caused any issues, such as indirectly damaging the Shrine or stopping us from lifting the seal. He summoned Tarasque to protect the city from the chaos of your battle." "" Rakna squinted his eyes at the creature. ''it''s strong. And it has a simr aura to Fiora. A beast born from celestial concepts but not divine itself. Well, as long as it''s not hostile'' "Ah, the big bad wolf''s awake?" A male voice sounded from his left and a demon wearing a mage''s robe approached them with azy stride. "Remember me?" He waved his hand. "Norio, lightning mage and formation expert, at your service." "Yes, I remember," the werewolf responded and inspected his surroundings, observing the Moon-Dwellers as they worked on several construction sites, both with magic and manually. They would respectfully bow to him whenever they crossed him. The thing though, is that there were demons helping with the repairs too. "I suppose this is a good time to ask" Rakna uttered. "What happened in thest four days? Why are you not wing at each other''s throats anymore?" Norio sweatdropped. "You almost sound disappointed you''re not worried?" "No," the werewolf retorted nkly. "I don''t really care about what either of your races do." "right." "It''s because of two things," Lilith decided to exin. "We achieved what we came here to do and have no desire to do anything else, especially with the Moon God being capable of decimating us if he wanted to." Rakna scowled. "That hardly exins anything," he uttered. "My ''father'' has talked to you, hasn''t he? Did he give you an ultimatum? Why are you not returning to Earth now that your precious God you did all of this for is returning?" "" Norio and Lilith both fell silent at that and lowered their heads. "What is that reaction" "Rakna." The werewolf was interrupted by someone calling him. He widened his eyes and turned around, standing face to face with an absurdly beautiful man with silver eyes and hair, who had sneaked up behind him without triggering his senses. ''No, it''s not that I couldn''t sense him... Heavenly God or not, my sense-stat is reaching numbers even the highest-level Hosts might not have. But he''s the Moon God standing in his Domain, in the middle of the capital of the kingdom that worships him and looped by even more moons. He is Lunar Energy given form, so of course he would be able to blend in with the ambient one'' "You look startled," the Moon God smiled. "I used to do this a lot when you were younger. You hated it quite a lot now that I think about it." Rakna''s eye twitched. "Then don''t do it." "Haha, I will try," he joked good-naturedly. "Lord Soma," Lilith greeted with a cold but polite bow and Norio huffed, merely nodding. "Ah, Marquess. Thank you for watching over my son." "It was no trouble, sir." Rakna stared at them. "Mind exining what''s going on? Why are the demons not going on an unholy crusade against you? Aren''t you supposed to be a selfish bastard who refused to help the Earth God in a time of need?" Soma''s mouth curled upward in amusement. "It seems you''ve adopted quite thenguage." "" "Haha, no need to look at me like that," Soma shook his head and his smile turned a bit sad. "There is not much to exin. I merely revealed the truth to them." "The truth?" "Yes," he nodded. "Ramsa and I created you after the Earth God fell to corruption. So, I have never told you why I refused to help him or even why I decided to use the Law of Equivalence to kill both of us." "" "Simply said, I did not help because it was already toote." "Toote?" Rakna frowned. "Yamul told me he sought you out before he started losing his sanity." "Yes, but what I mean by ''toote'' is not the unfortunate corruption that befell Bhumi," Soma said, as he put a name on the former Earth God. "It''s what caused the Earth to die in the first ce. You heard the story, right? Why do you think the Earth became unable to sustain its inhabitants?" "Wasn''t it because of ack of resources?" "No," the Moon God denied. "Bhumi was the Earth God; think about it. He was more than capable of making the flourish for eternity as long as he remained alive. Yet, it slowly and gradually became inhabitable. Exactly like this," he pointed upward with his index finger. "What?" Rakna followed where he was pointing and blinked at the sight that had been hidden by the Tarasque a few minutes earlier. Last he came to this Simtion, the Earth had looked rather normal. Yes, the continents had been arid, almost gray and fuscous, and the oceans drained by half their capacity, but it had still looked like a simr to the one he was born in, beyond even just the name. But now it was all crimson. The water; thend; and the very atmosphere; everything appeared as if swallowed by red fog. "We''ve lost contact ever since it became like that," Lilith said with clenched fists. "I I don''t know what happened We just wanted our God to return... We wanted to save him in return" Rakna nced at the demoness as she muttered to herself with a torn expression. "Bhumi did not be a Demon God by himself," Soma stated solemnly. "Something much darker, eviler, and stronger had been sucking everything out of the. I refused to help because my intervention would have only endangered my people or elerated the process. Whatever it was that had been eating the from the inside out was atrociously fierce. My focus was not to help but survive." "" "Eventually, Bhumi made a hard choice; he exploited the exploiter. With his intellect and talent, he found a way to siphon the corrupting energy into himself and make it his. It cost him his mind, but with it, he found the power to demonize humans and save them. Incidentally, his actions had also slowed down whatever the abomination at the source of the problem was doing." "''Abomination'', huh?" Rakna repeated, his eyes shing golden as crosses split his pupils. He gazed at the Earth with them and hummed. "Something demonic no, more intense and primal." "So, you can tell. Your senses have be sharper," Soma praised. "Yes, you''re right. I didn''t know what it was back then and it was the least of my worries. Thankfully, Bhumi had be the hero in more ways than one. By absorbing and feeding on the ''miasma'', he became its lynchpin. Over time, the person I knew gradually died and he ultimately turned against us." The Moon God looked up again. "The reason? I can''t be sure. Maybe the demonic corruption gave him the urge to take revenge. Or perhaps he had been partially manipted by the ''abomination'' to procure another meal to feast on." "But you know the rest," he closed his eyes. "We waged a war. And you were created to fight with us; the Sentinel that protects the Moon. Truth be told, the initial n behind your creation was to make a counter for whatever force was corrupting the Earth." Rakna raised an eyebrow. "The idea was to make something with power so pure and dominant that it would be the nemesis of our enemy," Soma exined. "I believe we seeded. But for one reason or another, something went wrong or required variables; but we didn''t have the time. So, I relied on myst resort." "The Law of Equivalence," the werewolf said and he nodded. "As I said, Bhumi had be a lynchpin. In a way, you could consider him an Avatar, possessed by an unknown entity. So I cast the Law to essentially kill us both, putting a lid on it." "So, what? Did I mess it all up?" Rakna snorted and tilted his head toward the demons. "I allowed them to revive you. Is the ''thing'' going to wake up and wreak havoc?" Soma smiled thinly. "You don''t have to feel guilty. I never intended to remain dead eternally. What my final gambit gave us is time. There was always the risk of the ''abomination'' bing free from the pseudo-seal anyway." "Uh, uh. And what did that time give us, you genius?" The werewolf deadpanned. "It woke up and now it''s probably going tosh out as soon as it recovers from its ''nap''. During that time, you were basically dead, so you couldn''t possibly have prepared anything. And based on how Ramsa reacted to my attempt to release you, assuming she knew the n, she didn''t manage a solution either." The Moon God made a mncholic expression. "You misunderstand Ramsa." Rakna blinked. "How so?" "She was scared," he sighed. "Not only because of the risks it entailed, but also for you." "What?" "You asked what time gave us," Soma veered back into the initial topic. "First, it''s them," he waved at Lilith and Norio. "Before, Bhumi had been at the helm of an army of demons. But now they''re on our side." The werewolf looked at the duo and Lilith stood straighter, exuding the cold and determined aura she had disyed when he first shed with her. "This current situation is our fault, but the goal still has not changed," she dered. "We swore to grant our God the salvation he deserves, and that is what we will do. Whether it is rescuing him from corruption or putting an end to his suffering we will do it." Rakna silently looked at her and she gazed back without fear. "Our King; I don''t know if something happened to him, but I know he would agree with me. All the other Legions that had been sent to the other moons have already given their vote as well. If there is a new war, we will help you in it." "is that so?" The werewolf smirked. "I knew it was a good idea to spare you." She grinned back. "Of course." Soma smiled at them. "What greatradery already," he chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. And what''s the second thing time has given us?" Rakna snapped back. "That''s the wrong question," the Moon God smiled mischievously. "Then what''s the right question?" "What has time given you?" Rakna blinked in confusion before realization dawned upon him. "Wait, you mean" "Yes, you are the solution. Although I never ounted for the betrayal inflicted upon you, I put my full trust in your potential. I knew you would get stronger and so did Ramsa. She loves you like her own child, you know? She must have been devastated when she was told that you died. And when she saw you alive, trying to get me back, she must have feared you dying ''again''." "" "Regardless, you surpassed my expectations. Defeating her was a great feat alone, but ever since you woke up I can sense it. You''ve be even stronger," Soma smiled. "I''m proud of you." Rakna didn''t react to the praise. Some part of him felt warm, having used irvoyance to make the life of the ''Sentinel'' his own. But at the same time, the fact that this was ''fake'' weighed on his mind too much for him to appreciate it. "Give me your hand and release your soul power," Soma abruptly requested. The werewolf furrowed his eyebrows butplied nheless. He extended his arm and released his purple mes, the embers dancing along his fur. The Moon God smiled at the me and reached for it, holding his palm parallel to Rakna''s. "This is my gift to you," he said and the Soul mes began to be infused with a silver-white color starting from the outermost parts. "The power that was supposed to be yours to begin with." ? ? ? ? ? Philosopher''s Ardent Soul is being stimted! Sr Energy & Lunar Energy are being imbued into your soul power at a rapid rate! Soma, The Moon God, is awakening your Path further! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna gawked as the purple mes became wholly white and silver, erupting into a stronger form and shrouding his entire arm. Its light was absurdly pure and bright, but not blinding. The heat it produced was considerable, but it somehow felt like a refreshing breeze. ? ? ? ? ? The Ten-Tailed''s Mystic Stars are influencing your Path! The Philosopher''s Ardent Soul is influencing your Path! --- You have learned a new Path Skill, Lunisr ze of Absolution! You have learned a new Path Skill; Sun Shine of The Ten Suns! --- ? Lunisr ze of Absolution ? The Sun and Moon are two sides of the same coin and to a werewolf, that coin is their life''s gambit at power. But to a Ten-Tailed, whose every existence pushes the limits of all things, it would be a disgrace to only bet on one side. Moon Reflects Sun. It is only natural for a Ten-Tailed Werewolf who wields Stars to control even the Sun. By igniting the Obsidian Star''s mes with Sr and Lunar Energy and borrowing its power to act as a transmutative container, the user can wield the Lunisr mes edifying the cycles of Day and Night, Light and Dark, Future and Past, Hope and Fear, Life and Death, Truth and Lie The Sun and Moon form the pair of celestial forms orbiting the most living creatures in the entirety of Existence. They have witnessed and granted life more than any God has ever dreamed of doing. They burn naught and all at once and often whisper the Truth from the ashes. The Lunisr ze shall burn even greater on those who go against the Innate Order and erase the offenders with ultimate absolution. ? Cost: Soul Power ? --- ? Sun Shine of the Ten Suns ? This skill grants absolute control over Sr Energy ording to its cycle, with midday being the greatest and midnight the weakest. Just like Lunar Energy, it can be used as raw energy, but the passive effects it offers are different. The sun shines for all, rising proudly as the g of a new dawn. When under the sun at different times of the day, all forms of regeneration will be enhanced. Whether it be injuries, Mana, Soul, Ki, Intent, Psyche, etcetera. The effects can be umted up to a tenth level depending on the number of suns present. Cooldown: None. Sub Skills: [Sr Ascendant, Sr Howl, Sr Drop.] ? ? ? ? ? "Now, you''re ready," Soma said as Rakna was still processing the ''gift''. "All that is left is to immte all that stands in your way... you are the answer." Chapter 423: Reverie Eaters Chapter 423: Reverie Eaters Rakna yed with the silver-white me around his fingers, staring at the Earth in the sky at the same time. He had been analyzing it with Crystal Sight since earlier and shockingly, even that skill couldn''t seem to pierce through the crimson fog. He had tried several times to dig deeper, into the Original Language, but failed every time. It wasn''t as if he was doing something wrong or even that he was being blocked. There was just not a single thing to read. "{Is it necessarily strange? We don''t understand much about the Original Language, or what it may have to do with the Lost Era. It could be that there are things that just have nothing to be ''read''.}" "Maybe I have never seen that happen yet, but there''s a first for everything. It could also tie into the fact that this is a Simtion but there''s a thought that has entered my head ever since Soma gave me this me that keeps me reconsidering," the werewolf looked at the Lunisr ze. "{What about it?}" "This is a Path Skill that directly involves my Soul me, Obsidian Star, and Transmutation all at once. Is Soma really capable of giving it to me like that? Or, in other words, is the System capable of using him as a medium, inside a Simtion, to make me a skill that''s supposed to be partially out of its encoding limits?" "{When you say it like that}" "In fact, what are these Simtions?" Rakna muttered. "How are they made? How do they create a whole world like this for every Host running through one? What happens after the Simtion is over? The resources needed to make one should reasonably be wasteful. Unless they get recycled back into a source of power, that is. But in that case, that would mean they create true life and then kill it on repeat. That''s grim, even for me." "{I believe going down that train of thought is not a good idea,}" Fray advised. "A bad idea doesn''t equal meaningless," the werewolf huffed and extinguished the me by closing his hand. "I can''t ignore or disregard any oddity here because the Simtion itself is uncanny Regardless, what I get from Crystal Sight is that there is a twisted and beyond-demonic presence inside the itself. Is that the corruption source?" "{Could it be the itself gaining sentience? I have read that there are countless Earthen Gods outside the Systembeled ''Natural'' or ''Inborn'' that are essentiallys gaining consciousness and life.}" "I''m not sure It could exin why the Earth God was so helpless though. Since his own Domain was rebelling against him, he was forced to change to ''Demon'' instead. But it''s plenty possible that something sprouted inside the and then overtook it over time. Hell, it might not even have an exnation. This is a Simtion. But once again, the ''realism'' of this ce is cryptic" "{maybe we''re tackling this from the wrong angle. What is ''worse than a demon''?}" "Hm a Devil could have been a good answer, but that''s not urate. Honestly, I would say a Devil is something ''better than a demon'', subjectively speaking. What about you?" "{Hm I''m not quite sure. There are a lot of legends and types of monsters fitting the bill.}" "Well, how helpful. And you, big guy? Something to say?" Rakna looked down, addressing the giant creature whose head he was sitting on. He had jumped onto Tarasque''s head after parting from Lilith and Soma. The beast hadn''t even bothered to do anything. Not only could it sense the werewolf''s authority as an Emperor, but thetter''s Beast Tongue also made it easy for animals to trust him. And at the question, the Tarasque let out a quiet huff, breathing through its nostrils. "Oh,e on, you big oaf. Can''t even chat a little?" Another small growl echoed, but it was loud enough to startle a few people in the city below. "I''ll call you whatever I want," Rakna retorted without missing a beat. "More relevantly, how would you describe your creator if you had to?" Therge creature actually didn''t make any disgruntled noise at that. After about a minute, it gave an answer in the form of a soft snarl and the werewolf smiled in amusement. "An idiot, huh?" He reiterated with a chuckle. "Fair enough," he shrugged and nced upward again with a squint of his eyes. He stared at seemingly nothing, his focus wandering in and out of the red. "big oaf, heads up," he suddenly said and stood up. The Tarasque angled his head backward and looked up from the corner of his eyes; thousands of hazes could be seen distorting the darkness of space and approaching. Rakna used Crystal Sight to take a better look and almostughed. Wide bodies, smooth skin the color of a gxy, long and rectangr tails, t wings, and huge maws filled with white teeth that resembled ribcages more than anything. "What the hell is that? Space manta rays?" The werewolf jested as he extended his hand to the side and called Sonata into his grip. Lunisr mes immediately burst around the de and he smiled eagerly. "All right. Let''s see how this skill works out" ? * * * ? "Lady Lilith," someone called out to the Demon Marquess as she scowled at the sky. "I know, Ramil," she answered, the demonic living armoring to stand beside her. At the same time, Soma came out of the small hospital behind them along with udius, the young King of the Moon-Dwellers who carried the Fragarach gifted by the Sentinel. "He''s already moving" The Moon God remarked. "But sending Reverie Eaters like this only means he''s scouting. ''It'' has woken up and most likely realized something was wrong. ''It'' is trying to find out what." Lilith bit her lip. She wanted nothing more than to charge in and fight. But the use of her Golden Rakshasa against Rakna was making her pay the consequences. After burning so much Life Force, not only was she much weaker now, but it would take at least a few more days for her to stabilize her demonic energy. "Calm down," Soma patted her shoulder and she froze. "And do tell your army to stand by. There is no need for us to do anything." The demoness was about to object when something suddenly lit up the sky. She instantly turned toward it and gaped. A giant amalgam of silver-white mes ascended outside the atmosphere and formed the rough silhouette of a nine-tailed werewolf wielding a Guandao. It expanded in size until an incredibly pure and warm light swallowed the Lunar Capital. Tarasque erected a simple mana barrier while everyone watched in a daze as the real werewolf at the source of the phenomenon floated at the base of his creation with his six wings deployed. Rakna gripped Sonata with both hands and purple fire momentarily appeared to fuel the lunisr mes even more, with Spiritual Intent joining the equation on top of it. The werewolf raised his polearm in the most textbook definition of a swinging stance. The me giant imitated him and he opened his mouth, "[Lunisr Executioner.]" Heat turned to sound, like wind blowing, and the lunisr werewolf was sucked inside its own weapon right as Rakna swung Sonata. Incongruously, the mes first contracted on themselves, as if about to be snuffed out, before they exploded outward. The moon''s sky was overtaken by a sea of mes, their light substituting the sun. They exited the meager atmosphere, and like an avnche, met the advance of the Reverie Eaters. Their vanguard was swept away helplessly, cremated into purple ashes. ? ? ? ? ? Lunisr ze of Absolution has recognized an Offender of The Natural Order! Absolution shall be rendered! The mes will never go out if they havetched onto a target. Moreover, damage and range will increase by 100% against Offenders. --- Lv.98 Reverie Eater killed! 87x Lv.120 Reverie Eater killed! 21x Lv.206 Reverie Eater killed! 2x Lv.278 Reverie Eater killed! 3x Lv.392 Reverie Eater killed! 1x Lv.--- Reverie Eater killed! 948x --- The Philosopher''s Ardent Soul has requisitioned the Offenders'' power! Your Soul Power has increased slightly! You have leveled up! --- You have gained a new Title; Demon Bane! ? ? ? ? ? Rakna grinned at the results and shook his wings. "Now, this is a skill I can get behind," he cackled and flew up in a sh of silver and purple. With his three pairs of wings avable and his attributes capable of surpassing 4000 with Obsidian Blood, nothing could intercept him. He plunged through the curtain of mes and emerged on the other side, Sonata d in them as if enchanted. His wings sparked audibly and he vanished, reappearing hundreds of miles into outer space. Behind him, at least two hundred more Reverie Eaters were split in two, their bodies turning into glowing ashes as the lunisr mes swallowed them whole. "Come," the werewolf taunted and the creatures mindlessly rushed him, uncaring or just incapable of apprehending the difference in strength. From up close, they were surprisingly big. All of them were at least five meters long, and the higher-level ones were several timesrger. They swarmed Rakna, releasing a stream of dust-like energy. Those at the far back began to charge red orbs inside their maws and the closest ones tried to chew him to bits. Rakna punched the air with his free hand, rupturing dimensions on impact with his Internal Art, and the demonic creatures directly in front of him popped like balloons. And before the ones in his nks could get close, he waved his wings, sourcing into their power to create a new sub-skill. The moment his wings finished their motions, every Reverie Eater in direct vicinity was sliced into bits. "As dangerous as a butterfly," Rakna joked and started spinning his Guandao with both hands, his arms fully extended forward. The Eaters in the distance finished charging their attacks and simultaneously fired an orb of red demonic energy. They varied in size and power, but a few originated from the mountain-sized ones that ranked easily above level 500. As they closed in, Rakna spun Sonata even faster; his fingers dexterously keeping the momentum intact. At the same time, silver-white mes began to whirl along the weapon until it turned into a vortex. But that wasn''t all, countless obsidian shards were mixed into it as well. The werewolf grinned. "[Unity Craft C Cantira Criya, Apci?iya? Prj,]" he chanted and the vortex all but detonated. It swelled immensely, almost as wide as half the moon behind it, and with onest spin of its fire, began to shoot pellets of obsidian coated in Lunisr ze. The iing orbs exploded in the blink of an eye, colliding with the barrage. Spheres of demonic energy engulfed the area between Rakna and the Reverie Eaters, but that couldn''t stop the volley of obsidian from progressing beyond it. The ck crystal shards punched holes into the Reverie Eaters and left them no chance of survival as the mes spread and incinerated them without resistance. By the time Rakna pulled back and shouldered Sonata, everything was already over. Everything around him was void of enemies and only glimmering purple ashes floated in space. He casually raised one finger and the ashes flew to the tip of it, coalescing into one small fireball. The lunisr mes had burned the Reverie Eaters so severely that the very ashes they left behind were in fact their ''everything'' transformed into soul power due to overexposure. "Lucky fellow," Rakna uttered as he gazed at the veryst creature alive. It suffered from dozens of small wounds but miraculously hadn''t burned because the pellets that hit it had lost their mes after going through so many other obstacles. "Burn peacefully as a prize," the werewolf uttered and flicked the fireball. The purple fire was far from being as ruthless as its silver-white counterpart and when it struck, the Reverie Eater was gently enveloped and silently consumed until nothing remained. ? * * * ? "See?" Soma said merrily while everyone else was dumbfounded at what they had seen. Lilith''s eyes were transfixed on the back of the Sentinel, some embers of soul fire still fading from around him and his weapon. She pressed a fist against her heart and viewed the Earth. She had already known this; despite them being enemies at first. But now, it was a conviction. That cruel but gentle power that none could escape from She knew that as long as one stood alongside the Sentinel victory was a promise. Chapter 424: Fiends Chapter 424: Fiends ? ? ? You have induced great amounts of awe and fear into the hearts of thousands of people! The World Is My Cradle is absorbing the existential force! --- You have leveled up! x4 +7.5 Attribute Points. +1.1 STR, SPD, INT. --- Call of Mana has leveled up!Mana Rule has leveled up! Rune Smith has leveled up! Magic Craft has leveled up! Spiritual Intent Mastery has leveled up! x3 --- You have learned a new proficiency Sr Dominion! Correction Bias Applied! --- Sr Dominion has Excelled! Lunar Dominion has Excelled! --- Combination detected! You have gained a new proficiency, Lunisr Dominion! Lunisr Dominion has leveled up! x2 ? ? ? "Well, there you go," Rakna smiled. "Nice to see my Sub-Path in action." "{I''m sure it is,}" Fray snorted. "Hm, and now that I see these it doesn''t seem like a skill to store Sr Energy was created," the werewolf muttered. "Maybe I can replicate Lunae Cosmos and learn it myself? Or are ''tails'' notpatible with this?" As he was thinking that, embers of Lunisr ze sparked over his fur without hismand and he frowned at it. The Soul Ashes left by the veryst Reverie Eater were eaten by it as well. It didn''t feel like it was going out of control or anything, but "!" His eyes widened when crackles echoed in his ear before a much louder noise sted directly into his mind. He grimaced and his wolf ear reflexively folded. "What did?" He uttered to himself and then a peculiar sentence came to his mind, "''whisper the Truth of the ashes''" "{What is it?}" "Fiend Tarnished Death Outer Puppet" Rakna recited the words flowing into his mind and scowled at each of them. "What the hell does that even mean?" "{Fiend, fiend oh!}" Fray eximed. "{Do you remember what the Wailful One mentioned about the first four creatures that followed the Original Era?}" "Tiamat, Ra-Horakhty, Acuran, and" He paused. "Timaiyin-Munti, The Archfiend. Does that have a significance? I thought it was some kind of archaic term for demons." "{Right. The best, most childish way of exining it would be this; Fiends are essentially demons with a capital ''D'' instead of a lowercase. They exist. Even I have heard of them. If evil beings like demons can wield ''evil'', then Fiends can produce it. Timaiyin-Munti is said to have been the most sphemous being to ever live. If ''evil'' had an embodiment, then he would be it.}" "that doesn''t sound good at all." "{Well, this is probably just a Fiend. Not an Archfiend.}" "What would the difference be?" "{Simple. In one case, we''re alive. In the other, we''re dead." Rakna rolled his eyes. "At least that''s conclusive" "{Still, your Lunisr ze is fascinating,}" Fraymented. "{To extract such information from etherealized remains you might have achieved an alternate form of a Phoenix''s Ash Fire.}" "That''s cool and all, but I don''t care," the werewolf interrupted him and pointed forward with his chin. "It''s not over. Something else ising and it''s not another wave of Reverie Eaters." As soon as he spoke, three silhouettes dashed toward him at a speed he could somewhatpare to that of a 600 Speed Attribute. Rakna whirled Sonata and blocked three attacksing from the front. "of course," the werewolf growled as he saw what they were with Crystal Sight. It was a trio of humanoid creatures with no face, hair, clothes, or anything else for that matter. Their skin was red and charcoal ck and they possessed horns and a fletched tail, poignantly reminiscent of the age-old depictions of demons. Brusquely, toothless mouths appeared on their non-existent faces and simultaneously cried out a garbled syble. Rakna narrowed his eyes and showed them away with a burst of aura. "[Voyaging Star,]" he intoned and used Comet to appear behind one of them. He grabbed its head with one w and ignited it. "[Amended Order,]" he chanted and the lunisr mes swallowed the creature whole. It let out an eerie scream before turning into soul ashes. "Damn" Rakna unhappily clicked his tongue as he pulled his hand back. The two others charged at him once again and he allowed them to stab their fists into his head and chest. The attacks went through the Star Energyposing his body and he caught their arms. "[Amended Order,]" he repeated and this time, only one was fully incinerated while the other''s skin crumbled and exposed a paler counterpart below. The horns broke like ss and the tail disappeared, leaving a naked man with demonic energy and slightly pointed ears exactly like Lilith and her fellow demons. Rakna hoisted the man on his shoulder and turned Sonata into a bracelet for now. He returned to the surface of the moon with just one step of Comet and turned off Voyaging Star. Soma was already standing next to him as if he knew where he was going to appear and Lilith was not far behind, running in their direction, her sight locked onto the unconscious demon. "it''s faster than I expected," the Moon God remarked with a grim expression as he saw the frail and emancipated man. "Did it fail on the other two?" He asked vaguely. "Yeah," Rakna replied tly andid the man down on the ground, whose pulse was immediately checked by Lilith after arriving. She crouched next to her fellow demon and frowned deeply. "What is the meaning of this?" She inquired. To some, it may have sounded like a question directed at herself, but Soma wouldn''t miss the subdued re she threw at him. "''Full corruption'' would exin it well enough," Rakna answered in the god''s stead. "Turns out that thing is called a Fiend. It produces ''evil''. But that''s a limited concept in and of itself. I think it''s more urate to say that it imposes on the world around it some kind of distortion." Soma rubbed his chin. "A ''Fiend'', you say?" "The ashes spoke," the werewolf sinctly exined and that seemed to be enough. "But why is this man like this?" Lilith asked. "Well, if we want to be simple about it. Let''s say that whatever happened to your, and then to your God, is now befalling the inhabitants of the." The demoness stilled. Soma slowly nodded. "The weaker ones such as this poor man are being affected first. Their body is corrupted first. Then their mind, and ultimately their soul." "I tried to use the Lunisr ze to burn off the corruption; purify them," Rakna added. "But only this one survived. You could say he was only about 60% down being corrupted. The others? At the very least, it was near 90%. But truthfully, although I managed to undo whatever was done to him this time, he still lost a part of his soul, a great portion of his life force, and his overall health." Lilith''s eyes widened in horror as she looked at the unconscious man. "Are you saying that this is happening to every demon currently still on Earth?" "Unfortunately, that is very likely," Soma admitted calmly. "Then what are we waiting for?! We should--!" "Yamul," Rakna interrupted her. "Recklessness will get you killed." "{Coming from you?}" Fray interjected but swiftly went ignored. The demoness stood up and red at him. "So, I should wait? When every second we waste means more of my people die? Is that it?!" "" "I respect you with all my being, Sentinel, but this is not something you can convince me of," she said and picked up the unconscious demon, carrying him back to a medical station. The werewolf raised an eyebrow as she left and Soma chuckled. "Lady problems, son?" ''you have no idea,'' Rakna thought. But that certainly wasn''t his concern at the moment. If he had to be honest, this Simtion''s nature had made him slightly hesitant about what to do. He groaned to himself and looked up. "Hey, why do you think the Fiend sent those three?" Soma hummed in thought. "I don''t know a taunt? A test? A bait? Whatever it is, Lilith Yamul has been caught in it; demons are loyal. Or at the very least, Bhumi''s people are. He has managed quite the feat" "I suppose we can expect a whole army of demons rushing back to Earth soon," Rakna snorted to himself. "And probably not even caring that I''m their only chance at sess." "Hm, can you?" Soma asked calmly. "While I gave it to you, only you can say; if you went there right now, would you be able to purify the whole?" "I''m not sure," the werewolf replied. And that was precisely why he didn''t want to rush in. The Reverie Eaters hadn''t taken much from him, but purifying those three demons had actually put a dent, small as it was, in his reserves of Soul Power. ''Maybe I could substitute my Soul Power with Mana with transmutation no, even then, there''s also the problem of Sr and Lunar energy. I was already running low on the former, and even if it would be more present on Earth, I would still need topensate for the scale of what I want to do'' Rakna grunted and massaged his neck. "Quick question, what''s the current moon cycle?" Soma mused, "You mean, from the Earth? That would be the Third Quarter." "And can you turn that into a Full Moon if I asked?" "I suppose I could" The god furrowed his eyebrows. "But a Full Moon has its own ramifications for me as well. It represents the peak of my power, and if I force it, I will have to maintain it with great effort." "And if you multiply that by ten?" Rakna inquired mercilessly and Soma smiled wryly. "You want me to create ten Full Moons?" "Yes," the werewolf nodded. "I mean, we have so many small moons around; let''s not make them useless." "do you have a n?" Rakna huffed and turned around, heading into the city. "As if. What I''m thinking is for people who don''t have a n, really. It''s as much a solution as headbutting a wall is." "I see," Soma snickered. "And what are you going to do now?" "Well, of course, visit my dear ''momma''," the werewolf joked and fizzled out of view. Chapter 425: A Mothers Love Chapter 425: A Mother''s Love Rakna entered the small hospital set up by the Sun Dwellers, and they stepped away from him in fear. He recognized many of them to be part of the group he had hit with Varunastra. They might not have been very injured by it, but they had received quite a shock; both mental and physical. He ignored them for the most part, merely walking toward where Ramsa''s presence was. He didn''t need anyone to give him directions when his senses alone could survey the whole moon. When he opened the door to her room, he found the Sun Goddess lying in bed, a crimson robe wrapping her body while her abdomen was exposed, revealing taut bandages iid with runes. "You survived. Good job," Rakna uttered dryly, approaching her. She trembled a bit and turned her head toward him. Before she could even say anything, he swiped the air in front of him and caught something illusionary between two fingers. He then twirled his wrist and the object revealed itself to be an immacte ying card. "What are you doing?" Ramsa straightened her back. "Seven? That''s more than I expected for something I did myself" The werewolf muttered, eyeing the card. "I suppose I shouldn''t underestimate my own spell," he snorted and tossed it. "[Seven of Hearts.]" As soon as he called its name, the card burst into reddish light and enveloped Ramsa whose eyes widened in shock. The poisonous force attacking her Divinity was ejected out of her body and she began to regain strength at an unimaginable rate. In just a minute, all her injuries were gone and she felt like her reserves were up by about five percent. "I could have replenished your energy, but that would have at least taken a Queen," the werewolf abruptly said and she snapped her eyes toward him. "How are you feeling?" "good," she said quietly, undoing the bandages carefully. "thank you." "You''re wee." She pursed her lips and refused to look at him. "Is there something I can help you with?" "Yes, in fact, there is. I''d like you to overcharge the area around the Earth with Sr Energy. The more the better, but you don''t have to strain yourself too hard if it''s too inconvenient." Ramsa blinked in confusion at that, looking at him strangely. "Sr" Her eyes widened. "He gave it to you, didn''t he? The me." "You don''t sound happy," Rakna crossed his arms. She clenched the bed sheets and looked away bitterly. "This should not--" She stopped herself and looked down sullenly. She sighed and visibly debated what to say for a while. "when Soma suggested the idea to create you a part of me was rejoiced," she admitted. "I had always wanted to be a mother but a mistake I made when ascending to godhood barred every possibility of me giving birth." "So, I was happy I would have a child" She smiled, but it quickly turned into a grimace. "But the first thing we did was train you and make you fight a war without even awakening the one power we intended you to have." "" "When we learned that, I didn''t feel disappointed in the slightest. Rather, I was scared; what if you died? What kind of mother would let her child risk his life?" She scoffed. "You were so hot-blooded back then; you''d jump into a fight at any given moment. For a while, I seriously considered sealing you. But over time, I was forced to see the one truth; we couldn''t win without you." Once again, Rakna didn''t know what to say. This Simtion was pulling at his heartstrings a bit too many times. How deep did the ''scenario'' go? At this rate, if he were to stay in this world for too long,bined with the history he unearthed with irvoyance, he would genuinely start to think of this woman as his mother ''The things you''ve never had those are always hard to reject,'' he thought cynically. Ramsa raised her head to look at him and tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. "So, I just fought too... I would make sure you survive. But then, Soma sacrificed himself to stop everything. He didn''t even warn me. It was both a miserable end as well as a relief to me. But" Her expression was shadowed as sr magic rippled around her, raising the temperature drastically. Rage wafted off of her in tides. "You ''died''! They dared to lie to my face; deny the one hope I had to be a proper mother!" Fire began to spread and some thinner objects were already melting, but Rakna didn''t even flinch. "I shouldn''t have believed them!" She shouted. "I should have overturned the moon and killed them all! They stabbed my child in the back and I--!" She bit her lip and her aura helplessly died out, the rage turning into endless sorrow. "And I failed as a mother for the second time." Her tears began to fall for good as all the emotions she had held back when seeing him a few days prior erupted at once. "I am so sorry" She sobbed. ''Aw, damn it'' Rakna grumbled internally. "{Don''t be mean,}" Fray scolded. ''That''s not my intention,'' he retorted and sighed. "Ramsa," he spoke up and she shuddered, wiping her tears away as if she had just noticed them for the first time. But even as she panicked, Rakna didn''t stop, "Thank you." "Eh?" She froze in ce, incapable of apprehending what she had just heard. "A mother''s worth is not determined by her failures, but by her love," Rakna stated with eyes locked onto the ceiling, reminiscing something Arimane had once told him. "Some know how to express it, others regret their inability, but in the end, whatever their limit is, if the love for their children remains strong through thick and skin, then they''re great parents regardless." She clutched her arm. "I don''t" "Come on," the werewolf rolled his eyes. "In these cases, the child gets to decide. You say you failed as a mother? I say you didn''t. Only the scum trample on a parent''s love, and I refuse to be anything close to that." Ramsa fell silent as several emotions ran through her. She fiddled with her hands and opened her mouth shakily. "Then, if" She swallowed her worry. "If possible can I ask you a favor?" "What?" "I won''t ask you to call me ''mother'' if you don''t want to. I myself had been calling you ''Sentinel'' due to my shame. But" She looked away nervously. "Would a hug be possible?" She asked and Rakna audibly snorted in amusement. For a moment, Ramsa was almost about to take back her words out of anxiety but stopped when she heard a peculiar noise. She looked up and gasped when she saw a young man standing where the werewolf had been. He looked to be in his twenties, with long hair, purple eyes, and of course, a pair of lupine ears plus nine tails. He wore a ck, red, and blue outfit that she had never seen before. Rakna himself seemed to stare at his own hand with a pensive expression. He felt taller by quite a bit and his wolf appendages also seemed bigger. Reverting to his human form was a whimsical test he had wanted to try after her request, but he hadn''t expected the age-up. This current body was, without much doubt, his fully grown self. With that in mind, he nced at the full-length mirror lying in the corner of the room and caught a glimpse of his appearance. "Hah." The reflected image immediately made him chuckle. "{}" And Fray was oddly silent, as if speechless. Rakna eventually pushed this curiosity to the back of his mind and looked back at Ramsa who was still dumbfounded. "Well then," he raised his voice and she almost hupped in surprise if it wasn''t for the quick reaction of covering her mouth. The therian spread his arms. "Whenever you want." Ramsa was momentarily bewildered. But, after recollecting herself, she tentatively stood up. Even in this form, Rakna was much taller, but she didn''t even acknowledge that fact. It was as if her mind and body were detached; the former was nk as she apprehended the situation and thetter was stiff as she reflexively outstretched her arms. And when she registered the firm yet warm embrace, the tears spilled again. This time, she didn''t cover or suppress anything, allowing herself to cry. * * * Meanwhile, inside the murky core of the Earth, its liquid iron contaminated by a dark substance, a consciousness roused as it reviewed the images transmitted by its pawns. The creature analyzed the werewolf and its silver-white mes, and the core of the began to bubble, perhaps disying an emotion of some kind. Was it anger? Curiosity? Excitement? Fear? It couldn''t be said. But no matter what, the demons on the surface of the Earth suddenly sensed the corruption rate increase, intensifying their suffering. The Demon King sat on this throne, almost as rxed as he was when he sent Minos to the moon with Tarasque. ck veins pulsed in his neck as he sustained his unbending willpower. Many of his subjects scattered around their city also meditated with the utmost diligence, fighting the force of corruption with their every breath. "To think Lord Bhumi carried this burden all on his own" The demon whispered, looking outside one of therge panes of stained ss. Far out into the wilderness, he could sense the power of his god growing by the second. Of course, the pir of red energy splitting the clouds right above it was also hard to miss, especially when it continuously spread this fiendish corruption into the air. The king clenched the armrest of his throne and narrowed his eyes. "Regret is for fools," he said to himself. "If we cannot save our God, then we will be the new lynchpin." His aura steadily encased him, and even as he made no effort to leave his seat, every living demon on the sensed their king''s power connecting with them. His orders; his determination; they resounded clear. * * * "Norio, how long will it take to create the portal?" "An hour at most. There''s interference," the demon mage answered Lilith''s question. Their fellow soldiers were already running around the city, preparing their departure while the Moon Dwellers looked on cautiously. "But are you sure about this?" "what is there to talk about?" The Marquess retorted with a slight pause. Norio sighed tiredly. "Listen, I agree with you. We can''t just wait indefinitely. A lot of us have family back on Earth and the more we waste time, the more lives are lost. But you do realize we might be rushing to our death right now, right? Forget helping; we won''t be able to save ourselves! We don''t even know anything about the enemy. Faruth has refused to join us because he knows that!" "" Lilith silently looked up at the satellite moons far away, on which the rest of their battle force was dispatched. She had obviously called them already but only fourmanders such as her out of the seven had agreed to lead their army back to Earth. Faruth was one of them; the strongest of the eightmanders as well as her oldest friend. "I say we try and convince the Sentinel," the mage ran a hand through his hair. "At least, with him, we can survive, if anything. You''ve seen that me; that''s our best shot." The demoness breathed in deeply and looked at him sharply. "Continue with the preparations. No matter how things are within an hour from now, we will depart. Our King could be holding out on his own for all we know, I won''t wait for anything." Norio quietly returned her stare before his shoulders sank. "All right" He muttered helplessly. "At least, we will have died trying our best," he jested half-heartedly. "We''ll be ready in an hour make the most of that time," he uttered meaningfully and walked off. Lilith''s stern countenance crumbled after he left, she looked at the building she knew the Sentinel was still in and hesitated for a good few minutes before she braced herself. * * * Rakna leaned next to the window and watched the demons run. They were leaving and gradually gathering outside the city walls. "Bhumi must be proud," Ramsamented as she sat on the bed with a small smile, refilling her reserves of mana and divinity while they had time. "His followers do not even weigh in their lives before honoring their loyalty." "Hm" The therian hummed in agreement and nced at the room''s door. "Something to say?" He spoke up, seemingly addressing nobody, but Ramsa also mirrored his actions. Unlike a normal visitor though, someone directly appeared inside the room; an old demon wearing a butler''s outfit. He smiled at them and bowed, "I apologize if I made myself toofortable." "you''re a sneaky one for sure," Rakna remarked. "But not enough for my senses." "Nor mine," Ramsa calmly said, her usual cold expression back in ce. She stood up, summoning a secondyer of cloth onto herself, iling like sr res. "Speak. What do you want, Mino?" "I have decided to return to Earth as well," the butler didn''t beat around the bush. "The Tarasque and I will increase the soldiers'' odds of survival by a great margin. I cannot stand back." "What does that have to do with us?" "I''m here to plead," Mino smiled helplessly. "Would you please save us?" "It takes guts to be so blunt" Rakna chortled. "Or in desperation." Mino could only look down. He hadn''t forgotten the dynamics set in ce. The Sentinel had spared them; nothing more, nothing less. It''s not because he had been kind to them and that they now had amon enemy that it erased the truth of them attacking the Lunar Kingdom first. "Oh, well," the therian cracked his neck. "I''m bored anyway," he uttered and Ramsa''s eyes twitched a little, an urge to p the back of his head almost oveing her. Here she had been crying her eyes out because she feared her child dying, and now he was joking about risking his life. "Rakna," she muttered with squinted eyes. "I know, I know," he smiled and walked directly to the door, past a confused Mino. He opened it and stepped back right as Lilith stumbled into the room with a yelp. Her face reddened terribly fast as she realized eavesdropping on someone like the Sentinel was a nonsensical idea. However, her blush worsened when she saw his human form. She nearly couldn''t stop herself from ogling. At the same time though, as he looked down, she had a dj vu about a very simr situation just earlier today. And before she could say anything, he patted her, silencing whatever word was stuck in her throat. "No need to plead, either of you," he said. "After all, I can''t really ignore a situation I''m partially at fault for," he added and Lilith''s eyes widened slightly before she beamed gratefully. "Thank you" She whispered. "And I''m sorry about earlier. I was too impulsive." "It''s nothing," Rakna shrugged and nced out the window. "Let''s not waste any more time. You were going to leave in around fifty minutes, right?" "Ah, yes," the demoness nodded. "We don''t need to wait that long," the therian dered and she blinked in surprise. Rakna turned toward Ramsa right after. "You and Soma do what I asked at my signal." "What signal?" The goddess raised an eyebrow. "You won''t miss it." "" She deadpanned. "okay, okay, sorry. I''ve always wanted to say that," Rakna rolled his eyes. "But I wasn''t kidding. I will be summoning something you literally can''t miss. The moment it happens, I want as much sr and lunar energy as possible." Ramsa sighed. "Understood. And" She pursed her lips as if the words she was thinking of were apletely new form ofmunication. "Take care of yourself... Don''t get hurt." Rakna''s lips twitched upward. "You drive a hard bargain," he said and stepped over the doorstep right as he remembered something, "Oh, right. Before I go, I have something to ask you. I have been trying to store Sr Energy like Lunar Energy, but it doesn''t seem to work. Any advice?" The Sun Goddess scowled and crossed her arms. "You mean with your tails?" "Yes." "that won''t work, silly," she made a small smile, surprising Lilith with the softness she could hear in it. "Think about it. Don''t you have other catalysts that are much morepatible?" Rakna blinked at her dumbly and then face-palmed. "I''m an idiot" Those were thest words he said before walking off and Ramsa sent him off with a chuckle. * * * Raknanded on a rooftop, back as a werewolf. In this Simtion, he honestly felt better this way than otherwise. It was as if his ''default'' transformation had been swapped. He looked up at the Earth and deployed his three pairs of wings. He promptly began to manipte the sr energy around him and redirected it to his back. ? ? ? You have learned a new Path Skill; Sris Cosmos! --- Sris Cosmos For each wing grown, a bank of 3 000 Sr Points will be created. It can be used as a substitute for mana, a boost in statistics, sr skills, raw application The stocks can be recharged at any ce with sr energy present. Cooldown: None. Note: 1 MP is worth 2 SP. ? ? ? "As simple as that," heughed lightly and began to warm up. Several colors sparkled around him like electricity as he stirred all of his energy types into activity. "{So? What is the n?}" Fray asked casually. "Well, of course. The strategy my old man loves the most." "{which is?}" The werewolf smirked, "Blow it up." Chapter 426: Stellar Sages Aura Chapter 426: Ster Sage''s Aura "[Voyaging Star. Rift Shuttle. Ghost of Rupture. Quintuple Burst. Dusk Mane,]" Rakna chanted in session and within a single breath. His body lit up with purple mes, blurred, surged with internal force, and was cloaked in a mane the color of the setting sun. "[Triad Star Aura,]" he whispered and a ck and purple aura exploded out of him into a pir of energy. He released the full potential of it at once, piercing through the inward projection of his Nephilim powers. It thundered into existence with a rumbling sound and the werewolf promptly began to rein it in before it could damage the moon. He concentrated carefully and slowlypressed the pir into a bubble around him. He activated Founding Intuition to help him and overclocked his mind with Eye of Symphony. ? ? ? Triad Star Aura has leveled up! Triad Star Aura as Exceled!? ? ? Rakna grinned lightly at that. Oh, he knew what he wanted to do now. He didn''t exactly know what it would do, but he could do it, and that was a good enough reason for him. The Chalice on his back began to shine and his tails shimmered with purple embers. ? ? ? Wisdom of The Soul has leveled up! You are concentrating great amounts of soul power into Triad Star Aura! The level boundary of Triad Star Aura is copsing! --- Triad Star Aura has Ascended into the Divine Skill, Ster Sage''s Aura! Your Obsidian Star has consumed the gained divinity! --- Ster Sage''s Aura has been re-ssified as an Ultimate Excelled Skill! Error! Ster Sage''s Aura has been re-ssified as a Personal Skill! Error! Ster Sage''s Aura has been re-ssified as Philosopher Craft! ? ? ? As soon as the notification rang, his aura suddenly disappeared. It wasn''t even gradual. The bubble of purple and ck energy merely vanished in the blink of an eye. But for Rakna? His grin got even wider. Only he knew what was happening and he was more than happy about it. ? ? ? Ster Sage''s Aura An aura directly connected and fueled by the soul of Rakna Xiorra de and thus intrinsically linked to its capability. Much like the Trait, Obsidian Blood of the Sage Beast, the user''s aura can be transmuted, altered, and manipted at will. It retains the primary powers of the three Mystic Stars but gains functions residing on a muchrger spectrum due to its Nephal container. Not only can the user now transmute other elements into a new aura, but it can also be exploited at a deeper level. Auras are generally defined by thebination of Internal Powers such as Mana, Mind, Willpower, Soul, Internal Force, and Intent. The more mastery one has, the more can be mixed at once. And the more Life Force one possesses, the more effective thebination. The Sage''s Aura allows the user to sacrifice the bination'' altogether to make one of its ponents'' stronger in every way. For instance, it is possible to temporarily sacrifice aura to bolster both the quantity and quality of the user''s mana. Auras naturally possess the aspect of dampening iing magic and, to a lesser extent, physical interference. It also acts as an obstacle for space-time fluctuations and other abilities such as telekinesis. These particr traits can be strengthened in much the same way if one of theponents is sacrificed instead. Note: Transmuted Auras will be capable of absorbing the same elements it is made of, but possess a limit that does not apply to either the Everfrost or Neverwinter Stars. For example, creating an earth-based aura will not absorb Earth Spells without limit, as they are not a part of the Obsidian Star, but a byproduct of it. ? ? ? Of course, the first thing Rakna did was discard his aura. None of it was needed. There was barely anything his physical body and soul couldn''t deal with head-on. A battle could asionally be won or turned around with a sh of auras, but his current target was not a valid opponent for that. Instead, his internal force surged incredibly high and Ghost of Rupture began to crackle audibly, affecting the air itself with its ''distortion''. The werewolf''s muscles nearly burst with potency and his attributes and statistics began to glitch. Naturally, he reallocated attributes into Endurance. "[Ripple of Exodus,]" he muttered and the building he stood on began to vibrate just from being in contact with him, blurring out of view like his body did. And finally, he breathed in and activated his most powerful skill. A tenth tail appeared on his back and for an instant, the entire moon was put under a stifling weight. It wasn''t aura or life force; it was more tangible. It was like carrying tons of weight; the physical manifestation of Ki. Once cultivated to a certain extent, Internal Force would extend outside of the body while still under control. Rakna smiled at the notifications of his Sub-Path collecting the sentiments directed at him, and kicked the ground, pping all six of his wings at the same time. With the full potential of his Luqu''s Wings, not even the atmosphere reacted to his take-off. The building he was standing on, on the other hand, shattered upward after a dy; as if pulled up by an inexistent pole of gravity. Soma watched from below as his child flew at speeds he could barely follow. He smiled to himself as the Moon-Dwellers and demons around him stared in shock. Ramsa wasn''t far away as she also watched it happen. After a moment, she exchanged nces with the Moon God and they nodded at each other before disappearing in shes of Sr and Lunar Energy respectively. * * * As soon as Rakna had summoned his Tenth Tail, not a single entity on the moon, and neither the Earth itself, was unaware of his presence. The half-awoken Fiend immediately reacted and many altered demons exited the atmosphere to meet the iing enemy. A few minutester, after traveling a massive distance through sheer speed and several Quantic Leaps, Rakna collided with the first wave of demons. The werewolf tore through the figure of a giant minotaur-like demon, followed by a horde of more Reverie Eaters and something called Blights; strange creatures with rounded bodies, many pairs of eyes, an armor te of demonic energy, and tentacle-like horns that served as their weapons. Thousands of them piled upon one another and createds with their limbs, attempting to block his advance. Rakna was forced to slow down, even as every single one of his blows created ripples in the fabric of dimensions, popping them like balloons. Calling Sonata into his hand, he silently swung the Guandao, transferring as much Ki into it as he could. "[de of Rupture,]" he whispered after the movement, and in the blink of an eye, more than a hundred demons were bisected with the sound of crystal breaking. However, even more reced them and the werewolf snorted. "Proliferating like rats" He uttered and his eyes shed, prompting the return of his aura. A blinding silver-white light erupted from around him and directly incinerated a hundred more demons. Lunisr mes danced around Rakna, rising from his body as his new aura. He then raised his weapon and clenched it. "[Core C Lunisr ze,]" he muttered and Sonata''s de brightened the exact same way, fading to a white and silver color scheme. "[Crescent of a Falling Star,]" he intoned and for a brief second, star energy erupted before being consumed in lunisr fire. The attack shot out and exploded in the demons'' midst, cremating them down to purple ashes. Subsequently, Rakna focused on his aura again. Other than its evolution, he had been wanting to do something ever since his fight with Lilia. And now? It felt like he had skipped all the steps. Without dy between his thoughts and the action, his aura began to write lines of chant around him in zing letters. Furthermore, he spoke those words aloud as well. "[Shards of rity Abide the Star''s Tyranny.]" The werewolf dashed forward as the first line of his soul''s luby echoed in the vacuum of space, vibrating the very fabric of space in order to make them heard. Right after, another chant was written. "[Natcattiram Vi?untatu,]" Rakna uttered and a cocoon of crimson and white mes encased him; the Neverwinter Star merging with lunisr power. Like a shooting star, the spell rocketed him forward at even greater speeds. It drew a parab, igniting every demon it passed by, sometimes even from afar. It was only after a minute or so that Rakna was forced to stop. Before he knew it, a demon corrupted by the Fiend dashed into his course and kicked him away. The werewolf''s eyes widened as his spell shattered, looking at his right arm that had been crushed into star energy. He flew back from his attacker, noting that ''he'' lookedpletely different from the ones he had seen on the Moon or quickly defeated on his way here. It still had charcoal-like skin, but its clothes were only half destroyed and it had a pair of unicolor red eyes. Its hair had not fallen but had beenpletely bleached instead, while the horns and tail it possessed were far bigger and more menacing. Rakna narrowed his eyes. "[Ought The des of Fragility Rend Your Flesh,]" he continued his chant and charged in, turning Sonata into the rarely used dual-dagger form. He had already used Crystal Sight to know what he was dealing with, and while it wasn''t a foe he couldn''t defeat, the strength the demon originally had was worrying. ''This guy was only level 600 before being corrupted'' He thought as he parried the demon''s ws with one of the daggers and stabbed toward its heart with the other. ''But now it''s strong enough to be at least two hundred above that.'' The demon swiped the dagger away with its elbow, disying battle awareness of a fully conscious being, and then kicked at the werewolf, who calmly leaned back to dodge it. But it didn''t stop there and opened its mouth, instantaneously firing a breath of red-demonic energy. "[Field of Rupture,]" Rakna uttered and a burst of Internal Force imploded the attack. Increasing his Speed Attribute, he used Comet and pierced the demon''s stomach with his bare hand. As soon as he breached the creature''s defenses, the lunisr mes avidly ate the corruption. Soon enough, the demon was purified and left unconscious. The werewolf grunted and tossed him in the opposite direction of the Earth, writing several runes on him at the same time to keep him alive until he was rescued. "[In a Dark Firmament, The Star Prowls the Light.]" As soon as he was done with that, he could only chuckle when at least ten more flew at him from all directions. "Well then" He muttered and his aura shimmered, redirecting its power to create hundreds of giant winged wolves even bigger than himself. "[Wolfen Lord.]" The summoned wolves with eagle wings howled; their entire body burning with the mes of the moon and sun. They swarmed the demons and ripped them apart with their maws before reducing them to ashes. "[In Eternal Redemption, The Wolf Sings and Confers.]" "[In Between The End and Beginning.]" Rakna flew past them, leaving a trail of white-silver ze behind him. He shed the demons on his way; purified those who could still be saved and killed those who couldn''t. He was getting very close to Earth at that point and he was beginning to sense the absolute abomination hiding inside of it. His Lunisr ze was raging to burn it. "[Sits the Tamed Mayhem of the Philosopher.]" "[Spilling Blood and Smothering Death.]" Rakna sang two more lines of his Cl Lli and growled when he felt a field of energy push against him like a barrier. He tried to increase the output of his lunisr mes, but it barely worked. From an outside perspective, it was as if he was being halted by something invisible. On the other hand, Crystal Sight could clearly see the miasmaing out from the center of the and gushing out. He had entered its range and was now going against the current. "that''s the limit, huh?" Rakna muttered and instead of persisting, he shook off the demons who were about to surround him and flew up. He circled the Earth until he was on the side the sun was currently illuminating. "[Pitying Fairness and Collecting Hearts,]" he uttered the penultimate line of his incantation and raised his hand, palm open. "{Are you going to summon your Soul Marble?}" Fray asked. ''Hah, as if. I''m confident in my soul, but not enough that I''d both manage to trap an entire into it and fight back against a primordial force of corruption,'' Rakna retorted and proceeded to sacrifice his aura once again. ''Like I said we blow it up.'' "[The One, They Call Harvest.]" "[Obsidian Star Manifestation C External Release.]" Chapter 427: One Slumbers, One Wanders Chapter 427: One Slumbers, One Wanders Ramsa was hovering in the vastness of space, far away from Earth, when she saw a purple sh in the distance swell into a colossal star of obsidian, immted in soul mes. In that instant, a spark of awe appeared in her eyes. Somehow, even with its dim and peaceful presence, the star seemed even grander than the sun she represented. The sun was an arbiter of life, but this ck star was an arbiter of creation. She could barely believe the heights that her child had reached, but the more she looked at it, the more she thought it fit him. It was like her mind was automatically associating two shapes thatplemented each other. She had never witnessed anything of that sort on a living being before. She smiled and sped her hands. "I indeed saw your signal" She whispered and her wings were unfurled. Her golden wings shone under the sunlight and began to grow bigger. If one looked from the right distance, her six wings would be perfectly encased in a circle formed by the sun. Sr Energy pooled around her terribly fast, and even the sun itself seemed to respond to her call as its light blinked faintly. Though, Ramsa actually wondered if her Domain was simply answering hermand or if it was bowing down to the Great Star in front of them. * * * Soma spread his arms whilst floating far above the Moon and Earth. He smiled at the emergence of the Obsidian Star and nced at Ramsa''s location where he could see the metaphorical orange mes mixing with the white radiance of raw sr energy. "Aah I must deliver as well," he muttered to himself and both his eyes and hair began to glow; a light blue hue radiating from their silver color. On cue, the moon began to tremble and the smaller versions scattered nearby also tilted. Lunar energy erupted from Soma as sweat flowed down his face. As Rakna had once been told, a Full Moon is akin to a spell cast on the world. Normally, it urs following thews of nature, but when forced to do so, the cost must be paid like any other magic. Soon enough, one of the smaller moons under his controlpleted its spin and the first Full Moon was active. Instantly, two surges of lunar energy urred: one in Soma himself, and the other right below the giant Obsidian Star. The Moon God chuckled as two more moons were spun into ce. "I hope you''re happy" * * * "There we go," Rakna grinned as his body began to expand, his attributes tripling as the first of the full moons'' glow reached him. His tails grew longer as they sucked in lunar energy and at about the same time, a giant but harmless beam of sunlight swallowed the Earth. The Obsidian Star''s mes eagerly started absorbing it while Rakna''s wings grewrger, hoarding the sr energy and promptly elerating all rates of regeneration; especially his soul power. "Now, everything''s ready," the werewolf looked up at his Manifestation. His summoned wolves all rejoined around him without needing to be ordered to and before the demons could raid him, he manipted the lunisr energy to ignite his aura-augmented soul power. "Burn," he spoke and in the blink of an eye, the Obsidian Star became dazzling. Rakna poured every ounce of lunar and sr energy he could from his wings and tails into it. ? ? ? Lunisr Dominion has leveled up! Lunisr Dominion has leveled up! Wisdom of The Soul has leveled up! ? ? ? Soma and Ramsa''s power continued to flow in, with more Full Moons peaking every second, and in no time at all, the Obsidian Star turned into a white sun half-encased in silver crystals. "{you are incorrigible,}" Fray muttered as he stood inside his library while the entire Soul Realm quaked from literally being squeezed dry; the Soul Sea was receding, the stars osciting, and the flower petals ame. The Ster Sage''s Aura made sure to maintain the potency of the Soul Power by overworking the other Internal Powers, includingrge amounts of mana. And the Sunshine of The Ten Suns kept replenishing his reserves in a loop. "Incorrigible?" Rakna snickered. "Believe me, the old man would be proud of me." "{I do not think that is necessarily a good thing.}" "Agreed," the werewolf smirked and Voyaging Star showed signs of not being able to handle the toll any further. "That''s about my limit" He muttered and nced somewhere, his arm currently pointing at the white sun trembling and crumbling from the inside. "Come on, ''dad''" As soon as he said that, the final andrgest moon finally reached the peak of its cycle. Rakna felt the further increase in lunar energy and the star began to crackle like firewood. "Perfect," heughed and grabbed Sonata, using it as a catalyst. He aimed the de above him and grasped it with both hands. His spell fluctuated and he chuckled before putting strength into his arms. Very slowly, he began to swing forward and the white sun moved with his weapon. The crackling became louder and louder, with arcs of mes licking the demonic energy in the air and sometimes making demonsbust spontaneously. "[Unity Craft,]" Rakna breathed out, grayish smokeing out of his mouth; the byproduct of his soul powerbusting itself. "[Cantira Criya, Vimca?a Na?cattiram.]" With one swing, the werewolf shattered the dimensions in front of him as if paving a path, and the white sun distended as it descended toward the Earth at a frightening pace. It wasn''t as fast as any of Rakna''s regr attacks, but it wasn''t slow either. The half-awakened Fiend inside the sensed the danger and thousands of demons, corrupted or created, rushed into the Lunisr Star''s path but nothing could stop it. Creatures strong enough to be level 800 were instantly incinerated when confronted with their absolution. The ze of Absolution purified nearly the entirety of the army before it even hit the, where it promptly exploded and inmed the contaminated atmosphere. The Earth momentarily became a giant ball of white-silver fire with purple ashes rising at the top like clouds. Then, as if done preparing, all of it exploded at once. Rakna crossed his arms in front of him as the shockwave coursed through his body and purified the rest of the demons still untouched. He could already feel the invisible miasma around the shrinking, but before it was out of range, a strand of shiver-inducing energy collided with his mes and traced it back to him. |zz||zzz|zzyyyzzyyy! The werewolf shuddered as a strange, and honestly terrifying sound echoed in his mind. It felt like some kind of roar, but also as if someone was trying to shout something at him in either rage or hrity. It was also strangely fleeting, quickly bing nothing more than a whisper. A minuteter, when Rakna finally uncrossed his arms, he watched the lunisr mes extinguishing themselves after deeming their purpose over. He ignored the many kill notifications chiming in his head in favor of frowning at the Earth. Crystal Sight scanned the, verifying the subjugation of the artificial demons, like the Reverie Eaters, as well as the purification of all the inhabitants. There wasn''t even a trace of the corruption force that had been distorting nature just a few moments ago. "that was too easy," the werewolf muttered skeptically. "That noise or voice; if the Fiend was on the verge of death, would that really be the only thing it does?" "{While I would love for it to be that simple the System hasn''t confirmed anything. We can safely assume that it''s not over,}" Fraymented. "{As a matter of fact do you see that?}" The fabulist didn''t need to designate anything for Rakna to know what he was referring to. On a part of the where his mes were being extinguished at a slower rate, there was a single spot that didn''t seem to be wavering in the slightest. It was a small mountain where every single bit of vegetation was red like blood and dripping with an oddly ominous green liquid. The lunisr mes were failing to do anything as they attempted to burn it all, but they also didn''t seem to be giving out any time soon. "A stalemate," Raknamented and nced over his shoulder as he felt both Soma and Ramsa stop what they were doing. He eventually lost the powerup of the Full Moon and since there was no imminent danger, he dismissed his Tenth Tail. Meanwhile, he mentally summoned his Valkals and had them write runes from the Reverse Side to shield and collect all the half-dead demons he had left drifting in space. He nced at his status to muse over the level increases and soon after, both Gods who had assisted him arrived quietly. "I''d say it was a resounding sess," Soma remarked smilingly, though he was obviously gazing at the corrupted mountain with watchful eyes. "at least, this gives the demons time to evacuate Earth," Ramsa added calmly. "But considering the degree of corruption, they must have had many casualties." "There''s a lot that was safely purified," Rakna provided. "I think that strong willpower can resist it to some extent. The demons seem to average that to a decently high degree. And, obviously, those with more life force take longer to get taken over fully." "Estimate?" "32%. That''s the percentage of people they lost," the werewolf stated and Soma winced. "Quite a lot," he sighed. "They have always had higher poption than us but turning into demons lowered their birth rate a lot. The number of years it will take to make up for this loss" Rakna huffed as he sensed several portals form on the surface of the Earth after he had gotten rid of the ''miasma'' blocking allmunication. It seemed Lilith and the othermanders had been quick to notice it. "More importantly, what are we going to do with that?" The werewolf inquired, shouldering Sonata with a pop of his neck, not even bothering to rify what he was talking about since there was no way to mistake it. "If my Lunisr Star couldn''t purify that thing, it doesn''t bode well." Soma hummed. "We could try a Ritual. With all three of usbining our forces, we could try and erode its defenses bit by bit." "" Ramsa remained silent, her eyes locked onto the scarletnd. On the other hand, Rakna snickered. "Yeah, right. How much do you believe in those words?" The Moon God smiled helplessly. "Not much." "Frankly, I considered actually blowing up the and not just purifying it," the werewolf added with a scowl. "But then I realized, I might just be prematurely opening the ''cage'' of something To be exact, my instincts told me not to." Soma''s expression twitched. "If it''s your instinct speaking, it''s not good" "Nope." "the worst has yet toe." Rakna snorted in amusement at that and then quietly waved his hand, calling all the purple ashes left behind by his mes to his hand. When he was about to absorb them back, he stiffened when a crackle echoed in his mind once again. ''Outer Puppet'' He reiterated the first words, which he had already heard thest time. The new ones came afterward, ''Dreamer Family Lost Sleep'' There was onest word, but the moment he tried to listen to it, a headache assailed him and he reflexively clenched his head. "Rakna?!" Ramsa''s worried voice sounded as he noticed the blood trickling down his nose. "That wasn''t the Fiend," the werewolf muttered to himself with a frown. * * * At the same time, unbeknownst to Rakna, an unknown creature stirred from within a ''bottomless pit''. In a ce without matter or even any form of light, a hazy shape shifted, and dozens of eyes of different sizes, colors, and patterns opened with a snap. They looked back and forth in all directions until settling on a certain artificial dimension, one that appeared as a small orb of energy in a sea of millions more. Each of them was tinier than even the smallest of the thing''s eyes. After a short moment, the hidden creature closed its eyes once again. * * * "something changed" A feminine voice whispered inside the emptiness of Meuro. Glowing eyes full of geometrical intricacies fluttered and their owner stopped hugging herself, turning her head toward a ce that didn''t even exist on a physical level. "The Dreamer moved?" She muttered, more curious than anything else. And as her perception dug deeper into the matter, she paused. "cousin?" The Tras Empress began to wander. Chapter 428: The Ashes Truth Chapter 428: The Ashes'' Truth "you are a ve driver," Astraea pouted as she swiped her hand over the white-silver mes, which mysteriously refused to harm her, raging above a certain crimson hill. The werewolf who summoned her stood behind, his arms crossed and a nk expression on his face. "Didn''t I literally give you a permanent manifestation and a friend to go with it?" "Semantics! I was having fun when you unsummoned me to bring me here!" "You''re justzy, aren''t you?" Rakna retorted and she sulked. "More importantly, is there anything useful you can tell me about this?" "It''s indeed a Fiend''s handiwork," she answered with a huff. "This one seems to have all the signs to be Tarnished Death''s," she hummed while ying with the Lunisr ze. "Tarnished Death?" "There aren''t many Fiends in Existence," Astraea added. "They''re semi-immortal beings directly created by Timaiyin-Munti at the advent of Existence. All of them have their own names and their own powers, and as far as Egregore can reach, 11 of them are confirmed alive today." "and this is one of them?" "Not exactly," she shook her head. "Tarnished Death died thirty thousand years ago. Its killer was called the Blood-Fallen Seraph; one of the strongest to ever live.""Right," Rakna raised an eyebrow. "So, this is a recreation of that Fiend then?" She pursed her lips for a second, "Well I think? It''s odd. This is not the kind of information I can discover by myself. But what I truly don''t understand is how genuine it is," she said and stepped back to stare at the mountain. "Tarnished Death wasn''t a strong Fiendpared to the rest." "It had the ability to corrupt anything and anybody, but those strong enough could resist. As such, it never managed to attain a powerhouse status. However, it still had the greatest known demonic army to have ever existed." "And?" Rakna scowled. "Your point?" "Well, Tarnished Death doesn''t have, rtively, a lot of raw power, but it is a unique being. I would have pegged it more than possible to create an imitation of it on a basic level but a recreation of its powers to this degree of fidelity is honestly shocking. Even for the System." "" Rakna squinted his eyes. "But, at least, you''re sure to have the advantage in this battle," Astraea caught a silver-white cinder in her hand. "Lunisr ze it''s rare, but I know about it. With this, much less Tarnished Death, you can even out the ying field against any Fiend. They are the antithesis of Innate Order. They are the epitome of what these mes want to burn. However, at your level, it''s not enough to harm them at the ''core''. For that good old power is needed," she smiled in amusement. "one more question," the werewolf finally spoke up. "If I say the words; Outer, Puppet, Dreamer, Family, Lost, Sleep, and an extra one that felt as bad to hear as it was to read the Original Tongue for the first time; does it ring any bell?" He asked, but it was essentially rhetorical at that point. The goddess'' expression had instantly be concerned when she heard the first. Then worried when the second came. The third made her terrified and by the time he was finishing talking, she was pale as snow. "T-the ashes told you?" She stammered and he nodded slowly. "D-did you manage to interpret what thest word was?" "No," Rakna grunted. "The ''noise'' was a bit too distracting. Though, I feel like I could if I heard it a second time." "Don''t!" She immediately yelled. "You mustn''t! Just the first time must have caught its attention! If you hear it properly, it will move for good!" "What?" He gazed at her with a small amount of worry; not for himself, but for her. She appeared horrified at the moment. "Astraea, what is ''it''?" "You can''t know!" She frantically shook her head and then turned around, staring at the mountain of the Fiend with a much different outlook. "That''s why! It''s why this is so ''real''! The only way it could happen is for something exceedingly superior to have created it" "Astraea," Rakna lowered his voice with a frown. "If you don''t tell me what you''re talking about, it will only make it harder for the both of us." "I can''t!" She snapped. "If I do, it will know! I don''t know how it will react, but you can''t take the risk!" She took a deep breath and muttered onest thing, "We are in its Dream... Escape is not an option." As she said that, a certain piece of information in Rakna''s memory came to the forefront. A notion he had never assumed to be real. But before he could think more about it, Astraea approached him and grabbed his arm with both hands with an anxious face. "Please promise me you will never listen to the Ashes'' Truth inside a Simtion again," she said with a strained tone. "And never, ever look back once a Scenario is over." The werewolf silently looked back, his senses ovee with her fear and worry. He nced at the demon city in the distance and after a moment, he opened his mouth, "I promise." * * * "How was it?" "it could be worse. Astraea stayed behind to set up wards," Rakna answered Soma''s question as they walked through the Demon Capital. "Our best option is to essentially quarantine it and throw everything we have at it in the hope it dies." "I see. If a Star Entity says it, I can only believe it," the Moon God nodded, aware of Astraea''s true nature without even being told. "I must say, your Star Magic was never something we intended to create. It was quite a surprise when you developed that affinity." "Hm maybe I''m just that awesome," Rakna jested with a shrug. "Haha, that does not sound like a bad exnation," Soma smiled, but even Rakna failed to notice the small sh of contemtion that passed through the god''s eyes. "Hm indeed," he whispered as they ended the conversation and stopped in front of the Demon King''s castle. Demons that had been purified and left in a severe state were being tended to in nearby buildings and the castle itself was serving as a massive med bay by express order of the King. Rakna spared a few seconds to exchange a look with Tarasque who was looming over the city. "Sentinel," Lilith''s voice sounded and the werewolf turned toward the demoness. He didn''t have the time to say anything before she kneeled on one leg right in front of him. "Thank you. We owe you a debt we cannot repay in a lifetime." She wasn''t the only one. About five other demons seemingly of simr rank to her mirrored her actions and the passersby who weren''t busy bowed in respect, with the wounded ones even trying to do the same only for their doctors or loved ones to push them down scoldingly. "" Rakna didn''t react to any of it. He merely gazed at the six Demon Commanders with a pensive and almost empty look. Soma seemed to raise an eyebrow at that, but only he found it odd. "you are wee," the werewolf eventually said. "Don''t take it to heart. I allowed you in the Shrine and helped you undo the seal. What kind of hypocrite would I be if I didn''t clean up my own mess?" "The initiative was ours," Lilith retorted smilingly and swiftly stood up. "That won''t change." Rakna snorted. "Right," he said nkly. "How''s your king?" He changed subjects and the rest of themanders stood up as well. "Follow me," the demoness beckoned and led him into the castle. He grunted and mid-steps, he made his body revert to a human form once again, which caused more than a few stunned nces to go his way. ''Hm. My older self seems to be more handsome,'' Rakna joked internally. "{Don''t let it get to your head now. After all, you will never be as beautiful as I,}" Frayughed. ''Really? That sounds like a low bar.'' "{I''m offended.}" The therian snorted and then spotted Ramsa as they entered the throne room. She was leading the Sun-Dwellers as they treated the wounded. Out of the three races, they were by far the best healers. Rakna walked past Lilith and climbed the stairs to the throne. The Demon King, a handsome man in his thirties with long ck hair and red eyes, sat still while Ramsa maintained a magic circle of sr energy pointed at him with a frown on her face. As soon as Rakna got close, the king opened his eyes and looked at him. "wee," he spoke without moving an inch. "I wish I could do more than sit here, but" "This idiot was beyond reckless," Ramsa finished for him with a huff. "At first, when we got to him, my preliminary judgment was that he had been battling a greater intensity of corruption. But upon looking closer, I found out he was actively doing something much worse," she narrowed her eyes at the man. "" "He was sucking in the corruption force from the air of the entire capital. That''s why this city had the least cases of corruption," the goddess said. "But if that was all, he would have already be another mindless drone. The important part is that he was detonating the demonic energy inside his body to destroy it. He did the same with pieces of his soul. The fool is half-dead; both spiritually and physically. He can''t even move out of the posture he''s in." Rakna blinked in surprise. That was actually impressive. "Hm I never got your name," he turned toward the demon, who grunted in response. "Zikserth" The therian blinked. "Well, not sure I could spell that," he uttered and the royal demon let out an amused chuckle. "You wouldn''t be the first." "Is his life in danger?" Soma asked his fellow Celestial. Ramsa rolled her eyes with a huff. "Not anymore. And if we had time, I could bring him back to top shape within a week, probably. Unless" She eyed Rakna with an inquisitive look. "You help me. Can you replicate what you did to me?" "Hm, sure," Rakna shrugged and flicked his wrist, somehow catching a card in between his fingers out of nowhere. He peeked at it and raised an eyebrow. "That''s funny," hemented and tossed the card in Zikserth''s direction. "[King of Hearts.]" The card burst into purple and pink kes of crystal the instant it collided with the demon''s body. They were rapidly absorbed as fast as they appeared. The king visibly lost his breath, and with widened eyes, he gripped the armrests of his throne even harder. There was definitely something incredibly powerful healing him, but due to the damage he had inflicted on himself, aggravated by a Fiend''s energy of all things, it wasn''t being done gently at all. Ramsa stepped back while Zikserth continued to resist the pain of his body and soul being mended from the inside with merciless efficiency. Unlike her, the demon needed far more than just a small recovery in energy reserves and an ''antidote'' to a ''poison''. The other demons in the throne hall became tense at the sight, but Lilith waved them down, her eyes staring at Rakna''s back with trust. "Come on. Suck it up," the therian deadpanned and the king''s eye visibly twitched. He gritted his teeth and demonic energy burst out of his body in an amazingly controlled manner. It was like a multitude of ribbons connected to his heart and soul. Rakna had to give it credit; Zikserth was a powerhouse at an equivalent or even stronger level than even Ramsa. He wasn''t exactly sure how hepared to someone like Soma, but he certainly lived up to the title of Demon King. And as one would expect, soon enough, he won the battle against the pain. He sighed on his throne and leaned back while Ramsa slowly lowered her arm and stopped her spell. "Aah happy, Sentinel?" Zikserth let out a tired smile, analytically clenching his fists. "Passable," Rakna jested. "I''ll be happier if you tell me you can fight." "Hah," the demon chortled and slowly but surely stood up. His movements wereborious but not for even a millisecond did he allow his body to tremble or stagger. "A world where I do not fight for my people does not exist." Two auras briefly shed in a burst of sparks and the Nine-Tailed Wolf''s lips gradually curled into a grin while the people in the room watched dumbfounded, "Oh, I think we''ll get along perfectly." Meanwhile, Ramsa rolled her eyes, "Men" Chapter 429: "What a heart tastes like?" Chapter 429: "What a heart tastes like?" "You should rest more, Your Majesty," Mino spoke to Zikserth as a group gradually began to gather in the private chambers of the castle. The Demon King grunted at his butler and sat on the edge of his room''s bed; his demonic energy had yet to stop flowing outside of his body. It was considerably tamer, but its stability in terms of output and cirction made it even more impressive than the initial burst. "I believe I have made myself clear, Mino," Zikserth narrowed his eyes and the butler sighed. "No rest for the wicked," Rakna snorted and leaned against the wall. Other than Soma, Ramsa, and himself, Lilith and two other demonmanders hade into the room. One of thetter was a mature woman with half-grayed hair named Merid. The other was a tall and handsome man who had arrived shortly after the Demon King had been healed. It was a man named Faruth; with short silver hair, blue eyes, and two earrings hanging from his right ear. Curiously, the therian noted that Lilith was avoiding looking at him. The man was rather apathetic too. He had only bowed once to Zikserth earlier before falling silent entirely. "Appraising my subordinates?" Zikserth raised his voice. Rakna shrugged. "Just checking what we''re working with." "Anyment?" "Well, you have good minions," the therian nced at themanders. Merid smiled politely at him and Faruth eyed him taciturnly. "The ice statue here seems even stronger than Lilith when she was at her best.""Hm, Faruth is an excellent soldier," the demon king said. "Thank you for the kind words," Faruth said, closing his eyes and lowering his head. "Why did you not send that one to the moon then?" Ramsa asked, a somewhat puzzled expression on her face. "Lilith was deemed more fit to lead the forces on the main objective," the silver-haired demon said in his king''s stead. "That''s all there is to it." "yeah, I think I get it," Rakna deadpanned. "A brick wall hardly has the charisma to lead an army properly after all." Lilith shed an amused and wry smile at that, but Merid chuckled out loud, "I couldn''t have said it better myself." She then bowed at the therian. "And, it is a pleasure to meet you, Sentinel. I have spent my childhood fearing stories about you." "you don''t seem that scared." She smiled widely and ominously perversely. "I''m a huge fan." "good for you," Rakna uttered with a straight face and she giggled. "We were lucky, in the end," Zikserthmented and everyone looked at him in confusion. "Had it been Faruth instead of Lilith would you have spared them?" He asked Rakna. The therian''s lips curled up in amusement. "Frankly? Most likely not. No matter the world, a prettydy will be a good pacifier," he snickered and the demoness in the corner of the room blushed in embarrassment. "You didn''t act like it at all" She retorted with a groan. "Well, let me put it this way. Between that," he pointed at Faruth''s cold face. "And this," he pointed at the flushed Lilith. "Who would you be more inclined to spare?" "..." Everyone in the room collectively nodded after a few seconds and even Faruth couldn''t keep his expression intact; the corner of his lips twitching in a mixture of disbelief and perplexity. "Well, he can be cute when he wants to," Merid said with a chuckle as she pinched the man''s cheek, who gave her a small re in return. "See?" The Demon King smiled. "Regardless Faruth, Lilith," his tone lowered a little and both demons promptly stood straighter. "I have heard of what happened Each of you made your own decision when the corruption was seen covering the Earth." Lilith lowered her head at that and nced at her fellowmander; someone she could trust her life with and her oldest friend. When he refused to help when she initially contacted the armies to return to Earth, she would be lying if she said it didn''t hurt her. "Neither was wrong," Zikserth added and caught her attention once again. "Asmanders, your army is as important as I am. Maybe even more so. Truthfully speaking, at the time, I would have preferred you stand back; without ounting for the Sentinel''s intervention, that is." "You''re wee," Rakna quipped in passing and the king snickered. "And as such, you can leave it in the past," he continued. "I would appreciate it if my most trusted pair ofmanders did not lose the camaraderie they developed over long years." "I don''t me Faruth for anything," Lilith eventually spoke up. "I just was too selfish. I did not intend to force him to choose between his subordinates and me." The silver-haired man looked at her and allowed his expression to rx a bit. "I do not me Lilith for anything either," he sighed. "Before the Sentinel intervened, I was actually preparing to leave my troops behind and join them on my own." Lilith''s gaze snapped toward him; her eyes wide open. It seemed he hadn''t told her this. Zikserth grinned and turned toward Rakna. "See? An excellent soldier." The therian snorted. "Yes. But as heartwarming as this tsundere demon can be, I believe there are more important things to discuss," he said and Faruth''s perplexed mumble of the word ''tsundere'' waspletely ignored. "The main question is; how hard can we hit, and when?" "You, Ramsa, and I can start on a Lunisr Ritual already," Soma raised his voice. "For it to reach an optimal level of power, I would say 24 hours is a minimum requirement." "The problem is you demons," Ramsa added with crossed arms. "Your power is not the Fiend''s per se, but it is a byproduct of your God''s corruption. In other words, its effect on the creature will be weakened at best, or absorbed at worst." "I agree," Zikserth nodded solemnly. "I believe I can surpass that shoring by brute forcing it, but otherwise, even my most powerful subordinates will be greatly disadvantaged." "That''s not all. Let''s not forget about--" Rakna was interrupted when the ground started shaking violently, startling everyone in the room. Panicked shouts were heard from outside but thankfully, the apparent earthquake onlysted a few seconds before stopping. "As I was saying" The therian huffed as if nothing had happened. "The Fiend will not be alone. It lost its little corrupted army thanks to me but that doesn''t stop it from using other things as its puppets." "You mean like this shaking just now? Thend itself?" Lilith asked with a frown. "Oh no," Rakna snickered. "Much worse." As if on cue, a second earthquake rattled the castle and Zikserth''s expression darkened. He could tell that this was nothing dangerous. Rather, it foretold something. This one was as short as the first, but at the same time it ended, Astraea appeared in a sh of light. The goddess exchanged looks with Rakna before addressing everybody, "First, I set down an array around the hill," she began. "Before you ask, it''s temporary. That hill is essentially an open tunnel impossible to close. To better exin, I want you to picture the Earth as a sort of egg. The Fiend lies in its very center and is trying to expand itself; to break the shell and find a way out." "Now, the reason why the Earth started dying all those years ago was most likely due to the Fiend waking up and thus starting the process of corruption. Like a virus, it spread from the core of the and started eating all the neutral life energy from nts, water, and minerals. But the Fiend quickly realized it would need a better strategy. It was weak back then; it would have taken a long time to escape the confines of its natural prison. So, it sought out a shortcut." "A shortcut?" Rakna raised an eyebrow. "That hill?" "Not exactly," Astraea shook her head. "It''s Bhumi," she said and Zikserth froze. Soma also frowned to himself, as if he had been told something he should have known long ago. "The Earth God was used as the shortcut. He became a conduit for let''s say, an aligned drilling operation." "One''s digging up; the other down," Raknamented out loud and she nodded. "That hill is where Bhumi started his own tunnel. And if I''m not mistaken, it is also the equivalent of the Moon Shrine," the goddess concluded and looked at Soma for confirmation. The Moon God hummed when everyone began to look at him. "Well, that is a given. If there was a vestige of me remaining, it''s only ''fair'' that Bhumi was also in the same state. Where it was though, is not something the ''Law of Equivalence'' allowed me to choose. We were either unlucky enough for him to be exactly on the ''drilling spot'' or his ''remains'' were pulled to that ce naturally." "so, this means Lord Bhumi will return to life as well, right?" Zikserth asked slowly, and the other demons'' expressions darkened. "Yes," Astraea answered. "I already detected him. Once Tarnished Deathpletes the tunnel, he will undoubtedlye out. And not as an ally," she added seriously. "A contaminated, an army of demonic creatures, a Demon God, and a Fiend," Rakna listed with a chuckle. "Quite the battle we have to fight," he said, and as if to prove a point, the ground shook for the third time, ttering the furniture. This time, no one said anything about it or even moved out of ce. Once the phenomenon receded, Lilith tentatively spoke up, "How do we proceed?" "First, we need a more essible solution for the corruption force," Soma raised his voice. "It will most certainly gush out once the Fiend emerges and Rakna will not be able to continually burn it off the''s surface." "We could attempt a wide-scale protective blessing," Ramsa suggested. "But it will ultimately not amount to much. It would buy us a few minutes if anything." Zikserth nodded. "I agree. While the main reason I fell victim to it was my actions to stall its spread and strength, I would still barelyst an hour under normal circumstances" As several people began to gravely ponder the situation, Rakna casually spoke up, "Off the top of my head, I have about three solutions," he abruptly stated. "what?" The Demon King blinked. "One; I engrave Lunisr Runes on everyone," the therian said. "I haven''t learned such a rune yet, but I''m pretty sure I can design one quickly enough." "Two; I create familiars capable of wielding my mes and make them stick to a group or person each. Three; we gather as many people as we can in the capital and set up a barrier around it to repel the corruption. Containing the source of the corruption is nearly impossible, but containing ourselves instead should work. If encoded correctly, we could even attack from inside of it." "" Silence filled the room. The therian hadn''t said anything too shocking. It was all so sensible in fact that they almost felt stupid for being so grim about it just a moment ago excluding the whole thing about creating a new rune that is. "Ahem," Soma cleared his throat. "I don''t see a problem with those ideas I''m rather attracted to the third one, personally. Demons who cannot or are in no shape to fight will be evacuated to the moons while a stronghold will be created here to face Bhumi and the Fiend''s army." "I''m of a simr opinion," Zikserth added with a sigh and turned to his butler. "Mino, speed up the rallying searches and begin preparations for the evacuation," he said and turned to Rakna. "All of our raw materials will be avable to you for that barrier. Take as much as you want." The therian smirked lightly. "Thank you for your generosity. But I''m not going to stop at that," he said and the demon king raised an eyebrow. "I''ll do all three, actually. And as a bonus, I''ll even give you a fourth contingency; the best of them all." On cue, Rakna raised his arm and an ominous power began to swirl in his palm. His grin widened and everyone unconsciously shivered. "Tell me, have you ever wondered what a heart tastes like?" Chapter 430: The Dealer Chapter 430: The Dealer A pir of Lunisr mes and Soul mes soared to the sky from within the inner garden of the Demon King''s castle. The demons and sun-dwellers outside could only observe it in awe. At the source of it, Rakna shut his eyes in concentration as everyone else covered their eyes due to the light and heat radiating from the mes. After some time, it vanished quietly, and the sound of a heartbeat coursed throughout the entire castle. It made the listeners shudder and when they saw what Rakna was holding in his hand, the reaction turned into a full-blown shiver. "Is that?" Merid blinked at the offending object; a literal heart with a strangely healthy shade of red, releasing both embers of white and purple mes. "Volunteer?" Rakna casually asked his shocked audience, who flinched when the heart contracted as if it was still beating. "Um for what?" Lilith hesitantly raised her hand. "To eat, of course." She slowly lowered her hand. "That''s hurtful. And here I thought you trusted me," the therian joked and she whined. "But that''s fine since I''ll be giving you a heart much more powerful than this one.""so, it''s been decided that I''ll eat one, huh?" The demoness muttered to herself helplessly. "What does it do exactly?" Soma asked curiously. "Is it rted to your innate ability?" "If you mean Harvester, yes," Rakna nodded. "I reverse-engineered it." ? ? ? You have learned a new Nirvana Skill; The Dealer. --- The Dealer Apound derivative of the Nirvana Skill, The Harvester. By creating a replica of the user''s heart with the Personal Skill, Philosopher Craft, and inverting the flow of the matrix, the user can extract power and abilities from themselves to bestow upon another. Those who eat the resulting hearts will receive what has been infused into them with varying degrees of effectiveness. A subject can receive more than what was given depending onpatibility, luck, and talent. This skill does not require permanent sacrifices. Suppose the user decides to share only their personal reserves of energy, the beneficiary will temporarily be able to wield them as their own and perhaps learn them if possible. Simrly, definitive elements like Proficiencies, Attributes, and Skills can be extracted. This effect can be limited to levels instead of erasing the entire element. However, inborn abilities like Magic Elements or Nirvana Skills must be abandoned in full to properly be given to someone else. Note: More intangible elements like knowledge and memories will merely require the user to spend psychic energy and focus carefully on its transfer. ? ? ? "I poured a great amount of Lunisr ze into this heart. Naturally, that basically means I gave it a ton of Lunar and Sr Energy," Rakna added. "I also added soul power and mana to bnce it up further. Theoretically, if you eat this" "We''ll temporarily be able to use your mes," Zikserth concluded for him. "We can use this to fight the corruption but can you make enough for an entire army?" The therian grinned. "Oh, don''t worry about that. I''m not going to run out of anything." "" The Demon King squinted his eyes and stepped away from his butler''s support. He walked on his own and approached the offered heart which Rakna continued to hold with a smile. "allow me to try then," he stated and grabbed the organ without hesitation. Rakna''s grin widened when Zikserth''s teeth sunk into the heart and without warning, the mes he had packed into it overflowed. However, unlike earlier, it was far more contained. It harmlessly enveloped the king''s body and without him having to finish, the heart dissolved halfway through to join the phenomenon. The demon''s eyes widened in shock, the Lunisr ze amalgamating at the surface of his own energy reserves and ready to be used at any time. It felt more galvanizing than anything he had ever experienced before. "This!" He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could continue, pain assaulted his body and he had to kneel on one leg. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention," Rakna spoke up with a mischievous smirk. "I added the by-product of my physique into it. Right about now, macroscopic agents are coursing throughout your body to strengthen and fill in the gaps; in other words, you''re undergoing open surgery." Zikserth''s mouth twitched. "Can''t you heal people without hurting them?" He asked wryly, his eyes shifting to see faint blue lines spreading under his skin, releasing vapor; the heat was spreading inside of him in a strangelyforting manner. "Don''t whine. I need you in top shape as fast as possible. This is the only heart I will be providing with this ''service''. Your body will probably feel stronger for the next few days." "you predicted I would eat it first," the demon uttered. "Of course," Rakna huffed and offered him a hand to stand up. "A king must lead." "you''ll work us to the bone, won''t you?" Zikserth said in amusement as he epted the help. "I know right?!" Astraea eximed reflexively but quickly covered her mouth with a blush when they all looked at her. She cleared her throat to regain her dignity, "I mean Lord Monarch knows how to bring the best out of people." "Nice save," the therian nkly said and she whistled. "Anyway, line up. Time for lunch." * * * For five minutes, Rakna fed hearts to everybody in the room and after repeating it several times, hepletely mastered The Dealer''s ''pattern''. He could activate it much faster than he had on his first attempt; almost instantly in fact. Though it all depended on how much he put into it. "You''re thest one," he uttered as Lilith stood in front of him with a nervous expression. Without a word, he reverted into a werewolf and she blinked in surprise. His Tenth Tail grew and she began to sweat profusely. "Um is that necessary?" She asked hesitantly and trembled at the smirk he shed her. "We''ll see," he uttered and the Ster Sage''s Aura burst out of his body. Before long, all of it turned into a ck and purple demonic energy of such purity that Zikserth himself was captivated. In all worlds, demons have always been creatures of varied breeds, powers, and origins. But what the werewolf was currently creating and releasing with his Personal Skill, tapped into something beyond that. It was raw, unadulterated, and deep demonic energy of the likes only the progenitors of demons could ever wield. Soon after, the Lunisr mes came into the mix and as if it wasn''t enough, the malevolent mana of the Cardinal Sins suddenly appeared, multiplying the levels of energy. Soma''s eyes widened as everyone stepped away from the continuously increasing force. "Is he?" Rakna closed his eyes and focused on the flow of power he wanted to infuse into the heart. Once again, he used his Philosopher Craft to create the organ, but this time, he made it inbination with the power of his Tenth Tail; the power of a Nephilim. Then, he filled it to the brim with demonic power, directly transmuted from his Ster Aura, and added the silver-white mes afterward. But that wasn''t all of it. Lilith had sacrificed a lot of her life force to fight against him previously, and even if he was tailoring the heart to be aspatible with her as possible, something extra was needed toplete it. ''Well, I''ll have to give away a bit, but I can recover itter,'' he thought and his own life force began to decrease. In other words, he poured some of his Level into the heart. Enough to help, but not to the point where he would fall below Level 300. Additionally, he threw in a hundred or so spare attribute points; which was practically worthless with her Ascent level, but it would consolidate the heart even more. Without the Ascent correction, he had 1800 of them lying around, so there was no point in being stingy. Especially when he knows just one use of Harvester will get those back and more. And as ast touch, he added a couple of special ingredients. Eventually, Rakna terminated The Dealer''s activation and his aura died down. In his hand, a heart much bigger than those he had given the others was beating ominously. Even the weakest of beings would be able to sense the sheer power emanating from it, so obviously, Lilith was having a panic attack. "I-I c-can''t--!" She waved her arms nervously. "Yamul, eat the damn thing," the werewolf deadpanned. "uh" Her brain short-circuited before rebooting. She whimpered internally and with a defeated expression, she grabbed the heart with both hands. Staring at it, she avoided the werewolf''s gaze and grumbled, "you can stop calling me Yamul, you know?" Rakna raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Right. Then, eat it, Lilith. And be reborn." She pursed her lips and after taking a deep breath, she took a bite. Initially, Lilith''s fellow demons and the pair of divinities watching her were expecting to see a sight simr to what happened to themselves; perhaps a bit showier considering what the efforts that the Sentinel had put into it. But, strangely, the demoness devoured the heart in silence. No mes, no demonic energy, and not even a speck of light. Yet, Rakna''s grin widened as his eyes shone with golden crosses. He quietly walked away from her and Astraea joined him with a curious expression. "Lord Monarch, do you ''see something'' in her?" She asked with a tilt of her head as Lilith was almost done with the heart. Even she couldn''t predict the result. Rakna snorted at her question and the others looked at him. "I saw something the moment I met her, to be exact. I don''t know much about demons, and certainly not a demonic race forced to be corrupted from their human base by a Fiend. But, she has something sleeping in her. You could call it a hidden potential, or a dormant bloodline." "A bloodline?" Ramsa repeated with a scowl. "In legends, there are all kinds of demons, are there not?" Rakna shrugged, and at this point of the conversation, everyone noticed something strange. Lilith was not moving anymore. She had devoured the heart in its entirety and nothing had yet to happen. On the other hand, her natural aura was dwindling, threatening to disappear. Faruth frowned in worry. "What did you do to her?" "Subi, Jinns, Onis, Rakshasas, Aswangs, Shadow Spirits, Harpies, Keres, Maras, Pretas, Chorts, Lilitus, Wraiths, Jikininkis" Rakna fired one name after another and everyone fell silent. "There are as many demons as there are ways to portray evil. They''re not races, but evolutions. What I did is pretty simple; I kickstarted the evolution of the demon with the most potential amongst you." On cue, an explosion of demonic energy erupted from Lilith''s body right as her aura was about to fall into a state of inexistence. It shook the entire castle and even the rest of the city as well. Zikserth shielded his face, staring at the source of the rampaging power that currently flooded all his senses. At first, the Lunisr ze had been raging alongside it, but after a short moment, they were abruptly reced by lime-colored fire that burned much more mercilessly inparison. But the most amazing thing was what could be peered past theyers of demonic energy and green mes. Lilith''s silhouette grew taller and fuller. Her hair lengthened and floated upward. Her ears grew longer, almost like an elf, and her physique visibly honed itself. A pair of horns grew from her skull and a mask formed on her face. It was crimson and gold, with a third eye at the top, and swirling patterns over its surface. The process took nearly a minute before everything calmed down. Rakna waved his hand d in a transparent force and the mes and energy barring the view dispersed. When Lilith could be seen properly, several gasps echoed. The demoness had undergone a drastic transformation. Her stature had increased past the three-meter mark in height. Her clothes were half torn and showed her skin; dark red. Her muscles had been extremely enhanced as well, highlighting every groove possible from her adnominal muscles to her forearms. Yet, her feminine charms were all but lost. Her nails were slightly elongated like ws and her ck hair was drifting alongside a bright green ring of fire hovering behind her. Her mask, with its grinning white fangs,pleted by the ck horns sprouting above it, gave an inexplicable sense of doom. Through the mask''s sockets, a green light shed, and under everyone''s eyes, the monstrous yet fascinating demoness reached for her mask and pulled it off. In the blink of an eye, she shrunk down to her original size and her skin eased back to its pristine shade. The mes disappeared, her horns crumbled, and the mask faded like a mirage. Lilith kneeled on the ground panting, sweat running down her face. The only different things about her now were her long ears, the jade pupils in her red eyes, and an overall slight increase in height. "What just?" She breathed out tiredly. From the second she bit into the heart; her memories had turned into a blur. She reflexively looked at herself and yelped at the state of her clothes. She tried to cover her exposed skin and red at the werewolf who was smiling impishly. "Congrattions," he suddenly said while reverting into a therian and she blinked in confusion. He approached her and conjured a cloth to cover her on the spot. "You have officially been reborn as an Asura." "huh?" Chapter 431: Agni Asura Chapter 431: Agni Asura Later in the day, three of Rakna''s Tail Clones could be seen sitting in the sky above the city, joining forces to create batches of hearts that would mysteriously float down to the ground. The soldiers from the Earth, Sun, and Moon armies were all catching and distributing them to the masses who had decided to stay and fight, while the rest were being evacuated to the moons. "that is a traumatizing sight," Lilith uttered from atop a small mountain off the east of the capital city, eying the three clones'' handiwork. She looked tired and dirty; and the cause of it stood right in front of her. "Focus," a cold feminine voice echoed and the demoness sighed miserably. A female version of the Sentinel of all things, the gorgeous woman currently training her was not something she expected to see in her life. ''Ranka, he said?'' Lilith furrowed her eyebrows. Earlier, Rakna had unceremoniously forced her to evolve into a new demon race and after calmly saying that she therefore needed training, one of his tails literally detached itself from his back and turned into this woman. "should I even ask?" She grumbled to herself. Ranka raised an eyebrow. "What?" "Well" Lilith sheepishly waved at the wolf girl. "All that."To her credit, the therian snorted in amusement. "Why am I a woman, you ask? There isn''t a deep reason. Frankly, I could be anything. But that is beside the point. I''m not a simple clone like those over there," she pointed at the werewolves in the distance. "You could call me a vessel of sorts. I''m the power he taps into when he needs to surpass his limits. Ie from abination of countless energies he possesses sublimated into one extra container." "I see?" Lilith tilted her head. "But why do you feel so different from him if you''re his clone?" "At my corey four of the Cardinal Sins. Above that orbits Infernity and Divinity to keep them in order. I represent that. In essence, my current form is a purposefully distinct safety mechanism." "That''s fascinating, actually," the demoness admitted. "Hm," Ranka smiled. "''We'' areplicated like that. Now then, break''s over. If you''re done gawking at those three, maybe we can continue your training, hm? We don''t have unlimited time." Lilith blushed faintly and nced onest time at the macabre ''waterfall'' of hearts. "I still stand by my opinion think of all the children you''re going to traumatize with that." "Then, they''ll be happy to care about it once they survive," Ranka smiled coldly and her aura began to press on the surroundings. The demoness shivered and fought against the pressure. It''s already been a few hours since they''ve started this ''training'' and she still couldn''t believe that a clone had this much power. "Now, again. Transform." Lilith pursed her lips and clenched her fists. Taking a deep breath, she reached out for the wisp of green demonic power at the core of her being and pulled with all her might. The sensation of the mask resting on her face and the horns on her forehead returned at once. She felt her body expand and her muscles being filled with strength. Ranka watched it happen with a calm gaze. "four seconds," shemented after thepletion of the transformation. "Much better than the initial twenty-eight, but still not good. ''We'' can turn into a werewolf in less than half a second." "How is that a fairparison" Lilith''s voice echoed through the mask, lower than her real one, and doubled tone as well. "Now, your mes," Ranka crossed her arms, and the evolved demoness could only grumble as she reached for the ring of mes behind her and grabbed it with her bare hands. The bright lime-green fire bristled her skin but didn''t harm her. Quickly, a mass of fire spewed out and turned into an indented saber releasing considerable heat. "Good. The second one." Lilith nodded and promptly duplicated the saber, mirroring her usual weapons of choice. "The arms," Ranka''s cold instructions continued. This time, the Asura spent more time concentrating before a pair ofrge arms sprouted from the inside of the fire ring. They were almost as big as her torso and d in some kind of solid light, an armor almost. "Sabers." Lilith clicked her tongue at the nextmand and for a moment, sparks appeared in the palms of the two arms, until vague and unstable constructs were gripped by them. "New record," Ranka snorted. "Then, the second pair." If the demoness could afford it, she would have red at her. But she swallowed her dissatisfaction and attempted to form a second pair of arms. However, she lost control and the ring returned to its initial shape, both the arms and sabers disappearing. She breathed out tiredly but didn''t undo her transformation. "I can''t do this" She groused. "Why do you keep making me do this over and over again?" "You''re an Asura," Ranka deadpanned as if that was meant to exin everything. "Listen, ''we'' have a friend whose pet is part-Asura." "a pet," Lilith repeated nkly. "Yes. He consumed an Asura''s Tear and gained its abilities. What you should know about Asuras is that they each possess a ''specialty'' that is essentially a racial trait of their own. In legends, it usually was a gift given by a god. That pet I mentioned is a Nemesis Asura; Anti-Magic. You" The therian''s eyes glowed golden. "Are a Guardian Asura. And specifically, you are an Agni. You wield one of the five Inert Impermanent Elements; an authority of fire, lightning, and sun all at once." Lilith pursed her lips as she saw the golden crosses shine in the female clone''s eyes. "You also have the same abilities as him" She muttered slowly. "What did you even do to me? What was inside that heart I ate?" "Don''t overthink it. We didn''t do much," Ranka retorted. "It was your potential. The only thing we did was pass on some disposable Divinity, Infernity, and Mystic Energy to you. Thetter especially had an effect on you and unlocked your current form; yourtent aptitude. What worked out in an unexpected way even for us though was the Agni. You overpowered the Lunisr mes we gave you and changed it into somethingpletely different, but not any weaker." "" "Now, you have to learn. As a Guardian Asura, you should be like a mountain. Your resolve should never run out. Neither your stamina nor mes. As long as you''re alive and conscious, copsing is a ridiculous idea. But currently, you''re showing none of that." "Even if you tell me that" Lilith frowned, ncing over her shoulder at the Agni Ring that refused to listen to her. And there were two more variations to it too? How? "What is it that you don''t understand?" Ranka scoffed. "Being a Guardian; don''t you already know what it is like? Where is the woman who burned her life force to protect her army? Where did all that resolve run off to?" The Asura Demoness fell silent. "What is the reason you sought power? Wasn''t it for justice? Wasn''t it to protect?" The therian said and extended her arm, conjuring an obsidian Guandao. "Well, now you have all you need to do both those things. ''I'' am not as gentle as ''him''," she stated. "You will have to prove yourself. If you fall to me then that power is worth nothing in your hands." A beat of silence swallowed the entire area after Ranka spoke. Her body tilted forward and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared into a blur. In that same instant, a green spark red between the horns of the mask. * * * On the opposite side of the city, at one of the three array points currently enclosing the corrupted hill, Rakna sat in his werewolf form. A magic formation was glowing underneath him and linked to hundreds of runes sourcing back to Ramsa and Soma in two other spots around the hill. To the untrained eye, it would look as if they were sitting silently, but only those with the proper means could sense the terrifying cluster of power currently growing between the three of them. "{At this rate, the Ritual will reach maximum capacity within two days,}" Soma spoke up through the telepathic channel. "{Considering the speed at which the ''presence'' is approaching it will be barely on time.}" "{Will it even do anything?}" Ramsa retorted. "{Frankly? At best, it will probably slow the ''Shades'' but not harm the Fiend,}" the Moon God shook his head from where he sat and looked at the ground. "{Not to mention Bhumi}" "He''ll be on the side of the Shades," Rakna interjected out loud, simultaneously sending it to them. Astraea quietly listened to their conversation as she stood not far from him. They had named Shades the beings made of pure demonic or corrupted energy that they expected the Fiend to summon; such as the Reverie Eaters. Since the werewolf had already purified all the demons on Earth, those should have been the only things to worry about other than the ''Final Boss'' itself. But there was still the very worrying issue of the Demon God''s return. "Can I ask what we can expect from him?" Astraea curiously asked the pair of Gods. "{As the former Earth God, he ruled over the four elements and was a master of the sword; enough so that he could cut a in two if he put his mind to it,}" Soma recounted. The werewolf huffed. ''That alone implies great martial prowess and an extremely refined Spiritual Intent much more powerful than mine.'' He already knew a bit about Bhumi thanks to his repeated use of irvoyance during the First Act, but nothing too detailed. "{After turning into a Demon God, that hasn''t changed. In fact, his physical prowess only doubled afterward. His Divinity changed nature, however, and his mind became less sharp. Regardless, he did not get any weaker. His innate battle sense adapted to the changes, you could say. Additionally, he learned to wield demonic energy better than anyone.}" "the more you speak, the bleaker it gets, huh?" Rakna grunted. Soma chuckled wryly. "{Well, of course. Ramsa and I created you for a reason. We alone didn''t stand a chance in a direct confrontation.}" "you might have to fight him without me though," the werewolf said. "Assuming the Shades will be taken care of by our people, it still leaves Bhumi and the Fiend. I will probably tackle thetter, but you will have to hold off the former." "{Indeed. But, this time, we have the Demon King and Tarasque on our side. With the help of those two at least, it should be feasible,}" Soma theorized. "Right" The werewolf mused to himself before his lips abruptly curled into an amused grin. "But we have a third helper to consider, you know?" "{Hm? Who exa!}" Soma was interrupted by a sh of green lighting from the distance. Thunder apanied it like lightning, followed by a wave of heat Ramsa felt intimately familiar with. When they looked at the cause, they froze in stupor at the titanic figure overtaking the horizon. It was as intimidating as it was imposing. It had a body made of dark red mes, d in armor of green ze, and possessing six arms, as well as three faces. One pair of hands held zing sabers. Another held lightning. And thest held orange, sma-like energy. For a moment, everyone in range of sight lost their breath. But, as fast as it appeared, the titanic silhouette vanished and only left the heated-up atmosphere as proof of its brief existence. Rakna smiled, receiving his Doppelganger''s sentiments of approval. "This earned itself a Guardian." Chapter 432: Tear of The Star Chapter 432: Tear of The Star The next day, Rakna''s clones finished their duty, assisted in the evacuation, and ultimately merged back with their creator. Only Ranka continued to train Lilith as she saw fit. Something of which the repercussions had be a routine for everyone on Earth. Alongside the periodic earthquakes, they would often hear and feel the air shaking from the sh between the Asura and Doppelganger. As one more of those shes urred in the early morning, a shockwave spread throughout the city and Ramsa tugged the wild iling strands of hair behind her ear. "Those two are getting more reckless by the hour," she sighed. "Can''t you tell your clone to control herself?" "{Ranka is pretty independent as far as a clone is,}" the voice of her son, a term that still made her happy to use, echoed in her mind. "{She won''t listen to me if she truly wants to do something.}" "{isn''t that dangerous?}" Soma asked cautiously. Rakna snickered. "{No. I have absolute control in the end. Unlike my other clones whose tails I have to retrieve, I can terminate her incarnation and she will automatically return to me through my soul. Consider her something I can invoke at will.}" "{Hm I see.}" "{Also, Ranka is still me. She can do whatever she wants, but she will never act against my interests since they are hers as well. That is to say, ''I'' am not insecure enough to rebel against ''myself''}."Ramsa smiled thinly. "Yes that very much sounds like you. I can easily imagine one of your clonesughing at the face of any glib tongue out there trying to incite them." Next to Rakna on the other side of the hill, Astraea giggled in amusement, her hands firmly ced on the ground as she used her divine affinity to purify the area as much as possible. The werewolf snorted before his attention was grabbed by Soma. "{By the way, it has been quite a while since you started ''that''. How many do you have now?}" His question made Rakna look down at the ground where a small ripple in the soil under him was apanied by lunisr embers. These ripples were constant; emerging from within his vicinity for half a day already. "It has slowed downpared to the start but about sixteen thousand." Ramsa and Soma simultaneously held their breath. When Rakna had told them he was going to be summoning familiars during the Ritual, they were skeptical of its usefulness. After all, not only was he already focusing on the Ritual along with them, but also funneling significant amounts of energy to his clones. Their opinion, however, was nothing less than demolished when Nine-Tailed Wolves with purple eyes and silver fur climbed from underground to show themselves. Each of them was equal if not stronger than seasoned soldiers. But that wasn''t all. All of them were elementals made of Lunisr ze and Earth Magic, possessed their own reserves of energy, and wielded some of their creator''s abilities. "{it is quite terrifying actually,}" Soma smiled wryly. "Hm," Rakna shrugged. "I hoped for more. But somehow, I seem to be reaching my limit. Even if my wolves take energy to create, they don''t need more of it to remain summoned. I thought I''d be able to summon as many as I wanted. But it seems they''re still linked back to me in the end. It''s as if I''m holding imaginary leashes; it''s getting hard to stop them from slipping due to the number. If I try to go further, it''ll start to negatively affect my overall strength." "{I see. Still, this is already amazing. The full force of these familiars constitutes an army no lesser than the demons or our people,}" Ramsamented. "Well" The werewolf narrowed his eyes. "They''re not necessarily meant to fight." "{? What do you mean?}" "Let''s say they''ll be one of my trump cards." * * * Another day passed and a particrly violent earthquake struck the Earth. A crevasse opened across a mountain range in the distance and the pressure built inside expelled countless boulders into the air. It wasn''t a volcano or anything of the sort. The was simply being pressured so much from the inside that it was starting to gain critical levels of surface tension. "It''s getting pretty bad, huh?" A feminine voicemented from behind Rakna and he opened one eye to look at the source. Ranka casually stood to his right with her arms crossed. The werewolf raised an eyebrow and let out a huff. "I suppose so," he said and turned to the two people following his clone, which consisted of Astraea and Lilith. "you have seen better days," he smiled at the demoness, who was practically dragging her feet and perpetually a step away from copsing in exhaustion. The newly awakened Guardian Asura threw him a weak re. "Whose fault is that?" She grumbled in annoyance, still in the process of dusting her clothes. Rakna snorted. "At least you''ve gotten stronger," he added after his eyes shed briefly. "See? I told you; you have talent," he said and Lilith couldn''t stay mad. She puffed her cheeks and sat on the ground. "You could have trained me yourself" She muttered to herself, almost imperceptibly if it wasn''t for her entourage''s inhuman senses. Ranka scowled and gave her a sharp stare. "Oh? What is that I hear? Are you dissatisfied with me?" "no, Ma''am," Lilith sighed in defeat. "Put more conviction into it." "No, Ma''am! I''m not dissatisfied!" The therian nodded. "Good." Watching this, Rakna couldn''t help but smile wryly. "What are you, a military instructor? Don''t go around making people call you ''Ma''am'' too. You''re still me, you know?" "You have a problem with me too?" Ranka retorted challengingly. "that Sin of Pride really is something," the werewolf snickered to himself. Leaving theedic air of this exchange behind, he changed topics. "Did you girls finish the array?" "Yes," Ranka simply nodded, which Astraea mirrored. "It''s ready to be activated," the Egregore Goddess added. "For now, we left it to Norio. But with the capacity it has now, the barrier will onlyst about ten minutes." "I poured as much Lunisr ze as I could, but that''s the maximum I could make fit," Ranka said afterward. "Neither of ''us'' are used to it, after all. I had to improvise a few runes on the spot. You''ll see for yourself when we merge back." "So, going past ten minutes, we''ll need someone to supply it directly," Rakna nodded. "You might have to do it yourselfter on," he mused whilst eyeing his doppelganger. "What?" Ranka scowled. "Then are you going to fight Tarnished Death without ''me''?" She inquired slowly. There was no doubt that she meant it as his ''Tenth Tail'' rather than her current form. "If I determine I can do so without you, I''ll do it if ites to it." "" The therian narrowed her eyes silently. "And didn''t you already prepare a perfect recement?" Rakna continued with a smirk and after a small tilt of her head, Ranka''s lips also began to curve ominously. "Indeed" She replied and both of them simultaneously eyed Lilith, who unconsciously stepped back as a shiver coursed throughout her body. "eh?" The demoness eximed nervously. * * * "it''s about time," Rakna muttered as he opened his eyes. The Lunisr ze that had persisted on the corrupted hill for a while had finally lost its grasp. Yet, the crimsonnd was far from clean. Perhaps it was the Fiend being clever, but the corruption had retreated deeper underground just enough so that the mes wouldn''t be able to fuel themselves off of it. By now, the shaking of the earth had stopped being sporadic. It was a constant thrum; a vibration that was getting stronger and stronger by the second. "{It seems so,}" Soma replied calmly as the sky began to darken. At the same time, Zikserthnded a few meters away from Rakna. Faruth and Merid, among others, were stationed inside the city asmanders. The Tarasque was still quietly looming over it but based on the mana currently rising within the creature''s body, it was preparing to move. "Are we sticking to the original n then?" The Demon King asked. The power radiating from him at the moment was nothing like it was when he was injured a few days ago. "Hm," Rakna nodded sinctly. "You, Soma, Ramsa, and Tarasque will face Bhumi. As for the Fiend, leave it to me and" He looked to the side, where Lilith sat and meditated, a bright green Agni Ring shining behind her back. "I''m ready," the demoness spoke before he could even say her name. The werewolf chuckled. "Then, remember; follow my orders and stick to only supporting me until I tell you otherwise," he said and stood up. He extended his hands outward and a pair of opposite-colored magic matrixes spun into existence inside his palms. Purple mes burst out of them, followed by the sound of an ethereal hammer, and then by a spike of star energy. In barely a few seconds, two great curved swords of exquisite appearance formed in his grasp. One was white and the other ck. Each also shared the other''s color to some extent. The des were long and curved. Intriguingly, the white one had an inverted de, with the sharpened edge being on the back. The ck one was normal inparison, though had strange grooves on the sides of its des; all parallel and carefully carved in. Without a word, Rakna inspected them and tossed them toward Lilith. The demoness flinched in surprise but she didn''t have to do anything as the sabers twirled and buried themselves deep into the ground in front of her. "Gn Jing and M Y," Rakna nonchntly named both weapons while Lilith was still staring at them in shock. "Not exactly the most caricatural weapons for a demon but I think they''ll suit you well. I''m sure you can live up to the sacrifice they represent." Lilith pursed her lips and reached for the hilts. The moment her hands touched the weapons, she felt them call her soul. She pulled them out of the ground in a trance and barely felt any weight. They shone faintly in their respective colors as if acknowledging her. "thank you. I''ll make good use of them," she dered. "I trust you will. Now get away from here both of you," Rakna popped his neck and began to pour mana into his wings to be airborne. "The war horn''s about to be blown." The two demons nodded and flew off without a word. At the same time, the werewolf had already begun to ascend over the top of the corrupted hill and the magic circles and runes thatposed the Ritual became visible to the naked eye. Rakna quickly spotted Ramsa and Soma hovering on the same level as him and they looked at each other in implicit understanding. He sped his hands and focused on his Sage Aura. He discarded all of it for the sake of his soul power once again and the purple mes immted his entire body in an instant. This Ritual was a simple one; umtion, refinement, ignition. Soma would be providing Lunar Energy, Ramsa would be providing Sr Energy, and Rakna would bring them together with his Obsidian Star. It was a Ritual designed to maximize the output of the Lunisr ze beyond its limits. Ramsa unfurled her wings as wide as they could go and the sun in the sky began to shine stronger, to the point that the crown of light expanding around it made it look at least twice as big. Soma moved his hands at a measured pace and slowly sped his hands. He rotated his wrists and then immediately began to distance them from each other vertically. On cue, thousands of strands of bluish light suddenly converged into one spot between his palms. Although he had yet to separate them for even more than a centimeter yet, a miniature moon could be seen being stitched out of the lunar strings like a ball of yarn. Simultaneously, simr strings had begun to form a miniature sun in front of Ramsa. The source of these threads of energy naturally was the Ritual they had spent the past few days making. What they were doing now could be defined as crafting the processors and wiring them together. That is why Rakna was also disying a simr view; an obsidian star packed with purple mes sitting in his palm, his tails pointing at it, and connected to the Ritual Formation with ck threads. The werewolf gazed at his construct silently before directing his eyes downward. In that instant, a particrly violent shock spread throughout the. It was apanied by a loud noise; some sort of underground explosion, muffled, but no less threatening. Soma and Ramsa paled slightly when they heard it. Especially when it repeated itself and thend below distended upward. Trees began to tumble, rocks crumbled to pieces, the soil upturned, and animals bolted off as far as possible. A third ''knock'' resounded and thendscape became even more warped. Something was ramming the very surface of the Earth and everyone who heard it knew so. Back in the city, Astraea stood at the crux of the barrier''s array with Norio, ready to turn it on the moment that the Fiend''s miasma began to overtake the. "This is freaky" The demon mage next to her grimaced as he supported himself against a wall due to the shaking. The weather was already starting to show signs of chaos, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. Norio groaned. "At this rate, the Earth will fall apart either way" "" Astraea pressed her lips together with a grim expression. "Miss Angel?" He raised an eyebrow in concern. "it is nothing," she whispered and looked up at the sky. ''If only it was that simple'' She thought to herself. She understood her Lord Monarch well enough by now. Despite his promise, something that she trusted he would try his best to follow, she knew he would also risk his life to do anything he considered right. Rakna Xiorra was a simple man like that. Much like his uncle was, he was neither good nor evil. He simply lived by his creed. And as she watched the celestial trinity bing one in the distance, she braced herself for what was toe. "I hope my fears are unfounded" She muttered to herself. After all, at the moment, even if it was her Monarch; defying an Outer One was suicide. * * * The Ritual came to life as the moon, sun, and obsidian united. A shining star of white-silver mes triggered a myriad of runes and magic formations. Beacons of Lunisr ze lit up one after the other around the corrupted hill. Hundreds in number, spaced apart by a few meters, they drew a geometrical formation all around the hill and reignited the mes, once again eating away at the corruption. Soma''s hand trembled whilst facing the Lunisr Star and his face dripped with cold sweat. ''this is more than I estimated,'' he thought and nced at Ramsa who was even worse off. Compared to himself and Rakna, her strength ranked a stage lower. The Ritual was taking a heavy toll on her. As he thought that, he was startled by a burst of power he knew very well. Rakna summoned his Tenth Tail and the Lunisr Star became twice as big. However, despite that, instead of bing harder to control, Ramsa especially, saw her burden alleviated. She looked at her ''son'' in surprise as he stared at theirbined effort. "Leave the rest to me," he spoke to both gods as a fourth ''knock'' struck below. He flicked one finger upward and the star began to ascend, distancing itself from its supposed target. Soma and Ramsa gradually lowered their arms when they felt everyst bit of strain taken away from them. They looked up to watch the star approach the nket of clouds in the sky. Under not only their gaze, but everyone in the demon city, a purple magic circle began to expand right above it like a crown. Hundreds of lunisr runes designed by Ranka were iid in its outeryers, and at its center glowed Rakna''s innate crest; caricaturing his tails, wings, and stars. "[Pirakcam, U??rnta O?u?ki? Ka?] (Shine, Eye of Innate Order)." The werewolf''s voice echoed hauntingly and, in a sh, the Lunisr Star plunged into the clouds and set the sky aze for kilometers. It happened faster than it could be seen. "[kai Na?ivamaikka Oru Cu?a?ci] (One Rotation to Shape the World)." The mes began to whirl, slowly at first, as if a machine being revved to life. "[Pirapa?cattai Uruvkka N?u] (One Hundred to Create the Universe)." After a few seconds only, the sky had be a whirlpool of mes, making oddly mellow sounds repeating themselves in a crescendo. "[V?kaikkai Uruvkka Ayiram] (One Thousand to Create Life). Once the fourth line of the incantation was spoken, the speed increased by more than two-fold and swelled vertically, creating a cone-shaped tornado. The tip of the phenomenon stopped in midair though, never reaching the ground, and seemingly conjured a small pinkish light. "[Ethirma?aikku Oru Mu?umai] (One Eternity to Burn). Gradually, therge volume of Lunisr ze shrunk and flowed into the tip. Bit by bit, the power that had been ravaging the sky was confined to one single point. Leaving a clear hole in the clouds, illuminated by a faint pink hue emanating from the resulting object; a jewel-like stone in the shape of a tear. Ramsa looked at the jewel in awe, the distance doing nothing to stop her from inspecting it despite its size not being any bigger than her own thumb. Not only was this gem fashioned after a perfect maniption of an entire Ritual''s output but there was a cohesive sense of power and beautying from it that she had never seen before. Soma merely squinted his eyes and while they were admiring the result of Rakna''s spell, one final tremor shook the Earth, and apanied by a terror-inducing aura, a giant w punched through the top of the hill. Ramsa tore her eyes off the jewel and looked down with a pale countenance. An almost colorless miasma of corruption erupted from the consequent hole and quickly spread; whatever it touched became distorted like a mirage. A loud roar, oveid with dozens more, resounded and the dreadful hand that had burst out of the ground pushed the rest of its body up. The creature emerged, its abnormally long arms connected to a torso covered in ck fur, contrasting with the scales of its limbs. Bone spikes of random size jutted out from its spine and turned into a sort of cor around its neck. Its head had three pairs of eyes, no nose, and a mouth that disturbingly started from the middle of its face to below its neck in a vertical alignment. Rakna narrowed his eyes at that. Because right below that creature, he could already sense at least a dozen more climbing their way out. Some were bigger, some smaller, but all had their unsettling traits. A head that looked like a ribcage; a face on the back; disconnected muscles and organs connected by an invisible force; three pairs of arms and no legs; and more. Each of them was nothing more than a Shade. Yet, they emitted auras of the highest levels. "I see. Quality over quantity," Raknamented as the propagating corruption was halted by his soul mes before it could even touch the tip of his fur. In the distance, a dome of Lunisr mes formed over the city soon after, repelling the anomalous threat. "Rakna," Soma raised his voice grimly as the first Shade promptly opened its monstrous maw and started powering up a mass of red energy. "I know," the werewolf said and swung his arm, sting away the corruption in the vicinity with his soul mes. "You two can leave now." Ramsa frowned and was about to protest, but Soma appeared next to her with a raised hand. He nced at the jewel silently floating in the sky and nodded at his son. "It''s fine. We''ll charge right back in when Bhumi appears," he told the Sun Goddess and she begrudgingly followed him in the direction of the demon city. Once they were gone, Rakna indifferently looked down and watched as the Shade fired a chaotic tide of pure demonic energy at him. Wordlessly, he pointed his palm at it. "[Gradation Helix Assembly,]" he activated a freshly synthesized skill; something made possible thanks to the Random Skill Card rewarded for his Ascent before entering the Simtion. In the blink of an eye, a hexagonal shield many times bigger than himself materialized. Gleaming with a purple gradient, it appearedposed of infinitely smaller hexagonal shapes. At first sight, it resembled the simple Gradation Hex Buffer; a wed kill that Rakna had learned long ago. However, this time, it was thinner, brighter, and strangely, despite the many geometrical shapesposing it, there was some kind of optical illusion in ce forming a spiral on its surface. This new skill was made from abination of two unexpected additions; Mana Helix, a passive ability that increased Mana and Stamina, and a skill gained from the Random Card; Field Rally. It allowed the user to create thousands of stable and identical, but weak mana concentrations with very minimal effort. The first idea Rakna had was carpet bombing. But it quickly changed when he realized it was theplete opposite of the Hex Buffer''s w. As for Mana Helix, while discarding the skill reduced a few statistics, the potential it had with the two others more than made up for it. The System itself had a hard time synthesizing it properly too. It nearly failed for the first time and Rakna not only spent a Skill Point but also forced itspletion with Philosopher Craft. The werewolf smiled as the Shade''s attack was about to hit the buffer. He was not worried in the slightest about the result. After all, this defense wasn''t just one shield It was thousands. The demonic wave struck and the Gradation Assembly did not even budge. The red energy broke apart on impact and split into hundreds of stray beams. Mystifyingly, each of those beams was as straight as a ruler, and the more they traveled, the more frequently made ny-degree turns. From a distance, it looked like a giant spiral made of crimson circuits. At the same time, Rakna grinned as the energy located at the center of the spiral was absorbed by the Assembly and transferred right back to him. "Thanks for the boost," heughed and pointed one finger at the pink gem above, his mana output increasing even more. He intoned thest line of his incarnation and waved his finger down. "[Oru Minchratthil Iranthu Vi?uvadhu] (One Instant to Die)" The tear-shaped object sparkled and slowly began to drop. The Shades that hade out of the ground looked up simultaneously, but with their limited intelligence, they disregarded whatever such a small thing could do to them and prepared another offensive on Rakna. Unfortunately, they never realized that the moment it began to fall, nothing they did mattered in the slightest anymore. "[Cantira Criya, Na?cattirattin Ka??r] (Lunisr, Tear of The Star). The rosy tear shattered on the ground near the shades. Delicately, almost. It splintered at first and then burst into miniature pieces that reflected light. It was like a soft chime. In theirst moments, the Shades did not notice anything. Without flourish, one Lunisr ember flickered and died. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything vanished in a st of heat. That was the only way Lilith, Zikserth, Soma, and Ramsa could describe it at least. Being the closest to the phenomenon, it was the best they could manage. Before they knew it, the corrupted hill had disappeared. Instead, what was left was a hole so deep they would believe that it led right back to the other side of the. Pieces of the Shades were strewn on the edges of the hole, quietly being gnawed by the silver-white ze. The wind was peaceful. The Earth had stopped shaking. Even the corruption miasma was paused as if in a state of shock at what had happened. Rakna lowered his arm and gazed at the hole with Crystal Sight. He sensed something deep within the ring back at him with hatred and he smirked mockingly. "You didn''t like my wee?" An eruption of miasma responded to the werewolf''s taunt, concluding a first encounter that ended faster than anybody could have expected, and signaling the beginning of the second. Chapter 433: First Contact Chapter 433: First Contact From the depths of the Star Tear''s crater, a metallic glint shed ominously. A sharp noise of wind being split resounded loudly and Rakna''s eyes quietly glowed. "[Helix VI,]" he intoned and an ellipse-shaped Assembly appeared in front of him. It spun for just a second before something invisible violently collided with it. A shockwave rattled the werewolf''s fur and the Assembly promptly shattered, closely supervened by two mountain tops being sliced in the distance. "well, that''s quite a lot of Sword Intent you have there," Raknamented as a human shadow gradually emerged from the crater; almost crawling. It was a tall man with long ck hair, a handsome appearance, and a dark robe adorned with many red patterns. His eyes werepletely white, from the sclera to the pupil, and his expression was set in stone. Most strikingly, he was dragging a massive sword behind him, ripping the ground with every step as if nothing could resist it. Despite its size, the weapon was nothing short of a masterpiece. With golden tresses around its handle, a deceptively thin de, and several gilded grooves inside the de itself. Truthfully, it couldn''t be called a greatsword. It was as if it had been made for a giant and a human had gotten hold of it by mistake. Yet, inside that man''s grasp, even at rest, the Sword Intent wafting off the edge was enough to make it look tame. It was yielding to its wielder; even the most dense of people could notice. "" Rakna silently furrowed his eyebrows. He obviously could sense the danger of this man, and it dwarfed whatever aura the sword had, but that didn''t prevent him from realizing that the weapon was connected by a thread of soul power no, soul essence. ''A Soul Weapon?'' "Are you Bhumi?" The werewolf eventually raised his voice, but he received no answer. He snorted and his eyes nced at the white-eyed man''s right hand, faintly wounded and releasing a calm remnant of star energy. "You stopped my Star Tear, didn''t you? shed it even," hemented.Again, the man advanced, getting out of the crater and gradually straightening his spine as if he were learning how to do so once again. Before Rakna could say anything else, an arrow of moonlight zoomed past him and fell like aet toward the swordsman. The undead-like man twitched and faster than the eye could see, he split the arrow with one swing, shattering the ground all around him at the same time. "He''s ours," Soma solemnly said as he appeared, a grand bow in his hand. "Save your strength for the Fiend," he added and Ramsa arrived a beatter, followed by Zikserth. Rakna silently narrowed his eyes before nodding at them. "Lilith,e closer," he spoke aloud to the demoness who had approached, staring at Bhumi with a saddened expression. "Yes?" She uttered in confusion but nheless obeyed. At the same time, she gazed at the crater left by the Star Tear and couldn''t help but grimace when she saw new Shades emerging. They were not even limiting themselves to that location anymore either. The Sentinel''s spell must have surely weakened a good part of the''s crust, and now several tunnels were opening everywhere around the crater. In Lilith''s opinion, if Bhumi or the Fiend had not been in the way of the spell, it might have easily pierced through the Earth in its entirety. "Are we going to head down directly?" She asked after a moment. "Yes," Rakna replied and mentallymanded his Valkals. He coated them with Soul Power in the physical ne and in the blink of an eye, they drew a constetion as fast as he could think. "Are we supposed to charge through all that?" Lilith asked hesitantly. "How can" She pursed her lips sadly. "How will we get past Lord Bhumi?" "We don''t," the werewolf smiled and snapped his fingers, actualizing his constetion. A low-pitched bell resounded across the''s surface and Soma shuddered, sensing what was happening as the apparition of an archaic clock formed above them. "[Horologium,]" Rakna intoned, and the clock ticked. Colors dimmed, the world slowed down, and eventually, everything stopped altogether. Without wasting time, he grabbed Lilith with one arm and pped his wings. He rocketed toward the crater, flying over the frozen Bhumi, but not without noticing the corrupted god''s eyes move in his direction ever so slightly. "Eek?!" Meanwhile, Lilith yelped intelligibly, almost having a heart attack as time resumed for her as soon as Rakna touched her. "What is--!? Huh?!" Rakna chuckled at her and weaved past the Shades, careful to not touch any of them. He plunged into the crater he had made himself and elerated. Though his speed was limited due to Horologium''s restrictions, it was more than enough to reach the heart of the before the clockpleted a rotation. "It''s a spell of mine," the werewolf exined to Lilith as he barreled between two Shades crawling up the walls. "It''s not really high tier, but it does the job." "''Not high tier''?" The demoness reiterated dumbly. "How is that possible?" "Don''t get me wrong, it''s quite aplex spell, but it''s not as powerful as it seems. I can barely do anything in this state. Time practically stopped, yes, but everything is essentially indestructible. It alsoes with the downsides of not being able to use external energy and automatically set free anyone I touch, whether I want to or not." "Still" Lilith wanted to say something but held her breath instead. Before she knew it, they had reached an awfully obscure ce. She couldn''t see any Shades, but the weight of the miasma was starting to make itself apparent. "use your Agni," Rakna uttered and promptly coated himself in Lunisr ze. "Your mes should be able to burn this thing as much as mine does." She nodded meekly and the ring of lime-green fire manifested behind her. Her breathing became a bit more rxed as the Fiend''s power was burned with each flicker of its light. "We''re reaching the bottom" The werewolf added and nced at Horologium''s clock. The hand clicked to 10; two marks away from ending. However, right as he sensed themselves getting closer to the Fiend''s location, a crack appeared on the clock. "shit." "What''s wrong?" Lilith hurriedly asked. "No time to exin," Rakna uttered and tossed her to the side. She yelped but quickly found herselfnding on her feet, on the ground of something simr to a cavern. Since the miasma around her was stifling all light, even her Agni''s illumination hadn''t allowed her to see it earlier. She quickly looked at Rakna and widened her eyes when the spectral clock suddenly shattered. In the next moment, it was like a destructive ripple spread over time and space. Her mind nearly shut down and her body felt like it was floating. Once she regained her wits, the first thing she saw was Rakna spit out blood, whilst bluish veins steamed under his fur, repairing the damage with Eion. "Rakna!" She ran to him, but he waved his hand to reassure her. "I''m fine" He grunted. "Damn, so this is what I did to the old man? I didn''t expect time rebounds to be this violent," he muttered and slowly stood up, channeling his Lunisr ze to his feet and letting it spread on the ground. Gradually, light began to win against the darkness of the cavern and more space was revealed. The ceiling was high enough to not be able to distinguish it and there were no walls in sight. "There''s nothing here" Lilith remarked warily. Rakna snickered. "No, there definitely is. I realized something on the way down. This thing we''ve been calling a miasma it''s not a ''power'' or a particr ''ability'', it''s Tarnished Death''s aura. The way it turned against my spell is exactly how an aura would behave." "Then" Crystal Sight spun into the werewolf''s eyes as he looked around. "The Earth is dead." "Uh?" Lilith blinked at the sudden statement. "The core should be below us, but the air is cold. I don''t sense any vibrations in the stone, and most importantly, based on the currents inside here this cave is fully ''open''. In other words, the was hollowed out but it somehow maintains a maic field as well as global stability." Lilith''s eyes trembled with each statement. Now that she thought about it seriously, it was indeed true that their should have practically been destroyed by now. "Do you think there is some kind of enchantment applied?" "not exactly," Rakna uttered and turned toward a specific direction. "Is this why you''re called the Tarnished Death?" He spoke out loud to seemingly nobody. "I suppose it''s fitting. I can''t say I have met a lot, but you''re likely one of the worst kinds of necromancers there can be. Or their archetype, even." "" A pair of red concentric eyes, with square pupils, opened in the darkness. They glowed eerily and silently, but the body it belonged to was impossible to make out with the naked eye. Lilith shuddered at the alien-like stare and its inhuman stillness. "You don''t meet a creature who redefines the concept of death often," Rakna continued. "In a way, you tarnished the very essence of life and death; turning a into a zombie and whatnot." "What?" The demoness eximed from the side. The? An undead? Did that even make sense? A crackle echoed and the disembodied eyes moved. The noise it made resembled bones popping, continuously so and certainly not pleasantly. The size of the eyes was hypnotic; sometimes, they would be as small as fingernails, while at others, they were as big as a hand. Before Lilith could even put up her guard properly, they suddenly expanded without warning and as if her vision had finally ustomed itself to depth, she realized the ''thing'' was standing right in front of them. Rakna looked up slightly, to where the Fiend was staring at him. Crystal Sight had pierced through the somber aura long ago, so he already knew what it looked like, but now that it was close enough to be unveiled by his mes, it felt like a whole new experience. Tarnished Death was an unearthly being. Most of its body was made of some kind of dark fog and shine. Somehow, it gave both the impression of a swarm of flies and a stream of jet-ck ink. Aside from its eyes, the other thing that was truly tangible was its skeleton. Looking nothing like a human''s, it went in and out of its supposed ''flesh'' at several junctures, sometimes coiling around its limbs like an exoskeleton. And these bones congregated in the center of the Fiend''s body, forming a small cage not unlike the ribs of a human being, confining a white beating heart. Once again, it looked nothing human, with no veins or arteries to speak of, much less a regr shape; ck fments were strung from it and connected to the skeleton, like a parasite trying to nest in its surroundings. "Well, you''re quite a specimen," Rakna snorted, ripples coursing through his Lunisr ze as he began to release his Sage Aura. Beside him, Lilith gripped her swords tightly as her Agni Ring let out small bolts of sma. For a short while, all three of them remained immobile. Not even their auras were shing, merely swelling and swirling around one another. That is until Tarnished Death''s eyes glistened, and Sonata was swung. * * * A few minutes ago, back on the surface of the Earth, all those who had been looking at Rakna when he cast Horologium could only gawk when he simply vanished alongside Lilith. "Was that?" Zikserth''s eyes widened. "Haha" Soma chuckled wryly. "Even I can''t use time so easily." "Well, should we really be surprised at this point?" Ramsa shook her head. "More importantly, it''s best we focus on what matters," she red at Bhumi, who was currently looking over his shoulder at the hole Rakna went in. "he reacted to it," the Moon God remarked. "He''s not chasing though," Zikserth added as his body began to gain a crimson shine. His eyes also drifted to the hundreds of Shades seemingly ignoring them and heading toward the city. "I don''t think tha--!" Soma could only swallow down the rest of his sentence as he raised his bow and deflected a de of Intent that split the clouds above. Bhumi''s emotionless gaze flickered; his sword still in the air from the swing. He let the momentum carry it to the ground before he himself shot up into the sky. The one who met him halfway was Zikserth. The king blocked the terrifying sword with a surge of crimson energy. "[ck Lotus,]" he intoned and his free hand summoned a ck flower brimming with red mes. The petals multiplied and copsed on themselves until he struck with it. A deafening explosion rang and blew out a chunk of the''snd. A massive ck cloud rose to the sky and Bhumi flew out of it, unscathed and unfazed. Soma appeared above him in a sh of moonlight with three silver arrows nocked onto his bow. "[Umkehroblitz,]" the archer whispered and let go of the string. The arrows incongruously fizzled out of view, as if illusions, but Bhumi reacted with urgency,nding on the ground with a rumble. He encased his sword in a murky wind and swung it to his right. At the same time, the three arrows materialized from three different directions. The st of his attack destroyed two of them and he struck down thest with his forearm. Each projectile promptly exploded into blue mes and from within their cover, a stream of orange mes with wings dashed through. They reformed into Ramsa, and as soon as her upper body was tangible, she thrust her spear at him. "[Surya Ka Bha!]" She chanted and the divinity coating her weapon condensed into heat strong enough to produce sma. Bhumi''s eyes narrowed and his Spiritual Intent suddenly turned into a bluish aura. Soma physically wavered as he witnessed it from a distance. ''Elemental Intent Embodiment?! When did he learn it?!'' He thought in horror. "Ramsa! Dodge!" The goddess trembled at the warning, and at the veryst moment, she redirected her spear to the ground. Her infused Domain sted and melted the soil as soon as it collided, and she quickly flew to the side right when Bhumi''s daunting de descended where she was. His Spiritual Intent rippled like water and spread throughout the air. All heat was banished from the atmosphere and reced with vapor. All across the, reservoirs of water and even their sources stirred and were lifted into the air by an invisible force. All of that happened strictly within the time Bhumi was swinging his word. And his sword stopped before even touching the ground. In fact, it bounced and caused the earth to ripple like a liquid. Only then did the ''sh''e into reality. The rivers and seas that had been lifted by the swing fell as if hammers and a never-ending crevasse opened in the path of Bhumi''s sword, surging with an endless wall of water. With droplets falling on her like rain, Ramsa paled at what she had just avoided. Her breath became shallow when she realized this attack could splits if aimed properly, much less her. "he''s stronger," Soma said grimly. "Was he strengthened by the Fiend? Or has his mind survived enough to continue developing his swordsmanship?" "My Lord" Zikserth muttered, clenching his fists at the sight of his God emotionlessly destroying their home; the ''Father'' that all demons genuinely wished to save. Crimson energy ignited at the tip of his fingers, but before anyone could do anything further, the Earth quaked once again. "!" Bhumi reacted seemingly instinctively and leaped into the air. Only after that did the undead god realize there was no direct danger. However, the shaking was in a different leaguepared to when the Shades were climbing up to the surface, and it didn''t seem to be rted to the recent sword swing. "Rakna made contact" Soma said while he, Ramsa, and Zikserth wordlessly surrounded Bhumi. Meanwhile, the Shades had reached the city and fired their first beams at the barrier. And to make things worse, several giant ones swarmed Tarasque and forced him to defend his position. "Tarasque won''t be able to help us right away," Zikserthmented. "They''re also stronger than we expected," Ramsa added as she briefly observed the creatures. She didn''t know how the Fiend had birthed such things from within a seal, but a group of them could easily make even her wary; Rakna simply hadn''t given them any room to disy any of it before. Deathly silent, Bhumi sluggishly pulled his sword and the trio tensed. For the first time, the Demon God gripped his weapon with both hands. His Spiritual Intent somehow spiked to an even higher level and Soma smiled bitterly. "That''s just like you to hone your sword skills even in this state," he uttered and mirrored his old enemy by raising his bow. He breathed in and hardened his expression, "let''s continue." Chapter 434: "A correct assumption." Chapter 434: "A correct assumption." "[Voyaging Star.]" A werewolf made of purple mes and obsidian shot out from within the darkness. He skidded on the ground, his wings wide open, and used his left hand to w at the stone. As if digging into the dirt, his limb sunk right away and Obsidian Star energy reced all matter in contact with it. The Voyaging Star was the apogee of Elemental Reinforcement. A single contact could convert all forms of inert matter into malleable energy. Gliding backward, at least a kilometer of terrain began to crumble into star energy through Rakna''s touch. "[Cantira Criya,]" he intoned and the purple mes were ignited with Lunisr ze. Right after, a miasmic aura came into view, arriving at such speeds that the curve of the''s core allowed it to make it seem like teleportation. "[Ve??i Na?cattira Tci,]" he finished the spell. Promptly, like a wave of light, from left to right, shes coursed through the silver-white mes and turned them into a cloud of glittering dust. Then, with the sound of a chime, they exploded in a bouquet of different shades. However, none of that managed to stop three bone-like whips to pierce through. The lightning-fast attack threatened to stab Rakna, which he barely deflected with Sonata. Tarnished Death emerged from the mes. Its eyes were as stagnant as when they started, but its pupils flipped from a square to a lozenge as soon as Lilith appeared above it with Agni Fire coating both her sabers. Her figure had already transformed, her grinning Asura Mask firmly in ce, and she didn''t waste a single second before swinging with all the strength her current body possessed. The Fiend stoically broke off the bones it had used to attack Rakna and thwarted the twin swords with its arm encased in them. Upon collision, the ceiling of the cave cracked and the Agni assaulted Tarnished Death''s fog-like flesh.However, most strangely, the reverse de of M Y held by Lilith repelled the Fiend''s arm as if it had bounced on spring and created an opening for Gn Jing to tear into the creature. "children and their toys," a shiver-inducing voice, evidently male albeit warped, resounded and Lilith only had time to blink before she felt something hit her. She coughed blood and crashed into the solidified inner core of the, almost breaking it in half. Rakna''s expression twitched as he looked up. A monstrous arm made of many pearly white bones was floating above Tarnished Death, having just struck the demoness with crushing strength. "So much for being one of the weakest Fiends," the werewolf groaned. The creature of evil scowled. "Did you believe me so extraneous that such a trivial act raised your guard?" He sounded positively offended. "Well, I wouldn''t go that far," Rakna snorted. Amid their talk, a bolt of green lightning shot out from underground. The p of thunder made the tremble on its own and Tarnished Death used the skeleton arm to block it. However, it did notst even a second before shattering. The Fiend impassively observed the pieces of his creation and nced at Lilith who flew up with a venomous look shining through her mask and her Agni Ring spinning with lightning. "an Agni Asura," Tarnished Death slowly said. "Why is one of your ilk in this Dream?" "What dream?" Lilith furrowed her brows while Rakna''s eyes widened slightly. Ignoring her, the Fiend turned toward the werewolf. "You are the ''guest'', are you not? Then you can be assured" His eyes glowed and his aura gained a shade of white, matching his heart''s pulsations. "I shall collect your body and take your ce within the waking world." Rakna''s expression became frigid. "You called me the worst of necromancers, did you not?" Tarnished Death continued and with one swift motion, a bone gauntlet grew on his right hand before he used it to pry into the exposed cage of its heart. "A correct assumption," he stated calmly and started pulling. At that moment, Rakna didn''t hesitate to summon his Tenth Tail. He pped his wings and as he twisted time itself, he teleported in front of the Fiend. Sonata released Lunisr mes after changing its core element and blurring from the power of the Ripping Ghost of Rupture. Yet, Tarnished Death appeared indifferent. He was nearly as old as this Era, having fought and seen many Realm-breaking beings. "Down, wolf," he sneered and a chunk of the Earth''s outer core above them dissolved and transformed into an even greater skeletal arm. It pressed down and Rakna swung his Guandao, ready to cut both the arm and its caster. "[Innate de of Rupture,]" he uttered and the cleansing mes became one with the spatial disturbances of his Internal Art. Sonata tore a line through space and set fire to the cracks. In the blink of an eye, the skeleton was split apart. The bones turned to ashes and a shockwave rattled the. The ceiling shook with a new mark carved into it, and yet, Tarnished Death was unharmed. As if they were always there, a dozen more skeletal limbs had already surrounded him. The Fiend then plunged his hand into of his own chest and began to pull something out. Naturally, several more hands descended upon Rakna, and this time, most of them were armored with a secondyer of red bones. The werewolf grunted and used Fist of Rupture to break them apart, only to reveal more of them. ''Where do they keeping from? Is he somehow cannibalizing the?'' Rakna thought as he waved his hand to create a string of runes, which autonomously formed a circle. Simultaneously, Lilith summoned three pairs of arms from her Ring. They all extended forward to charge a sphere of all three variations of Agni. She crossed her sabers as well, gathering mana into them. Rakna began to charge a Sltta Raja at the tip of Sonata, within the runic circle, granting it stability and tuning its output as more Lunisr mes were infused onto it. Tarnished Death''s gaze became disgusted. "Innate Order how repulsive. What an arrogant Law to reject my existence. Is that your favorite toy, child?" He snarled and finally finished his motion, now holding a tall and majestic staff. At the tip, encased in its marble-like material, the Fiend''s white heart was beating rhythmically. Rakna''s eyes narrowed and he spoke, "[Sltta Natcattira Raja.]" At the same time, Lilith shed at the sphere before her, "[Rakshasi Danda!]" Tarnished Death slumped as if sighing, uncaring even as spells carrying elements and concepts in opposition to him were approaching. He raised his staff and brought it down, hitting an inexistent obstacle and creating ripples. The white heart pulsed strongly and released a halo of light. At his beck and call, within the milliseconds required for the spells to reach him, the remainder of the''s core seemingly disappeared; molded into something new. And a pair of crimson ellipses appeared in its ce. * * * Astraea hovered above the demon city, her wings gleaming behind her. She turned away from themencing battle between Bhumi and Soma''s group and focused on the advancing Shades. "{Is everything good with the barrier?}" She asked telepathically. "{Yes, yes,}" Norio responded, his hands constantly shifting magic circles and runes at the center of the city, and thus the barrier. "{I''m keeping it as cost-effective as possible. As long as it''s idle, we won''t lose much of our reserves, but once they attack}" "{they''ve already started,}" Astraea uttered as the Shades began to charge demonic waves. Most of them only seemed able to congregate their energy and fire it. The simplicity made it easy to deal with, but that did not take away from its sheer destructivity. The angel gently pped her wings andnded on top of the fortified wall. "Are you ready to go?" She asked the silver-haired demon standing there. Faruth nodded with a steely expression. "Naturally." "Then, your army can move as soon as--!" Astraea was interrupted by a strong quaking. One of the titanic Shades was stomped into the ground by Tarasque outside the barrier. He roared to the sky and bit into another before tearing a chunk of its body off. Therge beast nced at Astraea before swinging one of his wings at the Shades and strangling one with his tail''s ''maw''. Tarasque growled and disks of dark purple energy shot out from each of his horns. The disks cut through a giant Shade and several others before stopping and spawning arge field of gravity; crushing them against the ground, albeit not enough to kill. "he''s got it," Astraea sighed as Tarasque jumped into the midst of the Shades, catching a giant one midair with his w . At the same time, the rest of the enemies had finished charging. "Let the first barrage hit the barrier," the Star Entity spoke up. "And then rush in." "You don''t have to tell me twice," Faruth scoffed and jumped down the fortress wall. His hair shone brightly and his eyes let out a cold light. Cold mist dragged along his figure until hended on the ground which immediately froze on contact with his feet. "Men!" He shouted with a wave of cold aura and the demons that had been waiting at the edge of the barrier hollered as one; thousands of elites oozing with demonic energy. "Our objective is not survival! Neither victory!" He yelled with cold authority. "Remind yourself, why did we stay?!" Astraea quietly watched from above with a solemn expression. "We will destroy these monsters" Faruth dered a sword of ice in his hand. "And give our Father the send-off he deserves!" The demons responded fervently and the situation outside reached its boiling point. The Shades'' demonic energy made a high-pitched noise as itpressed inside their mouths for a brief moment. Then, as if connected by amon thought, they fired simultaneously. "Brace in!" Astraea conveyed her voice through the wind. A tide of crimson energy promptly struck. The entire city shook, cracks appearing on the ground around the circumference of the barrier, and Lunisr mes ignited the sky; they engulfed the demon capital and immted the offending power. "Oi, oi" Norio grimaced as he wiped the blood dripping down his nose. The core of the barrier in front of him was glitching; silver-white mes trying to break out. "Tch, ''she'' said these runes were iplete but" He gritted his teeth. "Fuck off! This is way too unstable!" He yelled in frustration whilst forcing the runes written by Ranka to stay in ce. "{Can you hold on alone?}" Astraea asked him through telepathy. The demon mage grumbled. "{It''s fine! I can''t call myself a formation expert if I can''t handle this simple thing,}" he said and lightning surrounded him, his element helping him rein in the ze. Astraea smiled at his response and gazed forward. The beamsing from the Shades were dying down and declining in session. The Lunisr ze was also calming down, making it gradually possible to see past it. But before it waspletely done, Faruth turned into a blue sh and went through. At the same time, as soon as he exited the safety of the barrier, he tapped into the Lunisr reserves bestowed by Rakna to protect himself from the Fiend''s ever-present aura of corruption. He wasn''t alone. The entire army he led followed after him, piercing through the encirclement of the Shades and adopting a two-pronged formation. "Remember! As soon as you cannot resist the miasma, return to the barrier to cleanse it!" Faruthmanded as he nted his sword in the ground and impaled a Shade with ice spikes. Astraea took a deep breath and opened her hand, inside which a small seed had sprouted. Swiftly, a staff adorned with vines and flowers grew to fit her grip. She whirled the instrument with a deft expertise and glowing spores began to spread in the air. "[Anaptyssou, Agapimno Mou Fos,]" she intoned softly as each spore became an unseenntern floating above every demon''s head. She descended to firm ground and tapped the ground with her staff. Roots grew around her and rapidly coalesced into a leafless tree. But it onlysted until a beautiful emerald crown blossomed on its branches. The tree immediately started sucking in energy from its surroundings, wherever or whatever it was, and continued to grow bit by bit. Its creator, however, frowned slightly. "This" She looked at the poor ground of this and let out a sad sigh. "I see. It perished long ago," she shook her head and a moment after, a tremor made her stiffen and simrly caught the attention of everyone else on the surface of the Earth. "This feeling" Soma muttered whilst conjuring a new arrow. He briefly looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. Somewhere below the crust of the, something was rising. A drop of sweat rolled down his face, "What a ridiculous amount of death energy!" As soon as those words left his mouth, an absurdlyrge shadowy pir punched a hole through the surface of the Earth. It turned everything in its close vicinity into something worse than ashes. Thest of the nts still surviving withered instantly, and Astraea''s tree flickered as if threatened. The pir pierced through the clouds and far out into space. The oddly quiet nature of this strange phenomenon sent chills down everyone''s spines as well as its eerily transient existence. However, some people noticed a silver and purple light being ejected alongside it. Three pairs of wings crackling with spatial energy tightly folded into a ball, further surrounded by a spherical shield currently breaking down andposed of many hexagons. "Lord Monarch" Astraea whispered worriedly, and as if on cue, an unearthly roar echoed across the. Even she shivered due to the concepts of death she could sense infused into it. Shortly, a giant skeletal w grasped the edge of the hole created by the pir, and Rakna''s wings also unfurled, revealing himself and Lilith, whose face was slightly pink. The werewolf made a half-amused, half-hesitant smile. "I mean, you didn''t really need to take the necromancer thing so literally" He muttered, readying himself for what was toe. A grossly massive skull red back at him from within the depths. Chapter 435: Wretches Chapter 435: Wretches Rakna squinted his eyes as the massive undead excavated itself out of the ground. It was a skeleton so massive it dwarfed the biggest of mountains. It might have been as big as a small country. Its spine was abnormallyrge and it had several horns jutting out from its slightly elongated skull, with even more spikes behind them, sticking out in seemingly random ways. It stood on two legs, hunchbacked as if constantly bncing its own weight, and with a tail stiffly swaying. It had hundreds of ribs and inner bones, likely artificially imnted by its summoner to increase its overall defense and integrity. A ck aura of death billowed out from its mouth after breathing out its attack just now and every bone on its body was enshrouded in dark purple energy. ''Some kind of bipedal, wingless dragon?'' Rakna furrowed his eyebrows. ''No, the head is simr but its body structure is too strange. And some of its shapes an antelope maybe?'' "Pasqat," Tarnished Death''s voice echoed as he arose from behind the skeleton, his staff glowing in his grip. "That is the name of this creature''s species. Pasqat''Uvat to be exact. They lived in packs, roaming gxies, and would hibernate inside the core of stars every millennium." Rakna fell silent as the Fiend softly stepped onto the skeleton''s head. "{that doesn''t sound like any beast I know of,}" Fray remarked warily. "Naturally," Tarnished Death retorted, effortlessly hearing the fabulist''s soul telepathy. "They are beyond extinct. They lived and died alongside the Lost Era."The werewolf''s eyebrow twitched. "Another one, huh? Are Fiends part of the ''relics'' then?" Tarnished Death''s concentric eyes rotated emotionlessly. "Nay. Timaiyin-Munti created us," he exined calmly. Unlike how Rakna expected a being like him to be, he seemed almost too gentle; calmly answering his question. The emotions in his eyes were hollow, but not empty. They existed somewhat. And nothing about it seemed condescending or disdainful. He observed the werewolf as neither an equal, superior, or inferior. But there was something that felt alien. "Our kind''s secret lies in our material," he uttered. "Much like the Phantasms who grew like mold on the defunct souls of the Lost Era, we simrly derived our birth from it." "then what are you made out of?" Rakna narrowed his eyes as Lilith listened worriedly to their conversation, confused. "If the Dead turned into Phantasms, then you could say the Living turned into us," Tarnished Death stated. "Of course, barely anything survived the fall of the Original Era. The few that did, stand equal to the likes of Enders and the Almighty One. Regardless, that has nothing to do with us. Below the survivors and atop the miserable; that is where wey." "" "The wretches who lost their bodies but clung to their souls with enough power to preserve their continued existence," the Fiend said. "Obviously, not all maintained that state for long. Over the course of a few millennia spent in ruins slowly being overtaken by the voracious Meuro, less than a hundredth remained ''alive''. And thatsted until the seed nted by the Almighty One grew into the Tree that it is today." "That seems to be themon equalizer for all of you," Raknamented. "Certainly. The Spiritual Tree sent a pulse once it was ready. The ruins of the Era were sewn together, Meuro was repelled, and the First Reality was made. The Phantasms awoke. And the wretched souls found each other bing one." "Timaiyin-Munti, I assume," the werewolf voiced. Tarnished Death affirmed with a tilt of his head. "Our progenitor inherited living remnants of the Lost Era and rebuilt themself into somethingpatible with the new Order. I am not privy, nor particrly interested in knowing why they did it, but the Archfiend divided itself afterward and created us, imparting to each the legacy of a few wretches." The Fiend spread his arms slowly and stared at Rakna nkly. "I, who stands before you, have not one, but three names. Maklen, The Life Cultist. Prasminta, The Sky Heaven Saint. And Zafas, Grand Elder of A." "that''s why your soul looks like that," Rakna said, his Crystal Sight and his Tenth Tail allowing him to peer into Tarnished Death''s ''roots''. One could barely call it a soul, in fact. If the theory is made that every living thing in Existence possesses one, it is also plenty possible to admit the notion of mutations ording to the person. Hans, for instance, had a soul excessively removed frommon sense. In Tarnished Death, Rakna saw a haunting vision. It was like a body bleeding three different colors and drinking them at the same time. Frankly, the image was as abstract as it got, since these were the only words that could trante what his Crystal Sight and Nephilim Tail showed him. "No that''s not what''s truly bothering me," Rakna retorted to himself. "Why is it that this bleeding soul of yours is so bright?" He questioned and the Fiend gave him a curious nce. "Why would it not be?" His disembodied voice almost sounded amused. "Maklen worships life at its finest. Prasminta embraces the Heavenly Sky. Zafas researches Freedom itself. What is wrong with any of it? Is it not innocent?" "" Rakna closed his mouth. ''Right. Innocent. That''s the word,'' he thought to himself. He had been reading Tarnished Death''s soul since earlier with his Sub-Path. He could say without a doubt that he was neither lying nor being misleading. His soul was literally that; innocent. "You do not understand what Fiends are," Tarnished Death added good-naturedly. "Would you be interested in knowing who constitutes the core personality of Timaiyin-Munti?" "who?" "Yeira Hiel, The Supreme Saint. The most benevolent, kind, and forgiving messiah that has ever lived. The total number of lives she has saved exceeds the capacity of entire worlds." At this point, beside the silent Sentinel, even Lilith was stunned. She didn''t need to know anythingplicated to be able to catch up to this stage of the conversation. ''What are we even fighting then?'' She asked herself. To her, the image in front of her was the very epitome of evil. Even if the undead Pasqat was currently docile, she couldn''t ignore how the death force it exuded made her body shiver in horror. When she looked at Tarnished Death''s eyes, on the other hand, all she felt was a subdued sense of doom. Half of her mind, which her Agni adhered to, demanded her to purge this creature. But the other was anxious for no specific reason. She then looked down at her ravaged and gritted her teeth. ''Innocence? What is that even supposed to mean? A joke? A taunt?'' Before her thoughts could devolve further, a particrly violent wave of power twisted the air and she looked to her right in surprise, just in time to see a dome of lunar energy exploding. It was far from their location, but it was big enough to rise over the Earth''s curvature. And above it, she spotted Soma whose bow was releasing arcs of silver light. Rakna turned his head slightly and made eye contact with the Moon God across the distance. They wordlessly confirmed each other''s situations until Soma promptly plunged down after his attack was split by a sh of fire. "if I understand correctly," the werewolf muttered and looked back at Tarnished Death. "Are you implying that Fiends do not have malicious intent?" "Some do. Most do not," the wielder of death said indifferently. "We are innocent because that is all we can be. We are wretches that were too weak to maintain sanity under the cmity that befell the Original Era. But we survived. We united. We changed. We intruded upon the new Laws drafted by the Spiritual Tree. That is why; Innate Order rejects us." "We do not belong anywhere; that concept itself became the Law. Unlike the Phantasms who degenerated like dying rats, we rose above. We are in opposition to the Spiritual Tree by our very nature. No matter how evil, cruel, or wrong I appear to you, I will be innocent Because, as far as my soul can interpret, I''m justly revolting against my oppressor." "Aah for fuck''s sake," Rakna abruptly cursed under his breath, startling Lilith. His fur glimmered purple for a second before it was reced by a flood of Lunisr ze. "Why can''t any of you just say, ''I''m a big bad guy'', and be done with it?" "" Tarnished Death tilted his head slightly. "Phantasms want to reset everything, Abyss Tra want to swallow everything, and Fiends want to destroy everything and each believes themselves rightful... I''d like to meet someone who wants to rule the world for once," he joked with a nk tone. "you wille to realize fools like that only exist on a small scale," Tarnished Death replied nkly. "Though I have heard rumors of the Royal Phantasms getting slightly greedy." The werewolf grinned. "Is that so?" He snorted and nced at Lilith who was looking between the two of them with fear and confusion. "Lilith," he called and she stiffened. "I will exin everything once we''re done with this whole thing. Are you ready?" The demoness looked stunned for a brief moment, but her expression turned resolute once again soon after. "I don''t need any exnation," she spoke up and clenched her sabers. "I don''t need to know anything. I trust you." Rakna chuckled while Tarnished Death watched on, his thoughts unknown. "Onest question for you before we begin," the werewolf said as he focused on his enemy. "Let''s say you win the battle against us, and take over my body in the ''Waking World'' as you put it, what will you do?" "With a vessel of your caliber" The Fiend closed his eyes. "I''m confident in cultivating my greatest army to date. I will annihte Realities until the day I can topple the Spiritual Tree; you will serve well in helping me repel the World Laws'' counter force." "I see," Rakna nodded with a smile. "I like that. It''s straightforward. Well then I don''t think I have much to say anymore, other than" He spread his wings wide and his body flickered with the res of his Voyaging Star skill. "[Shards of rity Abide the Star''s Tyranny.]" As soon as the words echoed, the invisible pressure of his soul became strong enough to crush the buildings and vegetation on the surface of the Earth. Tarnished Death''s eyes widened slightly. In a split second, his staff shed and an armor of bones covered his entire body right before an attack faster than anything he had seen from the werewolf struck his Pasqat from above, with a fanfare of white-silver and purple mes. The rumbled and the ground below the undead monster was ttened, which copsed the entrance of the endless hole they had emerged from. Sonata''snce form oscited against the Pasqat''s skull but only managed to open a small spider-web crack. Compared to the undead''s size, it was not even worthparing to a mosquito bite. "conceptual resistance to Star Energy," Rakna muttered right before a circr wave of negative energy blew him away. His wings sparked with dimensional energy and he disappeared from view with a Comet, right as a skeletal tail swatted at where he stood with incongruous speed. ''Its endurance is around the three or four thousand mark,'' Rakna thought to himself as he inspected the damage he had done. He had increased his speed attribute to 4 000 to charge in and switched that same amount to strength when he attacked. Yet, that was all it did. ''Not to mention the way my star energy dispersed when it came into contact with it. He did say these things used to hibernate inside stars no wonder,'' he said to himself. "Let''s see your limit then," the werewolf uttered out loud and coated himself in Obsidian Star energy. "[Unity Craft C ny Mu?ivari? Kavacam,]" he chanted and his fur rapidly crystallized into ck crystals containing purple light, they crackled and twisted his body into the shape of a mech-like armor. Waves of purple and circuit lights coursed from his head to the tip of his tails as his wings began to thrum with more dimensional power than ever before through turbine-like spirals or perhaps particle elerators would constitute a betterparison; exposed and visible to the naked eye. The feathers had be mechanical in appearance and swirled within delimited circles in a way that made it impossible to tell whether it was fast or slow. Every millisecond, purple particles of soul power were being pulled in and turned into spatial energy. Compared to the time Rakna had conjured this armor against Arimane, it was stronger due to the upgrade from Grand Reinforcement to Voyaging Star. This time around, its defensive power was greater and the physical alteration of his body was that much more potent. There was no doubt that within his current skillset, this Craft was ranked near the top. "[Ought The des of Fragility Rend Your Flesh.]" His warped voice sang the second line of the Cl Lli and he teleported on the ground in front of the Pasqat. The undead creature''s eyes flicked downward and ck fog began to billow out of its mouth. It roared and bent its legs slightly, immediately jumping in the air with an earthquake. Rakna looked up with narrowed eyes and to his shock, the Pasqat pressed its wrists together and aimed its palms at him. Conceptual energy of death and mana gathered in its hands and formed a pitch-ck sphere with a bright yellow outline. ''What the hell is that supposed to be? A Ki st?'' The werewolf retorted to himself and in the blink of an eye, the cirction of his Internal Art reached its peak. ''Bring it on then... I''ll break through the limits of this technique just for you.'' "[Treading Rupture, I Follow the Path of The World-Shattering Ghost,]" he chanted and his Ster Aura promptly stopped fueling his Soul Power and switched fully to Internal Force. The ground he stood on broke apart circrly, several times, each wider than the previous as if ripples were constantly spreading. "[Heavens'' Rejection,]" suddenly, Tarnished Death''s voice echoed coldly and the air of the gained an unfathomable weight. Nothing changed visually, but Rakna deeply felt some restriction being ced on him. None of his abilities were weakened, but something more fundamental was trying to limit his power as a whole. "Keep your head down, wolfwalker," the Fiend spoke, his staff releasing a golden light. "ept your demise alongside this Dream," he said and tapped his undead with his magical weapon. A sh of light crossed the Pasqat''s eyes and the sphere of death energy expanded by twice its size along with an additional Spell Matrix backing it up. "Hah" Rakna snickered and nted his feet on the ground, pushing back against the pressure of the ''Heavens'' and keeping his head up. "I guess you''re quite the mage as well. Or a cultivator? Are those the traces of Prasminta and Zafas?" "" "Well, not like it matters. You''ll need much more than this to keep me down," the werewolf uttered as he performed one very reckless alteration of his attributes. His armor began to creak as if under pressure. Predicting that something odd was happening, Tarnished Death frowned faintly and was about to interrupt whatever he was doing. But right as he attempted to coalesce his power for a spell, the werewolf spoke again. "Also I''m not the one you should worry about right now." Tarnished Death''s eyes widened and without warning, a horned figure cast a shadow from behind him. With surprising speed, he raised his staff in defense but the twin sabers nheless sent him flying off his summoned creature. Lilith flew after him in the wake of a green lightning bolt. Arge arm made of Agni emerged from the center of her Ring, conjuring a giant saber, and swung down at the same time as her. "[Sanrak?it Tvaar!]" The demoness eximed and the de ripped through the Fiend''s hazy body. And right as it did, the Agni exploded into a miniature green sun, almost abnormally tame inparison to the power it radiated. However, it didn''tst long before the sun turned ck and melted into a stream of darkness that was quickly swallowed by the white heart inside Tarnished Death''s staff. He resurfaced with his body intact and his eyes rotating in ticks. "The Agni is this your battle n?" He questioned. "Foolish. The wolfwalker''s Innate Order is more powerful than yours. Pasqats are resistant to stars. You are better off exchanging ces." Lilith smiled as she scraped her swords before taking a stance. "Rakna chose to attack your beast first. If that''s his choice, there''s nothing for me to worry about." At the same time, the giant undead let go of the sphere it was holding and swiftly trapped it within its maws in one single bite. A beatter, it roared loud enough to shake the Earth and shot a wave of energy wide enough to eclipse a whole country''s worth ofnd. Rakna, infinitely smaller than the visible range of this attack, merely clenched his fist. His Obsidian Armor was not a defense; it fundamentally turned his body into one. At the moment, his body was basically the physical manifestation of the Obsidian Star''s outeryer. As such, it had a much greater strain ceiling than any mortal physique. That is why he could abuse the limits of his resilience. ''Two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, six thousand'' Rakna slowly counted and his attributes started bing askew. ''Seven, eight, nine, ten thousand.'' ? ? ? Warning! The Host''s Strength Attribute has exceeded the encoding bounds! The Host''s Level is insufficient to handle the conceptualization! The Host''s Endurance is too low! Permanent damage might be sustained! ? ? ? ''I knew it My Life Force is also a limit,'' Rakna thought as the world slowed down around him, his Eye of Symphony elerating his thoughts more than ever. His spirit and soul were starting to ache from the overload. ''Attributes are not just physical. They are conceptualized power inside an implicit container; it rtes to one''s Existentiality...'' "[In a Dark Firmament, The Star Prowls the Light,]" he continued to ''sing'' the verses while he was reflecting; he had long relegated this task to his unconscious. Existentiality. It was a term he had heard a few times, and one Arimane himself employed. It refers not to one''s power, but the way one''s very presence can affect the World. Physical strength cannot be evaluated properly for those who wield their own Existentiality. Those with a stronger ''Existence'' are physically stronger. That is all. ''10000 must be an initial step to that,'' Rakna concluded. ''Even my Obsidian Blood can''t y around with it without consequence. My body might just ''stop existing'' altogether.'' The werewolf grinned. ''But, well, why shouldn''t I try?'' Soul power immediatelybusted as lines of gray appeared on his fur. His mind sharpened, and Founding Intuition took over. ''Twelve applicable moons,'' he thought mechanically as his tails began to refine Lunar Energy. ''Ten waning; two in third quarter. Not enough. Activating Imperial Crown.'' In the blink of an eye, he internally summoned hundreds of the Soul Remnants residing inside his soul and fused with them. Along with his Moon Shine, his total attributes rose by about 4 000 in the blink of an eye, surpassing the 10 000-count by a little less than five thousand. "[In Eternal Redemption, The Wolf Sings and Confers.]" He decreased his Endurance down to 500. Most of the rest, he put it in Speed to position his palm facing the sky, and then rapidly switched it all to Intelligence, bolstering it to nearly 4 000, and by proxy, his Internal Force and Spiritual Intent that were currently cannibalizing his foregone aura. However, that did not mean he had cast his magic aside. Never. If this Pasqat was truly resistant to stars Rakna was only eager to test its resistance against the Obsidian Star. Finally, the Rippling Ghost of Rupture''s flow moved along his Ki meridians. Rakna''s body blurred like a malformed photograph. Yet, his eyes shone and traced lines with bright rity; this was the authentic manifestation of the ''Ghost of Rupture''. "[In Between The End and Beginning]" In that instant, everyone with the necessary skills sensed the power that transcended mortality. It made even Bhumi freeze in his fight. Lilith shivered and Tarnished Death''s eyes trembled, as if he had just relived a terrifying memory. "[Ghost Star of Rupture,]" four words quietly came out of Rakna''s mouth and he pressed his palm up by barely a millimeter. The side-effect of his Internal Art distorting his appearance faded away instantly. And incongruously, the wave of death and mana stopped in the air as if frozen in time. The sight was haunting; as if the Earth was being stalked by a lingering sea of darkness. But a small shattering sound, of delicate, brittle crystal, rang. Rakna''s extended arm splintered; the armor and its insides confounded. The cracks spread to the werewolf''s shoulder where they nearly reached his neck before stopping. Then, it simply began to disintegrate. Then, deafeningly, the same noise resounded everywhere like an explosion. It was in no way subtle or harmonious. It was a detonation that could rip your ear with non-existent shrapnel. Everyone on the heard it, and all of them saw what it did. For a split second, the space thatposed the sky broke apart, only leaving the flow of time behind, while the dark wave spat by the Pasqat became a smudge in thendscape. Without warning, it was split in half and then sted away into space. And as for the creature that stood behind it, it roared onest time, yet to perceive what had happened. By the time the sound of its cry reached the habitants of the Earth, its body had already turned to dust in silence; its attack scattered by Rupture and erased by Obsidian Energy; its defenses pierced by one single palm that evaded space itself; and its frame wrought by Ripples that filled every gap with the untainted force of the Obsidian Star, transmuting it all into nothingness. The legendary and fabled creature of the Lost Era was reduced to substance less than atoms before it could dere more than just a few assaults. Tarnished Death stood silent and aghast while Lilith''s jaw dropped, watching the space above her that still hadn''t recovered from what was essentially a physical strike imbued with an element. Soma, on another side of the, stared at the same ce. Like many, he was stunned by the disy of power, but also dazed. The principle of the blow he sensed very much resembled what he was facing just now. Bhumi''s undead mind gained a small amount of lucidity, its unfeeling eyes admiring the aftermath like a martial artist recognizing a peer. Meanwhile, Rakna, the cause of it all, breathed out a cloud of purple smoke. Even with his arm now missing and seemingly disinclined to regenerate, he nonchntly continued his luby. "[Sits the Tamed Mayhem of the Philosopher.]" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 436: The Twin Primals Chapter 436: The Twin Primals Elemental Intent Embodiment. In the world of martial artists, this achievement was a milestone that transcended the boundaries between magic and physicality. Spiritual Intent is a chaotic force of Ki and Willpower. Imbuing it with the elements within one''s soul was not achievable by just anybody. Body, soul, and mind must be one, and wielded with great mastery. However, it is known that most users of Elemental Intent use weapons as mediums. Spiritual Intent originating from one''s own body requires a much greater understanding and carries an equivalent number of risks. ? ? ? You have gained temporary enlightenment into the realm of Transcendentals! Due to your High Luck, you have not received any permanent damage! Your divinity has increased! Rippling Ghost of Rupture has absorbed the proficiency, Spiritual Intent Mastery! All techniques of your Internal Art can now be passively enhanced with Spiritual Intent and imbued with your elements at will.--- For this achievement, you are rewarded five points for the Unique Statistic, True Damage! --- You have induced great amounts of awe into the hearts of hundreds of people! You have induced momentary fear into the heart of Tarnished Death! The World Is My Cradle is absorbing the existential force! --- You have leveled up! 7x ? ? ? "I am surprised." Rakna looked away from the System notifications when he heard Tarnished Death''s voice. He took to the air and looked at where the Fiend and Lilith faced off; his right arm slowly being rebuilt with nanites and star energy. Tarnished Death stared at the werewolf with heightened seriousness. "For a moment you made me relive quite an unpleasant memory. One that marked my demise once. But you are still nothingpared to that bloodthirsty seraph and his Cruel Arts." His eyes were much more focused now as he kept Lilith and Rakna in his sight. ck magic circles whirled into existence around him and his miasmic aura condensed, filling up with death force. "You caught me off guard," he admitted calmly. "That will not happen again." As if on cue with his words, two giant pits opened on the surface of the. They caved down as if the ground itself was being sucked into a swamp. The corrupting aura was siphoned into their centers and without a single dy, two more undead Pasqats wed their way out. Lilith grimaced as the creatures rose from both her right and left. They were significantly smaller than the previous one, perhaps three or four times bigger than Tarasque, but their aura was more ominous somehow. Rakna nced at them, visibly unperturbed. "[Spilling Blood and Smothering Death,]" he chanted instead and converged some of his Obsidian Points into his missing arm. It regrew instantly but he quickly noticed that it wasn''t wless. The strength he could put into it was capped at the base amount that the Simtion had given this body at the very beginning; it was isted from the rest of his body. Obsidian Blood couldn''t get it over 1000 in Strength, no matter how much he tried. The healing properties of his Physique, Sr Energy, and Star Reinforcement also didn''t appear capable of fixing it. "You do not recklessly traverse Transcendence without bacsh," Tarnished Death spoke up, noticing the way the werewolf eyed his own arm. "You are not ready to wield Existentiality." "sorry, but I''m quite the Law-Breaker," Rakna quipped and his arm crackled. A colorless aura of ''authority'' flowed through his arm and the threshold began to recede by one every tick. "A Nephilim... you truly are a perfect vessel," the Fiend said somberly, but the new information only made him more determined to snatch the werewolf''s soul for himself. In that instant, one of his new Pasqats swiped its tail with extreme speed. Rakna''s instincts rang and he immediately batted away an unseen attack with Sonata. Behind him, a split in the very atmosphere sucked in the air before turning into a short-lived shockwave. "This one''s different" He muttered with a frown. Now that he looked closer, the Pasqat that just attacked him had a silver hue coating its bones. The other had a gold one instead too. He was about to use Crystal Sight on them but they moved faster than he expected. Under the slowed-down vision of Eye of Symphony, he noticed pulses of magic and death force bounce off each other, eaching from one of the two Pasqats. On collision, an ethereal spark nearly blinded him and before he knew, the two undead overtook the sky above him. One of them locked him in ce with space and the other struck with incongruous speed, almost as if it was manipting time around itself. ''Helix II!'' Rakna shouted in his mind and a in hexagonal shield appeared above him. The ws of the Pasqat didn''t immediately break it, but instead sunk through as if the Assembly was stic. That gave the werewolf enough time to overpower the spatial restraints and thrust Sonata''snce form. "[Crescent of A Falling Star.]" Wielding his weapon with his left hand, he released its perk against the skeletal beast. A massive burst of purple Star Energy promptly pushed it back. But due to the sheer size of the Pasqat, it barely managed to match its w''s size. Without wasting a second, Rakna outstretched his other hand and his magic crest appeared along a string of runes. Ten miniature stars fused into one and spiraled. "[Natcattiram Cataract.]" The bombarding spell wasunched with a boom. It tore through the Pasqat''s hand, flying toward its skull with a purple trail, and blowing up into a hill-sized four-pointed star. Carried by the momentum and shrouded in purple mes, the creature began to lean backward while its twin partner suddenly teleported behind Rakna with several bones along its arms jutting out and charging colorless energy as if they were cannons. Rakna turned around as it fired at him and opened his palm. Energy rapidly flooded through his armor and coalesced into a granted orb. "[Sltta Raja.]" The oversized spells met halfway, but instead of colliding, the Pasqat''s spatial power swallowed the Obsidian Star and created a swirling vortex. The werewolf''s eyes widened and his wings began to spew silver mist. Like a whisper, the maelstrom exploded and for a short second, something akin to a reverse ck hole of pure repulsion was born. The Pasqats'' bones cracked as they were blown away and Rakna, the closest to its epicenter, felt his armor crumble faster than he could keep up with. Barely a millisecond spent within the st and his body almost disintegrated. It was just in time that his Quantum Leap got him away. But even after relocating and performing a minimal jump into the future, he couldn''t escape the effective range of the vortex as it imploded. Ultimately, almost less than a second after Rakna''s and Pasqat''s assault fused, the werewolf found himself crashing down like a meteor as the Earth distended like a balloon from the impact. "Rakna!" Lilith eximed in worry as she looked away from a deadlock with Tarnished Death who easily blocked her swords with his staff. They too had been pushed away but had been too far from the surprisingly limited range of the phenomenon. "Don''t get distracted, Guardian," the Fiend warned, and the heart on his staff resonated with the countless rubbles forming under them due to the ravaging earthquake that threatened to split the under its own gravitational force. The many boulders were swallowed by a ck-and-white aura before transforming into ominous branches resembling corals. They proliferated at a rapid pace until they shot toward Lilith like snakes aiming to impale her body. She gritted her teeth and held Gn Jing with its tip pointing downward. The ck saber glowed and the grooves carved into its de were ignited with green mes, almost like propulsors. Lilith held it in ce and a spherical field burst from the de, akin to a shockwave. It immted each branch with Agni Fire without touching them. Tarnished Death let out a small scoff and pointed his staff forward. A dozen of ck magic circles ovepped each other instantly in front of him. "[Napaltu ?arri,]" he practically whispered and a ray of white and ck energy ripped through the air. Lilith raised M Y this time, and the white sword''s inverted de invoked some kind of ethereal shield. The ray of death, but also strangely of life energy, struck against it and the Asura grunted as she was pushed back several dozen meters until her defense eventually prevailed. The Fiend calmly watched as his spell was bounced off right back at him. Without urgency, he just blocked it with his hand and effortlessly absorbed it. "those weapons," he narrowed his eyes. "The wolfwalker gave them to you, did he not?" With a sneer, the demoness didn''t say anything. However, at that moment, a strong wind suddenly blew throughout the. The weather was now catching up with the devastation and a massive thunderstorm was growing in the sky. But Lilith saw something else that startled her. The two Pasqats were standing up, the force that animated them not any weaker than before. And most crucially, their broken and lost bones were being put back into ce as if time was rewinding itself. "The Twin Primals of Silver and Gold," Tarnished Death abruptly spoke up. "That is what these two Pasqats used to be called in the Lost Era. One wields Space, the other Time. Together, they possess control over the fabric of the material world." "You" Lilith''s expression darkened. "Naturally, this Dream does not allow them to exhibit their full might," the Fiend added. "It also applies to me. Currently, they''re much more fragile than the one from earlier, but their abilities practically make them immortal." "that won''t be enough," the Asura dered after a short second, even as the undead afar roared to the sky when they werepletely healed. She sharpened her gaze with faith. "The Sentinel is not that weak." "Hmph," Tarnished Death huffed and slightly inclined his staff. But a distorted voice along with a loud thunderp made him pause. "[Pitying Fairness and Collecting Hearts.]" This was the penultimate verse. Everyone in range could feel it; the oppressive presence of a soul ready to manifest into the World. At the same time, the thunderclouds in the sky began to roar even louder; unnaturally so. Arcs of turquoise lightning shed from within the dark nket and, instead of rain, freezing snow began to fall. "[Valkal,]" one word was said as the werewolf''s silhouette ascended from the ground, a Guandao in his hand releasing the same shade of blue as the fulguration above. His splintered armor bled soul ashes and his eyes flickered. In the blink of an eye, a giant formation made up of advanced runes formed in the sky without a warning. It revolved in the air as it gathered mana into itself. "[Philosopher Craft,]" Rakna intoned. "[E??i?a Paniyin Idam.]" These words proimed the smiting. The runes shed and fused with the clouds before a rain of turquoise lightning bolts struck the. The Pasqats sensed the danger and tried to shield themselves, but before they could do anything substantial, with thunder shaking the air, thousands of miles of terrain were turned into a frozen wastnd sparking blue electricity. The two undead beasts were encased in ice, stuck in the position they had when two particrlyrge bolts struck them directly. Rakna teleported near them and disced the vapor in the air. He lifted Sonata slowly and scales of obsidian grew on the de. "[Ekyattin Na?ukkan,]" he chanted and swung. The Guandao split the cold fog with its edge and the frozen Pasqats tumbled as they were bisected. Lilith, who watched it all, sweated nervously. While she did trust him with her life did he have to continuously keep doing things that kept breaking her worldview? "" Tarnished Death remained silent. He whirled his staff and conjured a giant ck skeletal hand in time to block a rapid attack. Hearing the buzz of Rakna''s armored wings, the Fiend and Lilith saw him appear as if a mirage. The necrotic hand that blocked Sonata couldn''t hold more than a second before it was destroyed in a burst of Spiritual Intent. Clenching his fist, the werewolf followed up with a punch powered by his Internal Art, but shockingly, Tarnished Death stopped it with his palm. Rakna''s eyes twitched slightly at the strange nullification of his attack. It reminded him of Roias to some extent, but this time around, his energies weren''t dispelled. Instead, it was as if a perfectly equal counterforce had caused a mutual dispersion. "Your magic is fascinating," Tarnished Death finallymented. "Did you transmute lightning and then unify it with your star? And thatst strike you transmuted space and time?" His tone sounded affirmative rather than inquisitive as if he couldn''t be wrong about his observations. "" "Sadly, for you, it''s not enough," the Fiend said and Rakna wordlessly nced over his shoulder to see the undead halves floating and mending themselves. His ice was also cracking. "The Twin Primals are crippled as I am by the Dream, but their supremacy has yet to fade. Together, they mold the material dimension. If they were living beings, you might have indeed killed them in this manner, but they have already perished." Tarnished Death pushed the werewolf away with his aura and glided backward until hended on the center of a tangible magic circle. "You may remove parts from space and time all you want, my undead can function with missing pieces. If there is nothing to attach their arm to, then they will change the design itself." As he spoke, the Pasqats were already half free from the ice and their bones were falling from their sockets like the limbs of a doll. The two undead promptly began to fuse; attaching arms to ces none should be at or breaking apart their skulls to make a bigger one with the fragments. "Hah, what a shoddy welding job," Rakna snickered as he watched. "But I have had enough of your puppets for today." Tarnished Death opened one eye inquisitively but then heard something from above. His fog-like body fluctuated and his concentric pupils glowered in annoyance. "I have already called someone to deal with them," the werewolf added and on cue, the giant figure of Tarasque crashed on the chimeric Pasqat with a palpable upswell of gravity magic. The ground rippled like water and Astraea was spotted on the beast''s head. "Egregore" The Fiend muttered with a keen tone. "I see. If it''s with the help of that beast, they may indeed manage to upy the Twins for a long time. Weakened as they are, gravity is a very exploitable weakness. But what stops me from summoning more, wolfwalker?" With a tilt of his head, the Earth immediately began to bloat like self-animated y. There was no doubt that he could raise even more undead at any moment. "As I thought. I don''t know how you do it, but you treat the entire like a corpse," Rakna said and waved his hand, purple mes surged from his body and created a circle around them. At the same time, the ground stopped moving. "But it''s toote." Tarnished Death ''frowned'' when he felt his summoning be interrupted. No mere soul power was enough to do that. It was as if he had been isted from the World. "Ah I remember. That was a Cl Lli, wasn''t it?" He eximed in realization. "Astraea!" The werewolf shouted steadily and the goddess perked up in the distance. "Hold on for just a little. Same for you Tarasque. It''ll be over before you know it." "Yes, Lord Monarch!" She responded devotedly and the beast she rode huffed through its nose. "Are you sure of yourself?" Tarnished Deah asked with genuine wonder in his tone. "Weing me to your soul Do you not realize the danger?" "Please let me worry about that," Rakna joked. "It''s not the first time I''ve been reckless," he said and with thest of his soul perfectly encapsting them, he spoke the final verse. "[The One, They Offer Harvest.]" For a moment, Lilith and Tarnished Death only knew fire. As his Soul Marble began to encroach the World, Rakna gave onest nce below, his Cross Sight glowing. Embers of Lunisr ze independent from him reacted to his gaze, hidden deep within the soil. ''{Get ready,}'' he mentallymanded right before he plunged into the Ardent mes. Thousands of silver-white eyes opened underground as soon as he left. Chapter 437: North God Chapter 437: North God The massive domain of Soul mes manifesting on the as a boundary between Worlds was felt across the. Bhumi momentarily stopped moving when Tarnished Death was taken away by Rakna''s Soul Marble. Zikserth didn''t waste that opening and his crimson aura turned into crimson petals. Each of them detonated, engulfing the Fallen God and knocking down his stance. The demon king dashed into the mayhem and dragged the explosions with his fingers, sucking the energy into his fingertips. "[Thorn Paroxysm,]" he coldly said as his body crackled with demonic power. He arrived in front of Bhumi and with a resolute motion, he curled his fingers inward like ws; his hands vertical to each other. Without hesitating, he pulled both of his arms in opposite directions. Unable to guard, Bhumi felt the halves of his body being wrenched in those exact directions. And from the line that separated both pulling forces, dark flowers bloomed from which two streams of energy exploded. Parallel to each other, their source shrouded Bhumi''s entire body. They extended to the sides long enough to exit the''s atmosphere. The farther they went, the more their shape turned into thorny branches bare of leaves. But even this awe-striking spell merelysted seconds before it was split with the sound of a de. The ''branches'' were sliced and Bhumi emerged with his body fuming and bloodied. He charged at Zikserth right away, a lifeless monotony to his actions. "[Mondckern.]" With a flicker of moonlight, Soma blinked into existence with an arrow pointed straight at Bhumi''s head. "[Verfolge den Mond, Feind,]" he chanted and released the string at the sh of silver light. The undead god''s eyes quickly changed focus and with his other arm, he forced his sword to move toward the arrow rather than Zikserth. When he cut into the projectile, his Wind Intent manifested as a tornado around himself. Yet, the arrow was not destroyed. Its split halves reformed into a pair of new arrows and stabbed into the swordsman''s shoulders, carrying him over kilometers due to the power behind them.Bhumi''s jaw clicked open for the first time and he growled out one word with his worn-out vocal cords. "[South God]" He uttered and his weight increased, plummeting him back toward the ground where he buried his sword andnded on it with a handstand. His eyes shed and a new form of Elemental Intent coated his entire being, expanding even more outside like an aura. "[Ensi Kur Aan,]" he intoned and with the weight of his physique, he fell forward and transmitted the momentum to his sword. Then, his Sword Intent surged to equate the level of the Element. In the blink of an eye, the muscles in his arm bulged and swung, drawing an arc wider than 200 degrees. The ground was lifted into the sky to form a sword taller than mountains. "Zikserth!" Soma shouted a split second before Bhumi attacked. The Demon King and the Moon God immediately deployed their defenses, shields of intertwined roses and a half-moon. One would think that the giant sword would be slow enough to dismiss, but Soma did not make that kind of oversight. In fact, he knew straight away that dodging was not feasible. That construct was not the attack itself; it was merely part of it. Faster than a lightning bolt, the giant de descended even faster than Bhumi''s arm. The entirety of the Intent was transferred to it right as it collided with thend. It shortly met resistance against the shields of Soma and Zikserth but cleaved right through regardless. The duo retreated as far as they could afterward with blood threatening to spill from their mouths while the sword continued its path inside the Earth. The shook and became more and more deformed until it finally got stuck nearly four thousand kilometers down. Bhumi nkly hauled his sword up as if thendscape before him had not just been devastated beyond recognition. Furthermore, the undead didn''t seem to n to stop as he attempted to adopt a new stance. But before he could, a stream of white fire with six wingsnded behind him. Ramsa''s entire body illuminated the area as her hair and wings released all spectrums of light at their highest intensity. With a white star in her palm, she pressed it on Bhumi''s back andunched him into the sky, a trail of light following. "A tribute to my son" The Sun Goddess smiled and whispered, "[White Nova.]" On cue, the orb digging into Bhumi hissed and burst into arge dwarf star. It overtook the sky and blinded everyone still fighting near the city, even the Shades themselves were disoriented. "Damn they aren''t pulling their punches," Norio muttered to himself as he tirelessly adjusted the barrier. "How the hell is this still holding? With the Fiend destroying the core, the Shades building tunnels, Lord Bhumi shing the crust over and over, and the Sentinel literally stretching it like rubber" He frowned. "Did Tarnished Death do something to Earth itself?" As he was thinking that, one of Ranka''s runes in the magic formation shattered. "Shit, there''s only two left," he clicked his tongue. He looked over his shoulder and peered at the city''s edge with a scrying spell. There were several injured soldiers currently put to safety behind the barrier and if it went down while there were still Shades firing beams every second, they would surely die. "They obviously knew the risks but" He grumbled to himself. Not to mention, several soldiers also had exhausted the Lunisr ze they were granted by the Sentinel. Soon enough, the miasma of the Fiend will once again encroach on them. Norio looked at the horizon where he could barely see the tip of Rakna''s purple mes. "Still, now that the Sentinel has isted Tarnished Death, if we cleanse the surface again, the miasma will not return as fast but even if I redirect the reserves of this barrier, it''ll be far from enough." As he was digging his head for a solution, innocuously, a wolf with ck fur and white-silver eyes climbed out of the underground with its paws. Norio didn''t even notice until it started shaking its fur as if getting rid of something stuck to it. "Eh?" The demon blinked in confusion. "Wait, right, the Sentinel summoned you guys" Quietly, the wolf approached the formation and opened its mouth, letting out an almost liquid-like stream of Lunisr mes into it. "Haha, thanks but I don''t think you''ll have enough" Norio''s jaw dropped. The reserves were getting filled incredibly fast. It already had surpassed the quantity granted by Rakna''s hearts. At the same time, a dozen more wolves emerged and started doing the same thing. Within a minute or two, the original capacity had been recovered and exceeded by far. "Holy" Norio staggered back, the formation stabilizing without his help. "Didn''t he say that there were more than ten thousand of these guys? No way how did he summon them so easily? No, did he even summon them with this much energy packed into them?" He muttered in shock. "Are they, right now independently building up energy? All of them?" * * * Soma and Zikserth eyed the aftermath of Ramsa''s spell. Eventually, Bhumi''s silhouette reentered their sight and they narrowed their eyes. Damage had been inflicted; that was certain. The Fallen God''s entire body was blistering, his upper body bare of clothes, one arm missing, and a deep concave on his back as if something had carved its way into his flesh and then cauterized it. However, without dy, the aura of Tarnished Death left behind, which was still spewing out from within the core of the Earth, congregated and rebuilt the organic mass lost by the undead. Ramsa huffed frustratingly. "Should I have used my reserves of ze in that attack?" "no, it most likely wouldn''t have changed the end result," Soma shook his head. "At best, it would have slowed down the regeneration and pushed back the corruption in the surroundings for a few seconds. Inner Order mes can certainly repel the Fiend''s power and purify weaker undead, but someone like Bhumi can easily resist it with his own strength." "" Zikserth was deathly silent as he gazed at his lifeless progenitor. Soon enough, Bhumi made his move. Not bothering to change locations, he remained hovering at the height Ramsa had hurled him to. He lifted his sword and wind whistled through his mounting concentration of Intent. "[North God]" The undead rasped out and his stance solidified. "[Ensi Zuzi Aan,]" he intoned and the wind carried his voice, but he didn''t move a single muscle despite that. However, the reaction from the trio below was instantaneous. They retreated urgently. And, faster than even they could perceive, one single sh meant to hit all of them parted thend with a high-pitched cacophony. Then, denying them the option of reprieve, several more came down from nowhere and mutted the already devastated. Bhumi was immobile, his sword raised as if ready to swing, but his strikes were authentic. He didn''t need to move. The wind was carrying his de for him. With every second that passed, the number of simultaneous strikes kept increasing. At first, it was only one, but as Soma flew over a mountain range and was targeted, he counted exactly 81 shes, chopping down thend to bits. Swirling through the air, he pointed his bow at Bhumi and shot a salvo of arrows filled with lunar energy. Unfortunately, they couldn''t even get within a hundred meters of their target before they were sliced into pieces. "Figures," Some muttered and dodged another flurry of shes with a dash of moonlight. Below him, Zikserthnded and mmed both hands on the ground. His demonic energy flowed out from his palms like crimson blood and quickly blossomed into a field of giant roses with ck thorns. Bhumi''s eyes flickered toward it and his next onught wasunched. The unseen des whistled, ready to clip the nts, but the roses didn''t go down. Each of them shed enough petals to block all the attacks, arge explosion apanying them. The roses thenbusted. They briefly pulsed with light before countless barbed branches tore their way out of the flowers like parasites, shooting toward Bhumi. The undead didn''t have the time tounch his next flurry before he had already been surrounded by zing thorns. They closed in on him like ropes searching to bind him, and in response, Bhumipleted the motion, swinging his sword. A stringent sound echoed across a significant chunk of the Earth''s surface with the Fallen God as its source. Urgently, Soma wrapped an arm around Ramsa and grabbed onto thin air. "[Schwarzer Mond!]" He pulled as if trying to cover himself with something and a curtain made of darkness came out to shelter them; the hidden side of the moon itself. On the other hand, Zikserth plunged into the midst of his roses and had them erupt into a bouquet of crimson energy when Bhumi''s attack struck. It onlysted a second at best. The noise was nearly unbearable and back in the city, all the demons had to cover their ears. Thankfully, they were far enough, but also in a good ce to witness it. Masses of earth were lifted from the ground. Mountains were diced into cubes. Rivers parted and failed to flow water. Clouds were divided, and a few poor Shades caught by it were dismembered at the best. Everything was floating upward for a short moment. And it never fell. Before it ended, the mountain-sized boulders and the many nts practically disintegrated on the spot. Everybody knew what truly happened; they had been cut into such small bits that they could not be seen anymore. Just like that, the very long second passed and concluded with an eerie silence. One more portion of the had been manhandled, its mass joining the atmosphere as particles. Soma''s ck Moon cracked and dissipated. He came out with gritted teeth, and the left side of his torso caked in his own blood. Ramsa supported him with a worried expression. Zikserth came out of a scorched crater with superfluous, but hundreds of cuts on his person, reducing his clothes to rags. The three of them looked up and Bhumi''s sword clicked with a metallic sound as he put both hands on the handle. Soma''s face sank. "Listen to me. We can''t let himplete the West and East God techniques. This was something he already used a long time ago but I never saw itpleted," he spoke to both his allies. "Those four stances are nothing more than a preparation for thest. If we don''t finish this by the time he unleashes it we lose." Ramsa and Zikserth silently acknowledged his words and readied themselves. * * * "Interesting." Tarnished Death callously admired the Soul Marble around him. Even as a storm of Lunar Energy was currently being siphoned by his opponent, he barely showed any concern. He nced at the purple flowers at his feet, the crystals glinting in the air, the floating library, the three stars in the sky, the beasts prowling in the distance, and the nine no, the ten moons rising from the horizon. He inspected all of it with detachedness but the moment his eyesnded on the crystal monument off into the Soul Sea, his attention lingered more than any otherndmarkbined. "Enjoying the view?" Rakna asked as his body grew taller due to his attributes tripling. And while he was acting like it was nothing, his armor began to crack even more. His level truly was too low, he realized. At the moment, his attributes reached roughly 6000 without him modifying them. That, in itself, was the problem. If he had to be honest, he had been aware of the limitations of his trait for a long time. A ten-thousand-attribute? Of course, he could not handle that. He had never even tried half of that while outside the Simtion before. The only reason he even dared to try was that his current body was artificially enhanced by the Scenario. Now though, he had truly reached a limit. His armor spell was breaking faster than it could repair itself and his Tenth Tail was starting to put substantial strain on his soul for the first time. The way Tarnished Death looked at him after brushing aside the Crystal Mountain showed that he also was aware of it. Only Lilith was oblivious as she openly gawked at the soul-scape. "I will say one thing," the Fiend uttered, his aura already spreading and infecting the flowers of the Soul Marble. Strangely enough, none of the nts wilted, and instead became white and brittle as if bleached. "You are the most unique case of overarching potential I have ever met." "" "You surpassed your vessel by a staggering degree. It makes me wonder how high you will climb once you get a body that can support your inane aptitude," hemented. "Even this Dream seems less able to wee you than it does me." Ignoring the Fiend''s words, Rakna calmly addressed his ally. "Lilith, use the spell you learned with Ranka," he instructed and she nodded in understanding. Her aura increased in size and spilled at her feet where it shaped aplex magic circle. One exact copy of it also appeared under Rakna and they both shone in tandem. "[Aham Tvam,]" she chanted and the circles melded with their bodies. [Tvam Aham,]" she added and a metaphysical anchor was ced on both their souls. "[Karmastram.]" Lilith''s Rally Magic was invoked and she moaned in pain. She felt like molten iron was coursing through her veins, granting her incredible strength. At the same time, she looked at Rakna, whose aura decreased by the same amount she had gained. "a Karmic Bond," Tarnished Death appeared genuinely impressed this time. It was as if this was the actual highlight of this entire battle. "That is no meager feat." The demoness smiled ruefully as the pain died down. "I have a good teacher," she replied as she relished in her newfound power. Three pairs of arms sprouted from her Agni Ring with barely any effort on her part. Rakna smiled silently beside her and whirled Sonata. While it was spinning, the de ignited with white-silver mes and the werewolf stared at the Fiend. "Now then, ''wretch'', how about we start anew on my home turf this time?" Surprisingly, Tarnished Death let out a small chuckle and he extended his staff forward. The magic instrument promptly glowed and the heart it contained moved to the center of the shaft. Then, at the tips, two curved des grew in the blink of an eye, both of opposite curvatures. With a double-scythe in hand, the Fiend exuded the Intent of a warrior. The spiritual weight was so vast it felt like looking at an endless sky. "As expected of a necromancer, should I say?" Rakna snickered. "Laugh, wolfwalker. Laugh," Tarnished Death responded. "I have no intention to drag this on any longer. I shall teach you today" His aura panned out and the white flowers crumbled like ashes. "The true meaning of Corruption." Chapter 438: East u0026 West God Chapter 438: East u0026 West God "[Veritable Sky,]" Tarnished Death calmly intoned as his two opponents charged at him. "[Chains of Heaven.]" Ripples distorted the Soul Marble and gold chains shot out from all directions. Rakna batted some away with Sonata but most of them missed and pierced the ground with small detonations apanying each. The werewolf nced at them with a frown butcked the time to dwell on it as he crossed arms with the Fiend. Sonata shed against the white staff''s des and once again, Rakna felt the force behind his blow being snuffed out. With a short growl, he triggered Comet in multiple session and chased after Tarnished Death across the sky of his Soul Marble. No matter how fast or how many times he attacked, his momentum would disappear with just one touch. Even Roias hadn''t been this bad considering his ability only worked on spiritual energies. Lilith was no slouch either. Sharing attributes with Rakna, she flew after them and thrust the tip of Gn Jing into the Fiend''s neck. And even when her weapon was deflected by the self-altering skeleton of Tarnished Death, the Asura arms of her Agni followed right after. "[Veritable Sky,]" the Fiend calmly uttered. "[Thousand-Form Cloud.]" As both Sonata and the twin sabers were about to tear into him, he parried them with his double scythe before turning into a white cloud. He slipped through his opponents and sshed on the ground below like fog. Instead of his body reforming, a skeletal draconic maw emerged and roared out a breath of white mes. In near-perfect harmony, Rakna and Lilith swung their weapons at it andunched a wave of green and silver-white mes in retaliation. The three colors exploded on collision and flower petals were scattered in the wind. "[Veritable Sky,]" Tarnished Death spoke up as he reappeared. "[Hanging Heaven,]" he intoned, and the chains that he had previously anchored underground tightened from tension. They began to pull something up. The soil was upturned by a tiled arena, made of pure gold, hanging from the chains holding onto the sky itself.However, the Fiend did not step foot on its surface and instead, another ripple urred in the sky as if threatening to break the Soul Marble. But like the chains, it only created a path for a silhouette to fit through andnd loudly in the middle of the arena. "[Rise,]" Tarnished Deathmanded as hended on the tform. "[Immortal diator,]" he intoned as golden wings unfurled on the back of the figure. It was a man of imposing stature, with a pair of unicolor white eyes, and a golden full-body armor. Rakna scowled and nodded at Lilith before teleporting to the other side of the hanging arena. He conjured a Cataract in his left palm and threw it toward the Arena. The instant that it entered the borders of the arena, the Golden diator''s eyes shed to life, and with a flicker, he appeared in a different ce, clutching the star spell with his bare hand. Without a noise, he crushed the sphere of energy and snuffed out the purple mes inside. As soon as he had done that, Lilith crashed into the arena in a geyser of green mes. A giant arm came out of her Agni Ring and swung an equally sizable saber at the golden man. Thetter turned around and crossed his arms. The attack hit him with a powerful shockwave that would have caused enormous damage if it wasn''t for Rakna''s soul durable environment. However, the diator simply stepped back from the attack and not a single scratch was seen on its arms. Lilith blinked in shock. "What?" "Why are you surprised?" Tarnished Death''s voice echoed from beside her and she shivered, her senses warning her of impending death. But the double scythe that was about to stab into her was repelled by a Guandao. Rakna optimized his attributes as fast as Eye of Symphony could allow and punched at the Fiend. "[Fist of Rupture.]" The attack was nothing like the Ghost Star, but it was still infused with Lunisr mes and the power of his Obsidian Star. Tarnished Death''s body, made of bones and dark fog, fell apart before reforming behind the mysterious diator. "Hm as expected, you are treading the edge of your physical vessel, but that''s still enough to overwhelm me after all," the necromancer remarked. "And your body is not real," Rakna retorted indifferently. "That heart inside your staff is probably all that there is of you, isn''t it? It''s kind of a phctery. The way you recover is strange; my attacks generally make it hard to regenerate." Tarnished Death audibly snickered. "Right, that is mostly correct," he said and tilted his weapon downward, the white heart inside beating steadily. "But I told you, didn''t I? That I would show you the true meaning of Corruption," he dered and ced his hand on the shoulder of the golden diator. "[Be Tarnished, ? Warrior,]" he chanted and a pulse of white and ck energy spread from his inorganic palm. It rippled through the armor of the diator and gradually turned it white. At the same time, the Fiend''s false body began to meld into the diator. "[Na?cattira Ma?ai,]" Rakna waved two fingers. The obsidian shards floating in the air of his Soul Marble responded to his will and pelted the arena. They crossed the boundaries at high speed and became aze with purple mes. In response, Tarnished Death''s aura spread around the diator and expanded outward. As soon as the shards touched it, they became inert and helplessly nosedived. "How impatient," the Fiendmented with a distorted voice, his body already assimted into the diator by more than half, and thetter''s wings fading to silver. After Rakna''s spell, it took less than a second for the rest to flow into the motionless warrior. Tarnished Death''s staff ended in the grip of the diator and the heart that was sealed inside was absorbed through its palm, resulting in a pulse of light emanating from its chest te. The now-ashen diator''s eyes shifted to red and Tarnished Death''s voice echoed from within the helmet. "Let me tell you something about myself," he said. "Amongst Fiends, there is a reason why only I became a carrier of the concept of corruption. I once worshiped Life as Maklen and became a Sky Saint appointed by the Heavens as Prasminta." Rakna raised an eyebrow. The more he heard about it, the less he believed ''Heavens'' referred to anything simr to what their current Existence possessed. Perhaps the Lost Era had something that preceded Cultivators. Some kind of almighty organization "Yet," Tarnished Death continued with a trenchant voice. "I desecrated life itself and tarnished the Heavenly Principles to survive as a wretch. People of this Era would call me a Lich, and it is urate. But I retained my life force. I did so by robbing the Principle of Death from the Heavens instead. I betrayed them both and made an abomination in their image." He tapped the floor with his double scythe and the tiles began to turn as white as his armor. "As a result, I am the Fiend that corrupted the Heavenly Sky and Death itself," he stated with a faint hint of defeat in his tone. "This is what I am today. A wretched stray who dares to corrupt the once illustrious Heavenly diator that guarded the Gate of the Immortal Temple. This is your chance to admire it; a genuine corpse preserved from the Lost Era." "is that so?" Rakna narrowed his eyes. "Then, why do I smell a sense of pride in you?" Under his helmet, the corrupted diator''s mouth curled into a smile. "Yes Guilt is a shame of the weak. I am sure you can understand that much." "" Tarnished Death looked at the whitened arena still hanging from the golden chains. "Do you know what this Arena is for?" He asked rhetorically. "It is a ritual instrument of tradition. The effect can only be activated when more than one individual on its surface is willing to fight. It was a way to officialize duels." Rakna''s promptly ''read'' the tform with Cross Sight. "However, that tradition I shall corrupt it as well," he dered, and faster than he could move with his previous body, he struck the Arena with his double scythe. "[Shattered Heaven.]" As if a scratch was enough, the chains snapped and the floor cracked like a spiderweb, crumbling to pieces. Lilith and Rakna flew away but they couldn''t do anything as some type of contract was unterally established between the three of them. It wasn''t based on the soul, the mind, or even a simple physical curse. It was like a noose that had been tied to their necks by an omnipresent force. "As of the moment the Arena shattered, the battle was mandated," Tarnished Death dered. "This battle will not end with death. If you draw blood from me, the Heavens will decree my defeat. In exchange" He trailed and the fragments of the Arena floated up, merging as one giant white hourss with golden sand inside. "You have until the sand falls," he said and Lilith looked at the measure piece nervously. "If you fail the Heavens will decree my victory instead." "" Rakna remained awfully silent and continued to stare at the white diator. It was hard to tell whether he was concealing his reaction or simply didn''t have any. "The time starts now." And the first grain of sand trickled down the ss. * * * "[East God]" Bhumi muttered as he was sent backward by an arrow he caught. But he couldn''t take the necessary stance before a spear releasing sr res chased him down, carrying with it a heat that evaporated all water from the air. The undead closed its mouth and swung his sword at it with both hands. The impact generated a burst of sma that burnt off the dead god''s skin, but his unfeeling mind pressed on. Surprisingly nimbly, he used his knee to knock the spear upward. And then, with basic Water Elemental Intent, he carved a trench in the ground from which a geyser erupted and veered toward Ramsa''s direction like a seeking spell. Each droplet of water contained inside of it made a sharp noise until the Sun Goddess threw a miniature sun into it, boiling it in the blink of an eye and causing a steam explosion. The steam cloud parted as Zikserth soared through it, crimson petals following him. With a snarl of inhuman timbre, his arm transformed, peeling away his skin to leave the ce for dark red fur with ck thorns wrapped around it. "[Scarlet-Leafed Seed,]" he whispered and a small seed emerged from one of the thorny branches coiling around his arm with a red leaf on it. He clenched it tightly and stepped in thin air, turning himself into a streak of demonic energy. He appeared in front of Bhumi and struck with his transformed arm. When his fistnded on the undead''s chest, he crushed the seed and opened his palm. "[Devil''s Garden,]" he intoned and on cue, hundreds of flowers, each a different species, bloomed over the Fallen God''s torso. Branches wrapped around his arms, thorns pierced into his skin, and scarlet mes slowly ignited at the tip of their petals, one by one, as if counting down. "You''ve gotten dull in death, old friend," Soma said as he fizzled into view above, holding a moon in his hand. "[Staub des Lichtlosen Mondes,]" he chanted and the silver globe in his hand turned into glittering dust. It sprinkled the flowers, ignited by the scarlet mes. Soma and Zikserth retreated and spoke at the same time, "[Scarlet Moon.]" The dust and mes exploded together, rattling the Earth with a disorientating low frequency. The sky blinked and the moons gained a reddish outline for a brief second. With Bhumi as its epicenter, a perfect sphere expanded and shrunk with each second, spewing scarlet mes. Soma covered his face with his arm as the shock, heat, and light were cast everywhere. But it was then that his senses, connected to every ray of moonlight, heard something nearly inaudible. "[West God]" A tremor went through his spine and as fast as he could, he raised his hand to the sky and forcefully conjured a spell at the cost of his life energy. "[Mondzerst?rung!]" He shouted and coughed blood, straining his own Domain in the process as he snatched a deserted moon orbiting the and dragged it toward the scarlet explosion with speed bordering teleportation. In the blink of an eye, a moon-turned-meteor overtook the sky. Soma then immediately channeled his divinity throughout his body and converted his very flesh into moonlight. He caught Zikserth''s shoulder and blinked out of view. The Falling Moon collided with the Scarlet Moon, but the impact was never resolved as a voice cut through the mayhem, "[Ensi Ud Aan.]" Every single me froze in ce as a horrifying Intent split the two moons. There was no detonation. At one moment, the gigantic spells were about to sh, and in the other, both were cleaved before being incinerated into literal oblivion. But that wasn''t where it stopped. Far away from Earth, a unfortunate enough to be in the path of the Intent suffered the same fate, forever disappearing from this sr system. Ramsa looked up from where she stood with a pale face. Soma reappeared with Zikserth in tow and coughed out an additional handful of blood. "damn it," he groaned, bending his neck to gaze at where the Scarlet Moon had just been a second ago. Nearly the entirety of Bhumi''s flesh had been incinerated, exposing most of his skeleton. Yet, even with that much damage, he still held onto his sword and had somehow performed his technique by exploiting the hell that had been burning him. And now, inert as he appeared, his flesh was regenerating, siphoning more of the Fiend''s aura into himself to heal faster. "What kind of undead is he?" Ramsa uttered in rm. "Our divinity is incapable of exorcizing him, his martial prowess is unchanged, his mind has faded but his willpower is boundless" "he is both alive and dead at the same time," Soma said somberly. "This is no necromancy. It''s as if his ''Life'' was altered to ''Death'' by skipping the dying process altogether. His soul and spirit are as strong as they would be if he was alive, and only his thoughts seem inexistent, only moving due to reactionary purpose or instinct. That''s why we can hit him so easily and he counters with barely any restraint." "Can we seal him?" Ramsa suggested. "We would need to weaken him far more than even this for it to work," he said with a frown. "It''s not impossible but to seed, I would need to use my Soul Manifestation. I can''t help you with the sealing spell at the same time." "Leave that to us," a voice sounded as a silver-haired demonnded behind him, frost spreading with his arrival. "Faruth," Zikserth addressed him curtly. "The Shades are nearly wiped out," the demon general reported. "We still have roughly a thousand soldiers capable of fighting, including Ramil and Merid. The healing tree nted by Lady Astraea kept our losses minimal. And Norio no longer is maintaining the barrier as some of the Sentinel''s wolves took over." "The wolves, you say?" Soma''s eyes lit up briefly. "Those are good news. What about Astraea and Tarasque?" "Fighting the undead raised by the Fiend." Soma and Zikserth looked at each other and thetter nodded in understanding. "Faruth, return to your men, gather those able to set up a sealing ritual whilst resisting the miasma, leave a group behind to start evacuating the wounded out of the, and thene back to us. We will keep Lord Bhumi''s attention away from you, so you only have to keep channeling the ritual." "Understood. What kind of sealing ritual should we use exactly?" "I''ll give it to you," Soma remarked and sent a string of moonlight to Faruth''s forehead, conveying the ritual formation directly into his mind. "You can go. Ry the orders to my and Ramsa''s people as well. My moons will shelter and heal the wounded demons." To his credit, the ice demon only staggered as the ritual was poured into his mind; he didn''t make a sound. He held his temples with a serious expression and nodded before flying away. "It seems our break is over," Ramsa uttered as Bhumi regenerated his whole body. The corrupted god stood eerily silent, staring at them with nk and empty eyes. "For any other kind of opponent, I would have thought they were taunting us" She added dubiously. "Well," Soma chuckled. "It would be wonderful if he just stood there. Maybe we shouldpete in a stare-off until Rakna ends it?" He quipped, but to his expected disappointment, Bhumi eventually began lifting his sword above his shoulders. "I suppose that''s too wishful," he snorted and summoned his bow, releasing his aura alongside his two allies. * * * The fused Pasqats roared as they diced an entire forest into perfect cubes with one w strike. A gold and silver aura surrounded its body and it reappeared right in front of its opponent. Tarasque growled irritatingly, bending space and time around himself with gravity to redirect one more attack that defied thews of time and space. "I hate this!" Astraea whined from atop the shelled beast, with crocodile tears in her eyes. She was filtering every single drop of mana she possibly could through her wings and pouring all of it into Tarasque to strengthen him. The creature she was riding rolled his eyes as he caught one of the Pasqat''s arms with his tail and created a disk of gravity to cleave through it. But like every other injury he had made, the limb was slotted right back in like some cheap doll. "Don''t roll your eyes at me!" Naturally, Astraeained about the wrong thing. "{focus, woman.}" A deep and loud voice echoed in her mind. "What do you think I''m doing?!" She shouted. "Also, since when could you speak?! You should have told me earlier!" "{}" Tarasque immediately regretted using telepathy. While ignoring her, he breathed out arge wave of concentrated gravity to stop a beam that erupted from the Pasqat''s rib cage. The ground quaked as his ws tore through the earth due to the knockback. "{I''d like to kill this thing for good, you hear me?}" He snarled. "{No matter how much I mangle the space and time around it, it keeps rearranging them to its whim.}" "Well, make a singrity then! Boot it off the surface of the space-time dimension." "{In what world do you think I have enough power to do that, woman?!}" Tarasque retorted. "{You want to make your Lord proud?! Then let''s end it for good instead of just waiting!}" Astraea grumbled half-heartedly. "can you hold on without me buffing you for a moment?" "{Who do you take me for?}" The beast huffed and pped his titanic wings. He reduced his mass to elerate and soared past the clouds. The Pasqat roared and chased after him. Tarasque looked down and his horns began to glow dark purple. A circle made of that same light was projected forward; then another one slightly bigger. And more after that; eaching faster than the previous one until more than a hundred concentric circles were arranged in front of him. The Pasqat roared and forcefully altered the substance of its arm, turning it into a de. It coated it in spatial and time energy and swung it. Tarasque coldly looked at it and wordlessly activated his spell. The innermost circle fused with the one around it and caused a chain reaction. Once it reached thergest circle, it shone brightly and rocketed toward the as if a released spring. Instantly, the Pasqat found itself driven into the bottom of a perfectly cylindrical hole and pinned down by a gravitational force. Meanwhile, Astraea firmly stuck to Tarasque with her Divinity whilst kneeling in a praying motion and gathering her energy. ''I can''t do what I n on my own'' She thought. She could only call upon her connection with Rakna and wait stiffly as Tarasque pressed down on the with gravity, deteriorating its stability even more. Had it not been for Tarnished Death''s handiwork, the Earth would have already popped by this point. After a few tense seconds, she got her response. Nothing was said, but from the sphere of purple mes in the distance separating the World from her Lord''s soul, a handful of soul power was sent toward her. It struck her back and dissolved into her incarnation, infusing her with strength. The goddess smiled. "Thank you," she whispered and spread her wings wide. Without dy, she converged everything she had at once, and for a moment, her Divinity pierced through the borders of this Simtion. She winced at the possibility of the ''Dreamer'' noticing, but it should have no interest in something so insignificant, rtive to itself. "[Tessi L Fj?eur Bier tnar Nlganir,]" she chanted with a reverent tone. "[Veiti Alf?er S?md tessari Orrustu.]" "[Fe tetta Dyr Mee tinni Speki.]" As her path to Egregore reached its zenith, she voiced, "[Guekonungr sgarear.]" A whirlwind of divinity and soul power swept over her body and she briefly closed her eyes. She opened them to see the result and eximed in confusion when nothing seemed to have happened. "Eh? No way, I''m sure it got through," she said and looked around anxiously. "Why''d you call me,ss?" An unknown male voice suddenly echoed from her blind spot, right next to her ear and she screeched in fear, taking to the skies with her wings. "Wha!" She looked back and saw a tall old man with a deadpan expression on his face. He had long gray hair and a beard trimmed into tresses, his right eye waspletely scarred and exposed to the observer. He wore a rather regal outfit but it featured soft colors that didn''t stand out. The man exuded an authoritative presence, yet his demeanor appearedx and bored. Aside from the clothes on his body, all he had was a stick currently resting on his shoulder. It was not anything more than that; a regr stick, albeit arge one. "L-Lord Odin!" Astraea shouted sullenly. "Don''t scare me like that!" "Grow some balls,ss," the newly summoned God retorted nkly and she fumed. He then looked downward where the Pasqat was being infinitely crushed by Tarasque, who was quickly depleting his endurance. The Asgard King then switched focus toward Rakna''s Soul Marble and scrubbed his beard with his hand. "Well, no wonder you could form a path to me with a guy like that as your Monarch. But you should have called Chronos, Saturn, or Aion. They could have requisitioned the Time of that creature and allowed you to kill it." Astraea pouted. "How was I supposed to know that?" Odin looked at her like a parent who had found a new reason to be disappointed. "Are you sure you''re even an Egregore Entity? Did you get dumber without your full power?" "Hey!" "Aah, matters not," he ignored her offended yell and tapped his shoulder with his stick. "Hey, tough guy, you can let the dead thing go." "{}" Tarasque briefly wondered what the hell was going on his back but nheless followed the instruction, regardless of its rash tone. If Astraea''s presence was like a''s distortion, then this new God was basically a gxy. Even Bhumi couldn''tpare. He stopped discharging the gravity waves from his horns and the overuse of his mana caught up with him. Smoke began toe out of his mouth due to his Magic Circuits overheating. At the same time, a roar full of rage and savagery echoed and he detected a wormhole practically erasing the distance between himself and the Pasqat. Tarasque shuddered but as a skeletal w was about to shred his skull, a markedly smaller figure appeared between them and blocked the undead''s attack with one hand. "Well, look at you," Odin spoke with squinted eyes as the Pasqat struggled against his hand. "What is it? Can''t overpower a frail and wrinkled old man?" Astraea sweatdropped as she watched. ''Frail?'' She thought sarcastically. Even in Egregore, there was a hierarchy. Compared to Odin, she was an ant. Naturally, it was not easy to summon someone like him, and frankly, the only reason she had been able to do it was her extended time spent summoned, allowing her to harness Rakna''s Soul Power effectively. Not to mention, this ''Dream'' had very weak borders. Compared to the System or any Reality, even with the limited power she had avable to her, she basically had a ''free pick''. Otherwise, back in the System, there would have been no chance for her to summon the Norse Patron God. Case in point even at 1% of his true power, Odin held the fate of every life here in his hands. As if to prove a point, the Pasqat teleported away and stopped making any noises altogether, some of its bones shifting slightly out of ce and its ws clicking erratically. "Oh, you can fear, sack of bones?" Odin scowled and his disfigured eye lit up. "Fascinating, it is. But I don''t have time to whip up a pet today. So, let''s get you on your way, shall we?" The Pasqat struggled against its instincts and orders for a moment, until it ultimately decided to retreat to the Earth, its only chance of survival lying there. But as it prepared to manipte space and time to bring it where it wanted, something grasped its entire frame. The Pasqat froze in ce and its bones creaked, slowly pressured by an outward force. It was like something was trying to turn it into a ball of scrap. The source was, of course, Odin, whose finger finished drawing a pair of small, almost innocuous runes if it wasn''t for the oppressive force they exuded. "[Ansuz Uruz,]" he intonedzily and then began to draw a third one below that. During that time, the Pasqat''s nearly nonexistent mind was in turmoil. It couldn''t understand nor could it notprehend the idea that space and time were not responding. How could one get around the idea of losing something they possessed as a birthright? The Asgardian God King quelled its thoughts for eternity with the next word, "[Eiwaz.]" With but a word that barely seemed to need more effort than voicing them, the Pasqat was crushed into apact sphere of bones. Then, it broke like an egg, and from within, a shadow erupted and snatched the bone material before bringing it inside itself, disappearing altogether afterward as if it was never there. "Job done,ss," Odin casually waved away his runes. "Already used up what you gave me," he said as his body began to fade into particles. The amount of energy Astraea had used could only supply him for so long before Egregore snatched him back. "thank you very much," Astraea bowed. Tarasque was deathly silent on the other hand, gazing at the old man with awe, fear, and everything in between. "You are lucky my runes are efficient enough to work with the pathetic resources you gave me." The angel''s eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "Yes" "Still" Odin looked at Earth, and more specifically, where the battle against Bhumi was currently urring. "What a shame. There is such a magnificent warrior here but his soul is in a prison of his own making," he shook his head. "Lass,st words of advice." Astraea tilted her head. "Firstly, be careful of the ''," he uttered and she blinked. "Secondly" He looked up. "Leave as soon as you can," he said with an unreadable expression; more solemn. "The Dreamer and the Tra''s ''Keisarinna'' are both approaching," he stated warningly. The goddess''s eyes widened in horror and Odin vanished. Chapter 439: The Heavenly Gladiator Chapter 439: The Heavenly diator "[Veritable Sky.]" A golden aurora overtook the Soul Marble. Tarnished Death barreled through the sky and dragged his double scythe along the streams of light. "[Dancing Heaven,]" he uttered and swung his des in a circle. The aurora eddied up and down, carrying with it a faint sense of death. It struck the ground and bounced like a pebble on water, shooting straight toward Lilith with an unclear trajectory. Her muscles contracted and she raised Gn Jing above her left shoulder, angling her elbow right below her chin. At the same time, an Asura arm mirrored her from her Ring. There was no name attributed to her attack as she swung and shot a de of green lightning. It struck and dispersed the aurora with a loud thunderp, right before it created a dyed st in the ground below. She then leaned forward and kicked the air, her horns sparking with energy as she charged toward the Fiend. Her sabers were resting along her body and as she closed in, the Agni coalescing inside her horns transferred to her eyes, which she opened wide. "[Krodhi Nazar Sanrakshak,]" she intoned and, in less time than she took to blink, a high-pitched booming sound resounded. An invisible and short-lived concentrated burst of energy left her pupils and hit Tarnished Death''s silver armor by her just looking at it. It exploded into a flurry of green mes and lightning. At the same time, Rakna teleported above with all his tails charging a granted orb of Obsidian Energy,busting several kinds of powers inside of it, including a halo of Lunisr ze. "[Sl??ar Muttu,]" he chanted and fired the ''Pearl of ughter''. It pierced through the Agni of Lilith and distorted the space. At the same time, Rakna mentally guided his Soul Marble, and thousands of obsidian fragments promptly flew from all directions, encasing Tarnished Death in a box of dark crystal and purple mes.The ''Fake Ten-Tailed Pearl'' exploded within its confines and shook the Soul Marble in its entirety, causing Rakna to grunt as his consumption of soul power spiked to resist it. The impact rattled the flowers and spilled the water of the rivers running through thendscape. But despite the power of the spell that had practically ended his spar with Arimane, Lilith was not stopping her advance, and neither did Rakna believe this to be over in the slightest. And on cue, to prove them right, the st itself suddenly lost momentum. The cage of obsidian was then breached from the inside by a giant summoned skeletal arm, which the Asura didn''t waste time attacking with the power she had charged. Six arms of Agni burst out from her Ring and stuck to each other, wrist to wrist, with their palms facing forward. Lilith struggled as she controlled the power shared by Rakna, and a perfect sphere of lime green lightning, sma, and fire buzzed in the hold of her Asuran limbs. "[Asuri]" She spoke slowly. "[Agni]" The sphere bloated to twice the size. "[Lahar!]" She yelled and her aura exploded. The sphere erupted into a massive unidirectional wave of Agni, grazing the ground and melting the soil without touching it. The ck petals falling from the sky turned to ashes and the wave crossed the distance to the Soul Sea, where it parted the waters and ultimately died down on the horizon. Lilith exhaled tiredly, the arms fading from behind her. Slowly, the kilometers of terrain she had cleared began to be filled with petals once more. At an even slower pace, one could also see that the Soul Marble was passively rebuilding itself. Tarnished Death was nowhere to be seen, carried away by the wave that could have easily crushed a to smithereens. But as the aftermath of the Agni began to dissolve, Lilith felt horror course throughout her body. Before she knew it, a grid of solid magical energy had surrounded her. Each section of the construct stretched and shot toward her, forming a coral-likework. They exuded an ominous aura and as dozens were about to stab into her body, an armored figure teleported in front of her. Rakna wrapped her around his wings and the silver mist released by his wings glimmered brighter as he repeated his Quantum Leap, retreating, but not without some piercing his back and arms. He reappeared in the sky hundreds of meters away with a grim expression. He unwillingly let go of Lilith, letting her catch herself. The werewolf''s eyes were firm as he hunched forward without being able to straighten himself. "I told you" A disembodied voice echoed and from the area where Lilith''s wave had torn through previously, a rippling gate of silver light opened, transferring a humanoid shape, and then fading to reveal apletely unharmed ''diator''. "You know nothing of Corruption." "" Rakna narrowed his eyes at the Fiend. Pieces of his obsidian armor crumbled, detaching from ces that had been impaled just now. "How?" Lilith muttered in shock as she spotted no damage on Tarnished Death''s figure. It was as if her Agni hadn''t even hit. She could understand if it was his previous body which could be made and remade. But she could tell with certainty that the ''corpse'' he was using was tangible. The demoness was startled out of her shocked state by the sound of ss shattering. She snapped her head toward Rakna and saw one of his wings break. Half of it reverted to its natural state while the obsidian that covered it fell to the ground and dissolved into colorless energy. But, in fact, the most worrying thing was still the actual wing itself. The formerly ck and silver appendage was being encroached by an ashen shade of white, rendering it inert. It didn''t take long afterward for the rest of the werewolf''s armor to fall off, effectively ending the spell and restoring Rakna''s appearance, only to reveal more overtaken spots across his body. With a grimace, he flexed his numb arms to summon a crackling, invisible aura. The spread of the color stopped and started receding very slowly. "You did well in protecting the Guardian," Tarnished Deathmented. "Only a Nephilim such as you could hope to shrug off ''Death'' so easily." Lilith coldly looked at the Fiend. "What do you mean?" "He killed parts of my body, that''s what he''s saying," Rakna answered in his stead. "That''s what he has been doing since earlier. His aura doesn''t corrupt; it applies a corrupted conceptualization of death," he scoffed. "He canceled my attacks that way. Ever heard of ''killing'' momentum?" "Huh? But that''s" "Nonsensical?" Tarnished Death cut her off with an amused tone. "Believe me, in the vastness of the world, that is aical word, alongside ''impossible''. Even after robbing a Principle of Death, I cannot even reach the ankles of some creatures out there who wield it one of which happens to be a member of the Dreamer''s Family." Rakna''s eyebrow shifted upward, but he tossed aside this information for now. Silently, he boosted his Sub-Path skills with Obsidian Points, thetent and yet unachieved power of the Philosopher''s Stone. He clenched his hands and grunted, finally recovering the strength to lift his wings and limbs that had been hanging inert. "Hm, fast too," the Fiend remarked. "I have killed your spell. Will you cast it again?" He most likely referred to his armor. Rakna could only frown at him in response. It wasn''t like his Craft had been sealed forever, but the way it had been dispelled had caused quite a wound on his Magic Circuits. It was temporary, but even with the Full Moons, summoning the same type of spell would only harm him. "Most importantly, how long can you keep this up?" Tarnished Deah mused out loud. He looked up at the sky of the Soul Marble. "To cast the Full Moon on yourself with your own Soul Marble is brilliant. But maintaining such a flow in a closed circuit your body will eventually start rejecting Lunar Energy as a form of self-preservation. Even Nephilim have limits." "Don''t worry about that," Rakna retorted nkly. "You won''t get to exploit those limits." A quiet sentiment of amusement exuded from the Fiend. "Then, you better hurry and not waste any more time. The sand is ticking, so to speak." Rakna nced at the sky where the hourss loomed. He had naturally tried to expel it out of his Soul Marble, but nothing worked on it. It wasn''t even physical in the truest of senses. "[Comet.]" With a word, the werewolf turned into a sh of star energy. He blinked through the distance and swung Sonata at Tarnished Death with the full rotation of his Internal Art. The undead diator moved just as fast and merely raised his arm to block it. The azure de that should have an edge capable of splitting the toughest of materials was immediately halted by his armor. It did not even cause a scratch. Rakna did not even blink at the result. He activated Crescent of a Falling Star at point nk and followed up with a Fist of Rupture that cracked space itself and sucked in all its energy into one single point. But even then, Tarnished Death batted it away and threw a punch of his own, forcing the werewolf to cross his arms in defense. He grimaced when the silver gauntlet broke his arms apart into Star Energy and then sent him flying toward the ground. Lilith intervened at that exact moment, shing at the Fiend''s neck with a bolt of green lightning. "Futile," he didn''t even bother to block it, nor did he use his ''Death''. The Agni thundered, striking his head without effect. He powered through the attack and grabbed Lilith''s arm. Hurling her aside, he pointed his palm at her and created a ck magic circle. "[Tirtu--!]" He was sharply interrupted by his magic suddenly glitching out of existence. A wave of soul power washed over the ce and was traced back to Rakna''s hand, "As long as you are in my World don''t think about using magic formations." "Hmph," Tarnished Death snickered, magic circles fizzling in and out from around his hand. "That is certainly possible but it will drain your most important reserves even more. Your mana capacity is phenomenal, but your soul power will run out eventually. Especially after giving your Egregore Entity so much earlier. Do not think I didn''t notice." Wordlessly, Rakna divided his mind to scan the outside of his Soul Marble. He couldn''t exactly see much, but it was enough to look for Astraea''s presence. He had given her a hefty amount of energy and based on what he felt with his Firmament title, she had summoned quite a mighty entity. It barelysted a minute, but he could tell that the Pasqat had been thoroughly eliminated. But not only was Bhumi still up and kicking; his instincts were screaming that an anomaly was urring. The problem was that it felt multiyered as if there were several sources of danger. "" Rakna remained silent as he took flight, avoiding a kick from Tarnished Death that blew away a chunk of his soulscape. He shed weapons and clicked his tongue at the continuous nullification of his strength. Deflecting the double scythe, the werewolf exchanged hand-to-hand strikes with the Fiend, half of the collisions canceling out and the other half ttening the ground right below. Lilith patiently waited until there was an opening andunched an attack right as Rakna managed to thrust past Tarnished Death''s defenses with his ws. Thetter''s eyes flickered under his helm and he temporarily dropped his staff, allowing it to float next to him. Then, he raised his forearms to block both blows. The werewolf''s ws exploded with Star Energy into his armor and the Asura''s sabernded like lightning. This time around, the momentum had not been ''killed'' but despite that, no damage at all could be seen on the silver armor. Tarnished Death impassively received their attacks and countered in the blink of an eye, kicking a hole through Rakna''s chest and backhanding Lilith, shattering her Asura Arms put up in defense. Rakna gritted his teeth as he careened through the air. He forcefully altered the world inside his Soul Marble to negate the knockback and spun around, opening his eyes wide and drawing a full constetion with his Valkals. "[Star Monarch C Ovey,]" he uttered and Sonata was shrouded in pure white aura alongside its transformation into ance. "[Riven The Sky, Soar Over Hel,]" he chanted and a circr wave made of peculiar energy expanded with Sonata as its source. It pushed everything in the vicinity,pelling Lilith and even Tarnished Death to ride the wave away from Rakna. "This" The Fiend narrowed his eyes. The spell that was being infused into the Guandao was very clearly an antithesis rtive to himself. "[Spread Your Wings, Cygnus!]" The werewolf eximed and threw Sonata like a javelin. With a majestic cry, a giant apparition of a beautiful golden swan enveloped thence as it zeroed onto its target. The light split the air and Tarnished Death raised one arm. "[Veritable Sky C Heaven''s Seal.]" He firmly rotated his wrist and a spiral of gold and silver light materialized a round jade tablet carved with intricate patterns. It resembled a magic formation but feltpletely different. The Cygnus Swan struck against it in a cacophony. It burst with golden light and instantly cracked the defense. Sonata''s own aura mixed into it, introducing a blue hue to the whole, before it reached a critical point and blew up with the jade tablet. Tarnished Death slowly lowered his arm and quietly stared at the aftermath. But without warning, something pierced through the smokescreen with a loud cry. The golden swan flew fast enough to catch the Fiend off guard; its beak ramming into his armor. "!" The undead diator grunted and choked the bird''s neck with his arm. He promptly lifted his double scythe and stabbed it, directly infusing his aura into it. It didn''t take long for the phantasmal creature to ''die'' and disappear into motes of light. But right after, the familiar crackling of Rakna''s wings resounded and the werewolf emerged from the Fiend''s side. His body was drowning in star energy and distorted behind a blurry veil. Tarnished Death''s eyes widened as he sensed the transcendental flow of Ki and Intent. It wasn''t as strong as before, but it undeniably was an attack that edged the limit of the werewolf''s potential. Rakna growled and moved his fist forward; it barely could be called a punch, after all. Just like what he had used against the Pasqat, this technique was closer to an evolution of the ''Ghost of Rupture'', in the sense that it was a passive state. After its activation, not only would it start draining the quasi totality of his internal force, but also make it extremely difficult to move even a centimeter. He believed that the day he was capable of fully utilizing his identity as the Philosopher''s Stone, this martial art may just be strong enough to blow away a with the flick of a finger. "[Ghost Star of Rupture,]" he gritted out and the ''pebble'' was tossed. Ripples spread from his fist and for a moment, his very own attack splintered his Soul Marble, briefly creating windows to the outside world. A soft, chime-like noise echoed and Rakna''s body reverted to normal. Tarnished Death didn''t crumble under the void transmutation like the Pasqat but the sheer impact was enough to break all forms of control physics had on him. In one instant, he was crossing his arms, and in the next, he vanished. Far away, the Soul Marble was hit by a devastating ''projectile'' that subsequently disintegrated thend around it, triggering a terrifying shockwave. Rakna clicked his tongue as his arm lost its consistency; Voyaging Star struggled to repair it and defaulted to raw energetic manifestation instead. "Did it work?" Lilith asked as she appeared beside him, Agni burning at her feet. The werewolf squinted his eyes and his Soul Marble responded to him. "No," he said, and from the crater that had been filled up by the rivers'' water, a silver-winged figure arose. It ascended slowly and then blinked out of view. "Impressive," the Fiend''s voice came from right next to them. Rakna nced at him and furrowed his eyebrows. The only evidence of his attack havingnded was just a discoloration on the armor''s chest te; a spot that had been in perfect alignment with his fist. Lilith also became agitated at the sight. "Whatever you are thinking, do not sell yourself short," Tarnished Death said. "The Heavenly diator of the Immortal Temple that is this body I possess. The Immortal Temple was a mighty group with few members, but unmatched prowess and each with a title of ''Immortal'' in one way or another." He raised his armored hand and clenched it. "The diator was an Immortal too. And his own brand of Immortality was indestructibility." Rakna''s expression darkened; he had already figured it was something like that but it didn''t make it any better to hear it from the enemy''s mouth. "Naturally, this is nothingpared to his time in life. Otherwise, not even a hundred years of you freely attacking would have left a mark," Tarnished Death stated. "You trapped us!" Lilith yelled as she realized the situation. "We can''t ''draw blood'' from you!" "Oh, but yes, you can," the Fiend retorted with an audible smirk. He pointed his thumb at his chest where a white hue undted. "You only have to strike my heart." "I used the full capacity of Rupture in that exact spot," Rakna uttered nkly. "Not even piercing damage can get through that armor and body. If you''re trying to mock us, at least be honest." Tarnished Death chuckled and in the next instant, the sound of a low-pitched gong reached every corner of the soulscape. The trio looked up simultaneously and saw the sand inside the hourss had reached the half-point. "Well, well, your time is running out," the Fiendmented. "Ranka," Rakna suddenly called and his Tenth Tail became pure obsidian before disappearing and transforming into the female form of his Doppelganger. Lilith immediately felt some power leaving her Karmic Bond. Tarnished Death tilted his head curiously whilst the clone raised an eyebrow at her original self. "Are you sure?" She asked and the werewolf nodded. "Go help them. You sensed it too when my Ghost Star weakened the boundaries ," Rakna red at the Fiend across from him. "Bhumi is about to overwhelm them, and this bastard used that window of time to cast something on top of that." "Ah so, you noticed," the diatormented. "And here I thought I was being sly," he said with a tone full of satire. "By the time this marble copses I wonder if there will be anything left outside." Ranka''s expression was unmoving. She nced at Tarnished Death, then squinted her eyes at Lilith, wordlesslymunicating her encouragements, before she deployed her wings and blinked away in a sh of silver. A portal of purple mes appeared and she jumped through it. "You didn''t stop her," Rakna remarked. "Why should I?" Tarnished Death retorted. "The battle outside does not concern me. The God of this is an exceptional material, I will admit. A pawn with great power. But nothing in this dream willst," he stated as the newly made exit closed. "My sole goal is your defeat. A goal you should inversely share. Don''t get attached, wolfwalker. Their lives are evanescent." The werewolf clenched his fists in response and Lilith shivered as the Neverwinter Star in the sky began to glimmer ever so slightly. "So is yours," Rakna coldly said. "For now," the Fiend spoke ominously and raised his weapon, preparing for another round. Chapter 440: East God Chapter 440: East God A few minutes earlier, as Rakna''s Ghost Star was unleashed for the second time, a select number of people heard and sensed the boundaries of the Soul Marble leak out a short-lived burst. Astraea shuddered and turned around to look at the dome of soul mes. It had mended itself as fast as it had given out, but she had managed to sense ''something'' getting out through the cracks and merging with the aura of Tarnished Death. She frantically observed her surroundings and noticed that the miasma was slowly seeping into the ground instead of spreading. "{Don''t get distracted, woman!}" Tarasque shouted in her mind and she jolted back to reality just in time to raise a wall of tree roots to block a tremendous surge of Sword Intent. She pped her wings and flew back, her defenses copsing right after. She nced to the right from the corner of her eyes and saw Tarasque charging at Bhumi, whose battle they had joined. The beast collided with the Fallen God, who blocked his gravity magic like it was just another basic attack. Bhumi''s sword raged with Spiritual Intent and cut right through the gravity, causing thend to split into perfect geometric shapes. "{Wake up already, you damn fool}" Tarasque snarled as he raised his w, increasing its weight and swiping down at his once-creator. The undead''s eyes glowed dimly and he let go of his weapon. He clenched his fist and struck back with Fist Intent. The two massively unequal physiques shed but the loser of the exchange was still Tarasque. The repercussion stunned him and Bhumi relentlessly advanced, readying a swing that would surely split the beast in two. "I don''t think so," Ramsa uttered as she dropped from the sky and thrust her spear at the undead god''s dominant arm. A flurry of sma melted right through it, skin to bones, yet he still gripped his sword unyieldingly. With his other arm, Bhumi crushed his hand to gain ess to his sword''s handle. He twisted his wrist until blood gushed and flipped the edge of his de toward Ramsa. "[En--]" He couldn''t get the first word out before an arrow hit his back, immediately followed by a dozen more.On cue, Zikserth struck the god like a crimson bolt. His appearance had gradually changed as the fight went on; he now sported dark red fur on his arms, a wood-like mask on his face, and ck thorns coiled around his four limbs. He was a unique breed of demon; a hybrid of Huldra and Vet. A death-seeking demon of the forest. The thorns digging into his fists drank his blood and sprouted crimson spider lilies. Light gushed out of their petals and engulfed his arm. "[Phlegethon,]" he intoned sharply and all of his power exploded out into a steady, but destructive stream. Bhumi instinctively used his sword as a shield but failed to protect the outermost bits of his body, which liquefied into a dark, red sap-like substance, as if he was a bleeding tree. The Fallen God retreated and, at that moment, the sealed but strongestyers of his mind began to emerge to the surface. Sadly, none of it released the control Tarnished Death had over him. Instead, his awareness of his disadvantaged position led him to turn his attention to the line-up of demons channeling a magic formation in a wide circle around their battlefield. In that moment, his target had changed. His reflexes alone reached the solution he needed; a distraction. "!" Zikserth immediately knew what was happening when he saw Bhumi slightly turn his head after falling back. Urgently, he groaned in pain and a pair of dark red wings with leaf-like feathers grew on his back with a gruesome sound. Simultaneously, Zikserth shot forward like a bullet and Bhumi swung his sword at the demons in the distance. And it ended with the Demon King coughing blood as he blocked the Intent with his own body. "This!" Soma''s eyes widened in rm. Bhumi had gained a new level of acumen, but it was not in their favor at all. His expression darkened when he saw the undead swing again. He gritted his teeth and imitated his ally, dashing into the sh''s path and erecting a wall of lunar energy. "That''s not good" Astraea muttered to herself as she rode on Tarasque again. The beast grunted and joined in to protect the demons preparing the sealing formation. Faruth, Merid, and Norio, among others, were also protecting their troops, but as strong as they were, they could notpare to Bhumi''s Spiritual Intent. No amount of demonic power or magic they wielded could deflect his swings by even just a millimeter. Only Ramsa was located somewhere she could strike back. But that didn''tst long either. Bhumi soon decided to give his all once his direct surroundings became empty. Though not enough to perform the East God technique, it was just enough to earn him time for it instead. With his only functioning arm, he bounced his sword up and down, almost as if he was handling a paintbrush, and spun on his feet. It was a Sword Dance, Ramsa realized. The kind that was akin to casting a spell with one''s own body. The air whistled past Bhumi''s de and Ki began to concentrate around him. Until now, the god had been using a very discreet and efficient Internal Art, without any leakage. But this time, his internal force manifested externally, and, being the closest, Ramsa shuddered. Once the dance was over, the sound of ringing steel echoed and a torrent of Ki and Intent flooded the area. Faster than sound, it escaped Bhumi''s sword and threatened every possible direction. The sky cleared up, the ground imploded, the atmosphere shrunk, and all lights dimmed. Ramsa coated herself in Sr Energy, avoiding critical injuries, but she was not the sole target. "Damn it!" Zikserth cursed as he braced himself. He could try and protect as many of his people as possible, but even with Tarasque, Soma, Astraea, and the demon generals, it was impossible to cover everyone. At this rate, the sealing preparations would be broken and they would lose more than half of their casters. "{Don''t worry!}" In that instant, Astraea''s voice reached them all. "{Just protect yourselves!}" Before they could question it, the Sword Dance reached them. It was like being thrown into a pit of needles where the tips burrowed into your skinyers. Theyplied with Astraea''s words on instinct more than anything else and thendscape around them was sliced apart. Then, as it advanced upon the terrified demons who stubbornly stood their ground, thousands of wolves burst out from below them. Silver-white mes surged from their eyes down to the tip of their fur and lit up one after another, creating a Lunisr barricade. The shockingly high quantity of Lunisr ze halted Bhumi''s attack with a clear divide that left no uncertainty. Anybody with working eyeballs could tell which side prevailed. Zikserth sighed in relief as he saw that, but Soma was far from relieved yet. "Ramsa, get out of there!" He yelled as he rocketed forward in a sh of moonlight. But to Ramsa, that warning was useless. How could it help when she witnessed Bhumiplete his stance right in her line of sight? Her face paled, and faster than the idea of fleeing coulde to her mind, her body was swallowed by a sense of immensity; like sunk in water and caught in a harsh current. "[East God.]" All waters across the Earth promptly stilled. No waves, ripples, or undtions. In fact, some were so static that they frosted, and incongruously, others began to boil but refused to evaporate. "[Ensi]" Bhumi uttered and his Intent flowed down his de. Then, Soma himself was forced to stop, tumbling down, with his body overtaken by numbness. Tarasque tried to intervene too, but no matter how much he manipted his gravity, the heaviness didn''t go away. "[Mu Aan.]" The swordsman''s sword fell. And every single drop of water on the surface of the vanished without a sound. For a short but torturous second, everyone felt like they were lying dead in the desert, with nothing more than skin on their bones. As her vision of the world slowed down, Ramsa nearly lost consciousness from just watching the sword create an arc in her direction. But, even then, she saw it in the corner of her eyes. A purple star, fast approaching. Soul power that felt like a powerful and tranquil bonfire. Ranka''s eyes shed with Cross Sight and her mind connected to her original self. * * * Rakna''s eyes mirrored his doppelganger''s as he fired an overloaded Raja at Tarnished Death. His expression hardened and he looked in a specific direction, speaking up. * * * ""[Imperial Order!]"" The Dream was breached open by the System''s authority. A curtain of light fell from the sky and enveloped Ramsa, isting her from the rest of the world for but a mere second. She watched in awe as Bhumi''s sh was divided before her. And behind her, as far as any being could see, a thin line of Intent journeyed through space. One poor demon that had been in its path found himself bisected. The Lunisr ze could not hold the Intent back for even a second. Up above, one of therger moons in the sky was shed into two, yet it did not fall apart. The two halves remained so close to each other; they continued to orbit together without deviation. The Intent eventually whittled down after inflicting the same fate upon dozens of inert asteroids and disappeared after gleaming like fairy dust. Ramsa hadn''t seen it; she had felt it. Just as she felt a warmth snatch and take her away after the light stopped protecting her. Her vision of the world recovered its normal flow and without dy, water returned to the with a tremor, as if it had never left. Oceans and rivers were filled again with the scarce reserves they had possessed. The waves were just as calm as before Bhumi swung and naturally regained their natural behavior. "no wonder that bastard called him a ''good pawn''." Ramsa heard a cold feminine voice and blinked in surprise at what was currently lifting her in a bridal carry. It was definitely a werewolf, and while she initially thought of Rakna, this one had a slender silhouette of sorts that made it appear taller. Furthermore, it possessed no lion mane and its eyes were significantly thinner and sharper. "" The Sun Goddess found herself stumped as she realized her current position; her expression stuck between a blush and a resentful scowl. Ranka ignored her, keeping an eye on Bhumi who was sluggishly lowering his sword after having pushed his ability to the limits. However, she could tell that he was not weakening. Instead, albeit weaker, her Cross Sight could still see it; four elemental incarnations rotating around his sword now that all stances had been performed. "This is bad" She muttered with a frown, surprisingly frank. "I didn''t expect this. He has enough power to surpass Tarnished Death in pure destructive ability." "Wha!" Ramsa yelped as the werewolf lifted her with one hand and allowed her to stand beside her. "Be gentler," the goddess grumbled quietly. "Listen up!" Ranka shouted, boosting her voice with mana. Everyone focused on her, still reeling from the shock of Bhumi''s attack. "We have to disarm him! Cut his arms off or chain him, I don''t care; don''t give him a chance to swing again!" Soma and Zikserth didn''t even bother to respond, already knowing it themselves. "And you all! Continue channeling!" The doppelganger shouted at the demons. The few who had seen one of their own instantly die from Bhumi''s strike gritted their teeth with stony faces before filling the gap their fallenrade had left behind, resuming the formation. "What is the n?" Ramsa asked after a moment. "Giving Soma a chance to use his Manifestation was our objective. Is that eptable to you?" "Manifestation?" Ranka raised an eyebrow. "I guess that''s fine," she replied and conjured a ive with star energy. "I''ll leave that to him and focus my firepower on the ''other problem''," she added as Zikserth charged back in, ferociously storming Bhumi. "The other problem?" Ramsa uttered in confusion. On cue, without perceivable warning, a massive chunk of the suddenly morphed out of the ground, rising into a mass of bones vaguely in the shape of an arm and cloaked in death aura. Its size was enough to emte an eclipse on the Earth''s surface. This arm alone was bigger than any of the Pasqats, equivalent to continents and extending above the clouds. "Where did thate from?!" The goddess breathlessly muttered. "Nowhere," Ranka nkly said. "It''s always been there. Tarnished Death merely gave it the order to move; nothing else. What you see isn''t an arm growing but the growing an arm." "!" "Well, that''s my problem though," the doppelganger added and wordlessly, more lunisr wolves who had been spending hours meditating and umting power came out of the ground, all of them with varying sizes but identical appearances. Hundreds of them ''ran'' into the air and stood around Ranka like her loyal army. She unhesitatingly stabbed her weapon into one of them and it melded into the de, creating a suction that sucked in a dozen more at the same time. "[Execution,]" she whispered and swung at the giant arm. Then, with a ghastly wave of heat, the air ignited with white-silver mes like light bouncing off mirrors. It sted right through theary limb and created a hole in its elbow, causing the forearm to tilt like a tree, ripping itself off before it tumbled to the ground. Ramsa pursed her lips nervously when the arm hit the ground and sent a gust of wind across the, ruffling her hair and clothes. ''That much power in a casual strike?'' "What are you doing?" The female werewolf scowled at her. "Go deal with Bhumi. The wolves are not unlimited; I won''t hold on forever." To prove her words, the began to shake once again. But this time, the limbs did not target them specifically. They emerged everywhere on Earth, discarding pretense and wriggling out of the ground like tentacles simply as piled up, dark-colored bones. "Filth," Ranka spat with a disgusted expression. ''how grumpy,'' Ramsa couldn''t help but think; the difference with Rakna was quite stark. She let out a quiet breath and nodded. "We''ll leave it to you then," she said and unfurled her wings, ready to fly off. But before she did so, she spoke softly, "And thank you for saving me," she said and left in a burst of sr arcs. The doppelganger nced in her direction and snorted. "Don''t thank me just yet" She muttered as her eyes locked onto the skeletal tentacles. "I haven''t truly saved anyone yet." With those words, she unleashed a pressure equal to Rakna''s base state. While shecked many of their Nirvana Skills and had considerably less energy, she was far from harmless. And to top it off, the battlefield had been set up for her. "[Intha Mara?a Ara?ma?aiyai Mazhaiykku?ka?] (Flood This Pce of Death)." "[Kanavu?i? Ma?i A?ittup Pkku?ka?] (Wash Away The Sand of Dreams)." She chanted and mes ignited in the depths of her pupils. Beacons of Lunisr ze appeared all over the and rose to the sky like geysers, each of them aligned and scattered over equal distances. "[Ta?imaiy? O?iyai Erikkumka?] (Incinerate The Solitary Light)." An undtingyer of mes began to emerge like a rising tide, shrouding whole forests and the bases of mountains. Before long, the whole had be something akin to a fake star, with only the highest points ofnd sticking out from within the sea of mes. "[Cantira Criya C Varicaiyi? Vi?m?ai Mu?ivu Pe?utal] (Swallowing Star of Order)." Countless howls echoed as Ranka dropped down, somehownding on the mes and causing a circr ripple around her. She narrowed her eyes at the bones and stomped the mes with her foot. With a thunderous echo, giant wolves several times bigger than herself leaped out of the sea of mes and pounced on therge tentacles. They crunched into the bones, immted themselves, and then dragged the appendages down into the sea of mes from which they never reemerged from. "Holy shit" Norio mumbled as he hovered above the mes whilst overseeing the channeling of the sealing formation. "She just turned the whole into a spell beacon." As he came to terms with that astonishing sight, quaking and booming sounds began to resound across Earth. However, most of it was muffled and the only signs of something happening were the asional bloating on the calm surface of the mes, as if explosions were being held back. Drops of sweat ran down Ranka''s face. Without moving from her spot, she swung her ive and cut through a pile of bones specifically aiming for her life. A particrlyrge swelling in the mes urred in the distance and she grimaced. ''I have it on lockdown, but it''s fighting back. Soon enough, it''llpress its size and potentially transform into a-sized Pasqat, or any creature really.'' She was stuck here. Maintaining the Lunisr ze spell took too much concentration and while the wolves'' reserves were plenty, with this consumption, it wouldn''tst five minutes. It''s not like she had the absurd regeneration of her original self. "Last I saw the hourss less than five minutes should be left over there too," she whispered to herself. "Everything will end by that time." Chapter 441: The Star of Hope Chapter 441: The Star of Hope Astraea gasped as she dodged one of the stray shes Bhumi was firing off at whoever dared to approach. She gritted her teeth, trying to catch her breath; she was quickly running out of power. Summoning Odin had barely left her with anything. Nothing that could contend against someone like Bhumi. And Ranka could not afford to help her either. At this rate, she would burn through her Records, essentially the equivalent of life energy on an Egregore scale. She sighed and clutched her stuff, infusing mana into it. At the tip of her magic instrument, a seed began to grow. "{I will retreat momentarily to recover some strength. I won''t be able to provide support.}" Her message was transmitted to everyone, but the main recipient was Tarasque, who had been receiving most of her buffs until now. "{It''s fine. We will finish this now,}" therge beast responded and leaped, casting a shadow that stretched to Bhumi. Dark purple light seeped through his fangs and sparked around his horns. He roared with all his might, shooting a sphere of concentrated gravity. However, it did not fly to its target like a projectile and sought the spot right above Bhumi. It grew a halo around itself and the undead god''s knees buckled as an unrelenting weight pressed down on him. "[Mondgef?ngnis,]" Soma intoned as he appeared in a sh of moonlight. Clouds of silver dust descended from the sky and congregated into columns of silver-colored stone. They fell through Ranka''s mes and formed a crude encirclement around Bhumi. The undead god immediately tried to swing his sword but Soma acted first. He split his bow and rushed forward, parrying therge weapon with a freshly conjured pair of short swords. Lunar energy danced around the des after their creation. "[Eklipsenmegalith.]"In the blink of an eye, all light disappeared. Or, to be exact, darkness enveloped the for the span of a second; the Earth itself became an eclipse. Ramsa grimaced as her power momentarily weakened due to it. But, thanks to that, by the time it was over, Soma''s twin swords had been stabbed into Bhumi''s shoulders down to the hilt. The undead seemed almost in a daze, the moonstone pirs around glowing faintly alongside the des stuck into him. Now that his arms had been immobilized, Soma''s hand surged with light and tore into Bhumi''s right arm. He wrenched the elbow off with clinical violence. Bhumi''s eyes abruptly seemed to lose the intellect they had disyed a moment prior and were finally reced by the madness of an undead. The reason was simple as Soma retreated with the amputated arm. The sword was still in the ownerless hand; the meager amount of awareness the Fallen God had managed to achieve was nothing more than his swordsmanship itself. Zikserth and Ramsa simultaneously conjured a magic circle, merging them until it let out slithery crimson and orange mes licking the air. Their mana boiled from inside their body and heat up the atmosphere. ""[Blood Sun.]"" They chanted at the same time and the mes began to spin around the magic circle. They became faster and faster until it practically became a cyclone. It expanded in size at a dangerously fast pace, dwarfing its casters by a thousand-fold. And finally, it grew enough to spin on itself. It whirled and turned into a sphere. And like that, an orange sun bleeding crimson formed in the sky and slowly descended toward the undead god as the air became unbearably dry. Bhumi let out an intelligible roar and fought against Tarasque''s gravity, the restraining power of the monoliths, and the swords nted inside him. Spiritual Intent flooded his being; if he didn''t have a sword, then his body would do. "My turn" Astraea whispered and yanked the seed from her staff. Without hesitation, she put it in her mouth and swallowed it. A rare type of spell that involved cultivating energy externally to recover; a terribly difficult ability to master. But to an Egregore Entity, it was a child''s y. The goddess lifted her staff as her aura surged once again. She pointed it at Bhumi and breathed in deeply. Using green magic with her surroundings wouldn''t work at this point since the had fully died and was currently being endlessly cleansed by the Lunisr ze. So, she had no choice but to bring out something from within. "[? Children of God,]" she chanted softly and her wings grewrger. Blue tendrils of light escaped her staff. "[Hear My Plea. Hear My Choice. Hear My Judgment. Seeking Gold In Iron, You Have Decayed.]" She manifested her legend. Something more primal than divinity. The story of an immortal who fled humanity''s wickedness despite her benevolence. "[I Will Abscond From Fate. Forgive My Weakness,]" she intoned quietly and a huge apparition of an angel appeared right behind Bhumi who was frozen in ce. "[I Shall Rob Your Sins And Hang Them In The Night Sky.]" The angelic apparition wrapped her arms around the undead god whose struggles had suddenly stopped. His eyes were clouded and empty. Astraea closed her eyes. "[Lypimni Prosefch.]" The name of her spell also signed its end. And by that time, the Blood Sun swallowed Bhumi who didn''t let out as much as a groan in the process. The power of the crimson and orange star never exceeded its boundaries. There was no destruction to be seen; delimited within its confines. Soma solemnly watched the sun. It was calm. Enough so that one could delude themselves into thinking the battle was over. However, that hope was dashed by a resounding roar that shouldn''t being out of a human creature. The Blood Sun was assailed with an omnidirectional and unsharpened wave of Intent. It carried neither Sword nor Fist. This Spiritual Intent was being released without restraint; it was Flesh. Burning flesh on the verge of giving out. Like a final cry, it tore apart the Blood Sun. Everyone covered their eyes as the heat dispersed. The sun''s mes spilled across the Earth but were helplessly overpowered by the Lunisr ze. What was left behind was a smoldering husk. It was a harrowing sight, with flesh stuck to bones and calcined organs. Soma''s swords slipped out after losing whatever grip they had. Despite all that, one eye, just one eye that had survived, was still open and filled with vigor. "It''s over," the Moon God dered, looking directly into Bhumi''s gaze. "[Resurrection.]" Those who reached the realm of Heavenly Gods and above all knew this simple word. It was not to be used on others; it was amand directed at oneself. The realization of one''s power given form; the Soul Manifestation. The activation was instantaneous. It began with Soma''splete disappearance. He vanished as if he never was real in the first ce. Then, the light in the sky dimmed slightly and all the moons began to shine stronger than ever instead. But it didn''t stop at the ones close to Earth. Far, far away. Every moon in the gxy responded to the call. Amidst the stars, silver lights began to emerge. If youbined the number of stars ands in the world, it still might not reach the number of moons. Thetter has and will always be one of the most prominent celestial bodies. "[Sintflut Im Schwebenden Mondhimmel.]" Soma''s disembodied echoed and a beam of moonlight descended from the depths of space, from distances untold. It was as thin as a needle and went through Bhumi''s body, prating his back and exiting from his abdomen. Then, a second one shed into existence. Followed by a third, fourth, fifth And with each one, the process only elerated. Again, and again. By the time three seconds had passed, it could be said that more than ten thousand of them had ensnared Bhumi. These countless strings were turning the sky into a massive web, and they only kept increasing in number as time passed. As their count surpassed the six figures, aside from above, where the strings could still be somewhat perceived with the naked eye, it became hard to pick them apart from Bhumi, who looked as if he was suspended in pure light. "Now!" Soma shouted to the demons channeling the formation. They had been ready to unleash it for a while now, but what he had given them was no regr spell. It was specifically created to be used in this situation. Faruth, who was at the core of the formation, immediately triggered it. An intricate circle with a silver crest in it formed in front of him. It then cascaded to two adjacent demons and snowballed until thest one of them. Soon enough, the entire area was fenced by these magic circles. And they showed their purpose without wasting time. They began to rotate and weave the strings in the air, tightening them and creating thicker threads. As that went on, Ramsa, Zikserth, and Astraea quietly observed. Tarasque was not dispelling his gravity sphere and the rest were tense and ready to act at any sign of danger. Bhumi, on the other hand, had long snapped out of Astraea''s spell. He was consuming Tarnished Death''s miasma to heal, but due to Ranka''s presence, this method had run out. He could still heal, but the speed had decreased drastically. The Fallen God''s attempts to snap the strings failed. The Blood Sun had left his Spiritual Intent exhausted. And ultimately, the sealing reached the point of no return. Thest step continued unimpeded. The formation became autonomous and left its casters. The circles moved closer to Bhumi and began to loop around him in seemingly random directions. It was as if they were wrapping the undead in a spider''s cocoon. Hundreds of thousands of threads wrapped around Bhumi and cut off his snarls. In the end, it ended disturbingly easily. The magic circles stopped once they were done and receded, letting go of the leftover strings, which immediately coalesced to reform Soma''s body. "Aah" The Moon God sighed and opened his eyes to look at the result. An orb fashioned in the image of the moon. It was as wide as Bhumi had been tall, giving no hint as to the force of nature it currently contained. "we did it," Zikserth whispered emotionally. They had just defeated and sealed the very reason they had gone to war for it was almostically ironic. Astraea lowered her staff and exhaled through her nose. She nced to the side where she could see some demons cry at their victory and then looked at Ranka, who did not even bother to look toward them even after their triumph. No. In fact, the doppelganger had apletely distinct reaction. With her eyes fixed on the inmed, "Tch," she clicked her tongue. * * * Tarnished Death''s eyes flickered beneath his helmet, sensing the defeat of his pawn. He snorted and didn''t give it any more attention. He swiftly raised his arm and caught one of Lilith''s swords with his bare hand. Green mes engulfed his body but he ignored it, unaffected by them. He then tilted his head and narrowly dodged the de of Sonata crackling with dimensional energy. "[Veritable Sky,]" he spoke calmly and his body fizzled out, creating an afterimage. As fast as he was gone, he reappeared above Rakna and shed at him with his scythe. "[Clear Veil.]" The werewolf blocked the weapon with his arm covered in ck crystal, but it wasn''t enough to stop it from nearly severing it. Not to mention, as soon as the de cut into his flesh, despite the star energy it was made of, the Fiend''s aura managed to kill all feeling he had in it. Rakna narrowed his eyes and poured more mana into his Voyaging Star. He forcefully lifted his ''dead'' arm through Ki maniption and exchanged more than a hundred blows with Tarnished Death within a few seconds. "Hm what are you trying to do?" The Fiend asked as he leaned back to dodge a w, which he countered instantly with a kick. But it was blocked by a cube of interwoven hexagons. "[Helix III,]" Rakna uttered as the cube absorbed the impact. He then grabbed the Assembly with his hand and crushed it. The kic energy inside was released as a shockwave. Tarnished Death scowled at the reversal of his own attack and swiped his hand, killing it before it could reach him. At the same time, he rapidly turned around and fired a concentrated wave of death energy from his hand, shing against the Agni of Lilith. "It''s useless" "[Spades, Flush,]" Rakna''s voice echoed with unexpected words. The instincts lingering inside the diator''s body caused it to shudder. He instinctively pped his wings as hard as he could and distanced himself from the werewolf without even identifying the cause of this feeling. But when he looked back, he spotted cards in Rakna''s hand burning with soul mes. Then, from the smoke they released, a translucent figure emerged. It was an imposing man with oddly vague facial features,urels and royal garments, a crown, and a ceremonial sword in his hand. Without a word, his eyes shed and he unsheathed his weapon. For a moment, Tarnished Death felt like he was in the presence of a being greater than himself at his peak. He barely had the time to react before the King of Spades hacked at him. The Fiend hastily coalesced his aura into a single point and tried to stop it with his ''Death'', but the oue was utterly hopeless. The ethereal sword cut through his power like it was nothing and mercilessly struck his armored chest. In the next instant, Tarnished Death was flung through the sky with a resonant rumble. His body skipped on the ground like a pebble on water and came to a stop on the shore of the Soul Sea. He dug at the sand with his fingers and looked down in silent fright. There was a clear dent in his armor, nearly half a centimeter deep. For some, it would sound like nothing, but to him, it was a ludicrous urrence. "As expected, even that couldn''t breach your defense." Tarnished Death raised his head to re at the werewolf above him. Rakna flipped his wrist and the Philosopher''s Sleeve appeared in his palm. For just that attack, he had consumed most of the skill''s Point Capacity. He could quickly replenish it with the unique stat of his Obsidian Star, but considering the result it had had, it wasn''t worth it. "[Queen of Hearts,]" he uttered and two copies of the same card were drawn. They floated andbusted instantly, replicating the same phenomenon for a regal woman wearing a crown and holding a scepter. While using this skill, Rakna quickly realized something. Each suit seemed to synergize with one specific leader. The Spades worked best with the King. Hearts; Queen. Clubs; Jack. And Diamonds with the Ace. The Queen of Hearts hovered in the sky and raised her scepter. Promptly, Lilith and Rakna began to feel power flow back into their bodies, healing and restoring their endurance. Lilith saw many small injuries on her body fade almost entirely. She blinked at her own body and clenched her fists tentatively. Then, the Queen vanished once her duty was over. "" Tarnished Death was atypically silent. Instead, his gaze wandered somewhere else, toward a crystal mountain shining in the middle of the sea. ''I know you,'' he thought. The Sage was an odd entity. He didn''t know much, but he knew one thing; Timaiyin-Munti once met him. He was removed from time, enigmatic to all, and he epted any guest as long as their wish was pure. The fact that the Archfiend sought him out once is proof of his power and influence. Tarnished Death stared at Rakna. ''What is his connection with him?'' "Thinking of that guy?" The werewolf raised his voice. "" "Well, regardless, I''m done prodding you," Rakna added andnded on the ground. The outline of his pupils shone brightly and the Beast Remnants across his soul began to approach. Tarnished Death nced at the animals that had been keeping their distance until now. None of them were threatening on their own, but the intensity of their gaze was immense. ''How should I describe it'' He wondered. ''Like a horde who suffered great pain together and learned from it.'' Lilith silently unleashed her Agni Ring, hovering above Rakna with unwavering determination. "Hm, have you made your final strategy?" Tarnished Death said and stood up. "I suppose you can''t use those cards often, can you? What else are you going to try?" He inquired with a tilt of his head. "Time is ticking even as we speak. You don''t have much left." "It''s plenty," Rakna retorted and his Ster Aura returned in full, ending the buff it was giving to his soul power. "[Imperial Crown,]" he intoned and the beasts lunged at him. They transformed into light midway and merged with his body, granting him hundreds of attributes and traits. "In this moment, Tarnished, your countdown has begun." The Fiend grinned under his helm and whirled his double scythe. His miasmic aura spilled out of his body in an even greater volume and golden waves fluctuated around his body. "Is that so?" He snorted and looked up at the sky where one of the moons was flickering in and out of view. "This Marble won''tst long either, you know? You have two ultimatums. Only one is enough for me to win," he dered, and with an eruption of dark mana, a literal fortress of magic circles spawned around him. "Shut up," Rakna extended his arm and clenched his fist, crushing the circles and rejecting them from his World. Though, he knew that it merely managed to widen Tarnished Death''s grin. "With that, you took one more step toward defeat." "And I''ve heard enough," Lilith''s voice echoed and her sabers descended on the Fiend with wings of Agni adorning the des. She was parried in the blink of an eye, but thunder roared on impact and blew away Tarnished Death, even if it didn''t manage to injure him. "Aah we are back to this, I see," the diatormented and adjusted his momentum with a wag of his wings. He conjured another spell and unsurprisingly, it was negated as soon as it tried to manifest into reality. But thendscape seemed to tremble for a moment. Lilith hounded after him, swinging her twin weapons with res of Agni. Each attack carried the power to raze small mountains and Tarnished Death deflected them with a scoff. He glided away and effortlessly halted a punch from one of the Agni Arms with his palm. "[Veritable Sky,]" he voiced and his fingers dug into it with sparks of gold. "[Impel Goliath,]" heshed out as if he was pping away a fly and the Agni imploded. Lilith coughed blood and widened her eyes, feeling as if her body had mmed into a wall at full speed. Her vision inverted and she found herself carving a new crater. "Ugh--!" She punched the ground to push herself up right in time to dodge arge object; a scythe de made of bones. It tore through the soil and killed all flowers on contact. She spun in the air, lime green energy swirling around her, and swung her sabers. She shot three distinct shes of Agni: lightning, sma, and fire. They traveled the distance to their target with a rumble and merged. Tarnished Death raised his hand to stop it, but it exploded before he could even try. "!" He trembled in surprise as the Agni opened a fissure in space. He quickly realized it wasn''t an actual spatial breach. It was far closer to a summoning spell. From the fissure, dark green fog gushed out, and with it came a haunting red mask with a crown of fire. Its eyes shed blue and its mouth opened with the noise of crackling wood. "[Dpebhya? Prrthayatu,]" a reverberant voice, sounding like it originated right down from the underworld, superimposed with Lilith''s. Hundreds of hazy, ghostmps formed around. "[Pritr?a Anu??hnam.]" Before Tarnished Death could react, the mask burst into a tide of unrelenting Agni, concentrating its three properties at once. Then, themps burned one after another in a chain reaction. In less than a second, a part of the Soul Sea and kilometers ofnd were shrouded in mes, haloed by sma, and impaled with lightning. But Lilith was not finished. She shuffled her arms in a symmetrical pattern and made the tips of her thumbs and middle fingers touch. "[Dhmrita Prithv.]" The mayhem of Agni thundered once again, but instead of aggravating, it copsed on itself and suddenly released all the power it contained outward in a literal tsunami of mes. It swept over the sea, over herself, Fray''s ind, and even more to the horizon. Naturally, the Agni dispersed faster after spreading and Tarnished Death reemerged unscathed, as expected. But, somehow, he seemed apprehensive. "what are you doing?" He questioned. Her spell was formidable, and although it couldn''t harm him, he had been ready to praise the attempt. However, her decision to ''dilute'' the attack, so to speak, was suspicious. She could have easily raised its power by doing the opposite instead. Lilith only smiled in response, and on cue, the lights went out. Literally so. Even Tarnished Death couldn''t help but feel some dismay when the Soul Marble turned darker than night. It was too sudden, unexpected, and disorienting. Most importantly, one of the three pieces of his soul, ''Prasminta'', was screaming out. He hastily looked at the sky and stiffened. The ten moons. They hadn''t changed but they were also all that he could see. The three stars that had been brightening this small world and, ominously, but peacefully radiating their power, were gone. Just like that. There was no transition to speak of. Faster than he could think about it; the light had disappeared as fast as itself. And the pitch-ck expanse of darkness beyond the moons was akin to heresy. Forget the Mystic Stars; there were no distant stars at all. The scintiting lighthouses that have guided life for eons were non-existent. This was not a Sky. Then, a new source of light was born and the Fiend snapped toward it. Rakna stood surrounded by tendrils of light. Like algae in water, they wriggled around him. ''No, that is not ''light'','' Tarnished Death thought. ''It''s pushing away the darkness not illuminating it. It does not have color, substance, or potency. This is a pure banisher of darkness.'' Rakna opened his eyes from deep concentration and his pupils swayed with the ''light''. "[Nn] (I Am)." "[Nambikaiyin Nakshatram] (The Star of Hope)." Chapter 442: Cardinal Wish Chapter 442: Cardinal Wish Tier 1. What did the System consider a spell to be the apogee of magic? Rakna had yet to learn or craft a spell of that rank. Tier 0 was not worth mentioning, as it was an anomaly rather than a superior achievement. So, he asked himself, what would he need to create a perfect spell? His stars had power beyond imagination, but by themselves, it wasn''t enough. The Obsidian Star was yet too ''immature'' to be molded wlessly. So, the answer was obvious. He had to dig deeper. Forget Obsidian. Forget Everfrost. Forget Neverwinter. None of those would help him. At the end of the day, his magic has always been something simpler, hasn''t it? Thus, he reached out and the stars waned. The sky didn''t need them anymore; he alone was enough in this instant. "[Nn Nambikkaiyin Na?cattiram]." * * *Ranka raised her head and her eyes briefly danced with a glittering radiance. She looked up and clicked her tongue. "Really? You''re sabotaging yourself now?" She grumbled irritatedly. Butpared to everyone else, her reaction was lukewarm at best. "Uh?" Ramsa stared at her hands in shock, seeing something others couldn''t or maybe not, as a simple nce upward would allow you to see the sun missing. Her Domain weakened, but not as much as she would have expected from such an apocalyptic sight. And every other star in the sky suffered a simr fate. The moons lost the glow that they usually reflected from the sun as well. "The mes!" Soma eximed startled as the Lunisr ze began to dwindle; the only thing left here that was still providing them light. "Of course," Ranka huffed. "I constructed this spell with the concept of a star. And inherently, the sr power inside of it is also going out of bnce due to obvious reasons." "What is going on exactly?" Zikserth asked anxiously. "My dumbass of an original has decided to recall every single piece of Star Energy in the vicinity. They''re not disappearing," shezily pointed at where the sun used to be. "It''s actually still there. It''s more urate to say that he is sucking in everything they are releasing, including their light, within a certain range." "What kind of" "Well, not like it matters at this point," she muttered to herself right as the Earth began to shake for what was going to be thest time, something Tarasque was the first to notice. "{The''s gravitational field}" The beast started. "{is bending.}" His words were proven as soon as the atmosphere began to thin down and fall apart. "This is not good," Soma frowned and waved his hand at the demons who were growing nervous, erecting a small barrier of lunar energy around each of them. "I will send them up first. They have channeled my formation long enough to form a link to me. Is that fine with you?" The Moon God asked Zikserth who nodded. "Await our return," the Demon King told hismanders as they exchanged nces. Their help was not required here anymore and the city had long been evacuated. Rather than support, they might be a liability. Faruth quietly nodded before they were taken by the moonlight. At the same time, mountains and hills sticking out of the Lunisr ze started crumbling. The pieces fell into the sea of mes with sizzling noises. And instead of getting stronger, the shaking decreased until it stopped altogether. Eventually, a whirlpool the size of continents formed within the white-silver mes. It was as if it was being drained through a hole. But the truly distressing part was the brassy and low-pitched rumble that apanied it. Ranka grimaced as her entire body vibrated from the sound alone. "Was that a growl?" Astraea uttered in surprise. "I don''t suppose that is you doing that?" Ramsa asked whilst staring at the whirlpool. "I''m afraid not," the werewolf deadpanned. With her eyes half-closed, the marks of Crystal Sight were dim. "Though, what I can tell you is" She didn''t finish her sentence as half of her mes were lifted like a veil. Two uncanny and gigantic limbs burst through. They were like spider legs, though much thicker, with spikes on the inner side, scales on it, and oddly shaped ws at the ends. Most importantly, they had at least a dozen joints, allowing them to contort in every possible direction. The rest appeared next. In contrast with the Pasqats, this time, it was no skeleton at all. The head was somewhat wide, withrge triangr eyes. It sported ck fur, almost like hair, if it wasn''t for how long and eerily stiff it was. Rather than either of those descriptions, it would be more urate to call it an organic cloak. The creature''s mouth was wide open, but there were no teeth to be seen. It was gurgling down the Lunisr ze like amon drink and seemingly storing it inside a throat pouch within its wide and short neck. Attached below that neck was a statuesque, quadrupedal main body. The throat pouch bloating with heat and silver-white light extended to its belly, simrly to a frog''s vocal sac. Its hind legs were rather short while its front ones were abnormallyrge, as if it had been shaped based on the proportions of a sphinx. "I don''t know" Astraea muttered in disbelief. "I don''t know this one either" "" Ranka was impassive as always. Even as her mes were being stolen from her, she showed no hint of trepidation. She angled her neck to stare at the creaturerge enough to obstruct half the moons and practically the entire sun had it still been there. "That''s still an undead, is it not?" Zikserth raised his voice. "Shouldn''t those mes be poison to it?" The therian shrugged her shoulders. "Evidently, it has to do with its physiology. I don''t know the name or the abilities of this creature, but it''s obvious that he''s not ingesting the mes. If I had to guess there''s probably some kind of separate dimension in its throat sac." "it''s going to fire that back at us as soon as it''s done snacking, isn''t it?" Astraea grumbled. "Can you not dispel your mes?" Ramsa asked. "I can''t. This thing has hijacked them," Ranka sighed. "If you have any suggestions, I''m all ears. I don''t have enough power to deal with this in a practical way." "neither do I," Soma''s expression darkened. "At best, I canunch onest attack." "I''m in an even worse state," Ramsa added with a shake of her head. "I have some energy left in the tank," Zikserth muttered and nced at Tarasque, who growled tiredly. "{Me too, somewhat my body''s still fine, but my mana is low,}" the beast followed up. Ranka looked at thest person and Astraea immediately iled her head and arms. "No, no! No way! I can''t do anything either! I''ve been running on fumes for a while now. If it wasn''t for Lord Monarch''s soul power, I would have already disappeared when I summoned Odin." At the same time, vibrations originating from the massive creature''s mouth coursed through the atmosphere loosely kept together by the literal gravitation pole of its own body. Zikserth winced, "Damn it this thing''s voice alone makes me feel like coughing blood." Ranka observed the monster, that most likely used to live in the Lost Era and noted that about eighty percent of her mes had been swallowed. "No choice" Sheined to herself and grudgingly extended her empty hand toward Soma. "Give it to me." "Uh?" The Moon God blinked at her. "Give you what?" "The stubborn fucker''s sword," she snapped impatiently. Soma''s eyes widened slightly and waved his hand, bringing the daunting greatsword from within his spatial storage. Even owner-less, it still put everyone on edge. "What are you going to do with it?" He asked whilst tossing it to her. Ranka silently swiped the weapon for herself. She red at the de and wrapped it with all the soul power and mana she could muster. "The fact you kept this thing inside your storage without noticing anything isical," she snorted. "Let''s make it quick," she spoke to the sword as if it were alive. "I''ll let you borrow ''me''. Take the rest of my power and finish things here. Once you''re done, return to Rakna." In response, the de began to suck in the energy she was giving it. The ''cardinal colors'' circled the sword and glowed brightly. Ranka harrumphed and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, her soul power and mana were consumed in their entirety. And on cue, apletely different type of both surged from the greatsword. They swallowed her body and filled it with a new existence. The nanites began to buzz. They became agitated and her flesh broke down into hives of nanomaterial. Her silhouette expanded until it resembled nothing close to a human. However, it was temporary. The nanites were quicklypressed into a humanoid shape and a new person was left gripping the sword. A pair of shining red eyes opened and a mane of ck hair fluttered. A man radiating power and harmony lifted his sword. Zikserth gasped despite himself and everybody held their breath. Ramsa reflexively snapped her head toward the Lunar Seal to confirm it was still in ce. "Aah what a splendid physique," Bhumi calmly raised his voice as he awakened fully. He stared at his empty hand and closed it. Veins and muscles contracted along his arm for a split second. "If it''s with this my limits can be ovee," he smiled to himself. yyyzzzzyyyy||! The reborn god raised his head at the unearthly voice. Every cell inside his body trembled due to the vibrations that seemed to rattle the fabric of space itself. The undead behemoth had finished swallowing everyst ember of Lunisr ze. At this point, the only source of light remaining in the surroundings was the purple shell of Rakna''s Soul Marble in the distance. "I know what you are," Bhumi uttered to the monster. "I was part of your master''s hivemind up until a few minutes ago," his voice sounded peaceful; almost gentle. "You were called if I am not mistaken, Scourge of The Great Cavern, Haltoan Gran''ka." In response, the creature rumbled intelligibly and opened its mouth wide. The white-silver glow of the mes it had stored in its throat sac began to change hues. Oddly enough, rainbow-colored energy pooled inside its mouth, devouring the Lunisr ze to grow in intensity. "I see," Bhumi inclined his head. "I was under the impression that you were a fearsome, but wise being. But it seems you suffer from the same misfortune as I," he remarked and adopted a very orthodox stance. He gripped his sword with both hands and held it straight to the front. Spiritual Intent imbued with four very specific elements escaped through his fingers in the form of smoke. Despite being immobile, the de sang as if it was ready to cut; it spread throughout space like a ripple. For a moment, Bhumi''s arms blurred as well and he smiled. "The Art carved into this body it is quite ''prideful''. Hm, understood. I shall gratefully let it use me," he chuckled and closed his eyes. At this moment, Soma''s group collectively retreated, sweat running down their faces. The Intents released by Bhumi had be one and expanded significantly. One could not possibly attribute the concept of size to Spiritual Intent, but if they had to; it easily surpassed Haltoan. ''he sealed himself long before we did,'' Soma thought as he gazed at Bhumi''s back. He realized now why Ranka had emphasized separating his undead self from the sword. ''He tore his soul out of his body before Tarnished Death could fully enve him, and relocated it in the only ce that he knew could inherit his will...'' That was the truth of Bhumi''s swordsmanship, even in death. The undead had not been using its own lingering wisdom and willpower to fight; the sword was giving it to him just by holding it. The Earth God had given up everything. He left Divinity, Demonic Energy, and even Mana inside his discarded body and moved his soul into his weapon, reincarnating himself into a sword. ''There is no death or life,'' Soma chuckled despite himself out of sheer admiration. ''He will only get stronger until he breaks... a swordsman united to his weapon.'' "[The Cornerstones of The World Converged to One,]" Bhumi''s voice echoed like soft rain. * * * Tarnished Death felt the very Heavens looking down in interest as soon as Rakna spoke the first words of an unknown chant. The ''banisher of darkness'' around the werewolf sent pulses; each of them somehow pushing him back by a step. "You can only apply your concept of death through your aura," Lilith spoke up then, not allowing him time to think. "You use it as a medium. That is why you are constantly releasing it; to spread resources on the battlefield for you to use." Tarnished Death''s eyes narrowed. "And with that knowledge you stretched your mes as far as possible in that previous attack. To cleanse my aura." "Correct." The Fiend didn''t even bother to reply and actively tried to release his aura. But, unsurprisingly, a pulse of ''false light'' banished it as soon as it emerged. "I see your intention was to not let me stop whatever he is doing," he remarked. "Which in turn dismisses any further attempt." Tarnished Death clenched the dying wisp of aura inside his fist. "But" He coldly whispered and with a sh of gold, Lilith''s face twisted in pain as a silver gauntlet knocked away her sword and burrowed itself into her stomach. "Ahk!" She coughed blood and her eyes widened in shock. In that instant, she felt some part of her organs die. She instinctively used her other arm to swing Gn Jing while the impetus had yet to catch up to her, but the ck saber powerlessly bounced off the diator''s armor. "How does it matter?" Tarnished Death said and quickly thrust his palm toward her heart. Lilith couldn''t cross her arms in time and her Agni Ring flickered from behind her. It glitched out of view and reappeared just in time to take the brunt of the Fiend''s blow. However, it shattered near-instantly and exploded in a bouquet of energy. The demoness flew out of the smoke with ckened blood flowing down her lips, her expression obscured, and her horns losing their color. Tarnished Death on the other hand charged through the explosion without care and pped his wings, blitzing toward Rakna with his arm reaching forward. "I do not need my aura," he dered as his hand physically grasped the ''false light'' while Rakna silently stared back. "This body suffices as the medium," he added and pushed forward. Golden light spurted out of his wings and Rakna wed at the ground to maintain his stance for as long as he could. "How arrogant of you to try and create a spell in front of me," the Fiend coldly said and the invisible force separating him from the werewolf began to break down under his principle of Death. "Also, I believe I''ve warned you enough" Tarnished Death used his other hand to raise his double scythe. The sockets of his helmet shone with dark light and dozens of magic circles were oveid on his des. "that you would not be able to stop my magic forever." "[Veritably Sky C Ascension Path,]" he intoned and swung. His spell sucked in the surrounding mana and expelled it out of the double-scythe''s des. "[Ekallu Shulmu.]" The Soul Marble got warped under the force of his swing and the ''light'' around Rakna shattered. Yet, the werewolf readily swung Sonata in response. But when their des collided, for the first time, a crack appeared on the Guandao''s de. Rakna suppressed his panic and urgently shifted the direction of his riposte. This action saved Sonata but left himpletely open for what came next. Without dy, Tarnished Death cleaved into his torso and his spell actuated. The phenomenon conjured by Rakna until this point dissipated on impact, followed by a shockwave that formed a perfect dome visible to the naked eye. The Soul Marble shook and a massive cut to the outside world was opened, showing a glimpse of a moon and the Lunisr ze''s light, which infiltrated the current obscurity. As for Rakna, he found himself copsing to his knee, blood pouring down and dripping on the flowers at his feet. For a moment, bleak silence reigned as Tarnished Death stood alone, his foes struggling close to the ground. "Pink blood," he broke the silence with an amused tone. He nced at the liquid painting his de and hummed. "What an unusual color. But there is a rather peculiar dignity to it," hemented and cleaned it with a swipe. "It took quite a lot to see; your Elemental Reinforcement is incredibly advanced." "" Rakna was unresponsive. His eyes were closed and he didn''t even try to stand, only his hand gripping Sonata to support himself. The Fiend snorted. "Well, wolfwalker, do you ept your defeat?" "wolfwalker this, wolfwalker that," Rakna muttered nkly as his wound fumed, healing itself through the ''Death'' applied to it. "All of you people really can''t help yourselves. Is that supposed to be some kind of ancient slur for werewolves?" He opened his eyes slowly. "I don''t know about those from this Era, but the term ''werewolf'' did not exist during my times," Tarnished Death replied with a raised eyebrow. "The first man nay, the first wolf to be called ''wolfwalker'' was an odd beast." "" "Deciding to imitate humans, it simply walked. It tried to walk with its rear legs and use its front ones like hands. Boldly and inexplicably, it ambled into the closest town, making itself known to humanity. Taken in by a schr, it learned. The word began to spread and people called the strange animal, the wolf who walks; the Wolfwalker." The Fiend chuckled to himself. "It was a fascinating thing. I met it myself. And it continued to live with humans for 18 years. But eventually it died of old age. It never learned how to use magic, never awakened an ability, and never evolved. It was nothing special, strangely enough." Rakna''s expression didn''t change, neither interest nor indifference could be perceived. "However, a yearter, a new species of creatures was spotted out of nowhere," Tarnished Death dered with a tone that suggested his own wonder. "Tall and strong lupines, walking on two legs, with broad muscture and fully developed arms. No one knew where they came from. It was as if they had fallen from the sky." "Some theorized the Heavens'' involvement, others suspected the Almighty One, but many considered them to be the fated reincarnation of the Wolfwalker. Thus, wolfwalkers were born." "that''s good, I suppose," Rakna huffed with a smile. He pushed himself up and straightened his body to lock eyes with Tarnished Death. "That''s not such a bad moniker. I would even say that it fills me with honor. Thank you very much." "You are wee." "You can''t kill us, can you?" He abruptly asked and the armored undead stiffened. "The duel you set with the Heavens has fixed winning conditions. We win if we draw blood, and you win if we cannot do it in time. Inversely, that means killing us does not make you win." "Imend you for noticing," Tarnished easily admitted. "But it''s much toote," he looked up at the hourss. There wasn''t much sand left. "You barely have two minutes left." At the same time, a shiver-inducing growl slipped through the fissure in the Soul Marble. Lilith, who was holding her necrosed arm, was struck with worry and Rakna lowered his gaze but did not say anything. "Ah, would you look at that," the Fiendughed lightly. "Haltoan has woken up. We can hear him so well even in here" He trailed with a lower voice. "You have run out, haven''t you? All the soul power you have left is this ce itself. There''s nothing within you." "you''re mistaken about several things," Rakna spoke up. "Oh?" "This battle is not over, and your little toy outside is not going to survive long," he said and let go of Sonata briefly, allowing it to change into a bow, which he promptly grabbed. "There''s plenty of time left and the stars have yet to return. When did you ever convince yourself that you had stopped my spell?" Before Tarnished Death could react to those words, the ''banisher of darkness'' returned at once, and this time, it was not limited to Rakna. It invaded the wholendscape. If he still could bring out a bit of his aura before, then now, not even a needle-sized trace would make it out. "What?!" For the first time, the Fiend was genuinely agitated as the false light separated them from each other. "My spell sliced the flow of your spiritual energies! Your spell formation too! You couldn''t possibly finish casting!" "Sadly, for you, I didn''t actualize the spell with my ''mind''," Rakna smirked. "I was inspired, you could say. I recently witnessed the feat of Aura Chant. It was enlightening. But against you, it''s somewhatcking. So, I took it to the next level." On cue, the flowers and grass of the Soul Marble iled. The wind itself blew in odd patterns. The currents of the sea changed directions erratically. The petals in the air swirled into shapes and the rivers'' water dug into the soil to widen themselves. It didn''t take Tarnished Death long to decipher these fluctuations. These phenomena were not in any way explicit, but with a subliminal force, they wrote words and lines. An incantation. "You used your soul to conjure a spell?" He was horrified. It wasn''t even about using soul power to convey a chant; the soul itself seemed to be carving the spell formation, drawing in the mana, and then manifesting the Lexis. This was an absurd idea. The soul is naturally the core of any living being, but its involvement in the construction of a magic spell is at the bottom. Mana was generally stored in the soul, and for most mages, that summed up its relevance. To cast a spell, a presence in the ''World'' is first needed. It can take many forms, whether that is physical or not. A voice or a purely optic manifestation is a form of presence. The spirit or mind, that is to say, one''s consciousness, will simultaneously establish the spell''s structure and draw mana from the soul like a bucket thrown into a well. It was a universal process impossible to bypass. Even beings whose existence leaves their soul bare or use it as a physical body cannot escape this rule. Ultimately, their consciousness carries the heart of magic; creativity and willpower. It is the only thing capable of molding mana. A soul on its own is like a pot of ink. The content is mana, and the pot itself is the soul. The quill is the consciousness. Reasonably speaking, there is no way to use the pot as a quill. Do you pour the ink perhaps? But in that case, the ink is obviously not inside the pot anymore, which does not correspond to what was happening here. Casting with one''s soul is essentially like pouring water from a ss back into itself. It required the vition of rational cause and effect. The Soul cannot receive orders from the Mind, nor can itmand itself. ''A variant Source-Type Soul? No! this is nothing like it!'' Tarnished Death immediately discredited his assumption. Some souls were special and could be used like a staff or host the consciousness like a pilot, but this was nothingparable. It was obvious that the Soul Marble itself was conjuring a spell; going through a process preset by the consciousness, which should exist outside its influence. "Could it be?" Tarnished Death mumbled. "Is your Mind fused to your Soul?" Rakna could imagine the conclusion the Fiend had arrived at, which was simplified on his side due to an awareness of his unique circumstances. He smiled slightly. "Close. My Mind, Soul, and Body are fused. But just partially for now. My body is still not capable of coping with the rest." "!" "I''m made to believe that this is a natural side-effect," he stated. "Of a procedure that is going to turn me into the most perfect artifact." That was enough for Tarnished Death. He didn''t say anything; didn''t wait for an opening; didn''t mock his opponent. He kicked the ground toward Rakna, gathering as much Heavenly Qi as his body could. He had to stop this. "[Veritable--!]" His words were cut off by a giant fist of Agni. Just one finger dwarfed his body. It swatted him away from Rakna like a fly, hurling him through the ground. Immediately, he crushed everything around him to dust just to stop his momentum. Already, his senses were deciphering the soul''s incantation. [Pazhaiy Ckam] (Misery of Old) He looked at the girl he had forgotten about. A giant apparition of a red Asura, with three heads and six arms. It easily reached cloud height and wielded the forms of lightning, fire, and sma at the same time. In the center of the colossus, inside its torso, Lilith was suspended as if in a liquid. Her mask was cracked and her teeth were clenched. There was a hole in her stomach filled with Agni instead of flesh and an arm missing from her shoulder. She had resolutely carved out the former and torn off thetter to stop the spread of the ''Death'' applied to it. "I won''t let you," she spoke through the Asura Avatar. Her three aspects erupted from the hands of the giant and formed new sabers. The pupils of the three heads collectively snapped toward the Fiend. Tarnished Death frowned darkly and at the same time, he sensed a terrifying surge of Spiritual Intent from outside despite Haltoan''s roars. ''What? The swordsman?'' He was startled but could not dwell on it for long as a projectile struck him. [Viytchiy??um Mu?aiy?l Ve?iya?ai] (The Banishing Light of Desperation) He reflexively used his forearm to block it, but it nheless dragged his feet for several meters before dropping. He observed the object; some kind of ded arrow made of magic. He looked at his armor and hisposure degraded further when he saw the scratch on it. He looked at the source and spotted Rakna meticulously notching another ''arrow'' onto his bow and pulling the string. Cyan-colored energy sparked andbusted the projectile. "[Dinsleif,]" the werewolf coldly chanted and released. The ded arrow split sound and flew the whole distance in the blink of an eye. He didn''t need this spell to explode in this situation. So, he transmuted all its explosive strength into speed and momentum. Tarnished Death had yet to be threatened by the Obsidian Star''s inimitable sharpness, but that changed now. [Uravinum Iraivanum Thoothu???] (Paved The Path of A Yearning Future) Tarnished Death swatted the arrow with his scythe and couldn''t believe how much it rattled his arm. To make things worse, Rakna seemed nonplussed about conjuring dozens of them without rest. "[Absolute Sky,]" he uttered darkly. "[Heavenly Demon Descent.]" His Internal Force abruptly reversed flows and natures. A pir of darkness descended from the starless sky and swallowed him. His armor ckened and his wings were painted blood-red. None of thebatants wasted energy in pointless discussion. They all nced at the hourss and prepared for thest moments of their battle. Time remaining; seventy seconds. [Iniyav?a Amaithiyin Ka???] (A Gentle Warmth of Innocence) Tarnished Death''s eyes glowed and turned into a twin trail of crimson light. He devastated thendscape with his speed alone and raised his fist against the Asura''s saber. Without a chance for resistance, the green lightning broke on impact. However, a thunderstorm assailed its destroyer and the five other arms swung at him. "[Absolute Sky C Devouring Heaven,]" the Fiend growled out, and unlike the golden Qi he used before, a dark ''breath of life'' erupted, forming a hazy monster. A maw opened and engulfed the arms of the Avatar. Like a starving beast, it bit them off and swallowed them. [??i? ?vam Ku?i??u???] (Ignites The Passion Within One''s Heart) Tarnished Death groaned as three new arrows, different from the previous ones, struck his back with the weight of a tidal wave. ''Blunt force this time?'' He thought and instead of challenging the knockback, he stepped on the Avatar''s armor and leaped upward past the storm of Agni. He pped his wings and shot up in the sky, dodging arge beam of smaunched from the mouth of one of the Asura''s heads. [M?ami P?u] (Pray) "If you insist" The Fiend raised his voice curtly, facing the ground from above. "I shall simply shatter this Marble whole!" He shouted and ck Qi suffused his body. "[Absolute Sky!]" His double scythe broke apart on its own and the des joined together into a strange, intertwined sword. Tarnished Death raised it above his head. The sword with a skeletal hilt became a beacon of ck and crimson, raging upward like a volcano. Time remaining; fifty seconds. * * * Bhumi''s Ki and Intent warped the World. Above him, a symbol materialized. Martial Artists of transcendental skill could reinvent the concept of magic with their technique alone. There were no runes or formations to speak of. It was the umted resolution of a Grandmaster; the War Crest. "[North C From Swirling Whispers, Unseen Forces Arise.]" A white Crest; fleeting, swirling, but ravenous. "[South C The Den of Life Grows As Secrets Materialize.]" A green Crest; jade and sturdy, but soft like grass. "[West C mes Dance, Kindling Desires Untold.]" A red Crest; alluring and deadly. "[East C Where Waves Converge, New Paths Unfold.]" A blue Crest; soothing, but merciless. The swordsman smiled and the Crests scattered, reced by a cataclysm of Spiritual Intent that washed over the world. * * * Tarnished Death''s Qi sshed against the sky and ate away at the Soul Marble. Lilith watched him coldly and clutched her mask. "{Rakna, please let me do it,}" she reached out through telepathy and felt the surprise from the other side. "{understood,}" he responded after a moment. "{Don''t die.}" "{I wouldn''t dare,}" she smiled and crushed her mask. Her Avatar roared, losing its masks as well to reveal scarred, demonic flesh. The six arms regenerated with a much ghastlier appearance and directed their palms at Tarnished Death. A sphere of Agni immediately expanded from them, a repeat of a previous spell, though this time, its size and potency were iparable. It bloated in rhythm with its caster''s breathing. Within three seconds, it had already attained a disproportionate scale. [U????il Ka?pa?ai] (Chaos In Order) [Ka?pa?attil U????u] (Order In Chaos) "[Asuri]" Lilith gritted out and the sphere boomed as it expanded again. "[Agni Lahar!]" "[Heavenly Demon Art C Sunder Fall,]" Tarnished Death intoned emotionlessly. The wave of untamed Agni thundered against the plunging darkness. The collision between the two immediately caused the Soul Marble to tear. Sky andnd were divided, creating countless cracks in space. But as the two attacks wrestled for domination, no further damage was dealt, barely sparing the minimal structural integrity of the Marble. [Nrva?a?y?a Thv?ai] (Destiny''s Humble Desire) However, it didn''tst long. Tarnished Death scoffed and a magic circle hundreds of meters wide appeared. His energy doubled and the Agni gave out near-instantly. The Asura Avatar bowed under the pressure and its arms began to disintegrate. Lilith was not so different. But as the dark Qi cleaved through her power, she shed a self-assured grin. "Well, I never intended to win that," she muttered and brought out a magic formation of her own, prepared just for this moment. "[Ida? ?arra? Tava Du?kha? Sahetu,]" she whispered and as if answering her call, Rakna''s soul ''weed'' her. The ground and sky briefly lit up with mana. "[Antima? Rodana?,]" she closed her eyes and the Qi Art swallowed her. An explosion that spanned hundreds of kilometers resounded, followed by a noise resembling the cry of a banshee. [Anaithu Ta?uppuga?aiyum Ko?du Sikku?] (Shall Tear All Obstacles) Yet, the Soul Marble did not shake. "What?" Tarnished Death uttered. He had imbued his strike with a spell of Mortality. Much like it pierced through Rakna''s Voyaging Star, it should have hacked away at the essence of the Soul Marble without difficulty. On the other hand, Rakna dashed through the dwindling st and came out from the other side with a silhouette in his arms. Lilith''s transformation had ended; her Agni was gone, with merely a few sparks staying around her unconscious body. Her armor was battered and most of her skin was blistering due to Dark Qi. Blood was cascading down the stump of her shoulder and her stomach. She was on the brink of death. She had not only survived the Fiend''s assault; she had tied her own life to the Soul Marble with her Rally Magic. She bore the burden of its destruction onto herself alone. Nevertheless, one thing had aided in her struggle. A translucent shell of power hovered over her form; the circr symbol of Yin and Yang. M Y was missing, but Gn Jing was firmly held in her hand, coated in white and ck mes that were rapidly waning. "[Queen of Hearts,]" Rakna used the remaining energy of his Sleeve along with Obsidian Points to substitute the cost of the card. The apparition of a tall and regal woman rose from behind him. With a smile, she waved her scepter at Lilith, just enough to close her wounds. When the Queen disappeared, Rakna sighed in relief. "Good job," he whispered and looked up at the Fiend who was releasing a torrent of Qi, seemingly never running out. Time remaining; 20 seconds. A magnificent Chalice shone on his back and the werewolf opened his mouth, [Nakkr? Oru Na?cattirattil] (Wish Upon A Star) * * * The flow of Spiritual Intent hegemonically wrapped around the surroundings. It was like an illusion that existed in every sense but sight. For a moment, the Earth had returned and bathed the surroundings in its nature. Only a second sufficed for Astraea''s eyes to shine with vitality through her connection with flora and fauna. "[The Gods Smiled Upon Life,]" Bhumi chanted. "[And My Sword Shaped The World.]" ''A sword technique carrying a''s will within it'' The Egregore Entity was awe-struck. ''He is like Lord Monarch. He does not need a Domain; he surpassed it. With his sword alone, he stepped into Transcendence.'' "[Cardinal God of Rupture,]" Bhumi intoned with a grin as the Ghost of Rupture dormant inside the body he was borrowing distorted his body''s appearance. He lifted his sword and the monster across from him brusquely moved the long appendages on the sides of its body. They crackled through space at speeds many times faster than sound, each joint multiplying the momentum like a whip. Had there still been a to take this attack, it would have likely been shredded like amon paper. "I''m afraid it''s toote, Haltoan Gran''ka," Bhumi stated calmly and the limbs were crushed by his rising Intent and Ki. He did not deliberately defend himself; it had just happened. "Witness" He tilted his de. "The Form of Life." * * * The hollow sky of the Soul Marble creased. Like a curtain being dragged from the opposite side, it folded on itself. And from it, ''light'' rained on the world. Each smallest of luminosities erased the Qi that Tarnished Death was using. In less than a second, half of the Soul Marble had already been pleated like some kind of shuttle of cloth, from which the tip radiated the fiercest of lights. It appeared so far from one''s eye, yet so close. But its true nature revealed itself once the Marble irrevocably disappeared. Rakna was ovee with a sense of tiredness, his soul power exhausted. The Full Moons were taken down; Lunar Energy faded from his body and refused toe back even with the ambient power. Just like Tarnished Death had said, his body had entered a state of rejection after abusing the closed circuit. But that didn''t matter. The colossal monster to his right didn''t matter. Bhumi''s Sword Intent was not even a passing curiosity. That side of the battle was about to end, and he knew it. As for his own the Star descended. It was fast. It might have been as fast as light, or even faster. Tarnished Death felt the world slow to a crawl as he witnessed the result of the spell cast by the Marble. A pure white star. Somehow, he could notprehend its mass. It looked titanic as if he was standing right in front of it, but his rational thinking told him that it would already be obliterating him if he was that close. But at the same time, it also felt like it was shining on him from light-years away. ''Conceptual Manifestation,'' Tarnished Death couldn''t help but admire it. A rare marvel produced only by the greatest of spells. It radiated its power and, in the blink of an eye, it traced a line in the sky. It was too fast to follow and the line seemed so long it would connect the opposite ends of the universe. It was a beautiful streak decorating a dark world, with scintiting dust sprinkled from its edges. Tarnished Death immediately felt its authority rout him. His strength dwindled, his armor made a sound akin to expanding ice, and his spiritual energies were driven away. Right then and there, he considered surrendering. But, after witnessing such a spectacle, part of him wondered if that was a worthy conclusion. Heughed to himself and pped his wings. Without hesitating, hebusted his True Qi. But it was futile in the end. He charged toward his opponent, but Rakna indifferently stared back. "[K?tha Na?ukkan,]" the werewolf lightly tapped his bow. It was an innocuous spell born in the battle against Arimane. After its resolution, ded arrows appeared from all directions and detonated straightaway. ''Arrows suspended in time and space, concealed away between one second and another,'' Tarnished Death grinned, once again admiring his adversary. Caught in the explosions, his armor shattered. It was peeled away piece by piece. The force alone crushed every part of the diator''s undead body. Such was the power of the Shooting Star. A simple and innocent prayer. And his armor stood for nothing against it. * * * Haltoan Gran''ka did not react to its master''s state. The ancient beast, once guardian to the Great Cavern that roamed the universe, acted on instinct to eradicate the enemy. Itpressed its throat sac, dominating the Lunisr ze under its will. It climbed up into its mouth where a blinding rainbow light fluctuated. On the opposite side, Bhumi methodically traced a horizontal and perfectly straight line with the tip of his sword. He then raised it as high as he could. "[Ama?a Zg Ensi Ki??ati.]" He swung down in one straight motion and finalized the cross. Haltoan roared and fired a stream of ancient energy, prime to annihte whole worlds. * * * Time remaining; seven seconds. When the Dinsleif volley ended, Rakna slowly raised Sonata; now a Guandao. His eyes met with Tarnished Death''s and then locked onto his exposed, glowing heart. ''Aah'' The Fiend sighed and looked at the sky. ''I lost.'' "[Skulk Life Down.]" * * * Two finalities urred at once. An iprehensible sword strike that transcended thews of reality split apart the energy of a creature that once had power greater than gods. Rupture snuffed it out and the beast died once again; itsary body cut into four pieces. The Spiritual Intent embodying Earth and its answer to Life impregnated itself into the remains of the creature. It carved soil out of its flesh, drained water from its blood, strung grass out of its skin, grew luscious fauna out of its Ki, and gave birth to life with its Mana. As for the rebel who survived the End, a strike that ignored distance, space, and time shed his heart and licked at its crimson blood. ? such a human color for such a wretch. The Heavens acknowledged his defeat and the sand halted. Chapter 443: Madness Chapter 443: Madness Raknanded on a patch of unexpectedly charming greenery with a tired sigh. He nced over at his surroundings with a curious gaze. After a rough appraisal, he seemed to be standing on the left leg of a dead, giant monster, transformed into a geological marvel. "Well, this is certainly a fresh experience," he snorted to himself and gently rested Lilith against a nearby tree. After straightening back up, he lifted his arm up and down with a hum. "The gravity is weaker but the three ''other pieces'' seem to add up. The atmosphere is mainly scrapped from the Earth and I wouldn''t bet on its continuation, but all these nts should help." With that said, he walked past a cluster of trees and reached another small clearing. Before long, he was standing over the body of Tarnished Death. He was lying on the ground, his face and most of his body exposed by theck of armor. The Immortal diator, whose appearance he overtook, used to be a handsome man; with silver curly hair, tan skin, golden eyes, and many faint scars. With the blessing of eternal youth granted to him in the past, he had died like this. His body would never rot either. "You''re far from dead," Rakna remarked, ncing at the heart he had stabbed with Sonata. It had already healed despite his anti-regeneration abilities. "But I have lost," Tarnished Death retorted, staring at the sky. His voice sounded human. Nothing like the haunting echo of before. "Whether I get back to my feet or not, it hardly matters." "" The werewolf didn''t reply and looked up as well. There, the golden hourss was halted. Its sand had been cut off, with a handful of grains left in the upper section. "That was a bit too close forfort, even for me." The Fiend silently smirked. "So, what happens to you now?" Rakna inquired. "What do the Heavens inflict on the defeated?""Inflict? That is a peculiar word choice. It does not inflict anything, wolfwalker," he retorted. "It simply takes." As soon as he finished his sentence, the hourss began to disintegrate into motes of light from the top. It was a strangely nerve-wracking process to watch until a portal appeared in its ce. No it was not right to call it a portal. It had nothing inmon with regr gateways. The way it reflected on Rakna''s Cross Sight was like a cube trying to fit into a two-dimensional ne. The chances were that it would look the same no matter the angle you observed it from. And if you tried to touch it, you would find yourself reaching for the spots right next to it. Then, from inside, something resembling a harpoon shot out. Rakna had plenty of time to react, but he did not move a muscle. Somehow, there was some kind of aura in the air doing its best to tell him that no hostility was directed at him. In the end, the golden weapon pierced through Tarnished Death''s chest. "Ugh!" He grunted and coughed in pain. Attached to that harpoon, a thick golden rope led back to the ''portal''. "Ah how violent. As always," the Fiend grumbled. "it''s sucking out your internal energies," Raknamented after a moment. "And everything else," Tarnished Death added with a scoff. "The Heavens take away the strength of those it punishes. If you and that girl had lost, you most likely would have had all your powers sealed for a year or so, and perhaps would have lost an ability or two." "And it''s different for you?" "Of course. I''m an offender. I robbed the Principle of Death and corrupted thews. The Heavens do not appreciate me much anymore," he huffed. "It will take everything away from me. But I am not a real entity, as you know. The Dreamer created me. The Heavens will soon notice. Instead of just ''punishing'', at that time, it will simply erase my existence." Rakna squinted his eyes and looked at the harpoon. "What if you resist?" "Then it will chase me. Ever faster, and ever stronger. It cannot be escaped. It is best to ept it so as to not incur the Heavens'' wrath. Otherwise, it will not be as painless as it is right now." "I see," the werewolf said and turned around without a word. He had no ns to give farewell courtesies. The Simtion would likely end with Tarnished Death''s death, so he would let these supposed ''Heavens'' deal with it. It would give him time to think. "Wolfwalker." But before he could leave, the Fiend called him. He looked over his shoulder and saw somethinging toward him. He reflexively caught it. It was the staff that Tarnished had been using from the very beginning, without the scythe des on it, but the white heart was mounted on it. "what is this for?" "Don''t worry, it''s no malicious n of mine. Take it. Consider it my reward for your victory. I''ve noticed that you don''t have a proper staff in that polymorph weapon of yours. The Heavens do not need my heart to kill me, so don''t fret. It would normally disappear, but if you keep it inside your soul, it will be tied to you instead and be great material." Rakna scowled. "And the Dreamer won''t notice if I take something away from his Dream?" "Hah!" Tarnished Death genuinely chortled in amusement. "No, he will not. Hear me well; even if he lost the equivalent of a hundred iterations of myself, the Dreamer would not be able to sense it because of how insignificant of an impact it would have. Within his Dreams, we are insects." After staring at the staff, Rakna pulled it into his soul storage and flickered out of view, a sh of star energy briefly igniting the air. Tarnished Death chuckled and at the same time, six more harpoons descended from the Heavens Gate to enclose him. The one stuck in his chest pulled up and he groaned. "Well, I have been identified" He remarked and closed his eyes. "Should I try and see how long I can survive?" He joked to himself as the surroundings began to be saturated with Qi. "Go easy on me, ? Great Mother. Your esteemed brother created me after all," heughed lightly. * * * Bhumi exhaled a cloud of smoke. His body hissed while it ejected vapor, the Prima Materia of his body currently trying its best to mitigate the recoil of his technique. "Haha, I genuinely thought I would lose my arm doing this," he chuckled to himself, looking at his sword-wielding hand. "What a great body, indeed," he said and turned his back to the wondrous sight of Haltoan immortalized into driftings. The swordsman looked at the people gathered around him and smiled. "Soma, Ramsa," he spoke up with a nostalgic tone. "It''s good to see you." "I have no words," the Sun Goddess nkly retorted. "Hahaha! Yes, I would assume so," heughed and shouldered his imposing sword. "Don''t worry, it''s over for me. I won''t be pointing my de toward you again, so you can rx." "What do you mean?" Soma interjected, detecting something odd in his wording. "Well, this body held strong, but" Bhumi raised his weapon slightly, which he nced at from the corner of his eyes. Cracks could be seen spreading on its surface in real-time. "In the end, my old partner over here has reached its limit. Though, my rough handling is also to me." "" The former god could only shrug at theplicated eyes of his once friends. "It''s okay, Soma. I''m not that devastated. Plus, I''m saying it just in case, but I never held anything against you. There''s no need to apologize to me," he said and stepped forward, an invisible force making him walk on air. He walked past Soma who lowered his head and sighed. "Now then, I don''t have much time, so I should at least say a few words, right?" He halted in front of Zikserth whose gaze was as reverent as it was hesitant. "In times like these, I''d say I have the choice between two things," he stated calmly. "One, I scold you to hell and back for risking the life of your people for the sake of a dead man." Zikserth lowered his head. "Two, I congratte you for your loyalty, courage, and victory today," Bhumi grinned and patted the demon''s shoulder. "I''m inclined to choose the second. I''m proud of all of you." The king pursed his lips and swiftly prostrated with a hand on his heart. "My Lord! In the name of all demons" He shook his head. "No, in the name of all humans you saved. We are eternally thankful for your sacrifice." Bhumi huffed with one corner of his mouth raised. "Aye, and I thank you for freeing me. There is no doubt my actions were the correct ones if they led to such a splendid King like yourself." "You honor me." "It''s the truth," the swordsman said and turned his head toward Tarasque who was dryly staring at him. "And you; are you as rebellious as always, Tapon? How have you been doing?" "{Good enough to remember the thousands of times I told you to stop calling me that,}" the beast responded with a groan. "That answers my first question too," Bhumi said in amusement. "Oh, and, what was it that you said to me earlier? ''Wake up, you damn fool''?" Tarasque looked away sullenly. "{What, you bastard, if you could hear me, you should havee out earlier.}" "Ugh, how mean," the swordsman feigned a pained expression and then switched to a mellower expression soon after. "Were you lonely, Tapon?" "{}" "I see," Bhumi nodded serenely at theck of response and looked somewhere else. "It seems it''s about time, isn''t it? Sentinel." On cue, Rakna appeared in his human form, carrying Lilith in his arms. Everyone turned toward him as the therian crossed eyes with Bhumi. "Yes," he eventually replied. "Your other half asked me to return this body to you," the swordsman said and approached him before holding his sword vertically to him. Rakna raised an eyebrow at the gesture. "Take it. Recover your body and take my sword with you," Bhumi said calmly and Zikserth could only look on sorrowfully, while Tarasque kept his eyes away. "Are you sure? You still have time." "I''m a dead man. I can''t let that change; it will only make the farewell more painful." "" "Also, time? It doesn''t seem like there''s a lot of that left either," Bhumi retorted and at the same time, an incredibly oppressing force washed over them. Startled, the group snapped toward the source; a blinding golden light radiating from the carcass of Haltoan. The sight was awfully intimidating but had an overwhelming sense of ''tenderness'' to it. Something Astraea shuddered at. Looking over his shoulder, Rakna quietly clicked his tongue. "That fast, huh?" "In exchange" The swordsman raised his voice; not even looking at the light. "{Please save this world,}" he finished his sentence through telepathy. Rakna stiffened and his eyes widened. "How" "Please," Bhumi narrowed his eyes. The therian closed his mouth and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "I''ll try. But I don''t promise anything," he uttered slowly. "That''s the most you will get from me." "And that''s all I need." "In that case" Rakna grabbed the sword''s handle, right below Bhumi''s hand. "I''ll ept it." As soon as the ''deal'' was made, the glorious and menacing weapon broke into countless pieces. Bhumi smiled and soon enough, his body yielded; ready to return to its rightful owner. Before he was unable to speak though, he breathed in. "[This is myst message,]" he voiced to those watching his back, as well as every life on the moons. Just for a moment, he squeezed his Spiritual Intent onest time to perform this feat with his voice. "[My time has passed. The conflict that came with it as well,]" he grinned to himself. "[Live well, you scoundrels. Whoever you may be; with honor, and with your de clean, carve this world to your liking. That''s the true form of life.]" The former god briefly looked back with a smirk. "[Learn that well.]" With those words, along with the shards of his weapon, he was engulfed by Rakna''s soul in a tall bonfire of purple mes. The therian reabsorbed his soul power through his outstretched hand and then closed his fist. ? ? ? Nephal Doppelganger Retrieved! --- Sword of Cardinal Life C Bhumi has bequeathed its Essence to you. --- A Spark of Ego has been awakened. Your Soul Weapon, Rhapsodic Sonata, requests permission to merge with Sword of Cardinal Life C Bhumi. Permission Granted. Sword of Cardinal Life C Bhumi has fused with Rhapsodic Sonata! --- Your Soul Weapon has mutated into Cardinal Sonata! --- Warning! An Item Breaching Encoding Limits Has Been Detected! Category; Soul Weapon! Interference Impossible! Running Emergency Protocols Sess. --- Cardinal Sonata Has Evolved! Evolution Requirements Have Been Voided. --- Rarity Has Been Updated to ''Half-Transcendent''. Attack & Magic Power Has Been Significantly Augmented. Greatsword Form Has Been Overwritten. New Form Unlocked; Cardinal Sword. --- - The Perk, Apotheosis of Soul Armament, Has Evolved Into Source Apotheosis! - The Perk, Core Transmutation, Has Acquired New Modes; Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Life. --- - New Perk Added; Symphony of Intent - New Perk Added; Symphony of Ki - New Perk Added; War Crest of The Cardinal God - New Perk Added; Equation of Life - New Perk Added; Transcendent Ego C Bhumi [Dormant] --- The Perks Symphony of Ki, Symphony of Intent, and Symphony of Magic are synergizing! - A New Perk Has Been Synthesized; World Symphony [Imperfect]. --- Congrattions on being the second Host to own a Half-Transcendent Item! For this achievement, you are rewarded: - 100 Vtile Points - 1 Random Treasure Box - 1 Gold Random Item Box - 1 Gold Random Skill Card ? ? ? Rakna could only stay surprised for a second before Sonata, wrapped around his neck as a scarf, began to release Spiritual Intent of its own. It was not as unfathomable as Bhumi''s sword, but its concentration was daunting. The fabric became glossier and softer, the overall length increased, golden and red threads were intertwined around its edges, and an undetectable aura emanated from it, furtively enhancing its owner''s Worldly Energies and sheltering them as well. "Has he entrusted his power to Sonata?" Soma asked solemnly. "apparently," Rakna nodded slowly. There was no doubt that Sonata had just gone through its biggest qualitative change yet. Not to mention the spark of ego matured early by blending with Bhumi''s consciousness; although he seemed asleep for now. "Lord Monarch," Astraea''s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked at her and understood the worry in her eyes immediately. Without a word, he redirected his attention to Haltoan, just in time to witness the Heavens fade away, leaving no trace of Tarnished Death behind. As soon as it was over, everything halted as if frozen in time. ? ? ? You have reached the Scenario Boundary! All Scene events have been cleared. --- The Simtion has ended! Congrattions! You havepleted your Main Path Quest! Grade: Z C Perfection Rewards: 50000 (Title Effect Correction: 100 000) Exp, 50 Vtile Points, 1 Skill Point Extra Rewards: Staff of The Tarnished, Sword of Cardinal Life C Bhumi Path Skills Gained: - Lunisr ze of Absolution (Pre-Acquired) - Sris Cosmos (Pre-Acquired) - Sun Shine of the Ten Suns (Pre-Acquired) - Reverse Cosmos - Kaval of The Reverse Side - Crown of Ten Glories --- Your STR, SPD, and INT will now increase by 0.3 (Title Effect Correction: 0.45) at every level up. --- You have leveled up! 20x +9 STR, SPD, & INT! + 36 Free Points! ? ? ? Rakna ignored the notifications. While he felt the power of his Path Skills entering his body, only one thing mattered to him right now. He looked up at the frozen sky of the Simtion. He stared wordlessly and after a minute or so, something became extremely apparent. Colorless energy thundered around the therian''s body. It was gettingrger and more violent by the second. Rakna continued to stand there and during that entire time, the System red. ? ? ? Caution! The Host, Rakna Xiorra de, is demanded to leave the Simtion at once! --- Caution! The Host, Rakna Xiorra de, is demanded to leave the Simtion at once! Caution! Forceful Extraction Has Been Initiated! --- Error! Forceful Extraction Has Been Resisted! --- Warning! The Host, Rakna Xiorra de Warning! The Host, Rakna Xiorra de Warning! The Host, Rakna Xiorra de ? ? ? After nearly three minutes, the virtual windows abruptly elerated, sending the same message repeatedly. The flow of time returned to normal and the Nephilim Authority around Rakna only worsened in intensity. "Wha--!?" Everybody around him stepped back in shock at the sudden emergence of this force. The power of Rakna''s Sub-Skill originally kept itself restricted inside his body, but the longer it resisted the call of the System, the more it was manifesting outside. "Rakna! What is!" Ramsa suddenly stopped, her body failing. "Eh? What am I?" She looked at herself and before she knew it, her eyelids became heavy and she passed out. Zikserth followed right after, and then Tarasque, who began to fall toward Haltoan''s body. "Lord Monarch!" Astraea, who had spent a second catching up to what was happening, rushed to Rakna and wrapped her arms around him, desperately trying to move him. She didn''t even care about the Nephilim Authority that might harm her. "Stop this! Please, return!" "" "You promised!" The angel shouted with tears in her eyes. "You can''t do it! Please!" Rakna gritted his teeth, her pleas gnawing at his heart. But he didn''t retract his power. He looked up at something beyond the sky; beyond the boundaries. Everything was falling apart; starting from the Dream''s residents who were losing consciousness. "so this is it." But to his surprise, someone''s voice sounded from behind. The therian looked over his shoulder with a widened pupil and Soma calmly smiled, even as he sweated and clutched his head in pain. "It was obvious," the Moon God stated serenely. "When I became a Heavenly God, my view of the world changed drastically. My power could traverse the universe. It''s then that I realized; this is fake," he chuckled bitterly. "Everything is fake. We are the only life in this universe For a while, my rational mind was in denial." He looked up at the moons he oversaw. "Perhaps we are simply alone? Was it that nonsensical of a prospect? Perhaps this was the only ce where life could flourish. But no, I spotteds in the distant universe that could nurture life. But when I tried to visit them I found myself back here. It was then that reality hit me; the celestial bodies far, far away didn''t exist. No better than a painting; they were like colorful paper walls." Rakna couldn''t say anything in response. Astraea''s grip on his clothes was getting stronger and her anxious tears kept pouring. Her sobs were prayers in the hope that he would listen. At the same time, a shining fissure opened above them. But that wasn''t truly correct. It was at no specific altitude, it had no real size, and rather than a fissure, it was as if the fabric of reality was being pulled apart after someone performed an incision on it. And it was currently getting longer. The light that shone from inside of it was strange too. Much like his Shooting Star, it didn''t adhere to a definition. It wasn''t shaded consistently either. With every fluctuation, it randomly jumped across the entire spectrum of colors. "My doubts were answered after being unsealed and seeing you," Soma said and Rakna stiffened involuntarily. "I was sure of it. Unlike the rest of us, you were not fake. I''m fine with that. If there is a meaning to our existence, and that is to support you, I can conform to it." "You" Rakna opened his mouth. "Still, it''s quite disheartening," Soma didn''t stop and lowered his hand with a sigh. "There really is nothing at the end of the road," he muttered and shook his head. "you should listen to your friend and leave. We have outlived our purpose." "What are you spouting?" The therian growled. "Do you even hear yourself? Don''t be an idiot." The Moon God''s lips smiled wryly. "Now, now, what else are we supposed to do? It''s best we put this behind us. Neither you nor I have real ties with each other, after all." Before Rakan could retort, both of their eyes widened. Above them, the fissure suddenly opened. Somehow, it extended to not only above, but all directions. The colors emitted earlier were now limited to the circumference of therge hole. In its center, the opposite of ''false light'' was residing instead. It was darkness that devoured light rather than exist without it. Just looking at it risked Eye of Symphony''s system to fry. As a matter of fact, the headache that assailed him was immediate. ''What is this?'' Rakna winced. ''Meuro? No, it''s different from the feeling I got facing Roias. That was emptiness personified. The kind that would wipe your mind and force it to copse on itself. This is at another end of the spectrum. It feels like there''s too much instead.'' "{Rakna,}" Fray''s voice sounded for the first time in a while. "{You should leave.}" '''' "{This is not the time to be stubborn. I read a thing or two about the Outer Ones and the horrors they sowed; power is not what defines them the most. Especially the Dreamer. He is an irrational existence that can drive humans to madness.}" Rakna remained silent. At this point, beneath his calmness, his energies were boiling. There was no urate way to describe the resentment growing inside of him. If Obsidian Blood hadn''t been stabilized already, he would have deeply fallen under the Neverwinter Star''s fierce temper. Had he synchronized too much with the ''Sentinel''? Did watching someone treat him as a son in such a way cause greater weakness than he expected? And why was he so infuriated that Soma had given up so easily? Before he knew it, his Tenth Tail had sprouted on its own, overclocking his power past its limits. "Why" Astraea sobbed and he trembled. She hadn''t stopped hugging him since earlier and had been tirelessly attempting to suppress his Authority with Divinity. But no matter her efforts, the only result she got was crystalline blood dripping down the corner of her mouth. "Why do you have to be so strong?" In normal times, Rakna would have been amused by those words. "go back to Egregore," he uttered and her grip strengthened. "You''re hurting yourself." "I won''t!" "didn''t you say you knew me from the future? Then this will not kill me." "That''s not an excuse!" She retorted tearfully. "Fate is not as omnipotent as people think! And it''s certainly not important in front of the Dreamer! You can die here! And if you do, the timeline to which you belong will copse! A situation worse than what Shin-Woo experienced!" "" "And I!" She gasped for breath. "And I... will forget you" She said weakly. With a wry smile, Rakna patted her head and she gripped even harder. He wanted tough. If she continued, she might just break his bones before anything could happen to him. He was sorry for what he was making her go through, but at the same time, one of the countless talks he had with Arimane came to mind. It was one of the many random topics the old man had thrown his way, as usual. The morality of saving others. Selfish and selfless. That''s what he called it. Wanting to save only those in front of you is selfish, ignoring the pleas of loved ones is selfless, and wanting to save everyone is morally crippling. Rakna didn''t consider that memory valuable. Even less now. It just left a bad taste in his mouth for how it described what he was about to do. He didn''t care about any of it. Even if he only cared about this Dream amongst the countless created by the Dreamer, it didn''t deter him. He always followed his desires. What was wrong with that? Today, there were people he wanted to save and that was it. That''s all he ever did. The world can be as miserable as it possibly can be; he will only try to rectify it once it affects those close to him. Silently, he channeled his soul power and readied himself to forcefully send Astraea away. But, before he could, a serene voice he knew very well echoed from deep within his soul. "It is toote." Then, the darkness he had been looking at swallowed him whole. It was instantaneous. He found himself trapped in inexistent shackles, peering into endless endlessness itself. He was alone. It was focusing on him. It had pulled him into the darkness. Dragged into its domain, Rakna could only do one thing, and that was to gaze back. A mistake he never expected to make with Cross Sight and the Tenth Tail active. The Dreamer snatched him like he was an intriguing toy. The irrational being had done enough not to kill him. Protected him, even. But the therian was defeated by his own senses. By the time his instincts transmitted the warning, the line had already been crossed. The vision that burrowed itself into his brain could not be exined rationally. It was a series of images, but one thatcked the concept of time, for the Dreamer was above it. And Rakna experienced it firsthand. The ''first'' eyeball gazed back at him. It was gargantuan. It had no pupils and its irises'' shape and color changed infinitely. But there was no cycle. All its forms existed at once. It was interminable information. The first part of Rakna''s mind thus copsed. The eyeball became smaller. Where it was socketed finally could be seen. It had no color to speak of. In fact, white and ck alone could somewhat describe the feeling of looking at it. It was flesh of some kind. It moved. But at the same didn''t. It was fused with the eyeball. Both were made of the same material, but both moved independently. The second part of Rakna''s mind bent. The image became even smaller. There was not just one eyeball anymore. There were hundreds of them, each as endlessly profound as the first. The surface all of them were stered upon was like a never-ending wall of flesh. Looking left or right would never show where it stopped. In each of the eyes, a silhouette was reflected. Rakna knew it; that each silhouette was a product of his own reflection. He naturally knew who it was. He was sure of it. So, why? Why couldn''t he recognize himself? The third part of Rakna''s mind split. Once again, everything became smaller and the wall of flesh was so far away the distant eyeballs looked like dots. But these dots formed a picture. They were part of a bigger whole. A pupil. A new iris. A countless number of endless shapes used to make another. This new whole was attached to a mass of flesh that moved differently. It was made of tentacles tying themselves together in an appalling spectacle of coordination. Just one look and he felt himself bing part of it. The fourth part of Rakna''s mind melted. A new vision. The eye made of many had be so small. And many more had joined it. Aligned together; sometimes stretched into lines or angr shapes; they adorned a new wall of flesh. But it was different. It had distinct variations and pulsated slowly. A wider perspective was seen and the ''wall''s borders became observable. It had a shape. It was alive. It was an image that finally made sense; a limb. The eyes had been nothing more than the cells that constituted it. As for the head that controlled them all Rakna followed where the limb led to. And the final part of his mind shattered. "That is enough." A voice illuminated the world of false darkness. Facing the broken husk that remained of Rakna, a man with long diamond-colored hair appeared, blocking the view of the Dreamer''s face. "As expected, this development cannot be escaped. She did not reach you in time." The Sage of The Crystal Mountain spoke to his ''host'' whose mind had been altered to the point of forgetting how to function. "Any further, and you will irreparably lose yourself. This is sufficient. With this, you possess what is required. However, it is time to step back; you will thank meter." The wish-granter waved his hand. Rakna''s skull exploded. Chapter 444: “I’m rather greedy.” Chapter 444: Im rather greedy. ? ? ? Warning! External Influence Detected! Offender Identified! A?z?a?? . . . A?g?r?i?v?a? ?E?k?l?a? ?K?i?r? . . .Z?o?t?a?n? ?F?e?l?k?a? S???y???s???t???e???m???a???k?v?a? . . . L?o?r?o?s? . . . Alert! The Offender Has Withdrawn. --- Warning! Mind-Immunity Has Been Nullified! Eye of Symphony is not responding! Reboot Sequence Interrupted! --- The Host''s Mind Has Been Damaged! --- Warning! The Harvester''s Soul Is Weakening! The Host''s Soul Is In Peril! --- Fear Resistance has leveled up! 5x Fear Resistance Has Excelled! --- The Title, Chalice of Wishes, is protecting you! --- Fear Resistance has been corrupted into Arch Madness! --- The Host has died during the Simtion. Confirming the Scenario''s End Pending Decision Complete! Transferring Host. ? ? ? Rakna woke up. No sound left his mouth. He let go of everything. In the blink of an eye, his aura filled his view. His spiritual energies escaped his body, unfettered, andbined into a disaster that could and should have erased even himself. He felt the urge to scream, flee, and tear off his own head all at the same time. It was nothing like pain. It was nothing like fear. It was nowhere near despair. It was worse. Far worse. "Settle down." A serene tone reached his ears. As if the voice itself was a spell; Rakna stopped. His rational mind banished away by the madness regained control and repaired itself. Rakna copsed on his knees, sweat literally both boiling and freezing on his skin. With dted pupils, he panted whilst staring at the ground. Little by little, the Lunisr ze, Soul mes, Star Energy, Spiritual Intent, Mana, Ki, and Aura returned inside. The therian didn''t even dare to move afterward. His brain was still in a state of shock. There was no fear to speak of. He didn''t know why; his fear didn''t exist anymore. All that was left was madness. He had looked too deep. His memories were falling apart and then reconstructing themselves repeatedly. They were not even deteriorating; every time the process repeated itself, he felt memories from even before his infancy gain rity. He calmed down. But the madness wouldn''t go away. "It is normal." Rakna snapped his head to the right with a re. There, in the training room of his house frozen in time, the Sage stood unfazed. He slightly leaned on his cane and gazed back. "To resist the madness, you naturally have to be afflicted as well," he said. "Do not worry. There is a fine line between madness and sanity. And often, there is no line at all. It will be beneficial to you in the long term." Rakna gnashed his teeth and looked away from the Sage. His gaze drifted to a pair of silhouettes on the ground and his eyes shook. Without hesitation, he rushed to check on both. Both women were unconscious and simrly in stasis due to the Sage''s presence. "Astraea Lilith" He muttered in surprise. Astraea, he could understand. She was the product of a summoning spell and linked to himself as far as the System cares. But Lilith was pulled out of the Dream. Was it because of the Karmic Link they had established? Tarnished Death had been quick to praise it, after all. Or was it because he was holding her while channeling his Nephilim Authority? "!" As realization struck him, he looked around. There was no damage to be seen anywhere on the walls, floor, or ceiling, but his earlier outburst should have inflicted some. It might even have killed them since they were near. The therian ultimately turned toward the silent man. "you saved me from the Dreamer." "Yes," the Sage responded candidly. "Did you also restrain me just now? Did you actually stop time?" "Yes. And no." "" "All I did was use a power you own; control the Reverse Side," the Sage stated. "One day, you will also be able to do this. Even now, you got closer after finishing this Simtion." The Path Skills. Rakna promptly understood. He had only nced at the notifications, but it had been enough to read them. "Should I thank you?" The Sage chuckled light-heartedly at that. "Of course not." Rakna scoffed. "Right." Silence fell between the two for a moment until the Sage spoke up again. "What will you do? Are you going to try and save them still?" "If I go back there" The therian narrowed his eyes. "Can I remain sane?" "Yes," the wish-granter answered. "In the first ce, Azathoth did not wish to harm you." Rakna''s eyes twitched at how nonchntly his inner persona pronounced the name of the Outer God. Even he was still in half-denial, hoping that it was not like the literature he knew of. "I understand that," he clicked his tongue. "It''s my fault. I should have turned off Cross Sight and unsummoned my Tenth Tail. But what did he want from me? Did I really catch his attention?" "He was curious," the Sage responded. "Azathoth is the Eldritch of Dreams and Nightmares. First, he noticed you because of the Ashes'' Truth. Then, he detected something within you." "You?" Rakna questioned with a raised eyebrow. The Sage shook his head. "No. The Obsidian Star." "" "Azathoth is not the Dreamer for nothing. Whatever exists, he dreams. And whatever he dreams, he creates. He likely did not know about the Obsidian Star; he cannot dream of it. He wanted to see it up close, is all." Rakna''s expression twisted. "So, what you''re saying is, I nearly went mad and died because some iprehensible monster was acting like a curious puppy?" The Sage shed a refreshing smile. "Why, yes." "fuck," that was the only thing Rakna could say as he massaged his temples. Even now, some of his mind was in shambles. He was pretty sure that if it wasn''t for the Sage''s presence, which was somehow forcing him to calm down, he might have remained out of it for a while. "Well, it is not all that bad. You were lucky." "Define ''lucky''" He grumbled. "Because of what you did, the Dreamer is waiting for you. He is also ready tomunicate." "Waiting? How so?" The Sage lightly tapped his cane on the floor and held it up. "You should know by now. What you saw today has imprinted your mind with ''Insight''. Ultimately, madness is not a consequence of tragedy, but a side-effect of understanding." "your point?" "The Dreamer is above Time. As we speak, he exists in all three marks of chronology. There is no doubt that you will go back, is there?" The Sage tilted his head with a smile and Rakna rolled his eyes. "Since it will happen, the Dreamer knows. Thus, he is ''waiting''. And because of it, he has yet to end the Dream you were in." Rakna didn''t say anything for a while. "let me out," he eventually requested. The Sage snickered softly. "Understood. Before you go, let me warn you; this is thest time we will see each other until the very end," he dered. "I am sure there is no need to exin what that entails, right?" "I get it," Rakna responded tly. "Then, farewell." Immediately, the surroundings reverted to normal and the therian could hear the breathing and heartbeat of Astraea and Lilith. On cue, his left eye made an ascending noise. The lenses became visible and the Eye came back online. With a relieved sigh, he flicked his finger, gently lifting the two girls with his Valkals. At the same time, he effortlessly conjured two mattresses for them with magic. For a moment, even he was surprised. "was it always this easy?" He muttered to himself. There was absolutely no downtime between his thoughts and his spell. His Valkals had already been as fast as his mind before, but now they felt like limbs rather than objects he had to wield. "Madness or Insight, was it?" He opened his status and saw nothing about that. There was only the new skill of Arch Madness which was filled with question marks. As he made that observation, two people teleported inside the training room. One of them was a worried-looking Artemis. The white-haired goddess immediately spotted Astraea and rushed to her side. "Rea!" She yelled and diagnosed her with magic. When she was sure nothing was wrong with the Egregore Records, she looked at Lilith. She was seriously injured, but treatment seemed to have already been applied. "This is?" "Were you not doing a Path Quest?" The other person addressed Rakna directly. "Svanya," Rakna acknowledged her. "Well yes." "and you brought back someone from there?" His guildmate was obviously dumbfounded. The therian chortled weakly. "Things happened. Why are you two down here?" "I was talking to that rude friend of yours about a solution to my situation," she said. "Then, I sensed something strange from here. I came down to check everything was fine. Her as well," she pointed at Artemis with her chin. "Were you two the only ones who sensed something?" "Most of your friends are not up there. Lilia also went out with Ceresta and via, if I remember correctly. You have been doing your quest for almost half an hour." That surprised Rakna. ''Half an hour? The time dtion is different from the first time. It could be rted to Azathoth, or it could just be a coincidence,'' he rubbed his temples. "At least, the girls are not here" "Not here for what?" The therian grimaced at the new voice that interrupted him. To his dismay, Kaelith teleported in from within a whirlwind of blue mes. She smiled widely at him. "Wolfy, putting aside the fact you just brought home another woman, is there something I should know about?" She inquired slowly. "Aah let''s sit down for this," Rakna promptly surrendered. Kaelith blinked in surprise, dropping her threatening aura. "Oh and here I thought you would try to brush away my concerns again and go risk your life." "Um" He uttered awkwardly. "What if like, just one of those is true?" "Exin." And then the menacing look returned. Figured. * * * After a few minutes of retelling, which had Kaelith ready to pull her hair several times, she let out a sigh of exhaustion. With a hand on her forehead, she red at her lover. "And you want to go back there? Where one of the most supreme forms of a living species is able to kill you with its gaze alone? By mistake, at that?" "essentially." "And you think I''m going to let you?" She deadpanned. "yes?" Kaelith sighed. "Wolfy, I understand, I really do. It would be sad of me at this point if I didn''t know how the guy I like behaves," she nkly said and the therian couldn''t help but snort. "Even if it''s for a good reason why should you burden yourself like that?" Svanya leaned against the wall nearby, making herself small in their conversation, but listening attentively, nheless. Artemis was steadily healing Lilith but kept her ears open as well. At the genuine concern in Kaelith''s tone, Rakna smiled wryly. "If I had to say there are plenty of reasons why I''m like this. Partly the old man''s fault, my own, and a pledge I made to myself. "" "There is no podium for benevolence in this world. I learned that early on," he said. "No medal to earn, no prize, and no recognition. Truthfully, I''m not even thatpassionate. For a long time, the only reason I would go out of my way to help someone was because I deemed it right. But the first time I truly felt like I was doing something meaningful was when I saved via." Kaelith''s eyes expanded slightly. "I coincidentally realized; only desire matters. I can''t just do it because I can. I must want it." The vixen didn''t know what to say. Wordlessly, she watched as Rakna stood up. His wings were unfurled behind him and she steeled her expression. "And today, I realized" The therian smiled lightly. A malevolent force briefly leaked through the restraints of his Nephilim powers. "I''m rather greedy." The nine-tailed heiress didn''t even bat an eye as a surge of Infernity filled the air. Without caring for the turbulence swaying her hair, she stared into Rakna''s eyes. Only the two onlookers were stunned by the sudden phenomenon. ? ? ? You are exhibiting overwhelming emotions. Your Sub-Path, Nephilim, is reacting. Your Title, Chalice of Wishes, is reacting. --- You have obtained a new Ultimate Excelled Skill; Passion of Mammon! Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim [Imperfect] has assimted Passion of Mammon! Whatever you covet will not escape your grasp. New effects have been added. You have awakened the Extra Magic; Greed! ? ? ? Kaelith let out a chuckle despite herself. "Of course. There''s only you to awaken a Sin right in the middle of a conversation," she shook her head sarcastically. "I should have expected it. But this is not enough, wolfy," she muttered with glowing eyes. Nine-colored mes erupted from around her and turned into blistering chains, grappling the air itself and transforming the room into a paradoxically cold prison. The constructs shackled the energies within their hold and the very fabric of space. "The Cager," Rakna huffed smilingly. Without the chains even touching him, he could feel himself being trapped in ce. His wings and body''s dimensional energies were being wedged. Even his mana was being chained. ? ? ? The Spell Craft, Cage of The Nine mes, is chaining down the World around you! --- The Title, Limitless Traveler, is resisting the effects! Your skill, Arch Madness, is ignoring a part of the effects! Your skill, Rift Shuttle, is weakening the effects! Your skill, Authority of The Law-Breaker, is resisting the effects! Your skill, Philosopher''s Ardent Soul, is weakening the effects! Your Internal Art, Rippling Ghost of Rupture, is resisting the effects! Your high proficiency, Mana Rule, is weakening the effects! --- Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim is overflowing with Pride and Greed. The effects have been significantly weakened. ? ? ? One after the other, several skills and titles were triggered in response, making the chains grind and tighten. The corners of Kaelith''s lips were lifted bitterly. "Seriously, wolfy I''m not holding back here, you know? You shouldn''t even be able to move a single point of mana." The therian shrugged. "What can I say? I''m that good," he joked and deployed his Ster Aura. In the blink of an eye, the transmutation copied the signature of Kaelith''s magic. The vixen pursed her lips when she saw her Nine Heavenly mes appear inside his aura. One part of her wanted to be surprised, but frankly, she almost expected that kind of thing. And with that, he escaped from her Cage even more. Could she make it stronger? Of course. Could she attack? Of course. Could she stop him? Yes. Would she do it? "you''re annoying, wolfy," she pouted. "Says the one who''s casually sitting down while casting this overpowered skill," Rakna retorted. "I don''t want to hear that from you." "Point taken." "don''t die," she whispered. "The Sage already assured me I would." "Well, I don''t trust that shady guy," the vixen scoffed. "And honestly, at this point, I don''t think I should trust you either when ites to your own safety." "Ouch." Honestly, Kaelith wanted to tackle him and tag along. If she couldn''t stop him, then she could at least stand with him. But she knew her limits. She was stronger than him from a conventional perspective, but he eclipsed her in many other aspects. There was no way to tell what would happen if she encountered the Dreamer. Unlike him, even if the Outer God didn''t try to harm her, she didn''t trust herself to be able toe out unscathed of his gaze. She didn''t have anyst resort insurance like the Sage of the Crystal Mountain either. If she lost herself, all she would achieve is hurt the one she loved instead. Rakna smiled softly. "I''ll be back soon. I would make a promise, but I''m on a really bad streak for that right now," he shot an apologetic nce toward Astraea. The vixen harrumphed. "Yes. I suggest that you give up on making promises. It''s not your thing, wolfy. Somehow, I would feel much more at ease if you didn''t make any." "As you wish," he huffed in amusement and his wings enfolded his body. Silver dust gushed out from the tip of the feathers and created the illusion of a revolving light. "See youter, foxy." Kaelith watched intently as the feathered cocoon created a glittering aura and ''spun'' fast enough to be unrecognizable. Then, in the blink of an eye, it shrunk to nothingness, producing a sh in the shape of a four-pointed star signifying the teleportation''s sess. With a sigh, the vixen snapped her fingers and the chains dissipated into embers. "Are you really fine letting Master go?" A disembodied voice asked right after. Fiora stepped into view out of thin air and stood to the side with a tilted head. "Hmph," Kaelith stood up, dusting her dress and tails. "Then what? I''m not a shallow woman. It''s not right for me to stop him when I already epted that part of him. That would make me an obstacle in his life. I don''t want that. Also" She scowled at the Qilin. "He knew you were there. If he had given the order, you would have happily suppressed me, wouldn''t you?" "W-well, p-potentially~!" Fiora looked away with a very fake whistle. "She would have," Oz''s voice sounded as he stuck his head out of her shadow. "The second that she found out what was happening down here, she literally tripped on me in her excitement," the elemental wolf revealed with a nk expression. "B-Boss! Don''t tell that to the Madam! She won''t like me now!" "Stop calling me boss" Oz grumbled and plunged back into her shadow. "Aah" Kaelith sighed at the sight. "Wolfy seriously lucked out encountering a fanatic like you..." "Fanatic is rude," Fiora smiled and ced a hand on her hip and chest. "I am devoted!" The three girls in the room silently stared at her. "Right. Anyhow," the vixen turned around. She pulled something from her storage and tossed it to Artemis. Thetter caught it and looked at it in confusion; it was a cubic object radiating some strange energy. "That''s a Type-R Transpith. Use that on the other girl. It will regrow her arm and most of what she''s missing internally." "Oh? Fascinating technology. Right away," the goddess of the hunt nodded. "After that, you can take her upstairs. I''ll call the others so we can interrogate her together when she wakes up. You don''t have to participate, so take care of Astraea afterward." "Eh?" Artemis eximed in confusion. "Interrogation?" Kaelith smiled sweetly. "To establish ground rules in this house." Svanya, the ever-so-unnoticed beauty, nodded in understanding. She was impressed. Truly, what she had heard from Gray about her new guildmate waspletely right. Without him even here, his girlfriend was already nning the growth of his harem. "hm?" She then felt a gaze on her. She looked up and saw Kaelith looking at her. "?" The vixen simply ''smiled''. "Oh" Svanya realized her intention. She nodded again. "Me too, I see. Truly impressive." Rakna was unaware that someone had just developed very misguided respect for himself. Chapter 445: Clear Stone Chapter 445: Clear Stone In a transitory dimension, stuck between one and another, Rakna was stopped as if some kind of massive gate was barring his path. He felt as if at the mercy of a massive fortress. From the depths of his wings, a pair of golden crosses shed intensely. He was not surprised by this situation, nor was he worried. He figured the System wouldn''t let him navigate outside its boundaries, even if it was to a ''world'' connected to itself. There was no time for hesitation. Rakna ''ced his hand'' on the gate and pushed. After all, there was no way a Nephilim would tolerate such an insulting obstacle. But that was not enough. The authority of his Sub-Path was ultimately proportional to his strength. The System had been made with greater defenses than that. So, he had no choice. He had to cast something with the sole purpose of breaking through this boundary. With the addition of Greed Magic he may have just enough to try it. He could feel it. Five out of the seven had been gathered. One of the major ''ingredients'' was close topletion. It wouldn''t permanently achieve anything, but it could potentially ''activate'' something temporarily. As such, Rakna poured all of his Sin Magic into his Obsidian Star. Sloth, Pride, Wrath, Lust, and Greed. They radiated from his Tenth Tail and flowed into the core of the Obsidian Star, mixing themselves with the rest. It was strangely smooth. The Soul mes weed them, the Divinity and Infernity epted them, the Star Energy submitted itself, and the causalitypressed them together. For just one second. A single red slit appeared in Rakna''s eyes. It split Cross Sight right through the center, mingling with the golden light and spilling out of his eye like the other two lines. The six-pointed symbol glowed and Rakna merely spoke his will."Open." It wasn''t a spell. It was an order. He was demanding obedience from reality. The ''gate'' crumbled under his power, neither violent nor soft. It was as if it had disintegrated at his touch. ? ? ? Error! Skill Parsing Failed! Status Parsing Failed! --- You Have Created A Domain Embryo! You Have Manipted Existentiality For The First Time! --- Error! Error! System Integrity Failing! Encoding Limits Threatened! Suppressing Domain Awakening! Suppressing Existentially! Error! Suppression Protocol Unstable! Canceling Skill Creation Canceling Title Creation Sess! --- Warning! Warning! Warning! The Host Is Breaching The Periphery! Please Return At Once! --- Error! Contingency Program Not Responding! External Partition Failing! --- Connection To Main Server Lost! Initiating Sleeper Pro The system prompts stopped prematurely and Rakna disappeared. * * * Rakna opened his eyes. He was standing on Haltoan''s corpse again. And the first thing he did was look down at the ground. For not even a second did he try to look around or up. He breathed in. First, he noticed a strange sense of emptiness; the System had shut down. Based on the notifications, it should have gone into sleep mode. He couldn''t ess it, but his status was still the same. Otherwise, if he had truly escaped the System''s constraints, who knows what kind of chaotic surge in power he would be having right now. Other than that "should I greet you?" Rakna spoke up carefully. There was a reason he didn''t dare to look up. It was his only choice in order to survive. Even with Arch Madness, the otherworldly ''gaze'' he felt from above seemed to be shaking his mind already. If he turned to the sky right now, he would most likely see a dissected world. He was like a fish inside a bowl and the Dreamer was looking inside. If he tried to confirm Azathoth''s appearance so directly, then this time he would certainly go insane. At that moment, Fray''s sarcastic voice echoed in response to that thought, "{How astute. But are you sure you''re not insane already? An intelligent person wouldn''t have returned here.}" ''Oh you are alive,'' Rakna responded nkly. "{What is that indifferent tone?}" The fabulist grumbled. "{I will have you know I had a traumatic experience because of you. Your entire Soul Realm was filled with eyeballs earlier. Thankfully, it didn''t affect me much thanks to you acting as a buffer.}" ''That''s an unsettling view to imagine'' The therian''s expression twitched. He didn''t exactly feelfortable with the knowledge of his soul having been parasitized like that. "{You don''t say.}" As they both talked to each other to relieve their tension, something finally urred in response to Rakna''s earlier question. On the ground in front of him, the soil liquefied, then solidified back into some kind of gtine-like substance. The therian''s expression twitched as arge eyeball formed right there. He reflexively closed one of his own, clicking his tongue at the small amount of ache it brought to his mind. Though, it was nothingpared to before. "{Good lord, not again}" Fray whined. "{Why is he so obsessed with eyes?}" ''it''s that or tentacles,'' Rakna deadpanned. ''Also is it not obvious, in a way?'' "{What is?}" ''I saw his body. He doesn''t have eyes. That''s just how we rationalize it. Rather, it''s more urate to say that he is made of organs that have the same function as an eye. His appearance is rtive.'' "{what is the difference?}" ''Well'' Rakna grimaced as the Outer God''s ''eye'' snapped toward him after fully forming. ''What if they are a representation of his powers? What if, for each of the millions; billions; trillions; endless eyes he has, he can have a different dream? One eye closed is equal to one dream.'' "{}" Fray didn''t reply. He couldn''t say anything witty about that kind of thing. This Simtion was supposed to be just one single dream, after all. What Rakna was implying was that Azathoth could sustain the existence of such worlds for as many eyes as he could close. ''How absurd'' - E?k?l?a? ?K?i?r? - Words appeared inside the eye''s iris and Rakna ignored the pain that came with it. He instantly knew what it was; the Original Language. He didn''t want to try his luck activating Crystal Sight, but it wasn''t even needed to decipher those words anymore. The Insight given by Arch Madness allowed him to actually read the writing without feeling like his head was going to split for once. As for knowledge of thenguage he could read it without the Sage''s sight. Since when? He didn''t know. Osmosis? Insight? The Nephilim skills? "{What is he saying?}" Fray tentatively spoke up. "{I cannot even grasp the words'' shapes. They escape my understanding as if they are fleeing my gaze.}" "E Kir," Rakna slowly repeated, not feeling burdened. There was nothing mystical about the wordsing out of his mouth. It was as harmless as when Wis told them the System''s name. "It roughly means ''Bright Stone'' or ''Clear Stone''." "{Huh? Why is he saying that to you?}" "He''s not saying it that''s what he''s calling me." "{}" Soon after, the eye blinked and the words changed. This time, the number of words contained in the new sentence caused the wind to blow. A stringent sound resonated as if the world couldn''t contain the power contained inside thenguage. To be exact, the words were barely restraining the power of the one expressing them. There was no way just any mortalnguage could handle an Outer God''s artiction. The Original Language was the only tongue that Azathoth could use to indirectlymunicate with the weak. - Q?a?r? ?A?z?a?l? ?F?e?r? ?V?a?t?r?i? ?L?a?p?u?r? - Rakna squinted as the wind ruffled his hair and clothes. "{Well those words certainly have power when he uses them. So? What did he say?}" "''Do you seek my dream?''," Rakna voiced. "Though, ''Lapur'' here can be interpreted to be more direct than that. Rather than seeking, he''s saying I''m coveting it. It sounds like a question too, but it''s phrased as a statement." "{Great. How do you even answer that?}" The therian silently stared at the Dreamer and opened his mouth, "I do." Instantly, the eye blinked and new words formed, once again exuding power into the World. - F?e?r? ?V?a?t?r?i? ?K?a?o? ?V?i?s?l?e? - ''shit,'' Rakna cursed in his mind as soon as he read the new question. "{What''s wrong?}" ''He''s asking what I''m offering.'' "{Oh}" Fray eximed. There was no point in wondering how bad that was. "can I ask you instead, what would you ept?" Rakna replied. For a moment, Azathoth''s gaze was still. It took nearly ten seconds before he blinked and gave an answer. The effects of his words were even stronger. - Q?a? ?V?a?c? ?H?o?r?t? ?.? ?Q?a? ?F?e?r?t? ?G?r?i?v?a? ?I?t?r? ?S?a?b?a?n? - Rakna clicked his tongue internally. ''That''s not much better.'' "{}" ''He''s telling me to ''let him choose''. And he guarantees not to take my life.'' "{But he could take pretty much everything else}" ''But I don''t have a choice,'' the therian grunted. ''I''ve alreadye here. I can''t leave without doing anything. That''s not even an option. But then again, will he ept if I decide to give up? There is a massive imbnce in this dynamic. He can take whatever he wants; I wouldn''t be able to resist.'' "Aah, damn it" He rubbed his head and sighed. "Azathoth," he raised his voice and the patterns inside the eye glowed in attention. "I ept." "{Wha?! Rakna! Even for you, that''s beyond reckless!}" ''Coming back here was beyond reckless,'' he dryly retorted. "{Still--!}" At the same time, a pitch-ck pupil swirled inside the Dreamer''s eye. It began to bloat out of its organ and take a different shape. Then, abruptly, it sprouted upward into some kind of limb. ''A tentacle is what I wish I could call it,'' Rakna thought. In a way, it was because it had no clear form that a mortal mind had to consider it a tentacle. If there existed a limb of which every single feature cannot be rationalized by sight, wouldn''t it look like a wriggling appendage? Rakna reflexively tilted his head backward as Azathoth''s limb moved toward him. But he refused to step back. Honestly, he could have tried to bargain a little. Maybe he should have suggested a few of his powers as offerings before letting him choose on his whim. ''But the idea in itself might be more dangerous,'' he concluded. ''I asked what he would ept. I did not ask what I could give him. If I had started arguing'' He stopped his thoughts there. ''As long as it doesn''t kill me I should be able to make up for itter, even if it destabilizes the ''recipe''.'' Thus, he watched as the absurd appendage approached very slowly. It made sense. This part of the Dreamer''s body was rtively microscopic. It''s like ensnaring an insect smaller than an ant with the tip of one''s nails. But, as it was about to touch his chest, a sh of crimson briefly overtook his vision and someone grabbed the appendage. "!" Rakna''s eyes widened. Sporting vermillion wings, a familiar woman had grabbed Azathoth with a strained expression. ''She was conscious?!'' "I don''t know what is happening" Ramsa rasped out, exhaustion still audible in her voice. None of her injuries had healed either. Yet, she firmly stopped Azathoth with her hands releasing arcs of sr energy. "But I won''t let my child sacrifice anything for my sake" Rakna''s gaze shook. She should have already seen his current appearance. He hade with his real body; not the one given by the Scenario. She understood that; she must have. If Soma could notice the truth of his existence, then she could as well. It simply meant Azathoth never bothered to make it impossible for them to do so. "You!" The therian was ready to rebuke her, but the near-instant shift of Azathoth''s pupil made him shudder. The Dreamer stared at his own creation. Although by nature, she was immune to the madness he could induce, touching a part of his body, as remote as it was, was already eating away at her arms. "Stop it!" Rakna shouted, disying a rare amount of agitation. Azathoth was not retaliating, but it was not out of consideration or generous patience. The Dreamer was simply honoring his part of the deal; if he erased Ramsa, it would count as damaging the Dream, and thus their trade. "Do you even know what you''re dealing with?! You can''t stop him! He''s allowing you to! This is not something we can win against!" "Then leave!" Ramsa yelled in return, freezing him in ce. Tears flowed down her face. She did not care even as her hands were starting to meld with the Outer God''s limb. She didn''t stop using her powers, nor did she let go. Instead, she cried. "You do not belong to this world, do you?! Then you have no responsibility here!" "" Her sobs became even worse. "I won''t let you" She cried, her divinity seeping into her tears and sshing against the ground in orange embers. "I don''t care who you truly are I won''t let my son suffer again" With each word she spoke, her eyelids became heavier. Soon enough, she would fall back into unconsciousness, caused by Azathoth''s presence. Yet, she did not let go even a little bit. In fact, her grip kept getting stronger. The power of the sun spilled out of her body, even if it had no chance of harming the Outer God. Rakna gritted his teeth as the heat swept over him. Even though she was about to pass out, her sheer willpower wasbusting her life. At this rate, she would self-destruct even if she were to be killed. ''Her and now you how stubborn can you be'' The therian clenched his fist and snapped his eyes toward Azathoth''s avatar, which was sprouting another tentacle aimed at her. The red and gold star reappeared in Rakna''s eyes and he reflexively opened his mouth, -- R?a?i?t?r?a?! -- The original word was unconsciously spoken with power and the world rattled, dispersing some of Ramsa''s energy in the process. "{!}" Fray trembled from inside the Soul Realm and the Outer God''s limb halted. The Dreamer turned his attention away from Ramsa, the giant eye narrowing slightly. Rakna silently pointed his palm at the Sun Goddess. "[Reverse Cosmos.]" A Path Skill that only had one line of description. It had already been documented by Eye of Symphony before the System shut down. ? ? ? Reverse Cosmos A new legend shall rule the World Beyond as the Master of The Reverse Side. Note: This is a skill unique to the Host and operates on a spectrum not envisioned by the Main Frame. The System does not possess the capacity to regte its application. ? ? ? As soon as Rakna activated the skill, Ramsa disappeared without a trace. He staggered backward as if he had caught something and by the time he ended the motion, she had reappeared held up from her waist by his arm. Somehow, this sequence of events was bizarrely fluid. Her eyes were half-lidded and gleaming with tears. "No" She uttered weakly and Rakna quickly sealed her powers with his own. "Please leave" She mouthed weakly, but eventually could not resist further when he used Sloth to put her to sleep. "Azathoth," Rakna spoke slowly, Cross Sight and Sin glowing in his eyes, and pushing away the insanity of the Outer God''s existence with newfound strength of mind. There was no hesitation. The Dreamer renewed his advance much faster this time. It seemed he had judged that this ''ant'' could handle a bit of a rougher treatment. However, to the shock of both parties, the Outer God included, something interrupted him once again. But it was nothing like the desperation of Ramsa. Rakna held his breath as a slender arm suddenly extended from over his shoulder, disintegrating the tentacle with but a touch of its finger. The unknown presence behind him was not inferior to Azathoth himself and not any less eldritch by nature either. "As expected, you are kind," a soft feminine voice echoed next to his ear. It was awfully harmless sounding for such a ridiculous aura. Her tone was tender and gracious, but beneath, there was an overwhelming sense of emptiness that threatened to swallow Rakna whole. The therian stiffened as he instantly realized who it was. The Sinful energy faded from his pupils as if defused and his movements became helplessly rigid. He looked back in cold sweat and there she stood. An ''impossible creature'' that shouldn''t have been this beautiful. She was taller than himself, her deep crimson eyes looking at him intently. Her smooth dark skin contrasted with her immacte white hair, of which the locks were unconstrained, reaching the ground and acting as crude covers to preserve the modesty of her bare, sculpted body. ck tattoos carrying a strain of madness were strewn all over her figure; never retaining a clear shape or location no matter how much or how long you observed them. She gazed right through Rakna''s entire being and despite her cold expression, he felt something forcefully seep through his body and mind. Joy that wasn''t his. Happiness consumed him from the outside; something she was directing at him. "My dear cousin." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!